Almost all treks in Ladakh start in its capital Leh. Perched above the Indus Valley at 3,500m in a dry, desert region surrounded by rocky mountains, it feels like a relaxed version of Kathmandu. Streets bedecked with Tibetan prayer flags are lined with souvenir shops, coffee shops and restaurants serving yak sizzlers.
India’s roads are a cut above those in Nepal, however. From Leh, we drove along a smooth tarmacked highway beside the mighty Zanskar River before turning up a dirt track into the heart of the Markha Valley.
The first day of the trek involved a short walk of only three and half hours from Skiu to the next village, Sara. We followed the road for almost the entire way, walking in searing afternoon heat and grateful for the short interludes when the road tickled the poplar groves and their shade provided some respite.
For a trip report see: www.markhorrell.com/blog/2022...
For related photographs see: www.flickr.com/photos/markhor...
Music: Siobhan by Admiral Bob Ft: Siobhan Dakay (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license dig.ccmixter.org/files/admira...
Thank you to Edita Horrell for additional video footage
1 мар 2024
