Mumbai - Shrinagar
Caught an early morning Indigo direct flight for Shrinagar. Checked-in in the Cozy and Homely "Brown Palace Hotel" which was on the banks of the Kashmir famous, Dal Lake.
After spending pleasant afternoon in the Hotel's compound garden, enjoying Kashmir speciality Salted Tea & spotting Shankaracharya Temple at distance from compound itself, we headed for shikara ride on the lake. Must say it was one serene ride as the views accompanied by the local sellers (selling kawah & souvenirs & their own stories) sweet words and welcoming nature truly made the ride an experience to cherish. It was an treat to our eyes to see Sun set & Moon rise on this sparkling waters.
Shrinagar - Kargil
Next day we bid farewell to our lovely staff at the hotel and found ourselves on these beautiful roads of Sonmarg where we spotted many helicopters riding along the roads and few above us which were actually taking Shiv devotees for Amaranth Yatra.
After crossing Sonmarg and few stops in between to enjoy the views of Sind river all the way from Shrinagar to Baltal we reached Zozila Pass in Baltal region which is said to be the beginning of Ladakh region, we could clearly spot the difference between Kashmir & Ladakh in just few seconds of the ascend as our green landscapes took a turn into grey rocky landscapes. On the way we also saw elephant foot mountains (name given as the mountain structures resemble elephants foot).
After the descend we reached Drass sector, spotted and took a break at an army operated thela for some hot hot momos and tea with army stories and how temperature here is lowest after Siberia in winters as it touches minus 50-60 degrees. Then paid our tribute to soldiers at Zozila War Memorial & headed further ahead for Kargil War Memorial in Kargil sector where we were to spend our night in Mulbeck Horizon Camp.
Kargil - Leh
We departed early morning for Leh. On the way we covered Lamayuru Monestary (Lamayuru also called moon land as its landscape resemble to the ones found on moon), Confluence of Zanskar and Indus river, Magnetic Hill & Pathar Saheb Gurudwara. This Gurudwara is a soul refreshing place and operated and maintained by army.
All the way we could spot these small green villages surrounded by Grey mountains.
We reached Leh in the night & stayed in May Flower Hotel.
Leh
Today we all were feeling very enthusiastic as finally we were in LADAKH! THE LADAKH! So after a nice healthy breakfast we all left the hotel on our foot to explore Leh market (Mall Road). Few minutes of walking on plain roads and we could feel the mountain pressure. Headache is common. A lil breathlessness is also very common here.! I discovered this great shop in the market which sold precious gems n stones. I till date remember I was in the shop alone for a good amount of 3 hours, SHOPPING! I bought these beautiful vertical bar pendants of all color stones. Around 15 to be precise. And yet I wasnt yet satisfied. After a heavy heart I left the shop as I thought my group must be searching me and this place would be the last one their mind. Later we also shopped for souvenirs (ladakhi flags, t-shirts with customised prints, glares, etc) and also had chat (sev puri, samosa chole, dahi puri) for lunch in a fast food restaurant in the market itself (Neha fast food).
Late afternoon we visited Shanti Stupa & witnessed sunset from above. As we came back to the market area, we visited a local yet vibrant restaurant for dinner and had chinese and thai flat noodles (Yummmm!) Overnight at previous day hotel.
Leh
Today we left the hotel early morning with out bags as well were to stay at a different hotel for the night.
Today we visited Hall of Fame and saw entire history of kargil war and how our army lives at siachen. The helipad here serves as one of the base camps for leh-siachen helicopters. Saw few helicopters in action. (No photos allowed inside Hall of Fame)
Namgyal Tsemo Gompa, Hemis Monestary & Thiksey Monestary were others that we visited this day.
Tonight we stayed at Himalayan Heritage Hotel.
Leh - Nubra
Today after breakfast we left for Nubra valley. On the way we visited Maitreya Buddha in Diskit region after crossing Khardungla i.e. highest motarable road, which is not true as there are other passes in Ladakh region itself which cross khardungla's altitude.
Maitreya is boddhisattava who will appear in future on earth to attain enlightenment and teach truest form of Dharma. He will also be the successor to Gautama Buddha.
Sitting on the view point of Maitreya Buddha one can see Shyok river which reached Pakistan after it crosses few kilometers at one end and Diskit Gompa at a few distance sitting on top of a mountain (we skipped visiting inside of this one)
Then we visited Nubra Sand Dunes, few of us opted for camel ride here on Double Humped Bactrian Camels. We saw the changing colors of sand dunes from gold to silver as the sun went down and moon came up.
Early in the night the locals had kept a performance of their folks dance for us. Here we tried our best steps to match theirs.
We stayed at Habib Guest house for the night. Though it was a tent stay, we didn't feel as one as it was equipped with bed, attached bathroom, corridor with chair n table.
At night we went for a little walk outside our stay on the road as the night was pitch dark and we wanted to see Milky way here, which we did. What we see through our naked eyes and what camera captures are two very different perspectives. Through our naked eyes we see a thick white patch filled with twinkles in the starry sky. That's Milky way for human eyes.
Nubra - Leh
After breakfast we left for Leh. On the way we stopped for some photography at Nubra River.
This time we got welcome gift of snowfall at Khardung La.
We reached Leh late afternoon and paid our visit to Leh palace in early evening.
In between Nubra to Leh the entire route is picturesque and one can't be bored of the changing colors of the mountains. One turn and you will see purple mountain, another turn and you will see yellow mountain, another and black mountain and many more.
Overnight stay at Himalayan Heritage in Leh.
Leh - Pangong Tso
Today early morning we left with our packed bags for PANGONG LAKE!
On the way we crossed Changla and the Z crossing.
In between we also came across a big patch of plate greens with mountain horses (khacchar) and Marmots.
After hours of bumpy ride and mountain crossing, suddenly we saw the sight of a small blue color in between the brown mountains. And we all screamed, PANGONG with our eyes n smile wide spread. Its a sight I still see when I close my eyes. Its the Bluest & Cleanest lake I've seen till date.
Night stay was at Sambhala Camp (tent stay) ofcourse with well equipped bed and attached bathroom.
Pangong Tso - Tso Moriri
After a scary night filled with chilly coldness and silentness of the pitch darkness and gushing winds as we got up early the next morning at around 4am, we were welcomed by this surreal cloudy sky & peeking sunlight. Clearly this was a sign of a snow storm somewhere in rear distance.
We packed our breakfast for the way and left the campsite for our journey ahead towards Tso Moriri. This direct patch drive from Pangong to Tso-Moriri is till date my best roadtrip/drive. Driving alongside the mighty Pangong for good 25-30 kms with all shades of blues and greens on one side and all shades of browns on the other, stoping in between, no habitat in sight, only nature and we, having bread and butter with our eyes and hearts full of love, it was an life changing experience. This is where I realized my LOVE FOR TRAVEL!
We could also see Chinese army Camps at distance at the end of our lake parallel ride from where we had to take right towards roads and lake continues its journey taking a left turn towards China.
We crossed many passes like Chushul, Resang La, Tsang La & Namsangla & Tsokar lake to reach our destination i.e. Tso Moriri. At first sight this lake didn't look any different than Pangong in terms of colors and wideness but then upon looking closely we could catch it unique vibe and shimmer. It was unique in its own way. I can't explain the difference on paper, one has to be there to see it.
Night stay at Tso Moriri camp.
Tso Moriri - Pang
Today after leaving camp we got to see the lake from above and this sight was in itself a unique one. On the way we also saw Hot spring (where I collected few sulphur stones) & Moore Plains (a smooth straight patch of road of 40 kms) and reached Pang where we stayed for a night at a home stay (Sand castle Pang) which was run by a small family. A small one room with 8 beds behind their maggie thela was our stay. We were to go to Sarchu for the night but we decided its late to reach Sarchu and decided to sleep in Pang itself.
Pang - Keylong
As we started our journey towards Keylong (Lahaul region) we crossed hair pinned bends of Gataloops (water bottle tradition to Ghosts of Gata Loops is a story in itself) to descend altitude and cross Ladakh border and enter Himachal. Few kms after descend, we stopped at beautiful Suraj Tal and Deepak Tal.
Continuing our journey after witnessing and capturing these two beautiful high altitude lakes we stoped on the banks of Bhaga river in Jispa.
Riding along this river and seeing green landscapes of Himachal Our hotel in Keylong i.e. Nordaling was a relief as it was a cemented hotel and not a tent in which we were spending our last 3 nights. Entire group has a nice bath in warm water and refreshed ourselves after days. After spending 3 chilly nights sleeping in a room with cool temperature was rejuvenating.
Keylong - Manali
Today we treated ourselves with super yummy and stomach filling breakfast after days of eating only maggie and momos. We left for Manali, crossing the famous Rohtang witnessing Confluence of Chandra and Bhaga river i.e. ChandraBhaga Confluence. Reaching Manali we could see the difference in green landscapes of Lahaul region and Manali region. We also saw apple trees and weed plant as well all along the way.
Tonight's stay was at Snow Peak Retreat in Manali which is a four star property. Sitting on top of Manali near Hidimba Temple this place is far from the noisy market and on a peaceful soil, overlooking mountains right from ones room window. After resting for sometime we headed for a small walk and visited Hidimba Temple.
We ordered wood fired Pizza from a nearby restaurant Il Ferno and rested for the day.
Manali
After having super yumm buffet breakfast we again visited Hidimba Temple as one visit wasn't enough to soak in the landscapes from the temple premises. We then headed ahead for local sightseeing in Manali. First we visited Mall road, did little shopping for friends and family, had food from local restaurants and shops.
Then we hired a car and visited Naggar. Here we visited Naggar Castle which is a palace overlooking old manali and Beas River from top. Next stop was Nicholas Roerich Art Gallery where we saw all his Artwork. Then we went a little ahead on top of a mountain in car to visit Roerich Museum/House which actually was his house and now converted into an Museum. He was an Russian painter who found his inspiration and motivation here in Himalayas and settled here in Naggar marrying an Indian Princess. He painted Himalayas and feed his soul with it beauty. A visit here is must for all artists.
At evening half of the group went out to explore Old Manali and other half stayed in hotel for Dinner.
Manali - Delhi
Our Good Morning alarm was the sound of Rains. We enjoyed the sight of rains over our hotel compound and rested indoors as we were to catch an afternoon bus for Delhi from Manali Bus Depot. The drive was an long and tedious overnight drive. One should avoid this drive if they have motion sickness problem or have a pill before the drive to avoid any sickness. I personally would recommend taking a flight back home from Kullu airport to avoid this bus journey.
Delhi - Mumbai
Reached Delhi bus stop early in the morning and hired a local cab for airport. The taxi driver was kind enough to show us around as we had little time in our hands before our flight back home. We took glimpse of Red Fort and Indian Parliament all thanks to the driver. We caught our afternoon flight back to Mumbai. Back to Home Sweet Home.
