Words & images by Chris Schalkx
Freelance Writer and Photographer
Based in Bangkok, Chris explores the quieter corners of culture, design and destination for the likes of Condé Nast Traveller, Travel + Leisure, Wallpaper* and Vogue.
On the route snaking out of Leh, the high-altitude capital of northwest India’s Ladakh province, a roadside sign summed up this corner of the country in a single line: “It’s a long road, but it’s worth it.” Heading for Turtuk, on the border with Pakistan, I realised quickly that this was no exaggeration.
The road climbed over Khardung La—at 5,359 m, one of the world’s highest mountain passes—before dropping into the wide gut of Nubra Valley, where the tarmac writhed through rubble-strewn moonscapes and vertiginous cliffs, stretching the 200-km route into an eight-hour odyssey.