Shakti's Musings & Travelogue

Finally, I made it to my dream destination with the help of the WOW (Women on Wanderlust) club. Picture this: 18 adventurers from all corners of the country met at Delhi airport on 18th August to fly to Leh. The first thing you notice is the sheer barren-ness of the mountains. I mean, they are so bare even the plains would be jealous. But hey, that’s the beauty of this place, right?

In Leh, we checked into the Spic N Span Hotel, which was a fairly decent hotel with all the basic amenities (hot water, STD/ISD, restaurant, hi-fi connection, and whatnot). As required, we all lounged around at the hotel on the first day to get acclimatized to the altitude. In the evening, we took a stroll to the bazaar, though it felt like we were trying to walk without breathing. Most of us had to stop every few steps to catch our breath!

Ladakh is basically a mountain desert. Everywhere you look, there are these huge mountains in all sorts of wild and wonderful colors. I mean, when you look down from the airplane while landing in Leh, the mountain tops look like the surface of the moon. No kidding!

On day two, we hoofed it up to Thiksey Monastery, Shey Palace, Sindhu Ghat, Sankar Gompa, Leh Palace, and Shanti Stupa. The highlight of the day was the morning prayers at Thiksey, the view of the mountains from Shanti Stupa, and the beautiful Sindhu Ghat (Indus Valley).

Day three was all about a wild ride to Khardung-la Pass, the highest motorable pass in the world. Let’s just say, it was chilly up there. We didn’t stick around too long and made a beeline back to the hotel. To make the most of the day, I’d suggest heading to Nubra Valley from there and maybe crashing overnight.

Day four hands down was the craziest experience of the whole trip. We hit up Pangong Lake, which is a 5-hour drive from Leh. The drive itself was a rollercoaster of different shades of mountains. The lake, untouched by humans, was just out of this world. Apparently, two-thirds of the lake is in China! The water is so pure and transparent that you could see right to the bottom. I would’ve loved to spend all day there, but we had to get back to the hotel. My personal tip: camp somewhere near the lake if you can. On our way back, we swung by the Hemis Monastery which is tucked behind a mountain, 50 km from Leh.

Day five was a trip to the Lamayuru Monastery, famous for its jaw-dropping setting in a lunar-like landscape (check out the pics). We had lunch on the way at Khalsa and then sauntered over to Alchi where we crashed for the night. Alchi is a tiny village by the Indus River with its fair share of monasteries. At Alchi, we nosed around the Ladakhi houses and even managed to crash a family gathering, just to get a taste of their lifestyle. In the evening, we wandered near the Indus River, which was another memorable experience.

On day six, we paid a visit to the Alchi Monastery, famous for its exquisite wall frescoes. On the way back to Leh, we also caught sight of the confluence of the Zanskar River with the Indus. For lunch, we chowed down at the Langar at Gurudwara Pathar Sahib (Langar is only served on Sundays), after which we hit up the Spituk Monastery.

Our last day was a wild ride as we went river rafting in the Indus. Let’s just say, some of us ended up looking like lobsters despite slathering on loads of sunscreen! Note to self: if you’re keen on rafting, make sure to cover up from head to toe! The best part of the run is gliding between beautiful mountains. The majority of the river along this route had grade 1 or 2 rapids, but we also got a taste of grade 3!

Overall, it was a mind-blowing experience being on top of the world, even if the bumpy drive through rough terrains wasn’t a walk in the park. And hey, the best way to get around is to hire a Scorpio. I’ve got to give it to the BRO (Border Road Organisation); they’ve done a stellar job building roads across Ladakh! You can’t miss the eye-catching messages posted by the BRO team on the side of the roads – talk about road entertainment!