My Honeymoon

21st June - 28th June 2007

And finally….We landed at the Kushak Bakula Ripoche airport, Leh, after a two hour Air Deccan Flight through the scenic chocolate colored mountains with snow capped peaks. The BSF commando did not allow us to take snaps of the breathtaking view from the airport and we had to oblige.

Our stay was booked at the Yak Tail Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Leh. Our room window would open up into the Himalayas.

The first day’s stay in Leh was to get accustomed to the place, the rarified air and the cold weather. We slept the whole day to recover from sleep deprivation (Wedding and Reception made us zombies) and took leisure walks just around the hotel in the streets full of curios with Tibetan music in the background. We had dinner in a place called “The Golden Dragon” where we got a chance to taste “Thupka” the local dish made up of noodles and soup.

The second day went in local shopping, visiting the Leh palace and planning the trip for the next few days. We needed a pass to travel around the Ladakh region because it was a highly militarized zone. Our travel agent “Wangial” helped us arrange a “Scorpio” and the pass.

Leh is a small town with lots of shops and restaurants with decent food. There are a couple of ATMs which accept all types of cards. One needs to avoid the shops on the main streets as the prices of items are exorbitant. The Leh Market is a better place to shop and the same items might cost lesser.

The third day we decided to visit Tso Mo Riri (TSR). Tso means lake in the local language. We left at around seven in the morning because the drive to the place takes around five hours. The drive was memorable and unlike honeymoon couples who cuddle around we were dumbstruck at the view outside. Driving through the villages, our driver and guide, Jackie showed us “Shey palace” the ancient capital of Ladakh (This was also the place where a song for the movie “Dil Se” was shot). The Indus River flowed by our side and was green in color, not the moss green but the kind of green seen in movies and paintings. We saw Thiksey & Stagna monasteries on hill tops.

Throughout our journey, Jackie, a “Kargil War” volunteer spoke about the war, the army, the life in Ladakh, elite army units like the “Vikas”, the unknown heroes of the war, etc.

After stopping for breakfast at “Upshi” where we ate tasty “Alu Parathas” and “Salsa sauce” we continued our journey via various villages and military pickets to reach TSR. On our way we visited a hot spring where the water was boiling at 100 degrees Celsius which mixed with the ice cold water of Indus and made the river water warm.

TSR is located 15000 feet above sea level with minimal flora & fauna and we could only see a few Yaks and some Marmots (Mountain cats which hibernate during winter) amongst shrubs and grass.

TSR has a mix of green grass, blue water, brown mountains, snow capped peaks and blue sky. The water was crystal clear and one can see the reflection of any object as clearly as one would see in a mirror. Walking along the lake was tiring. Sneha would get tired after fifty steps and I had bleeding in my nostrils because of the rarified air.

We spent the night in a tent which was located right in the middle of two hills beside a stream of water which melted from the glacier not very far from us. We were served hot dinner and given hot water bags to keep ourselves warm but the weather got really cold and I struggled with my breathing. The cold winds had taken a toll on my head, however after drinking “Oxyrich” water my breathing came back to normal and I could catch a few hours of sleep.

The next day, day four, went in returning from TSR to Leh. We stopped the vehicle at various places to click snaps along the highway which contains humorous sign boards asking people to drive carefully. A few would read “After Whiskey-Driving Risky”. We gave a ride to a family which suggested that we stop at a place which had “OM” inscribed on a rock. This was a natural formation without any human intervention.

TSR is a two day trip and cannot be covered in a day. There are camps and small hotels to stay overnight. One should carry lots of water to keep the oxygen supply in the body in case of headaches. Trying to run or exerting oneself is a bad idea.

On day five, we visited “Sumer” and “Hunder” in the “Nubra Valley”. We drove through the highest motorable road in the world – Khardung la. This road is located at 18000 feet above sea level and one can see the Karakoram Range and the Zanskar Range of mountains from there. The winds on this pass pierce through the body and it is difficult to stay out doors. The army has a conditioning camp at this height for its soldiers. The soldiers learn to battle tough conditions in these peaks before scaling up to 24000 feet at the highest battlefield on the earth – Siachen Glacier. The respect for the Indian Army grows when one sees them fight all odds in these inhabitable conditions.

We could see snow and for me it was the first time in my life that I saw snow. I played like a small boy jumping around and throwing ice bombs. We created a snow man, tried sliding on the snow and clicked lots of snaps.

We came down to the other side of the pass and drove towards “Nubra Valley” alongside the muddy “Shiok River”. In “Dishkit” we went to a “Gompa” (Monastery in the local language). This monastery had eerie idols of ghost like creatures which represented a story. Long ago when “Chengiz Khan” invaded India this monastery acted as a barrier, he tried capturing this monastery three times and once fell into the gorge below but survived. Later, he took an alternate route to enter into India. The idols in the monastery hold a head of a daemon which represents “Chengiz Khan”.

“Hunder” is a desert in the middle of Himalayas. The presence of a desert in the mountains is weird but true. The double humped camels in the region were supposedly brought from the Middle East by “Chengiz Khan” and this animal has evolved and survived. In Ladakh, even though the temperatures are low the sun beats down heavily and makes you feel hot. So after the snow, it was the hot desert.

“Sumer” is considered to be the last big village on the Indo-Pak border. “Thoise” is the Indian Air Force base closest to the border and this route is used by the army to reach Siachen. The Army check post is vigilant and does not take any chances with any vehicle. Every vehicle is checked thoroughly by the army before it enters or leaves this region. There is a beautiful monastery in this place and we gave a ride to an old monk (not the RUM) who was very happy to see us in his place. After finishing our lunch in a restaurant which served a lot of exotic dishes to our surprise we headed back.

“Khardung la”, “Hunder”, “Sumer” and “Nubra valley” depict the different beauties of nature. The icy cold snow, the red hot desert and the green valley can be seen. These three places can be covered in one day.

We had two more days left and on day six we decided to visit “Pangong Lake” via picturesque villages like “Sakti”, “Taktok” and “Chamday” and Chang La Pass. This lake is probably the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Located in between mountains the approach to this lake is something I would remember. In between ragged brown mountains one can see a blue colored sky mixing into a blue colored lake. When we reached the place it felt as though we were no longer alive. It has a heavenly feel to it. This might seem a bit too poetic but trust me I am one of the most non-poetic cynical people in the world.

The lake freezes during winter and vehicles and horses ply on it to travel to China. While we were there a motor boat took some army personnel around the lake and we were wishing that we knew someone in the Army.

On our way back we were greeted by kids throwing water on buses and cars. This water throwing festival is called – “Hemis”. We also came to know that the “Dalai Lama” was visiting the place soon.

The last day of our stay in Leh came by and we decided to visit the “Shanti Stupa” in Leh and the “Hall of Fame” museum dedicated to the army & the air force. We could see the gear used by soldiers in Siachen, the weapons captured during the”Kargil War” and stories about various battles fought by brave men. I was thrilled to hold an AK 47 and a rocket propelled grenade launcher.

We also drove to “Gurudwara Pathar Sahib” where “Guru Nanak” was meditating beside a stone and a daemon tried to kill him by kicking on the stone. The guru survived and the imprint of him can be seen on a stone along with the foot print of the daemon. On our way we saw the confluence of the rivers “Zanskar” and “Indus”. The rivers were of different colors and the confluence was a beautiful sight.

One last thing had to be seen, National Highway 1 - the lifeline of the Indian Army during the Kargil War. The highway ran close to the LOC and gave us a happy feeling of being Indian. This was our land.

The trip came to an end that day but the memories are still fresh, a honeymoon trip couldn’t have been better.

Current mood: cheerful