In the far reaches of Northwestern India and Pakistan.
On the high plateaus surrounded by mountains and rivers.
A rich tapestry of community and culture
have co-existed for centuries.
Once one country, they are now neighbours,
separated by a border.
I'm Levison Wood
and this is Ash Bhardwaj.
We're explorers and life-long friends,
who have travelled to the far corners of the globe,
from Sudan to the Himalayas.
We are on a 2,500-kilometre adventure.
Starting our journey
from the border villages in Northwestern Ladakh.
Oh, yeah.
We'll use the Line of Control as our roadmap,
heading south through one of the coldest
inhabited places on Earth.
It's absolutely freezing up here.
Travelling through the stunning valleys of Kashmir.
It's almost like the Shangri-La of India.
And then into Punjab.
(ALL) "Sat Sri Akaal"
Before crossing into Pakistan at Wagah.
Ready?
I can't hear anything.
Welcome to Pakistan.
Our journey will end in the village of Fraono,
on the other side of the border.
We'll bear witness to how the border has divided lives,
but where hope of a reunion still lives.
We'll navigate dangerous terrain.
Keep going! Keep going! Keep going!
Cross into uncharted territory, and enter frontier towns.
A lot of military movements up there.
Not necessarily a good look.
That is all Taliban territory.
We're heading off the beaten path, on an expedition of a lifetime.
-You're going towards Srinagar? -Srinagar?
You're going to Islamabad?
On the first leg of our journey,
Ash and I will travel through Ladakh.
Into the mountains, what a beautiful place!
Located on the northernmost tip of India,
sharing disputed borders with both Pakistan and China.
Go, Freddie!
First of all, you'll lose your weight.
What is this madness?
Here we are.
Here we are, mate! One of the northernmost villages in India!
This is where it begins, Lev.
It really does the edge of India!
And just over there
is where we're going to finish the village of Fraono,
on the other side of the Line of Control.
It's going to be a long journey.
So we're literally gonna be finishing almost an eyesight
-from where we start. -Exactly that! We've got about
2,500 kilometres, all the way round
all the way through Pakistan,
and that's where we'll finish, right there.
Have you got any idea how we're going to get there, mate?
Not yet, but I am sure we'll figure it out.
-Head off? -Let's do it.
Wouldn't expect it to be this hot in the mountains, would you?
Not this time of year anyway.
Where's our next stop?
So, the next place we're heading to is Turtuk.
It's about six kilometres down the road, that way,
away from the Line of Control.
And away from this militarised zone, because it is very sensitive, so...
not allowed to film near the Army base and things, so...
quite nice to get away from all of that.
And then into the mountains, what a beautiful place!
Ash and I have known each other since we were at University.
He's an old expedition buddy of mine and we've had some crazy adventures.
Another three km to Turtuk, mate.
But this is our first time together in Ladakh,
known as "the land of the high passes."
It's a high altitude desert with spectacular terrain.
Bit of a wobble.
Look at these trees.
That is awesome blossom!
After one hour of walking, we reach Turtuk,
the first village on our journey.
How you doing?
Let's take a rest at the top.
Just a few kilometres from the Line of Control,
it has had to deal with the consequences of conflict
between India and Pakistan.
But after years of relative peace, it is now open to outsiders.
And the hospitable locals are keen to welcome visitors.
Julley.
Local guesthouse owner Hashmat wants to show us around.
He's part of the Balti tribe
a Muslim ethnic group of Tibetan origin.
-What's this? -Barley.
Barley, okay!
Julley.
They've lived in this valley for hundreds of years,
and their unique way of life has barely changed.
But only a small population remains in India.
Well, what's the language and the culture?
We have, 100 percent of the population speaks
the Balti language.
-Balti? Okay. -Yeah.
So, they speak the same language in
-Fraono? -Yeah.
Gilgit Baltistan, speak the same language...
-same culture, same religion. -Really?
-Your father is from India? -Yeah, my father was from India.
You can speak English and Hindi as well?
Yes, Hindi, a little bit.
-A little bit? -Just a little bit.
Yeah, okay.
But he was, he was Punjabi.
So I know, "Chak De Phatte".
"Chak De Phatte!"
We've arrived in Turtuk at the start of spring.
While the women sow the fields with seedlings after a harsh winter,
the men are preparing for polo season.
Hashmat has tipped us off to a game being played
on the edge of town.
Polo field?
-Ahead. -Right there.
I like your hair. It's cool!
It's good. Love this!
Some flags for you there.
Quite a spectacular setting, Lev.
Beautiful, isn't it? Look at that. Doesn't it?
Polo has been played in the region since the 16th Century,
when it was ruled by the Yabgo dynasty
long before the Line of Control existed.
It's still played on both sides of the border.
But with no way to cross, old rivalries are still on hold.
Who is winning?
It's tied.
Which is the best horse here?
-Hi. -Hello.
-Greeting, welcome to Turtuk. -Thank you.
It's me, Rahim.
-Is this your polo ground? -Yes this is the
-most highest polo ground in India. -Yeah.
-If you want to try horse polo? -Yeah!
-We can try? -We'll teach you.
-Okay. -How to ride and how to play.
-Perfect! -Okay.
Come on.
-So, this is the uniform. -Uniform? Great!
Thanks.
First of all, wear these guards.
-Right. -Royal Turtuk.
Sir do you have experience on riding?
Little bit, yes, yes.
-I might need a bit more practise. -Okay, sir.
I'm nervous and excited.
Lev has played polo before, but this is my first time
and I want to give it my best shot.
Okay, we can have a go?
One foot in the stirrup and then...
-Take care. -Take care?
-I will take care. -Okay.
-So, left-right-stop? -Yes.
Definitely going to look forward to the stop.
Okay, here we go, that's it, Freddie.
That's the pace we'll go at for a bit, mate.
-Ready, sir? -I think we're ready, yeah.
-Yes, sir. -Okay, let's go.
Yeah!
Go, Freddie! Go!
Let's go, Freddie.
Let's get Lev!
Yes!
I may not be a natural,
-but I am a trier. -Oh, "----"
Unfortunately, my horse isn't.
When life matches a horse like Freddie, with a rider like me
all one can do is stay in the saddle
-and trot along. -Go Freddie.
Meanwhile, just a few minutes in and Lev already looks like a pro.
How was that?
At half time, we stop to catch a breath.
Have you got any advice for me?
First of all, you'll lose your weight.
Yes, sir.
Because...
My advice is that you'll lose your weight...
What about that guy!
Very important to maintain, in horse riding,
and in horse polo, there is weight fitness.
I'll have you know, I'll have you know
-that this is just pure muscle. -Yes.
-It's not fat. -But you're very healthy.
Yeah, I am too healthy. Exactly!
That was the, that was the answer I was looking for.
-Sir, you play in different teams. -Yeah?
-We'll play against each other. -Great!
Are we getting promoted from the orange novices to the...
Okay.
Okay, it's you and me!
Yes, Freddie! Go, Freddie! Chop, chop! Chop, chop!
Yeah! Shot! Shot!
Freddie, come, Freddie! Freddie, we got him.
Now, that we're going head to head,
it's time to show off my real talent.
That's it, Freddie. Good.
I think we've got them on the run.
Go, Freddie!
Go, Freddie! Whoa "----"
Whoa! Yeah, whoa!
Yes, go on!
Lev plays like a Ladakhi local...
...and I'm just trying to stay alive.
Yes!
With the scores at two-one, I'm still in this game.
But my teammates are ignoring me.
I am now on my own.
With a comeback on the cards, disaster strikes.
Oh, I broke my stick!
I broke my stick, I'm just too aggressive!
I've been playing too hard.
(SPEAKING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE)
Tired?
(BOTH) Well done, mate!
That was good fun, I really enjoyed that.
That was really good fun. Now, hold on.
-My first polo game. -Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Thanks, Freddie.
I'm sorry, I was a bit heavy for you, Freddie.
Enough action for one day I'm just happy to be in one piece.
So, it's the end of the first day of our journey up here in Turtuk.
Which really feels like a frontier town.
There's only electricity for a few hours a day.
Which is why it's dark.
And...
where we're going to finish is just a few kilometres from here.
But because of the Line of Control...
we're going to have to go all the way around 2,500 kilometres
to finish just on the other side, in the village of Fraono.
It's a long journey ahead
but you know, this is where it really begins
and to be so close to the Line of Control, you know, this
contested border,
you know, is on the one hand, very exciting
but on the other hand, you know, it's also a keen reminder of the,
the sensitivities of this region, and of my journey.
So, I am just going to keep that
at the back of my mind the whole time.
Yeah, this is where the journey begins, really. So...
...let's see what Ladakh has to offer.
Village life in Turtuk revolves around small hold farming
of barley, buckwheat,
walnut production and rearing livestock.
India's largest harvest of apricots also comes from here.
Every morning, all the villagers pitch in
and we're also keen to help out with the chores.
Hashmat's cousin, Ghulam,
is brave enough to let me milk his precious cow.
Just follow the boss lady.
-She'll be showing us how. -Okay.
Hello, boss lady.
Hello, little lamb.
Imagine you're squeezing a...
-tube of toothpaste. -Okay.
You want to try it?
It's Ash. Ash wants to try it, yeah.
So, Lev, you've got some tips for me, for milking?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, stay away from the back-end.
Okay, so it's just in like that, and then got a bit of lube
and then I am going...
Just squeeze it out.
Oh, there we go, we've got a dribble! Oh, yeah.
Hey, you can do it. You can do it. You can do it.
-Here we go. -That's it.
-Good work. -Here we go!
We've got a little dribble coming out.
You are getting better at it.
Thank you very much for letting me milk you, lovely cow.
You'll have a drink, Ash or what?
So, we got a little...
Oh!
It's quite strong, right?
Yeah, it is, tastes stronger than normal.
That's the beauty of this cow.
These are called Himalayan cows or Dzomos.
Dzomos!
That's their speciality.
Nearly every home has a Dzomo, a cross between a yak and a cow.
It's indigenous to the Himalayas and thrives at this altitude
providing fresh milk for the family every day.
Thank you, cows. Bye.
Keep going?
Keep going.
That's the end of my Hindi.
You asked me how much Hindi I know, "Hashmat" that's it.
-Eat, drink, keep going. -Keep going.
The 1971 India-Pakistan war...
had a profound impact on the people of the region.
The conflict caused the Ceasefire Line
to shift almost overnight.
Residents fell asleep in Pakistan, and woke up the next day in India!
Hashmat's family are still living with the legacy of that tragedy.
-Salaam-Alaikum. -Hello.
Nice to meet you.
Your mum? Hi, lovely to meet you.
Hashmat's mother, Rahima was only 17
when separated from her eldest brother,
Muhammad Bashir.
And, so for you, living here
do you not mind whether you live in India or Pakistan?
You just wish that you could be in the same country as your family.
There's no difference between India and Pakistan.
We have no complaints from India either.
But the separation from our family has scarred our hearts.
How does it feel to know your brother is building a life
and has family there and you don't know his children
and you don't get the chance to be a part of their life?
If God doesn't want it then we won't be able to meet, right?
Where is your brother on the other side?
Currently, his house is in Skardu.
We will be travelling through Skardu.
We will try to meet him...
You'll definitely get to see him when you go there.
He has a son, Hafeezullah.
-Thank you for the tea as well. -Thank you.
Thank you.
-Thank you. -Thank you.
We're introduced to Hashmat's grandmother Fatima.
Salaam-Alaikum.
At 98, she has lived through decades of unrest.
Where many have passed away without seeing their loved ones,
Fatima met her son in 2013, when he managed to come to Turtuk,
almost 40 years after their separation.
We are, we are going to go to Skardu,
so we will try to meet your son there.
Is there anything you'd like us to take with us to Skardu,
to give to your son?
Send my "salaam".
What else can I give you? I can't even stand without falling.
At this stage, I have nothing to send to him.
I can only send her salaam to him.
We can take a photo to show her son in Skardu.
Coming here as a foreigner and hearing the stories...
about separated families is...
you know, it's kind of heartbreaking,
because you know we...
see this border that's here, this man-made line which for me,
is just, like, sort of line on the map
but for the people who live here, it's...
division of entire families, generations...
...it just seems a bit ridiculous.
Really, it's just couple of miles away...
and they can't go across.
I mean, I'm really close to my sister
and the idea that just overnight, one day
at the age of 17, I just can't see her or my mum again,
for 47 years!
Like...
that's such an awful idea. It must be heartbreaking,
that division in the heart that she spoke about.
-We will meet again. -Thank you so much, take care.
-Thank you. Good luck. -Bye-bye.
-Bye-bye.
We're leaving Turtuk with a renewed sense of purpose
a message of hope,
and a photograph to deliver to Hashmat's family
on the other side of the Line of Control.
For the next 200 kilometres,
we must navigate mountain roads to reach Leh,
crossing Khardung La,
one of the highest motorable passes in the world.
So, just walking out of Turtuk,
which is where we spent the night, last night and...
...now the big part of the journey begins.
-How you feeling, Lev? -Yeah, good.
I feel a bit more acclimatised now, and
a long road ahead to Leh, it's...
...quite a distance, it's a good few hundred kilometres, so...
we won't be walking all the way, that's for sure.
The plan is, as soon as
we find a truck that's going in that direction, or...
a car, or whatever, then we'll hitch a ride.
But for now, it's quite nice to stretch off in the morning.
So, we're walking along this road and
there's a lot of these signs, memorials to
people who've fought and died in the various wars that have happened.
It really puts into context from where we've just been.
Because Turtuk was
one of the villages that the Pakistani army came up to in 1999
and it must have been terrifying, you're living in a village where
you've already had your family cut away from you in 1971 and then
28 years later
you know, you've rebuilt your life
and people are firing massive artillery shells around you.
I remember seeing it on the news, these... scenes of the artillery
smashing villages, high up in the mountains and
bombs flying on both sides of the border
just a keen reminder of the sacrifices made
to defend these high villages, and high passes
and the lives lost, you know.
This is very much, the frontier of two countries.
Surreal to think, you know, all this used to be one nation.
Very sad to see these divisions, you know, split in two.
Like that boulder there.
After two hours of walking, we've covered just five kilometres.
At this altitude, the blazing sun is punishing
and the barren terrain offers little respite.
But there is one way to cool off.
-That river looks inviting though. -Yeah.
What do you reckon? Should we get in?
Well, it will certainly help alleviate some heat from the sun.
I think that's coming straight out of the glacier.
It's going to be cold but, you know...
let's check it out.
This chilly water must be about 10 degree Celsius.
I'm not complaining about the heat now!
Refreshed after a dip in the Shyok river,
we head further into the Nubra valley,
the halfway point to Leh, using the river as our guide.
"Shyok'" translates to the river of sorrow,
but for us it's our compass.
Originating from the Rimo glacier of Siachen...
it flows through northern Ladakh
and joins the Indus crossing the Line of Control near Fraono...
the end point of our journey.
Ten kilometres on, and we spot a potential ride.
-There's a bus here, shall we wait? -Yeah.
-Yes! He's stopping. -Julley! Yes!
Step on?
Okay? Julley!
Come on in!
Are you going towards Leh?
-Yeah. -Great!
-Julley! -Hi!
Julley! Julley!
The bus route runs from Turtuk to Leh,
connecting isolated villages to the Ladakhi capital.
In the winter, the road can be shut for days on end
due to avalanches and landslides.
While the road seems clear today,
it's not a journey for the faint-hearted.
We meet Gullu, who runs this bus service.
Hi, how are you?
-How are you! -This is me, Ghulam Hussaini.
What's your name?
My name is Hussaini.
-Ghulam Hussaini. Yeah. -Hussaini. Okay.
People call me Gullu.
-Gullu? -Yeah.
Where are you from, Gullu?
Actually, I am from Tyakshi, Turtuk.
-You're from Turtuk? -Yeah.
All your family are in Turtuk?
-Yeah, in Tyakshi. -In Tyakshi.
Oh, yeah. On the final frontier right at the border.
Yeah, yeah.
Gullu feels strongly for this land and his people.
He desperately wants the road connecting this region
to Skardu to be opened.
In Baltistan, even In Ladakh and few parts of Baltistan
-the Turtuk area... -Yeah.
Both side people on both sides are quite peaceful persons, you know.
Why Indians and Pakistanis hesitate, I don't know.
Why they are not opening this road, we don't understand till now.
Because they can never understand our pain.
-It must be very hard. -Yeah.
Most people here have a separation story to tell,
and Gullu is no different.
People are dying, passing away, so many such stories exist.
So, what is the solution that you want?
It is only option is that,
the Indian and Pakistani government...
-If their relations are good... -Yeah.
...then maybe they can talk about our issues also.
And you can open the road.
Yeah, they open the roads
and we can meet our divided families.
And that's what you're campaigning for?
Yeah, yeah.
-Your, your dream is to... -Yeah.
You don't, you don't need the borders to change,
you just want the road to open,
-that's all you want. -Yeah, yeah.
It's only a matter of few hours to get there...
when we wish to see our relatives or families.
But right now, we have to travel
thousands of kilometres for the same.
Yeah, we're doing that journey.
We're travelling to Skardu.
My uncle is there.
-Yeah. -His name is Ghulam Qadir.
Maybe he will, he will invite you.
Well, I hope we can find him.
-We can find him. -He's in Skardu.
Okay, and his name is?
-Ghulam Qadir. -Ghulam Qadir.
Oh, thank you. Thank you for sharing your story.
Yeah.
So, when we travel to Skardu through Pakistan...
do you have a message or something that
we can take with us to the other side?
Yeah, actually pay our regards and salaam to them.
-We can do that. -That's my message.
-Thank you. -Yeah.
It was very interesting.
Gullu not only wants to send his salaam...
...but also a little special something too.
Hello! This is...
-What are you carrying there? -This is for my uncle.
-All right! What is it? -Yeah.
It's a pressure cooker, actually.
In, in Pakistan, they are you know,
-very rare? -It's an open one. You know...
So, it's inside... yeah.
-So, this is the... -This is... Yeah.
-So, this is a pressure cooker? -Very nice.
-So, he'll like this? -Yeah.
What's, his name is
-Yeah. -(ALL) Haji Abdul Qadir.
Well, we'll find him.
-Yeah, he... -Yeah.
He's a well-known person, so you can
-ask anybody! -All right, okay.
Safe travels.
-Thank you very much. -Bye-bye.
-Thank you. -Bye-bye.
Bye.
I wasn't quite expecting that.
Now, we're going to carry this all the way.
-Your turn first? -Well, he was your mate.
Come on.
All right, this way.
We're now in the heart of Nubra Valley,
almost halfway to Leh.
This valley separates Ladakh from the Karakoram Ranges
and the mighty Siachen Glacier.
Being a cold desert, at an altitude of almost 10,000 feet
the weather conditions here can change very quickly.
Don't know where that wind came from but
it's really picked up now.
We can't barely see a thing.
All the mountains are completely whited out.
And there's dust coming up.
Got a real mouthful.
I have nearly lost my hat a few times.
I think it's time to put the scarf up.
You don't want to find yourself in the middle of a sandstorm.
The visibility drops to almost nothing.
We still have a 100 kilometres to go to reach Leh by nightfall.
But if these conditions persist, the pass will be closed
and we'll be stranded.
We're at 18,000 feet, heading towards Khardung La.
The skies have cleared but the conditions remain harsh.
It's absolutely freezing up here!
We're going up to this high pass now.
I am really struggling.
Got a bit of a headache
and it's really cold.
But...
And you've got a pressure cooker on your back.
I've got a pressure cooker on my back.
What is this madness!
There's no fear of that.
You all right?
Feeling a bit ropey, mate.
Got to slow down a bit on the walking.
We reach Khardung La,
and fortunately the road is still open.
Connecting the Nubra Valley to Leh,
this pass was historically a major caravan route
between Leh and Kashgar in Central Asia.
We are still about 40 kilometres from Leh.
The light is fading and the night will bring sub-zero temperatures.
We need to get out of here quickly!
We're not having much luck hitchhiking in these mountain roads.
There's virtually no cars.
I mean, I have hitchhiked all around the world before.
In fact, when I was 22, I even hitchhiked
all the way from England to India.
So, pretty used to hitchhiking, but up here
it's just no one around.
So when a car comes, you've got to grab it.
See if he'll give us a lift, mate.
-Hello, mate. -Hello, mate.
Have you got space for two?
-Where are you guys going? -Leh.
-Hi. -Come on in.
-Yeah. -Cheers, mate.
-Same way? -Yeah, we're going to Leh.
Oh, finally!
-I'll jump in the back. -All right mate. Good job.
You walked a long way?
Yeah, long way.
What's your name?
-What's your name? -My name is Stanzin.
- Stanzin. -Stanzin Namgyal.
Stanzin "Nyamgal."
-Namgyal. -"Nyamgal."
-Namgyal? -Yes.
My name is Lev, nice to meet you.
-Lovely meeting you, Lev. -I am...
Ash Bhardwaj.
-A very tired Ash Bhardwaj. -Lovely meeting you.
I can't climb in...
I'm very glad you picked us up.
-Where are you coming from? -I am coming from Nubra.
I was visiting my grandmother and my grandfather.
-Oh, really? -Yes.
So, we run a heritage hotel.
-Lovely, -In Stok itself...
...by the name of Stok Palace Heritage Hotel.
-In the palace? -In the palace.
That's awesome!
How, how did you manage to get a hotel in the palace?
So, I belong to the royal family of Ladakh.
-You're kidding? -No, I'm not.
-Really? -Yes.
What's your, what's your role in the royal family?
So...
I am the crown prince...
and my father is the King of Ladakh.
His name is Raja Jigmed Wangchuk Namgyal.
And he's waiting for me, and my mum is also waiting for me.
-You're the crown prince? -Yes.
We've just been picked up by the crown prince of Ladakh.
You're kidding?
I'm not, I'm seriously not kidding.
-Really? -Yes.
I've never been,
picked up or driven by a prince before.
Lev, have you ever been driven by a prince before?
Well, funnily enough, actually, yes.
-Prince Harry once drove me. -Really?
-Oh, really? -Yeah!
I wouldn't say where from and where to, but yeah...
Do you know Prince Harry?
Do princes have like a Prince WhatsApp group?
Oh, I'm not in that group.
Lev, why don't you introduce me to them?
He lives in Los Angeles now.
So we're spending a couple of nights in Leh.
It's been really great to see a bit of the city,
learn a bit more about it
-see the culture. -Yeah.
And explore, roam around the city a little.
If you're around in Leh for a couple of days
why don't you come towards Stok.
We have this ceremony called the Saka ceremony.
Which is going to take part soon...
-Yeah. -... take place soon so sorry,
take place soon, this coming two days.
You should come and witness the culture, the ceremony.
We'd love to, that's very kind. Thank you.
I'll be honoured to host you guys.
Thank you, that'll be very, very kind. Thank you.
Yeah, sounds like a plan. We have just been invited to
see the palace tomorrow.
-We'd love to come, thank you. -Thank you.
After travelling over 200 kilometres from Turtuk,
we've finally reached Leh...
an old trading town on the Silk Route.
On the outskirts of the city lies the 200-year-old Stok Palace...
the royal residence of our new friend Stanzin
the Namgyal dynasty's reigning prince.
Hey, good to see you again. How are you?
-I'm good. How are you guys? -Good to see you, mate.
-This is the family home? -Yes, it is.
-What a place! -So, how many of you live here?
-Four of us. -Yeah.
Including my grandmother.
-Lot of spare rooms? -Yes, lot of spare rooms.
There are about 76 rooms
-in this whole palace. -Wow!
Cleaning must take ages!
It does.
So amazing.
Why don't I show you the temple?
-Yeah, that'll be great. -Yeah, that'll be great.
Please come.
So the palace has one in-house monk.
His name is Jigmet.
Since we're a patron of Hemis Monastery,
and Chemrey Monastery.
So, we get our monks from
-Chemrey Monastery every year. -Right.
So, he lives here with us.
How long will he stay for?
He'll stay for another year,
-until you know, -Okay.
-there's someone else coming in. -Yeah.
What an important role!
So, we have a protector here, we call him, "The King" here.
It's like when people used to believe, in Thor and Odin,
-that kind of stuff... -Yeah.
-We believe in this god... -Yeah.
"Gyapo".
And what responsibilities do you have as the king of Ladakh?
As a responsibility, you know,
I have lots on my shoulder at the moment.
-Yeah. -Doing something for the community
and keeping the culture, and everything together
so it lasts forever.
-Whatever that has been in past -Right.
and keep it for the future as well.
So, you're like a guardian of all of this legacy and the history?
-Yes. -Yeah.
Wow!
Leh has its own different charm you see.
-Yeah. -In the summers, it's green.
When it's autumn time, you know, all the leaves turn yellow, ochre...
golden, red. It's different, you know.
But this is the first day
-of spring here, right? -Yeah.
This is when all the magic happens.
Ladakhi festivals hail from a tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
The open courtyards host celebrations
where prayers, dances and folk songs are performed by monks.
Well, I don't get invited to palaces by princes all that often.
So, I don't really know what to expect but,
this is certainly far beyond what I could have imagined.
Is this the ceremony that if you do that here, does this...
bring good fortune to,
-all of Ladakh? -Yes all of Ladakh.
Hopefully, it will give us good luck for the rest of our journey as well.
I'm sure, I'm sure.
We just had this ceremony in the courtyard
to ask for the blessings for spring,
and now we're going down to the field
where they are going to plant the first seeds
and looking forward to a good season.
So Lev, I think this is the plough they're putting on.
-Let's see if we can give a hand? -Yeah how's your ploughing skills?
I think this part of the ceremony seems
to herald the coming of spring, and you know, the "saka."
So, it's like a ritual ploughing?
The villagers use Dzos to plough the fields.
Okay, just hold on.
And it looks straight forward, so we decide to jump in.
It's hard work this!
Oh, dear!
I don't think I'm built for ploughing this field.
I can say, we were enthusiastic. We were making an effort...
Given that it took...
I've never seen a dancing yak before.
Look at him. He's loving it!
Despite our terrible ploughing skills,
the guys are sweet enough to share their
traditional brew Chhaang, a barley-based alcohol beverage.
-Julley! -Bye-bye.
Good luck with the rest of the ploughing.
-Thank you, bye-bye. -Thank you.
Fuelled with the local Chhaang, we find our way to Leh market.
A short pause before we hit the road again.
The old town of Leh is spread below the 17th Century Leh Palace.
Hey! How are you?
-Good, how you doing? -Where are you from?
From England, London!
Are you from there?
Look at that!
Ferndale Road, London -SW4.
I think I've got a mate that used to live on Ferndale Road.
Julley!
Sounds like we've got music here, Lev.
-Yeah, should we go listen? -Let's go check it out.
"Having the precious human life,
why can't we practise kind-heartedness?"
Having the complete senses in our body,
why can't we make it a temple of faith?
Still the great pride and ego,
stops us from seeing the suffering of others.
Even Brothers do not treat each other like humans.
Saying 'Zangla Zangla,' Zangla is not inferior
Saying 'Zangla Zangla,' Zangla is not inferior.
If the village is inferior, then why did you send your sister?
Even Brothers do not
treat each other like humans.
-Thanks, man! I loved it. -Thank you so much.
It's brilliant!
-Would you like to join us? -Yeah, sure!
I want to learn about this kind of music.
Da-Shugs are a Ladakhi folk rock band.
They use traditional instruments
and throat singing for their unique sound.
Having a jam in the palace of Leh.
Lev and Ash we're having it great.
We're gonna go for a walk tomorrow.
Anyone wants to come, you can follow.
We'll go up on a mountain pass.
Will we last? We won't last.
We'll go fast and we'll go slow.
That's what we will do tomorrow.
Jamming on a roof, I've never done it before.
Maybe I'll end up falling on the floor.
Pitch quite high, I'm not very good.
Having fun in Leh neighbourhood.
Goodbye, Leh.
See you next time.
Ash and I are on a 200-kilometre-ride to Kargil.
We're on the Leh-Srinagar highway, the lifeline of Ladakh.
A region which saw violent conflict between India and Pakistan in 1999.
For nearly three months,
the Pakistani forces tried to cut off this region
by dominating the heights,
and shelling the highway in Kargil and Dras.
Views like this, trying to keep your eyes on the road isn't easy.
Today the guns are silent
and there are only spectacular views all around.
Yeah.
We're stopping at Kargil, the second largest city in Ladakh.
How you doing?
We're meeting Muzammil Hussain, a passionate Kargil resident
who runs Roots Ladakh, a tourism and social enterprise.
Yeah, yeah, let's go.
He's agreed to guide us here.
So, we run this thing called Roots.
And we're trying to basically
sort of promote this area in a different light.
Because when you talk about Kargil as a place you know...
-People just think about 1999. -Yeah, you just
people have this perception of the war.
Kargil has always been a transit location, right?
Like, even from the old time, when it was part of the Silk Route
it was a transit location.
So, it was that meeting point, that transaction point
where all the traders who were coming had to stop here.
-Yeah. -So, even in today's time,
in the contemporary it has remained that
sort of a transit location.
Yeah, so this river down below...
is the Suru River.
-The Suru River? -coming from this side, yeah.
That's the river coming from Pakistan...
-Okay. -and it's entering India.
It's Shingo, it's called Shingo River.
So, it meets here, with Suru and then it flows down.
And then meets Indus.
And that's the old Silk Route road...
-This is the Silk Road? -On the far side?
Yeah, that's the old road to Skardu.
-Wow. -So, that little trail there,
-people have been travelling on that -Yeah.
-for centuries, right? -Yeah.
-So if you go this way it's the road -Yeah.
-to Srinagar, Kashmir. -Right.
That way is Kargil,
-and this is to Skardu. -Yeah. Right!
This road is a bit terrifying, isn't it?
Yeah, it is. It's going to become more and more scary.
Oh, really? We might have to sit down in a minute.
-Is he a good driver? -Yeah he's a perfect driver.
-Safe driver? -Yeah.
A few years ago, I had a very bad accident.
-Really? -On roads like this.
I was in a taxi and the taxi went off the edge.
Yeah.
-And like... yeah, like. -Wow!
Hundreds of metres!
-How are you still alive? -I don't know.
But I am.
So whenever I go in these vehicles, on these roads, I'm just...
-Well, you're lucky. -Yeah.
The next morning we're with Muzammil in Dras
one of the coldest inhabited places on earth.
And we're hoping to catch a glimpse of the
elusive and critically endangered, Himalayan Brown Bear.
So, how many bears would you have in this area?
I'm guessing around like...
-Twenty, twenty-five. -Okay.
And first thing in the morning is the best time to see them?
Yeah, because that's when they're most active in the morning.
In fact, we're like very close to one of the main habitat ranges
-of the Himalayan Brown Bears, -Right.
-in the Deosai Plains. -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And do they travel that far?
Males come down during the mating season.
Yeah.
So I'm presuming they probably come down from across the border.
-Right. -From Deosai.
Oh, this is going to be tough.
The brown bear's habitat stretches from Dras to Skardu.
These gentle giants know no borders
and unlike us can move across the Line of Control at will.
Muzammil's team has spotted a family of bears this morning,
so we're hot on their paws, hoping for a sighting.
There's something moving up there and it's a mum, with two babies.
Oh, wow!
-Now, they're on the ridge. -Silhouette.
Now, they're on the ridge.
That's amazing!
Now, to actually see them suddenly pop up so clearly.
It's just remarkable!
You can see them from here without using the binoculars.
Yeah, they're going to go right to the top, aren't they?
The cub is almost like an albino. You know...
It's for almost four years,
they are just being trained under the mother.
So, they're going up and over the ridge now?
Yeah, yeah, I think they will cross over.
They are going.
-Pretty fast, now. -Yeah.
-Great job! -Well done, mate.
Well done, team.
After a successful morning bear spotting,
we hit the road.
Leaving Ladakh we head towards the Gateway to Kashmir
Zoji La.
This is the border between Ladakh and Kashmir.
As you can see, pretty snowy all around.
And yeah, just trying to flag down a lift.
This guy is going pretty slowly.
Hopefully, he's going slow enough to stop for us.
-Are you going towards Srinagar? -Srinagar?
Yeah?
Looks like we got ourselves a ride!
Pass you the camera, mate.
-Hi, sir. -Thanks for taking us up, mate.
So, we're just going close to the top of the Zoji La Pass.
I think this is basically the dividing line between
Ladakh and Kashmir and it feels so different already.
Wow.
Got enough room there, Ash?
Yeah, it's very cosy.
There's like a lovely, like, a day bed.
-You comfy? -Very comfy.
There it is, the zero point.
That is the middle.
So now, we're in Kashmir.
Yeah, this is Kashmir.
We decide to jump off and walk our way into Kashmir.
Okay, stop there. We're going to jump out.
-Okay. -Thank you.
-Bye! -Bye!
Now, we're up here and we're leaving Ladakh...
heading into Kashmir, and that's like a real...
bridging point in our journey. Your turn.
I think this is a nice way to say goodbye to Ladakh...
like Jenga.
One more.
Phase one of the journey over.
-Yeah... -Onward.
...into Kashmir.
Subtitle Caption by ZestCorp