About Me

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Welcome to Himalaya Insight. I am Abid and I grew up in the beautiful Leh-ladakh India. I have been in the adventure travel service industry for more than 15 years. I like the mountains and the neighboring flora it brings. Please feel free to ask me any questions about travel to Ladakh

Monday, December 28, 2009

FIRST SHOWFALL OF THE SEASON

Leh, October 19, 2009
Leh town and its surrounding areas have experienced snowfall in the morning for the second consecutive today. It was the first major snowfall of the winter season leaving the mountains and trees cladded with snow amidst greenery. The Leh town looked enveloped in white blanket of fresh snow and every one was enjoying it, especially the tourists.

According to Leh Police Control Room, there had been more than two inches in the low lying areas and about one ft at Khardongla pass.

Today, due to snow fall, the Leh- Manali highway was suspended for traffic to avoid untoward accidents. Khardong la pass was remained closed for traffic due to snowfall in the morning and cloudy weather at the pass. This pass is the only gateway to the Siachen Glacier where the defense personnel are posted and to the Nubra valley sub division.

Following snow fall, the cold wave started to intensify in the region with day temperature plummeted to minus 3 degree celcius and the maximum temperature was 6 degree celcius.

MUHARRAM IN LEH-LADAKH

Leh, December 28, 2009
Beating their chests, flagellating themselves severely on foreheads shouting religious slogans hundreds of Shia Muslims carried out their Muharram procession through the Leh bazaar today.

Many of them were seen carried away to the ambulance after falling unconscious. A large number of spectators also turned up to witness this religious sense of mourning over the sufferings of Imam Hussain on the day of Ashurah known among Shia Muslims as 'the day of grief', and which is called Yaumu-l 'Ashurah.

Shia Muslims in Leh are mainly concentrated in the Chushot village of the Indus River belt, which is about 12 kilometers from the Leh town.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

PANGONG LAKE


PANGONG LAKE

This route takes the visitor past picturesque villages of Shey and Thikse, and turns off the Indus valley by the side-valley of Chemrey and Sakti. The Ladakh range is crossed by the Chang-la (18,000 feet / 5,475 m) which despite its great elevation is one of the easier passes, remaining open for much of the year even in winter, apart from periods of actual snowfall. Tangse, just beyond the foot of the pass, has an ancient temple. But the main attraction of this circuit is the Pangong Lake, situated at 14,000 feet (4,267 m). A long narrow basin of inland drainage, hardly six to seven kilometer at its widest point and over 130km long, it is bisected by the international border between India and China. Spangmik, the farthest point to which foreigners are permitted, is only some seven km along the southern shore from the head of the lake, but it affords spectacular views of the mountains of the Changchenmo range to the north, their reflections shimmering in the ever-changing blues and greens of the lake's brackish waters. Above Spangmik are the glaciers and snowcapped peaks of the Pangong range. Spangmik and a scattering of other tiny villages along the lake's southern shore are the summer homes of a scanty population of Chang-pa, the nomadic herds people of Tibet and south-east Ladakh. The Pangong Chnag-pa cultivate sparse crops of barley and peas in summer. It is in winter that they unfold their tents (rebo) and take their flocks of sheep and pashmina goats out to the distant pastures.

TSOMORIRI LAKE


Tsomoriri or Lake Moriri (official name: Tsomoriri Wetland Conservation Reserve), in the Changthang (literal meaning, northern plains) area, is a High Altitude Lake (HAL) with an altitude of 4,595 m (15,080 ft) in Ladakh, India and is the largest of the High Altitude Lakes in the Trans-Himalayan biogeographic region, entirely within India. It is hemmed between Ladakh in the North and Tibet in the east and Zanskar in the west; the Changthang plateau is the geographical setting with snow peaks that provides the source of water for the Lake. Accessibility to the lake is limited to summer season only.[1] Tsokar means salty lake in local language and salt was extracted from this lake in earlier times, till the end of 1959, for consumption by the local people.

Friday, October 2, 2009

SAY IT IN LADAKHI (2)

SOLJA DON-LEY Please take tea.
KARU SKYODAT?
Where are you going?

NGA LEH_A CH'AT Im going to leh
NYERANG-I-MINGA CHI IN? What is your name?
NGE...NAY IN LEY im from....
GONPA KA-NEY YOT? Where is the monastery?
CHI INOK? What is this?
TSAM INOK? How much is it?
HA-GO-A? Understand?
HA-MA-GO I dont understand
HA-GO I understand
NGA SHA ZA-MET I dont eat meat
BUS PO KARU CH'AANOK? Where is this Bus leave?
BUS PO NAM CH"AANOK? When does the Bus leave?
CH"USKOL SAL LAY Please give me boiled water
DIK-LEY Thats enough/ Thanks or its ok
DIG-GA-LEY? Is it okay?
LADAKH MAA-DEMO DUK Ladakh is very nice,beautiful.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

THE HIMALAYAN YETI (Brown beer)

Himalayan brown bear (deemo) is a very robust animal inhabiting hills and valley of the Hindu-Kush himalayan region.They have large body with powerfull limbs that terminate in the broad paws with five non-retrectable claws,which are mainly used for rapping and digging.The animals have tapering mizzele and round ears, and have excellent senses of smell and hearing. They have danse, Shaggy fur,which is dark brown sometimes with a silver tinge. The males are bulkier then the females,and weight up to 200kg.Brown bear can walk on there hand feed, and leave gigantic and almost human like footprints.According to its believers, even the Himalayan Yeti leaves a large human like imprint in the snow. A Japanese research , working in Nepal and Bhutan for more then a decade, trying to bust the myth of the Yeti opines that the Himalayan Yeti or the abominable snowman is nothing more then a Himalayan brown bear,althought efforts are still on to shed further light on this.

SAY IT IN LADAKHI (1)

  1. JULLAY Hello,good bye,thank you etc.
    K'amzang? (Are you well)?
    K'amzang. (I'm) well.
    Tsapik. a Little bit.
    O,ju lay. Yes please.
    Man,Ju-ley No, thank you.
    Ama(ama-lay) Mother.
    Aba(aba-lay) Father
    No(no-no) Younger brother.
    No-mo Younger sister.
    Man(mun) No
    Skyot ley Please come/go
    Zhuks ley please sit/stay
    Zhangs ley Please stand
    Don eat/drink
    Zhimpo Rak it is tasty
    Zhimpo merak It is not tasty
    Tagi chapatti,any bread
    Cha Tea
    Cha ngarmo sweet tea
    Ch'u water
    ch'u skol boiled water.
    Zho yogurt, curd

LEH PALACE

LEH PALACE overlooks the Ladakh Himalayan town of Leh,modeled on the Potala palace in Lhasa,Tibet.The palace was build by kind singge Namgyal in the 17th century,but was later abandoned when dogras force took cantrol of Ladakh in the mid-19th century.The royal family moved to stok palace.Leh Palace is nine storeys high;the upper floors accommodated the royal family,the stables and store rooms were in the lower floors.
The palace ,a ruin,is currently being restored by the archeoligical survey of India.The palace is open to the public and the roof provides panoramic views of leh and
the surrounding areas.The mountain of stok kangri in the Zangskar mountain ramge is visible across the Indis valley to the south,with the Ladakh mountain range rising behind the palace to the north.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

MISSION LADAKH

We have learnt that all relagions are the same and fighting in the name of relagion is wrong,said 12 year old gal.She was at the pologround for partispating in the public information campaign(PIC)lunched by the Press information bureau(PIB) to bring awerness amongs the people about verious centrelly sponsored scheme for the region. School childerns from verious educational groups took the part in the programme and pledged to make rural people living in there respective villages aware about the schemes. The Polo ground, the venue of the campaing,wore a festive look with about 36 stall put up by various government departments like education,health,animal husbandry,agriculture,forest,JK Bank,Tourisam,horticulture etc, to showcase there product and highlight there achievements. At these stalls,information regarding important central government programmes and how to avial the benefits under the programme was made available to the people ignorant of such project.
Specking on the occasion.Health Minester of J&K Government said that in spite of weak infrastructure and reluctance on the part of doctors to the comman man in far-off place like Leh and Kargil.He said that the government is hiring doctors on contract basis to serve the people of the region.Lots of work has been done and lots need to be done.We will not rest till the last man in state is guranteed of quality medication.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

RAFTING IN LADAKH (zanskar River)







some fev pixs






BEST SEASON TO VISIT LADAKH

BEST SEASON TO VISIT LADAKH; June to October,as most of high passes and trekking routes remains closed after november due to heavy snowfall.However for chaddar trek the best period to visiting is during january to mid-march.
WHAT TO WEAR;Warm cloth and a wind sheeter or rain coat along with good water proof shoes are advicble for trekkings, while an extra pear of shoe or sandels, good spacious rucksack and a warm sleeping bag are also an asset while trekking above 4000 m .
BY ROAD;The srinagar-Leh road with a stretch of 434 km is the most popular land route to ladakh and remain open only from early june to november.The steep ascent of 11500 feet to Zojila is thrilling and exhilarating.One can easily get regular givernment and pravet buses along this route.
The secound most land route is the Manali- Leh road stretching across 473 km. It has been open recently and remains open mostly from mid-july to med- october the trip on this route become more intersting with the panoramic view of snow-clad peak of western himalaya on way.The most important passes and place of Ladakh are rotang pass hight of 3978 m on Manali leh road, which is a gateway to the Lahol and Spiti valley,Baralacha pass at the hight of 4892 m ,which is supposed to reach highest region of ladakh ,Zanskar range, a camping ground in zanskar.
By Air; Leh is connected by regular flight to and from delhi (daily) Jammu (twice a week) and srinagar (once a week).