Call Of The Hill Myna...

A handful of small villages and hamlets are located in the upper part of the Suru River valley. The Nun-Kun peaks over look much of Upper Suru valley and together with the many glaciers form a spectacular backdrop to these habitations - Tai Suru, Panikhar, Tangole and Parkachik among others. Below are some images of the drive from Purtikchay to Tangole - the village that provides climbers access to Nun - Kun. A gushing stream fed by snow-capped peaks (above). The valley suddenly opens vast vistas at Purtikchay village (above). From Purtichay the first clear view of the Nun-Kun peaks (above). Nun-Kun peaks dominate the landscape in the Upper Suru valley (above). A Government primary school amidst the Himalayas (above). The landscape is simply spectacular and some of the views hit your sense very hard. These views are too hard to forget and hang-over of the trip lingers on in a visitor's mind for years. A barley field with the backdrop of Parkachik glac

There are two roads that lead away from Kargil as one enters this sleepy town from Srinagar via Drass. The one south-east leads to Leh and is a very popular one, with many people these days driving or riding from Leh to Srinagar or vice versa. There is another road that goes south and then turns east and south again. That road leads to Padum, an important town in Ladakh region. View Larger Map For most part of the drive south, the road is along the banks of Kargil River. The River Suru is a tributary of River Indus and dominates much of Kargil District's landscape. The road is not as winding as roads generally are in the mountains untill it turns east into the Upper parts of the Suru Valley. The soil is loose and it might have helped the authorities in building the roads easily. All along the river bank are a string of small hamlets, that extend till it gets very cold up in the mountains. The lower valleys are cultivated while the peaks are permanently capped with s

A 'bakharwal (shepherd) walks in a valley beyond the Zojilla pass along Drass - Sonamarg road in Jammu and Kashmir State Click here to see the above map on googlemaps.com I visited Kashmir Valley and Kargil district, Ladakh region, in Jammu and Kashmir state between 6 - 11 July, 2009. The landscape of Ladakh is totally different from that of Kashmir Valley. The drive below is through some spectacular landscape. The landscape is dotted with 'Bakarwals', the nomadic grazers of Kashmir, as well as picturesque villages with the backdrop of glaciers and snow capped peaks. Along the way one can also see Tiger Hill, which was scene of fierce war between two subcontinent neighbours in 1999. The state of Jammu and Kashmir is vast and diverse. Even a week was not enough for me to capture the beauty of even its tiny part. Below are pictures taken during the drive from Zojilla Pass (where the Kashmir Valley ends) to Kargil town. If you observe, I have capture