LADAKH!!!
Brimming with excitement, I started off alone
from Bangalore and was to catch up with my family at Delhi. We spent about a
day in Jammu, before proceeding to Leh, which happens to be the second largest
district in India and lies at the heart of the Ladakh region. It’s just a 40
minute flight from Jammu and a very exciting one that. As the plane passes the
snow capped peaks of the mighty Himalayas, you can do little, but marvel at the
sights beneath you. Flying into 2`C Leh from a 35`C at Jammu couldn’t have felt
better, as thin, chilly winds blew across our faces when we first landed in
Leh.
Leh lies at about 11,500 feet above sea level
and oxygen levels are considerably low here. So we
made sure we had one day off
to get acclimatized to the temperatures. The first thing you notice about the
place, apart from the scenic beauty of course, is how cheerful the local people
are. Courtesy and kindness are virtues that are deeply embedded in every
Ladakhi. We witnessed that on Day 1 itself, when Sampil, our driver who picked
us at the airport, was all smiles while wishing us a happy stay. Checked into
our guest house and were overjoyed to view the majestic Himalayas from our
windows. Sitting there in the balcony
when it was cold, inspite of a sunny weather, and nothing, but the mountains
for company, I couldn’t have asked for more from life. Makes you realize time
and again that you're nothing but a tiny speck of the oh-so-humongous cosmos. We
had the privilege of meeting a 67 year old backpacker, who was on a mission to
study religion and politics and has been on the run for the past 27 months. With
interesting stories on various topics ranging from the origin of Christianity, to
reincarnation and rebirth, stories of the soul, he had a lot to offer. The days
were really long, lasting from about 5 am to 8 pm at night. So even at 7 in the
evening, we could see the sun kissing the snow covered peaks.
Our second day at Leh saw us visiting the
meeting point of the Zanskar and the Indus rivers.
While the Indus appeared to
be a pale green, Zanskar seemingly had had fresh rainfall and was brown in
color. Hence their meeting point surrounded by mountains on one side, made for
a fascinating sight. Rafting in the chilled waters of the Zanskar was a great
experience and luck was on our side as we had interesting people for company; a
super cute rafting guide, who worked for an adventure tourism company in
Rishikesh, and a forest officer who narrated stories from his postings all over
India. Then we headed to Alchi monastery, which was built in 1000AD, and
showcased extensive wall paintings of the Buddha.On our way back to Leh, we
witnessed a phenomenon that defies gravity, Magnetic hill. For a certain
distance here, vehicles move by themselves inspite of being on neutral gear. Next
on the list was the Hall of Fame museum, depicting the history, flora and fauna
of Ladakh region and paid tributes to the war heroes of the region.
Our next
day heralded the beginning of a beautiful journey, that would take us through
numerous mountain peaks, valleys, deep gorges and crystal clear streams created
by the melting snow on the peaks. We were headed towards Nubra valley, and the
only connecting road from Leh to Nubra was through the highest motorable pass
in the world, Khardung La pass. Rocky mountains suddenly paved way for snow on
either sides of the road and we watched with amazement as far off hills were
fast being covered up in a white blanket. Upon reaching Khardung La, the first
thing that hit us was that it was snowing and the harsh winds made it even more
effective. To stand at a gorgeous height of 18,000 feet above sea level, and witness
my first ever snowfall, will be etched in my memory for a long time. Moving
on, we passed through numerous mountains, each one of them different, sporting
different colors and every bit of the landscape made me go “Wow! Nothing ever
beats the beauty of mother nature”. We reached Nubra valley at around evening and what a pleasant place it was. Picture a
little village surrounded by snow capped mountains on one side, naked rocky
peaks on the other ,a river flowing through it and has a white sand desert
within. An astoundingly beautiful place.
Being amidst incredibly cheerful, kind and generous people,
forever-smiling children of Hunder, the village where we stayed, made me wonder
why would anyone ever want to leave that paradise. Their way of wishing “Julley” [Namaste] rubbed
off on us and we were greeted with smiling responses of “Julley” from every
person we came across on the streets. A day well spent, we retired to our guest
house where our hosts were yet another
happy couple, who treated us like family. Ladakhis and happiness are the best
of friends I believe!!
Day 5 of our trip was simply an unforgettable day, simply for the impact it left behind. Siachen base camp! I consider myself extremely lucky to have visited this place since it is accessible only for the Army fraternity, and we were allowed to go, thanks to my uncle. It is an extremely humbling and overwhelming experience when you visit soldiers who guard the Nation day and night, under very difficult climatic conditions, where temperatures go up to -70 during winter and the region has a snow blanket throughout the year. The scenic beauty that surrounded us was mesmerizing indeed, but we were all deeply affected by what met our eyes at the base camp. It highlighted things that we take for granted simply because we have selfless soldiers protecting us throughout.. It almost made me feel guilty of living a comfortable life in a safe haven. Hats off to them, in all sincerity!! The least we could do was say a simple Thank you and salute them, before we continued our sojourn.
Our next stopover was the Diskit monastery, with the huge Buddha statue before we left to Pangong lake. The drive from Nubra valley to Pangong lake was an awesome one passing through deserted roads through mountains, which sometimes felt like we were driving into a cave, at times there was no road and at times we drove through streams .There were no vehicles for a long time and it was simply us amidst the mountains and streams.
Imagine a vast expanse of crystal clear water, surrounded by snow covered peaks on all sides, showing certain amount of greenery in between and the sky casting its hues on the
water. That’s Pangong Tso for you! I caught myself wondering what must have been going through God’s mind when he decided to created this masterpiece at a height of 14,000 feet above sea level. The lake reflects just about anything, so you see shades of turquoise blue, light blue, deep purple, pale green and not to forget, the peaks surrounding it. Beauty at its pristine best!! Add the chilly mountain winds blowing downwards and even 2° begins to feel like sub zero level temperature at Pangong. We were up early next morning, to catch the rising sun right opposite our tent. What started as a distinguished hue of crimson, slowly paved way to a slight yellow, until it became white, and then the glistening snow capped peaks were visible in all their glory, until we finally saw him rise above the mountains. Oh what relief that brought , the first rays of the sun upon us, after a relatively chilly night.
Our next
day heralded the beginning of a beautiful journey, that would take us through
numerous mountain peaks, valleys, deep gorges and crystal clear streams created
by the melting snow on the peaks. We were headed towards Nubra valley, and the
only connecting road from Leh to Nubra was through the highest motorable pass
in the world, Khardung La pass. Rocky mountains suddenly paved way for snow on
either sides of the road and we watched with amazement as far off hills were
fast being covered up in a white blanket. Upon reaching Khardung La, the first
thing that hit us was that it was snowing and the harsh winds made it even more
effective. To stand at a gorgeous height of 18,000 feet above sea level, and witness
my first ever snowfall, will be etched in my memory for a long time. Moving
on, we passed through numerous mountains, each one of them different, sporting
different colors and every bit of the landscape made me go “Wow! Nothing ever
beats the beauty of mother nature”. We reached Nubra valley at around evening and what a pleasant place it was. Picture a
little village surrounded by snow capped mountains on one side, naked rocky
peaks on the other ,a river flowing through it and has a white sand desert
within. An astoundingly beautiful place.
Being amidst incredibly cheerful, kind and generous people,
forever-smiling children of Hunder, the village where we stayed, made me wonder
why would anyone ever want to leave that paradise. Their way of wishing “Julley” [Namaste] rubbed
off on us and we were greeted with smiling responses of “Julley” from every
person we came across on the streets. A day well spent, we retired to our guest
house where our hosts were yet another
happy couple, who treated us like family. Ladakhis and happiness are the best
of friends I believe!!
Day 5 of our trip was simply an unforgettable day, simply for the impact it left behind. Siachen base camp! I consider myself extremely lucky to have visited this place since it is accessible only for the Army fraternity, and we were allowed to go, thanks to my uncle. It is an extremely humbling and overwhelming experience when you visit soldiers who guard the Nation day and night, under very difficult climatic conditions, where temperatures go up to -70 during winter and the region has a snow blanket throughout the year. The scenic beauty that surrounded us was mesmerizing indeed, but we were all deeply affected by what met our eyes at the base camp. It highlighted things that we take for granted simply because we have selfless soldiers protecting us throughout.. It almost made me feel guilty of living a comfortable life in a safe haven. Hats off to them, in all sincerity!! The least we could do was say a simple Thank you and salute them, before we continued our sojourn.
Our next stopover was the Diskit monastery, with the huge Buddha statue before we left to Pangong lake. The drive from Nubra valley to Pangong lake was an awesome one passing through deserted roads through mountains, which sometimes felt like we were driving into a cave, at times there was no road and at times we drove through streams .There were no vehicles for a long time and it was simply us amidst the mountains and streams.
Imagine a vast expanse of crystal clear water, surrounded by snow covered peaks on all sides, showing certain amount of greenery in between and the sky casting its hues on the
water. That’s Pangong Tso for you! I caught myself wondering what must have been going through God’s mind when he decided to created this masterpiece at a height of 14,000 feet above sea level. The lake reflects just about anything, so you see shades of turquoise blue, light blue, deep purple, pale green and not to forget, the peaks surrounding it. Beauty at its pristine best!! Add the chilly mountain winds blowing downwards and even 2° begins to feel like sub zero level temperature at Pangong. We were up early next morning, to catch the rising sun right opposite our tent. What started as a distinguished hue of crimson, slowly paved way to a slight yellow, until it became white, and then the glistening snow capped peaks were visible in all their glory, until we finally saw him rise above the mountains. Oh what relief that brought , the first rays of the sun upon us, after a relatively chilly night.
Moving on from Pangong Tso, we headed to the
Hemis monastery where the annual Hemis festival was going on. A huge gathering
had assembled to witness the vibrant, traditional mask dances depicting the
various stories from the Buddhist philosophy. We then moved on, to spend our
last day at Leh, having learnt a little about Ladakhi culture and the Buddhist
way of life. I cannot really say if I’m more enchanted by the scenic beauty
that Ladakh offers or by the kindness and happiness of its people, but it definitely
does stand out as a must visit place during one’s lifetime. As for me, it’s a place
I would want to go over and over again, simply for the love of it.
Comments
Hope you had a great time out there!