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As we descended to land on the tiny Leh airport surrounded by snow peaked mountains, it was clear that this trip is going to be worth remembering for. The gigantic Himalayas seemed so close from the plane window as if they can be almost touched with the fingertips. This was one trip which has been in planning for many years and it came to fruition almost instantaneously. And, finally we were there on a seven day adventure through the mountains, lakes and valleys of Ladakh.
Day 1 was the day for acclimatizing as the body has to adjust to conditions at 3500 m above sea level where oxygen level are very low. So after check-in to the hotel the day was spent in room resting and preparing ourselves to next few days of tour.
Day 2 was spent in local sightseeing of city of Leh which was the capital of Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh and now is the biggest and most populated city the region. Tour started with a visit to Thiksay Gompa, the most popular Buddhist monastery in the city. It is known for its resemblance to Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet and its highlight is the statue of Maitreya Buddha which 2 stories tall.
Then we visited Shey Palace which is mostly in ruins now but once was used as summer retreat for Ladakh kings. It also house a giant copper statue of Buddha. After spending some time over there, we were taken to banks of Indus or Sindhu river. The calm and peace that can be experienced sitting over there was truly out of this world.
Lunch was at an authentic Ladakhi restaurant in the main market area of Ladakh and at the end of the day there was Shanti Stupa which was built by a Japanese Buddhist monk as part of Peace Pagoda mission to construct such Stupas all over the world as symbol of inspiration towards peace.
Day 3 started early with a long drive to Nubra Valley in front of us. The news was that it has snowed heavily previous night and there were chances of clogged roads ahead. The way from Leh to Nubra Valley goes through Khardung La Pass at 18000 feet which is among the highest motor-able road in the world. As feared there was a long queue of taxi cabs and mini vans stuck as the road was being cleared of snow. After few hours we finally go through the pass and started our downward descent to Nubra Valley which is high altitude cold desert. With very scant rainfall throughout the year the main highlights of the valley are its sand dunes. During the tourist season lots of camps prop up to provide accommodation and such a camp was our adobe for the night.
Day 4 started with visit to Diskit Gompa which is one of the oldest monastery in Ladakh built in 14th century which is also famous of 32 m staute of Maitreya Buddha which looks down into the valley and Shyok river flowing through it. Amidst cold and freezing conditions we started our way back to Leh hoping to find clear way through Khardung La pass. Alas, the weather had turned worse during the night and pass was totally blocked and no one was allowed to go through. Snowfall started and after spending about 4-5 hours in the car it was decided to head back towards Nubra Valley as it didn't seem certain that pass will open that day.
After a cold cold night, Day 5 started with our scheduled visit to Pangong Tso lake. But since we couldn't make it back to Leh we took a direct route to the lake from Nubra on almost non-existing roads. But the views provided by the drive didn't have any match as we traveled through up and down mountains, through river beds and grasslands. It was a long drive but the destination was worth all that. Pangong Tso which means "high grassland lake" is one of the highest salt water lake in the world. And the vistas it provided were truly breadth taking and heavenly. In winters the water totally freezes over but in summer you can see blue color of sky reflected in the water. This was undoubtedly highlight of the whole trip for me.
After clicking some sunrise shot over the look on Day 6, it was time to wrap up and finally head back to Leh. Luckily weather gods were favorable this time and we reached our hotel in Leh in good time.
Day 7, our last day in Leh was an easy one after adventurous past few days. It was mostly spent on visiting few of leaftover sites in the city: Military's Hall of Fame commemorating contribution of our armed forces in various wars over the years; Magnetic Hill which apparently has magnetic powers; Confluence point of Indus and Zanskar river; Spituk Gompa which was made in 11th century; Gurdwara Pathar Sahib to feast on the "langar". We ended the day in local market to shop souvenirs for near and dear ones. And retired early for early flight back home.
These 7 days will always remain most memorable of my life. Ladakh is beautiful, heavenly but at the same time it is tough and unforgiving. Don't take this region as place of leisurely vacation but for adventurous time of your life. If a chance arrives I will surely visit it again and may be take a road trip down to the place.
