He asked me why you came here? I said how can't I, you are waiting for me since eternity!
My wish to go to Ladakh was a long pending dream which suddenly came true one day.
August 4th, 2018, after the delay of multiple hours, I landed in Leh at around 9:30hrs in the morning.
A sunny but chilling weather, surrounded by the rarefied air and an irritated face of the person waiting there to receive me had welcomed me to the Land of Broken Moon. I was taken to the Guest House, where I was supposed to stay the night. The mighty Zanskar Range from the front Balcony and the serene Shanti Stupa from the rare was giving me a scenic view. But feeling the Himalaya from the closest proximity possible made me so unstable that despite the RMO's warning of not to come out at the very first day, because of the chance of high altitude sickness, I came out from the Guest House Room, and there my Journey began:
Day 1: I walked for a kilometer or so and reached the Leh Market. I set down in the middle of the road and was sitting down there for a couple of hours, enjoying the local lady's conversation with the tourists to sell her product. Bought some apricot and tasted them afresh.
Day 2: I was suppose to cover Magnetic Hills, Alchi Glacier and Monastery on that day. Morning 9:30 around I started my Journey. I must say, you should go to Leh-Ladakh only if you can enjoy the road journey and not waiting for the destination to come. That evening, I had the most unique experience of my life. By default I am a water-phobic. But on that day, I don't know, what had driven me so mad, I jumped into the mighty river Indus, where we were rafting a boat. I did not know swimming, but love for life taught me that too. The chilled water, surrounding Hemis mountains, and the distant sky, all made me feel like I was not in the world and came somewhere, where there is no pain. I was floating and floating until the paddler dragged me into the boat.
Lesson Learnt: Nature heels all your pains.
Day 3: That day I was suppose to cross Khardungla. After a journey of 3.5 hrs from Leh, I reached the Khardung-la. From Khardung-la I have reached a small town called Diskit, and visited the Matriya Buddha Monastery. From Diskit I came to the Nubra Valley, through Hunder cold desert and well maintained sand dunes. I have made a cute friend in Hunder. Here he is:
In Nubra, a Camp was waiting for me. I had previous camp experience in Nagalapuram. But here I was all alone. I was afraid a bit to be inside the tent house as it was near to the mountain and was made up of plastics. That day I understood, you are living, that itself is a blessing.
Points to be remembered: Please don't be a photograph or selfieholic in Khardungla. If you stay there for more than 15-30 min, you may not be able to post your photo in social media, instead it will be used in your funeral. It is at a hight of 18500feet and Oxygen is very negligible.
Day 4: Following the Shyok River, I was heading towards Indo-Pak boarder. One side it was Karakoram other side it was Ladakh range. Word is very less to describe the kind of beauty I have seen. Yeah it was dangerous. But it was worth taking risk.
And there came the Turtuk Village. I must say, it was one of its kind. I was so mesmerised by the beauty of the Village that I ignored the rain, the stone fall and the darkness. That day I might have buried under avalanche of stones, but I lived the life to the fullest on that day.
Day 5: Due to heavy rain and stone fall most of the roads were blocked on that day. The Indian army soldiers were trying their level best to clear the road and seriously, hates off to your sacrifices brothers. You can not imagine or I can not tell you what I have experienced on that day.
I reached Pangong Lake on that day. And I must tell you, the evening lighting effect in Pangong was a heaven in the Earth.
Day 6: I came back to Leh after Pangong and visited Shey Palace, Druk White Lotus School on the way.
Day 7: This was an another expedition through the difficult yet beautiful terrain to the lake Tsomoriri. On the way to Tsomoriri, the green meadows and the cute little murmuts ( a kind of rodent ) playing there made me numb. I spent a quite evening in the lap of the Himalayas on that day and to be honest, all chaos inside me was silent on that evening at that altitude.
Day 8: I came back from Tsomoriri and on the way visited the Gurudwara Pathar Saheb and the Hall of Frame.
Finally, I came back to Leh airport, from where all I have started. I was happy, because I lived my life for 8 days. I was sad because I was leaving my soul there itself somewhere.
Thing to be remembered:
1. Please take a thorough checkup of your health before living for Ladakh.
2. Please give time to your body first day to get acclimatised to the rarefied air. Don't do like me. I paid the price.
3. Please don't go alone. It is good to die happily, but not good to make your dear one sad.
4. Please go there only if you enjoy the nature, the rocks, the mountains and the rivers.
5. You may encounter some soldiers, please do not fight with them, accept your mistakes without argument. Do not do something that they are preventing you from doing.
6. This is a cold desert, you will not see any population kilometers after kilometers, be prepared for it.
7. Try the glacier water on the streams and the pickle and dal you will get at road side dhaba.
8. Please do not fight for things to be too costly( specially food); they are providing you food at an altitude you can not imagine.
9. Please take your regular medicine along with you and some more for altitude sickness, do ask for any help you want. They are very lovely people.
I started with a He. He was the brother sleeping peacefully in Martyrs' Ground at Hall of Fame and the mighty Himalayas comforting him in surrounding.
I wish I could be with both of you!
