lehladakh2016

Life on the roads...

Sipping my lemon tea, finally I managed to write down the my bestest trip of my life with my bestest pal , it has adventures, it has monasteries, it has sand, it has river, it has moonlight mountains ranges, its full of curvy and dangerous roads..! Ok I am sure you would have guessed by now. Yes I am talking about Leh ladakh trip.  

Day 1 : Before landing in flight i could see beautiful icy Mountains, so i was already excited for the trip I hav been planning from last 2-3 years. Finally it was coming true. As we land in ladakh we feel little bit of something happening in your head, it’s due to high altitude. So it’s recommended to take rest, walk to local market, try to adopt to Leh climate, prepare yourself for upcoming drives. So I spent whole day walking in garden of home stay at Leh, eating fresh apples from tree, taking rest. Evening walked to local market and enjoyed the hot Thukpa, staple food of ladakh.

Day 2- Shantisthupa & Sangam of river (Indus and Zaskar), Gurdwara Pathar Sahib, magnetic hill

We hired a tempo traveler and headed to Sangam, the spectacular sight of two diverse rivers meeting – the Indus and Zanskar. Where they have river rafting too. On the way we visited magnetic hill road and Gurdwara.

Shantisthupa monastery: Before sunset we reached shantisthupa monastery. As the sun was setting the color of mountain was changing. The view was just unrealistic. It was treat to photographer. It offers magnificent views of the city. You can just sit and meditate for hours.

We visited local, Tibetan market, did some shopping.

Day 3 Leh-Nubra Valley via Khardung La—the highest motorable road in the world, Stay at Hunder

We headed to the Nubra Valley via Khardung La. The 39km ride up to Khardung La from Leh was really exciting, The weather became cooler and cooler as we progressed up the road. The road is  hair-pinned in most of its parts so it is recommended to go slow. The jaw dropping scenery will be a treat to your eyes and soul.
Once we reached the coveted 18, 380 ft., the temperature dropped drastically and we were surrounded by dotted,  innumerable colorful prayer flags. Colorful flags look astonishing on the mountains. There are huge chances of you feeling uneasy or mild headache, but don’t panic. Walk to the military camp sight and get your oxygen level checked, if its low they will support you oxygen mask for few minutes and then you are good to go. Then finally due to the high altitude and I being motion sick, I shifted to bike from the taxi. I wasn’t surprised to see the large no. of bikers, as it is heralded as every bikers dream, but was taken aback by the numerous cyclists who’d chosen this route.  You can’t really speed up on these roads, as there are many hairpin band turns and road is not really meant for two way driving. So we were riding slowly.

Journey:

As we were riding , there will be many occasions when you feel  the absence of road, so you have to use your gut feeling to see if this path will lead to road. In one moment you will be on the top of mountain, another you will find yourself  plateau. Don’t get surprised if you suddenly see 2-3 feet water clogged on your way :) .

Leh ladakh is meant for bike trips, so don’t chose the comfortable taxi ride which is not so comfortable over bullet. Riding bike in Ladakh was truly a dream come true :).

On the way, decent number of small homely huts, who are happy to serve you Maggi, lemon tea. Momo s, dal rice so you will not starve, even though for miles and miles you don’t see many people, no living.

Camel Safari at sand dunes

A camel safari was in store for us at this stretch of sandy desert in Hunder.Stay at Hunder

Day 4:

After breakfast we started our journey towards Pangong Lake ( 3 idiots lake) Via Diskit Monastery

We were asked to follow the river, If you are able to see the river you are on right track.

Chang la to Pangong Lake: t is said that by late afternoon the ice at Chang La—the world’s third highest mountain pass—begins to melt and there is a remote possibility of an avalanche taking place. Finally we got to see some ice on the way, played there for some time, but the temperature was too low to handle with thermals, jacket, gloves, cap, and warm socks, so headed towards Pangong Lake.  So, a five-hour drive through Chang La, at 17, 586 ft., tumultuous roads and avalanche scares, we finally reached Pangong Lake in the evening. We spent evening clicking pictures and just resting by the lake.

 Our stay at Pangong was riverside in hut, temperature was very low as even after thermals, winter jackets could feel cold outside. I did not wanted to miss how the lake changes its colors from the sunrise throughout the day, so woke up early and was sitting by the lake to enjoy the scenery. No camera is enough to capture that beauty... What a place this is. No words can explain the beauty of this place. You can literally see the colors change from morning to evening. Do not hesitate to take a long walk alone beside the lake and feel every bit of the moment. The atmosphere will sink you in!! 

Day 5- Pangong to Leh journey via Hemis Monastery

We finally started our journey back to Leh

Daye 6- We visited the Sangam again to experience the 16 KM river rafting. I was totally thrilled with few rapids, best part of rafting was when I jumped in freezing water even with full body suit could feel the water temperature. But that was overcoming my fear :).  Finally the trip was coming to end.

On the bike, moving through the slim, creeping edges, my mind was empty, without thought; my body was just moving through time and space. It was a beautiful experience now that I think back. 

If you really want to treat your eyes something majestic, go to Ladakh. All we see is majestic mountains in the lap of Himalayas. The most amazing things about Ladakh; it’s widely changing landscapes.

Ladakh is not a place in which you come with long itinerary to cover as many places as possible but it’s the journey of lifetime everyone must experience, road trip itself is amazing.  There are moments when you are on your bike, you are not talking to anyone, just focusing on bike and enjoying the views alone. So it’s rejuvenating feeling. For no reason we feel happy and blessed! So I want to tell you, “Mountains are calling, you must go!  “ :)

River Rafting in Zanskar River

Captured in Flight

From Flight

Jimmy s Guest House

Khardungala Pass

Hunder

Chaat

Diskit 

Pangong Lake Cafe