Drive along the Indus river on the Leh-Kargil road
.
As I had planned to trek around Leh for two weeks, I decided to spend one week to study the secret lives of these pure Aryans. I maintained a detailed diary of my visit and would like to share my experience with one of the most fascinating tribes of India. My destinations were the villages of Dah and Beema (pronounced Beama) in Leh district and the villages of Garkun and Darchik in Kargil district. I planned to trek and visit the most inaccessible pockets of these villages and spend quality time with this historic tribe. Being a strict vegan and practitioner of ZeNLP meditations, I decided to meditate and chant regularly during my uphill sojourn.
We rose early and started our jeep safari at 7:00 a.m. The journey was as pleasurable as the destination. The 130 km. drive took us through the villages of Khalatse (pronounced Khalsi), Dumkhar, Skurbuchan, Achinathang and Hanuthang. We crossed several high peaks before reaching Beema (14,350 feet). Every photograph we clicked enroute resembled a picture postcard. We played soothing ZeNLP music for relaxation throughout this seven hour drive over rugged terrain. The first glimpse of the Indus, from miles away was a very divine and spiritual experience. A speck of light blue amidst sandunes, rocks and stone. It resembled a stream nestling in the palm of Nature's hand. The closer we got to the river, the more beautiful it looked. We finally arrived at Beema, after a seven hour drive along the Indus. The ice cold bath on the turbulent waters of this river steeped in history, calmed my body, mind and soul. The The tranquility experienced while meditating on its banks, on a bed of round pebbles resembling marbles, cannot be described in words.