Ladakh Diaries Day 7

Leh to Pangong via Changla Pass

Waking up to yet another beautiful morning with the sound of birds flocking around your room is simply mystical! After gorging some delicious breakfast, with a heavy heart we had to say bye to ladakh sarai to move ahead and explore the most famous place in Ladakh!

Our first stop for the day was Thiksey Monastery, which is located on a top of a hill, around 20 kms from leh. It’s an architecturally rich monastery with number of stupas, thankas, statues and paintings. There is an entry charge of Rs. 20 and you have to climb a lot of steps to reach various sections in the monastery. You can enjoy some splendid view of Leh city from the top. There is a 40 ft high Maitreya Buddha statue and it is alluring. There is a calming vibe in that chamber and we sat inside for few minutes to absorb the positive aura. Tara temple and silver stupa within the monastery are also equally interesting. 

The morning aarti at 6 am is very popular amongst tourists. Lunch time is from 1.00 to 1.30 pm and 4.00 to 4.30 pm is the tea break. The souvenir shop in the campus on the ground level is very good and decently priced. We picked up few things from there. It is much better to shop for souvenirs from here than the Leh market where you need to have some amazing bargaining skills. 

We were quite exhausted after exploring the entire monastery. We then moved forward to the 3 idiot famed “Pangong Lake”. Before reaching Pangong, you have to pass another high altitude mountain pass, namely the “Changla Pass”. It is claimed to be the second highest mountain pass in the world and is called the pass towards the ‘South’. It is strongly advisable to not spend much time at the pass because of low levels of oxygen. We stopped at Changla restaurant and had one of the best Kawa tea and jeera goli. Being asthmatic I had some breathing difficulty and hence took complete rest at the restaurant.

Tip - One thing that helped all of us was keeping some Camphor balls in a napkin and smelling it at regular intervals. It helps settle the nausea and dizziness that can crop up while you crossing the high passes.

The first glimpse of Pangong Lake sends you in a complete euphoria. It was almost 3 pm in the afternoon when we reached the famous high grassland lake. It was exceptionally windy; hence make sure to carry a cap, scarf and glares to protect you from all the sand flying into your eyes and hair. We were honestly too tired to explore the lake. Our driver forced us to spend some time by the lake in scorching heat to avoid a trip in the evening. We were quite upset with him because of that. Disha was feeling miserably because of the heat stroke and we wanted to reach the camp asap.

The crowd at the so called 3 idiot point was very rowdy and if you wish to take a photo with the yak you need to spend Inr 20 and with the 3-idiot seat – Inr 50 per seat. 

We placed our tired souls at Camp Redstart. The service at the camp is good but personally I wasn’t very happy with it. Make sure to charge your phone and camera in Leh itself as there is no charging point. Remember to carry a torch and stock mineral water from leh itself. Hot water is available in the morning for bathing but not throughout the day. We could see the lake from the camp and it looked surreal. The water changes color every few minutes and it’s unbelievable to witness this miracle. Ladakh Sarai has a property at pangong too and it’s called The Hermitage. I wish we had booked that instead of our camp.

It is said that a lot of migratory birds can be spotted by the lake but we couldn’t see any. With kaleidoscopic mountains in the back drop the lake changes colour from blue to green and even grey. We were deeply perturbed seeing reckless tourist throw biscuit packets and litter on the banks of the lake. It’s a plea to all tourists visiting ladakh, to conserve this beautiful haven and not exploit it. Mehul bhai picked up few packets from the shore and threw them in the bin.

By night it was freezing cold, sharp contrast to the extreme heat in the afternoon.  There was a bon fire at the camp. Be prepared to witness some sparkling milky way at night. It was almost 10 pm and the wind was so strong that we thought our camp might fly away. Make sure to carry good winter wear as the temperature drops drastically at night.

To experience the beauty this place holds is unmatched. May be on my next visit to Leh, I will spend a day more to soak in the sheer magnificence this place beholds. 

Ladakh Diaries - Day 6

Hundar to Leh

After having a scrumptious breakfast at Nubra organic retreat, we left for Leh around 8 am. Nubra is much more peaceful in the morning as compared to evening. Wind is easy and there are lesser people. We reached Leh around 1.30 pm and straight headed to the most talked about restaurant in Leh, The Tibetan Kitchen. It’s situated at Fort road and is very crowded most of the time. It’s a vibrant and cosy place with seating arrangements both inside and in the lawn. We ordered Thupka, half fried momos, Salyag bread with sauce, chocolate shake and Banana fritters. We loved everything except the banana fritters. 

With our tummy filled with some authentic Tibetan food we then went to Leh Post office. It’s a different feeling to send a post card from one end of India. In the era of digitization, sending postcards is not on everyone’s to-do list. Lavi and I were surprised to see no Indian except the two of us at the post office. Around 5-6 foreigners were glued to the seats, busy writing elaborate letters. I was impressed seeing the huge variety of postcards available with them. The postcards are priced at INR 15/- Once I returned to Mumbai, I was eagerly waiting for the postcards to arrive. The first post card arrived in around 7 days and the rest in 10 days.

From witnessing sand dunes and organic farming it was now time to relax in the lap of luxury. Ladakh Sarai – is nothing short of “luxurious haven” in Ladakh. A warm welcome at the reception and enchanting ambience throughout the property is USP for this place. We were placed in Mud house. The ethnic and traditional look with the best amenities can ride away all the fatigue that is crawling upon you. A warm and delicious welcome drink adds to this bliss. This property has some amazing facilities and hospitality. The staff is so courteous and on their toes to help you. The view of stok kangri from the room was magnificent. Everything about the place makes me want to keep going back to it. It was Dalai Lamas birthday and hence at night the mountains were lit up with diyas. The owner Mr Reingzing, is one of the most down to earth person I have met recently. Extremely hospitable and loves to share the history of Ladakh and his journey with his customers. The Dinner and Breakfast spread was huge and you may get tired of eating but the variety doesn’t seem to end. They have a very cosy corner to play board games too. It’s a must visit property and I m in awe of it since Im back from Leh.

I’m so glad I came across this place while doing my initial research. We sat in the lawn and witnessed the beauty of Stok kangri before winding up for the day. Some good local food and amazing hospitality can double the happiness on any holiday!

Ladakh Diaries Day 5

Day 5 Leh to Hundar via Khardungla Pass

Tip – I forgot to mention in my earlier posts that as far as possible carry change while you visit Ladakh. Especially while commuting it’s very difficult to arrange for change at dhabas, hence make sure to carry more of 100’s and 50’s rather than big currency notes.

Right from the time I started planning the trip to the time I reached Leh, one thought that kept racing my mind was that we should be able to cross Khardungla pass without any difficulty. Unfamous for being unpredictable, catastrophic, the journey from Leh to Nubra via Khardungla was by far the most difficult drive. Horrible road conditions, threat of landslide and bad weather are some of the common experiences while you are on this route. For us fortunately, the journey was smooth both ways and we didn’t experience any major difficulty apart from a rocky-shaky drive. This route is not for the faint hearted as on some of the twists and turns, you are almost driving on the edge of the road. 

So after painful 4 hours of spine breaking drive we reached the highest motorable road “Khardungla Pass”. It claims to be the highest motorable road in the world and is the gateway to the Shyok and Nubra Valleys. It is at a height of 18,380 Ft. You can see snow all around and the breeze is chilly. You can see people sipping some hot tea to beat the chill. It reminded me of snow world in story books I read as a child. My friend Disha challenged me to do 10 pushups at that high altitude. Having full confidence on my fitness, I took up the challenge and did 15 push ups instead of 10. The air was so thin that even while talking we were getting breathless. There is medical facility available on the top in case anyone is unable to cope with the height. There is a temple which is maintained by the Indian Army and the place is very lively and crowded.

Avoid spending too much time on the top as AMS can hit you, hence it’s advisable to move as soon as possible either towards Nubra or back to leh. A lot of people return back to leh after visiting khardungla pass.

We had Maggi and hot chocolate at Midway restaurant little ahead of Khardung Village. It’s a nice and spacious dhabha run by courteous ladakhi family.

Before you reach Diskit, on the left hand side, is the place to pump up the adrenaline and do some crazy ATV rides. They charge INR 800 for 4 kms and make sure to carry goggles and a long scarf to cover your head and face as it’s very windy and dusty there. Being asthmatic I couldn’t do the same but Mehul bhai and Disha enjoyed it thoroughly.

Our next stop was to experience the mammoth statue at Diskit Monastery. There is 100 ft tall statue of Maitreya Buudha facing Pakistan, inaugurated by His Holiness Dalai Lama. The vibe at the place makes you feel protected. It feels as if the Statue is protecting us against evils. To visit the oldest and largest monastery in the Nubra valley one needs to expend some effort and climb 200 steps.  We chose to see the statue and not visit the monastery, partly because we were fatigued. The panoramic views of Shyok River and the Karakoram Range are astonishing. The aura is mystical and you feel inner peace around that place. It was very windy hence carry a scarf for sure.

We then moved to Hundar, where we checked in to Nurba Organic Retreat. We were put up in Super deluxe tents by Atul and the place is amazing. You feel one with nature.  It is not a common site for a Mumbai ite like me to be surrounded with so much greenery.  Everything around the place is so deeply thought about. The Tents are lavish and spacious, everything at the place is supporting green environment and the air and vibe is very refreshing. Birds Chirping, Sound of water flowing by the tent, completely wards off the fatigue. It’s a must visit place in Hundar.  

The staff was very courteous and helpful. They grow fresh fruits and vegetables and you can take a walk around the place and see some fresh vegetables pop in front of you.  After a power nap we headed towards the Famous White coloured Nubra Sand dunes. There is 30 Rs entry charge before entering the dunes. To be honest we were disappointed. The wind was stormy and we could hardly open our eyes. Do carry goggles and a long scarf to protect yourself from sand getting stuck onto your hair. Somehow we managed to reach the place where you can ride the famous double humped bactarian camels. To our shock most of them were crying and were brutally abused. In front of us one of the camels refused to make a traveller sit on its back and was spontaneously spanked by the staff at the sand dunes. Mehul bhai decided to not ride the camel. He chose to tear the ticket instead of inflicting more pain onto the helpless animal. I sincerely hope many travellers do that and hopefully then the staff would treat the adorable animals with due respect.
Tip – If you don’t want to do the camel ride and just enjoy the dunes then go in the morning as it’s less windy and hence manageable.

Within 30 minutes we were back at the retreat and decided to play UNO at the tree house. It was fun and we thoroughly enjoyed out playing each other.

Our day came to an end with some hot and fresh food at the mess and warm bon fire later. The wifi is weak hence don’t expect much. Instead be with nature and enjoy the bliss this property offers. Make sure to carry a good mosquito repellent as there are a lot of tiny creatures flying around since you are amidst dense greenery.

To sum up day five in a sentence --- “From Snow peaked mountains to stormy dunes, ladakh can offer you such extreme landforms in just one day!”