The Leh Palace in the City of Leh is located on a hill. The roads in Leh grow narrower between the terrains. Parvez drove the car carefully and with great expertise. A lot of women drive their cars in Leh. This was surprising since there was barely enough room for a second car to move on these narrow roads.
Parvez dropped us off a short distance from the Palace, where there were cars parked for almost a quarter km. As there was plenty of sand under our feet, we moved slowly. Occasionally, a bit of the soil blew off the mountains. As we reached closer to the palace, we were able to stand on a flat platform with protected grills to view the magnificence of the snow-peaked mountains far away and the partially crowded city close by. On the other side, there were just tall mountains. The palace did not seem palatial. It was nine stories tall, but the height of each floor seemed low. The entrance had motifs just above the main doors that were swung open. People said that the view above was magnificent, one had to climb the nine floors to get a view. Each floor had the artefacts of the royal family, their cloaks and clothes. It was a palace museum. There was a security guard managing people. We entered the first floor. The low roof was thatched and the walls were repaired. The repairs made it no longer seem ancient. There were paintings hung on the walls. The lights were dim, and we tried to climb the uneven stairs. The rickety stairs and the floors made it difficult to climb. After some time it was getting crowded and the fear of the fourth wave of the pandemic drove us out of the palace sooner.
We could see the Gompa or the monastery near the palace. Parvez said the monasteries were all similar, so we could visit one the next day. We then decided to go to the main market. The market was an open square which resembled a lot of those at Manali. There was almost everything available. The vegetable vendors sold their produce on the footpath. Some roots resembled the cassava (tapioca), they were browner and smaller. The carrots and turnips and others attracted the tourists to buy a few. A cold wind blew strong in this square, but the vendors remained unmoved.
A Ladakhi woman in her seventies sat on the stairs of a large store at the far end. She had a fair complexion and wrinkles covered her face. She wore a long gown kind of dress, which is traditional there, and knitted caps as quickly as she could. We stopped to buy a woollen cap from her. She showed us a few and suggested that I buy one that covered my head, it had two long plaited strands. It reminded me of Obelix from Asterix fame. I talked to her for some time and very soon tourists found their way to her. We found several shops that sold Pashmina shawls and Kashmiri dress material, kurta, vests and other clothes. The artefacts included the prayer bells, tiny memoirs resembling Leh, the Buddhist sayings, the Tibetan handicrafts like Buddha statues, Thangka Paintings, Tibetan Trinkets, Singing Bowls, Choktse (carved wooden tables painted in colours), Prayer Flags, Prayer Wheel Ladakh in copper and bronze. There were jewellery and precious stones for sale.
Parvez had told us that the police would not allow the vehicles to be parked anywhere other than the parking. The parking was congested with vehicles when we reached back. Parvez was eager to go home for Iftar and break his Ramadan fast. We had our dinner late that night in the hotel. The steward and the staff kept asking us whether we felt alright. We said we were doing well. We ate a sumptuous dinner of cheese, lentils, vegetables, rice and chapatis. Furthermore, we were also served hot rice kheer.
We felt tired, but we looked forward to a long journey the next morning. We were going to the Pangong lake, Gurudwara and planned to stay near the lake. Our stay was booked at RezangLa Cottage near the Lake. Parvez said that we would also halt at the Changla pass, which is usually thickly filled with snow. Pangong is a 134 km lake with banks shared by Tibet and China. The visit leads one to another beautiful lake Tso Moriri which isn’t as famous as Pangong but more beautiful
We felt we would leave by 9 am the next morning, but that night, I was dizzy. There was a constant throbbing pain in my head, and I felt sick to my stomach. It was freezing, as the summer hadn’t begun in Leh. At dawn, I was sick. I had read about altitude sickness but it happened to very few people, I could not believe it could be this bad. My brother prescribed a few medicines. I kept spewing, the throbbing headache kept me in bed the whole day and that night. Our family doctor had also advised us before we left and had suggested a few medicines. Parvez came at 9 am and waited to take us to Pangong lake. He waited till noon and left when he understood that we would not be able to travel. Nono, our tourist guide, sent him to receive another tourist, as these were the only months when they earned a livelihood. The staff in the hotel, the steward, the cook and almost everyone had a bit of advice for me. Nono came rushing at 2 pm and suggested that I visit the local hospital. I said I would wait till the next day. Our trip to Pangong, the lakeside cottage, and the snowy Changla pass remained unseen that day.
The next morning, I felt a little better. I got ready and went down to the dining area to have a cup of tea. Nono was waiting for us smiling as usual. He kept inquiring about my wellness. I said I wouldn’t be going anywhere.
‘Don’t you want to visit the Gurudwara? Said Nono
I’m interested in going there. Is it uphill or downhill?
Nono said, ‘The Gurudwara is downhill, almost like the plains. It is in the Army area.
‘It’s better than being here,’ he added.
I ran to the hotel room to get my white dupatta. I began feeling better as I had heard about the place. We had a new driver now called Niyaas. He was a little older than Parvez and pleasant-faced like all the locals. As the car started moving downhill, I felt my headache disappear, perhaps the oxygen content was more in the environs.
We moved through the army area. We saw the infantry, workstations and playgrounds. Likewise, we also saw their quarters where fine sand was flowing with the wind from the tall brown mountains. The opposite side had strong snow-peaked mountains, but their houses were built between the sandy mountains. Niyaas said the fine sand was Fuller’s earth or Multani Mitti. The soil was clayey-brown, but the dust was thick.
The roads were wide and well-built. There was plenty of greenery visible in some places. According to Niyaas, credit for this goes to the infantry. The Army recruitment was on in some areas. We saw a few physical tests being conducted for the numerous aspirants. We were very soon on a road with slightly shorter hills called the magnetic hills. Niyas told us, “The vehicle will go uphill without any fuel or push.”. He stopped the vehicle and we experience the vehicle move on its own. He said it was the underlying magnetic effect. On reading about it we understood that these hills created an optical illusion which made the downhill appear uphill. The movement of the vehicle was in the direction of gravity and not against it as perceived
Illusions also exist in human life. Our brains begin to generate stories corresponding to the physical world. It fills in the gaps with experiences and makes our perceptions match our fancies. At the same time, it creates assumptions and preconceived opinions.
As we applauded Niyaas’s feat on the magnetic hill, he began driving us towards the Gurudwara….
To be continued….
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