Monica "Cromilla" Dorigatti - Ladakh, the adventure continues

Traveling at high altitude

Tough night. We leave at 8:00 a.m. We descend some elevation and then climb again, and in just 11 km we arrive at over 5,000 meters at the LACHUNGLA PASS! On the paved section I relax and drive quietly. We detour for TSOMORIRI LAKE. At about 6 p.m. we arrive at our tented camp on Tsomoriri Lake, in front of us across the lake is China. We are welcomed with a cup of tea and a bucket of hot water, which never looked so good to me!

We all have dinner together and afterwards in complete silence. It is 10:15 p.m. and all is silent; everyone is in the arms of Morpheus. The hot water bottle has warmed my bed, I also go under the covers.

During the night I slept very well so I have recovered all the energy I need to get back on the road. We make a stop along Lake Tso Moriri and at Lake Kyagar.

At Puga Sumdo we detour right along INDUS VALLEY, the road runs winding along the river, we see it on our left throughout the day. We stop several times to drink black tea and each time I buy out of curiosity some product I do not know.

From 4500 meters in the Tsomoriri Lake area today we traveled to an altitude around 4000 and tonight we sleep between 4 pillows in our beautiful resort at 3800 meters. The most beautiful thing? That finally after two days I enjoyed a great shower and shampoo!!!

For 2 days we have been totally without connection and even tonight it is not much. Can I tell you the truth? It has been good. Super dinner and I'm going to rest, the day was less challenging than the previous ones but the dust and the hot sun are quite tiring! Tomorrow we have another very high pass ahead of us.

The lama at Sakti monastery.

Tonight I slept like a princess. At 8.00 a super breakfast. At 10.00 we are in the saddle riding along the little road that was already decorated for the festival I see: a religious festival because there are also quite a few monks. We arrive at the meeting point, Sakti Monastery. Under a large umbrella is the lama; I am far away and cannot see him until, having arrived at the post of honor, surrounded by other monks he sits down and I realize he is a child. A volunteer from the order service tells me that his name is Skyabje Tsetrul Rinpoche.

We set off again: the Warila Pass awaits us and we already know it will be challenging because of the snow. We start climbing in a succession of tight hairpin bends with a lot of elevation gain but with nice asphalt. After many miles I read the WARILA sign, I go crazy with joy. On the way down I am enraptured by all that glistening snow. meeting some YAKs, who wouldn't take a selfie?!!!

Eventually we enter the Nubra Valley. I'm sweating, it's really hot, and the green trees give me a pleasant feeling of well-being. Our tented camp in Sumur appears like a mirage after all these sun-baked miles.

The last leg of the journey.

In my super comfortable tent I slept almost 9 hours and yet I am tired. So this morning extra breakfast: omelet, toast, jam, yoghurt and French fries. We set off towards Diskit Monastery but the road is cut off for restoration work after a landslide.

A few kilometers and we turn for the monastery, the road climbs. At the top towers imposingly the 32-meter-high statue of the Future Buddha facing the Shyok River. Inside the monastery we find statues of the Buddha and the Tara as well as a poem by the Dalai Lama entitled "Never Give Up."

We move a few kilometers and reach the sand dunes of Hunder, a real desert in the Nubra Valley crossed by the rivulets of the river where Battrian camels graze. Here you can ride ATVs, picnic and some people dive into the waters to find refreshment!

This is the last leg of the trip to Ladakh. The day begins in the beautiful Nubra Valley, where the river performs the miracle of making the soil fertile Sorry to leave this oasis. The road flows "quietly" despite no shortage of the "usual" potholes, puddles and landslides!

Instead, the panorama I see before my eyes continues to surprise me.

We go from the lush Nubra Valley, to rugged mountains culminating in an incredible spectacle of white snow. We stop several times and take more than an hour to reach the top, there are so many people, all elated to have reached Khardungla Pass at 17982 feet (5480 meters). There is also the highest bar in the world up here, but we are expected back in Leh and off we go.

I descend slowly, wanting to enjoy every meter. In Leh Tashi's family is waiting for us, they welcome us in their hotel and mom makes the best dinner of the whole trip. The next morning we visit the SHANTI STUPA, the Buddhist monument. The stupa was built in 1991 and contains the relics of the Buddha that were guarded by the 14th Dalai Lama.

In town we return the motorcycles, I am always sorry to leave an adventure companion, a final goodbye to the trusty Scram who gave me a sensational tour. The town of Leh is full of stores and we indulge in some shopping.

Flying over these wonderful snow-filled mountains we head in the direction of New Delhi and take advantage of our last tour of the city.

We embark, we fly above the clouds, our minds retracing places and moments, the people we met, the sincere glances and smiles. I take home so much beauty in my heart.

Goodbye Ladakh

अलविदा लद्दाख 🤍