EUREKA HOUSE adjacent police station Rajbagh Srinagar Kashmir – 190008 E:info@hotkashmir.com W:www.hotkashmir.com T: 0194-2310735

LADAKH INDIA: MONKS AND MOUNTAINS

Photographic and cultural road journey

AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2013

Highlights:

Group limited to 12

15 days picturesque Himalayan Ladakh road journeying the Silk Route: culture, people, and environment, with hiking, halts by lake-sides, starry nights, with daily bonfires, barbeques, story-telling sessions, folk musicians, singing, and authentic traditional cuisine.

Excellent opportunities for photography – portraiture, landscape, travel, culture, Buddhist, Tibetan and Islamic influences, with locals, where renowned poets, historians, and photographers, join in while translators and multi-lingual tourist guides are right therein to support and assist throughout the entire trip.

Ladakh Package (Preservation of Himalayan heritage)

COST

4400 USD for 15 days…

Day – Zero

Arrival Delhi/Mumbai

(01 Day prior for flight-routing and Jet-lag, first, day in India).

Pickup and transfer to Hotel.

Traditional 05 course North/South Indian Dinner (Cost inclusive)

Night Halt

Day 01

Fly to Srinagar a city with a long history, dating back at least to the 3rd century BC

Transfer to Dal Lake and Houseboats.

Houseboats were introduced accidentally to Kashmir, when members of Indian Civil Service serving in plains vacationed in Kashmir were not permitted to build permanent homes. They thus chose to live in houseboats. The first such, named Victory, was designed by Mr. M.T. Kenhard in 1888. There are now about five hundred on the Lake. Your stay will be in the best (http://buttsclermonthouseboat.com/)

Meeting

Introduction

Groups

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Dos and don’ts,

Dinner - Wazwan (With traditional music playing)

The history of modern Kashmiri cuisine can be traced back to the fifteenth century invasion of India by Timur, and the migration of 1700 skilled woodcarvers, weavers, architects, calligraphers and cooks from Samarkand to the valley of Kashmir.

The descendants of these cooks, the Wazas, are the master chefs of Kashmir. The ultimate formal banquet in Kashmir is the royal Wazwan. Of its thirty-six courses, between fifteen and thirty can be preparations of meat, cooked overnight by the master chef, Vasta Waza, and his retinue of wazas. (Photography…)

Day 02

Drass

5.30am – Sonamarg

Sonamarg, at an altitude of 3,000 metres above sea level, is 87 km north-east of Srinagar. The drive to Sonamarg is though yet another spectacular facet of country side in Kashmir, in Sindh Valley, the largest tributary of the valley of Kashmir. It is upwards of sixty miles long, and valley and deep rock-girt gorge to open grassy meadow land and village-dotted slopes.

Sonamarg, which means ‘meadow of gold’, has, as its backdrop, snowy mountains against a cerulean sky. The Sindh meanders along here and abounds with trout and mahseer, snow trout can be caught in the main river. Ponies can be hired for the trip up to Thajiwas glacier a major attraction during the summer months.

8.30 am-10.00am breakfast

10.00-01:00pm Climate Change… Glaciers

Its striking beauty is not the only thing that hits you when you visit Kashmir valley. The valley has been experiencing erratic snowfall and hotter summers for the last decade or so. (Photography)

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break by Thajwas Glacier

3.00pm-7.00pm

Crossing Zoji la and arrival in Drass…

Zoji La is a high mountain pass located on the Indian National Highway 1D between Srinagar and Leh in the western section of the Himalayans. It is 9 km (5.6 mi) from Sonamarg and provides a vital link between Ladakh and Kashmir. It runs at an elevation of approximately 3,528 metres (11,575 ft), and is the second highest pass after Fotu La on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway. (Photography permitted).

Drass

Drass is the second coldest inhabited place in the world. Winters are extremely harsh with average lows around -22oC, which can fall as low as -45oC at the height of winter. They last from mid-October to the middle of May. Summers start in June and go on up till early September, with average temperatures near 15oC (60oF) and little precipitation. (Photography).

7.00pm-9.00pm – Session for downloading and discussions

9.00pm Dinner

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Day 03

Drass

5.30am

The people inhabiting the valley of Drass are called Dards who trace their genealogical affiliation to the Aryan Dards of Chilas. The traditional dress of the people of Drass consists of a long choga called ‘Tchubatchili’ and trousers called ‘Tchelanee’. (Photography session)

One of the distinctive traits of the Drassi culture is the custom of bride money locally called ‘zerap’, which now a days amount to INR 40,000 to INR 50,000, paid by the groom’s parents to the bride’s parents. (Photography session)

The language of the Dards of Drass is called Shina. People of Balti and Purky origin, which form a small percentage of the population of Drass, speak Balti and Purky languages. (Photography session).

8.30 am-10.00am Breakfast

The staple diet of the people is barley and wheat. Bread made from this is consumed with salt-tea as well as milk and ghee. Sattu made from barley is part of the daily diet. Meat is also consumed but mostly during the winter months. On festive occasions, pure ghee, jav rotis and some times meat, is served to guests. (Photography session).

10.00-01:00pm

Life in cold desert (Photography session).

A land of freezing winds and burning hot sunlight, a cold desert in the rain shadow of the awe inspiring Great Himalayas, Ladakh is bounded by two of the world's most impressive mountain ranges, the Great Himalaya and the Karakoram, Surrounded by rugged mountains this land is utterly different from the green landscape of many parts of the Himalayas.

In the past Ladakh gained importance from its strategic location at the crossroads of important trade routes, but since the Chinese authorities closed the borders with Tibet and Central Asia in the 1960s, international trade has dwindled except for tourism. Since 1974, the Government of India has successfully encouraged tourism in Ladakh.

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break

3.00pm-7.00pm

Departure for Kargil

Kargil with a population of 1.25 lakhs is scattered over an area of 14,086 Sq. Km. It is situated at a distance of 205 KM from Srinagar towards Leh. Kargil is called the land of Agas due to the fact that Kargil is mostly inhabited by Shia Muslims and Agas are the religious head and preachers.

http://kargil.gov.in/

7.00pm-9.00pm – Session for downloading and discussions

9.00pm dinner

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Day 04

Kargil

5.30am (Photography session).

Though earlier Tibetan contact has left a profound influence upon the people of both Kargil and Leh, after the spread of Shia Islam the people of Kargil came under heavy influence of Persian culture. Social ceremonies such as marriages still carry many customs and rituals which are common to both the Muslims and Buddhists.

Local folk songs which are called rgya-glu and balti ghazals are still quite popular and are performed enthusiastically at social gatherings.

8.30 am-10.00am Breakfast

10.00-01:00pm Markets, Occupation and Economy

Little is known about Kargil except that it was here that the fourth war between India and Pakistan was fought. It is an irony that this peaceful land of diverse ethnicities will always revive the memories of the bitter war fought in the snowy peaks of its mountain. We explore markets, Occupation and Economy through photography with the kargilities.

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break

3.00pm-7.00pm Kargil

Kargil has for centuries represented a rich bowl of composite tribal culture and tradition enriched through multi-ethnicities like Balti, Ladakhi, Purki, Dardi, Zanskari and Shina, all of whom, as a rule, speak the Kargili language with perfect ease. (Photography)

7.00pm-9.00pm – Session for downloading and discussions

9.00pm dinner

Day 05

5.30am

Purigs

The present Kargil district along with some parts of Baltistan (in Pakistan) was called Purik in ancient times. Purik Sultan of Karpokhar in Suru Valley is believed to have brought into his domain surrounding villages of Zanskar, Pashkum and Sodh and been instrumental in the development of the areas in respect of their culture, economy and military might.

However, accounts of Ladakh and Baltistan as penned down by A.H. Frankey, Wazir Hashmatullah Khan and Kacho Sikander Khan Sikander reveal that Purik was divided into several little kingdoms who often waged war against each other on petty issues. No king made Kargil his capital and hence the name `Khar' and `rkil' meaning "the kingdom in between''.

(Photography session with historians, scholars and oral discourses with medieval story-telling)

8.30 am-10.00am Breakfast

10.00-01:00pm Agriculture at High altitude

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The Ladakh region is inhabited mainly by Tibeto-Mongolian Buddhists who on a sedentary basis or with spring migration herd several animals. The yak, a native of the region, is adapted to graze on the scanty local feed of the high altitudes and tolerates temperatures of -40ºC to +30ºC. Under the harsh conditions agriculture is difficult.

Nevertheless, by diverting glacial-fed rivers into stone-built terraces, where soil is formed, people have been able to cultivate plants. Sedimentation on the new soil is enhanced by planting Himalayan rose and willow. Later manure facilitates the planting of staples. The traditional Ladakh agriculture is unique and representative of the Tibetan plateau. Its conservation of old land races of cultivated plants, especially of alfalfa, is of global importance.

(Photography sessions in fields, green-houses and others…)

Threats and Challenges

Ladakh agriculture is being threatened by urban consumerism, and the replacement of cultural values by monetary goods.

Global Importance

Ladakh agriculture is unique and representative of the Tibetan plateau. Its conservation of old land races, especially alfalfa is of global importance due to the centre of origin of this genus in that region.

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break

3.00pm-7.00pm Silmoh Village with a teacher and other villagers, then back to Kargil

7.00pm-9.00pm – Session for downloading and discussions

9.00pm dinner

Day 06

Zanaskar

The Zanskar valley is a group of mountain-locked valleys with a mean elevation of about 3,950 m, and covers an area of 7,000 sq kms. It is bounded on the north by the Zanskar range and on the south, by the Himalayas. It was only in 1981 that a jeep-able road was completed to connect Kargil with Padum. It is watered by two main branches of the Zanskar river.

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There is snowfall for over seven months of the year, and it is one of the coldest inhabited places in the world. In winter, the Zanskar river freezes on the surface and the locals walk on the ice to access the Indus valley, which otherwise is an inaccessible route.

5.30am – On the way to Zanaskar

To See : Monasteries of Karsha and Phugtal, Nun and Kun Peaks, Karsha Monastery.

Options : Chadar Ice Trek, Trek From Padum to Lamayuru and Padam to Leh, Rafting In The Zanskar river, Camping.

Certainly : Rafting In The Rapids of Upshi-Khaltsi, In The Indus and The Padum-Nimmu and Phey – Nimmu Routes In River Zanskar.

Must Enjoy : Hot Water Sulphur Springs Near Zanskar.

Must Experience : Trekking Along The Routes of Spituk to Markha valley and Lamayuru Gompa to Chilling.

8.30 am-10.00am Breakfast

10.00-01:00pm Archery

Polo and archery are the two favourite past times in Ladakh. In Leh, and many of the villages, archery festivals are held during the summer months, with a lot of fun and fanfare. They are competitive events and all the surrounding villages send teams, and the shooting takes place according to strict etiquette, to the accompaniment of the music of Surna and daman (oboe and drum). Chang, the local barley beer, flows freely, but there is rarely any rowdiness. The men dress invariable in traditional dress, and the women wear their brightest brocade mantles and their heaviest jewellery. Archery may be the pretext for the gathering, but the party's thing.

(Photography sessions)

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break

3.00pm-7.00pm with the Arghons –Padam

The Arghons are a small community of descendants of immigrants from Yarkand and Kashmir that have intermingled with the local Ladakhi community, residing mainly in Leh and Kargil Towns of Ladakh in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. They are Sunni Muslims.

They first arrived as Traders and Merchants from Central Asia and Kashmir in the 17th Century and were among the first Muslims to settle in the Buddhist Kingdom, most were traders but some included religious people.

(Photography sessions)

7.00pm-9.00pm – Session for downloading and discussions

9.00pm Dinner

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Day 07

5.30am

Fishing at High altitude – fresh rainbow trout will be caught from the ponds

8.30 am-10.00am Breakfast

10.00-01:00pm

Fishing at High altitude

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break – with traditionally cooked fish

3.00pm-7.00pm Buddhism around Zanskar

Aside from some 300 Sunni Muslims living in Padum (out of a population of about 700), almost the whole population of Zanskar is Buddhist. Almost every village has a local temple, often containing ancient wall-paintings and images.

There are two main branches of Tibetan Buddhism here — the Drugpa, who control the Sani Monastery, Dzongkhul, Stagrimo and Bardan Monastery - all loosely affiliated with Stakna in the Indus valley. The Gelugpacontrol the Rangdum Monastery, Kursha, Strongde and Phugtal Monastery, which all pay allegiance to the Ngari Rinpoche, who has his main seat at Likir Monastery in Ladakh. The present emanation of the Ngari Rinpoche is the younger brother of the Dalai Lama.

7.00pm-9.00pm – Session for downloading and discussions

9.00pm dinner

Day 08

Brokpas

5.30am

The Brokpas or Shins are a small community of Dard people residing in the Dha-Hanu valley about 163 km southwest of Leh in Ladakh.

(Photography sessions)

8.30 am-10.00am Breakfast

10.00-01:00pm Bropkas

Dha and Hanu are two villages situated in the Dhahanu valley where they are found. They are also scattered in other parts of Ladakh. Parts of the community are also located in the Deosai plateau just across the LOC in the Baltistan. Like the people of Gilgit, they speak an archaic form of the Shina language unintelligible with other dialects of Shina. They are originally said to have come from Chilas and settled in the area generations ago. They are predominantly caucasoid in contrast to the Tibeto-Burman inhabitants of most of Ladakh. They are nominally Buddhist, however animist and Bön rituals still survive.

(Photography sessions)

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break

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3.00pm-7.00pm Bropkas

Minaro is an alternate ethnic name. 'Brokpa' is the name given by the Ladakhi for the people.

The traditional Brokpa diet based on locally grown foods such as barley and hardy wheat prepared most often as tsampa/sattu (roasted flour). It takes in different ways. Other important foods include potatoes, radishes, turnips, and Gur-Gur Cha, a brewed tea made of black tea, butter and salt. Dairy and poultry sources are out of menu because of religious taboos. Brokpa takes three meals a day; Chin-nana (Breakfast); Beh (Lunch) and Ganzang (Dinner). Brokpa vary with respect to the amount of meat (mainly mutton) that they eat. Household’s economic position decides the consumption of meat. It is only during festivals and rituals all have greater access to mutton.

(Photography sessions)

7.00pm-9.00pm – Session for downloading and discussions

9.00pm dinner

Day 09

Leh

5.30am – City – early morning Life

(Photography sessions)

If you are interested in Tibetan handicraft items, then you can find fascinating ones like the prayer wheels, Buddhist masks and thangka paintings. Also popular are the Tibetan silver jewellery and traditional turquoise jewellery from Ladakh. If you wish to take some delicious edibles as souvenirs from Ladakh, then apricots are the best.

8.30 am-10.00am Breakfast

10.00-01:00pm Markets

If you wish to take some memorabilia from the world's highest hill station, then shopping in Ladakh will be the ideal option. You can find traditional curios and all kinds of trinkets in the colorful markets of Ladakh.

The popular items of shopping in Ladakh are Pashmina shawls, stoles and woolen garments. Hand made woolen socks, gloves, caps and sweaters, which are locally made, are also favorites with tourists. You can also check out the hand-woven rugs, carpets and shawls which are available in a range of prices. With floral or geometric designs or dragon motifs on them, they can also be hung as decorative wall hangings.

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break

3.00pm-7.00pm City

The main markets in Leh are the Tibetan market of Leh Road and Moti market near the bus stand. There are both government run craft emporiums and the open markets, the latter requiring skilful bargaining.

7.00pm-9.00pm – Session for downloading and discussions

9.00pm dinner

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Day 10

Glacier Man – visit glacier site

5.30am – (Photography sessions)

With artificial glaciers, new greenhouses and more, a Himalayan region is regaining food self-sufficiency.

Growing enough food is not easy in Ladakh, a desert region high in the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir, India's most northern state. With farming possible only from April to August, this bare and cold Himalayan area struggles to feed its 300,000 people. In the winter, temperatures drop to minus 45 degrees Celsius and most local residents, save the few who migrate to the lowlands, remain indoors, drinking copious cups of steaming, salty yak butter tea.

But we will see how simple agricultural innovations may help overcome the gap between demand and supply in an inhospitable terrain.

8.30 am-10.00am Breakfast

10.00-01:00pm Norphel Chwangg – Glacier Man story

Artificial glaciers provide water…

The most popular of the innovations is the 'artificial glacier' designed by civil engineer Chewang Norphel for the Leh Nutrition Project, which was set up in 1978, initially with the aim of providing water to farmers during the sowing season in April.

Irrigation in Ladakh depends on snow and glacial melt from the Himalayas, but the peak times for water availability do not coincide with farmers' needs. Norphel created an ingenious embankment system that collects and stores glacial melt on the sides of hills that are shadowed from the sun. By the time the ice starts to melt in April, when it is planting time, the water is released to villages through a network of canals.

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break

3.00pm-7.00pm Norphel Chwangg – Glacier Man story… continues

7.00pm-9.00pm – Session for downloading and discussions

9.00pm dinner

Day 11

Nobra

5.30am – On the way – Inside a Ladakhi home (Photography sessions)

8.30 am-10.00am Breakfast

10.00-01:00pm Khardu la pass

Khardung La is situated 37 km by road from Leh. The first 24 km, as far as the South Pullu check point, are paved. From there to the North Pullu check point about 15 km beyond the pass the roadway is primarily loose rock, dirt, and occasional rivulets of snow melt.

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break

3.00pm-7.00pm Entry into Nobru – taking photographs along the route – all the way to Disket 7.00pm-9.00pm – Session for downloading and discussions 9.00pm dinner

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Day 12

Nobra

Photography- the Shyok River meets the Nubra or Siachan River to form a large valley that separates the Ladakh and the Karakoram Ranges, at average altitude of the valley is about 10,000 ft. above the sea level.

Like the rest of Ladakh, Nubra is a high altitude desert with rare precipitation and scant vegetation except along river beds, where irrigated, and on high slopes. The villages are irrigated and fertile, producing wheat, barley, peas, mustard for oil, and a variety of fruits and nuts, including apple, walnut, apricot and even a few almond trees. Most of the Nubra Valley is inhabited by Ladakhis who speak Ladakhi; the majority of them are Buddhist, with a minority of Shia and Sunni Muslims.

Day 13

5.30am – Double Humped Camel…

Photography in the wild with the camels…

8.30 am-10.00am Breakfast

10.00-01:00pm Capturing 06-weeks to 06-weeks baby camel

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break

3.00pm-7.00pm - The ecology that sustains the Double Humped Camel

7.00pm-9.00pm – Session for downloading and discussions

9.00pm dinner

Day 13

Leh

5.30am – Hot Springs in Panamik

8.30 am-10.00am Breakfast

10.00-01:00pm Khardu la pass Return trip

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break

3.00pm-7.00pm Entry Leh

7.00pm-9.00pm – Session for downloading and discussions

9.00pm dinner

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Day 14

Pangong

5.30am – Towards Pangong

Pangong Lake Pangong Tso is an endorheic lake in the Himalayassituated at a height of about 4,350 m (14,270 ft). It is 134 km (83 mi) long and extends from Indiato China. 60% of the length of the lake lies in China. The lake is 5 km (3.1 mi) wide at its broadest point. During winter the lake freezes completely, despite being saline water.

The lake is in the process of being identified under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance. This will be the first trans-boundary wetland in South Asia under the convention.

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break

3.00pm-7.00pm Entry Hanley

7.00pm-9.00pm – Session for downloading and discussions

9.00pm dinner

Day 15

Hanle

5.30am – Hanle

It is the site of the 17th century Hanle Monastery (gompa) of the "Red Hat" Tibetan Drukpa Kagyu branch of Tibetan Buddhism and is located in the Hanle Valley on an old branch of the ancient Ladakh - Tibet trade route.

8.30 am-10.00am Breakfast

10.00-01:00pm Hanle

Hanle is also home to the Indian Astronomical Observatory at the highest altitude in the world. The location of both the village and the observatory are highly sensitive due to the close proximity of the Tibetan / Chinese border and special permission is needed to visit either by the Indian Government.[citation needed] Fukcheairport is 24km away, and Ukdungle town is close by.

1.00pm-3.00pm Lunch & Break

3.00pm-7.00pm Return Leh

7.00pm-9.00pm – Final Session for downloading and conclusion

9.00pm Farewell dinner

Day 16

Departure

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