Julley (Hi),
Every year I do 2-3 trips depending on the budget of the trip viz. one religious trip, one trek and one leisure trip. I did my religious trip in March. Wanted to do either a trek or a leisure trip. May is the best time to do a trek. However, could not manage a trek this year, hence opted for a leisure trek. Was wanting to go to Ladakh for a long time. Mr. Vivek Awasthi (office friend) visited Ladakh last year thru Cox & Kings. His experience was good and urged me to visit Ladakh. Without thinking much or exploring other destinations or organizers, I booked for Ladakh with Cox and Kings. Since Amit also wanted to visit Ladakh , he too joined me for the trip.
Till the day we actually departed for the trip, we were not sure whether we would be going for this trip: courtesy Cox & kings!!!...We had to follow it up almost everyday for the payment & the Itinerary details. Finally a threatening call from Mr. Awasthi and a threatening mail from Amit forced them to expedite the matter. We received the payment details and the Itinerary just 15 minutes before the end of the day...At least our tour was confirmed J
I opted for Leh - Ladakh Super Saver Tour (Mumbai - Leh - Mumabai), while Amit opted for Delhi - Leh - Delhi. Cox and King had arranged an overnight stay at Hotel Lohomod, New Delhi.
Hotel stay was very comfortable. Rooms were very nice, food was good, hotel staff were very courteous. They managed to serve me breakfast at 4.45am!!! (Sandwiches, tea and cornflakes)
June 11, 2014. (New Delhi - Leh by flight)
We took a Flight from Delhi @ 6.45 am and reached Leh at 8.30am. Delhi to Leh journey is mind blowing.The view from the plane was breath taking..Actually felt like I was taking a tour through heaven...It was a picturesque sight...our plane was flying between the clouds and the snow clad mountains...Given a choice, I would have booked a mountain for myself!!.We never realised when the plane touched Leh airport.
At the airport, we met the entire group who had done the booking for Super Saver Leh - Ladakh tour thru Cox & Kings. We were thirteen of us (11 pax from one family plus Amit and Myself)...Transportation was arranged from Airport to the Hotel Lumbini. It was approx. 3kms from the airport.
We introduced ourselves. Jain family were from Jaipur.Myself from Mumbai, Amit from Navi Mumbai.
Ladakh means "land of high passes", It is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir of Northern India sandwiched between the Karakoram mountain range to the north and the Himalayas to the South, The Indian portion of Ladakh is composed of the Leh and Kargil districts. Leh district is the largest district of India, covering more than half the area of Jammu & Kashmir.
Since Leh is at high altitude, oxygen level is less, one gets breathless, dizziness...Organizers recommended us Diamox tablets.
After reaching the hotel, we were advised to take rest. We were told not to take bath and eat less. REST is mandatory to get acclimatized.
Many of them advised me not to carry warm clothes since June and July are kind of a summer in Leh. I very religiously followed their advise and carried only ONE SWEATSHIRT!!!...When I reached Leh, got a shock of my life, it was terribly cold... All the locals were wearing a windcheater during the day!!!...It seems that this time the winter had overly stayed..It had just snowed in some parts of the Leh. Next day, I bought a sweater, gloves and monkey cap!..Amit's brother was smarter. He gave Amit a bag full of WARM CLOTHES!!..he was saved...
Day 1 (Visit to Shanti Stupa, Sankar Gompa and Leh Palace)
Our tour started @ 8.30am. Two Innova were at our disposal, We were accompanied by Senior Jain and his wife, her sister and husband. Both the couples easily mingled with us. They enlightened us with their travel experiences. They were also fond of Music and last but the not the least "Eating"!!!..You name the food item and you will find it in their bag!!!!!Amit in fact commented Thank God Vandana, you had bought something to eat, else we would have cut a sorry figure!!!....
Shanti Stupa
Built by Japanese monks to promote world peace, This large hill top stupa has brightly coloured reliefs on its mid-levels and is topped by a spired white hemisphere.
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| Shanti Stupa |
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| Shanti Stupa |
Sankara Gompa Monastery
Almost all the Monasteries in Leh were similar. It has a huge golden plated Buddha statue with money scattered all over it. We were lucky to visit this monastery on that particular day. Once in a year, puja is performed in this monastery and it happened to be that day.14 monks were sitting and chanting the mantras. Pooja starts at 8 am and ends at 6 pm. In every temple, u will find diyas , prasad and flowers offered to the deity. The worshipers offer either flowers, fruits or money. In Buddhism, they offer water in seven bowls and each bowl signifies specific meaning, viz. first bowl of water for drinking water, second bathing water, third flowers, fourth incense, fifth light, sixth perfume and seventh food. Worshipers can offer anything they wish to. We saw Real juice, chocolates, bracelets, bangles, etc. being offered to the GOD.!!!I have never seen these kind of offerings anywhere...
J
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| Sankara Gompa Monastery |
Leh Palace
When you hear the word "palace" one imagines a very grande residence surrounded by beautiful greenery. The word palace in Leh is very underestimated, Simple residences are better!!!!!....Most of the palaces including the Leh palace was in a very dilapidated condition. Since the Governor was visiting the palace to inaugurate a picture gallery, they were renovating only that part of the palace where Governor would be visiting. Rest of the palace was in a very pathetic state!!!!Not recommended to be included in sight seeing.
Day 2 (Nubra Valley)
Popularly known as Dorma or 'the valley of flowers'. Route is via Khardungla Pass - the world's one of the highest motorable road (5602 mts). It is almost 4 - 4 1/2 hrs journey. Part of the road is very rough. However, en route to Nubra valley is stupendous...Either side of the road is snow and the place is surrounded by mountains, plain, snow clad mountains river, greenery....Amit said he will get Rooafza next time to eat 'gola'!!!Snow was so white in colour that a bleached cloth wouldn't be able to boast about its white colour...
We took a halt at Khardungla pass. This is one of the highest
peak in the world. Oxygen level is very less. recommended only to stay not more than 20 minutes. There is only one restaurant at the Pass which offers black tea and Maggi. In the
entire Leh, Maggi is very famous. May be, because it is hot, filling and takes less time to cook without any add ons...
On the way, there are many military camps, they too offer black tea (free) and medical aid.
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Maggi story at Khardungla Pass
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| Amit at Khardungla Pass |
On most of the monasteries and mountains, you will see the fliers tied on a string with mantras written on it. People tie these fliers to have safe journey and longer life.
En route, we came across Marmots, from the squirrel family. Cutest animal to cuddle in the cold!!!!It stays 6 months in the burrow during the cold and 6 months outside. Eats only grass and mud.
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| Marmot busy finding food..Alas if only he had looked at us, we would have guided him to Mr. Jain's eatery bag(s)!!! |
We also experienced a slight snowfall during the journey. 90 kms away was the Siachen Brigade Pakistan border..We reached Nubra valley around 4pm and were welcomed by 'Abel'.
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| Abel |
Sand Dunes @ Nubra Valley:
This is the only and one of the best place to visit in Nubra Valley. You will find snow clad mountains, plain mountains, green trees, and sand dunes at one place. Also, you get to see and ride two hump camels nowhere are found in India.
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| Sand dunes |
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| Camel ride at the sand dunes |
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| After the camel ride |
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| Effect of after the ride!!! |
Diskit Monastery
Diskit is
situated at an altitude of 10,310 ft above sea level, at the edge of desert on
Shyok valley. Among the larger villages, Diskit is the administrative centre of
Nubra valley. The valley was an important stopover on the caravan route between
Tibet and China. Diskit
monastery was given to Rimpoche of Thiksey monastery during 18th century. It is
still under the management of Thiksey monastery and hence, considered a
sub-gompa of Thiksey. The monastery constructed in Tibetan style and boasts of
murals and frescos. The monastery houses
about 100 monks. The prayer hall of the monastery has a statue of Maitreya
Buddha and several images of fierce guardian deities. Diskit monastery, it is
believed, still guards the wrinkled head and hand of a Mongol demon inside a
temple in the monastery. According to legend, the Mongol demon once lived on
the land where the monastery stands and wrecked havoc on the people. Even after
being slain, the demon kept resurrecting which has been stopped only by the
monastery’s deities.
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35 metre statue of Maitreya Buddha (tallest Buddha statue in the Ladakh) facing down the Shyok River towards Pakistan.
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Day 6
Visit to Hall of Fame Museum / Adventure Park, Magnetic Hill , Zanskar River, Alichi Monastery, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib
You can see the biographies of eminent defense personalities, images and weapons used during
Kargil war, Siachen and its heroes and their daily instruments and lifestyle of
Ladakhi people. 30 minutes of video is shown on Kargil war. While watching the video realised that, hearing,
watching and actually going through the situations is an entirely different
experience. I was literally in tears when I saw the video, the letters of the
jawans, the small fully equipped tent in which they live!!!And here we fight
for petty things…..
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| Inside the tent of a Jawan |
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| Amit in a Adventure Park |
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| Self in a Adventure Park |
Magnetic Hill
Magnetic hill is located near Leh. The hill is alleged to have magnetic
properties strong enough to pull cars uphill and force passing aircraft to
increase their altitude in order to escape magnetic interference. We tried with our vehicles..The magnetic stretch is hardly 20mtrs. Still the experience was amazing!!!
Gurudwara Pathar Sahib
Beautiful Gurudwara constructed in the memory of Guru Nanak, about 25
miles away from Leh. When we entered the hall, prayers were going on. I and Amit sat for few minutes, took the darshan and then proceeded for the prasad. At the Gurudwaras, you will usually find langar (lunch), tea/coffee and snacks. We opted to have lunch followed by hot tea. The Jain family didn't had lunch for two reasons, first they wanted Jain food and secondly they thought while returning from Alchi they will lunch. However, for me and Amit none of these reasons existed!!!.I have no idea why this happens, but this is the second time when I visited Gurduwara (first being at the Hemkund Sahib gurudwara, Uttarakhand) I had tears in my eyes....no reason whatsoever!!.We were about to leave when Amit remembered he had not donated any money...Told him it's ok, however he said he doesn't prefer to have free lunches at the temples and so very graciously donated few notes....
Alchi Monastery (comprises of five temples)
From Gurudwara, we started to Alchi Monastery. It was almost 2hrs drive. Drive is so enjoyable that you forget the distance traveled. Entire Leh is surrounded by huge mountains, greenery and lakes. At times, we found the the road to the destination was magnificent than the actual destination!!!!
Alchi is
a village and monastery in the Leh district of Ladakh region situated on the bank of Indus River, 70 km
downstream from the capital in Leh. Unlike the other gompas in Ladakh,
Alchi is situated on lowland, not on a hilltop. The village is famous for the
existence of one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh (a national heritage)
Alchi Monastery, mainly known for its magnificent, and well-preserved 11th- or
12th-century wall paintings, all in an Indo-Himalayan style.
When we reached the monastery, it was closed for lunch time. One of the monk was preaching and there were almost 80-90 people assembled to listen to the monk. Some were sitting outside the temple. We waited till the temple opened. As usual, this monastery too had a huge statue of Buddha and few other deities. This visit can easily be missed...
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| Cute little Girls at the Alchi Monastery |
Zanskar River (confluence of two rivers, Indus and Zanskar)
Zanskar
is the river formed from the junction of two streams, Lungnak means 'dark
gorge' and Stod, which carries the melt water of the great Drang-drung glacier. River is uinque for its two distinct colours, the muddy Zanzkar river and the blue Indus river.
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| Zanskar river |
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| Amit, ready to take a reverse dive at the Zanskar River |
River Rafting can be done at this river. The Jain's decided not to go for it since it was toooo costly. We too decided to skip it...
Day 7: On to Pangong Lake
After breakfast we started
our trip to Pangong lake. Yes, it is the same lake where the climax scene of the film 3 Idiots was shot. We had only heard about this lake..We were completely unaware of what laid ahead of us...
Since it was 6th day of the trip, we gelled
well with the Jain family. We also enjoyed the company of Jain family. They have traveled to many places, international as well as in India. They shared their experiences of travel. Just as we started the tour from hotel, Mr. Jain (Sr) suggested that each one of us would sing devotional song. Each one of us sang 2 devotional songs..Amit instantly composed a poem on the nature..of course he didn't sing it, he read it...Later (I don't remember exactly) the conversation started towards "Crux of happiness". That's it..I knew I can now peacefully go to sleep. Simple, this was the forte of THE AMIT...This is his one of the favorite topic of discussion!!! Other two being, "Feel" & " Connect". He can go on for days discussing WHAT EXACTLY IS HAPPINESS, HOW DOES ONE FEEL IT!!!I really should appreciate and thank Mr. Jain for keeping Amit engaged in the conversation. Finally after 45 minutes of discussion, Mr Jain to some extent, was able to convince him but of course not fully...At least He tried!!!
We were busy enjoying the road side view of the mountains, snow.... There were very few stalls on the way. These stalls have only 2 things to offer: Maggi and Tea!!!
Finally we got a glimpse of the lake..I was awestruck with the colours of the lake....various shades of blue, green, brown could be seen..This indeed is one of the wonders of the nature...There were many opinion on the colours of the lake..some one said it is the shadow of the clouds, some said shadow of the mountains, some even added that it is the reflection of the coloured stones!!!!!!!!
Pangong lake in the Himalayas is situated at a height of about 4,350 m (14,270 ft). ). It is 134 km (83 mi) long and extends from India to Tibet. Approximately 60% of the length of the lake lies in Tibet. The lake is 5 km (3.1 mi) wide at its broadest point. All together it covers 604 km. During winter the lake freezes completely, despite being saline water.
It is about five hours drive from Leh most of it on a rough and dramatic mountain road. The route passes through beautiful Ladakh countryside, crosses the villages of Shey and Gya and traverses the Changla pass, (the third highest motorable mountain pass in the world) where army sentries and a small teahouse greet visitors.
This lake is famous for film shoots. 3 Idiots shooting was done at this lake. Almost all the restaurants are named either by the name of the film or by the actors name in the film…
Words fail to describe the lake. One simply has to see it…and of course FEEL IT… Usually when you see water you feel like putting your feet in the water. When I went near the lake my toe touched the water and I was shocked…water was tooooooooooooooooooooo damn cold. No one dared to put their feet in the water. However, Amit had decided that he would take a bath in the lake and he did so next morning!!
When you see the lake, you feel there is nothing else on the earth which is worth looking at!!!
I, usually like to take a walk alone at the beach, river, lake, etc. What better place to reminiscence your life!!!....Things which you dont want in life just throw it in the lake!!! I had a lovely walk in the evening post sunset as well in the morning before the sunrise.
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| Pangong lake |
Our tents were very close to the lake. Amenities at the tent were beyond our expectations. They were too good. Food was good. There was enough blankets to keep your warm. Evenings and Mornings are too cold at the lake. I was wearing 5 layers of clothing in the night and on the top of it there were 2 blankets!!!...It was a very funny situation inside the tent. You cannot come remove the blankets because of the cold and since the tent was fully closed we felt suffocation and had problems in breathing.
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| Sunrise at Pangong Lake |
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| Pangong Lake, Spot where 3 Idiot shooting was done |
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| Pangong Lake, Leh |
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| Pangong Lake |
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| Self, checking the breadth of the lake!!!! |
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| Amit capturing the beauty of Pangong Lake |
Thiksey Monastery
While returning from Pangong lake, we visited Thiksey Monastery. Jain family were too tired to visit the Monastery. It is said that in Leh, one must see the Diskit and Thiksey Monastery. Looking at the state of the Monasteries, I too was hesitant to go, but then decided since it was in the package, I thought of visiting the Monastery. I & Amit went to see the Monastery. The structure of this monastery was good. It took 3 years to built this monastery and was inaugurated by Dalai Lama. (People of Leh worshiped only 2 people, viz. Buddha and Dalai Lama.
The Tibetan Buddhist monastery of Gelugpa sect of
Tibetan Buddhism is located at the top of hill. The monastery is famous for its
architecture and its location. The 12 storey monastery has 10 temples,
assembly hall, and residence for 120 monks and nunnery. The monastery buildings
are structured in hierarchical order. There is one big statue of Maitreya (future
Buddha) which covers almost two floor of the monastery that is 40 feet in
height. Tara temple of Goddess Tara is another major attraction for the
visitors. Apart from visiting monastery one can also find some rare and
precious stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings and swords in the monastery.
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| Thiksey Monastery |
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| Thiksey Monastery |
This is the monastery where for the first time the monk took
some interest in telling us the importance of the monastery and the offering of
seven bowls of water. It was worth the visit.
Shey Palace
The Shey Monastery was built in 1655 on the
instructions of Deldon Namgyal, in the memory of his late father, Singay
Namgyal, within the palace complex. The monastery is noted for its giant copper
with gilded gold statue of a seated Shakyamuni Buddha. The palace is almost in ruins. Almost all of the palaces in
Leh are in shambles. These palace can safely be skipped from the sight seeing.
Visiting Ladakh was a very beautiful experience.!!!Enjoyed every moment of the tour...............
Overall arrangement of the tour was very nice. Stay was comfortable, Food was eatable, Journey was enjoyable.....and Moments are memorable...J
