Eating out at Leh Ladakh

While our 2 week-long trip to Ladakh was very hectic, and given the schedule we were mostly eating lunch at roadside places (dinner was usually at our hotels), we could not resist the temptation to try out some Ladakhi food on the two days we were free to hang around in the capital Leh.  I would have loved to explore the local cuisine a bit more, but time did not permit the same.Also See Ladakh Diaries, a TravelogueYarkandi PulavI had some exposure to Ladakhi food from a food festival about five years ago at ITC Kakatiya Hotel, Hyderabad. Nilza Angmo, who is the owner of the well-known Alchi Kitchen in Alchi (70 km from Leh) was in Hyderabad curating the festival. She introduced the cuisine of Ladakh to us with dishes like Skyu (local handmade pasta in veg sauce),  Chutagi apart from the usual Churpi (delicious Yak cheese), Mok Mok (Ladakhi Momos), and Pakthuk (Soupy lamb broth with veggies and cheese). But more than that she had kindled an interest in the cuisine, which I followed up in this recent visit. It is a pity that we could not visit Alchi this time to try...

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Ladakh Diaries: The Tso-s of Ladakh: Pangong and Tsomoriri

The word “Ladakh” means country of passes. Broken down “La” is mountain passes and “Dakh” means country. Over centuries, these passes have long served as protection from intruders as well as important routes for trade.Read the complete Ladakh Travelogue: The Ladakh DiariesDuring our 12-day trip from Srinagar to Leh and other prominent locations of Ladakh, we passed through five La-s, the last three among the highest motorable passes in the world. These are1. Zojila – Height 11649 feet between Srinagar & Kargil2. Fotula – Height 13479 feet between Kargil and Leh3. Khardungla – Height 17982 feet between Leh & Nubra Valley4. Changla – Height 17688 feet between Pangong & Leh5. Taglangla – Height 17482 feet between Tso Kar & LehThe world’s highest motorable pass is also in India. The lesser-known Umling La at 19024 feet, located in Ladakh, gets the honour after a road was constructed through this pass by Border Roads Organization in 2017.But a pass is only a route, for us travelers it is sometimes strenuous to negotiate this kind of height. We all do that for what lies beyond....

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Ladakh Diaries: Aati Kya Khardungla

Leh, the capital of Ladakh, is not like the other high-altitude towns that you visit. The topography is markedly different, and because of its height (11,480 feet), there is always the chance of altitude sickness if you do not take proper care. Two of our co-travellers had to be admitted to a hospital for half a day each, as they complained of a lack of oxygen. The best part is that they recovered quickly and were back with us the next day after spending a night at the hospital with an injection and drips being administered to them. One of them even went to Khardungla and Pangong and was with us till the end of the trip.Also Read: The Tso-s of LadakhThough there are many opinions on this, I strongly feel one should take the medications (Diamox or Coca in homeopathy) as it definitely helps in keeping a person safe from altitude sickness. Also, it is extremely important to relax in the hotel on the first day that you reach Leh.On our earlier trip, we visited most of the landmarks of Leh, so the local sites were mostly a repeat for us. Sangam (the confluence of Indus and Zanskar), Magnetic...

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Ladakh Diaries: Travelling Up North From Srinagar to Leh

On my first and only visit to Ladakh in 2011, I had travelled from Manali by road, crossing two passes for an enchanting journey to Leh. While in Ladakh, I had visited most of the known tourist spots, but one place on my wish list which remained unfulfilled due to bad weather conditions was Tsomoriri Lake. Over the years, some trusted traveler friends had done the other route from Srinagar to Leh and their opinion was that the experience is very different, as you find a different kind of topography here. So, we decided to do a repeat tour of Leh, as part of a 12-day trip with 43 people (organized by Travel with Neel), this time approaching it from the Kashmir side.Also Read: Aati Kya Khardungla                   The Tso-s of LadakhOur first stop was Srinagar where we flew from Hyderabad. If you go to Srinagar, how can you miss the houseboats? We stayed at a nice and simple houseboat called Karnai Palace right across Jetty 13 of the Dal Lake. The caretaker Abdul was a simple man, and he made sure that the rooms of this three-bedroomed...

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