| Our rather inhospitable site at Topko Yongma. Above, right, are Guy and Anja who live in Capetown, South Africa. He's from Zimbabwe and she is German. We had been traveling together/apart since Chandratal but finally had a chance to talk at Topko Yongma. After reaching Baralacha they plan to hike up the Lubrah Valley, which is supposed to be the greenest valley in Ladakh, then if time permits, they would like to head back south to visit a village where a tribe of the Aryan race settled over 1,000 years ago and has managed to preserve their language, dress and customs for over 10 decades, their Indo-European origins setting them noticeably apart from the Indic peoples in the region. "Yeah, " says Szymon "but it can be dangerous if you go past this line." Then Lukasz (below left) adds; "Lots of Pakistanis with big guns." |
