The Phyang festival is interesting. The courtyard behind the temple is the venue for the costumed dancers to weave their magic on a crowd of about 150 gawking foreigners and Indians alike. We have our fill in about an hour and half, and so decide to head out to our next destination - the Aryan village of Dah, about 150 kms from Phyang, 100 of which is on the Leh-Kargil route.
We cross and traverse along several small and mid-sized streams for about 20-30 kilometers before those streams hit the mighty, muddy Zanskar. For the next 100+ kilometers till we reach our destination, we are never more than a few yards to the left of, and sometimes several hundred feet above this river. The Zanskar is for a very long distance mellow, as it weaves it’s way through the mountain passes, steadily building on its might, as more small streams join this river. Suddenly the river narrows as it finds itself squeezed into a gorge, turning into an awesome rapid, showing its fury on the scarcely-bothered rock faces. And soon, it opens up once again into a broad, fast paced river, even more muddy, seemingly hiding a million secrets within.
We stop every few minutes to take in nature’s mighty marvel - dozens of gurgling waterfalls, crystal clear as it leaps and bounds the steep slopes, which turn brilliantly blue as it gets closer to the ground near us, splashing on smooth stones, before leaping several yards ahead to fall into the embrace of the Zanskar that keeps sweeping forward. The huge mountains on the other side of the river dip into the river, ensuring that the river stays it’s course.
About 100 kms into our drive, we leave the main road for a small side road - the narrow, and gravelly surface suggesting that a new road is in the works. The road runs parallel to the river, even as it loops, curves, rises, and ebbs to navigate the mountainous terrain. Before long, we arrive at Baimah (aka Beema) our stop for the evening.
Baimah is a village of 10-12 houses, and our host today are Zangpo and Skitzom. We are ushered into our rooms that are a shout away from the raging Zanskar. We rest for the right in this sleepy town, ready to head out and explore this mysterious Aryan village we learn about.
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