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The upper Shayok and Nubra
rivers drain the east and west sides of the Saser Spur, the eastern most outcrop
of the Karakoram. The name Nubra is applied to the district comprising the valley
of the Nubra river, and that of the Shayok both above and below their confluence,
where they meander in many shifting channels over a broad sandy plain before flowing
off to the northwest to join the Indus in Baltistan.
The route from Leh takes the traveler over the Khardung-la, the highest motorable
road in the world. The line of the road is different from that
of
the old pony-trail - longer and actually higher (18,300 feet / 5,578 m). The view
from the top of the pass is amazing. One can see all the way south over the Indus
valley to the seemingly endless peaks and ridges of the Zanskar range, and north
to the giants of the Saser massif. For several kilometers, on each side of the pass,
the road covered by deep snow in winter, is rough; for the rest of the way the surface
is good.
The main village is Deskit, which has a regular bazaar consisting of a single line
of shops, and a gompa. This is situated on a rocky
spur
above the village with commanding views up and down the valley. From Deskit, the
tour circuit proceeds down the Shayok to Hundar, past an area of rolling sanddunes,
their contours apparently solid, yet liable to shift with every gale. Here there
is a small population of Bactrain camels, shaggy double-humped animals, which in
the old days, were used as pack animals on the Central Asian trade routes. During
the past 50 years, they have been bred for transport purposes in Nubra; today visitors
can take a camel safari out into the dunes from Hundar.
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