In this post ‘Footlooseinme’ will travel from Padum to Purne. On this leg of our Ladakh trip, we left the tranquil valley of Padum and drove to another tiny village called Purne, on the new Manali – Leh highway. Although the road is still under construction, it is open for commuters. Travelling through the Zanskar valley was magical, now driving to the interior seemed even more exciting. We started our tour from Padum to Purne with great expectations and good hope.
Our stay was booked at a tented accommodation near Purne. We were not sure of its distance from Padum and the Google Maps were showing some absurd distance. Once we were on our way from Padum to Purne, we called the property to find out the exact location of the place where our stay was reserved. On listening to the direction of the location, our driver Zakir became unhappy. (Read my first blog post on this Ladakh series to know more.) We were completely unaware of the distance and the road conditions that awaited us.
Reluctantly he started to drive from Padum to Purne. My husband has not yet recovered and not feeling well. The initial part of the road from Padum to Purne was metalled and everything went smoothly. I wondered why Zakir was so reluctant to go as everything was so well and good. Then the metalled road ended, we crossed a bridge over the Tsarap River and continued on the Tsarap Road. The road condition became bad to worse. (I should not call it a bad road as it was in the first phase of the road-building process where the blasts were done and the rubbles were cleared for vehicles to pass.)
Winding through this road we started to ascend uphill with no human life around to verify whether we were on the correct route. Zakir seemed visibly disturbed. Again and again, he enquired whether we wanted to continue on this road to our destination. I said our stay was booked with full payment done and we cannot return at this point. We continued, on our journey through this under-construction narrow road that snaked along the gorge ending at the Tsarap River.
A few turns were extremely narrow and full of rubbles, making them even more risky. My anxiety increased with Zakir’s increased nervousness and my husband’s health condition. I understood that we were going to some remote place and if some untoward incident happens we may not get help immediately as there was no cellular network available. Zakir kept blaming me for selecting such a location for a stay. I was not aware that he was unfamiliar with this route. Everyone had their explanations as an excuse.
We continued on this route when we came across a local car driving towards Padum. We enquired about the route and they said it would take a couple of hours to reach the destination which again increased my uneasiness. After a long haul through this dirt track, there were a few JCBs and other road-building vehicles. It was clear that in a few years, this would be a metalled road, just like the one across the river. On enquiring, we came to know that the metalled road seen on the other side of the river leads to Manali.
A small settlement and BRO camp at a place called Cha was a breather for us. This small valley with humans around gave us hope that we may not be far from our destination. We saw a cell tower and immediately called the property to check if we were on the right track. They said, it takes 3 hours from Padum to Purne and we were on the right track. But nothing actually gave solace to our driver Zakir, who was seriously unwilling to go ahead but kept driving sensibly out of commitment.
Leaving behind Cha or Char we were back on the rugged hill and the dirt track when a couple of bikers enquired about the road to Phuktal Gompa and a place to have food. We along with our driver were so ignorant that we could not help but ask them to follow us, they said they were tight on fuel too. So leaving them helpless we went ahead in search of our destination from Padum to Purne.
Finally, there was a bridge in sight and across the bridge there was greenery and human settlement. We were overjoyed to see the village and wished this to be our destination. But again this was not our destination yet. It was the tiny hamlet of Purne village, or rather a haven of greenery in this unforgivable landscape. Out of frustration, Zakir kept ranting that we drove more than 100 km yet we did not arrive at our destination.
The road ended at a point where a signpost showed ‘Blast Sight Ahead’. We stopped there and found a tented property just beside us. Luckily it was our stay. Finally, we arrived! It’s really difficult to express the mental turmoil that I went through on my journey from Padum to Purne.
We were at around 14000 ft altitude as told by the staff of our stay. Our property comprised 8 tents with attached bathrooms and was located on a farm within the hamlet. This was the last point of the road beyond this there was no motorable road. This was the point from where the trek to Phuktal Monastery began. Motorable roads are under construction. We could hear the dynamite blast sounds from that direction.
Phuktal Monastery or Phukthar Gompa is located in Lugnak Valley in the Zanskar region. This monastery belongs to the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is built around a natural cave. It is believed that the legendary 16 Arhats (followers of Buddha) were the first dwellers of this cave. It is believed that Guru Padmasambhava, Phakspa Nestan Dusdan and the great leader and translator Lama Marpa Lotsawa once lived in the cave. Phuktal Monastery is a 4 km long trek from this point.
The sky was partially clouded with strong winds blowing through the gorge between two mountain ranges. The property was located by the slope of the mountain then goes down to the Tsarap River. While another mountain rises on the the other side of the river giving this gorge-like appearance. The other side of the river was harsh, barren and unforgiving while this side was gentle and healing. The farm of Barley, Peas, and other greens bounded by tall trees on this side of the river seemed like a paradise.
There was no network connectivity and we were safely tucked in the lap of Mother Nature. What else could we ask for? I believe Nature is a great healer and it was proven again. After reaching this spot my husband felt much better (although we both were feeling breathless followed by any minor activity.) There were narrow canals made for irrigation purposes and water was gushing through them adding music to the scene.
Everything was in perfect balance and in utmost harmony. We walked around the fields plucked some wild fruits and flowers, and met two lovely elderly ladies working on the farm. We also met their tiny pets – the Yak calves. One was highly curious to find us while the other was immensely shy. We were informed that the farm belonged to these ladies and they do all the hard work of farming themselves.
We were impressed and inspired by their stamina and goodwill. We spend the rest of the daylight gazing at the beautiful surroundings and enjoying the chilly wind blowing across our faces. With no network connectivity, we were provided with a walkie-talkie to communicate with the staff for anything we needed. It served as our toy for passing some leisurely time. 😁
As the darkness approached we waited for the clouds to lift and give us the gift of a sparkling sky. We kept waiting and waiting till we were tired and retired back to our bed and finally fell asleep dreaming about the Milky Way in the diamond-studded sky.
We were not successful even this time in capturing the night sky but we do not consider our trip from Padum to Purne as unsuccessful. We had an amazing experience staying in such a remote place. This was probably the remotest place I have ever stayed in my life. We started very early the next morning as we had a long road to cover. Our next destination was Leh. The known road from Purney to Leh is via Kargil and is approximately 500 km. Some new adventures awaited us en route. To know about it keep watching this space.
Read my previous post on Padum.
Read my previous post on Kargil.
Read my previous post on Srinagar.
Read my introductory post on the Ladakh series.
A Complete Guide to Tour Ladakh
Ladakh Part 2 – Julley Lamayuru
Ladakh Part 4 – To Nubra Valley, via Khardung La
Ladakh Part 5 – To the Lush and Cropwise Rich Village of Turtuk
Ladakh Part 6 – The Hyper-popular Pangong Tso
Ladakh Part 7 – The Cloudy Story of the Starry Night at Hanle
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