We start early today - our day promising some awesome things in tow. The first in line is the Khardung La Pass, which is the highest motor-able peak in the world. The whole wide world, y'all! At *just* 5600 m above sea level (the Everest is around 8800 for your reference), it is expected to be freezing cold and extremely windy. And it is. The flimsy sweaters we have on moan as we brave the winds to jump around like monkeys and take snaps of the snow capped peaks surrounding us. Fine. I jump around like a monkey while everybody else maintains inner poise and sips indescribably soothing masala tea.
Aah the peaks. All those poems and books written about how magnificently the Mighty Himalayas tower over you and make you feel humble and awed - they finally make sense. You realize nothing mankind makes can ever compare to this sight. Nature's splendor, the unparalleled elegance and the raw beauty hit you with great force. Time seems to stand still. And you are left speechless. Of course, that may also be because my lips are frozen shut together but I choose to go with the more poetic reason, thank you very much.
With that life changing experience, and with great envy for the people who chose to Bike around Ladakh (we are definitely revisiting this place for a biking road trip, The Husband and I tell each other), we move on down to the other side of the peak. There are no roads of course. One starts feeling very sorry thinking of all the things they've ever put inside a blender. I'm pretty sure all my internal organs have exchanged places. Lunch comes to us in a very surprising form- a sudden camp set up in a lush green valley in the middle of a very brown, sandy desert between the peaks. This beats any restaurant I've ever been to, I tell myself.
We then drive to a stream- surrounded by sparkling, white sand dunes. With charming little bamboo bridges to cross the stream. We go on double humped camel rides*, where a little girl introduces us to the family of camels as we ride along, finally declaring she has decided to marry a camel. True story.
We then move on to the Nubra Valley- known for being picturesque with its variety of flowers and streams during the right season. We are to stay overnight in a camp. And what a camp it is. The trees, the mountains, the tiny stream running along the middle, the tents standing between them - welcoming us into their carpeted interior (with an attached loo - so we don't spoil nature with Her calls, I suppose). And zero cell phone signal. We feel overwhelmed for the second time that day.
As we sit on the hammock outside our tent, right next to the stream, we feel blissfully calm and relaxed. The real world has melted away from our minds. We hold hands and smile into the distance, partly because of our surroundings, partly because we are thinking about how we pretended, just a few minutes before, that the orb like lamps outside the tents were crystal balls and that we could see the future.
*No camels were harmed from overload during the making of these logs. Really. We checked as soon as we got down.
Aah the peaks. All those poems and books written about how magnificently the Mighty Himalayas tower over you and make you feel humble and awed - they finally make sense. You realize nothing mankind makes can ever compare to this sight. Nature's splendor, the unparalleled elegance and the raw beauty hit you with great force. Time seems to stand still. And you are left speechless. Of course, that may also be because my lips are frozen shut together but I choose to go with the more poetic reason, thank you very much.
With that life changing experience, and with great envy for the people who chose to Bike around Ladakh (we are definitely revisiting this place for a biking road trip, The Husband and I tell each other), we move on down to the other side of the peak. There are no roads of course. One starts feeling very sorry thinking of all the things they've ever put inside a blender. I'm pretty sure all my internal organs have exchanged places. Lunch comes to us in a very surprising form- a sudden camp set up in a lush green valley in the middle of a very brown, sandy desert between the peaks. This beats any restaurant I've ever been to, I tell myself.
We then drive to a stream- surrounded by sparkling, white sand dunes. With charming little bamboo bridges to cross the stream. We go on double humped camel rides*, where a little girl introduces us to the family of camels as we ride along, finally declaring she has decided to marry a camel. True story.
We then move on to the Nubra Valley- known for being picturesque with its variety of flowers and streams during the right season. We are to stay overnight in a camp. And what a camp it is. The trees, the mountains, the tiny stream running along the middle, the tents standing between them - welcoming us into their carpeted interior (with an attached loo - so we don't spoil nature with Her calls, I suppose). And zero cell phone signal. We feel overwhelmed for the second time that day.
As we sit on the hammock outside our tent, right next to the stream, we feel blissfully calm and relaxed. The real world has melted away from our minds. We hold hands and smile into the distance, partly because of our surroundings, partly because we are thinking about how we pretended, just a few minutes before, that the orb like lamps outside the tents were crystal balls and that we could see the future.
*No camels were harmed from overload during the making of these logs. Really. We checked as soon as we got down.
oooOOOhhh!! Love the romantic touch ;)
ReplyDeleteAwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!! I wanna go tooooooooo!
ReplyDeleteMe tooooooooo... Vetti. I will reach out to you for planning this trip
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ReplyDelete