: A journey from the ‘Muslim Himalayas’ through the ‘Buddhist Himalayas’ to the ‘Hindu Himalayas’ #IndiaNEWS The path into the mountains followed the steep-walled gorge

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A journey from the ‘Muslim Himalayas’ through the ‘Buddhist Himalayas’ to the ‘Hindu Himalayas’ #IndiaNEWS
The path into the mountains followed the steep-walled gorge of the Astore River. Thousands of years of unceasing white water had carved the broad fissure through shaly, Paleozoic rock. The sun was framed by the canyon’s ochre walls. Its heat worked deep into the chasm.I was following the only road up the valley, and at times the route was cut directly into the walls of the canyon. By the river it was hot and wet, but when the track pulled up and out of the gorge the air was desert dry. In the eight hours I spent on that first day’s trek I saw no one walking; a few jeeps rumbled past me, blowing their horns and spewing thick, altitude-choked clouds of exhaust, but I was the only person on foot along that desolate stretch of road. Even in the small village of Mangdoian the houses appeared deserted, no sign of even a tea stall. But I was not alone. Himalayan marmots chirped from the scree slopes above, and by the river there were birds. A few hours into the walk a red start landed on a nearby boulder, bowing, flaring its ruby tail. Shimmering black choughs followed, three in a pack,...Read more

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