Zanskar Valley – Journey Into the Horizon Stuck in Time

I was told that Zanskar is not about the valley itself but the journey to get here, preferably on multi-day trek, either via the ever popular Chadar Trek from Chiling near Leh in winter or via Shingo La from Darcha at Himachal Pradesh.

It wasn’t until I showed up at bus ticket counter in Leh on Sunday (one day in advanced as directed by the person-in-charge) that I was told the local bus from Leh to Zanskar which supposed to operate every Monday has been cancelled due to low demand (albeit already on a weekly basis). That also means there won’t be any local bus from Kargil to Zanskar either as it is the same bus. Local bus from Leh to Srinagar was also suspended due to volatility in Srinagar as all public buses are run by the state government. I had no choice but to take a shared taxi which I usually not prefer. It is certainly more expensive but not certainly to be more comfortable. In fact, the fare of a seat in a shared jeep is triple of that of a local bus. Again, if you cannot change the situation, you have to swallow it. So I swallowed it whole-heartedly.

Since arriving in Leh, I have been scratching my head whether to travel to Zanskar Valley which is another Ladakhi Buddhist valley located at the 'other side' of Leh. Not only due to unavailability of public transport to get there as aforementioned, I was also made to understand that there was no public transportation within the valley itself. Only private jeep is available and it is sporadic, uncertain and unpredictable though. Most people chartered jeeps from Leh which is approximately 450 km away by road. All these really put me off as a solo independent traveller. In order to get to Zanskar, one has to travel to Kargil and spend a night there before venturing into the valley. Kargil remains as the only access route to Zanskar valley, at least for now. The journey is a dead end i.e. one has to backtrack to Kargil after getting to Zanskar valley, for now.

The Nun Kun mountain massif is located near Suru Valley which is mainly inhabited by Muslims

Zanskar Valley is majestically more rugged but scenically spectacular

Rangdum – a wind-scoured little village with spectacular mountain backdrop located halfway between Kargil and Padum

Despite all the foreseeable inconvenience and hardship, I still keep my head straight and proceed. This is so me! My instinct told me that I should go now. Zanskar would be easily accessible from Manali in near future. Things would certainly not be the same after the road from Shingo La to Padum is opened. Yes, that also means things would certainly be much travel friendly after the road is opened. Rumour has it that Leh used to be a village like Padum 20 years ago. I am curious to find out.

Padum - One would wonder if Leh was like this 20 years ago 

When I made myself here eventually, not wanting to lie to you, I found myself struggling to see the valley as a trap, a trap where you have no elsewhere to detour but to leave. Not only it is a dead end, it is also the least travel friendly region in Ladakh with limited infrastructures and facilities. Transport was very sporadic and unpredictable. Most shops remained shut. I can’t even find a bottle of mineral water in Padum. I wonder if this is what the situation of Zanskar’s de-facto capital village like, what is the likelihood that the rest of the villages are better?

Should I stay or should I leave?

As expected earlier, it is not easy to travel within Zanskar Valley. I mean independently. Unless you charter a private taxi which most of the European-Americans did, the only way to travel around in Zanskar Valley is by hitch hiking. That really put me into test despite years of hitting the road. I had to brush up my hitch hiking skills I gained on the road over the years despite all the hesitation, unwillingness, laziness or whatever excuses. If you are desperate, sometimes you will be surprised by your own potential.

While the setting of some gompas are spectacular, for a solo or independent traveler to get there remains a challenge. While most locals are willing to give you a lift, the traffic volume is extremely low and therefore the chance to get a lift is also very low. Most likely you will end up walking miles of miles, like what J and I did. On my way to the striking Karsha Gompa perched on a near-vertical red rock mountainside, I had to walk most of the 10 km from Padum before getting a short lift by a local. During the way back, I was thinking to take some photos of the gompa from the horizon afar when a lama travelling on a car blown his honk signalling me to hop on. I didn’t even raise my hand.

Karsha Gompa – a timeless monastery located across the valley from Padum

Zanskar is a very broad valley with impressive mountain backdrop

Well, it seemed like I should stay.

So I stayed with Songnam & Yangchen in their very homey homestay. Upon arriving in Padum, I have actually checked out almost all the hotels & guesthouses in the town. Most of them were at the high side of fair value. I walked from the main bazaar to the street end and back to the main bazaar again, finding no decent places to stay. It was at this time when Songnam donning a cowboy hat approached me. His house is located in the village a bit high up from the town. He was so kind that he pointed his house to me while we walked to it, telling me I didn’t have to walk there if I didn’t want to stay. You know what? I find his homestay simply the best in Padum with good value.

The red-roofed two-storey house is Songnam and Yangchen’s homestay located approximately 1 km from town

Yangchen, Songnam and I, Zanskar Valley, Sep'19 

In one of the sunny day, I planned to go to a gompa in the southeast and was told to wait in the town square. In fact, I have been waiting for the unforeseen shared jeep for days but to no avail. Nobody was certain if there is any, even the driver himself. I’m really reluctant to leave Zanskar without seeing Phuktal Gompa – the 'forbidden' gompa stuck in time in the far southeast where the only way to get there is on foot. However, I told myself if I failed to get a shared jeep to Anmu or Cha today which are the last known motorable villages to get to Phuktal, I will give up Phuktal and leave Zanskar tomorrow. I wondered how frustrated I was let to be.

Fate is really tricky. Just I almost giving up Phuktal, two weary backpackers came into the restaurant where I sat waiting. They looked like just coming back from something. When I asked, it turned out to be true - they just came back from Phuktal, by hitch hiking. They were picked up by a Ladakhi excursion from Jispa who appeared eager to try the road from Darcha via Shingo La at first hand. As a matter of fact, the road has not been opened to traffic officially but lots of people already can’t wait to travel on it. I was told that the 3-jeep excursion will be returning to Purne, the last homestead before Phuktal after having a brief lunch break in Padum. I could go and ask for a lift. Without further ado, I jumped out from my chair and went to them with a thick face. Hooray! The next moment saw me sitting at the back of the small jeep with another three locals who were also waiting for a lift in Padum for days. One even carried trays of egg to bring home, on a foreseeably very bumpy backseat of a 4WD. That really put him, if not me, into test. The entire journey was expectedly a pain in the ass. Only 4WD can maneuver the off road especially the section after Anmu which is actually still not ready to use. At least I won’t call that a road.

The road construction from Shingo La to Darcha northwest of Keylong has actually completed for years but not the section between Shingo La and Padum albeit years of construction. However, I was told that this section of road has been passable for 4WD 2 weeks ago and there have been many people like the above-mentioned excursion who couldn’t wait any longer and travel on it. This proves how significant the road is. It is really a good news for the people here after years of anticipation. The opening of the road would effectively cut short the travel time between Zanskar and Manali i.e. one does not need to  travel to and transit at Kargil which is a very long and bumpy 12-hour punishing drive via the Penji La. Having said that, the journey from Padum to Manali still takes 16 hours due to terrible road condition, for now.

By the time we reached Purne, in the dark, my entire body has been covered by a thick layer of dust which in turn also covered the bruises grown on my knees, on my elbow and on my ass. I had to briefly clean them off with freezing cold water from the stream to check out my bruises. We stayed in Norbu camp site where they had set up and stayed the night before. I was lucky to be offered a single tent with sleeping bag and thick blanket left by another traveler the night before. Ladakhi are truly easy going and happy-go-lucky people. We ate, drank and danced around the camp fire like no tomorrow, with loud Tibetan music resonating in the air of darkness in the middle of nowhere. The starry sky had no less generosity as well by showing its milky way. Out of impromptu, I was told that they would be heading to Phuktal Gompa before going back tomorrow and we clicked right away.

Purne - the last motorable homestead to get to Phuktal 

Good moment seems to be always not lasting for long. Unfortunately, it rained in the middle of the night. The group had to rush to leave as there could be snow fall in the mountain which could block the Shingo La and cut off their way back. They invited me to join them to Manali which was indeed a tempting offer despite having been there last month. Sometimes, it could be not about the place but the journey. I think I understand this much better now. Not only I can see and experience the infamous off road leading to Shingo La at first hand before the opening but also the relatively easier and shorter (I suppose) journey getting out of Zanskar Valley compared with the 12-hour punishing drive to Kargil. Having said that, I decided to stay. I think I would be regret if I leave Zanskar Valley without setting my foot on Phuktal Gompa. I bid a brief farewell in the rain before seeking refuge in Norbu’s house at 3.30am, unwelcomed. I told them and myself I will be leaving to Phuktal Gompa on foot at first light.

The subsequent day saw me being hit by diarrhea on my final struggle to get to Phuktal Gompa.

The passage to Phuktal Gompa which took me 1.5 hours on foot to get there

Phuktal Gompa – a star attraction of Zanskar Valley. What a painstaking journey to get here!

Phuktal Gompa is indeed a legendary monastery stuck in time

P/s: Leaving Zanskar Valley also remained a challenge. I had to convince a driver in Padum to let me squeeze in his jeep which had been seated by eight passengers. Failing which, I didn’t know how long I would be stuck in the valley, probably as long as the horizon stuck in time.