The Colors of Leh: Beautiful Pictures on Way to Leh

Leh

Let's start in Srinagar. Dusk was falling as coincidentally the music that played in our car was "Aao Na Aao Na, Jhelum Mein Beh Lenge, Waadi Ke Mausam Bhi Ik Din Toh Badlenge" Jhelum's placid and glittering water flowing by the side of the road pointed out that Srinagar was near now. There are several small streams flowing all around Srinagar, which all meet Jhelum I suppose. My camera was too poor to click a good picture at night, but the sight and the sound of water were mesmerizing. The next morning, my camera could capture the Dal Lake.

Dal Lake

We carried on towards Leh. The journey is so beautiful and so full of surprises that you just should never go to Leh by air. Never!

The entire journey will keep you awake no matter how tired you are. Here's a glimpse of Sonamarg.

Sonamarg

The road gets a little rough and the trip a lot more adventurous. The thrill of getting closer to Leh rises as we see a mountain of different color at every bend.

And some more...

And we finally reach Zojilla Pass.

Zojila Pass

Border Road Organization really deserves a salute for building roads on these majestic mountains.

And finally, this is where Ladakh Region commences too.

The beauty never ceases to bewitch you. The sun's shining bright and making the water of the brook flowing nearby sparkle. The brook will keep you company all the way and the sound of water smashing with the stones is better than any music.

The terrain starts to change. The green mountains disappear slowly and the mountains you see now are brown, coarse, tough, standing tall unbothered by humans trying to break them to build roads. You're about to reach Kargil soon.

Just before Kargil, you would get the chance to visit the Kargil War Memorial. Visit any border of India, you'd always find a memorial commemorating the soldiers who protected the borders valiantly. The Memorial reminds us of Kargil 99 War. Our soldier's intellect and bravery was much bigger than the advantage the Pakistani's had of being on a high ground. Our soldiers fought from a low ground, were outnumbered but still won.

Kargil War Memorial

And this below is the city of Kargil.

Kargil

Heading on towards Leh. We're still to reach Fotula Pass before we reach Leh. The mountains are now starting to look unearthly. You feel like you're on a whole different planet.

You'd see a hell lot of Army trucks. Their level of discipline and self-control is inspiring.

Soon, you'll see Buddhist Prayer flags.

Driving now is very enjoyable. You can drive in 5th gear. The roads are smooth, curves are soft. And the milestone says Fotula is 34 Km.

Another 130 Km from Fotula to Leh. The road gets rough again. The excitement never stops. The terrain keeps changing. Change is always interesting to your mind.

The road gets smooth again. All your way the magnificent Indus river accompanies you.

The mountains are so tall that it would grow dark in their shade.

If you're lucky enough to notice, there's a beach by the side of the road. We climbed down it. Here's a look.

You get back on the road and keep driving. All of a sudden the curves end. You're on a straight road are left in complete awe of the view around you.

Now reach the Magnetic Hill. Nothing magnetic about it. It's just the illusion that road gives. The road seems to be going down, but it is actually going up, hence sliding your car back when leaving it free. It's not the mountain that pulls you back. You can roll a water bottle or a plastic bottle, they would roll back too.

And now you reach Gurudwara Pathar Sahib. It's maintained and looked after by the Indian Army. They also serve free langar here like any other Gurudwara. Here's a look at the Gurudwara.

Gurudwara Pathar Sahib

You're very close to Leh now. The above picture was clicked from Nishan Sahib, which is opposite the Gurudwara and you have to climb there through stairs. You definitely must do it if you're in good health. If you're overweight or unfit, don't take the risk of climbing. The air is quite thin, and oxygen is less. You fall out of breath after taking 5 steps. Being unfit would risk you with a heart attack. In fact, you should not go to Leh at all if your heart is not in a healthy state. And apparently, your car needs oxygen too to burn fuel. Its efficiency will also be limited at this height of about 3500m.