On a lazy Wednesday mid-June afternoon, five lazy minds decided to go to the city of Leh in the region of Ladakh for a weekend of adventure. Leh is one of those places in India which most of us have heard of, but which rarely figures on an actual travel itinerary. Here's a pop quiz to prove this point - in which state does Leh fall in? Blink Blink? Well, this is what lends a touch of mystery, an exotic aura to Leh - exactly what pulled us to this place in the first place.
Leh is an hours flight from Delhi. Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Air Deccan are the only carriers that fly to Leh. When we booked tickets on Jet, we were put on the wait list, so we were not really sure whether we would be going. Even if the tickets would have got confirmed, we were still not sure whether we would be able to finish work in time to get out. In fact, we weren't even sure whether all five of us would be able to make it. Tarun had travelled to Bangalore and did not have tickets to get back to Delhi. Only a mad scramble could get him to Delhi - a scramble that had him proceed towards the airport without confirmed tickets, then get caught in traffic right outside the airport, reach the Jet counter just half an hour before take off and snatch a lucky last ticket of another passenger who had not turned up until then. It was vitally important that we had Tarun with us, because none of us had any warm clothing in Delhi and Tarun was our savior coming with 5 jackets.
After working through the night, the five lazy minds - Tarun, Sundesh, Vijay, Srikanth and yours truly - made our way to the Delhi airport. We each wanted a window seat to enjoy the view. Well, I did get one, but the window was so far ahead, I almost had to stand up to get a good view of the outside. The first mountains to present themselves were quite barren. (We were later to learn that the Leh-Ladakh region is referred to as cold desert). As we got closer to Leh, the texture of mountains changed from having steaks of snow to patches of snow to whole
mountain tops capped with snow. Just watching the mountains gave an idea of how the temperature must be falling outside. I could already feel chills run down my spine. The final landing into Leh was spectacular. The mountains below, which looked very conquerable from up above, suddenly decided to show their might and rose up on both sides of craft. But the craft too had some tricks in store. From being a rigid jumbo jet 747-400 in the skies, it turned into a nimble bird deftly manoeuvring between the mountains. Reminded me of one of those English movies in which the fighter jets of U.S. Airforce would twist and turn between the skyscrapers of New York city trying to stay out of the clutches of Godzilla. After a few minutes, nature decided to stop testing the man made machine, and the mighty mountains gave way to the plateau of Leh.
At 11000 feet, I am inclined to think that Leh's Kushok Bakula Rinpoche airport is among the highest in the world. The temperature was a cool 13C. The airport retains a traditional look, with wooden pillars and bright colors on the columns. While flying out of Ladakh, I also found that the only toilets available at the airport were "Ladakhi" toilets. As to how these toilets differ from "Indian" toilets and "Western" toilets - well, I'll leave this bit for you to discover when you visit Leh. There is a tourist information office right next to the conveyor belt, where a very helpful officer gave us maps of Leh and the Ladakh region. She also showed us standard taxi rates to various places of interest and recommended the Rainbow ***** Guest House for stay. An information board next to this office read that at heights of above 3000 meters, oxygen levels fall. Since Leh is at 11000 feet or 3500 meters, it was necessary to rest for at least 36 hours to get "acclimatized" before undertaking any significant activity. Of course, we laughed off this advisory. We were travellers from the city who had come to visit Leh for 48 hours - if we rest for 36 hours and sleep for the remaining 12 hours, we would be left with exactly 0 hours to see places.
We took a taxi to the guest house for 150 rupees from the pre-paid taxi counter. Our driver was called Sonam (Mobile No. - 9419815306). That reminds me - outside mobiles do not work in the region even if the mobile is on roaming. We later found out that this was a security measure - so that meant no one in the world could contact us on the cell phones. We reached the guest house which is in an area called ********. The charges were 500 rupees a day per room for a couple, and 150 rupees a day for an extra bed - no TV in the room (thank you). This area has many other guest houses, all with similar rates - so advance reservations do not seem necessary. Nabir*****, the guest house owner, asked us to strictly not bathe and to take rest until at least 2:00 in the afternoon. We were reluctant to do this, since we had only 48 hours in Leh, but he insisted that we follow his advice. And so we did, not the least because we had not slept the whole of the previous night. But before sleeping, we ensured that a "DC permit" would be arranged for. This permit is necessary to visit many places around Leh and is issued free of cost for Indian nationals. It takes around 3-4 hours to have the permit issued, so giving this work to an agent is a good idea. In our case, Nabir ***** himself worked at the DC office, so he assured us that the work would be done while we sleep. But sleep itself would not come that easy. The effects of being at high altitude started to catch up. First, the heart started to pound with a greater force, struggling to do the very function that it is designed for. Each heart beat was labored. Then, my head started to spin. Actually, "spinning" doesn't adequately describe the sensation. It is a combination of general headache, a feeling of dizziness and constant discomfort. I had to take deep breaths very consciously - breathing was no longer a reflex activity. All in all, every little vital activity that we so take for granted acquired a whole new reality.
After lunch at the guest house, we booked a cab for around 750 rupees for a half day tour around Leh. The first stop was Shanti Stupa which is on a hill. The next stop was Tsemo Monastry. This place gives a good bird's eye view of Leh and its surroundings. Here, Vijay wanted to click a photo without his cap, so he threw his cap for me to catch
. But his cap got caught in the wind instead which carried it away. The third stop as the Ancient Palace. A few of us trekked down from Tsemo Monastry to the Palace, and the rest reached the Palace in the cab. It took around the same time for both parties to reach the Palace, but of course trekking was so much fun. The palace doesn't really seem like a "Palace" from the inside. It seems half built, dark and abandoned. We had a ball of a time exploring the hidden alleys and making our way to the top of the palace. The fourth and final stop was Sindhu Darshan (see photo). Sindhu is a river originating from the belly of the Himalayas, so of course the water was very cold. The best I could manage was to put one feet in the flowing water. Later that evening, we went to the market which is just 500 meters or so from the guest house area. This accessibility is another reason why I would recommend staying in these guest houses. I loved this market. It has many eating places, many shops that showcase traditional wares including carpets, and a lot of PCOs.
Recommendation 1 - Drop Shanti Stupa if you have been to a stupa before. Add Thikse Monastry to your itenary instead.
After spending a sleepless night, we "got up*" at around 5:00 in the morning. (*Technically this usage is incorrect since you can "got up" only if you have slept). A pre-arranged Toyota Qualis came to pick us up at 6:00. The destination - Pangong Lake (cost Rs. 4600). From what the
driver said, this lake is actually a land locked sea, some 150 kms from Leh. 30% of this lake is in India, the remaining 70% in China. The route to this lake is via Chang La pass (see photo), which means we had to first ascent to 17800 feet and then make out way down to 10000 feet. En route this lake, we witnessed some amazing landscapes and fresh snow fall. As the car gained height, I began to lose my life. It was getting colder by the minute, breathing was becoming even more difficult, the brain was growing numb from lack of 
oxygen - I was afraid I would pass out. Well, that did not happen, but I did puke 4 times. By the time we reached the lake at noon, I was so discolored (see photo), I could hardly enjoy the serene beauty. Neither the crystal clear salty water, nor the increased density of oxygen could revive me. We started back to Leh at around 2:00 pm. The journey back was relatively quicker - by around 6:00, we were back to Leh. The roads are maintained by BRO -Border Roads Organization and they have some funny quotes all along the route - "If you drive like hell, you will get there","If you are married, divorce speed","Be soft on my curves","Better Mr. Late than Late Mr." :-)
Recommendation 2 - Make sure you are adequately acclimatized before going to the lake. You cannot enjoy the beauty around you if you do not feel beautiful from within. And you cannot feel beautiful from within if you are not fit. Also, be very well protected for sub-zero temperatures you will encounter at Chang La pass. A pair of gloves, woolen cap, a non porous jacket on top of a sweater and good shoes is very well advised. If you are interested in camping, there is an option of overnight camping in a nearby village.
Later that evening, we were ate (and drank) at Ibex restaurant. After coming back to the guest house, we were making plans for the Khardung La pass - the highest motorable road in the world at 18200 feet. This is only about 40 kms from Leh, so you can be back within 4 hours. Sundesh and Vijay were all for visiting this pass. Tarun was travelling back to Delhi the following day due to family commitments. Srikant said that he would go to the pass only if he got up in time. And I was dead against going - the reasoning being that this pass couldn't be really that different from Chang La pass. Finally, we took the advice of Shakil, our travel advisor, and decided against going (considering the precarious health condition). So the next morning, all of us checked out of the guest house and checked into the flight. We got a glimpse of Dino Morea at the airport - and I noted with glee that he looked equally sick. In the flight, the glamorous mountains posed well for many photographs. I think I saw the Mount Everest, but can never be sure about that. Finally back in Delhi, there could have been no bunch more relieved than the five of us - normal density of oxygen at last!
Recommendation 3 - Butter Tea is known to be a specialty of the region. We never got a chance to try this (because we did not know about its existence), but I can imagine it would be something that a visitor would not want to miss.
Summary of Contacts:
Rainbow Guest House - *************Shakil Ahmed: He arranged the cabs and permit for us. Phone - 9419372717.
Dreamland Restaurant, Fort Road, Leh. Phone - 251077. We ate here on the first night. The place is average in terms of food quality.
Ibex Bar and Restaurant - The only bar that we found in the market area. Food is good.
Ladakh Taxi Operator Co-operative Ltd: Since the taxis have a Co-Operative, charges are standard. Phone - HO:252723 BO:253039.
Leh is an hours flight from Delhi. Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Air Deccan are the only carriers that fly to Leh. When we booked tickets on Jet, we were put on the wait list, so we were not really sure whether we would be going. Even if the tickets would have got confirmed, we were still not sure whether we would be able to finish work in time to get out. In fact, we weren't even sure whether all five of us would be able to make it. Tarun had travelled to Bangalore and did not have tickets to get back to Delhi. Only a mad scramble could get him to Delhi - a scramble that had him proceed towards the airport without confirmed tickets, then get caught in traffic right outside the airport, reach the Jet counter just half an hour before take off and snatch a lucky last ticket of another passenger who had not turned up until then. It was vitally important that we had Tarun with us, because none of us had any warm clothing in Delhi and Tarun was our savior coming with 5 jackets.
After working through the night, the five lazy minds - Tarun, Sundesh, Vijay, Srikanth and yours truly - made our way to the Delhi airport. We each wanted a window seat to enjoy the view. Well, I did get one, but the window was so far ahead, I almost had to stand up to get a good view of the outside. The first mountains to present themselves were quite barren. (We were later to learn that the Leh-Ladakh region is referred to as cold desert). As we got closer to Leh, the texture of mountains changed from having steaks of snow to patches of snow to whole
mountain tops capped with snow. Just watching the mountains gave an idea of how the temperature must be falling outside. I could already feel chills run down my spine. The final landing into Leh was spectacular. The mountains below, which looked very conquerable from up above, suddenly decided to show their might and rose up on both sides of craft. But the craft too had some tricks in store. From being a rigid jumbo jet 747-400 in the skies, it turned into a nimble bird deftly manoeuvring between the mountains. Reminded me of one of those English movies in which the fighter jets of U.S. Airforce would twist and turn between the skyscrapers of New York city trying to stay out of the clutches of Godzilla. After a few minutes, nature decided to stop testing the man made machine, and the mighty mountains gave way to the plateau of Leh.At 11000 feet, I am inclined to think that Leh's Kushok Bakula Rinpoche airport is among the highest in the world. The temperature was a cool 13C. The airport retains a traditional look, with wooden pillars and bright colors on the columns. While flying out of Ladakh, I also found that the only toilets available at the airport were "Ladakhi" toilets. As to how these toilets differ from "Indian" toilets and "Western" toilets - well, I'll leave this bit for you to discover when you visit Leh. There is a tourist information office right next to the conveyor belt, where a very helpful officer gave us maps of Leh and the Ladakh region. She also showed us standard taxi rates to various places of interest and recommended the Rainbow ***** Guest House for stay. An information board next to this office read that at heights of above 3000 meters, oxygen levels fall. Since Leh is at 11000 feet or 3500 meters, it was necessary to rest for at least 36 hours to get "acclimatized" before undertaking any significant activity. Of course, we laughed off this advisory. We were travellers from the city who had come to visit Leh for 48 hours - if we rest for 36 hours and sleep for the remaining 12 hours, we would be left with exactly 0 hours to see places.
We took a taxi to the guest house for 150 rupees from the pre-paid taxi counter. Our driver was called Sonam (Mobile No. - 9419815306). That reminds me - outside mobiles do not work in the region even if the mobile is on roaming. We later found out that this was a security measure - so that meant no one in the world could contact us on the cell phones. We reached the guest house which is in an area called ********. The charges were 500 rupees a day per room for a couple, and 150 rupees a day for an extra bed - no TV in the room (thank you). This area has many other guest houses, all with similar rates - so advance reservations do not seem necessary. Nabir*****, the guest house owner, asked us to strictly not bathe and to take rest until at least 2:00 in the afternoon. We were reluctant to do this, since we had only 48 hours in Leh, but he insisted that we follow his advice. And so we did, not the least because we had not slept the whole of the previous night. But before sleeping, we ensured that a "DC permit" would be arranged for. This permit is necessary to visit many places around Leh and is issued free of cost for Indian nationals. It takes around 3-4 hours to have the permit issued, so giving this work to an agent is a good idea. In our case, Nabir ***** himself worked at the DC office, so he assured us that the work would be done while we sleep. But sleep itself would not come that easy. The effects of being at high altitude started to catch up. First, the heart started to pound with a greater force, struggling to do the very function that it is designed for. Each heart beat was labored. Then, my head started to spin. Actually, "spinning" doesn't adequately describe the sensation. It is a combination of general headache, a feeling of dizziness and constant discomfort. I had to take deep breaths very consciously - breathing was no longer a reflex activity. All in all, every little vital activity that we so take for granted acquired a whole new reality.
After lunch at the guest house, we booked a cab for around 750 rupees for a half day tour around Leh. The first stop was Shanti Stupa which is on a hill. The next stop was Tsemo Monastry. This place gives a good bird's eye view of Leh and its surroundings. Here, Vijay wanted to click a photo without his cap, so he threw his cap for me to catch
. But his cap got caught in the wind instead which carried it away. The third stop as the Ancient Palace. A few of us trekked down from Tsemo Monastry to the Palace, and the rest reached the Palace in the cab. It took around the same time for both parties to reach the Palace, but of course trekking was so much fun. The palace doesn't really seem like a "Palace" from the inside. It seems half built, dark and abandoned. We had a ball of a time exploring the hidden alleys and making our way to the top of the palace. The fourth and final stop was Sindhu Darshan (see photo). Sindhu is a river originating from the belly of the Himalayas, so of course the water was very cold. The best I could manage was to put one feet in the flowing water. Later that evening, we went to the market which is just 500 meters or so from the guest house area. This accessibility is another reason why I would recommend staying in these guest houses. I loved this market. It has many eating places, many shops that showcase traditional wares including carpets, and a lot of PCOs. Recommendation 1 - Drop Shanti Stupa if you have been to a stupa before. Add Thikse Monastry to your itenary instead.
After spending a sleepless night, we "got up*" at around 5:00 in the morning. (*Technically this usage is incorrect since you can "got up" only if you have slept). A pre-arranged Toyota Qualis came to pick us up at 6:00. The destination - Pangong Lake (cost Rs. 4600). From what the
driver said, this lake is actually a land locked sea, some 150 kms from Leh. 30% of this lake is in India, the remaining 70% in China. The route to this lake is via Chang La pass (see photo), which means we had to first ascent to 17800 feet and then make out way down to 10000 feet. En route this lake, we witnessed some amazing landscapes and fresh snow fall. As the car gained height, I began to lose my life. It was getting colder by the minute, breathing was becoming even more difficult, the brain was growing numb from lack of 
oxygen - I was afraid I would pass out. Well, that did not happen, but I did puke 4 times. By the time we reached the lake at noon, I was so discolored (see photo), I could hardly enjoy the serene beauty. Neither the crystal clear salty water, nor the increased density of oxygen could revive me. We started back to Leh at around 2:00 pm. The journey back was relatively quicker - by around 6:00, we were back to Leh. The roads are maintained by BRO -Border Roads Organization and they have some funny quotes all along the route - "If you drive like hell, you will get there","If you are married, divorce speed","Be soft on my curves","Better Mr. Late than Late Mr." :-) Recommendation 2 - Make sure you are adequately acclimatized before going to the lake. You cannot enjoy the beauty around you if you do not feel beautiful from within. And you cannot feel beautiful from within if you are not fit. Also, be very well protected for sub-zero temperatures you will encounter at Chang La pass. A pair of gloves, woolen cap, a non porous jacket on top of a sweater and good shoes is very well advised. If you are interested in camping, there is an option of overnight camping in a nearby village.
Later that evening, we were ate (and drank) at Ibex restaurant. After coming back to the guest house, we were making plans for the Khardung La pass - the highest motorable road in the world at 18200 feet. This is only about 40 kms from Leh, so you can be back within 4 hours. Sundesh and Vijay were all for visiting this pass. Tarun was travelling back to Delhi the following day due to family commitments. Srikant said that he would go to the pass only if he got up in time. And I was dead against going - the reasoning being that this pass couldn't be really that different from Chang La pass. Finally, we took the advice of Shakil, our travel advisor, and decided against going (considering the precarious health condition). So the next morning, all of us checked out of the guest house and checked into the flight. We got a glimpse of Dino Morea at the airport - and I noted with glee that he looked equally sick. In the flight, the glamorous mountains posed well for many photographs. I think I saw the Mount Everest, but can never be sure about that. Finally back in Delhi, there could have been no bunch more relieved than the five of us - normal density of oxygen at last!
Recommendation 3 - Butter Tea is known to be a specialty of the region. We never got a chance to try this (because we did not know about its existence), but I can imagine it would be something that a visitor would not want to miss.
Summary of Contacts:
Rainbow Guest House - *************Shakil Ahmed: He arranged the cabs and permit for us. Phone - 9419372717.
Dreamland Restaurant, Fort Road, Leh. Phone - 251077. We ate here on the first night. The place is average in terms of food quality.
Ibex Bar and Restaurant - The only bar that we found in the market area. Food is good.
Ladakh Taxi Operator Co-operative Ltd: Since the taxis have a Co-Operative, charges are standard. Phone - HO:252723 BO:253039.
