For those of us who travel often, every so often comes a journey experience that we can't wait to share when we return. This specific one, right here, is definitely among those, not since it was different, which it was, but because it sort of altered my viewpoint to travelling permanently.
You know how they say that 'Everything Happens for a Reason', I sort of begun believing into it even more now.
July 8, 2016:
Flying to Srinagar from Delhi
Our flight was early in the morning, somewhere around 5:40 AM and we were scheduled to reach at 7:00 AM in Srinagar. Excited, though a bit sleepy (reaching airport at 4:00 AM meant leaving home by 3:00 AM and awakening for it by 2-2:30 AM), we took our seats near the emergency exit of the aircraft; kid these seats have some good leg space on an affordable flight! We mored than happy. Because I was on the seat on aisle and there was no view from here, I had actually made up my mind to rest as quickly as this aircraft removes. So, once the airplane started to speed up on the runway and was about to remove, prior to I could close my eyes, I heard a male stating 'Bum' (bomb in hindi) in a loud voice and I swear on my life, his word made my heart avoid a beat or 2, in a portion of a 2nd, my whole life revolved around my eyes, and I will go unconscious from worry when he stated 'Bum' another time; just this time few people reacted to him with the word 'Bhole'( Shiva). Lipika, her hubby, Mohit and I exchanged looks and we chuckled, I realized they had actually become just as sacred as I. Turned out this big group onboard was going out to Amarnath for performing trip. God, I still cannot forget how for the very first time the guy said 'Bum' literally frightened me to death. Not to point out, he did the exact same thing while we were landing, just this time three people laughed when he said it.
The Srinagar Airport is pretty. It has the famous walnut wood sculpted design, giving one the right feeling of remaining in Kashmir.
Houseboat Stay: All that I could wish for
We took a prepaid taxi from Srinagar Airport to our houseboat at Dal Lake on Ghat No. 17, Queen Elizabeth. The path was short but we made sure to get comprehensive concepts for sightseeing in Srinagar. We were dropped at Ghat 17, where a Shikarawala was waiting for us.
It was a cloudy rather a misty day in Srinagar and visibility was rather low, although the warmth of the sun could be felt but the surrounding mountains concealed under an opaque cover of fog. We sat in our Shikara and set out to sail on the famous Dal Lake.
Our Houseboat, Queen Elizabeth had popular blue staircase that could be spotted from a distance. The houseboat enjoys a charming location with a view to die for. As we came to the stairs of the houseboat, joy might be seen on our faces. Our luggage was looked after and after leaving our shoes on the porch outside, we were assisted to our space. Walking through a brief passageway that had big windows, we made it to our space, which was spacious enough for three people and was done in the traditional Kashmiri style. They say the last space in the houseboat is constantly the most significant. Helpful for us!
The young care taker who helped us, asked exactly what we would like to have in breakfast. He must be 23-24 years tall lad, with a deep intonation and a sweet face. Mohit engaged him in discussion and asked where and how we can choose sightseeing in Srinagar. In his deep tone, he named few locations. I prompted Jama Masjid, to which he stated, "Haan wo bhi, par Old City nahi jana hai, wo sahi nahi hai" (You must not go to Old City, it is not a safe location), that kind made my eyes grow larger. I did not react to it though. We asked him for his name, 'Faisal', he stated. Mohit then asked if WiFi was offered here, to which he responded, 'WiFi hain na, main deta hu password (There is WiFi, let me offer you the password). One, Two, Sikkis', Mohit took a look at him to confirm and he duplicated 'One, Two, Sikkis', Lipika in a hushed tone stated to Mohit, he suggests 'Six'. All of us smiled gently, without having him to observe us. Mohit asked him to duplicate the password and Faisal once again stated, 'One, Two, Sikkis, Manzoor, One, Two, Sikkis'. He further asked us to make usage of the 'Hawwt (Hot) Water' in the restroom, also he encouraged us to 'Mikkis' (Mix) some cold water in it. Oh, I cannot inform how sweet he looked talking like that, he reminded me of Shraddha Kapoor from the film Haider. As he exited the room after his valuable inputs, we all laughed and repeated 'One, Two, Sikkis'.
Queen Elizabeth Houseboat
Our houseboat was a traditional one, done with the walnut wood interior. It looked quite elegant, a location where I can live forever. After we were finished with breakfast, Lipika and I sat outside in the patio location and looked at the gorgeous Dal Lake. There were more Shikaras now and ferries could also be spotted. A few of the Shikarawalas were selling packaged food and a couple of were providing fresh fruit salad. A gentleman on our boat arrived and provided to show us some jewellery pieces. Lipika was interested, so he rapidly went and got his travel suitcase and in the living space of the houseboat, we took pleasure in at taking a look at a few of the most pretty jewellery. I really liked how this male spoke, he had rules and he had a way of stating words, which would make anyone take note of what he stated instantly. Another gentleman that we took place to meet on the boat was the owner Munna Bhai (when I presented him to Mohit and Lipika, Mohit jokingly resolved him as Munna Bhai MBBS, in response to it he immediately stated 'No, illiterate!') who provided us the taxi to Ladakh at a sensible price.
Srinagar Sightseeing:
After investing some time and delighting in a small session of houseboat shopping, we got all set and left for the sightseeing excursion of Srinagar. We were dropped at Ghat No 17, from where we scheduled a car for the day. For sightseeing in Srinagar, car would be the best concept if there are 3 individuals. Cab would be too expensive of an affair. Our first destination was Shankaracharya Temple that was perched on top of a mountain and offered magnificent view of Srinagar city. There have to do with 240 stairs which cause a stone-made temple committed to Shankarcharya. It was a hot day and we sweated heavily however with little efforts made it up there. The view from the entrance gate is charming. Cams and phones are not enabled here therefore are the bags and leather belts.
While we were returning, our vehicle driver stopped at a location that he called View Point. He said you need to take photos from here, after all 'People should know how beautiful our city Srinagar is' and I couldn't agree more. The view was definitely picturesque from the point.
Our next destination was Pari Mahal, which provided equally incredible views of Srinagar City. We had actually visited Srinagar 2 days after the Eid and it seemed as if everybody was still in the joyful state of mind as all the places we visited were loaded with people-- young, old and middle aged. We checked out the two of the Mughal Gardens, Shalimar and Chashm-e-Shahi and decided to avoid Nishat as it was too crowded. Chashm-e-Shahi was an incredible location, we had no idea what it was about unless we saw a spring that individuals were surrounding and getting images clicked with. We were informed the water has medical properties and is drinkable. We handled to get a bottle filled from the spring, ends up the water was ice cold and was sweet in taste. After enjoying a decent lunch near Shalimar Bagh, we visited Hazratbal Shrine. Gleaming in white marble, it looked rather remarkable to me.
While we were returning from the shrine, we stopped at a cyber coffee shop to obtain the tickets provided for the Gondola Ride in Gulmarg, which was the strategy for Day 2 in Kashmir. It is encouraged to book Gondola Ride tickets a day in advance as it keeps things problem-free. On the method back, we requested our car driver to take us to a dining establishment in Srinagar that is famous for its food. He took us to Shamyana Restaurant that looked rather appealing. We got Gushtaba (meatball in white yogurt gravy) and seekh kebabs loaded and went back to our houseboat by 7:00 PM to our houseboat, where we decided to have a little celebration in our space. It was Faisal who told us that we could even get the bbq kebabs on the houseboat as a particular shikarawala at night uses fresh barbeque delicacies. Oh, how I still remember the fragrance of the meat that was charred over slow fire by him.
And It had to do with Time.
It was a bit breezy in the night, so we decided to being in the porch location, there were two guys on the boat who were discussing something in a low tone. Among them noticing us, asked where are we going to from and for the number of days would we be staying in Srinagar. We told him that we would be going to Gulmarg tomorrow and after that the next day to Kargil. He looked poised and after that in a soft tone, he stated did you understand that it is most likely that there will be a curfew imposed in Srinagar tomorrow.
We couldn't believe our ears. The male who has actually stopped briefly for a moment said a militant has actually been killed in the evening today and people have already begun objecting against it. Keeping in view the possibility of protest and stone pelting, curfew will be enforced from tomorrow. Silence took control of the place, broken just when Faisal came to us to notify supper was on the table. Although, I did not see Faisal smiling even when in the entire day, nevertheless, he looked unfortunate and that I could tell. We verified about the curfew and occurrence took place and he said, it held true. He told us, he is fretted about the other two visitors and their families as they are stuck somewhere en route Pahalgam due to the fact that of the violent demonstration. He further stated that he had encouraged them to leave early in the morning and return to Srinagar by 7:00 PM however they offered his suggestions a deaf ear. He sweetly stated, "bhaut tension ho rahi hai madam, waha bhaut RIKKIS (threat) hai."( I am anxious madam, the place is dangerous). We could not help smile on 'Rikkis' however truth was that we were frightened now. It began to rain by the time we ended up supper. Faisal stated to us, hope that the rainstorm continues, this is the only manner in which can manage the demonstration tomorrow. We went to our room, only to lie on our beds as sleep has somehow abandoned us on this rainy night.
July 9, 2016
4:30 AM Knock on the Door:
Might be sleep did manage a few hours of our troubled night. As I understood we were woken up by a knock on our door. My heart pounded faster, as Lipika went to address the door. It was the Shikarawala set up by Faisal to take us to the Vegetable Floating Market
' Ready Madam', he asked Lipika.
Lipika was a bit stunned to see him as we had forgotten everything about it. She asked him to offer us a long time, to which he agreed. 'Do you believe it is a great idea', I asked her. 'I don't know', she stated and we began to get dressed.
It was still a little dark when we set out on Dal Lake. And because it rained last night, the weather condition was little cold also. Lipika asked the Shikarawala about the curfew to which he pretended as if he didn't understand anything about it. He questioned us back, asking who informed us about the curfew. We informed him that the houseboat staff notified us about it and encouraged us to drop our strategy to go to Gulmarg today. He said, he didn't know much about it, and there is certainly no curfew in the location from where he lives. We 3 looked at each other, didn't know what to inform him.
Dawn is probably the very best time to go to Dal Lake. The sun was on the rise and now we might plainly see the mountains that concealed in the thick sheet of fog the other day. The lake was peaceful therefore were we. We observed the landscape and houseboats, there were couple of birds to look at also. All of a sudden, the Shikarawala asked us, do you understand what occurred last night?
‘Some militant was killed', we said.
'Burhan Wani, one of the leaders of Hizbul Mujahideen was killed the other day', he informed. 'He was a young person of about 22-23 years of age,' he further mentioned. Now we paid him attention. He showed us a photo of the deceased body of Burhan on Facebook and trust me it was not something any of us would have preferred to see right in the early morning. He then stated, Burhan had recently become well-known when one of his videos of playing cricket in the woods was released on TELEVISION. We had to give our discussion a time out as we had reached the Floating Vegetable Market.
Drifting Market
This place looked remarkable, with numerous shikaras replete with fresh veggies and flowers. There were also in-boat confectionaries, seriously no joking; individuals were offering dry cakes, cookies and desserts on the Shikaras. We did attempt some due to the fact that they looked tasty! There were variety of travelers, primarily from other countries to visit this unique market in Srinagar, we interacted with few and observed and smiled at lots of.
When done taking photos, we asked the Shikarawala to take us to have some Kahwa (Kashmiri Tea). We stopped at one of the shops at the place that was the Floating Market of Dal Lake. After having some revitalizing Kahwa, we began for our houseboat. En route we saw the houseboat on which the shooting for Bollywood movie Mission Kashmir was done; also we discovered the snow-clad mountains, in the distance, which our Shikarawala informed us was of Gulmarg. We three again looked at each other, we felt sad that we were not able to pay a see there.
A Day in the Houseboat:
As it was still early in the early morning and we had nowehere to go the whole day, we decided to catch up on some sleep. This time, we truly slept. When I woke up, I was alone in the space, I freshned up and went out and saw one of the visitors (who was stuck in Pahalgam last night) sitting with Lipika and Mohit. I joined them. The guy looked exhausted but relieved. He stated, it was a terrible night, they saw people throwing stones and somebody nearly assaulted their cars and truck however recognizing it is a tourist taxi, they spared it. He told us how a regional family assisted them with food and milk for the kids. The household even helped them leave from Pahalgam when they found the best chance. He likewise applauded the owner of the houseboat for making bookings at a great hotel in Srinagar at such a brief notice. We bid him good bye and then worry took a toll over us. 'How would we go to Ladakh?', 'Are we safe?', 'What will occur to our trip?' all these thoughts were haunting us now. We did not divulge the conditions of here to our families however we knew they would quickly learn through news on TELEVISION.
View from the Houseboat
Faisal served us breakfast. After which we sat out on the patio, speaking with Munna Bhai's bro and other team member. Varieties of truths were told about the ongoing protest in Kashmir, that made us more scared. Exactly what we understood is that there are certainly two faces of a coin. Faisal shared a few of his stories from his college time when he was asked to be part of such protests and on refusing he was twice battered (bad). Another gentleman that we satisfied a day in the past, who even offered us jewellery items had some stories to inform too. He stated the military/police workers never ever laid their hands on him ever. Never was he asked to stroll in a line nor was asked to show his Identity Card. They even informed us that this type of demonstration happened after 10 years, although little ones keep occurring from time to time.
'After 10 years, and it had to occur just when we were here,' I said to myself while trying to maintain my poise.
We viewed news after every 2 hours to take a follow up, each time there was more bad news. We began to get fretted about how we will have the ability to leave this location as everyone anticipated that this demonstration will extend longer. To divert my mind, I read the book I carried with me 'The Diary of the Young Girl, Anne Frank' and for the first time ever, I might relate how Anne must have felt being stuck in an Annexe in a bookshop during WWII. I beinged in the deck and aimed to focus on the novel, I would look at the lake from time to time, since let’s face it, it wasn't easy to focus. There were these two young kids of 8-10 years of age rowing a Shikara and singing 'Janam Janam Saath Chalna Yuhi' (tune from Dilwale), it instantly brought a smile on my face and the entire day, this song lingered in my head.
A Hope in the Dark:
By evening, we were guaranteed by Munna Bhai that we will have the ability to go to Ladakh, only now we need to pay a bit more for the cab which we need to leave early by 2:00 AM so that we can cross the Ganderbal District prior to 4:00 AM. We consented to both the conditions, you see 'Beggars can not be choosers'. We thanked Munna Bhai for his terrific help and packed our things and awaited it to be 2' o clock. Faisal stated he would inform when our Shikara arrives. It was 1.45 AM and we were all set to leave, we believed it would be much better to wait in the living area rather of the room. We discovered Faisal asleep, with a textbook on this chest and remote of the turned on tv in the hand. We called out to him but he appeared to be in deep sleep. When we looked closely to the book on his chest, it seemed the preparation material for some examination. We again called out to him, this time he awakened. He said sorry saying he did not sleep last night fretting about the guests. We could understand his condition, we simply passed a smile at him before he quickly went in to our room to carry our travel luggage to the boat. As we approached the ghat, we observed other boats filled with tourists too. Our Shikarawala notified that all these people are likewise visiting Ladakh, there were 2, 3 pace travellers waiting on them. Our motorist Bilal Bhai reached after we arrived however the waiting time was not more than 5 minutes, although those were the longest 5 minutes of my life.
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July 10, 2016
In the middle of the Curfew on the dim-Lit Streets We Drove Like There Was No Tomorrow. And Then This Happened.
We crossed Srinagar and got in Ganderbal District, where on a check post we were signaled to visit CRPF. For some factor our chauffeur did not stop instantly but a couple of millimeters ahead. A CRPF worker bought the motorist to obtain down from the automobile, he instantly followed. As quickly he got down the personnel slapped him, 'Gaadi roki kyu nahi, gaadi mein militants le jaa raha hai?' (Why did you not stop the automobile, exist militants inside?). Then he looked inside our cars and truck and said to us, 'kaisa chauffeur le jaa rahe ho aap, marwa deta ye aapko, thodi si gaadi aur aage le jata ye, hum peechhe se shoot kar dete' (What type of a driver are you taking with you, he could have got you eliminated, if he had actually stopped a couple of meters away than this, we would have fired at the automobile). We simply could not address, nor did we dare to move a muscle. Our chauffeur got back to the cars and truck and for few minutes we all remained silent. The man with Bilal Bhai (our driver) lastly broke the silence and notified we would quickly be at Zoji La. And in order to remove the odd silence, we inquired more about Zoji La and Sonmarg. Bilal Bhai finally spoke out and contributed to the information.
Zoji La to Drass: We Thought We had entered a Fairytale Land
The only drawback of beginning early from Srinagar was that we were unable to enjoy any views. We could not see a thing while crossing Zoji La nor did we see any of the appeal of Sonmarg. However, somewhere around 4:00 AM, we were at Zero Point, a location that you must visit to take pictures. For the very first time in two days of our journey, we felt extremely delighted; might be it was the exceptional charm of this location or the reality that we were lastly out of risk.
It was quite cold, should have been around 6-7 Degree Celsius, there was snow on the surrounding mountains and it was sprinkling. the feeling of existing was something I can never forget. Around 5:00 AM we reached Toll of Kargil. Then we stopped at Drass for tea, in fact others stopped for the tea, whereas I took a little trip of this second coldest lived in place worldwide. There were houses made from mud, a little stream criss crossed then vanished somewhere in the town. A few homes had a small cooking area yard, while some had a garden fenced by barbed wire. Everything looked quiet and serene, given that it was early morning; people were performing their everyday tasks. The minute you would take off your eyes from all this, the snow topped mountains in the distance will capture your attention. God, the location looked much like it has beem conjured from the fairy tale. Given that, we existed on a foggy day, it looked a lot more surreal. If you are a mountain goat like me, you would certainly have concepts to settle there.
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Kargil. Amidst the Barren Mountains We Found People Full of Warmth and Hospitality
We had made our online reservations at Hotel Rangyul in advance and it was a good place for a budget accommodation in Kargil. The room was spacious and so was the bathroom but the USP of the place was it dining area, which had a remarkable view. The staffs consisting of the supervisor were the most cordial people that I have fulfilled anywhere.
Because we did not sleep the entire last night, we decided to quickly get to the bed and keep sightseeing of Kargil for the night. We should have gone to sleep at 9:00 AM when we woke up it was 4:00 PM. Boy, that was some sleep for sure. Lipika was not feeling well, so we needed to take her to the doctor and that was all we performed in the evening at Kargil. Although, we did have some tea at the dining location, where we likewise fulfilled other travelers, many of them were supposed to go to Srinagar to capture their flights house. Today they were stuck; and considering that we were the only people who were coming from Srinagar, so we offered them a fair concept of how bad things have turned there. After we returned from the physician's, we had supper and much like whatever else, the food was also wonderful. The supervisor also made taste Phating (Whole dried apricots soaked in hot water and sugar), which was definitely scrumptious. We asked him to schedule us a cab for early morning sightseeing in Kargil (In Kargil, in reality in the whole Ladakh Region, industrial automobiles other states and even from other parts of the state are not enabled regional sightseeing) after which we would leave for Leh.
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July 11, 2016
LOC Visit in Kargil
Our motorist for the sightseeing was a knowledgable guy and needless to state well-mannered and humble as well. All through the path, he discussed the locations we saw and gave truths about them. It was a great experience to be in the location that when experienced an important war in between India and Pakistan. The driver revealed us the bunkers developed right on top of sky-kissing mountains where the armymen remained throughout the war. We even spotted a village of Pakistan on LOC and it should have been only 30-35kms from where we were. River Drass originating from India flew through to Pakistan from here.
So, that's how close Pakistan is to India, sad that the range in our hearts have actually made the 2 neighbours so far apart.
We thanked the chauffeur for such a nice tour around and after that we prepared to leave for Leh, which was some 210kms from Kargil.
Kargil to Leh: A Road Trip that will Change Your Perspective about Indian Roads
After a few kilometeres of dirty and under building and construction roads in between Kargil and Leh, we had an encounter with a few of the finest roads in India. I understand everyone has stated it however it is worth saying once again: these BRO people are the very best therefore are their staffed writers who have actually come up with witty road indications like "Don't Be a Gama in the Land of Lama", I imply wow!
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The roadways are stunning, they can offer roadways in the foreign countries abroad a run for loan. I truly liked the thought in Lipika's head, 'How are we ascending if all the roads are either plain or descending?' Well that is the magic of the BRO (Himank) men, I guess that's how they roll. Oh did I inform you that the views were magnificent as well? Yes they were! It was something that I will never ever have the ability to describe in the world, might be I am not that type of author who can dare to. All I understand is that driving down these roads really made me consider what Gustave Flaubert estimated once:
"Travel makes one modest. You see exactly what a tiny location you occupy in the world."
Certainly it was true for this location!
En route we saw the lovely Lamayuru Monastery. We even stopped at few places only to get images. It was a bright sunny day, which was perfect for taking some excellent images.
Leh City: It was everything that I least Expected it would be. A Place to Call Home
I have no idea if Lipika, Mohit felt the exact same however Leh City, which we arrived by 3:00 PM was whatever I did not expect. It was busy yes, that I had actually pictured but it had views and market locations and food range that I had actually not expected. Our guest home, Dolma was situated in the market location. When I called the owner for the instructions, nor did he only send his men to take our travel luggage however himself came and greeted us. In this Land of Lama, hospitality strolled an additional mile. We were used a huge space on the ground flooring and it was magnificently done with traditional Ladakhi way.
We settled payments with Bilal Bhai, who also made us talk to Munna Bhai in Srinagar and after that bid him excellent bye. So we were lastly in Ladakh, all safe and really much alive. could we be more glad?
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July 12, 2016
Leh Sightseeing:
You should have been informed that acclimatization is very important when you reach Leh. It is since the oxygen level is less and you do feel exhausted even if you stroll 200m. I dealt with dry nose and embolism, whereas Mohit and Lipika did get small headaches and obviously dry nose. They selected Diamox, whereas I felt I could go without it here and compensate for it by drinking lots of water.
We asked the owner of Dolma Guest House to arrange a cab for Local sightseeing in Leh. The chauffeurs here decide to pass the Rate Card their union has actually prepared (although, you can haggle a little).
Our motorist here also was a modest man, who bargained a bit but we believed it was reasonable enough on his part. So he chalked out Sangam (confluence of Indus and Zanskar River near Nimmu), Magnetic Hill (whatever you have actually found out about the place holds true! You can examine out our amateur video here), Gurudwara Patthar Sahib, Hall of Fame, Leh Palace and Shanti Stupa for our visit today.
The views from both Leh Palace and Shanti Stupa are amazing. Gurudwara Patthar Sahib is as serene as it is anticipated and the Sangam is among its kind. You can clearly distinguish in the colour of Indus and Zanskar Rivers and in anyway cannot take your eyes away from this gorgeous place. Rafting is among the very best things to do in Leh and doing it here on the Sangam is certainly an experience you would keep in mind forever.
Our sightseeing ended someplace around 6:00 in the night and we thought of delighting in some tasty food at one of the restaurants in Leh called Lamayuru. The dining establishment much like others in Leh served Indian, Italian, German and Israeli cuisines and not just served it however accomplished! After our early dinner, we asked about a sharing cab for Nubra Valley, which we might thankfully find with little efforts.
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July 13, 2016
Nubra Valley: The Cold Desert, the Highest Motorable Pass and the Bumpy Roads Make For an Ideal Day in Ladakh
At 7:00 AM we headed out for Nubra Valley. Two other gentlemen from Delhi joined us for this flight which was basically the experience itself. I was excited to be at Khardung La, the world's greatest motorable pass then to see the Bactrian Camels (double hump camels) and the massive statue of Maitreya Buddha at Disket. Like everyone told us the roadways were bumpy, if you ask me, you cannot even call them as 'Roads', they were tracks that requirement to get a makeover as early as possible.
The 2 gentlemen (Shan and Mohit) had actually checked out Pangong Lake a day previously and said the roads were worse than these. THAT type of offered me frightening ideas however you understand how excellent I am with keeping the grace, I just accomplished once again. What one would particularly observe on this route are the little streams that originate someplace in the mountains and then circulation through the roads. Intriguing Right? You can encounter such streams after every 20 minutes.
We stopped at a place called South Pullu to have Tea and Maggi (I believe this should be declared as the staple food in the hills, eh?). The view from the location where we stopped was once again unbeatable. On one side, one could see the snow-capped range of mountains, on the other side a thin stream flowed; and consuming Maggi at this kind of a place is genuinely an experience that can only be enjoyed in Ladakh.
Khardung La
Khardung La was exactly how I pictured it to be, crowded with people. I did get a minor headache there since of the elevation. Our chauffeur all through the method asked us to eliminate mountain sickness by drinking water at short intervals, which clearly indicated regular toilet breaks! So, we stopped at yet another location for bathroom break and it was called North Pullu. It was generally an army camp and looked rather a place (the toilets around shops were terrible though). There streamed a gorgeous stream and the lofty mountains fringing it offered it a run for cash. The water in the handpump near the stream was cold like ice and for few seconds after I washed my hands the feel of their existence disappeared. We stayed here for some time and observed the appeal of this location.
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Disket Village and Hunder:
We reached Hunder around the 2:00 PM, sadly the camel safari between 2PM and 4PM is closed. Our driver was adamant to take us back to the Disket Village which we left 7kms behind and where the well-known Disket monastery and Maitreya Buddha are located. So, we needed to linger in the small green area that had a thin stream flowing through it. We sat with our feet in the clear water and clicked photos of the surrounding.
There isn't anything like it. To be just there in the lap of the most surreal landscape and not do anything, not even talk.
I have frequently dreamed about doing something like this, I know a number of us do however we never ever let these little dreams become a reality.
Since we had to return the same day, we told our motorist that we were not interested in camel trips and that we desire to visit Disket now. So we drove back to Disket Village, where we first took pleasure in lunch and after that went to the place where the statue of Maitreya Buddha is positioned (opposite Disket Monastery). Believe me, the statue looks much more sensational than its photos. The view from the point is also something that you cannot forget. We even checked out the Buddhist temple in the basement of the location where the statue is erected.
It was around 4:30 PM, when we headed for Leh from here. Once again on the rough roads we drove and concerned a location where a broad stream from the mountain was streaming through the roadway. A hatchback appears to have actually got stuck here. Our chauffeur and other vehicle/ truck motorists pulled over to help these fellas from Haryana/Delhi. After a whole lot of strength proving and brain storming, the automobile might be rescued.
*Hatchback Drivers please do not put your cars into trouble like these, they are merely not made for such roadways.
Prior to entering Leh, we again stopped at South Pullu, yes, the exact same location we had tea and maggi in the morning. There was a group of bicycle riders taking pleasure in tea over here. Lipika even requested one to permit her to obtain an image with his bike. The number plate said they were visiting from Maharashtra. Mohit communicated with the biker asking if one should be trained to take up routes like these, to which he said 'Boss one should have passion', 'Do you see those two people over there?', he punctuated at the roadway towards a group of guys. 'They made it to Khardung La on their bikes'. We had nothing more to say, 'Wow' was the only word that came out of mouths.
We ended up having tea here and after that headed to Leh. The next day we had actually prepared to go to Hemis Monastery, where the yearly Hemis Festival was expected to occur.
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July 14, 2016.
Lesson Learnt in Leh:
One should keep in mind that couple of things can never ever be reversed. So, we got up on July 14 at our convenience, prepared then opted for a beautiful breakfast at Gesmo Restaurant. When we returned, we believed it was a practical time for us to go to Hemis; and therefore we searched for a taxi. So we visited the agent who helped us with finding taxis to Nubra Valley. They asked us why we want to go so late to Hemis as the function (Cham Dance) would have got over by 10:00 AM. We took a look at other due to the fact that we believed that the Festival happens the entire day. The agent told us that timing of prayer and proving of ancient painting is in between 8:00-- 10:00 AM and now we would have absolutely nothing to eagerly anticipate. Let me tell you, the information broke my heart. It actually did, we could not reverse things, so we asked him to schedule us the cab for Pangong Lake and Hemis for tomorrow. Today, we shall stick around in Leh.
It was a hot day in Leh, so we chose to remain in the Guest House in the afternoon and after that go to Leh Market in the night. There is something about the weather condition of Leh, it uses a comfy sleep. Given that we were to remain in visitor home in the daytime, we picked to take a nap. At night, we checked out the Leh Market. It is a charming location to hang around, though a bit congested. One can buy carpets to antiques in this market and there are lots of coffee shops and eatries where one can hang around at. The atmosphere all around the market is rather fascinating.
July 15, 2016
Hemis Festival and Pangong Lake: The Two Experiences that Made Me Fall in Love with Ladakh Even More.
We left for Hemis Monastery at 6:30 AM. Our motorist today had funny bones. He joked around most of the time keeping the long journey rather interesting. En route we saw Shey Palace and Thiksey Monastery in addition to the sighting of Chemrey Monastery from a range.
We reached Hemis about 7:40 AM and chose to have some breakfast at a small canteen. We were informed that the occasion will start by 9:00 AM. So, after ending up the meal, we went to the museum inside Hemis Monastery. No video cameras, phones or bags are enabled in here and not even shoes can be worn within. The museum has a decent size and has a great collection of artifacts relating to the culture of Ladakh and its spiritual history. The highlight of the museum is the mummified Vulture Pup that looked more like a litter of a canine.
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Hemis was all decked up for the celebration. Prior to the start of the occasion, we could handle to see the buddhist temples inside the monastery. One had a huge statue of Sakyamuni Buddha and the primary temple had the statue of Guru Rimpoche or Padmasambhava. The interesting thing in the main temple was the bottle of alcohol used to the deity.
Hemis Festival:
We discovered ourself some place near to the ropes that type of separated the location for appointed for the dance efficiency. First, the age old traditional painting or Thangka was shown. The painting is huge in size and is hanged from the top of the roofing of the monastery for everybody to see it. While the Thangka is being unrolled, a band of musicians (monks) sings and plays traditional music instruments. After this, a group of men dressed in standard clothing perform the dance inside the rink. Definitely a must-see in Ladakh!
To the Pangong Lake We Headed:
The road to Pangong for some odd 50kms is rough however for some reason I found them much better than the roadways to Nubra Valley. The major pass en path is Chang La, which is considered to be the third greatest motorable pass in the world. Well, I don't if it is a geographical truth however that's exactly what the signboard here said. Like the roadways of Nubra, you can find a number of streams originating from the mountain and streaming through the roadways.
The view is again something to pass away for! Especially when one drives between 2 mountains that are really near each other and yes the Indus River remains with you everywhere through out the journey, may be concealing at some places periodically. The Changthang Plateau is green, unlike other places in Ladakh. One can witness yaks, sheeps and horses in addition to pashmina goats in this location. The Himalayan Marmot is a species that you would wish to keep an eye out for here. These large squirrel like animals look so cute that you might wish to take them home.
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Very First View of Pangong
There it is, that's Pangong Lake', our chauffeur stated. He had actually been stating that for number of times frequently mentioning to muddy puddles. We believed this was his another bluff however this one looked something familiar. Yes, it was Pangong! It was blue as ever and appeared like a dream. We could not wait to get closer to it!
Pangong: Exactly What You Expect it to be, Exotic
Now I know why individuals are obessessed with it. This big lake spreading in between India and China is seriously a dreamlike destination. Ignore the crowd around it, which is not that tough to do as the beautiful views will surpass all your senses; AND you will be transported to a different world. Because a scene from the well-known motion picture, 3 Idiots was shot here, you would find variety of Dhabas here with the banner of the same movie. We invested at some point at the Lake and after that drove to our camp, which was a short distance away.
We experienced a broad stream that hurried through the road, scaring us like hell. You should view this video to comprehend exactly what I indicate!
It offered me a couple of seconds of chill down my spinal column but our driver was rather an expert. We reached our camp Whispering Waves. The view from the location was just what I wished for. It had actually begun to drizzle a bit, which type of made it a bit cold in Pangong. We entered the camp alloted to us, it was a cool location with adequate space for three beds and a table. Our motorist, Hussein informed that homestays for accommodation in Pangong and they are rather affordable in price also. After resting for some time, we enjoyed some light yet tasty meal at the camp. Oh did I tell you, Whispering Waves is the exact same camp where Shahrukh Khan and Anushka Sharma in addition to the team of Jab Tak Hai Jaan remained?! These individuals are too pleased with this reality and have photos of the stars in the dining location. We delighted in a good sleep at the camp, where the light goes off by 10:00 PM.
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July 16, 2016
Pangong Lake
Next day by 9:00 AM we left for investing more time on Pangong Lake. Hussein took us to the 'Shooting Point' of 3 Idiots, where there stands a yellow scooter, a reproduction of the one Kareena Kapoor rides to this location. You can get the photo with this scooter at Rs. 50.
After spending some great time clicking photos, observing other visitors and the brown head gulls and naturally the stunning lake, we movinged towards Leh. We reached somewhere around 6:00 PM and chose to rest for a while in the past have our last meal in Leh as early next morning was our flight to Delhi. We again chose Lamayuru for the dinner and as typical it did not dissatisfy us.
So this was my journey to among the most beautiful states in India. I would never ever forget this sojourn as it taught me that it is not merely the appeal of the place that matters the most, it is its people. The world may be heading towards war and violence however there still exist mankind and humbleness that certainly bring hope. Therefore exactly what if there are militants and terrorists, there are also individuals like Faisal.
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