Puga...

Road to Puga.

After the craziness of the film festival – borderline bust of an event – the office took a trip to a place called Puga, about 7-8 hours away from Leh through beautiful and diverse country.  Of course we were to leave at 6:30 but in Ladakhi time it was more like 9:30 and then we had to stop for breakfast… I am still perplexed as to what time I should actually arrive anywhere here.

Black-necked cranes

We took three cars and about 11 people and were to return the same day we went – we ended up spending the night, shocker.  Another lesson learned in India – don’t count on things ever going as planned no matter how much everyone says it will.  The road to Puga was awe-inspiring, driving over small mountain passes, through deserts, rickety bridges, small towns, and always following the Indus River. The purpose of the trip was to drop off clothes, blankets, games, etc. to a school for nomadic children.  During the beginning of the summer, Puga is home to a nomadic tribe of people called the Changspa.  Throughout the year, these people move from pasture to pasture with goats and sheep.  They sell pashmina, meat, cheese, etc. as they move.  In 2004, some teachers were brought to Puga to set up a school for the children of these nomads.  So for 9 months of the year, about 50 children leave their parents and go to school.  It was very interesting speaking with the head teacher and meeting the children.  However, with most things like this, it brings up an interesting tension between traditional livelihoods and modern development.  Nomadic peoples are typically illiterate and non-educated in this area but it has not been necessary to have schooling.  So, it brings up questions of what is truly beneficial.  Hmm, just thoughts.

Chanspa man using a fork to pull out pashmina very very forcefully.

Very happy boy with pink socks.

Despite my internal tension, the trip to Puga was a breath of fresh air after the film festival.  It consisted of...

having to hide in the car at military checkpoints because foreigners are not allowed in restricted areas without special permits of which I did not have – shocker, dancing to loud Indian hiphop both inside and outside the car, windy mountain roads following an incredible sea green Indus River, adorable nomadic children calling 

Dancing

me madam, conversations with the Changspa as they use a fork to pull pashmina from their goats, a rock scramble adventure with Pankhuri, having chai with some random strangers camping, visiting a hot spring at night, seeing a shooting star in an unreal night sky, almost getting run down by a very large scary herd dog, Pankhuri and I getting a harsh scolding from SLC staff for the last 6 items in the list, seeing two nesting black-necked cranes, blue sheep and a pika, and riding in the back of an open truck back to Leh.  What a success of a trip…

Pankhuri sitting in our rock cove.

Kardun-la Pass, ~ 18,000 ft.