in Leh or villages elsewhere. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to some of the members of SLC-IT at the beginning of my stay, and from those brief meetings I knew I had to find a way to get involved. About halfway through my stay, Jigmet Dadul was kind enough to invite me along for a ‘day-trip’ to the village of Tangyar for a follow-up session with the villagers. Unsurprisingly, I leapt at the opportunity, though without any clue of what we were signing up for!
After a early-morning pickup along the main bazaar in Leh, we set off on a two or three hour Jeep ride to the top of Wuri La, a mountain pass 5,280m above sea level (17,325ft). Once we had taken in some spectacular views we set off down the other side, only to get caught behind a pick up truck seemingly stuck in the snow only a few hundred yards down the pass. For about a mile the other side of the mountain, the pass was covered in snow (this is July), though this was no problem for the jeep and Jigmet’s magical work at the wheel. Though before we could advance, the others and myself spent just over two hours heaving the pick up truck down the snowy stretch. The air was already incredibly thin, though things were made worse by the constant outpouring of diesel fumes into our faces. It was such a drag slowly advancing the car (with zero tread) that Jigmet announced that we would have to turn back. I was so keen to see the village and continue the trip that I convinced him to join me in one last push. With the help of some manly roars and maybe a little help from a higher power, the truck was out of the difficult stuff. Hallelujah!
On we went and the trip turned into a wildlife safari. We spotted a load of Yak on the mountainside though they were too far away to get a real look. Though we only had to turn the corner to run right into an enormous herd of them, baby Yak and all – I practically died. We also spotted Golden Eagles, Blue sheep, Marmot and even some Foxes. Awesome! However, the smooth ride came to an end around 2pm when we hit a twenty-yard stretch of snow and ice. We proceeded to get properly stuck, and after a couple hours the other chap pitched up adamant he could get passed. For the next five hours we tried our hardest to get at least one of the vehicles out of the mess. We practically built a road out of rocks and earth, pushed and shoved constantly, though with no success. With no socks and just my shocking trainers (they are going straight in the bin when I get home!), and the many hours spent in the snow, I had lost almost all feeling in my feet by evening time. I was frozen and I’d had enough. A Swiss woman had joined us on the trip and had been sent off to the village to find help around 3pm, and by 7 nobody I had come. So we both decided it was best just to walk down the valley and rescue the jeep in the morning. Jigmet assured me it was a mere hour or so away and so I set off positive everything was going to be ok (apart from the fact that my feet felt like ice blocks).
After two hours walking swiftly in the dark, there was no sign of the village. Though miraculously we turned down another valley to be met by a rickety tractor, the Swiss woman and a couple of shepherds armed with shovels. It turns out the walk to the village is actually around twelve miles, so its really quite remarkable that she managed to get down there, then rally the troops to come and save us. I was told to wait with the Swiss lady and I obliged as I assumed they would not take long and I was sure I could keep warm. With only a fleece, my hairy beanie (a lifesaver) and having to deal with cold wet feet, I was asking for hypothermia. Although the day had been tough, I would not have really considered it so severe that it was an exercise in dealing with anguish and adversity. However, the two hours we waited in the cold was pretty difficult for me both physically and emotionally. To keep warm we paced up and down with the odd set of star jumps. I felt incredibly free surrounded by awesome mountains and a star-filled sky, though at the same time trapped in a challenging situation by events totally out of my control. Around eleven I convinced the lady that we should just walk down to keep warm and get to the village rather than wait, which I knew meant risking my safety and health. Thirty minutes down the road we turned round to see bright lights screaming towards us. It was all rather biblical. Around midnight we were crammed into a small house to enjoy some food and then it was straight to bed after an exhausting day.
The next morning we learned that we were the first people to make it down the pass this year and that they were all amazed that we were mad enough to attempt it. We had made it though, and what a gorgeous place to be! Tangyar (pronounced ‘Tangy-Air’) was the village nestled in the Nubra Valley I thought we were visiting, though we were actually staying in the summerhouses about an hours walk across a river valley from the village. In the summer months the thirty or so households move to small abodes in the fields to work the land so they can survive the winter. No phones, no cars, no cigarettes; only animals, wonderfully wrinkly women (decked out in traditional dress) and stunning views of the green and yellow (mustard seed) fields. I had hoped that we might complete the meetings and workshops by lunchtime so we could get back to Leh before people started worrying about my whereabouts. Though once again, Ladakh provided us with a setback, yet as per usual, these initial tribulations resulted in wonderful experiences. Some canal had burst its banks the day before and so the villagers spent the entire day working to repair the damage. This meant that we would have to stay another night. So in the morning I busied myself by building a parabolic heater (solar oven type thing) with Jigmet, which was to be donated by the SLC-IT so the women could set up a parachute café on the road. After a pucker lunch I trekked over to Tangyar for some sightseeing. I later returned from this exhausting expedition and spent the rest of the day basking in the sun stroking the injured pashmina goat. Pretty cool eh?
As the sun began to set on the fields, the women returned and finally it was possible to hold the meeting. The SLC-IT has been selling handicrafts made in Tangyar (Snow Leopard Habitat) for the past year and they wanted to hold a follow up meeting to discuss production, marketing (which I may get involved in whilst I’m here) and other tips of the trade. So around 8 in the evening twenty five or so women squeezed into our modestly sized room and each had brought a bag of their own products; hats, gloves, socks and these adorable woolen animals (yak, ibex and snow leopards). Everyone nattered away for a couple of hours and Jigmet bought a number of the products to take back to Leh. Not long into the meeting I stood up to take some photographs, at which point the women noticed my height. From then on all eyes seemed to be on me. They thought it was hilarious when they talked Ladakhi to me and I pretended to understand by replying with a ‘khasa-le’ or ‘acha’. Around ten, things wound down and the party started. Fresh Chang (barley wine/beer) was served and after every sip my glass was refilled. Outside they had set up a tent and connected the village battery to an old tape player; it was going to be a long night. All the men were in bed whilst the women all came together and cooked a feast and danced away. At first I was dragged out and asked to do an English dance (whatever that is) and I really felt on the spot. Though once I some Chang in me (I was surprisingly tipsy by the end of the night, though luckily walking in a straight line was fine), I was laughing. For at least an hour and a half I was not allowed to leave the small dance floor as I was surrounded by women of all ages all egging me on. The SECMOL dance workshop helped me out and I had such a great time. The battery died around midnight so everyone huddled into the room again for a slap up meal. A real cultural experience!
Another 5am wake up was tough and I was sad to leave such a peaceful and fun loving place. I heard that they are all actually most happy in winter, when they just sit around, drink Chang and celebrate the end of a busy season; it would be awesome to come back then! Since attempting to return to Leh the way we came was craziness, we had to take a different, much longer route. However, this inconvenience was countered by the fact that I was able to experience driving on the highest road in the world, Kardung La is a whopping 18000 or so feet above sea level. The ascent and descent was absolute agony though, the roads were appalling and I got out of the car for a break feeling like a gang of youths had beaten me up with a baseball bat. Anyway, we finally made it back and even today I cannot fully express my thanks to SLC-IT for such a marvelous journey. Keep up the good work!
