And God said - "Some new trips are coming your way." And then he sent my cousin to convince people at home to send us on this amazing trip.
Day 0: April 13th, 2022
Boarded flight from Lucknow to Delhi sharp at 5:32 PM. Reached our hotel in Delhi by 7:00 PM for an overnight stay which was 20 minutes away from the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Had our dinner and slept off.
Day 1: April 14th, 2022
Left the hotel at 5:35 AM in the morning and was waiting at the Delhi Airport Terminal 2 to board the flight to Leh. Had our breakfast at the Delhi Airport. Since we were travelling with a Delhi based travel company JUGNI TRAVELS so we met a few of our Jugnis at the airport who were boarding the flight together with us. Boarded the flight to Leh at 8:00 AM and reached Leh by 10:30 AM.
Nitesh, the CEO of Jugni Travels came to Leh airport to pick us up. There were 12 Jugnis and 3 innovas to pick up and drop us off from the airport to the hotel. All the Jugnis left for the hotel in their respective innovas.
Since I was travelling with my mom and sister, we three were sitting in the last Innova and were waiting for the fourth Jugni to come in and occupy the remaining seat in our Innova since her flight landed late. Her name is Sangeeta Khanna from Mumbai. As her flight landed and she came, we introduced each other among ourselves as we were heading towards the Hotel.
Around 11:28 AM in the morning, as we reached Hotel Sipa, we all were sitting inside the dining area having our breakfast.
I and Sangeeta aunty reached our room. As I was conversing with her I got to know a lot of things from her. She is basically from mumbai. I chitchatted with her the whole day; I asked her if she is into spirituality because I am so inclined towards that concept and everything related to it. I told her about myself, how hard I have been struggling my whole life and during lockdown how the severity of my depression has increased.
While conversing with Sangeeta aunty I got to know about her life and just realized how hard it has been. She is an amazing person. She even told me that her best friend's name is also Neha and I told her that I also want to be her best friend. She even told me different ways of spirituality and I have been practising them already unknowingly through the guidance of my God. Jesus Christ said - "With man it is impossible but all things are possible through Christ." The human mind is limited but if that limited mind is somehow able to make a connection with the divine and start living in 5D then humans can become limitless.
People are quick to point a finger at others, and blame others but if they start doing it to themselves that is all that is needed. In order to change the world we don't need to change anything outside, all the changes need to be made within. How impactful this change would be? Not a finger has to be lifted in the world to change it because all changes are to be made within and everyone including me should be doing it.
After this long conversation, we went down for lunch at around 3:00 PM. As we were hogging our lunch we were given certain instructions on how to do proper acclimatisation. We were advised to take Diamox on day one and also the night before landing in Leh as it will help us to acclimatise easily. Also, there were a few instructions given as below:
1) Don't come out of the room and take proper rest.
2) Use oil to lubricate your navel and nostrils to avoid nostril bleeding.
3) Keep your skin moisturised at all times.
4) Use your required medical kit in case of headache, nausea, dizziness, breathlessness etc.
5) Pray and show gratitude to God at all times that you are alive.
We followed all the instructions carefully and rested for the day. Around 7:00 PM we came down for dinner. Post which we had a get together in a room where we had a knowledge sharing session by Nitesh. Around 9:00 PM everybody went to sleep in their respective rooms.
Day 2: April 15th, 2022
Morning 7:00 AM we got up to the beautiful sunrise and got ready.
Around 8:30 AM everyone got together for breakfast.
After breakfast, we met our local guide: "Palley". Her real name is Spalzes meaning beautiful spring. She has a mom, dad and a younger brother in her family. She completed her schooling till 10th in Ladakh and then moved to Kashmir to pursue her Bachelor in Arts. She has been working individually on a project that promotes sustainable travel and highlights the problem of littering in Ladakh. She does a survey on how much garbage a particular travel group creates on a daily basis. She is collecting that data and is trying to come up with solutions to present to the government.
Talking to her I found out that there can be many recyclable materials that can be used to make other daily use things rather than shedding them for garbage. For example, Cigarette buds are cleaned properly and are used to fill Teddy Bears or Bean Bags. Segregating dry waste and wet waste is another solution to reduce the severity of the toxicity of the waste. Using recyclable materials instead of disposable ones and Planting more trees can be other solutions. There are many other ways to reduce littering to travel in a sustainable way and make the earth a better place for living.
Also, I got to know from Palley that the people of Ladakh are completely dependent on tourism as their main occupation in order to survive. These corona times, it has taken a huge toll on the tourism industry and also on the occupations of people in Ladakh. Apart from tourism, they depend on Kitchen Farming to grow their own vegetables in order to survive in these hard times. Palley also has her own Kitchen Garden. She also told me about the Farm to Table concept that is being practised in Ladakh where the food on the table is directly coming from local farmers. Palley is such an inspiring and knowledgeable person; it was fantastic to have her as our guide on the trip. I literally got to learn a lot about Ladakh from her. You know it feels so good to me when I make friends from a different place, I get to learn from them a lot.
Also, a lot of places I have been seeing it was written with quotes: "BRO".
Well to clarify that they don't write it because they want to look cool. BRO here totally has a different meaning. It stands for Border Roads Organization (BRO). It is a road construction executive force that belongs to the Indian Army and it helps to develop and maintain road networks in border areas of India and friendly neighbouring countries.
Around 10:15 AM we left our hotel and stopped at a few places to click pictures.
We went through the National Highway route to a place called Sangam for river rafting. At sharp 11:20 AM, we reached Sangam.
Sangam is a point where Indus and Zanskar River meets and it is surrounded by Himalayan ranges. Indus is the most polluted river that comes from China. Water is not salty but is not recommended to drink as people dump garbage in the river. The river rafting experience in the Zanskar river was very serene and quiet surrounded by amazing views of mountains.
In the months of January to February, the Zanskar River completely freezes and is known as Chadar Trek. We did river rafting in the Zanskar river and clicked a few snaps over here. Our rafting guide was from Hrishikesh. He told us that he is a pro and has been going to various rafting and kayaking competitions in Himachal and other places. He suggested we do white water rafting in Hrishikesh. Rafting in Zanskar was quite normal and not dangerous at all. The water was not that steady and we were sailing smoothly in the directions of our rafting guide. The water was crystal clear and we were able to see the rocks beneath. It was a fun and amazing experience of rafting with all scenic views and serene water, a little sunny along with cold breezes flowing throughout. Truly a mind-boggling experience to connect with nature.
Around 1:02 PM we left Sangam, on the route to Magnetic Hill.
The amazing fact about Magnetic Hill is that if we leave our car on the slope freely instead of moving down it goes up the slope because of the magnetic field. Due to the magnetic field, even the planes are not allowed to fly over the magnetic hill. We saw people doing dirt biking near that area and clicked a few pictures and left from there.
Around 1:30 PM we reached Gurudwara Patthar Sahib.
The story behind the formation of this Gurudwara is quite amazing.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji during his life has been travelling a lot. He stayed in Ladakh for some time. During his stay in Ladakh, everyone was happy but there was a Devil who tried to kill Guru Nanak Ji by throwing a huge stone at him. When the stone hit Guru Nanak Ji it became soft and took the shape of Guru Nanak Ji. The Devil came to check and tried to hit the stone with his leg and got stuck in it. Even Guru Nanak ji was also fighting a Devil in his life, so was Jesus Christ and also all of us.
It is a beautiful Gurudwara managed and maintained by the Indian Army personnel. We did darshan here and had my first Langar of life which was amazing. All the folks were sitting together in a room, praying, having food together and the Army people were serving everyone wholeheartedly.
After we finished our lunch we went to the Hall of Fame at around 2:32 PM.
It is a museum based on Kargil War. We did take a tour of the entire museum and learnt about different battles our Indian Army has gone through.
Around 4:00 PM came to Leh market and all of us were ready for shopping.
I found something called Prayer Wish. We swing it in a clockwise direction chanting - "OM MANI PADME HUM" which is a Buddhist mantra that means "Bless All Living Beings." I bought it and was swinging it and chanting that mantra the whole time during shopping; it was so much fun.
As we finished our shopping we reached back to Hotel Sipa around 7:00 PM and ordered Kahwah Tea which is a Ladakhi Tea presented with honey, crushed nuts and almonds and is quite refreshing and addictive.
After having Kahwah tea, relaxed for some time, skipped dinner for the day and slept off.
Day 3: April 16th, 2022
Around 9:00 AM we were ready with our luggage and had breakfast. After the breakfast at 10:50 AM we checked out from the hotel Sipa and left for Khardungla Pass which is at 10000 feet. Since the Khardungla region is filled with snow-covered mountains it is advised to wear proper thermals, woollens, jackets, caps, etc. Folks with motion sickness problems should take their medicines beforehand.
Well since I got sick during this routing, I was trying not to make the Devil happy, as this was my first experience with snow and God has given his wonderful blessing for me to experience it. So, I was trying to make my God happy. 😉
It is not advised to stay at Khardungla for more than 5 minutes since it is very cold and crowded.
The sudden temperature change can affect your health so it is advised to take the required precautions before leaving for this place.
Around 1:30 PM we stopped for lunch in a small dhaba on the way. We had Maggi and lemon ginger tea as our lunch and left from there.
While travelling forward Palley told us that recently they have started the concept of portable theatres in Ladakh. This was something amazing I got to know from her.
Also while travelling on the roadside I saw many inspiring travel quotes to promote tourism in Ladakh. Few of the signboards read as:
1) Life is a journey, not a destination.
2) Fill your life with experiences, not things.
3) Life is short, don't make it shorter.
4) Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul.
Around 5:00 PM we reached Nubra Valley which is in the Northern part of Ladakh. We went to the famous Sand Dunes in Nubra Valley where the double hump camels are found. As we went there, people were doing camel rides.
We noticed that these camels were not properly maintained and were tormented for business and commercial purposes. This becomes a severe case of animal cruelty. So I want to bring here the attention of the Ladakh Tourism Board.
Around 6:11 PM left Sand Dunes and went to a local Momo shop to have our evening snacks.
Once finished we left for our hotel and reached Hotel Hill Crest Resort and checked into our respective rooms around 7:00 PM.
At sharp 9:00 PM, everybody gathered for a Bonfire and we learnt a few more things about Ladakh from Palley.
Once the Bonfire session was over we went to have our dinner. At the dinner table, everybody was having a discussion on the topic of the sufferings of Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims. Again Humans are Humans, they think in every possible Humanly way only and refrain from thinking through the perspective of God and hence create classifications among themselves even while having discussions. For me it's very simple: People of God suffered and People of the Devil made them suffer. Why do Humans complicate simple things I don't understand?
Jesus said - "Walk by faith and not by Sight. Live in Spirit and not in Flesh." If we start watching everything through our spiritual eyes aren't we all energies or spirits or humans who belong to the same universe? If we need to bring a change in the world, we all need to start thinking, acting and speaking like Gods & all changes are to be made within. Anyways after completing the dinner, we all moved to room no 206. People had their ladies sangeet, they practised and danced as I was enjoying the moonlight.
At sharp 10:30 PM, we went to our respective rooms and slept off.
Day 4: April 17th, 2022
Around 8:30 AM in the morning everybody was ready and gathered in the hotel lobby.
We left for our breakfast at a place called Stone Hedge in Hunder which is 5 minutes walking distance from our hotel.
This place provides live Ladakhi breakfast.
At sharp 10:02 AM, after our breakfast we left for Turtuk village. The total travelling time from Hunder to Turtuk was three hours. Turtuk is a village which India took back from Pakistan in the war of 1971. As we were travelling and having our conversation with our driver Singhe (means Lion).
We asked him how are they able to speak such fluent Hindi. He told us that people here in Ladakh were taught Hindi in schools. It's an optional language but since teachers come from outside to teach so they learn from them and also by self-learning. The three languages apart from Ladakhi and English that are being taught in schools are Hindi, Urdu and Moti (Buddhism Language). Also, we came to know that currently, the population of Ladakh is 3 lakhs.
Singhe also told us about a place which is 150 metres away from Leh called Moonland in Lamayuru. It's called moonland because after you reach there the surface of earth at night looks like moon. I so wanted to see this place but it was not part of the itenrary, neither we had enough time to cover it. So next time, when I am coming to Ladakh I want to see the moon available on earth.
I am actually so impressed by Singhe’s driving skills. His driving was so smooth no matter how the road was. Even though I recently got a driving license and I am a beginner, I was wondering how will I drive if I was at his place. Damn, I have to come back to Ladakh again to learn driving skills from him.
On the way to Turtuk we encountered the Sha Yok river which flows to Pakistan. This river is surrounded by mountains on both sides. As we move from Nubra to Turtuk the space between the mountains on both sides of the river starts to reduce and it looks like a canyon.
Around 1:00 PM we reached Turtuk Village.
Went to Yagbo Palace and Baltic Museum.
Also went to Indo Pak Border View.
Once completed the sightseeing we had our lunch at Friend's cafe.
At sharp 4:00 PM, we left from Turtuk towards Nubra valley and reached back to our Hotel Hill Crest Resort at around 6:14 PM.
At 6:41 PM everyone went to Diskit Monastery.
This monastery has a huge statue of Lord Buddha which was surrounded by beautiful night views of the Hunder Village.
At 7:15 PM came back to our Hotel, had our dinner and slept in our respective rooms.
Day 5: April 18th, 2022
Around 6:30 AM in the morning checked out of the hotel and got ready to leave for Pangong Lake. Pangong Lake is a lake in the eastern part of Ladakh whose two-thirds portion is in China.
Around 12:00 PM we reached Pangong Lake, spent some time over there and clicked a few pictures mesmerising the beauty of the lake surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges. Since the shooting of the Hindi movie "3 Idiots" took place at this lake, it is pretty commercialised with the props of that movie.
Three idiots: ALL IS WELL 😉😂
As we were clicking pictures and enjoying beautiful views of Pangong Lake, our local guide Palley was doing the God's work she was collecting garbage from the side of Pangong Lake as the visitors had polluted this beautiful God's creation.
Had our lunch in a restaurant on the side of Pangong Lake.
As we finished our Lunch around 2:30 PM left from Pangong to Leh. Around 5:00 PM reached hotel Sipa in Leh and checked into our respective rooms. Around 8:00 PM had our dinner and slept off in our respective rooms as the whole day journey was very tiring.
Day 6: April 18th, 2022
Around 10:00 AM, everybody was ready and came for breakfast. After completing the breakfast at sharp 11:00 AM we left for Shey Palace.
We had a tour of the entire palace and also saw a fish pond nearby. Around 12:40 PM left for Thiksey Monastery.
While on the way to Hemis Monastery we pulled over near a bridge that was full of ladakhi flags, so we stopped there to click a few snaps.
Then later on at 2:02 PM, we visited Hemis Monastery.
The entire monasteries of Ladakh are divided into two: Thiksey who follow Dalai Lama as their Guru and Hemis who follow Drukpa Lama as their guru. We got to know from our driver Singhe that Hemis is known to be the richest monastery in Ladakh because it is said that when the bandits came to Ladakh to rob all the monasteries in Ladakh; they were able to loot all the monasteries except Hemis since it was situated between mountains and were kept hidden from the robbers. Also, there is a festival that happens every year in Ladakh in the month of September-October which is celebrated in the Hemis Monastery called the Naropa Festival which is Ladakh's Largest Buddhist Festival.
After all the monastery visits around 3:00 PM, we reached a local family which is serving Ladakhi food to tourists & travellers for the past 15 years. Their house was named Gyab Thago and the owner’s name was Shwang. She was very sweet and greeted us with a smile as we reached her place for Lunch. They served us delicious and authentic Ladakhi food. After finishing our lunch, they took us to a local museum.
Around 5:17 PM in the evening we left for Shanti Stupa.This place is made by Japanese people (Japanese Gompa) and it is carved with all Japanese Architecture all over it. It is really a beautiful, calm and quiet place surrounded by beautiful mountain views and views of Stupa.
With the Buddhist music playing on repeat mode and the winds passing by, it felt like another heaven on earth. It felt so good climbing on top of the stupa and sitting there quietly for a couple of minutes focussing my concentration on all the sounds around me, I felt like I was in a different world away from earth and its earthly people and their things. Even though I live in this world, I feel like I don't belong to this world. Somebody help me get back to my home - Heaven. It's difficult to pass each day on earth, I would not be able to do it without God. God is that light the entire world needs because it's filled with immense darkness.
Anyways around 6:00 PM reached back our Hotel Sipa and rested for some time. Skipped dinner for the day and slept off.
Day 7: April 20th, 2022
During the last day of the trip I felt sick. As my mother was worried, as usual, she started feeding me medicines, hot water, etc. Evening Sangeeta aunty and Palley came to see me. Seeing my condition Sangeeta aunty tried to perform Reiki on me. Reiki is a Japanese healing technique to channel positive energy into the person by means of a gentle touch to activate the natural self-healing process to restore physical and emotional well-being. I love it when someone does something spiritual and I felt better as I reached back to Delhi the next day.
The journey through Ladakh has been nothing short of extraordinary, offering a unique blend of breathtaking landscapes, rich culture, and warm hospitality. As we bid farewell to this stunning region, the memories of serene monasteries, majestic mountains, and the vibrant local traditions will linger in our hearts. Ladakh's unparalleled beauty and spirit of adventure will undoubtedly inspire us long after we've returned home, reminding us of the incredible experiences and the sense of peace we found in this Himalayan wonderland.
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