Many wish, dream & talk about visiting Ladakh as it offers the most unique experience of a life time. Ladakh offers many surprises & is probably one of the most beautiful places in India. You can fulfill all your desires of visting the highlands with its cultures, witnessing snow, deserts, rivers, glaciers, best of the lakes & the highest passes in the world.
My trip to Ladakh was a long awaited one, finally my dream came true on 20.08.2016.The Scrapbook scribbled by 9 People(Viju,Vijeth,Kaushik,Vishal,Radha,Vishal,Supriya & Tejal ) must say that even the roads leading to Ladakh have their own appeal. When you’re about to touch down, the very first glimpse of the snow laden heaven brings a twinkle in your eyes! Just imagine looking down on a silent, placid, greenish blue lake – beautiful, isn’t it? Or imagine the sight of magnificent mountains greeting you – that was a indeed a welcome one can never forget. And then as you enter Leh, the characteristic mountains greet you with their silent white faces. Ladakh is virtually cut off from the outside world.Ladakh in its true shining colors ,The colorful monasteries, steep curves, snow-covered peaks, scorching heat of the sun, freezing winds , endless hills, barren lands, clean and curvy roads and the mystical Lamas where centuries old monasteries have still maintained their charm. The rare phenomenon of Magnetic Hill leaves everyone astonished and a destination that comes straight out of the world of fantasies.
Yessssss!!!!, that’s Leh-Ladakh for you!
This was the most emotional part of the trip. The Hall of Fame War Museum. It was all about the Kargil war in 1999 and the stories of the army men who sacrificed their lives for the pride of India. They showed us a documentary which had all the information regarding the Kargil Conflict. Reading letters of army men who were as young as I am now, reading their letters to their parents got genuine tears in my eyes and I felt respectful of their determination to work for their country risking their own lives. There were various rooms showing you different aspects of the Ladakhi life and also rooms filled with ammunition and stuff that was retrieved from the opposition.
Nubra valley
Nubra valley has literally a little something of everything. It has rocky mountains. This place is simply magical ,Reached the Khardungla pass, and felt proud to be at the highest motorable road in the world. The mountains here looked so picturesque and dynamic and the white sand feels so soft that it only makes sense to roam around bare foot. And how can I forget the camels? Double humped furry camels that pooped every time someone sat on them. They were cute and innocent and unforgettable
The cultural show, one of its kind you can’t afford to miss it if you are at Ladakh(Nubra Valley). The Ladakhi men and women performed different styles of dances which showcased their culture and stories behind these dances. They sang every piece beautifully and wholeheartedly and always had the charming smile on their faces. If you want to know about the core history of Ladakh and its traditions, you have got to attend this..
Turtuk Village
There are still a few hidden gems in this beautiful part of the country and one of them is the town of Turtuk. Turtuk is a beautiful village in the Nubra Valley of Leh district that lies on the banks of the Shyok river and boasts of greenery the likes of which cannot be found anywhere else in the region. The abundance of flora in this region, especially the apricot trees, exists because it lies at a lower altitude as compared to the rest of Nubra Valley. Turtuk goes past the mesmerising sand dunes of Hunder and then it goes alongside the River Shyok (“The River of Death”) which has the clearest turquoise blue waters you’ll ever see One can clearly differentiate between the two waters from a distance.
As we drove along, the driver informed that the route to Pangong passes through Chang La, which is among the world’s highest motorable mountain passes (5360 m), and we simply couldn’t wait to experience that phase of the trip. And truly, it was awesome!
The rocky terrains, the view of the high mountains and deserted regions, made me feel too insignificant in front of these wonders of nature.! On reaching the pass, we were literally shivering. The peaks were all snow capped and roads were drenched by the melting ice.
Pangong Lake
The most talked about (and not without reason!) attraction of Ladakh is the Pangong Lake which undoubtedly is one of the most peaceful (and obviously beautiful) places on this planet..The reflection of the barren mountains and a clear blue sky on the placid waters of Pangong Tso Lake is one sight that will remain etched in my mind forever! For a city girl like me, who tries to find stars with her astronomy app, it was overwhelming to see the blanket of stars here at nightfall.
Tso Moriri or “The Mountain Lake”
Our hearts were thumping with excitement. It had already sensed some magic.We knew we were about to witness one of our most special moments ever!There is a small mountain pass enroute Tso Moriri. The pass isn’t really a tough one, but it did break our backs. The roads are actually a gravel path in a very very bad condition. Standing at the shore of either Tso Moriri or Pangong Tso, it is easy to lose yourself to their spectacular beauty and forget the humanized world you have left behind. For the next few minutes, none of us even uttered a single word. We were lost in the beauty of nature!We saw a Double rainbow circle (semicircle in the sky & its reflection in the water )!
The lake changes in color during the day, appearing deepest hues of blue when the sun is high, a turquoise shade near the bank and deeper hues in the middle of the lake. It loses its shades and turns dull as the day progresses with the sun moves towards the horizon. And the purple mountains! Yes, that’s right, “purple”! They will just blow you away!Nature can be such a show off sometimes….I don't remember the jokes, but I do remember all the warmth in the bone freezing cold. :)
You really got to see it to believe what nature is capable of Reaching there you have to admit that India truly is a land of diversity in every respect.I still think about how wonderful this trip has been.I have seen so much and met some amazing people there.Also, thank you Mom and Dad for letting me experience such magnificence.
Ladakh, you have simply been marvelous. All I would say is if you haven't seen Leh yet, you really haven't been swept off your feet!
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