Off the Beaten Track .....and far from the madding crowd: February 2026

…the breathtaking beauty of high passes, raw, snowy landscapes, serene monasteries, and unfortunately, the Great Indian Tourist.

Woodgrain
even the most mundane had a beauty
about it. Because of it?

I went to Ladakh and I spent 8 days in a homestay and a week on a Snow Leopard expedition. This photoblog tells the story of the homestay part of the trip. I stayed in a village called Hemis Sukhpachan, I would love to call it quaint, but quaint it isn’t, every other house is a homestay of sorts. From the lowest cost, bathroom outside; to a fancy hotel and everything in between. I stayed at Zinglo Residency, as I wanted an attached bathroom and three meals a day.

Winter's breath
a stone blocks the cold wind from getting in
through a window

It had snowed for about two days and all was covered in white. It was white everywhere till the snow melted, became ice and disappeared.... till the next snowfall.

White and snow chains

Snowflakes crystallise against
a window pane

On the way my driver and I passed Sangam, this is where the Indus and Zanskar rivers meet. The Great Indian Tourist has been here (in summer of course). There are many “adventure” activities here, zip-lining being amongst the most prominent. Thereafter we turned and drove the remaining 8 kms to Hemis Sukhpachan.

Sangam: from the top of the picture flows the Zanskar,
from left to right is the Indus

Ground Zero in Hemis Sukhpachan

On the first day my host and I went to a huge Buddha statue, the stairs were slippery as they were polished granite. For such a small village such a large statue was an anomaly, and huge it was. On the way up and down my host showed me where his mother used to live.

The Buddha looks out over the valley...

...And blesses all who seek his blessings

On subsequent days I walked for about four-five hours, there were three roads leading into/out of Hemis Sukhpachan and I walked them all. Preferring to do an uphill climb at the beginning and downhill at the end of the walk. On one of these roads the downhill came first, getting back was difficult.

Another Brick in the Wall

I carried my camera whenever I went out, trying to take arty-*arty pics whenever I could. Though I did sneak in the normal image now and again, mainly as a record.