During our time in Ladakh, we went on a 5-day trek through the Hemis National Park with a wonderful guide named Peter. We were also fortunate enough to have a chef (Barat), an assistant chef (Kehm), two horsemen, several horses and one donkey accompany us along the way. The first night we spent in a homestay in Rumbak Valley, and the following evenings in a trusty Marmot tent. The weather was hot, freezing, raining, snowing and everything in between. The hiking was tough, but we hardly focused on the difficulty (or the altitude) because the scenery was so stunning. By the end, we wished we had planned to trek for 7 days at the very least.
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| "convenience store" set up by local villagers along common trekking routes and near camp sites |
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| On the first day, we were treated to a hot, gourmet lunch. That's Carter, basking in the sun afterward |
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| A mill that turns wheat (in the wooden shoot towards the top) into flour (along the sides at the bottom). The huge stone in the middle is turning and grinding, all powered by a small river running underneath |
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| Mountain goat spotting (top right corner) |
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| Our home stay room in Rumbak Valley |
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| Rumbak Valley (& the town of Rumbak), view from the roof of our homestay |
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| Robert helping the host of our home stay to add another story to his house. The bricks are "homemade" from mud and water put in a mold to dry in the sun, and the mortar (which we learned how to mix) is also a mixture of mud and water. Our host spoke no English, and we had only learned a few words in Ladakhi, so the whole afternoon of work was based on reading body language and expressions. Our host really appreciated the help, and the two of them made a great deal of progress. Dinner this night was a plate of rice with the most delicious homemade dahl we had during our 3 weeks in India. An awesome experience overall! |
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| An hour or two into day 2 of our trek, Rumbak Valley in the background |
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| the summit of our first big pass |
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| first big summit, 5200 meters! |
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| campsite 3rd night |
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| Our Frenchman friend, along a similar trek, so we shared a campsite the 3rd and 4th nights |
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| snow storm rolling in as we make our way to the 2nd big summit |
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| 2nd big pass, 5000 meters! |
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| Peter and Robert taking a rest |
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Matho monastery, our ending point :(
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