As I somehow begin to jot my thoughts down, I am almost certain it will again turn out into a travelogue, which, is a dreadful thought. It’s not that I don’t like putting down notes about the places I travel to. It’s just that One - I don’t write too many blogs anyways and thus travelogues are the only posts that are there on my homepage to judge-me-on if someday Booker Committee is looking through random blogs to scout the next esteemed winner you see. Who knows maybe, why take a chance. And Two - Because I don’t think I really do justice to Travelogues. I mix too many things - Unwarranted, Unrequited. So my less than 3 regular readers, you still have a choice,whether to spend next few minutes of your lifetime to browse Twitter, Metacafe, FB etc lest you be interested in reiterative useless piece of writing. (See I am giving links also here for your convenience. Social Service Award anyone? No? Ok!)
LEH, Capital of Ladakh. State – J & K... Dear Bucket List. Here goes another one. Swoosh!
Alas! Anti climax to your expectations (!), I think Leh was 'Okay'. I mean yes it was a different kind of adventure-oriented experience and I seriously witnessed stuffs I had not witnessed earlier but still I somehow found it - Average. Or may be as is something wrong with my hard-wiring, I believe I was expecting a bit too much or probably 'coz Gangotri - Gomukh Trek has no comparison, whichever be the case, that is how I felt then and still feeling. But having said that, I also believe that it is certainly a place worth visiting once. Its Wet- Dry - Cold - Hot (Yes trust me when I say this) - Windy - Still ... Beautiful!
Experiences! Leh, is a place that calls for just letting yourself be. It’s testing but protective. I still remember, during the preparations for the trip, I repeatedly told everyone to be prepared for AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), Breathlessness, Anxiety et al and despite of that when I reached there, I was the one who got sick first. Thanks to loads of research, I just allowed myself to relax as much as possible and let Leh teach me how to breath. So exactly a day later I was fit like never before (while some of the other folks were still battling the mild symptoms). And never took to any altitude sickness again. Guess that is the ‘Cue’ there. Just take it easy and don’t overdo yourself. Let Nature take over and Let yourself drift, lightly, without offering inertia !
Bikers! That’s kind of a synonym for this place. You go anywhere, you will find riders in flocks heading towards one or the other terrain. Just kind of fitting into the landscape. Not to be missed if you plan to go there.
Touristy Thing! Some of the places like Khardung-La & Chang-La are definitely worth a visit. You will get an approximate 'near-iota' idea of what life is for armed forces personnel. RESPECT. While the former falls when you drive towards Nubra Valley (An over-hyped place-Diksit,Hunder), the latter is on Leh-Pangong Lake route. Ya! Ya! The 3 Idiot Lake, if that makes you happy. Beautiful but again over-hyped location. :-) And yes, should you need to know, this Lake has appx 150 km spread, only one-third of which is in India. And also that this lake is considered as sacred so think twice before chilling your Godfather (Leh's answer to Kingfisher beer) here. Just in case.
My High-points of the Trip? Well actually couple of them;
- Visiting Phyang Monastery and spending over 2 hours there, debating origin and traverses of Buddhism with Head Lama amidst ongoing preparations for Revd Dalai Lama's visit 2 days later.
- Visiting Shanti Stupa at 5:30 am in the morning and getting a feel that World is nothing but a figment of our imaginations. The only place I ever felt completely disconnected from everything else,worldly.
- Visiting Hemis Monastery and feeling the sensation which you only get when you are at a place different from others. As per my research (thank you thank you), this is place where the documentary proofs of Jesus’ stay in India were archived for ages. Apparently Christ spent his youth in Kashmir learning whatever Buddhism had to offer. Don’t believe. Read New Testament & Bodhisattva’s teachings and trace the striking similarities.
- Random Bike Rides - Pick Enfield 350 cc and just let it be. It just enhances the whole experience.
- Border road organisation (BRO) – Amazing efforts of building roads through all so magnificent mountains. Respect. And hats off to those who crafted your captions – e.g. – I am Curvaceous, Please Handle my Curves with Care; Darling I like you but not so Fast; and so many others.
- People - Interact with locals. Its therapeutic...
It was indeed a memorable trip and if I were to summarize it all in 3 pointers they would be;
- Immense Respect to Armed Forces for everything. You will know what I mean when you visit Leh, once.
- Peace cannot be sought outside. Its always within your own self.
- We, humans are nothing. Absolutely Nothing in the magnanimous design of Universe.
Julley Leh. You were lovely and it was awesome getting LEH’ed there …
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| Shanti Stupa |
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| Where Skies are as clear as Hearts! |
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| Buddha@Shanti Stupa |
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| Beauty & The Bridge ! @ Camel Safari,Hunder |
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| Pangong |
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| Saffron spread enroute Hemis Monastery |
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| Flakes! |
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| Flights of Fantasy ! |
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| Those for whom LEH is not a touristy circuit! |
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| Traverses ! |
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| Buddha @ Diksit Monastery |
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| Blooming Beauty! |
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| Canopy ! |
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| Hemis Monastery |
Experiences! Leh, is a place that calls for just letting yourself be. It’s testing but protective. I still remember, during the preparations for the trip, I repeatedly told everyone to be prepared for AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), Breathlessness, Anxiety et al and despite of that when I reached there, I was the one who got sick first. Thanks to loads of research, I just allowed myself to relax as much as possible and let Leh teach me how to breath. So exactly a day later I was fit like never before (while some of the other folks were still battling the mild symptoms). And never took to any altitude sickness again. Guess that is the ‘Cue’ there. Just take it easy and don’t overdo yourself. Let Nature take over and Let yourself drift, lightly, without offering inertia !
thank you so much for the link..every click speaks for itself..it was wonderful to live those moments again...nubra valley, khardungla, changla top, pangong tso, shanti stupa, hemis, thiksey..
ReplyDeletei thought i was there, Ladakh has been an inseparable part of me..
and that beauty, well captured.. :)
well, it certainly depends on person to person-how you find the place..that place did wonders for me..the eternal silence after dark, those striking sun rays in the morning, the light headache, those lamas chanting-there was only a faint tune that could be heard..those barren mountains with River Indus flowing with such pride..Beavers running around while going to Pangong tso..the feel of the lake(it exemplifies when you boat in it-we took a special permission)..that patriotism when we see the China peak from Pangong tso..that amazingly fresh air that used to tickle in my ears..those blind turns of the road..the Hall of Fame..everything was much above what i can explain.
Well versed and described experience except for the Average trip part.After Gangotri,it might not be so great visiting Leh,but Leh is more well known for adventure rides on Enfield and silence which is eternal.Two opposite vibes are omnipresent in environment-enfield's engine bursting at its peak and majestic peaks looking down at you in mute mode.
ReplyDeleteThis was a good experience and would like to do it again this time only on Enfield.
@ Astha - Yeah I agree. It certainly depends on person to person and the contrasts there are indeed breathtaking. I for sure lived through them all completely - with the exception of boating in Pangong-La ofcourse ... :-) ... But somehow somewhere it,as a package didnt strike a chord with me atleast. You may also say that I ask for a lot from the place I visit :-)... Strangely.
ReplyDeleteJulley Manish Bhaiya! Ya. I knew you would come up with a resistance to Average trip part. Infact probably everyone else in the group will. I am not sure if I was able to articulate myself but there is always something about any place that strikes a chord. And this is true for an entire trip or a leg. Whichever way. Like during my Gangotri-Yamunotri Trek, I was completely switched off during the entire Yamunotri stretch but the moment drive begin for Gangotri and Ganges took our side, the feeling suddenly evaporated. Never felt more youthful before. Rem,by the end of Leh trip everyone wanted to go back home,desperately. There at Gangotri, we never wanted to come back. Such was the vibe that Priyanka,who was running temperature, trekked 36kms Gangotri-Gaumukh stretch in less than 36 hours,including overnight halt. Places inspire you.
ReplyDeleteComparing it with Leh, I think only one place made me feel that way. Shanti Stupa. It made me feel happy about coming to Leh. Rest was adventurous but not stimulating,for me...
Having said that,its a wonderful place and should be done on 350cc+ machine. It was sure fun. Lets see how the next item in bucket list goes :-)
On a second thought. Maybe that was 'coz Priyanka didnot accompany me in this trip. She is highly stimulating - aesthetically & intellectually, at such places,finding beauty/vibe in almost everything. Dint think of that earlier.
ReplyDeletein one single word ''amazing''....it feels m sitting here n watching whole LEH. and comparing m heart, is as clear as that skies.....??
ReplyDeleteAmazing thanx for sharing your experience. keep going...thanx
Hey thanks NKK - You should visit Leh atleast once. As one of my cousins stated - Neither pics nor video can capture its essence ... :-)
ReplyDeleteDear Mohit,
ReplyDeleteAn indulging piece.
Keep sharing!
Ashish
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In love with.......... Death!!!!
Hey thanks Ashish :-)
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