The Ladakh 'HIGH'

SURREAL EXPERIENCE OF BEING SURROUNDED BY UNREAL COLOURS which are  INVISIBLE TO THE CLOSED MIND!!

Journey within.


Our journey was not planned months in advance - so we got expensive flights.This was in June 2011.  Also due to time restrains we couldn't take the scenic route by road, which is said to be amazing. Nevertheless the landing experience was superb. The pilot must be so much in control landing through mountains , so close -on each side of the plane. Flying Skills. Well that was one thing and watching the GREAT HIMALAYAN RANGE was one. Like I had to separate them in my head and feel what I could feel -- the phobia of height and the grandeur of tall huge beastly strong mountains. Mind boggling experience. So in the fleeting moments you experience quite an exhilarating danger laced with excitement.
Kaboom you land and just like that , you have arrived!

We arrived in Leh and suddenly fatigue hit us. We did take the pills recommended by the doctor which help you in acclimatization - but if you not a person who exercises or takes their jogs regularly you will be wasted the minute you walk even for 10minutes on flat terrain. So be in regular practice of a simple workout to increase your stamina few months before you go to high altitude places. We just roamed around the market in slow motion and me with my mouth open looking at the mountains bewildered. Next day we went sight seeing around Leh .Had awesome food at WORLD CUISINE an open air café. Yummy food and we spent most of our breakfasts and lunches here.

 SHANTI STUPA - It's on a hilltop , made by the Japanese to promote world peace, has a peaceful view of half of Leh town.
 LEH PALACE- Here is where I saw the most magnificient view you can have in Ladakh sitting on a restaurant chair. Amazing place to take your date but don't forget the oxygen cylinders hehe
Then there is the Central Asian Museum,
Hall of Fame -Kargil War Memorial - In Dras which is the gateway to Ladakh - many lives have been laid down to save the land. Because we are countries and we need protection and we have evil human tendancy to not be satisfied by anything unless we have more of it. Salute to the soldiers - I spent time here thinking about the soldiers and their families.
Sankar Gompa, Gomang Stupa ,Tsemo fort - which is visible from anywhere in Leh perched atop a hill in old ruins.
Community Centre -  It encourages the locals to maintain a remarkable balance in their lifestyle. Life conditions are very harsh. due to extreme climatic conditions. It is very educating for tourists to visit the place for an insight in LADAKHI CULTURE.

We left for Nubra Valley the next day - You cross the highest motorable pass Khardungla 18350kms above sea level (no kidding) Beautiful snow covered mountain glaciers, when you travel to Nubra Valley. That amazing feeling when you stop and take snaps to reminicise that moment of truth. again & again Yes I was here and a snap cant really describe the amount of happy high that fills your heart and mind. I met a group of army jawans there - clicked a snap and said "Hi" to them. How they battle these temperatures and how they stay away from their families for months together ,it's noteworthy. There are always unpredictable landslides and we came across one such too. A halt for almost 2 hours . Always be prepared with food and water when you travelling from Leh to any other region in Ladakh. Finally when the construction work halted all the passenger cars were allowed to move ahead. We reached Diskit where suddenly there was so much lush greenery as opposed to the dry snow covered mountains we saw while travelling. sigh! Out of nowhere I saw lunch -buffet -tents- tables -chairs- people. We were hungry and we ate as much as we could. An assorted group of travel companies must have applied here for LUNCH for their passengers. Uncanny place but trust me there was no sign of a restaurant on that way so just feed yourself well till you reach your campsite.
The CAMPSITE was set in such an enchanting location in Diskit. So quaint and only 10 tents really. SMILES. So we went for a walk following the crystal clear stream which was passing by  , following the stream so that we don't get lost- we are so clever & all that. hehe. We also visited the Diskit monastery , the biggest in that region. Calmness just seeps in your nerves or maybe its the body adjusting to the low oxygen levels. It's like you on a constant high.
Some friends visited us that night and  I got to meet this noble person Dr. Norden Otzer who has studied from an esteemed medical college and can get a job anywhere in the world he wants to but has decided to stay and serve the medical needs of the people of his region. One in a million people have this kind of calling. Proud to know him. Since the Ladakhis are scarely funded by the government , he has this astounding campsite of his own - Please check www.nubraorganicretreat.com .
Its a fresh breath of beauty and very close to the sand dunes. The skies in Nubra are so clear you can see all the stars and planets in the galaxy. No noise and air pollution everywhere in Ladakh. Ultimate healing place for lungs and skin and most importantly the mind.
Next morning we went to the Hunder monasteries , a walk uphill leaves you gasping for breath. The colourful prayer flags arrest your attention and give you the spirit to keep going. We got into a conversation with an elderly couple outside the temple while wearing our shoes. They asked us our itinerary and appreciated that I had planned it well and covered the significant points given the number of days. All smiles TADAAAAA I was on top of the world and LITERALLY WAS ON TOP OF THE WORLD. Back to Leh , we went out and discovered a new place to eat, tried Tibetian Kitchen that night. The best Momos and Thupka. I had beer and actually liked it there for some reason I was parched but I guess its the extreme weathers which enable you to gulp down 2 sips at one time. While travelling carry a scarf and hat to cover your head cause the sun reflects from the snow directly on you and its harsh, really harsh. Then there is the cold air - remember the snow? Yeah! Wear some dark shades- its a must to protect your eyes from going BAZINGA!!! On the way back we had Maggi again :) on the highest point !!  Life - Saving Maggi !! 

Next day we started for Pangong Tsa Lake . Passing the 2nd highest motorable road of the world - woohooo - via Chang La pass. You pass through the Shey and Gya village. You need the Inner Line Permit to visit the lake - its shared by China and India 2/3rd of it being in China. There are only 3 campsites with basic provisions - so you really need tough luck or early bookings done by your tour operator. We arrived at the lake and a humoungous stretch of mesmerizing BEDAZZLING BLUE captivates your attention. Also I saw a food wrapper lying there - the only one -ashamed that groups who come to see the lake have no respect whatsoever towards preserving the natural beauty.Why do they even come to such places is only beyond me. We settled into our respective tents. As the sun settled we started freezing -- ass freeze/brain - freeze cold. Brrrr. A tea session and then a simple dinner made from organic vegetables followed. At around 7.30pm the generator was shut and then pin drop silence was experienced. Just YOU & STARRY SKIES. You can down a shot or two of rum/Vodka to keep you from turning into ice. Dozed off after seeing the dancing disco lights in the sky where they are having a party of sorts oblivious of the fact that you exist. Couple of shooting stars :D . The cold just makes you so numb and also since there is a water body it gets even chillier. Next day watching the sunrise  was a treat to the eyes (I saw the pictures only but the sunset was equally entertaining the previous evening) They were so amazing.Nature is the best entertainer and if you believe so then you are going to have the best day of your life till today everyday when your amidst mountains, trees, beaches, lakes, waterfalls, trenches, valleys, volcanoes, oceans, forests, hills  and other things that make up the earth. People who cannot bear extreme cold shouldn't stay at Pangong Tsa--recommend a day visit.

We start back for Leh - find another awesome place to have dinner at La Pizzeria - a vegeterians delight for salads, pastas etc. Next day we start for Lamaruyu. The oldest monasteries.We pass the Indus river through Shyam Valley we pass the Magnetic field and experience an amazing phenomenon of vehicles moving uphill even when the engines are off. The magnetic field has strong enough properties, enough to pull cars uphill and force passing aircrafts to increase their altitude in order to escape magnetic interference. NATURE THE BEST ENTERAINER EVER . There is the legendary Gurudwara Pathhar Sahib a small quaint pretty place of worship. After 3hours we reached Alchi and Ule village. After walking through the quaint winding road white-washed. It felt like Greece you know. Add a sparkling clean environment and defeaning silence. Lovely villages, where you would like to wander listlessly. You can hear the streams of water flowing as you walk and you are forced to not talk to each other in high tones for the fear that you will disturb the serene nature.Didn't get enough time to spend at Alchi Ule maybe next time I will return and spend more time there.
Then we proceeded to river rafting at the Indus river & it is a little scary experience for 1st timers. At least I was a lot apprehensive. But it was fun and when your instructor says front row / back row you just remember the commands and do it. HAHAH which is difficult at times when you are trying to focus through the swirls of rapids. Well they said ,this was one of the easiest river rafting points. With very few twists and turns and pretty safe. So one more activity checked off the to-do list. Returning back our driver showed us his house from far away .When asked about his family he said only his parents live with him and his wife was taken away during the infamous 2010 Ladakh floods. The floods left many lives upturned, disturbed and has taken a huge toll on the infrastructure of Leh. Sigh! Our driver spoke a lot about the city, sports and culture and THE DALAI LAMA and the struggling refugee people of Tibet. He seemed to be coping well with his life so I concluded. Exhausted from that information and the journey that day we turned back headed to our hotel.

Once back to leh we had our last dinner at Bon Appetite. It was the month of June - weather was perfect , there was enough sunshine in the day and Leh had a pleasant weather , bearable cold winds. We sat outside in the tents with warm candle light to give us company. There was an interesting Tibetian movie with English Subtitles playing on the projector which I actually started enjoying watching and reading and looking at the expressions of the actors. It was an unique experience overall. HAHA. That was our last night in Leh and still I was so not done with Ladakh  and Ladakhis. You cant help but fall in love with the place - it has its own mystic calling you cannot ignore. It just stays with you in your heart ALWAYS.
I cannot encapsulate all I saw and experienced in words or pictures but still I managed to put this blog up and here are a few pictures too.

PANGONG TSA-- 50SHADES OF BLUE --- LAKE

 I saw a STOAT  - a weasel like cute creature which I saw inside a small cave like opening and pointed it out to these kids and they ran to find it.

 Some crazy biker guy I saw at Magnetic Hill - MUST HAVE HAD AN AMAZING TRIP

 The Snow Capped BEASTS from the skies

 AN ARRAY OF PRAYER FLAGS at the Highest point on the KANGRA VALLEYS

 ME - painted with 1000 colours having a  conversation over tea at Pangong Tsa Lake

 Our tents and the ROYAL SUNGOD settling for the day

 A small offline meeting of the jawans I saw enroute Pangong Tsa lake

 Scitillating SUNGOD waking us up to another beautiful day.

ARMY JAWANS - at the highest point Khardungla pass -- They were resting & I jumped in for a click PLEASE

 CHILLING like Literally hehe near the river rafting point. MILESTONES !!

 Blurred but you can make out how cute the blue uniform clad girls & boys are-- miss their pink cheeks.

 ME -- FINALLY !! YES MADE MADE IT!YAY YAY !Top of the world babey

 @NUBRA - having lost it again and again --one moment captured

 THAT BACKGROUND AND THOSE PRAYER FLAGS CARRYING THE HEARTFELT WISHES WITH THE WINDS UPTO THE HIGHER POWERS.

 US- River rafting in the INDUS rapids

 The small restaurant near Leh Palace overlooking those views -- Faints after thinking about it.

 SUNLIGHT flooding the tent making it look marvelous @ Nubra                

These are the words I could barely put down on my personal wall before posting pictures and this was in JUNE 2011

LOVED TO tread on the same path as the 3 idiots ka journey!!LADAKH------- its truly the most beautiful O-JAW DROPPING-O-SUM place...heaven in simple words.
Ladakh means the LAND OF PASSES --a place which makes us stop and wonder about the simple life the Ladakhis live n how! the overwhelming calmness n serene surroundings take over the reigns of ones SENSES n all u can do is just LET GO.Just drown yourself n feel one with nature--I also secretly named a HUGE mountain which appealed to me the most as MINE ;)
BIG BIG salute to the Indian Armed Forces----cant even thank them enuff for the priceless time n energy they put in to keep our land SAFE n Secure!Battling not just the enemy but the sub zero temperatures ----TO bear THAT TEMPERATURE I not only wore N number of layers of clothing but popped 3-4pills to avoid getting sick.M so proud of you guys!!!


 A "SOUL STIRRING" trip indeed.

SURREAL EXPERIENCE OF BEING SURROUNDED BY UNREAL COLOURS which are  INVISIBLE TO THE CLOSED MIND!!