The night sky, has always been somewhat of an enigma. Its mystic allure has enamoured our civilisation for thousands of years, and has captivated the imagination of countless generations, myself included.
I remember my days as a child when my hometown of Kolkata, India, used to have frequent power cuts. Generally these power cuts spread over large sections of the city, and the entire area used to black out. On these nights, I used to sit on the rooftop and gaze at awe at those sparkling lights on the sky. Those massive balls of gases and rocks light years away, undergoing fission and fusion and generating power at an unprecedented scale, but mischievously twinkling its way across the cosmic highway.
As the years went by, the power cuts have all but disappeared in my hometown, but so has the spectacle of the night sky. On very rare occassions of extreme rainfall followed by a couple of hours of clear skies do we ever get to see Orion's belt nowadays, thanks to ever expanding urbanisation and light pollution. However, some locations in our country are far too shy and aloof to allow petty neighbours like light pollution to disturb their primordial silence. Like my previous travel stories, this article is by no means a photographic guide or manual. It's a roadmap for you, my dear traveller, and an invitation to come and experience grandeur that only Zanskar can provide.
If you, the traveller, wish to visit this hamlet on the high Himalayas of India, you could plan your approach two ways: either through Manali, which lies in in the spectacularly beautiful mountain state of Himachal Pradesh, or through Leh, another bustling town, located 3500 meters above sea level and sheltered between huge mountain ranges from all sides. Both of these locations are very well connected to India's capital city of Delhi, and you will find a multitude of options that you could avail to reach your destination. For the sake of our travel today, we shall take the route through Leh.
The moment you arrive at Leh, you will feel the altitude. Breathing feels a tad difficult and the wind chill will take you off guard. But not to worry, a few hours of walk through the vibrant Leh market and a good nights sleep will get you up the next morning feeling fresh as a daisy. Post 48 hours of acclimatisation at Leh, as per government directives, you will be free to continue your journey to even greater heights.
You will leave Leh and enjoy the constant companionship of the Indus river on the left of your drive for the first half of your journey. You shall pass through towns and people that are only found in this particular region of the world, and then the roads will take you on an incredible drive through high mountain passes until you reach Khalsi, where the Indus river will bid you a temporary good bye. Through twisty and stomach wrenching roads you will pass through Kargil, and if you left Leh in time, you would arrive at your first destination of your Zanskar odyssey, Damsna, right in time for sunset.
Damsna has been carved through the mountains by the tenacious Suru river, which is a tributary of Indus. As you look down the valley, you would see two gigantic twin peaks looking over the mountain ranges in curiosity, Mount Nun(7135 meters) and Mount Kun(7077 meters). As the sun descends beyond the peaks on your right, stunning reds of the sunset will light up the twin peaks, and your camera would jump out in enthusiasm.
Alas, the night skies here would probably disappoint you. Over the last couple of years, unplanned urbanisation and commercial work has introduced signficant light pollution here which will severely ruin your post sunset work. However, sunrise shall bring you a new day with very different photographic prospects.
You shall have breakfast right on this riverbed, enjoying the peace and quiet, and then begins our travel in search of the dark skies that I have promised you. Feast your eyes on the last sign of civilisation though, as for the next two days the only human beings you would be seeing would be your fellow travellers, or if a spirit of a long lost soul comes to wave a friendly hello to you on the off chance!
Your route shall go through Rangdum through a gradual climb, until you reach a hamlet in the middle of a pass at 4400 meters. Pensi La is home to numerous alpine lakes, small and large, which is framed by the majestic Doda peak. I advice you to start looking for compositions while the light still lingers, because when the sun does go down, it really gets dark in here.
Away from all the light and urban chaos, you are free here to enjoy the night skies to your hearts content. If you come here on a summer night, you shall find wildflowers of different shades all over the place. You shall be shielded from gale force winds by your surrounding mountains, and you can shoot through the night, if you wish. Just be a little wary in case a curious wild animal finds your shiny mirrorless and the 24 1.4 a little too interesting!
You wake up next morning, and part the tent flaps to be greeted with the stunning views of Pensi La, and you wonder did you even wake up. Nonetheless, a cup of coffee and you shall set forth to your next campsite which is hardly five minutes away. The road bends to your left and you look out through your window to see one of the most incredible scenes you would come across your travel here, the Drang Drung Glacier.
The Drang Drung is probably the largest glacier in Ladakh, other than Siachen in the Karakoram Range with a maximum length of 23 kilometers. However, after you overcome the initial awe, the glacier starts to feel a little underwhelming. You start to wonder, was all this travel worth it?
Nevertheless, after a couple of hours to recover, you start looking for compositions, and as the light starts to fade, you can't resist the urge to take images anyway.
As the light disappears and the Galactic Core shines through the night sky, the photographer in you cannot help but ponder how the glacier would look straight on. You strap on your head torch, pull out your hiking sticks and start a fifteen minutes walk in search of a better point of view.
And thats when everything changes for you.
Two massive peaks welcome you, with the glacier forming an S shape right through the middle. And as the Milky Way rotates across the skies to line up right in the center, then I can guarantee, you will admit your arduous journey to be fruitful.
Like a an ancient dragon spreading its wings and breathing scorching hot fire into the sky, the Drang Drung glacier would mesmerise you. Red and green band airglow would streak across the night sky, giving you Aurora like impressions on your images. Stars would feel like they are just an arms length away, and your lips will part in amazement.
Then and only then, would my promise of the darkest skies be fulfilled!
Post the dreamy night that you have spent, your next days journey will take you through some beautiful roads, clear blue skies and soothing sunshine. You will pass through beautiful villages where people will say hi in languages unknown, and will welcome you for a cup of Chaang, a form of Tibetan Tea. It is in one of these alien lands where you can stay for the night, moving on to the final destination of your journey on the next day. On this route, you will be able to spot your destination from far away. The mighty Mount Gonbo Rangjon will beckon you to spend a night at its foothills. You will find great house tents here for accommodation, and good food as well!
The night skies here are also quite impressive, however the proximity to higher peaks around might cause weather related interference in your nocturnal activities. Nonetheless, if you are lucky, you will spend another night to remember here.
The next morning your Zanskar Valley adventure will come to a closure. You would be taking the road through the Shinku La pass at 5000 meters altitude, and you would be reaching Manali by late afternoon. This is where you, my dear traveller, and myself, shall part ways.
We shall head on to our homes, having crossed passes and glaciers together, having met people of different cultures and customs on our way, and admired the spectacle of the night sky like we did in our childhood when urbanisation and light pollution was more considerate.
Even if the ugly claws of light pollution reach these untouched and virgin lands, the night skies we have captured with our cameras will endure, serving as a lasting imprint for our future generations, now and forever.
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