Woke up in Merak with a bad cold. After breakfast I had a quick bucket bath, and we set off for Hanle. Vast, endless dry patches of land with mountains on either side. No real increase in incline, but as the day progressed it kept getting colder.
At some point during the drive the local coordinator got off the car and brought back a stem with seven green leaves on it. Some random wild plant. Each of us had two, they were apparently the leaves of a hallucinogenic plant found in the region, called Laanthaan.
At first only the bitter taste registered. Then as the day wore on I started to feel a little lightheaded. Followed by nausea and dry mouth. At one point we stopped at Tsaga La where I entered a makeshift tea stall and passed out for 10 minutes. An hour's drive later we got to Hanle where we checked into a local homestay after visiting the Hanle Monastery.
The monastery itself is quiet, located on top of a small hillock outside town. We had the chief monk show us around the area; I made a quick wish and turned around the prayer wheel. We had a small snack (tea & tsampha) and chushul (mixed with milk). Dinner was at the homestay, around 9 pm.
What has stood out for me is the hospitality of the locals - everyone is so willing to go out of their way to help and share whatever is theirs. Warm water, lemon tea and milk tea are available everywhere, and served with light snacks. On another note, would be nice to have a small house in the hills here and farm for a living. But wintertime temperatures are torrid (-15 to -25 degrees Celsius).
A patch of road runs around the Hanle Monastery, visible from high up above, across from which is a huge mountain beyond which is the China border. We were trying to spot Chinese army bunkers from far across, but couldn't spot any. Could spot the Pangong though, casually snaking its way up the mighty hills and going out of sight into foreign territory without the slightest care for borders.
Humbling.
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