Ladakh - Heaven and how :).
Ladakh must have been about the first places I chanced upon, when travel meant something more than just going to a place . I learnt that places are where you counted memories . You met people . You shared the same emotion and some emotions are universal . Relationships are universal and all around the world people are caught by the same fears .
It has been years since I went there but the memories of that trip still seem like yesterday .
Again like many of my other trips , this one was completely out of the blue and random. On the same day I had two friends asking me to visit one in Nepal and the other in Leh and I just decided to pick Leh . Happened to ask Lisa if she was coming along and she gladly agreed .
So we did a Bangalore to Delhi and Delhi to Leh back in 2011 . Our host Anuj gave us the most vague directions to get to the Lamayuru cafe . But thankfully, Anuj was right there outside Lamayuru in his ladakhi attire and if I am not mistaken some sheep skin foot warmers or something to that effect.Altitude was something that was going to hit us and we knew it . Like any other place , there was no checklist or agenda . As a matter of fact we hadn't even done our research .
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| Kunken and his brother at Atisha |
We stayed at the Atisha guesthouse for a ₹600 per night . A beautiful airy room with a view . The only problem was that Atisha was way up and that slope was treacherous. Every time we went up to the guest house, we wouldn't want to make a trip back to town .
The first evening ,Anuj introduced us to his local gang . There were too many people that night on a single table ranging from travellers, outsiders living in Leh to locals.
Achuk who hails from Leh became volunteered to be guide for the rest of the trip .
And so Pengiun became our place. We would have breakfast there and hangout with fellow travellers whenever we in the area.
It must have been day 2 , when we hired a taxi and were cruising around Leh sitting and visited a couple of monasteries . I think we went to Hemis . It's hard to jog your memory if you haven't documented your travels .
I have a distant memory of us meeting with a Buddhist Monk and having a conversation about his life . I remember seeing this beautiful face at the foothill.
We were fortunate to have met locals like Achuk, who showed us around and gave us a peek into the local ladakhi market. He then invited us to his ancestral home which was in a village 4 kms from Leh. We were to cook a meal for all of us . It was a beautiful evening . The moonlight shone into the courtyard . After giving us a tour of the house , we settled for some lovely home made meal. That night I remember singing away and listening to music .
We then decided to go to one of the two places - Nubra or Tsomoriri. Both of these places needed a clearance pass and we had to eventually picked one.
That was the first time I realised that maybe everything doesn't go as per plan. My friend Lisa fell ill and couldn't have made it onward. I didn't think it would have been a great idea for me to travel , leaving her in that state. But at Lisa's insistence , I left with 2 strangers in a shared jeep. The two strangers were Andreas - a 60 year old french woman and mountaineer who had scaled the Alps and Adina - a 20 year old french arabian girl who was yet to explore life. In hindsight I still regret leaving Lisa alone . I dont think that I would do that to a travel companion ever again . Yes , if we have a difference in opinion , maybe. It's seldom that you travel with someone who is so flexible and easy going and like minded .
To go to Nubra - we had to pass through Khardungla - which is the highest motorable road in the world. ( Since then I have actually come across articles which state that it is not the highest motorable road in the world.)
As we stopped at Khardungla , I was hit by a strong gush of wind. I wasn't sure what it was , but I knew for a fact something was not right. The right side of my face was frozen , it wasn't moving.
I told the driver about it and he asked me to cover myself with a warm cloth. It wasn't getting any better and it wasn't bothering me at the same time. We reached a small little homestay in Nubra valley, where the lady of house made a bowl of some medicinal soup. I am guessing that the soup was working on my nerves and I could feel my face . It was not as numb any longer.
When I narrated this incident to my medically astute travel buddy , she said what I had was just a mild Bells Palsy attack, but it had passed. Of course I hadn't fathomed the gravity of it all. But to this day , I think it was some kind of miracle that saved me.
We had a chance to do the Camel safari at the sand dunes of Nubhra Valley. Andreas took me for a little hike up the hills. I can still feel the bliss and serenity of that evening. We retired to our rooms and exchanged our stories in my broken French and their passable English. Communicating doesn't need a language some times. Adina took a liking for Hindi and wanted me to teach her Hindi.
As soon I was back in Leh , I was dying to meet Lisa. I was worried sick, but Achuk and everyone around had given me some assurance about taking care of her.
The rest of the days were spent whiling away time at the bouldering cafe which was Sohail's. At Penguin , where Lisa , Andreas, Adina and me over lunches and dinner.
One of the days at our usual breakfast at Penguin , Lisa and I were laughing our hearts out . The woman at the next table was definitely a case of being "preannoyed". She snapped at us and asked us to stay quiet. That was our first realisation of how a unhappy bitter person could be .
One of the days , we witnessed a street fight between two gangs within the little town.
We also met with Nono, who was a prince in his own right.
On the last day we were hosted for drinks and dinner by a local hotelier.
The hospitality and warmth of the place is unforgettable. Every time someone is travelling to Leh , I have them connected with Achuk. I still recommend Atisha as a beautiful place to stay .
This is a dedication to every beautiful soul in Leh - Achuk, Anuj, Nono , Rinchen , Jimmy and every other person we met there.
And yes of course my darling friend Lisa - who till this moment is my soulmate and heartbeat.
We were fortunate to have met locals like Achuk, who showed us around and gave us a peek into the local ladakhi market. He then invited us to his ancestral home which was in a village 4 kms from Leh. We were to cook a meal for all of us . It was a beautiful evening . The moonlight shone into the courtyard . After giving us a tour of the house , we settled for some lovely home made meal. That night I remember singing away and listening to music . |
| Adina |
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| Andreas and me |
That was the first time I realised that maybe everything doesn't go as per plan. My friend Lisa fell ill and couldn't have made it onward. I didn't think it would have been a great idea for me to travel , leaving her in that state. But at Lisa's insistence , I left with 2 strangers in a shared jeep. The two strangers were Andreas - a 60 year old french woman and mountaineer who had scaled the Alps and Adina - a 20 year old french arabian girl who was yet to explore life. In hindsight I still regret leaving Lisa alone . I dont think that I would do that to a travel companion ever again . Yes , if we have a difference in opinion , maybe. It's seldom that you travel with someone who is so flexible and easy going and like minded .
To go to Nubra - we had to pass through Khardungla - which is the highest motorable road in the world. ( Since then I have actually come across articles which state that it is not the highest motorable road in the world.)
As we stopped at Khardungla , I was hit by a strong gush of wind. I wasn't sure what it was , but I knew for a fact something was not right. The right side of my face was frozen , it wasn't moving.
I told the driver about it and he asked me to cover myself with a warm cloth. It wasn't getting any better and it wasn't bothering me at the same time. We reached a small little homestay in Nubra valley, where the lady of house made a bowl of some medicinal soup. I am guessing that the soup was working on my nerves and I could feel my face . It was not as numb any longer.
When I narrated this incident to my medically astute travel buddy , she said what I had was just a mild Bells Palsy attack, but it had passed. Of course I hadn't fathomed the gravity of it all. But to this day , I think it was some kind of miracle that saved me.
We had a chance to do the Camel safari at the sand dunes of Nubhra Valley. Andreas took me for a little hike up the hills. I can still feel the bliss and serenity of that evening. We retired to our rooms and exchanged our stories in my broken French and their passable English. Communicating doesn't need a language some times. Adina took a liking for Hindi and wanted me to teach her Hindi.
As soon I was back in Leh , I was dying to meet Lisa. I was worried sick, but Achuk and everyone around had given me some assurance about taking care of her.
The rest of the days were spent whiling away time at the bouldering cafe which was Sohail's. At Penguin , where Lisa , Andreas, Adina and me over lunches and dinner.
One of the days at our usual breakfast at Penguin , Lisa and I were laughing our hearts out . The woman at the next table was definitely a case of being "preannoyed". She snapped at us and asked us to stay quiet. That was our first realisation of how a unhappy bitter person could be .
One of the days , we witnessed a street fight between two gangs within the little town.
We also met with Nono, who was a prince in his own right.
On the last day we were hosted for drinks and dinner by a local hotelier.
The hospitality and warmth of the place is unforgettable. Every time someone is travelling to Leh , I have them connected with Achuk. I still recommend Atisha as a beautiful place to stay .
This is a dedication to every beautiful soul in Leh - Achuk, Anuj, Nono , Rinchen , Jimmy and every other person we met there.And yes of course my darling friend Lisa - who till this moment is my soulmate and heartbeat.
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