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.

Leh..... Living Life..

Day 2 at Leh-

After sleeping for a night in Leh, we got comfortably acclimatized to the altitude. However, not much of work could be done.

We planned to go to the famous Pangong lake by bikes. But Mohit’s health and my fears did not allow us to get on the bikes. So, Ravi Bhaiya (Mohit’s brother) booked a cab for us. We left early in the morning at around 6 a.m. as we planned to return by evening. But I would really love to stay for a night there. I can only imagine how it would be to look at the star studded deep blue sky with a tranquil lake besides surrounded by looming mountains. Even the thought of this gives me goose bumps. Never mind, it has been added to my wish list. Next time!!! Oh yes! I am coming here again. Some time in my life!

 Way to Pangong! So Serene!!!

 Caution! These roads are highly accident prone

As we left early, we did not face much of traffic. It can be very difficult to drive with huge traffic on bad road to Pangong. So it is always advisable to leave early. We were stopped by a herd of holy cows of Ladakh- Yalks.

Ladakh's holy cow

We stopped at a tea stall for Maggi and tea. The stall owner added some local herb in it and it was the yummiest Maggi I have ever had. She had a beautiful and shy daughter who posed beautifully for us. Here are some pics-

Then we left for the lake. After around one hour, we got the first glimpse of The Pangong lake. Oh My God!!! That is so beautiful. This is something someone should visit at least once. And a lot of tourists have come after the movie 3 Idiots. But one thing we forget is to maintain the dignity of the place. Why can’t we leave the habit of dropping chips packets and plastic bottles everywhere? We must know that these places are very difficult to reach let alone clean. So any junk left would remain there forever and ever. So we should not destroy such vulnerable places.


We were reaching close to Pangong and our excitement was shooting. Around 35 kms of Pangong lake lies in India and rest of around 100 km is in China.

Since this place has become famous after “3 Idiots”, we find many food stalls named after characters of 3 idiots.

 
 

 We enjoyed in the salt lake and had some great pictures taken.


 
 

Tohfa Qubool Ho!

Nothing to say!

This is one experience I find difficult to express. The beauty, serenity and tranquility of the place is ineffable.

 

 

Even the photographs are less beautiful. After having lunch, we left for Leh. While returning, we stopped at Changla Pass. Its not advisable to stay at passes, so we left early. moreover, we were so much in awe of Pangong that everything else seemed less beautiful. 

Leaving ChangLa Pass

JULEY!!!

Reaching Leh...

Tranquil Leh

 We started at around 9 in the morning and took hardly 1.5 hours to reach Leh. In between, there was military base at Karu. Army has developed this road beautifully. It was a pleasure moving along Sindhu river. I have seen more rivers as compared to whole my life on this trip!

We enjoyed this part of our journey the most. And then we reach Leh.... the land of souls...

We stayed there in Kendriya Vidyalaya teachers quaters with Mohit's brother. 

 Staying there was a wonderful experience which a hotel could never offer. We had been traveling since 4 days but still faced problem in breathing in Leh. Even a short walk of 100m was enough to tire us. We took rest for few hours and then moved out for lunch.

We were roaming around on bikes but whenever we had to walk, it seemed difficult to breathe.  We went to army museum and wanted to go to King's palace after that but Leh is not a place to plan hectic schedule. It is a slow town and it will bring you down to its own pace. Also, the museum leaves you so tired that you can not think of more sight seeing.

We reached Leh on 26 July. And this is something special. Army celebrates this day as "VIJAY DIWAS". And I feel lucky to visit Leh on this date. We became a part of special screening of a documentary made on Kargil war. The whole environment made us feel so proud. Here are a few pics:

Army museum

Army tents at Siachen

Tiranga

Here is some action in the museum: 

 

This saying is enough for an adrenaline rush of pride and honour

 With all this action we winded up our day at the museum and headed for a nice coffee at a cafe outside the museum.

Then we went for some food and finally back to hostel for a good sleep. Just to make sure we wake up next morning acclimatized. Good night...