So here I was, after a long-long time a destination at last and trust you me some destination it is.
Like every other story , this has to have a beginning, some sort of continuance in the middle and then an apt conclusion. But somehow it seems, that when in Ladakh, the beginning and the end get lost in some wierd cosmic tryst of time and all that you are left with is the middle - a never ending (never born) continuance of a phenomenon which has always been there, which will always be there, never to be lost and as I may arguably predict, never to be TRULY found.
Such has been my experience (or shall I say my understanding) of Ladakh, a majestic terrain which sets itself apart from every other hillstation in each and every aspect it entails. A terrain which never fails to surprise anyone whoever has the fortune to cross its paths, each and every panoramic view presenting a challenge to the most equipped of humans like daring them to capture its essence once and for all, a never ending trail of questions so clandestine, like where this may lead to, like what are we about to witness next.
Ahhh ladakh - it's so fucking god-damn easy to love it...or even hate it as some of us might say.
So here I was, on Day 1 when our journey began, at the Jammu airport - humble in its outline is among one of the nicest things you can say about that place
With minimal acclematization to a region so unknown and challenging, the day 1 of our journey had come to its eventual dusk, as we all know it would, and all that was left to do now was to take this final click and have dinner, in peace and quiet, which was condusive in making new friends and rejoining some old ones.
Like every other story , this has to have a beginning, some sort of continuance in the middle and then an apt conclusion. But somehow it seems, that when in Ladakh, the beginning and the end get lost in some wierd cosmic tryst of time and all that you are left with is the middle - a never ending (never born) continuance of a phenomenon which has always been there, which will always be there, never to be lost and as I may arguably predict, never to be TRULY found.
Such has been my experience (or shall I say my understanding) of Ladakh, a majestic terrain which sets itself apart from every other hillstation in each and every aspect it entails. A terrain which never fails to surprise anyone whoever has the fortune to cross its paths, each and every panoramic view presenting a challenge to the most equipped of humans like daring them to capture its essence once and for all, a never ending trail of questions so clandestine, like where this may lead to, like what are we about to witness next.
Ahhh ladakh - it's so fucking god-damn easy to love it...or even hate it as some of us might say.
So here I was, on Day 1 when our journey began, at the Jammu airport - humble in its outline is among one of the nicest things you can say about that place
And before I knew it, WE, a group of 5 friends, were in Leh, the largest town in this region, on one of its higher hills - along side Shanti-Stupa and some majestic scenery. 'Grandeur' was the word which came naturally to our lips -
Ahh..enuff of the blabber (blogger), its time for some pics and revel in the marvel that is Ladakh.
A high altitude colossol desert like no other coz HINDUKUSH cast themselves as a rainshadow denying entry to the monsoons (a shadow which has forever to stay as one might suggest).
With minimal acclematization to a region so unknown and challenging, the day 1 of our journey had come to its eventual dusk, as we all know it would, and all that was left to do now was to take this final click and have dinner, in peace and quiet, which was condusive in making new friends and rejoining some old ones.
It seemed as if the entire night had passed in a blink of an eye. So much emphasis is placed on the process of acclimatization when in Leh and to the overconfident it may seem like a far fetched idea but make no mistakes - IT IS A MUST. Learning from self and others' experiences are two very different practises...it's such a pity we had to learn the hard way. :)
Having said that, we all have some days when you wake up and out of nothing (may be pure instinct) realize that today is gonna be one gem-of-a-day, that you can run a mile without shedding a sweat, when sun shines like directly upon you showering all its warmth and you realize that SO MUCH can be achieved today, that today you are REALLY HAPPY... Well, I don't know about my friends, but that's exactly how I was feeling about that glorious day.
So before any one of us could even think of making any sort of plans, we were on our (supposed) way - TREKKING 15 KMS. The roadmap which we had to follow went something like this (with high mountains, terrific scenery, waterfalls and rivers left, right and centre ) -
The experience was - in one word - incredible. It was HERE that the uniqueness and vastness of Ladakh, its out-standing grandeur dawned on me like an absolute truth. All those majestic peaks (which are all surely amongst the earth's highest mountain points), all that barren land without a single tree , looking into those vast horizons and NOT a man in sight, all were like providing a really fast crash course about everything that is LADAKH.
Well, its really hard to resist the urge of sharing what I know you must witness too, so here it goes -
