The alarm went off at 6:30 am but I got out of bed only by 6:45. Got quickly dressed and was on the road by 7:15 am. It was a lovely day to ride.
The Ladakh marathon held the traffic for about 45 mins.
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| The Ladakh marathon |
While on my way, I gave a lift to a boy who was working as a labourer with BRO. He wanted to go till Khaltsi which was about 15 kms from that point. At 10:15 am we reached Khaltsi.The boy climbed down, flashed a quick smile, didn't utter a word and walked away without looking back. It took a lot of effort for him to smile. Life had been tough on him.
I was starving by that time, so I stopped for breakfast at a punjabi dhaba. It had been long since I had alu paratha, so I ordered for the same. Punjabis can never go wrong with alu paratha.
When I was confident that there was no trace of alu paratha left on my plate, I started my ride again.
Riding through a sensitive rock falling zone called for extreme caution.
I reached Lamayuru at 11 am. If Thiksey was the most photographed monastery of Leh, Lamayuru was the most picturesque one. Leaving Leh without visiting this place would certainly have left me with pangs of regret for the rest of my life. That call from Linda was very well-timed. It was God sent.
Taking photos were not allowed inside the monastery. There, I learned about the Buddhist version of Maha Kali - a demon who had later turned into a religious protector.
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| Not the main Lamayuru monastery |
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| Not the main Lamayuru monastery |
After I explored every corner of the Lamayuru Monastery I walked through the nearby villages to see if I could get something interesting. For some reason the village laid in ruins with only few settlers.
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| Lamayuru village |
After spending about an hour in Lamayuru, I left lamayuru at around 12 pm. On my way back I noticed that the road which was clear in the morning had been blocked by fresh debris of rocks. Thankfully, no one was hurt. It was a dangerous spot as it lied immediately after a curve. So it would not have been possible for anyone to see the rocks rolling down the slope if someone was coming from the blind side of the curve.
While heading towards Alchi Monastery I gave a lift to two boys who were heading the same way. In return, they showed me a much shorter route to reach the monastery.
I reached Alchi at 1:30 pm but the monastery was closed for lunch till 2. While I was waiting outside the monastery one Lama saw me. I think he could sense that I was running short of time, so he opened the main monastery and signalled me to walk in without the tickets. Alchi monastery is to Buddhism what Sistine Chapel is to Christianity. Its walls are decorated with beautiful, pure paintings. The art on those walls left me in awe. The walls are painted in Thanka (religious wall carpet) style and one doesn't need to be an expert to guess that the clay statues with mild hues are ancient. Taking photos inside the monastery were strictly prohibited as the flash of the camera would further damage the hues. The main monastery has towering statues of Avalokitsehwara: Compassionate Buddha, and Manjushri: Buddha of wisdom. The main door of the monastery was cleverly designed with a low clearance so that everyone who enters the monastery bows before they enter.
Of course, I paid for my entry tickets when the counter reopened after the lunch break.
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| Way to Alchi Monastery |
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| The monk who let me in during the lunch break |
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| The low clearance doors |
There runs a story that one monk had planted his walking stick at this place and when he returned to the same place after many years, the walking stick had grown into a tree.
After the Alchi monastery, I headed towards the Liker monastery. One unusual thing I noticed about this monastery was that it had a bell, like the ones you find in Hindu temples. I don't remember seeing a bell hanging in any other monastery.
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| On the way to Liker Monastery |
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| View from the Liker Monastery rooftop |
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| The bell inside the monastery |
Once I was done with Liker Monastery, I headed back to Leh. The ride back was a very scenic one and I took some time to observe the beauty of Ladakh on the last day of my stay.
On my way back, I thought I saw something but was not very sure about it. So, I took a U-turn and reached the same place again to check if I had really seen what I thought it was. In front of me stood the humblest post office I had ever seen. It was a kind that automatically puts a smile on anyone's face. This sighting ran a riot of thoughts in my mind.
“Who works here ?”, How many people work here ?”, “What is it like inside ?” and lastly, “How can anyone manage to get through that door ?” were a few of the many questions that popped up. I found myself answering some of the questions or engaging in logical reasoning. I left the place just when it showed signs of becoming a mind-boggling exercise.
After I reached my hotel @ 6 PM, I changed into fresh clothes and left to fill the tank for the following days return journey. While inspecting Chitti ( thats what Linda calls my Royal Enfield .Inspired from the movie of one of our favorite actors - RAJNIKANT !!! ) I noticed that the rough roads had made the chain loose and one of the wheel teeth had broken. I took Chitti to be fixed but the mechanic shops were closed.
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| Injured Chitti, but still riding hard |
I saw a very interesting concept at the heart of the Leh market. Someone had this noble idea of adopting the eco way of living. So, s/he had opened a small store where anyone could walk in and refill their drinking water bottles with hygienic water for free, buy a glass of natural juice or other natural products, or even dispose of the plastic water bottles and batteries.
With the last day in Leh, I had reached the halfway of my story. As I recalled the 9 days that I had spent in Leh, my bosom swelled with a sense of achievement. This called for a celebration. So, I parked Chitti at the hotel, arranged my luggage and headed to Ibex. Just before I stepped in Ibex, I made a quick call to Linda and asked my navigator to check the Delhi -Darjeeling route. She was all excited to be a part of my journey remotely. Once the call was over, I walked in Ibex and ordered 2 pegs of Old monk and some chicken tandoori. While I was sipping my drink, I remembered walking across one crowded German bakery cum coffee shop. It was Gezmo Bakery at the Fort road. I wanted to taste it before I left Leh so after my drinks I headed straight towards Gezmo. By the time I reached, it was almost closing time and the staff were taking the last round of orders. The place was very crowded and didn't have a single vacant chair. As time was running out, I walked towards the counter and ordered for a hot chocolate drink and a chocolate croissant. I asked the guy in the counter if I could eat standing beside the counter to which he agreed happily. One bite into the croissant and it explained why that place was so crowded. Interacting with the staff made the experience even sweeter.
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| The friendly staff of Gezmo |
Once I reached the hotel, I called Ali to pay the room charges for the day. Ali had become a good friend of mine, so he was sad to see me go. Later he came to my room and gave me his personal number. He asked me to call him next time I come to Leh. As we chatted for some time, he told me that he wanted to start a hotel on his own. I prayed for his dream to come true.
At the end of the 21st Day, I had travelled 282 Kms, and with this, the Leh chapter is closed.
(Do read the other days chronicle listed on the same page)
#Royalenfield #trip #leh #bikeride #adventure #ladakh #travel
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