Wednesday 25 February 2015

Good bye Leh..

Today, we are leaving for Delhi. Till yesterday, we weren't sure about the route we were going to take for our return. After long hours of discussion, weighing all the pros and cons, we decided to take Leh -Kargil -Srinagar- Delhi route. Reasons being:

1. We would be able to visit some new places.
2. The idea of seeing Kashmir thrilled us.
3. The route is much better as compared to Leh-Manali highway, Zojilla pass being the only trouble.

A bit long as compared to other one but this made our tour the most memorable and complete in every sense. We traveled across the most beautiful roads possible.

Here's our first day on road back to Delhi:

We were feeling a pang of sadness while leaving Leh. And it's very natural. We thought Leh is over. But no. We were yet to see some more of Ladakh. From Leh to Kargil, we can enjoy the route. We left at around 6:30 in the morning and fueled our bikes before leaving the town.

Just after around half an hour, we saw sign board reading "Magnetic Hill". It is a place where vehicles drive against gravity. 

  Unsuccessful efforts
We tried unsuccessfully with bikes only to find out that only the balanced vehicles like cars, if left free, move toward the slope as if a reverse gravity is acting. I don't know the reason, but its actually true.

We had a target to reach Kargil today and we were wasting so much time!!! So we just rushed towards Kargil. 




The route , needless to say again, is extremely beautiful.



 
After another half an hour, we felt pangs of hunger. We had chocolates but we needed food... And then we saw a beautiful resort. Have a look...









 
The food was as good as the resort itself. However, a bit heavy on the pocket, but totally worth it.



My desktop background
Leaving from there, we found ourselves back on the mesmerizing roads, still depicting the beauty of Ladakh. Before Kargil, we did not find any hotel or any place to relax. So, please watch out over any necessities. Make sure you are ready for the ride.




Kargil Kids

We were about to reach Kargil, way before our estimated time. Good Job! As we were ahead of time, we decided to leave and stay at next halt. 
It was Eid and the roads were empty. We were feeling scared because of empty roads but later when we knew the reason, we felt relieved.
We wanted to reach Srinagar. But the Zojilla pass shattered our dreams. At around 7:30, it was quiet dark and we decided to stay in Sonmarg, a beautiful hill station.

Way to Zojilla
Beautiful way indeed






Zojilla fear starts

We were accustomed to crossing passes and were not scared of Zojilla but it proved us wrong.There were times when we just lost hope of survival. However, we crossed it safely. Then the road was smooth and it took us around half an hour to reach Sonmarg. We all needed a good night's sleep. Good Night Sonmarg. The morning will bring a brighter side of you.

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Last Day at Leh...


Today we had to leave for Khardungla Pass, world's highest motorable pass. But somehow the circumstances forced us to stay. But I have no regrets. The day at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Leh was so good that I have no qualms about it.

View of Himalayas from inside the campus

We got up a bit late as compared to our daily routine since past 7 days. We had no target to chase!!!  Waking up to a lazy day had become a luxury and we were going to enjoy it. We all got up ready by 11 a.m., prepared some Poha for breakfast in Ravi Bhaiya's kitchen and enjoyed a dubbed Tamil movie. After 7 days, we got time to see the pictures we had taken throughout our journey. While Ravi Bhaiya was in school, we captured his Laptop and transferred and received all the photographs. After so much of hardwork, ;-)),  we started feeling hungry. Also, the guys needed to get their bikes to mechanics for some repair so that we can head back to home... ;-)
So, we went to a fine Kashmiri restaurant in the main market. The food was delicious.. Then Mohit, Aashish and Ankush went for bike repair and me n Viky went for a shopping spree... Most of the things that we got in Leh can be purchased in Delhi also (but I got to know that later!!!!) but the joy of shopping there is something you should not miss. I spent every single penny I had. I may never come back again and it should not be a regret. I got something for everybody back at home.
You can find nice T-shirts all over the market. I was searching for some T-shirts and I found every shopkeeper had similar ones. Boring!!! Then I saw a slim street going into a small market. That was not actually a street, just 3-4 shops inside. But, I discovered a wonderful shop there. The old man was selling for a bit high price but it was just worth. Moreover, he had a filmy connection to it! (Remember? I love filmy connections!). He told a story that how he sold T-shirts to Amir Khan during the shoot of 3 idiots. And how Amir bargained ( Still purchased in 5 times the normal selling price...). Now that may be an actual anecdote or just a story but I loved it. And got 4 T-shirts. I have 1 with me, rest all have been looted by friends and brothers.

Now I got extremely tired ( I am not tired! There is no Oxygen ;-)). The boys also returned from bike servicing. Its time we headed back to the school.
Playground, KV, Leh

At school, we arranged a cricket match with the teachers of KV and what a match it was! At a place where even simple jobs like walking and speaking can exhaust you, we were having a Cricket match!
That's how we ended our last day at Leh, completely enjoying. Sometimes the joy of not doing anything dwarfs the success of touching down to all major tourist attractions. It lets you enjoy the feel of the place. 
We will leave tomorrow. Let’s breathe in the air of Ladakh as much as possible (Although there is little oxygen in it ;-)).