I made two more trips to Nubra. One was just two years before my retirement and the last one just three years back. Both trips were very interesting as well as satisfying. The second trip was in 2000 to check the status of guest houses which had been recommended for Tourism Incentive and also to assess the work done on the centrally sponsored scheme of Samsthaling Monastery.

The last trip after retirement was more for nostalgia than anything else! In the first trip, Lobsang Thinless, Deputy Director Tourism, Leh, accompanied me. Incidentally Lobsang Thinless had been a Lama initially but had given up the monastic life and married. We stayed in the PWD Dak Bungalow in Deskit. It was the worst accommodation I had seen in a long time. I cannot understand why these engineers do not make their resting places comfortable, at least for their own stay? Usually, there is just one VIP room and the rest of the accommodation is sub-standard. The tourism department had the distinction of making some very comfortable places of stay at various places. However, in Ladakh they too were sailing in the same boat. This too is probably because of the entire projects being supervised by engineers themselves from start to finish. There is a vast difference between the taste, choice, and outlook of engineers and tourism professionals. After spending an uneasy night in the Dak Bungalow, next morning we started our assignment of inspecting various paying guest houses. It was a tough job to locate these in different villages and localities. Most of these had been properly upgraded. However, there were some in shabby condition and incomplete. After inspecting, we made detailed reports about the status of these establishments. During inspection every body wanted us to have some tea or breakfast etc but we refused. However, there was one guest house where we promised the owner that we will have breakfast next morning. This guest house in Deskit was being run by a lady. She had kept it spick and span. Everything was very neatly arranged. She had constructed two bathrooms with running water outside the guest house. These had been tiled and very neatly white washed from outside. Even the barrels on top serving as water storage tanks had been painted white. The entire guest houses blended in the surrounding environment. I was very happy to see it and conveyed my appreciation to the lady.

In the afternoon we went to see the under construction Tourist Bungalow in Deskit. As usual it was a monstrous construction. A dull looking cement building. There was enough land in terraces in front of the bungalow but it was still undeveloped. The bungalow had been under construction for quite sometime. The construction had got delayed as the concerned engineer had overspent the amount allocated to him. Had the money been given to a private entrepreneur, he would have constructed a marvellous structure for the same amount. In fact, in recent years some of the private entrepreneurs in Ladakh have constructed wonderful staying places some of which can compare with the best available star category accommodation anywhere in the world. While returning we went to the Monastery to enquire about the pump which had been installed some time back. We were told that it was working fine. This visit was not so inspiring and remained confined to some sort of an official inspection.

The last visit to Nubra was just a couple of years after my retirement. Urgain was keen that I should visit Samsthaling Monastery which had been nicely done up after we had got a centrally sponsored scheme sanctioned for it. This time we went in hired Scorpio. This vehicle is the most comfortable on Ladakh roads. Quite powerful and heavy which makes the ride less bumpy? The roads have also improved a lot. Most of the places have now tarmac surfaced roads. It took us hardly three hours to reach Deskit after a halt on top at Khardongla. This spot also looked quite clean and nice. Army has a souvenir shop and a cafeteria here. There are some toilets also. It has become an important tourist spot. The glacier on the other side had completely disappeared. We drove straight to Deskit. The Tourist Bungalow had been very much improved and furnished and landscaping outside was going on. I had been told about a trout farm. We were able to locate it after some enquiries. There were plenty of trout. These seemed darker than the ones I had seen in Srinagar farm. This was probably because of the strong sun out here. We bought a kilo of trout and went to Hotel Yarb Tso for the night. The hotel had earlier been run by Urgain’s brother. He had tragically passed away due to some severe kidney ailments and the property was being now looked after by his wife and son. The hotel had a cook from Himachal who prepared the trout. We had a lovely dinner. Next day we were supposed to go to Samstaling Monastery. As usual due to limited power supply, we went to bed early.

In the morning we took a stroll again. The hotel owner was planning to develop a camping site in the adjacent land. It was an open area and was very green due to extensive willow and other trees. The soil is very rich and fertile here. After breakfast, we went to see Urgain’s uncle who had been taking part in Caravans to Central Asia. He related to me in detail how these caravans would go in summer as well as winter. In summer these would go through Nubra valley while as in winter these would go upstream Shyok River. There is another pass called Wari La to enter Shyok and Nubra valleys. This pass is now motorable with a rough road and a number of tourists go on bikes to cross it. Later on we headed for the Monastery. The lamas were waiting there. I could not recognise the Monastery. Its outer perimeter had been completely changed. They had put up nice colourful gates. The Parikarma had been fully tiled. The main building itself had been given a face lift. The lamas told us that the Dalai Lama had visited the Monastery recently and had liked it so much that he had decided to stay in the Monastery on his every visit to Ladakh. The lamas took us first to the chambers specially prepared for Dalai Lama where he had recently stayed. After the visit we were served food in one of the chambers. They had made about half a dozen vegetarian dishes. Rice, vegetables, and curds made a nice simple meal. Post lunch we were taken on a tour of a lama school being run by the monastery. It was quite interesting to see the grooming of young lamas. Most lively part was the arguments and counter arguments being exchanged by these young lamas in pairs. The visit to Monastery gave us a lot of satisfaction that at least somewhere the Government money had been gainfully utilised! The drive back to Leh was quite fast compared to earlier visits. We did not feel tired at all. Thus ended my last trip to Nubra. But I am still itching to go there again. It has some sort of a magnetic attraction and one feels free and emancipated in that enchanting valley. In the next few episodes I will describe the dramatic Suru Valley, a mountaineer’s dream!

(Concluded)