The last day in Leh, sad but true.

I've already noticed it yesterday evening: more and more shops are closing, the shutters stay down all day long. Is it possible that they are the first signs that the season is coming to an end?

Or as in Game of Thones - Winter is coming? The arrival of the White Walkers?

It won't be that bad, but it is noticeable that autumn is slowly making way for the freezing winter …

 

Time to say goodbye

It seems so, and for the first time I notice that winter is approaching. It has become considerably colder, the coloured trees are losing their leaves, a welcome extra food for the stray cows.

The streets in Leh and the neighboring villages (with the exception of the pedestrian zone) are populated by numerous cows and a few donkeys. But they are not abandoned sacred cows like in India, they are owned by farmers living outside of Leh.

The animals set off for town in the morning to find some food, and in the evening they find their way back to their farm. At first I didn't find it very credible, but the animals all make an amazingly well-fed and well-groomed impression. However, they also eat the plastic garbage lying around everywhere and die from it ...

 

Cow and her baby
Mother and calf in the middle of Leh

The door closes

It seems to be true: by the end of the month the summer season will end at the latest, and as soon as the first snow falls on the high passes, Ladakh will only be accessible by plane. However, it is said that also in winter there are more and more tourists undertaking winter treks, partly on the frozen rivers. When I think of the temperatures of down to minus 30, I get sick.

Not for me.

 

Winter in Ladakh
This is how it looks - winter is coming

Looking for a trip to Manali

After last night's futile attempt to find a private bus operator that doesn't run the route to Manali in a mainly nighttime power trip of 16 hours, I have to come up with some ideas today.

I'm dying to drive during daytime. Should the indescribable landscape pass my sleeping eyes in the darkness? No way! The only alternative is the Government Bus, leaving at four in the morning. But it only leaves when it is full, which means that you never know if it is really going to leave. Besides, it is said that this will also lead to the not very promising fight for the best seats on the bus. And this in the middle of the night!

So there remains only the hope to find a private operator to take me over the crazy road to Manali.

 

"2-day trip to Manali"

But it turns out that luck is on my side. I have decided to check out every single agency, but after only a few meters, at the first address so to speak, a notice is attached to the wall.

Looking for 2-3 persons for 2-day trip to Manali.

That is exactly what I am looking for. However, the agency is still closed, so in the meantime I start looking for a present for my not yet born grandchild. The Tibetan dealer, very friendly and very gay, shakes my hand for five minutes when I tell him about my future as a grandfather.

In the meantime the agency has opened up. There is only one interested party for the trip to Manali, and since the price is divided among the passengers, it might become an expensive affair.

But what the heck, and so I book the trip on the spur of the moment. Departure the next morning, eight o'clock sharp, overnight stay in Jispa or Keylong, arrival in Manali the next day. Perfect! …

 

Out and about in Sankar

In the afternoon I walk on my own in the little known and very quiet village called Sankar above Leh. Not a single soul around, no constant honking, clear air. Sometimes a mother with her grandchildren. Julee here and Julee there one more time. I get rid of my last crayons, result: astonished and happy children's eyes. It takes so little. A few cheap crayons.

 

Grandma and granddaughter
Grandmother with granddaughter
granddaughter
And another granddaughter - with a runny nose

Cold food in the cold backyard

The different areas of heat and cold have consequences sooner or later. Add to this the exhaust fumes and the clouds of dust that are whirled up and you will get a good cold and cough. And as already mentioned - it has become noticeably colder. Dinner in the open backyard is already becoming a pretty cold affair.

So now, just before the end of the stay in Leh, it finally hits me. So it seems that I felt a bit down this morning and in fact I don't feel ready for the trip to Manali. But let's see ...

 

small temple
One last walk through the upper quarters
View from above
A last look from above

The balance Sheet

The city at 3500 meters is also - contemptuously or admiringly - called Little Kathmandu, contemptuously because of the destruction left by mass tourism, disapprovingly because of the young Ladakhis who imitate the western lifestyle so much that they lose their cultural identity.

But also admiring because of the friendly locals, the magnificent sanctuaries and monasteries, the mood and relaxed atmosphere. The positive points still outweigh the negative, but the progress in the form of cars, taxis, motorbikes and all the other signs of western civilization rolling over the city with the force of a steam engine give me reason to fear that in the not too distant future the assessment will tip over to the negative side.

The example of Kathmandu proves my point. There the destruction (even without the earthquake) has long since taken place.

But – I repeat it a thousand times – I might come back any time. Despite the environmental pollution and everything connected with it, I have taken the city to my heart. It certainly has a lot to do with the Tibetan mentality, the friendliness and mischievous wit of the people, with their serenity.

All things we have lost so painfully ...

Leh – we will meet again. Maybe not until the next life, but what the heck’s …

Well, let's go then to find an adventure. Tomorrow a thousand abysses are waiting for me.

 

PS Matching film: Game of Thrones / The Winds of Winter (trailers)

And here the trip continues ... on to one of the craziest and most dangerous pass crossings ...

 

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