Ladakh cont'd.

It’s obvious that Ladakh hasn’t been a tourist place for a long time. Even now, it’s not for someone who wants to lounge by the pool, go shopping, or enjoy the comforts provided by some of the more traditional tourist resorts in India. Our hotel (actually a set of cottages) was a good example. It was clean, with a bed, many blankets and a bathroom. It had a flat screen TV. But, hot water was only available from 6 to 9 in the mornings and 6 to 9 in the evenings. Not to mention there was no electricity during the day. It didn’t bother us too much because we were never home during that time.

The cottages were used by many travelers as places to stay in Leh in between excursions to nearby places. Therefore, on any given day while we were there, there were less than 5 guests. On the first day, the head waiter (Dev Kumar – DK) asked us what we would like for dinner, as it was just the two of us:

- Well, what do you have?

- We can make anything you’d like.

While the offer was generous, we realized that this was just the politeness that comes with hospitality training. In fact, there weren’t too many vegetables available in the area – potatoes, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, etc. Kidney beans, rice and rotis were part of the stable diet of most people. Even with this, each day we got a different array of dishes. And each day we were amazed by how delicious even the simplest of dishes could taste. In the mornings we got omelets and toast, and of course chai. The food was nutritious, filling and pretty much incredible! But only because it was the kind of food we liked to eat, and we didn’t crave (or ask for) pizza or pasta.

DK told us that in order to serve food that isn’t grown in the area, it needs to be brought up from down below, making it expensive and not worth it, especially towards the end of the tourist season, which is when we went. A “restaurant” near Pangong Lake was a clear demonstration of this:

The sign outside said: Rice, Rajma, etc. The restaurant was a giant tent, split into the area where the customers sit and the “kitchen”. There were two waitresses, one of whom spoke no Hindi or English. After going inside we realized that they served three main dishes: Rice and Rajma, Roti and Potatoes, and Maggi. We first ordered one Roti/Potatoes and one Rice/Rajma. After finishing that we realized that we needed more food. Upon asking for more Roti/Potatoes, we were told that they were out. So we had more rice. A large group that came in after us got only Rice and Rajma. A couple who came in later was told there was only Maggi left. There were no apologizes. That was the only food available. Either eat it or go the next tent. Most people stayed. All I can say is: the rajma was awesome!

Other restaurants and the sites reflected the same type of services at the hotel. Every place had everything that you would need, but nothing that would be a luxury. I guess even these basic necessities were so much more than what most locals have so that even they are considered luxuries. I would recommend Ladakh as a place to get away from it all, but don’t go if you are also expecting to get it all.