Stop, Gaze, Breathe... That's How you Ladakh.

Valleys and Peaks of Thought (Day Zero and before)
There are few destinations for which plans are made only to be cancelled. In my personal experience, Goa and Ladakh have always been such places. But I am glad, we pulled it through one of them this time and I am more than glad that it was Ladakh.

We, this time, were Biki, Rinty and of course, Pooja. It was Sept 2017 when me and Pooja had moved to Hyderabad and it was a lingering regret among the four of us that we have not taken a long trip together (Biki and Rinty were in Hyd together for few more months than us). This thought finally came to an end when we bought non-refundable tickets to Leh at the end of April 2018. June being a peak time for tourists, we booked our flights as early as we could and we just could not wait for the trip to begin.

Be Present and Breathe (Day One)

Delhi was unbelievably hot even at 11 pm the night we started from HYD. But that helped in waking up quite early next morning. We made it a point to grab four consecutive away-from-the-wing west facing windows to be able to witness the unspeakable splendor the Himalayas had to provide. My mind could not imagine anything even remotely so fantastic that the human brain might be capable of imagining. It was like an unending panoramic "rock" concert that the tectonic plates decided to perform on one fine geological era. I dont know what it is about snow capped peaks that always, "al-ways", brings out the same joyful child in everyone!

Leh airport is an army operated one, so no monkey business there. Moreover, you will have zero internet to post your duck faced, victory signed "check in" selfies. So, relax and simply breathe. With only 15% oxygen in the air around you now (instead of 21), you would want your body to evolve into an even more efficient proof of evolution and function equally brilliantly as in lower altitudes. No physically taxing activity today. Not even a walk around the hotel or moving fast to unpack. Drink lot of water and take rest at least the whole of that day. In one word - acclimatize.

But do not forget to enjoy the local Momos and Thukpas. And most of all - do not miss this opportunity to have some conversation with your travel buddies without feeling the need to scroll  through your phone. Don't feel shy to confess that you still cannot believe you are on one of your dream trips. It is best said over a steaming coffee by the window viewing the mountains. A few fun rounds of Uno before dinner can also be a good way of spending the dark and extremely quiet evenings. Enjoy the absence of all the 'city sounds'. Trust me, you will know what it is like to be assured of your own presence at a place.

Reaching Nubra via Khardung La (Day Two)
Today was about reaching the cold desert of Nubra Valley via the highest all-season motor-able road on the planet - Khardung La Pass. Our driver slash tour guide, Nawang was sharp on time to pick us up right after breakfast. Upon reaching a little higher on our road to Khardung La, the region of Ladakh started to open up. It does not take too much of wit to understand how could humanity flourish in such conditions. The answer to me was in one word - harmony.

As we continued to move higher on the mountains, we started to find it really difficult to understand why our brains were giving us frequent "stunners". Was it because it was almost impossible to not be awestruck by the massiveness of the mountains or simply because of the lack of oxygen? If it was the second one, we had our oxygen cylinders ready for few quick puffs (available in most pharma shops in Leh). A few preventive sniffs off some camphor was also feeling 'quite good'.  But if it was the first reason, we just wanted the stuns to continue!

The warm layers had to spring into action upon reaching Khardung La. It is a place where every inhale is precious. This makes even a simple walk back to your car, exhausting. Driving here is relatively easy, motorcycling - difficult. But try and imagine cycling up till the peak! I was fortunate enough to shake hands with a Belgian cyclist who accomplished it when we happened to be present there. All this accompanied by the prayer flags fluttering in close distances, the pure admiration for human endurance and faith that you feel here is priceless. Your brain is assured to get dizzy, so mind those edges with loose rocks. But do not let that scare you from standing at a few safe feet inside the edge throwing your gaze off the cliff to the infinite depths and distances. It is an unusually joyful experience of being little in front of what you see.

After sometime, all these overwhelming feelings you get about this heavenly place being your own country, start getting a different colour altogether. It happens when you realize that only a few kilometers away, our nation's heroes are on an unblinking lookout to keep this place this peaceful at Siachen Glacier, the highest battleground on Earth. Here, even the basic survival as an everyday toil. Still, the army still shows the hospitality which can easily rank in anyone's travelogue as one of the most invigorating "street side snack", even with the most modest arrangement.

Descending from Khardung La is not easy. The roads are quite bumpy and under-maintained (by design, to cause inconvenience to undesirable trespassers). So, keep your "feeling sick" medications handy. Headache, nausea are common. Ask your driver to stop at the nearest safe place for some fresh air if needed. If it helps, take a nap.

There is a shallow stream on the way. It has a bridge, few eateries and some sweet little photo locations. Perfect for lunch, some walk and fresh air. Do not expect anything fancy but do expect a humble and fulfilling service in these remote cafes. I had simple Roti and Jeera Aalu and I can tell I was never so proud in recommending such a non-exotic plate as part of the experience of the place.

Although in the plains, Nubra is still a high altitude desert that continues to show the singular characters of Ladakh in its own ways. Miles of fine grained grey sand with murky rivers running like veins. They are shaping the land one stroke of erosion at a time. Reaching your guest house before sunset is a good idea, so that you have time to relax. Every other 'tourist' activity can wait for the next day. I enjoyed the evening walking around the neighborhood. It had a medicinal effect on my headache witnessing the setting sun behind the hills.

Remember, Nubra is a desert and supplies are extremely scarce here - including electricity. The 'home cooked' style is the best way to enjoy dinner and breakfast. Electricity stays only for four hours. So make use of this window to recharge your camera, phone batteries. If you think the amenities in your guest house is less than basic, wait till you spend your next night outside of Leh.


Camels, Diskit Monastery and Shanti Stupa (Day Three)
In trips like these, the last thing you would want is a tired cab driver. Do make sure your tour guide friend is well rested before journeying onward. In a land that is heavily identified with snow peaked mountains, rough rocky terrains and frightening gorges, it was truly unusual for me to find something like sand dunes in its midst. And not only that, it had camels too! Ladakh is the only place in India where double humped or Bactrian camels are found.

Although, they are part of a tourism sport ("Nubra Camel Ride"), we did not have the heart to ride one ourselves. These camels differ so much from their textbook images, we could conclude they were not at the best of their health - whatever be the reason. Moreover, I found that they look far more dignified without any rider, without any ropes around their necks, simply walking free in their habitat.

The monastery of Diskit is close by the dunes. I had only seen pictures of such monasteries which appear to be built with some impossible engineering on almost vertical mountain walls. Upon reaching the entrance of Diskit Monastery, I realized that the secret lies in immeasurable patience and peace. Every little brick has its place in these fantastic structures. They are placed in a way so that no matter what, they will continue to support in its stability (whatever that might extrapolate into in our real life situations).

Climbing up the stairs till the top of the monastery was more rewarding than I had expected. The sight of the valley had a sense of openness and mystery at the same time. You think you can see to great distances, but you also can't help feel knowing so less about this place. But one thing appeared no secret to me. Attaining a certain level of detachment, demands the very same amount of detachment from day one. Also, there can be no place better than the mountains for practicing this art of elevating yourself from all possible hurt and pain.

Opposite to the monastery, stands the 106 ft high Maitraye Buddha statue. Apart from its religious and spiritual significance, I found the level of details and vibrancy in such a massive piece of craftsmanship highly impressive. It is said that there are three reasons to build this statue - first, prosperity of the local population, second, peace with the neighboring nations (it faces the Shayok river towards Pakistan) and third, peace all over the world. Looking at it from its foot with the sky in the background made me pray - like the sky, may peace also be everywhere.

The drive back again calls for cautions due to high altitude. Even though by now we were well acclimatized, the sickness still managed to take its share on our already tired bodies. The last place to see on our way that day was the Shanti Stupa. Standing near it, looking at the city of Leh during sunset, you can very well feel the blissfulness of the stupa's presence over the entire city of Leh.

We were looking forward to some hot bath, some room service food, some deep sleep in a controlled temperature hotel room. But our rooms at the gust house were given away since we did not exclusively confirm our arrival over phone - in advance. Since these hotels face a huge number of no-shows by the online "pay full at property" customers, they follow an undocumented no-confirmation=no-show policy. So call the hotel a day or two in advance to avoid such situation.

Pangong Lake and Checking if you are Alive (Day Four)
Keep a good stack of cash ready with you, always. The hotels, restaurants, taxis do not have even a fair access to the internet, hence the safest and quickest way of payment is cash. While leaving for a place, especially, away from the city, always refill your wallet from the ATMs dotted in Leh.

The usual routine of leaving after breakfast did not break today. Pangong Lake was the place for which I was most excited about in this trip. The Google Image results for "Ladakh" was finally going to be true. But I had not taken into account the beautiful road to the Pangong Lake, including the Chang La Pass. Wikipedia says it is the second highest all season motor-able pass in the world.

The word "meadows" was always a bookish one for me. This changed when we had descended Chang La and were in a relatively less-mountain-y and more plateau-y region. Nawang pointed us towards the most picturesque herd of goats and sheep I have ever seen. He did not delay a second in mentioning that the animals we were looking at are Pashmina goats from which the world famous Pashmina silk comes. Not making a stop was out of question!

Our drive took us through some of the places which we had seen in the movies like "3 Idiots" and "Jab Tak Hai Jaan". Although they were just movies, it would be wrong not to confess that the way these places are shown in them, directly or indirectly inspire you to travel.

The image that works as a driving force for you for a long time, you are bound to be at loss of words when you see it for real.

... and I was glad that my overly long and often-pretentious combination of words were shut locked inside my mouth at this sight. Every hardship that we had been through till this moment - was gone gradually with every moment we spent standing there in awestruck silence. Although, that does not mean we did not spend a good 20 more minutes taking pictures!

The adventure, for us, had only begun. This was the ultimate "experience of the land" we were about to have. The idea of spending a night in a tent was a little difficult for us "whining for comfort" sort. But we realized that without this, there would be no story for us to tell. They are actually more comfortable than they appear. Clean toilets with every tent, hot water and electricity in a certain time window, comfy beds, sofas, even a sort of view-balcony with chair and coffee table. You cant ask for more!

Even the small fragment of its shore was enough to spellbind us. We immediately decided to spend an extra night at Pangong Lake (but it changed that very night). One common realization we all had was that all the urban noises inside our heads was gone. Completely. We were not thinking about our jobs, money, relationships, egos or petty daily problems anymore. They were invisible by now. We were just being there. Stopped. Gazing. Breathing. Absorbing Ladakh.

When darkness descended, we realized that we have never seen such a beautiful star studded sky. Our first night, spent with walls fluttering in the howling wind, was a one to remember. Even for someone like me who enjoys a good chill, a first layer of thermal wear, jeans, a half jacket, a full one, ear warmers, gloves, a scarf, socks seemed necessary. When all these had to be covered with the thick blanket for a night's sleep, I was assured that it never gets warm inside a tent. The nerve can give up easily, so keep those oxygen cylinders handy. In the morning, we found ourselves talking about the dilemma we faced the night before - whether to die of suffocation with so many layers on or to die of cold!

Being head over heels crazy about sunrises and sunsets, I made it a point to wake up before the sun next day (Day Five). (Only) The helpful staff from the common dining area can help you with the precise itinerary of the sun.

What I was expecting to be once in a lifetime sight for me, turned out to be a little different. There was a thick and vast layers of cloud that morning, blocking the sun and its glorious reflection on the lake. But instead, I could witness the unbelievably rich colours the lake and the sky decided to put on. It made my journey this far, till the point of waking up that morning and sitting outside on the stones, shiverring - completely worth!

The idea that drives you to go for a Ladakh trip, is going to be challenged frequently. At every bump on the broken mountain road, at every exhaustion, every headache, every jab of the piercing cold wind. But the joy of being so close to the raw skin of the planet makes you wonder - about the things you see outside, about the things you realize inside.

Hall of Fame and Zanskar-Indus Sangam (Day Six)

The last whole day before we fly out, was planned for something near by. To  be absolutely honest, I wasn't much "up" for the Hall of Fame museum. But what a slap on my face it was! When your eyes meet the sight of the most glorious three colours fluttering high, every nerve in your body recognizes the gravity of its pride. It seems to easily enlighten the farthest of the distances, the mightiest of the mountains and the darkest of the skies.

PLEASE ENLARGE AND READ

Within a few steps of entering the place, you get an overwhelming feeling. Your nation is kept protected and peaceful by the bravest of men and women carrying the deepest love for their motherland. While reading about the events, fellow countrymen who sacrificed themselves, I saw a letter. It was written by a soldier from the "enemy" camp to his child back home. There was care and tenderness of a father oozing out of every word. When it hits you that this father may never see his child again, it puts something very heavy in the middle of your chest. At moments like these, you realize how devastatingly ridiculous is the idea of war - the act of creating peace by destroying peace first.

There are many theories of how our nation got its name - Bharat, India, Hindustaan. One of them says, the name 'India' came from the river Indus and also 'Hindustaan' came from 'Sindhu' (the Hindi name of Indus) - from a time when even the concept of religion was not born. 

My first river confluence view - Indus and Zanskar - was as exciting as the idea of getting to submerge my hand in the water of my country's namesake river. Being shallow and wild, this is a good spot for sports like river rafting. Don't be surprised if, while standing here, you find yourself going back the scenes from the last whole week. Starting from the cab you took for the airport, till you came and stood there. You might not know when you will start feeling grateful towards something working mysteriously in your favour.

Don't forget to shop at the Mall Road that afternoon and enjoy some authentic Rogan Josh in the evening. Next day, at the busy departure gate of Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, I was waving goodbye to the sunny mountains and cheerful people of Ladakh. However, in my thoughts, I was already saving money, planning days off from work, making reservations and saying "hello" to them at the arrival gate, again! I knew, a part of me is never going to leave this place.

Let me know if there is any information I can help you with. And to let you on a little secret - if I can make it happen, I will take another trip to Ladakh! This time, during the winter :)

Till we meet again,

Cheers!