Exlopring Ladakh

Mystical Ladakh- the land of snow covered peaks, beautiful lakes, Gompas and mystic culture. We decided to explore this heaven on earth in April 2009.

Ladakh the land of cold desert is a land like no other. I am so fascinated by this place that I would recommend everyone to visit this stark beauty once in a lifetime. The best time to visit Leh Ladakh is between end of April to end of September. From October till March it is inaccessible due to extreme cold weather.

We took the flight from Delhi to Leh. Leh is the commercial centre of Ladakh .The aerial view while travelling from Delhi to Leh is panoramic and heavenly. As soon as we landed in Leh we could feel the chill in the air, and the scenic beauty was spell bounding.



Leh



Leh offers a lot of places to explore, admire and enjoy the main ones being the Leh Palace, Shey Palace, Thiksey Monastery, Shanti Stupa, Stok Palace, the beautiful valleys and not to forget the bazaars and the lovely food prepared and served with such warmth and hospitality.

It has a lot of beautiful monasteries. One can feel the peace and serenity inside the monasteries, some of the statues of Buddha are really ancient.

Leh Palace showcases the Tibetan architecture. It is an old palace of the Kings of Ladakh, with nine stories, and has many Buddhist paintings to admire.

                                  

Shanti Stupa is also called the Japanese Pagoda , Shanti Stupa means World Peace in Japanese. It is a magnificent white dome-like structure with a huge Buddha Statue. This spot offers beautiful sunset and sun rise view.



Shanti Stupa



View from Shanti Stupa

Shey Palace is the oldest of all the palaces in this region and the Thiksey Monastry is one of the most beautiful monasteries with a wide variety of the images of Buddha. Chamba Temple, Sankar Gompa and Leh Gompa are worth visiting.

In the colourful bazaars of Leh we found everything, from silver trinkets to beautiful beaded jewellery pieces, carpets, woollen and silk scarfs of vibrant colours, antique Buddha pieces etc.

The next day we headed for Uleytopko, enroute the Magnetic Hill and Lamayaru monastery. Magnetic hill- the name because the place seemed to possess some magnetic properties. Our stay was at the Uleytopko Ethinc resort which was ideal for camping. The gush of the streams was music to the ears at night.

  

                              

                             River Indus- on our way to Uleytopko- love the hues of blue

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

From Uleytopko our next destination was Nubra via the Khardungla Pass

Khardungla Pass-is the world’s highest motorable road at an altitude of 18300 feet. The drive made me feel a little dizzy and to add to that was the lowering temperature. I was craving for a hot cup of tea which I was lucky to get. We spotted  some small shops making and serving Hot Maggi noodles. Maggi noodles at 18,300 feet would have felt so gratifying J

Khardungla



The next day we drove to Nubra Valley also known as the  Valley of Flowers. The divine green land offered a beautiful sight.  The cold desert and sand dunes were so unique and we were thrilled to see black  hairy double hump camels.



Nubra



                         

Nubra



Double hump camels



The cold desert

After Nubra we were heading towards our much awaited destination - The Pangong Lake.

On reaching there I was awe struck and speechless, I still am, I have no words to describe the beauty of the Pangong Lake .It lays  right in the middle of  the mountains on a height of 14000 feet. Truly majestic, enthralling and so close to heaven. The blue expanse of water is expansive  and the hues of blue are a visual treat. Twenty five percent of this lake lies in India and the rest in China. We spent some more time gazing at the beautiful lake and wondered how lucky were those few inhabitants who were living in this village  Spangmik surrounded by this heaven .We made most of the view by having a lunch there , a small hotel  opened by a tibetan couple offering simple food.

Our beautiful journey was coming to an end, and we drove back to Leh travelling through various valleys and passing by magnificient land scape.
Evening was spent at leisure in Leh walking across the colourful bazaars, shopping for beaded necklaces, torqiouse earrings and having my favourite momos with some spicy chutney :)

Ladakh is truely a paradise, simply out of this world and this was indeed once in a lifetime experience, the memories of which will always remain close to my heart.

           

                                       

                                     Pangong Lake



                             Very few places on earth can boast of a landscape of such immense beauty !!

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                          Simply  Splendid



*All pictures on this blog are copywrited

This Blog is about My Travel experiences, some of the most beautiful and amazing places i have visited in India.

 

My fascinating adventures  started way  back in 2006.Thanks to hubby dear who also loves to travel and together we explored some fantastic places...
Our first destination together....

Andamans- The dream destination!!

  





Port Blair



White sandy beaches, clear sparkling blue sea, fresh air, quiet and serene, a picturesque extravangza that’s how I would describe this heaven on earth……

Our trip stared with Port Blair.  From Port Blair we ferried a jetty to Havelock Island which was to be our destination for the next few days. The boat ride from Port Blair to Havelock was for 2 hrs. And the stretch of the blue sea was breath- taking and magical.

Havelock is the largest of all the islands of the Andamans And  is nature’s paradise. White sand which felt like silk beneath the feet, crystal clear tortoise blue water and the palm trees lined beaches.



As soon as we approached Havelock we saw shores fringed with dense forests and mangroves. Warm and friendly faces welcomed us at our resort.   Our cottage was a lovely one with a private beach… after refreshing ourselves with sweet tender coconut we went to the famous Radha nagar beach which is also rated as Asia’s best beach and the top ten beaches of the world! I dint know this till I went there… serene and quite are the two words to describe this beach.. The only noises u could here is waves lashing or the birds chirping.  

Radha nagar beach and the Elephant beach are the two prominent beaches at Havelock known for its spell bound beauty. Witnessing the sunset at Radha nagar beach was ethereal.  Even if you are not a nature lover, you will become one … Just walking across the clean beach or gazing at the vast blue ocean in itself   is heavenly.  One can also take an elephant ride back from the Radha nagar beach. 

  

We gazed at the blue ocean and the setting sun and admired the flaura and fauna . After sunset we returned to our lovely resort.

 Havelock offers beautiful resorts to stay with private beaches and a lot many activities to do.

After a restful night , the next day our visit was to Ross Island.  It is a very small island with the treasure of ruins which speaks of the rich past and is a hot spot for tourists. The island was once the administrative base of the British with the remains of the British bungalows, club, the offices, library and a church. One can spot a lot of deers there.  



Ross Island



Later in the evening we gorged at the local fish curry and rice at the resort…Awesome food prepared by our chef…

The morning sun seemed to rise from the ocean.Our activity for the next day was going snorkelling, which I was unsuccessful at but I know I missed taking a very close look at the beautiful coral beds and colourful shells, which I viewed from the glass bottomed boat. A boat ride to the elephant beach gave a view of the vibrant sea with crystal clear water beneath, turtles and fishes and the beautiful corals underneath. Breathing in every wisp of fresh air and drinking in the sight of the vast ocean….

We ventured into the local market to buy a few souvenirs, colourful sea shells, sea-shell earrings ( my favourite) hand- made bamboo purses and the Andaman and Nicobar T- shirts.

The next day we took our jetty to Port Blair. We were to visit the famous Kaala Pani.

Kaal Pani or the Cellular Jail is a historical landmark at Port Blair and a must visit for every Indian. The prison was used by the British to put our freedom fighters to exile. The light and sound show with its great effects showcased the hardships the freedom fighters went through.

For people like me who love to shop, a visit to the government run emporiums at Port Blair was worth the visit. They had more varieties of souvenirs all in sea shells, excellent mirrors crafted with shells, single one piece big Shells which serve as a decorative piece in the living room,   lamp shades made of sea shells and so on… one could shop till their heart’s content.

Food- must have Pomfret, Fish curry and rice, tender  green coconut water-, so far the best I have ever had in any location, the water is as sweet as it  could  ever be and the size of the coconuts is really big, I could  never finish one by myself !

Activities to do-    snorkelling, scuba diving, trekking, and elephant ride in the forest.

Must buy- stuff made from sea shells.

Must take a lot of pictures to refresh your memories!!

An apt begining to the sea of adventure called 'Togetherness' :)