Leh, journey of a lifetime.

Posted in By Vijay 0 comments



When my friends told me they were planning a trip to Leh, Ladakh I was so excited I learnt everything there was to know about the place in a few days. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, here’s a small introduction; Leh, Ladakh is in the middle of Kashmir and is surrounded by the Himalayas. It is at an altitude of 11,500 ft. and is home to a few beautiful lakes, a high altitude desert, lots of monasteries and the very hospitable Ladakhi people.

Lots of factors were working against us going on this trip, like; high possibility of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), possible closing down of roads due to snow fall and we had just three days to spend in Leh. At one point we even came close to calling it off, but thanks to some of my more resolute friends, we didn’t. Now, having been left spellbound by Leh, I realize how close we got to committing the biggest mistake of our lives.

The flight from Delhi to Leh was mind blowing; the view of the snowcapped Himalayas from above in the light of the rising sun took my breath away.  
The moment we landed in Leh, the chill hit us, it was 1 oC! Nevertheless we braved the cold for some time (no, we weren’t trying to impress anyone, and yes it hurts!). It took me a minute to take the view in, being surrounded by mountains on all sides makes us think how small and insignificant we really are. What was surprising was that some mountains were covered in snow but their adjacent ones were completely rid of snow, so there were different shades and colors of mountains.

The taxi driver, Tenzing, was very friendly and helped us find a guest house. He later also took care of all our travel arrangements. Most of the first day we spent taking rest (we were advised to, in order to avoid AMS) and in local sightseeing. We saw the Thiksay monastery and Shanti Stupa, the sunset at Shanti Stupa was quite good.

We went to bed early, the weather forced us to. Every activity, even small ones like climbing a flight of stairs, left us short of breath (oxygen levels are low at such high altitudes). We decided to go to Pangong Tso, the next day. Pangong Lake, one of the most beautiful lakes in India and perhaps the world, is at an altitude of 14,270 ft. The last scene of 3 Idiots was shot at this lake. Only 40 % of the lake is in India, the rest is in China. In winter the entire lake is frozen a few feet deep!


We started early to Pangong, it takes 5 hrs. on a ghat road to get there. As we neared Chang la, we began to see snow on the sides of the roads. We wanted to stop but the driver promised us we wound find lots of snow at Chang la. Chang la is at an altitude of 17590 ft. and is the third highest motorable pass in the world.




We were ecstatic when we saw the thick snow at Chang la, at some points it was a foot deep! We ventured on to the snow but due to the high altitude and the cold we could stay out only for some time; my feet were numb for close to ten minutes after I got back into the car.

After a few more hours’ drive we got to Pangong. I had seen pictures of Pangong but when I caught the first glimpse of the lake, I couldn’t believe what I saw, it was so blue!
















When we finally got to it, all I could do was stare at the lake; I wanted to take it all in at once and keep it there! Such clear water, white clouds set on a blue sky and mountains in different colors surrounding the lake? Thank you Mother Nature!










There was a wind blowing but we could still see the reflection of the clouds and the mountains in the clear water.








The cold wind blowing in our faces was starting to give us headaches so we retreated to a local inn for some hot tea and Maggi noodles, but not before taking a lot of pictures.
The ghat road wasn’t safe to travel at night due to slippery conditions so we had to started back early. I took one final long look at the lake and promised myself to come back again sometime.

Tired from the travel we went to bed early. Next day was Nubra Valley! High altitude desert and Bactrian camels awaited us!


On our way to Nubra Valley, we passed through Khardung la. Khardung la, at 18,400 ft. is the highest motorable pass in the world (or so they claimed, Wikipedia says it may not be true). The view from Khardung la was spectacular.







We first saw the hot water springs at Panamik, which was a let down as it was nothing more than a flow of hot water from in between the rocks, while we were hoping for something more like a pool (rather optimistically, I must say).








The road from Khardung la to Nubra Valley was the most picturesque of the trip
Next we went to find a guest house in Hunder, near the sand dunes. On our way we could see the sand dunes from a higher point, it was a great view, the mini desert of white sand was very inviting. But we had to wait till the next day as the sun was already setting.


The desert in Nubra valley is at an altitude of 10,000 ft


Our driver took us to a guest house which had a great view and accommodation. The lady seemed very nice (until she ripped us off the next day; who’d have thought “simple khana” would cost more than the stay!). After a night’s rest we left for the Sand Dunes.


True, I had seen them from afar the previous day, but all the silver/white sand dunes, the huge mountains and the blue sky had me in awe. The only disturbance on the sand was that of the wind, so walking on the sand dunes was a lot of fun (coming at the end of tourist season had its benefits after all).




I had read about them, I had seen pictures, I was very excited, so it was a disappointment when the Bactrian camels were not there. These are no ordinary camels, they are double humped! Unfortunately it was the off - season. Just when I was about to give up, a caravan of camels appeared, my day was made! A ride on the double - humped (!) camel’s back, though it was a bit bumpy, gave us a very new view of the desert. It was indeed like sailing on the ship of the desert.

My Camel’s name was Sapto, one of the Camels was called Yusuf Pathan!

After spending some more time in the desert, we started on our way back to Leh, it was to be our last day in Ladakh.


After saying our last good byes to Ladakh, we began our road journey back to Delhi, and then Pilani. There was only one more place to see before we left, the Magnetic hill! At this place if you leave your car in neutral, and let go of the brakes, the car goes up a slight uphill, defying gravity (freakish, right?). I thought such a place didn’t exist until I actually saw it happen! I knew there had to be an explanation, so I googled it when I got back. Turns out it was just an optical illusion, the terrain around the road makes you see the road as sloped uphill while it is actually downhill.

Nevertheless, the Magnetic Hill was a fitting end to our stay at Ladakh. I was sad about having to leave but left knowing I had seen a lifetime’s worth of nature’s grandeur (besides, I had a barrage of tests awaiting me). So, what do I have to say about this place, Ladakh, finally? Well, I think it would suffice to say I’ve been hit by the thunderbolt.