Leh Diaries :Part I

I love to travel. Something my parents have imbibed in me since we were kids. I thank them for my passion for travelling and it has taught me great deal. This year when they started planning for a half yearly trip their chosen destination really intrigued me. This time around it was Leh-Ladakh.

Ladakh Landscape
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I really did not know what to expect of this place, since I had seen pictures and it has also been featured in many movies. Frankly I had seen the Himalayas, been to every hill-stations nestled in the arms of these might mountain ranges, so what was so different about this place I mulled ? What I was going to find out happened to be an experience of a lifetime for me.

We were going to do the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh leg of the journey. You can also reach Leh via the Manali –Rohtang-Leh leg.

Ladakh region is towards the northeast part of the Jammu Kashmir state, sandwiched between the Karakoram ranges towards and north and the Himalayas towards the south.

Srinagar

Our first stop was Srinagar where we decided to stay on for a day before we left for Kargil the next day. It was a hazy afternoon as our flight descended at Srinagar from Mumbai.

Dal Lake in the morning
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Since I had already visited the Kashmir valley a couple of years back, I decided to spend my evening in Srinagar on a shikara on the Dal lake. The calming silence enveloped by the quite beautiful surroundings and a full moon to add on to the surrealism was an experience which cannot be described in words.

Dal Lake
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Flower Vendor in Srinagar
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I just let myself soak in the moment till it was time for us to get back to the hotel and prepare ourselves for the journey ahead the next morning.

Quick Tips for Srinagar

• It’s suggested to drive from Srinagar to Leh, so you can acclimatize yourself to the      higher altitudes.
• You can plan 2 -3 days in Srinagar extra, as there are lots of places to sight-see.
• A Shikara ride will cost you Rs.500 for 4 pax.
• You can shop for Kashmiri dresses and walnuts.
• We had pre-booked a vehicle with a driver for our whole trip. Cost for an Innova for 12 days can range from Rs.40-50 thousand depending on areas you wish to cover.
• Early bookings are advisable. We booked in March for travelling in the month of August. 

Evening at Dal

Sunset at Dal
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Srinagar-Kargil

We left Srinagar around 7.30 am for Kargil. The journey from Sringar to Kargil is very scenic. It was amazing how the scenery and landscapes reformed at every turn.

Changing landscapes
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Sonmarg
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En route to Sonmarg
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Pit stop for foot selfie at Sonmarg

Zozila pass

We stopped at Sonmarg to have a quick warm cup of Kashmiri Kahwah and after getting stuck at Zozila Pass for 2 hours, we reached the Dras in time for lunch.

Dras, albeit named as the second coldest inhabited place in the world was quite sunny and we stopped over at a lovely restaurant set amidst a garden of apricots and green apples. The owner was kind enough to let us have our fill of fresh sweet apricots straight from the trees, and we indulged ourselves shamelessly.

Green Apple and Apricot trees at Drass.

Kargil War Memorial in Dras, with Tololing ranges in the background.

Kargil War Memorial with Tiger hill in the background.

Kargil-Leh

As we approached Kargil, we stopped at the Kargil war memorial. The first thought which comes to everyone’s mind on the mention of Kargil is the Kargil War which was fought in May 1999. A war memorial is built in Kargil which is a must visit when going to Leh. There is a museum built in memory of the brave soldiers who fought and gave up their lives in the war. Each story is heart wrenching and guaranteed to give you goose bumps. You feel proud when you stand in front of the memorial where the names of all the martyrs are etched on a golden plate, while a tricolor flies proudly portraying their victory..

Full moon in Kargil. 

Kargil is a small town situated over the Suru river. There is nothing much to see, however it’s a good spot to buy apricots and apricot oil at reasonable price. We stayed overnight at a cosy hotel with a heartening view of the mountain ranges.

We left Kargil early, towards Leh. The landscapes from Kargil to Leh were diverse from the ones we saw while travelling from Sringar. The mountains were more barren and textured, with an occasional snow peak, peeking out of the ochre background.

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On the way to Leh, we passed Fotula pass which is 13475 ft. above sea level, and is the highest point on Srinagar-Leh highway. 

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Moon like landscape at Lama Yuru.
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We also passed the famed Magnetic hill, which apparently pulls the cars against gravity and our driver was enthusiastic enough to demonstrate the phenomenon.

15Km from Fotula is Lama Yuru monastery, one of the first monasteries you come across while in Leh.

Monasteries are everything they are expected to be. A very peaceful place with monks praying , ubiquitous prayer flags and exuding vibrations that makes you feel one with the divine. 

Indus-Zanskar river confluence.
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Leh

We finally arrived in Leh late afternoon. Leh is a very lively town with lots of options for accommodation. I must admit that although we did travel via Srinagar, in order to get acclimatized, everyone was still affected by the altitude. Every few steps make you gasping for breath. It’s recommended that you stay for at least 2 days in Leh without moving around much. Many like me do not take it seriously but frankly once I reached the place, I did feel uneasy in spite of travelling from a lower to higher altitude.

Leh town: First look.

Shanti Stupa
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Our humble abode while in Leh.

There are lots of places to sight-see around in Leh which I plan to cover in part two of this blog. Ladakh is so majestic, that even thousand words cannot suffice to describe the beauty.

Quick Tips:

• It’s suggested that you drive from a lower altitude up to higher ones to get acclimatized. Even though we drove the Srinagar-Leh leg we did face altitude sickness at a mild level.
• There are good army hospitals in Leh to cater to tourists having cases of altitude sickness.
• Leh is a wonderful town with amazing cafés and bakeries.
• You can shop of apricots and other things such as Tibetan trinkets from the Tibetan refugee markets. Personally I found these markets very expensive and mostly cater to foreign tourist. 
•  If you love travelling on bikes there are lots of shops offering bikes on rent. You can also opt for trekking,camping and white water rafting which is very popular amongst the tourist.
• July-August is the peak season, so it’s recommended that you book in advance,albeit I did have a few friends who went without any bookings and got into decent hotels.
• Wifi is free in most of the cafes.

To be continued…

Do you feel like getting Leh'd. Do let me know you comments.

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