Wanla to Chilling

Images from a short trek in March 2019. My starting point was about 20 km south of Tar.

Up at the pass

Yak in the upper Sumdah valley, descending.

Stinging nettles

Descending toward Sumdah

Stream below red mountains

the Village of Chilling where I was offered a room for the night

They let me take the sheep next day….

….up to the spring

A tibril made by this family

This tibril is a tea pitcher that serves the same role as a thermos.  You put coals in the bottom vessel and nest the tibril in there to keep the tea hot. This is such incredible craft!

Tsering Jigmet is the name of the current sergar (metalworker) and father of the household. I heard from him about what changes are happening in the village.  Their herd is the last sizable one of the six village households. I spoke about why Caitlin and I are here and what we find so beautiful and valuable about the traditional life of Ladakh. He invited me to watch him craft brass spoons by hand.  With a cold chisel, he crafted leaf patterns onto the handles, and then with great deftness hammered their bowls into beautiful curves.  He spoke about his son, who has worked with him, and travelled and studied abroad, and now he has returned and chosen to take up the metalwork from his father so that the name of Chilling, famed for centuries for its metalwork, will not pass into the history books.

They say they would love to have a rardzi (shepherd) for the summers, someone who works hard and cares about their culture and language.  They didn’t ask for any money for the homestay when I left, and I sang some Ladakhi folk songs for them and exchanged contact information with them and said that if there’s anything they need in the future that we can help with, let us know.  I feel so glad, meeting this family and learning that his son will take up the work and the life in the village.