INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
White and Brown Yaks beside Pangong Lake ( Pangong Tso ) Leh Ladakh , India . Photo : Sirintra . to preserve it , and the intestines are stuffed with a mixture of the yak ’ s blood and barley flour to make sausages . The stomach is used as an air bag in which to ferment yoghurt . Who knew that the nomads of Ladakh were practicing nose-to-tail butchery way before it became trendy in the West ?
But the people do not take killing a yak lightly . While the yak is being killed through asphyxiation , religious hymns are said and the killer requests pardon for the sin of killing the animal .
I told the owner of our hotel that I wanted to go where the nomadic tribes were in the Changtang Valley , thinking I would surely see a yak there . The next day , we found ourselves in a jeep heading east . After several hours and multiple checkpoints , we reached the entrance to the valley , with the Himalayas looming in the distance . We were greeted by tall green mountains and lush valleys filled with Kashmir goats being herded along a river . The scene was breathtaking .
After a while , we stopped at the only building for miles , someone ’ s home that was also a roadside stand . As we got out to stretch our legs , I noticed two large furry animals and a small baby grazing by the river . I ran toward them in excitement . They were indeed very furry — definitely not cows . And they had large horns . But up close they seemed kind of small . I had thought yaks were quite massive . But still , they were adorable and the baby cuter still .
I followed alongside for a while , despite my husband warning me not to get too close . Finally our driver beckoned us to return to the car . His English was just soso , and I turned to him and said , “ Yak ?” and pointed . He shook his head . “ Dimo . Not yak , dimo .” What was a dimo ? I had no idea .
The next day , our driver promised us that we would find some of the nomad tribes . We finally came upon one small camp with two women sitting in front of a tent . One of them was holding a baby . The tents were clearly made out of some type of fur — was it yak ? But there were no yaks in sight .
“ Where can we see some yaks ?” I asked our driver . “ Yaks not here . They go up in the mountains now because it is too hot .” I understood now that if we wanted to see yaks we would have to get up very early , before the men took the yaks high up in the mountains to graze , where it ’ s cooler . The hot summer sun was too strong for these woolly animals built for winter .
Defeated , I tried to make peace with the fact that maybe I wouldn ’ t see a yak in the flesh . We returned to Leh later that day and I Googled “ dimo .” It said “ female yak .” So I had seen a member of the yak species after all ! But the nagging remained . I wanted to see a big , hulking , giant yak .
After a day of rest , we set out from Leh again , this time to the Markha Valley for a two-day trek through the Himalayan foothills . After four hours , we reached a very small village — so small it consisted of just nine homes . As we entered , I immediately noticed a kind of hairy rope used along the gates : yak skin rope ! And then there was a horned skull displayed atop one home . Was it a yak ?
We were welcomed into a home and shown to our small but clean room several floors up . As the sun began to set , we walked out onto the flat roof to take pictures . Suddenly , I noticed a small woman leading a gigantic , lumbering animal down a path from the mountains and into the village .
My heart leapt : it was a yak ! I was sure of it . The brown and white animal had large horns framing its boxy face and a long skirt of fur that swept the dusty ground . I gazed lovingly and longingly as it was led into the village and then into a pen right below us . “ We have to go down and see it !” I said to my husband . Just then , our host came up to tell us dinner was ready . My husband and I looked at each other and knew we couldn ’ t explain to these gracious people that we weren ’ t ready to come to dinner because we had to go see a yak .
Even though we didn ’ t get to go right up to it , my heart was still bursting from seeing this majestic animal just a few metres below . It was everything I hoped it would be , and more . But my obsession is not satisfied — I still have to touch a yak one day .
18 www . insidehimalayas . com | By Royal Mountain Travel