Riding On The World's Most Scenic Road....
Barley field.....
The journey from Leh to Srinagar takes you from desert to lush valleys, from a Buddhist region to an Islamic one.
Lamayuru is set in the midst of some rather strange scenery. The road through the mountains dips into a gorge that in turn opens up into moonscape badlands, with rounded, yellow pinnacles and meditation caves carved into the mountainside. Lamayuru - the oldest monastery in Ladakh, dating from the 11th century – perches quietly near the top of the mountain, overlooking the badlands. Its whitewashed walls glowed in the evening sun, which cast eerie shadows across the landscape below as we settled into our hotel for the night.
Lamayuru monastery
Lamayuru Monastery buildings
At Fotu La, the highest point of the Leh to Srinagar road....
Early the next day, about half an hour from Lamayuru, we reached the Fotu La (‘la’ means ‘pass’). At 4,100m it was the highest point of our journey. Compared with the Khardung La near Leh, the world’s highest motorable pass at 5,602m, which comes complete with souvenir shops, cafes and thousands of prayer flags, the Fotu La is pleasantly modest. There is only this sign Craig is standing next to, a few prayer flags and a satellite dish. There weren’t any other cars around either.
Fotu La
30kms short of Kargil...
The road between Leh and Srinagar used to be narrow and treacherous. Part of the army’s job is to help maintain it, as well as protect the border against militant insurgents from both Pakistan and Kashmir. Lengthy convoys of around 20 army trucks frequently passed us, in both directions. They invariably kicked up plenty of dust but their presence was vaguely reassuring.
Cattle and ther road in Nubra valley
Large-Heading out towards Kargil
33 kilometres before Islamic Kargil, Mulbekh is the last outpost of Buddhism in Jammu & Kashmir. A large relief of Buddha is carved into this jut of rock and Buddhists travel many miles to pay their respects here, but there were plenty of men wearing Muslim-style lunghis and kurtas in the village as well.
Road To Kargiil...
Flowers Everywhere,The scenery also began to take on tinge of green as our journey took us to lower altitudes and rainier climes.
The road from Leh to Srinagar cuts right through Kargil, the most important site of the 1999 Kargil War, which kicked off when Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri freedom fighters crossed the Line of Control.
. Continued....
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