Day 6 of Ladakh: A Dream || 13th July 2023

 


On the 6th day, the plan was to go to Turtuk, an obscure village in the Nubra Valley, some 200 kms from starting point of our homestay. We left at 9.30 am knowing full well that we wouldn't be reaching our destination before the sun sets as we would pass through one of the world's highest motorable pass and visit Diskit Monastery and witness the exotic 2 humped camels in Hunder.
We got our tanks filled and drove through one of the few motorable roads that still were covered with ice in that month of July. We reached KhardungLa('La'means a mountain pass and 'Khardung' is a name of village) ~40 kms from Leh and situated at an altitude of 17,982 ft full of excitement. Certain moment evokes happy memory and reaching Khardungla is going to be my happy memory if I ever create a Patronus.  We also met Paul at the top and man, they were a group of smooth bikers.



Khardungla to Diskit (~120 kms from Leh) was easy however, it was hot in the valley and the riding jacket felt like made of steel. Diskit Monastery, home to the 106 ft tall statue of Future Buddha ( believed to be the successor of Gautama Buddha) is a main centre of attraction for the visitors and the locals alike.  I don't remember having seen a more magnificent sculpture in the recent past.


Hunder in the Nubra Valley, just 7 kms from Diskit was famous for its sand dunes and double humped-back camels. We had zero interest in gliding the A.T.Vs over the sand dunes and imagining the number of visitors riding those animals per day seemed cruel too. Therefore, we for our part took the pictures of those beautiful machines and quickly were on our way to Turtuk.


Hardly any man was seen on those forgotten roads. With Shyok flowing alongside, this part of the ride was most enjoyable of my entire Ladakh Trip. Turtuk was reached at when the sun was almost ready to say goodbye. We had coffee and dinner by the riverside and there was a empty bottle of  locally made Apricot Juice by my side when I switched the lights off. 
Video: Road to Turtuk


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