[sayakc]

It isn't full moon yet. But even with the half moon that has receded well behind the steep walls of the gorge the frozen Zanskar shimmers flecks of light.Listen very carefully and you can hear a gentle gurgle of the flowing river under the Chadar that is a few feet thick. Fix your eyes on the bottled horizon and you can see sparkling reflections of the flowing river.

You can scream and your scream will echo through the landscape. May be the porters, settled in a cave on the other bank of the river, over their Chang fuelled brain will also reply "Julley". You may even try to own this patch of sandy land that you are walking on and no one will challenge you. Heck, you might even hear the demon's laughter reverberating through these walls. At times, you may get a vision that the Chadar has ceased to exist. At times that wind might bite you to the skin through the layers of sleeping bag under which you have cocooned yourself.

And at times like these, when you can see how beautiful nature can be, you might even think that you are really living a dream that you had dreamt about long time back!

Welcome to my story of the Chadar!

* * *

Nerak waterfall - the final campsite. The Chadar trek actually ends at Padum, but thats a 15 day trek. Indians usually do the shorter version till Nerak. When I stepped under the frozen waterfall, I found a misty spray of falling water.

Dibb Campsite, 24th Jan (4th Day)
Evening.

The draft of wind that crosses over the camp fire brings along with it the smell of burning junipers that crackle at times like marijuana seeds. Away from the circle of trekkers who have settled around the fire, I try to rest the camera on a piece of rock to get a shot of the gorge that’s sparkling in the night and think about how far and away from civilization we really have been for the past 3-4 days. The campfire, for us, has become a habit and every evening we would settle in a circle, drying the clothing that had gotten wet during the encounters on the Chadar.

Let the weather not be emphasized here. It is incomparably cold, for in mid-Jan, its not uncommon for night temperatures to dive 20 degrees below zero. And in the depth of winter, legend says that ice as thick as a goat's rib can support the weight of a yak. Nothing survives such hostility. But ask the porters and they will say that the Chadar gives them everything – caves to live, water to drink and firewood to keep warm. They worship the Chadar and pray for its sustenance, since, apart from this highway of snow, there is no way to travel from Padum to Leh in winter.




The starting point of the Chadar. Photographed during return. The Chadar changes its form and shape frequently: so much so that the starting point was barel recognizable when we had returned.


Night shot at Tibb.


Chadar between Tibb and Nerak.


Mutton momos at Leh market. The first and last of non-veg that I had at Leh (if you discount eggs)


One of the several waterfalls.


The kitchen tent. Every evening, after the days walk we would spend the time in it. The kitchen tent was warm too - for the stove used to run for 6-8 hours: first for cooking and subsequently to keep the tent warm.



The Chadar does not freeze in several places. In fact you can see that the river is flowing at full velocity over ice and rocks. The colour is an amazing blue. Before I had stepped on the Chadar, I had a fear - what if the Chadar gives away and I go down with it? The fear wasn't totally unfounded. But rarely the depth at the edges exceed 3-4 feet.



Very common sight. Fetching a drink of water.


A break away from the monotony.At Leh palace.

Three days back, when we stepped on this highway of ice, many of us learnt walking on it for the first time. The initial mile was dusty, solid ice that provided great traction for walking and you can literally walk like you are walking on a tarred road. But then the nature of the road changed to smooth and shiny glass like and when the sun rays fell, it was too slippery. There was no need to plod, for, movement was aided by inertia. And when such shiny,glass like ice was on an incline, it could prove to be a heady cocktail for a fall.

The first day was also the shortest one. A 2 hour bus journey from Leh took us to Shingra Yokma, from where commenced the trek. And our rendezvous with ice was immediate. So, with the backpack hanging from the shoulders and a camera hanging around the neck, hands resting on a trekking pole and wearing gumboots of the most uncomfortable kind that was purchased barely 24 hours ago from Leh market, I started the march.

A walk of 2 hours brought us to a place called Shingra Koma or Shingra Upper, where we rested for the night. Hot khichdi and tea - both of which got cold within minutes - were our late 4 PM lunch. And rest of the evening was spent in star gazing. Dinner was slurped up at 7 in the evening. And night was spent with 3 layers of woolen garments and 2 sleeping bags.




Folds of ice.


Swift currents.


Icicles hanging from an ice chest.


The sun is a rarity in the Chadar walk and its absence is one of the reasons for a solid, stable Chadar. But there are a few bends and sections where the path of the river hasnt followed the rocky walls. At such places the sun beams down brightly. And as we leave the darkness of the gorge, its holiday for a while: we sit down to soak in the sun for a while ...discarding the backpack and the trekking pole. And then watch the porters pulling the sledges.




Reaching Nerak. The last couple of miles to Nerak are quite exposed with bad Chadar.


Padma, 17 years old, from Wanla (near Lamayuru). Studies in the 9th standard. Due to the harsh winter school open closed till February (which coincides with the Chadar season). He has been learning the ropes of the trade. But says he will eventually join the Army! Very, very helpful and understanding - his maturity is unseen.



I have never slept well in a tent.Sleep is always intermittent...in 'batches'. I sleep for sometime, sometimes wake up shivering, pull the sleeping bag all the more closer. Sometimes that helps, kother times not. The next morning after a breakfast of Tibetan bread,jam and cheese and 'kawa' we started walking again.The next morning after a breakfast of Tibetan bread,jam and cheese and 'kawa' we started we started walking again. And during the day, discover a few things.

One, is the lack of the presence of sun rays. You can see that the skies are blue, the tip of the hills that border the gorge are lighted up by the sun - all good - but the gorge itself lies in permanent shadows and there are only a few places where the sun rays actually fall on you - the trekker.

Two, the Chadar trek gives a very limited set of colours. Sky and the river is blue, ice is white, the rocks along the gorge are yellowish brown to purple. And thats it!

Three. The crowd of trekkers. Generally trekking campsites have sparse population. But in this trek, at any given moment there are hundreds of trekkers. Campsites are bursting with crowds. And that brings the question of the 'load' being faced by the fragile environment. The extra bit of kerosene that wasn't required, the food that was wasted, human faeces - everything goes right into the river.

We have pasta for lunch - pasta cooked in a pressure cooker with a cocktail of spices consisting of garam masala, sauces, cumin powder,fenugreek - name it and you will get it. Hunger is subdued due to lack of taste, but somehow I force feed myself.




Shingra Yokma campsite.







In the evening, around 4 o clock, we reach Dibb. And spend another night under the stars.

One of the reasons that makes the Chadar unique is the terrain and climate. Talking of the 'trek' aspect - its not a trek. Rather its a walk on a gentle and undulating river.The Zanskar and its Chadar, the cold and the gorge walls at times attain a form of permanence that its impossible to escape them even after a month of getting over the walk.

This is one trek where I found that the journey itself triumphs over any attempts at photography. It is not a picturesque trek, nor does it have any vistas that are worth framing/composing - for, the landscape is the same - a river frozen along a gorge and rocky hills that surround it - the pattern almost the same or repeating over multiple places.

A trip like this, inspires to write....again, I have not tried to answer questions through this travelogue. Perhaps it will leave you with more questions? Perhaps. What is the first day itinerary? How many hours was travelled? What was the distance? What are the starting and ending points? (will willingly answer in case you have any). I have tried to avoid that because what I am trying to write is a story about the Chadar and the experiences it provides: You can see porters carrying 50 kg weights; places where the Chadar is only a couple of feet wide and so slippery that you will hesitate multiple times before taking the next step and right besides you will see the river gushing at full flow; and then, there are places, where the Chadar hasn't formed and you have to climb over rocks where a fall would mean you hurtle 30 feet down to the river.

That night, as I sleep, I think about the next day which would be the day we see Nerak's spectacular waterfall.




View from Shanti Stupa.


Clean night with no clouds.

[sayakc]

Nerak.
Apart from being the final campsite in the 'abridged' Chadar trek, Nerak is also convenience. There are chances you can get a bite of frozen yak meat or a hot drink of rum or sip the country liquor, Chang. But, in order to reach Nerak you need to overcome the most difficult sections of the trek. The initial few miles out of Dibb the Chadar feels solid. But then, there comes a turn, where we cross the the river from one side to the other and as we cross, we hear a loud boom and a crackle - the indication that the Chadar just broke somewhere.

That day, we have our lunch seated on the river banks in one of the rare places where the sun beams down. At this stage we were sorely missing maggi. Because the taste of food had gotten bland and I wasn't liking it at all.

As the miles close towards Nerak, the road gets riskier with several exposed and deadly portions. The weather also becomes foul with a lot of cloud and cloud is bad for the Chadar because it increases the risk of higher temperatures. Half an hour before Nerak comes a tall but thin waterfall where we pause for a while to take photographs and regroup.


The lack of sun is compensated by the burning half moon and the abundance of stars that litter and gleam across the sky. And even though the night is much colder the feel of being under the stars is overwhelming and appealing.


Icicles from an iced 'stair case'.


Nerak waterfall.


Porter walking on the Chadar.


Leh castle from Leh palace.




Yamzor, our guide. Notice the rope he is carrying to be used for climbing rock walls where the Chadar hasn't formed. We didnt have to use the rope, but there were a couple of difficult rock climbs where a slip would mean you hurtle down 30 feet to the river.


Cook.


Porter resting on the Chadar, near Nerak.


Puri and subzi at Leh market.

Walking on further, we reach the Nerak campsite to find that reaching the Nerak waterfall is more difficult as the Chadar was badly broken in a number of places. So, the way further is to climb a high hill and that was a knee wobbling walk with dangerously exposed sides. A couple of feet as you look towards the left you can see the broken Chadar 500 feet below. It gave be head spins so much that I decided that not an inch I would go further. But such was the guide that he picked me up and told me 'Sir, its possible' and possible it was. It took half an hour to go uphill and reach a flat plateau like hill top and a further 20 mins downhill to get back on the Chadar and reach the Nerak waterfall.

A crowd of minimum 70 people were standing and posing at below the fall. I too had my moment. The water is frozen, but as I noted elsewhere too, its not entirely frozen, for you can feel sprays of water droplets falling on you when you stand under it. And the feeling of having concluded the journey wasn't happiness, it was relief! A little further away from the Nerak waterfall site was another frozen waterfall. But that hadn't gotten famous - poor luck .




Leh from Shanti Stupa.




The only things that survives the harsh winters on the rocky walls are the junipers and these fruits.




Marble like ice.



And at a corner was a suspension bridge that connected the village of Nerak to the road that the Government is constructing.It will take a while, but in a few years the Chadar, even if present will become redundant. A way of life will become non-existant and will be lost permanently. Already, village elders rue the fact the younger lot are not only ignoring their cultural values, dresses, traditions and food etc. but also they are ignoring reading the nature of the Chadar. But such things will remain I believe and is a case of a strong debate. Personally, we know that older lot in every corner of India feels that the culture and traditional values are getting eroded as we move forward with time and technology.

But one thing needs to be understood here - for us trekkers - we had gone for the guided trek for 'exploring'. But the Chadar is a NECESSITY in winter when it comes down to the locals. Without it they won't be able to move an inch.


In the corner is the bridge that connects Nerak village to the (under construction) road.




Waterfall before reaching Nerak.






Breakfast at Jamspal Guesthouse on the day we were leaving Leh. Awesome hospitality.



Walking can take you to places where mechanized transport fails. And whereas this means it can take us to 'raw' and 'virgin' places, it exposes the lack of development, harsh quality of life and its struggles; and spurs the "necessity being luxury" debate. Yet when we return from these places, the first of impressions is 'how simple, accommodating the locals really are'. Many of us who work in steel and glass buildings, follow certain protocols of communication that we have acquired during the stint of professional life. But those very things which we follow at work, are things which we often shun when we go to these difficult and under developed places. How paradoxical is that?

Core ingredients of human nature e.g. Greed, Hypocrisy, Lust, (Dis)honesty, Selfishness etc. are present everywhere - in Ladakh's Nerak village as well as Calcutta's Park Street but where I smile with glee when I meet these village people is how open, candid, frank and welcoming they are! And with every second that BRO's bulldozer breaks down the rock walls and 'civilization' enters these places, may be, we will loose what we are seeing now.

My mother had visited Darjeeling quite a few times till the 80s...much before the separatist movement began and spent a few vacations there. But every year when I pay my annual pilgrimage of Darjeeling and request her to come with me - she says she won't. For her, he already holds an image of Darjeeling - the Chowrasta, the sparse population, persistent rain during the monsoons,sheep and goat milk sourced from the nomadic herders, post cards and letters carried by a single motor car that chugged its way daily through the mountain roads pottering through the forests. Verdant and virgin. When she looks into those black and white vignettes, it’s a very natural progression for her to place those ‘lost’ moments of yore into todays map but history, unfortunately, doesn’t repeat.



Dome tents where we stayed the night.








Shantistupa. In 2015 I had climbed up the maze of stairs to the stupa. This year I thought, I am 3 years older that I was and wanted to see whether my performance still holds. So, climbed them up yet again. Long, big climb - nevertheless a nice once. Views are amazing as always.

[sayakc]

Kolkata, 29-Jan

I got the yellow Ambassador taxi at Dumdum airport after an epic struggle - still don't use a smart phone and life taught me a difficult lesson this time around. Taxiwallah again got confused between Lake Town and Lake Gardens and after 12 hours of leaving Leh I was in no mood to argue.

A few flashback moments as I got into the cab and was reaching home in sometime.

"The end of the trip is near. And the pace of the return is invariably faster. That 'pace' also, finds its way into this post.

I didn't miss maggi because we had two consecutive maggi lunches in the subsequent days. 2 bowls of maggi and tea to be precise. Milk wasn't available so black tea all the time.

Nights were spent star gazing. Ladakh - so pristine and so beautiful. I remember seeing a half moon in the afternoon sky and it brought back memories of my childhood. Nowadays the afternoons are hazy with the sun being barely visible in the dust. In the city, vision is so restricted by tall buildings that you can't even know how wide the horizon is.

While returning we got to know Padma, a porter cum guide in the team, a lot more closer. He was a 17 year old sweet chap who was ferrying those half quintal loads. Kept to himself most of the time but was very efficient. We faced quite a challenge in the transportation back from Shingri Yokma to Leh and he spent his own money to buy Maggi, tea etc. because all our rations had finished by then. Entire day had passed, tents were all folded and transported in a different vehicle and our fears of spending the night in the only available kitchen tent was about to come true, when Padma ensured a vehicle.

Reached home to a warm hug. And the next thing before taking a bath was to order Biryani from my favourite counter. "

Thats all for now. Next holidays are uncertain and unknown.
Any questions and replies on this one are welcome!

Cheers,
Sayak





A gorge of stars.






In this trek you get to walk on shining, slippery ice track to rough, dusty ones. The slippery ones are very risky to walk on, since a fall might signal the end of your trek. I met minimum 4 injured people: two with broken forearm, one with traction around his knee, one with a cut around his head.
Plus I saw two tourists (different instances) who were being dragged by a porter on sikis. Whether they were injured and hence unable to walk or they were simply checking out how it is to be pulled by a sledge is - I dont have an answer.


The first days lunch - khichdi.




The next days breakfast - Tibetan bread with jam and cheese. Food will invariably taste 'awesome' in the first couple of days. But soon the honeymoon period passes. You will get the same, bland taste irrespective of whether you are having dal-chawal or momo or roti-subzi. Personally,being a Bengali: I found the dal-chawal (with a bit of butter) for dinner and maggi for lunch to suite my taste buds the best.


Lunch stop. In cold weather, the cook ensured that the first thing to greet was a cup of steaming black tea. Here we stopped for lunch enroute Tibb.


Lighting a fire using junipers in an enclosure to protect from the wind.
















Starting the days trek from first camp.




This was the scene of the starting point on the day that we were starting the trek. When we returned (5 days later) most rocks were blanketed with new Chadar.










Floating ice chunks being carried by the river. I examined them deeply and found that like icebergs, most of portion of the chunks are submerged beneath the water. These flow with the river and where they face an obstacle they merge and stabilize and form the chadar. At times, chadar breaks up and gives rise to these shards, which are then carried away.








Heres the crowd preparing to take off for the trek.


Me, at Leh market.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Ace F355]

Excellent log of what might have been a trip of a lifetime. Superb pics too. Thanks a lot for sharing.

[SJM1214]

An excellent travelogue with amazing photographs. Chadar and EBC( Everest Base Camp) treks are my dreams, but I don’t consider myself fit enough to do that.

Thanks for Sharing!

[R-Six]

Wonderful travelogue and a set of equally mesmerizing pictures. Appreciate you taking time out to pen down your experience and share the memories with us.

If you don’t mind me asking, can you clarify how much it cost you for the 15 days trek? Also, did you book it online? If you could share these, it might help the folks who might be dreaming about doing it one day after ogling at these breathtaking images.

[pinin]

Excellent Travelogue sayakc. Could you share details on how you went about planning the trip?

Regards,
Pinin

[gmhossain]

Originally Posted by sayakc

... This is one trek where I found that the journey itself triumphs over any attempts at photography.

Well said Sayak! Nevertheless, your pictures are actually very beautiful. I could relate with the fact that the initial zeal for photography goes down as one progresses deeper into the trek! Somehow I am getting the feeling about your worry that the increased popularity of the Chadar trek could spell trouble for the trek route itself. Am I guessing right?

Thanks,

[sudev]

Was it cold or was it cold?

"The Chadar" is becoming victim of its own popularity. Thanks for pictures and commentary.

[pushpakb]

Awesome storytelling as always Sayak.
Does the trek start and end from the same place?

[sayakc]

Thanks Ace!

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Superb pics too. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Hello SJM1214,
Chadar does not require too much fitness. Its at an uniform elevation, so its basically a walk and I am sure you will be able to do it.

Originally Posted by SJM1214

An excellent travelogue with amazing photographs. Chadar and EBC( Everest Base Camp) treks are my dreams, but I don’t consider myself fit enough to do that.

Hello R-Six,
The 15 days trek must cost around a lac. But rarely any Indian does it - time and money being big factors. Usually foreigners cover the entire Chadar trail to Padum.

Booking Process:
1. I came to know about a Calcutta based company "Big Planet" who conducts the Chadar trek. In reality they are tied with Altitude Adventure of Ladakh.
2. First called up the number in the website.
3. After verbal discussion, sent email.
4. Then deposited the money into the bank account through IMPS/NEFT etc. And received email confirmation.

My suggestion is to contact local Ladakhi companies directly instead of going via mainland companies. Reason = The Chadar trek is quite uncertain. In 2015, it was cancelled. In 2017 flights couldnt reach Leh due to bad weather. In such circumstances, the mainland companies will hardly refund you anything - because they only earn a commission. And the actual trek is carried out by some Ladakhi company. The locals are much better positioned when it comes to refunds/arranging alternate treks in the case of exigencies.
Most charge in the range of 18-25K.

Originally Posted by R-Six

Also, did you book it online?.

Hello pinin, I have mentioned the details above. As far as the planning is concerned:
1. I booked the air tickets > 3 months in advance and got good prices.
2. Also, got a good price for the trek too.
3. Physical fitness is not really a strong requirement. As long as you can walk for long durations - you are good

Originally Posted by pinin

Could you share details on how you went about planning the trip?

Golam-da and Sudev - Yes, thats one of the takeaways from the trip. The river is being raped of sorts. So much of pollutants going into the Chadar is not optimal for the environment - which is too fragile.

And the Chadar is not a typical hiking trail where there is a ridge, pine trees and shrubs - a sort of permanent fixture. It is a phenomenon that exists only for 2-3 months a year and only forms if the temperature is right.

Think about Ladakh before 3 Idiots and after it. Everyone travels in droves. "Sustainable tourism" - thats the point which we Indians miss. So, even after being blessed with some of the greatest geographical features, we are somehow screwing up everything. The Ladakhi travel operators have started to charge 2500 for cleaning the river. Hopefully, the money is utilized correctly.

Originally Posted by gmhossain

Somehow I am getting the feeling about your worry that the increased popularity of the Chadar trek could spell trouble for the trek route itself. Am I guessing right?

Originally Posted by sudev

"The Chadar" is becoming victim of its own popularity. Thanks for pictures and commentary.

Thank you Pushpak! Good to see you in the forum. Yes, the trek starts and ends from Shingra Yokma. I am, however, not sure about the itinerary of the 15 day Chadar though.

Originally Posted by pushpakb

Awesome storytelling as always Sayak.
Does the trek start and end from the same place?

[PapaBravo]

Superb travelogue as usual. Your style of writing has always been very engaging. The photographs again are exceptional. The other day my wife was thinking about starting to trek (although I am more of a "Let's take the car" type ) & the first name that came to my mind was yours. If we tread that path, quite literally, I shall ask you for more info.

Till then keep giving us such fabulous TLs.

Pawan

[sayakc]

Thanks Pawan! Would be glad to help you in case of any queries.

Sent you a friend request on facebook a few days ago.

I could not be present this winter meet - since I returned back from Leh that week itself and slept off the weekend. Let me know when the next meet is due...would love to meet you guys.

Cheers,
Sayak

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Superb travelogue as usual. Your style of writing has always been very engaging. The photographs again are exceptional. The other day my wife was thinking about starting to trek (although I am more of a "Let's take the car" type ) & the first name that came to my mind was yours. If we tread that path, quite literally, I shall ask you for more info.

Till then keep giving us such fabulous TLs.

Pawan

[Sujoy76]

Brilliant Travelogue. The way you started the TL is praiseworthy. It really sets the tone for the entire travelogue. The pictures are out of the world. It speaks about the effort you've put in to capture those beautiful moments. Really admirable.

Wish you many more trips. Keep it up