Day
1
After a night at Kargil, the next stop was the beautiful
city of Leh. Enroute, I passed the Namika La (‘La’ meaning ‘Pass’) at 12,000 ft
and Fotu La at 13479 ft whose peaks were beyond beautiful. Being ardent followers
of Buddhism, the city’s sightseeing spots including Mulbekh Monastery- the 9m tall statue of the Maitreya Buddha, Lamayuru Monastery- an absolute beauty
that will leave you mesmerizing, Alchi-
the 1000 year old and only monastery that is situated on flat ground and
finally Likir Monastery- famous for
its three storey Dharma Wheel Gompa.
A major attraction is the ‘Magnetic Hill’ which breaks the laws of gravity. At this point, when
parked in neutral, the car begins to move forwards due to the pull. Now this is
not something you witness every day! After a tiring journey, the part I was
looking forward to the most was the stay at Ladakh Sarai. A cute little mud
house that will make your stay unforgettable right from its friendly staff, the
food and of course the room!
Day
2
After breakfast, the first destination was Hemis Monastery which is the largest
monastic institution in Ladakh that belongs to his Holiness, Gyalwang Drukpa
from the Drukpa Lineage. While there, I got to the Monks in action as they were
preparing from an upcoming festival. The Monastery also comprised of a museum
that showcased all the relics and artifacts that were dated and found centuries
back
The next stop was Thiksey
Monastery which is situated on a hill-lock that provides a magnificent view
of the Indus Valley. It was quiet a climb, but definitely worth it, for inside
was the most beautiful seated statue of Maiterya.
Shey
Palace came next which was a summer palace in ruins which belonged
to the King of Ladakh. If you are up for an adventure, you could climb all way
to the top for an amazing view. The final destination for the day was the Rambo School which was named after the
lead role in the movie 3 Idiots.
Hemis Monastery
Thiksey Monastery
Shey Palace
Rambo School
The
exciting part of the trip begins now commences
Day
3
Enroute
to Nubra Valley was Khardungla-the
highest motorable road in the world at 18830 ft where the snowcapped peaks and
mountain views are stunning. Stop for a few minutes and get yourself
photographed in front of the sign for memories.
The drive to Nubra Valley is a sight for photography. It is an
Oasis of Ladakh with lush and green fields that are grazed by the Yaks. The
stop for the night was at Hunder Sarai which a beautiful tent stay. After a
little R & R, we went to explore the sand dunes and for the first time I
went riding on the two-humped camel. We explored the culture and tradition of
Lakadhi people as the local people put together a little cultural show
featuring their traditional dance and music. Just like at the Ladakh Sarai,
this one too had a cute little room and amazing food ^_^
Day 4
Starting early in the morning, the next destination was the
beautiful Pangong. Enroute comes the Chang La at 5486 ft. After a 5-6 hour drive we arrived at the Lake which is the
highest land locked lake that is situated at 14,000 ft and spreads across 4267
m. It is the water body that forms the international border between India and
China. With its turquoise blue color, the scenery is unforgettable. If you want
to just escape away from your usual life and enjoy some peace and quiet,
Pangong is certainly the destination.
And after breakfast, proceeded back to Leh and by the time
I reached it was evening. After resting for an hour, the next came the thing
that I love to do the most- exploring the local markets. If you’ve got a knack
for jewelry then this is definitely your happy place. Right from their exquisite
and unique Tibetan inspired jewelry to their Pashmina shawls to their fresh
apricots and vegetables, one can find them all here. I was quiet happy given
the fact that I found a lot of interesting stuff that I could use in my
upcoming blogs
After a wonderful 9 days in the most beautiful place in the
country, the journey was slowly coming to an end. If you ever visit Kashmir,
make sure that you do not miss out on the best places and take back
unforgettable memories.
P.S the Border Road Organization(BRO) did an amazing job with the
road signs. It is definitely something you should look out for during the long
hour drives ^_^ and thus ends the Kashmir trip
Photographed by Nelson Vannan and Niki Phyllis
- July 22, 2016
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