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Contents
Map of the Zanskar trek
8 September 2024 - Rest Day in Shade
We had a rest day in the unspoiled village of Shade.
Our campsite is just 100 metres from where the friendly local women milked the yaks every morning and evening. They usually finished at 19.00 and then started again around 05.30. They have a very tough life.
I wandered around Shade a couple of times and it was deserted during the day time as the villagers were harvesting crops.
9 September 2024 - Trek towards Phugtal Monastery
The government has upgraded the trail from the village of Shade to Phugtal monastery. This section of the trail for the Zanskar trek is now in a very good condition and provides spectacular views as it runs above the blue Tsarap river.
The plan had been to camp in a side canyon about 3 hours before Phugtal monastery. Unfortunately the stream in the side canyon had dried up and we couldn't camp there. We continued for another hour and camped in a small rocky area just off the main trail where there was a small stream nearby.
10 September 2024 - Trek to Phugtal Monastery
We continued our walk along the Tsarap river to Phugtal monastery. It only took 2.5 hours to reach the monastery and it looked spectacular in the bright sunshine.
Our campsite was at a basic lodge 10 minutes past Phugtal monastery. Whilst waiting for the horses to arrive the weather changed and it started to rain.
In the afternoon we visited the atmospheric Phugtal monastery which is one of the main monasteries in Zanskar. As usual photography on the interior wasn't allowed.
11 September 2024 - Drive to Kargyak
I didn't like last night's campsite as there were too many people camping and staying at the nearby basic lodge. An Indian group made a lot of noise until 22.30 and we normally go to sleep well before then.
In the morning we walked 1 hour to the road and were met by 2 jeeps. All the luggage and camping equipment was transferred from the horses to the jeeps. From there it was a 1.5 hour drive to the village of Kargyak, which was the home of one of the crew. Initially the road was rough but nearer the Kargyak it was tarred.
The weather was very windy when we arrived at the campsite and it looked like it would rain. We therefore had lunch and sat in the dining tent until the weather improved enough for us to put up our tents. The weather got worse again in the late afternoon and it became chilly and wet.
12 September 2024 - Rest day in Kargyak
The weather was miserable yesterday afternoon and evening. However, when I got up at 07.00 the sky was clear and it wasn't windy. I was pleased that it was a rest day as my tent was covered in ice.
The day was mainly spent washing clothes, having a wash in the cold river and using the internet. In the late afternoon I wandered around the village of Kargyak and as usual the villagers were very friendly and welcoming.
13 September 2024 - Ascent to 5100m before the Tserichen La
We left the village of Kargyak (4,120 metres) to begin our ascent over the 5,680 metre high Tserichen La. We stopped and camped for the night at 5,100 metres.
Two of the other trekkers began having problems with diarrhea in the afternoon but I was feeling fine. I had been walking strongly and someone complimented me about it during supper. Unfortunately that's when my problems started!
Shortly afterwards I started feeling a little bit off and I took Diamox on the assumption it was mild altitude sickness. During the night I hardly slept as my stomach ached and I felt very nauseous.
14 September 2024 - Trek to Chumnik Marpo via Tserichen La
We woke up to light snow. Martin from Canada had frequently vomited during the night and couldn't continue trekking. He therefore descended back down to Kargyak with one of the crew with the intention of joining us 4 days later at Sarchu. Another trekker had bad diarrhea but continued trekking like me.
It was a huge effort to ascend 600 metres to the top of the 5,680 metre Tserichen La whereas the previous day I had no problem ascending 1,000 metres. I really struggled and had to constantly stop. At the top I started vomiting. I didn't have any lunch and descended down to our next camp at 4,900 metres.
It was a very tough day as I was very sick. I skipped supper and just lay in my tent from the time I arrived at camp to the next morning.
During the day I had started to suffer from diarrhea. I took the antibiotic Azithromycin and that quickly cured the diarrhea. Unfortunately it had no effect on my nausea and vomiting. At least I didn't need to frequently run to the toilet tent!
15 September 2024 - Trek Kham Krap Sumdo (4500m)
I slept for about 12 hours and still felt nauseous when I woke up. I just had Muesli with water for breakfast.
Fortunately it was only a 4 hour hike today and the majority of it was downhill. The weather wasn't good and I didn't take many photos.
I skipped lunch again and didn't have dinner. I just lay in my tent from the time I arrived at camp to the next morning.
16 September 2024 - Trek Sarchu (4300m)
Jamie said it would be another short 4 hour hike to our next camp at the village of Sarchu (4,100 metres). I was relieved about that as I was still feeling very sick. Unfortunately it turned out to be a 7 hour hike!
The trail was reasonably flat but there were a lot of ravines to go down and back up again. An hour before camp we had to cross a river which involved changing into river shoes. The river level was about knee height and the rocks on the river bottom were very slippery.
The scenery was quite stunning as we approached Sarchu but I was too exhausted to properly appreciate it due to my illness. When we reached camp I was relieved when one of the crew helped to put up my tent.
I briefly joined the group for supper and just had soup. I was still feeling very sick and knew I wouldn't be able to continue trekking and do the last 9 day section of the Zanskar trek.
Jamie and Esther thought I would be able to continue as I had been walking at a reasonable pace. However, that pace had pushed me to my limit and I knew I couldn't do it for another 9 days. Another factor was that in India satellite phones are prohibited so a helicopter rescue wouldn't have been possible.
17 September 2024 - Drive to Leh
Three of us drove back to Leh. Martin from the UK had always intended to end the trek in Sarchu due to time constraints. Martin from Canada had recovered but didn't feel strong enough to continue. Only the 2 Australian trekkers were completing the final 9 day section of the Zanskar trek with Jamie and Esther.
The camp was packed up by 10.00 and we all walked a mile along a flat track to where the jeep was parked. I really struggled on this very easy section and felt very nauseous. I had clearly made the right decision to go back to Leh.
It was a tiring 7 hour drive to Leh through very bleak and unattractive mountain scenery. The Mamali to Leh highway had a lot of road construction going on for most of the way which slowed us down. We stopped for lunch but I was too sick to eat anything.
I didn't have any dinner either! Instead I went to the hospital in the evening and the doctor prescribed a lot of medication. Everything was free! When I returned to the hotel I researched the medication on the internet and decided not to take it.
18 September 2024 and onwards
I managed to change the date of my Virgin Atlantic flight from Delhi to the UK and surprisingly the flight change cost only £45. Unfortunately my flight on the morning of 20th September was cancelled and I was rebooked on a 01.00 flight the next morning.
I spent the rest of the 20th September lying sick in bed at a 5 star hotel provided by Virgin Atlantic. I was too sick to eat any of the free food at the hotel. I went back to the airport in the evening and struggled to make it through the long line ups for passport control and security.
I was very happy when I managed to make it to the boarding gate. I wasn't so happy when they announced that the flight would be delayed by 2 hours due to a software issue. Then they kept putting back the departure time.
It looked like the flight would be cancelled again. However, they eventually announced that the software issue had been resolved and we took off 5.5 hours late.
I reached home on the evening of 21 September and I was starved as I had hardly eaten for 8 days. My weight was down to 63 kilograms which was 10 kilograms less than when I flew to Ladakh.
I improved a lot a few days after returning to the UK but still had stomach pains. I saw my doctor who arranged blood and stool tests and an ultrasound scan. It seems that I had bad gastroenteritis and that has caused lactose intolerance.
My 44 days in Ladakh were fantastic but it was a shame it had ended this way and that I couldn't do the last section of the Zanskar trek. I will never rely on filtered water again. I will either drink boiled water or sterilise the water with a Steripen.
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