Ladakh - part 8 - Getting around Ladakh

"And where do you have a seat for the kid?" asks me the bus driver.

"Sorry?" I look at him with an open mouth.

"Seat for the kid. For your kid. It is not possible to travel in the bus with a kid without a seat. Since the accident of buses in Brno, they stop and check the buses. One driver got a fine and might get one year driving suspension for having on board a kid without seat."

Really?" I am stunned. We really do this to ourselves? After coming back from Ladakh last week it feels even more ridiculous.

We just came from a country where people can decide if to take a seat belt or not. From a country, where they can still hitchhike with their kids on a lap without fear from police. From a country where police and army is present everywhere - to protect independence of the country and help to recover towns after floods, but not to fine people for not having their belts. This is left on everyone decision if they want or don't want to use them. Responsible is not a driver, but the one who doesn't take a belt is responsible for their own health and safety. 

Freedom.

Responsible freedom.

But this doesn’t mean that they don’t care. They take the education for safety very innovatively. Instead of fines, roads are surrounded by funny rhymes about safety such as:

„Evening doubles, morning troubles.“

"Safety is a state of mind, accident is absence of mind."„Evening whiskey, driving risky.“

„Better be Mr.Late then Late, Mr.“

Road to Khardung-La Pas is surrounded by rests of crashed cars to remind everyone to drive safely.

And honestly I never felt unsafe in the cars. They care to drive safely, but not based on the rules, but based on their own mind.

Buses go with open doors from which are sometimes hanging people who didn’t fit properly inside. Seat belts in buses are not necessary – most of the time you are very well protected by the mass of other people. And you are anytime welcomed to joint the bus, sit on someone lap, stand in the aisle, or hang from the door – however, it is on your own risk.

We tried it all...Plane, train, bus, tuk tuk, taxi, boat shared taxi, subway, hitchhiking, walking...And each of that was special in its own sense. We didn’t drive but only stroked camels, horses, ponies and donkies. 

In the bus 

I am holding myself by one hand and having Robert in the other one. Another bunch of people is trying to fit into the bus. Indian music is playing. We try to move closer together, but our feet are filling the ground without any space for manipulation. Then an old lady comes in. The whole bus of people magically makes space so she can pass to the middle of the bus, where a guy is getting up from a seat and letting her to sit. Afterwards, the passage again closes and bus goes on. From open doors are hanging people. Music plays. You can feel that freedom. Common sense is still winning over safety in this far end of the world. 

I am sweating, but I feel joy. It is great to experience. 

To again feel alive. 

To be. 

To be part of this world.  

In Leh there is a station and timetable for big and small buses and it is good to come for the bus in advance, because it was sometimes difficult to fit in the small bus on the time when it should leave. Most of the time there fits always one more person in, but sometimes it doesn’t. 40 rupees to Thiksey, or 350 rupees to Diskit is what you pay for the buses here. Small kids who don’t need seat don’t pay. When bus goes around, it is not bad to take it.

By shared taxi

On the bus stop to Nubra valley we meet our friends from Markha valley. Bus to Nubra valley over Khardung La pass goes in the morning at 8 AM and if you don’t book it in advance (which we didn’t), then you most probably don’t get in, because you need a ticket for a seat (yeah, long distance bus doesn’t take for standing) and it will be fully booked. The price is 350 rupees per person.  The bus is full and none of us bought the ticket. So we are now 6 people going the same direction. Good position for getting a shared taxi.

"Will you take us to Diskit for 700 rupies each?"

"No way, 1000 is minimum."

"Ok, then we go to the local taxis at polo court."

"But they will not take you there for 700 rupies as well."

"Well, they will. My friend yesterday travelled there for the price in the shared taxi. So you don't want to take us there for 700? Then thank you." The Carribean guy is really good in this. Polite, but not letting them to fool himself. By bus stop are taxis for tourists. We walk 800 meters to polo court, where are taxis for locals. You have to be there ideally before 9 AM to get the shared ride with locals. They take us. For 700 rupees each. 

Taxis follow nowadays fixed rates table (https://www.ladakhtaxiunion.com/rate%20list.html) and are not that cheap. Of course, they are still maybe four times cheaper then in Czech republic, but… If you fill the car, prices are not that bad, otherwise any other mean of transport is a good option. You pay 40 rupees for a trip to Thiksey by bus per person (small kids don’t pay), but around 1000 rupees per taxi. And the driver was right. The official price is 6000 to get to Deskit in Nubra valley. However, locals still obviously get discount or fill the car with more people. Sharing taxis is very standard way. In Srinagar we also just came to the right place, waited one hour until the car is full and could go for 3000 rupees each (kids not counted) to Leh...

Hitchhikers heaven

Anytime we can, we hitchhike...and always the first car that goes around and has space takes us. It is really a joy. Forget about troubles you get in Europe with seats for kids, highways where cars cannot stop and hitchhikers cannot lift their thumb, forget about fear of any kind. Ladakh is the hitchhiker heaven. Everyone hitchhikes...old ladies, young people, workers...and everyone takes them. Did I mention that Ladakhi people are amazing people with big heart? They are. I didn't have anytime a single feeling of worry. And hitchhiking brings you closer to amazing people. We talk to Tibetean refugee who is writing poetry and doing photography or to a guy who is just driving back from Ladakhi university to his village where he is working in the organization for preservance of the country. 

"You know, I am just worried that this goes too fast. That Ladakh is opening too quickly. We have to take it step by step, slowly, adapt. It is good to open, but not too quickly," sights the guy.

"Yeah, it is amazing how good is the quality of roads and how many people are building the new roads, but you are right that if the invasion of tourists is too quick it might be a real challenge."

"Well, we build a lot. Now they make this tunnel from Srinagar to connect Ladakh whole year long. We have to be careful. I am worried that people here are not prepared," continues the guy.

The Zojila tunnel should be the longest India tunnel and longest bidirectional Asia's tunnel and will connect Jammu and Kashmir with Ladakh the whole year long. So far, during the winter, passes are closed (in general for 6 months, but at least for 3 months) and some parts of Ladakh are cut of civilization for 7 or 8 months a year. As Himalaya are fragile mountains, there are several landslides even during the summer. It is natural that Ladakh wants to develop. Will it manage?

You can see the new roads and building everywhere. Zanskar valley used to be 10 or 15 years ago only accessible by jeep and on foot. Now, there is very new high-quality road throughout the valley. It is still beautiful, just the romantic feeling of remoteness is slowly disappearing. I know that they deserve same progress as we got. They just might not know what all they might loose. All western people already lost and try to find again here, in the remote ends of the world. We cannot resist to switch on the wifi at the accommodation, but we are so happy the phone is not working anywhere else. Becuase that is where the real world begins.

Anyway, workers on the streets really don't have easy life. After flash floods, the road to Nubra valley opens within 2 or 3 days. As we drive to Deskit, the road is full of workers. Pouring asphalt from hand canyster, moving stones by hand, breaking stones to pieces by very simple hand tools, shoveling in two people...and their faces don't smile. There is no real anger, but you can see how they observe the tourists in the cars passing by.

However, even traveling by car around Ladakh is a spiritual journey. The Border Road Organisation caring for the road building distributed around the roads amazing signs. They are in parallel funny, connected to safety and spiritual. I find it a great idea. You cannot stop reading them, thinking about them and enjoying their double meanings.