For two days from my hotel window I saw tiny specks move up and down on a brown mountain i.e. people climb up the zigzagging trail from Leh Palace up to Castle Tsemo on a hill top. For two years, since my last visit, hiking upto Castle Tsemo was on the agenda but I never had the time.They were mostly monks or locals and few foreigners from what I could make out of it. On the third day, I felt the imperative need to climb to the castle and sit on top. For the two days I noticed that the sun rises very early, and sets in very late, so I started very late, at 5 or so. Our hotel manager said it is a stiff climb, that could easily leave me breathless and susceptible to AMS, that the locals are used to it but us city dwellers should go by car instead, I smiled, and I said I am a trekker and I would like to climb up on my own.
As I walked through the main market, I asked for directions to go to Leh Palace. Someone directed me towards the alleys that appeared after the mosque and asked me to walk straight ahead. I did as he said and it was a good decision. I was now passing through the heart of the town I suppose; I saw the locals, the locals’ houses, the unbelievably small alleys, the parked vehicles in nooks and corners. This is where the tourist would find the real remnants of the town. The rest is anyway modified to suit the needs and please the revenue generating strata.
