Gypsy Women Got Leh'd

This all started with a promise I had made a year ago, to a friend to accompany her to Leh. 

For the love of travelling to this bucket listed destination, all other apprehensions took care of themselves.

She initiated and we all followed the suit. Hence began the epic journey to the land of Lamas.

Waking up irritably to the flight attendant’s announcement, the view from my window made me feel like almost free falling on the snow covered Himalayas.

We were about to land precariously in the cold mountains of Ladakh. 

View from the plane : Another Paradise

The view was enough to take us away from the maddening Mumbai life to somewhere beautiful in matter of 3 hours.

Kushak Bakula ( name for Leh airport)  is relatively a newer airport and that is where we met our driver cum guide cum fashion critic cum music playlist suggester, Mr,Tundup.

LEH

Jullay from Leh

A visit to Shanti Stupa and Leh palace was the evening plan for the day after being acclimatized for couple of hours.

The Famous Shanti Stupa

Coming to an altitude of almost 11500 Feet above the sea level, the evening at Leh made it difficult for me to breath normal but thanks to the gesture of the fellow travelers, the next day I was seeing chasing mountains along with them.

Momos : One of the Leh Special Delicacy

SHAM VALLEY

A visit to Hall of Fame , Likir Monastery passing  a beautiful water body , we could not resist ourselves from getting off our Scorpio and dipping our hands in the cold water.

Tranquility at its best

The shy but friendly locals with reddened cheeks made us their own with their welcoming greeting of Jullay ( a Ladakhi word for : Hello , Welcome and Thank-you)

Hard Life : Easy Smiles

Overseeing a gigantic Buddha, rafting in the mighty Zanskar  river, getting off at magnetic hill to witness the majestic mountains,having kheer at the Langhar of the Pathar E Sahib Gurudwara, this place made us feel blessed in an unusual way.

To infinity and beyond : The rest is up to you

The cold water splashing, surreal landscape at Indus-Zanskar confluence was not only a thrilling experience but had a calming effect on us (For a visit to a local place, Read : Be More,Give More,Have Less)

“I once had a thousand desires but in my desire

 to visit this place all else melted away”

The breakfast at Sham Valley made our day.

NUBRA

The route to Nubra is a dream destination for photographers, Buddhists, trekkers, motor cyclists, people interested in Tibetan culture and hippie trails.

The Local

Chilli,Tomato,Ginger Sauce : The tastemaker

Kavva  : The Health Drink 

Thukpa

“Explorers were we, intrepid and bold
Out in the wild, amongst wonders untold
Equipped with our wits, a sack and a snack,
We were searching for fun and we were on the right track”

Enroute Nubra, we crossed Khardungla, the highest motorable road in the world at an altitude of 18300 ft above the sea level. 

Several flags were seen fluttering with travelers all across the planet posing with pride of conquering this pass.

The roads are a part of the destination

If your are prepared to see the snow- capped mountains ( feels like vanilla mountains with chocolate dripping off it), flock of migratory birds and breathtaking natural beauty, ..this is a picture perfect destination for a traveler.

Picture Perfect

Offering a vast tract of sky, clear views of the Himalayas and lakes in the stark contrast to the desert around you, this place has an interesting fact that one can get sunburn or frost bite at the same time.

Camping under the open sky and four sided landlocked cold mountains privileged us by offering:

·         Joy of witnessing the sunset and sunrises
·         Time to reconnected with nature
·         Patience to enjoy stargazing after dinners ( at Pangong Lake)
·         Peace to read when it was just that quiet

In this whole process , we  felt like we ” Rediscovered” ourselves.

PANGONG LAKE

The route to Pangong is hemmed by various military camps serving the tourist along their way with supplies as and when needed.

Interacting with the captains at the military base and understanding their schedule got me to introspect and I realized  it is no fun taking care of this strategic landscape in that biting cold.

Let your faith be bigger than your fear

Surpassing the Changla pass , Shey village and the rocky terrain all along, we kept asking Mr.Tundup  how many more km to go…..

“ See that “ a yell.

A blue speck discovered amidst the shining sandy mountains. YES it was the first glimpse of the mystic lake that kept rumbling in our minds for a long time.

 And the speck grew bigger and bigger to a long blue strip of never ending water body that challenged our eyes to think beyond the horizon.

That was the Lake Pangong at an altitude of 14330 feet in the Ladakh district of Kashmir.

It is said that only 30% portion of this lake is in India and the 70% of it lies across the China border.

Lake Tso Pangong

Sitting by the lake on the shore stones, made us realize this is definitely a unique masterpiece created by God.

Riders, Trekkers, Bikers all over the globe flock at this cyan water lake to quench their insatiable thirst  to conquer.

Among Our Souvenir to Lake Pangong

We reached our tents almost shivering with the mountain breeze all over our faces.

The spell of this dreamlike place stayed with us with a promise to return very soon.

Word Of Caution:

For centuries, the locals lived in this cold mountain desert in the Trans-Himalayas without contact with the rest of India.

Tourism gave people access to roads, education and a booming local economy, but also tempered with traditional cultural and environmental practices.

So when you travel to Ladakh next, try to give a little something back to this marvelously stunning region, and who knows, you might just come back with stories you never imagined you'd hear.

There are a multiple voluntary organisations looking forward to your contribution not necessarily monetary but with your commitment of time to teach or do some sort of hand holding.

Ladakh has a breathtaking geography but a fragile ecology, hence it is in our interest that we travel simple and responsible.

Some tips :

·         We do not want to turn this paradise into a plastic or a wasteland – Carry your trash back home
·         Be more accepting  and respect the local food and culture
·         Every drop of water is important – It is okay not to bathe everyday                                                   (Read :Ladakh Crisis)

So what are your waiting for ?? Plan your trip to this beautiful destination because you are worth it.

Gypsy Women who got Leh'D

Stay tuned for the next post  which will take  you all through the photographic journey - "Best Of Leh-Ladakh"