#SwipeRightToTravel
Ladakh has been on my wanderlist for long and a roadtrip to Ladakh has been a long time dream. A couple of months back, I was finally able to fulfill a dream vacation with my best buddies. What made the trip even more special was that I found a travel-mate for life. All thanks to Tinder!
We were 4 friends from Bangalore. We flew down to New Delhi and took a cab to Manali. The plan was to spend 2 nights in Manali and then head to Ladakh via road. After a long journey to Manali, we were tired and decided to have a good night's sleep before heading out to explore Manali. While tossing about in bed, I decided to fire up my Tinder app and see if there were fellow explorers around. I had no ideas of a hookup but to make friends while on the journey. I found this cute girl who also happened to be in Manali at the same time and I swiped right. The next morning I had the sweetest surprise as she had accepted my swipe and soon we were chatting away. She was on a solo trip and I invited her to join us on our adventure. Never thought she would be sport and would join us for the entire trip. I thank the universe for conspiring to make us meet!
Manali is a beautiful hill station. What is interesting is that you will find a lot of foreign hippies here. Mostly Israelis who have completed their stint in the army. It was great meeting a lot of travelers and sharing stories. If you are in Manali, make sure you go River rafting. It's an absolutely marvelous experience with friends. Zipping through the ice cold water and crashing against the rocks! If you are brave to face the heights then definitely go for Para gliding!
We then continued on our road trip to Ladakh. If you want to enjoy the winding roads and beautiful scenery on the way then hire a cab from Manali. You will travel through some of the most dangerous and scariest roads in the world. Scary but definitely worth! The journey is about 16 hours by road and you will find bumpy roads every now and then. You can stop on the way for some hot thukpa and tea.
We halted for the night at a place called which is almost mid way between Manali and Ladakh. We stayed in camps and the night was freezing cold. All we did was stay under layers of blanket. It also gave me a chance to warm up to my new Tinder mate.
Next day we continued on our journey to Ladakh. The drive is breath taking and your camera will be working overtime to capture the images. On the way is the second highest pass in the world, Tanglangla!
What made our road trip all the more enjoyable was the driver, Jimmy. He is a bundle of energy and tells you stories on the way. We got a new friend in him and we are still connected through phone and Facebook. It is very fascinating to know about the life of the people in these mountains.
What can one say about Leh and Ladakh? The place is a true paradise on earth. Free from pollution and fresh air to breath all around. The most magnificent sights to behold! One cant ask for more.
The main places to visit in Ladakh are the Pangong lake and Nubra valley. Both places are 5 hours on opposite directions from the city.
Pangong lake is the famous lake that appears in the climax of the movie 3 idiots and you will find every restaurant having in the area names after the characters from the movie and the movie images adoring their walls. Pangong lake is heaven on Earth. You can spend hours just taking in the sight and breathing in the beauty. Calm, serene and beautiful. You can also try yak rides and buggy rides for some adventure. You could also stay in the tents for the night and enjoy some star grazing.
Nubra valley is known for its sand and Buddhist monastery. The camel rides at Nubra valley are not to be missed. On the way to Nubra you will pass by Khardung La, the highest motorable road in the world. Make sure you stop on the way to play with snow as much as you want! The roads are lined with interesting quotes by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
Ladakh offers some mouth watering delicacies in terms of food. The local Thukpa, mutton roghan gosh, the roadside mutton kebabs, they are mouth watering to say the least.
This was the best trip of our lives. New friends, new memories and new experiences. Tinder gave me a new travel-mate. We both have traveled to lots of other places after this trip and we have grown much closer to each other. The journey from Travel-mate to soul-mate is not far away! I definitely cannot ask for more from a trip!