Royal Purple

A small bend in an offshoot of the Zanskar River, Zanskar Valley, Ladakh, India.
The Zanskar Valley is generally dry, windy, harsh and barren. The Zanskar River cuts a green swathe through the valley, with grasses and flowering plants providing a splash of colour close to the water. During the summer, melting snow and glacial ice cause the river to rise, forming pools and rivulets around which a local mini-ecosystem starts to thrive. This picture was taken at one such spot, where a bend in a rivulet provided a nice foreground against the mountains behind.