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The Shyok flows alongside the road

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Water, or sand?

I was at Hundur by 3.30pm, and the army canteen there was out of food. I just had tea there, and as I had enough daylight left, I decided to ride ahead to Turtuk which is 77km away.

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Turtuk is officially “India’s last Village” in the north. You can’t go beyond Turtuk. 6 km from here is the line of control and the border. Across the border is Pakistan. So this is the last village of India for all intent and purpose.

The road to Turtuk follows the Shyok River all the way. The Shyok flows further into Pakistan. It took me a good 3 and a half hours to reach Turtuk, with stops for photos on the way. One of my jerry cans started leaking fuel and I had to empty it into the tank. Luckily, I hadn't lost much fuel. I got stopped at the army check post and after production of my Inner Line Permit, I was allowed to pass.

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Evening falls...

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The story about Turtuk is very interesting. I’ll dedicate a separate, short post for it in this log itself.

Turtuk is actually a line of houses on hills and elevations, and so, you have to climb quite a lot to get homestays, if you want the actual Balti experience. Or you can stay at the guest houses you find by the main road. The choice is yours.

Anyway, I had help on my way up. Naseer Hussain and his brother. I’ll tell this story when I write about Turtuk.

After getting a comfortable homestay for 350 rs a night, inclusive of food, I had a hot water bath. The family was very much excited about my trip and went gaga over the photos. I let them have a free run of the camera, and they looked at all pictures end to end. And when I told them I would take a family photo before I leave, they were excited beyond measure!

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Tea and appricots

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Cherries...

I had traditional Balti food for dinner. I settled in comfortably for the night and was fast asleep.

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Traditional Balti Food