Uma's Corner

I do a lot of things impulsively. Can’t say that I have always benefited out of them, but still, some of them have turned out to be a blessing in disguise 😀

So, this trip to Ladakh was also booked on impulse. Imagine, an adventurous trip at my age, and that too during the Covid times, whom was I trying to kid? I had my fate sealed. Or, did I?

Why Ladakh?

This has been a place on my wish-list for quite long, and I knew that I had to visit there before I became too old.

Travel with daughter

I think if you want to bond with a person, then you should choose to go on an adventurous trip with that person. 😀 Anyways, none of the people I checked with, wanted to risk such a travel, so chose to go with my daughter instead.

Pre-trip jitters

Once I booked the travel and tickets, there was no looking back. Though I looked daring and gutsy to many, only I know what I was going through. I was reading a lot of things about the place only after I had safely deposited my money on the airline tickets, and the package. Why does it always happen like that?

I heard that the high-altitude sickness could be quite difficult to endure, and the roads and the journey itself were going to be quite strenuous. Well, there was no point in cribbing to my husband too, as the trip was solely and completely planned by me. But, he was quite supportive about it, thankfully. Also, I did not share my plans with many as I would have been chided for travelling alone with my daughter, that too, during these pandemic times.

The first hiccup was to get the RTPCR negative test. Well, I underwent it with a lot of apprehensions. As soon as we got our negative report, we got to know that our flights got rescheduled. In fact, I had never heard a flight getting preponed by 15 hours. As a result, we reached Leh a day earlier itself. Have you ever heard that happening with anyone? On the positive side, I got one extra day to spend in Leh, which also gave us more time to acclimatize.

Our first impression

While still on the flight, the plane was navigating through ice-capped mountains, and we were left wondering whether we would land on a normal runway, or would we just drop on the top of the mountain somewhere, maybe with parachutes. 😀

Well, we did land, amid the mountains, on a proper runway, with a small airport waiting to welcome us.

And, immediately on getting out of the flight, I started to curse myself. I had come loaded with so many woolens, and the weather in Leh was burning hot. 😐

The hotel

The hotel that we stayed in, was like any other hotel, but what we loved the most was the view of snow-covered mountains from the window of our room, and it was a complete paisa-vasool.

And, what I enjoyed most, was the break that I got from cooking. Its been 18 months since the lockdown, and to not think about what to cook for the next meal, is a feeling that’s a complete bliss.

The group

The next day, we met the group of 6 more girls, who were to travel with us. While one group looked to be quite indifferent, and were not even trying to interact, the other group was so busy making their own videos or reels that we didn’t matter to them at all. Well, I think this is what’s rampant in today’s generation. They are a self-obsessed lot. 😀

Soon after the initial introductions, we faced our first challenge. The other groups were a gang of 3, while we were only 2 of us. And, the cabs could accommodate only 4 in each. So, who would split from each group for the trip? Well, do the math. Knowing that I was the aunty in the group, they decided to discuss it with me, and we decided to split from each group for each 1 hour of the journey. It was agreed upon, though reluctantly. But guess what, by the end of the trip, everyone was happy to sit wherever they got the space. 😀

The journey and the route itself were so spectacular that one could get lost in one’s own zone. No wonder, you see so many bikers enjoying their rides, though they too travel in groups.

The tour

Once the tour started, we got to experience the many beauties of this lovely place. With deserts, sandy mountains, Zanskar and Indus rivers flowing along-side, the rugged roads, waterfalls and streams flowing on the roads, which we had to cross, and of course, the snow-capped mountains in the backdrop. The eyes can capture only so much of beauty at one time. This place is so overflowingly beautiful.

Places covered:

Day1:

• Shanti Stupa: It’s a beautiful Buddhist monastery and Stupa on top of a small hillock. A lovely place to meditate, relax, and self-introspect. Also, the view from there is too good.

• Leh Palace: A rustic palace, with some amazing artifacts, which gives an idea about the culture of the place. Also, the view of the city from there is again too good to be missed.
• Shopping: The Leh market offers a variety of Ladakhi stuff, with Tibetan markets, dryfruits, momos and Kahwa tea (Not to be missed)

Day2:

• Zanskar-Indus Confluence: This is where the 2 rivers meet. The route to this place follows the river, and you would feel that you are one with the nature.
• River Rafting on Zanskar river: This is an adventure that was quite scary for me, especially when the guide was explaining all the risks involved. I was thinking why he is only talking about what to do when we fell down. I didn’t want to think about falling down at all. 😀 I enjoyed the rafting thoroughly, an experience not to be missed.

• Hall of Fame: A museum built by the Indian Army, showcasing the defense paraphernalia, and a memorial for those who died during the many wars. Was totally impressed by the gear, camps and transport used by the soldiers in the rough terrain of Ladakh and Siachen. Salute to the brave soldiers. This place really made me cry out of patriotism.

• Pathar Sahab Gurudwara: I love visiting Gurudwaras anywhere. And, this one is located nicely amid the mountains. And, we got the kadha prasad and garam chai. What more could anyone ask for, especially after the river rafting, and nothing to eat for lunch. 😊

Day3:

• Khardungla Pass: This is supposedly the highest motorable pass in the world. Completely covered with snow, the altitude is so high that you can feel the low levels of Oxygen. It makes you feel dizzy when you step down. But we managed to get some nice pics here, before we were forced to leave. People are not supposed to stay there for more than 20 minutes.

• Nubra Valley: A lovely valley, amid the mountains, with desert sands. We did camel ride there, on double-humped camels. And, then we stayed in a lovely camp, with stream flowing through the camp site. The food was amazing there. For me, it was one of the highlights of my trip.

Day 4:

• Pangong Lake: It took us around 12 hours to reach this place, as the normal route was blocked due to flooding on the road. The stretch from Nubra to Pangong via the alternate route was so treacherous that it felt like off-roading throughout. And, it took us through 2 more passes – ChangLa Pass and Wari La Pass. But, the view throughout was so good that we couldn’t get enough of it, and I couldn’t capture everything on my camera. At the end of the day, the destination was so beautiful that the tiredness just dissipated.

Day 5:

• Pangong to Leh: This route was much better, and we already knew what we would be experiencing, so we were better prepared. 😀
• Thiksey Monastery and Stok Palace: Some more beautiful monasteries and palace on the way to Leh, showcasing the Ladakhi architecture, and a peaceful place to meditate.

• Druk White Lotus School in Shey: Its popularly known as Rancho’s school, as this was where some of the scenes of the 3 Idiots movie was filmed.

Day 6:

• Ladakhi Food in an old Ladakhi house: This was where we got to experience the Ladakhi hospitality and their delicacies, which included mouth-watering food like Momos, Thupkas, butter tea, and apricot desserts. While the other youngsters in my group did not find it too appetizing, I loved the food.

 Challenges faced during the trip:

• You can feel the low level of Oxygen in the air, while you go higher, especially in Khardungla and Pangong.
• The road from Nubra to Pangong was closed due to flooding, which doesn’t happen quite often. But we were unlucky to face that, and we had to travel via another route, and ended up spending 12 hours on the road. Though, the route was spectacular, the roads were really bad, and there was work going on in many places, which resulted in us waiting for long on the roads, for it to clear.
• If you are going through a package tour, do check in advance about which hotels they will make you stay. We got to know after reaching Pangong that me and my daughter were to stay in a camp, which was 10 kms further down, and we completely refused to travel further. So, we had to adjust in a wooden hut, which was unbearably cold in the night, especially with rains throughout the night.
• Carry enough snacks with you, as you might not find many eateries on the roads.
• Carry cloves, cardamoms along, or take anti-sickness medicine 30 minutes before travel. Otherwise, you would miss the fun by falling sick.
• Carry enough cash with you as there are no ATMs outside of Leh, and digital money doesn’t work.
• Better to wear layers of clothes, so that you can remove a few layers if the weather becomes hotter.

Just thought of putting down my experience in this blog. I hope you enjoyed reading it. 🙂