Amour with "Jullay land"!

Entrancing, Enriching, Enlightening, these adjectives don’t really do justice to the experience one has traveled through, the ‘JULLAY’ land. Set amidst the Mighty Himalayas, deep gorges, sand dunes and the enormous valleys of Holy Indus and Zanskar “LADAKH” leaves you bewildered with the sheer audacity of its might.

A long due vacation ever since I came across its scenic beauty on the internet where all I could do is admire its magnificence or buy a few prints which never seemed to fulfill the desire to experience the same. Plans were set in motion, leave applications dropped, payments made, tickets booked, preparations started for the much-awaited voyage with 21 strangers endorsing a common interest and soon we felt our plans being shattered as the Kashmir issue didn’t seem to subside. The organizers (Streets of India) had to make the last-ditch changes in the original plan so instead of going via Srinagar we had to start via Manali. Execution: 3rd August ‘ 16, 4.30am and the journey began right when I left for the airport and took out the borrowed camera in the cab to realize that one of the memory cards I was carrying along was corrupted.  Thankfully, my brother did carry along the Sony cyber-shot to capture the dawn which he couldn’t as I took the memory card away from the same this being the first envy moment right before the trip. Checked-In with Payal the only person my parents knew out of all the people I was on the trip with, witnessed the splendid sunrise as soon as we took off for Delhi at 6.30am. Soon, an announcement from the cabin crew brought me back to my consciousness from the hypnotic sunrise through the canopy of clouds and “Here we are, Delhi! The place where the most awaited trip was about to begin.”

  

20 minutes late, running behind schedule, the road trip had already begun for the 19 other co-travelers and we hadn’t even made it to the meeting point. They picked us up from Aerocity metro station and now I was in a car with no one I knew and being an Ambivert, stepping in was a task in itself. But, thankfully someone initiated the talk and I was glad that I did get through it well. A small introduction sharing our whereabouts and everyone felt silent to the music being played in our cars. 4 cars with a Royal Enfield swaying away on the highway were now at a halt to grab some food. This being our first break in the journey everyone was still in a split. Relishing Paratha’s with overloaded butter (at least for the non Delhites) played a conversation starter here. Watching the sunset we entered Punjab 150kms away from our first stop, Mandi where we checked in our hotel at 2 am, calling it a night.

Day 2: The sun was out, enlightening us with the view that was covered in the complete dark last night. Soon everyone got back into their respective cars heading to our next spot, Jispa. The deadlines were set and we had to make it on time as only 400 diesel cars are permitted to cross Rohtang pass in a day and we didn’t want to risk our chances. Permits received, moving ahead grooving to the music, admiring the beauty around we reached Jispa where we parked for the night to experience a tent stay right between the mountains and start fresh for the next day.

Day 3: Woke up to the breeze, took a stroll outside in the calm peaceful aura. Wiped off all the snacks and chocolate wrappers from the car to fill in some more from the cafeteria that said, “No wifi - Pretend it’s 1947.” All ready and packed to make it to the most-awaited place, Leh! This one mattered the most as it was on this day that I'd finally see the place that had kept me dreaming. As the day passed we felt slow on our pace as we had to drive through two high passes known as Namkila and Lachalang -La (5065m.) It was by this time that AMS (Altitude mountain sickness) started affecting us and the roads were getting tough adding on to it, it started drizzling making it difficult to move ahead. This was a challenging night for all of us. Our riders pulled the cars as long as they could and we finally had to take an unplanned halt at Pang at around 9pm. We got a room with about 15 beds for 21 exhausted souls trying hard to breathe and calm down. Everyone rushed for the blankets, sharing beds. Later, the caretaker of the restroom arrived, offered the best ginger lemon tea, soups and warm water to help us cope with the weather. Taking naps in between, we sustained the night and started moving ahead as soon as the sun was out. 

 

Day 4: Leh, just got more exciting! After all the uneven roads the path from Pang to Leh towards Tanglang-La 5360m an approx of 6hrs drive through More extensive plains that were completely flat straight road made us feel better. The accelerators pushed windows down, enjoying nature and getting acclimatized was the motto.

After a 3 hours drive, we halted for some quick snacks and juices to keep us hydrated.

Finally, we checked in at La Buddha (LEH), our hotel for the next 2 days. Visited the market, had brunch at a German bakery, looked out for some souvenirs and local eateries around. Got back to the hotel to discuss the next day, a final count for the bikes was done taking into consideration the risks and challenges to be faced ahead followed by a musical session under the starlit sky by Shubham who had carried his guitar all the way from Raipur.

Day 5: Today, we had planned on visiting the monasteries here after an elaborate breakfast at Café de Leh.

Visited the Shey monastery, a small uphill climb and there you are. It’s a place that has something to offer for all kinds of visitors. Moving ahead in the drizzling weather, we paid our next visit to Thiksey monastery structured in hierarchal order. There’s this one big statue of Maitreya (future Buddha) which covers almost two floors of the monastery that is 40 feet in height. One can also find some rare and precious stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings, and swords in the monastery.

Our next and final spot for the day was Shanti Stupa. Since, only local cars are allowed up there and ours was a tourist car, Shubham had to drop us and go back to the hotel missing out on the mesmerizing experience. One can feel the peace and calmness here. They do have a prayer hall to sit down there for 10 minutes and the calmness it offers is captivating. Not taking too long, clicked a few pictures we moved down the hill and we had to walk down all the way which did consume a lot of time and energy. By the time we reached back to our hotel, the bikes had arrived for the ones who opted to move ahead towards Pangong on the same, and for the rest of us we had our minibus there.

Day 6: Packed and ready we moved into the bus with a two-day requirement bag only, for Pangong. The rest, of our luggage, would stay in our cars locked at Leh. With a feeling of envy yet supporting the bikers we move ahead in the journey towards Pangong through Khardungla with a stay at Hunder.

KharDungLa Pass, the highest motorable road in the world (18,320 ft.) reaching here felt like a victory and we treated our self with tea and coffee. Not taking a long break as advised we moved ahead with a feeling of accomplishment.

On our way ahead towards Hunder the driver suggested we visit Diskit monastery also known as Diskit Gompa, the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery in the Nubra Valley. After which, we halted for some quick snacks in a nearby village just before reaching Hunder where I got on to a bike with Hiren and the experience was astounding. Feeling the nature at the purest while crossing motivated bikers and cyclists, crossing every mountain that makes you feel as if you have conquered them. Asking locals for the direction we finally reached our location way before sunset which was our accommodation for the night. Gorged down some Pakodas that felt great to the starving belly.

After everyone arrived we relaxed for a while, checked our tents, and left for sand dunes. Paid 35rupee fees and entered the gates to gaze at the view that blew away my mind. The shadowed mountains were now covered with the setting suns hue, the Bactrian camel is also known as two-humped camels were at a distance taking tourists around. And we scattered around paying attention to our interests. Some taking photographs, a few taking the camel ride, others looking out for the only café available there and I moved away from everyone. Those 20minutes of solace were pure bliss. In this euphoric environment, time felt frozen. Nothing else mattered as much as this moment. After a while even the flashbacks of the most important people and decisions didn’t matter.

Back at our accommodation, a buffet was prepared to be followed by a campfire with some great music which looked like a perfect ‘Good night’ moment after getting this far in the journey but for the rest, as I stayed back in the tent the entire while trying to get over from the mod swing that hit me at the sand dunes not realizing that the place had already cast its spell on me. Went through a few prints of Ladakh that I carried along with me, these were a few of the best prints I’ve ever purchased they suddenly made me weep for no obvious reason and all I did was let the moment pass, scribbled a few rhymes, packed my bag, pulled out the blanket and just stayed there pretending to have fallen asleep when my tent mates arrived. One of the longest days of the journey was now over.

Day 7: Since, this was a first time experience at Leh, reaching every new height felt like an achievement. We called it a wrap after a quick breakfast, the biker left early to fuel their engines, others got into the minibus ready for the ride with adequate water and light snacks. Our destination today was Pangong Tso situated at a height of 4,250 meters, far away in the barren land in Ladakh via Shyok valley.

Commenced the journey with Ladakhi prayers “OM MANI PADME OM” that felt peaceful and went well with the breezy environment. The driver showed off his off-roading skills well and with all the up and downs in the journey excited about reaching on time was when another news broke top us that there was a landslide that occurred on our way ahead and we had to take a detour and move on through the Wari La route which was a bit longer. Still, we made it to Pangong before sunset and halted for a while at the lake even before we checked in to our tents. Pangong Tso, one of the largest brackish lakes in Asia. The crystal clear blue lake sprawls over an area of 100 kilometers across the borders of two countries in India and China.

The first glimpse of the tranquil, azure blue waters, and flimsy lakeshore remains etched in the memory forever. As the sun sets we moved towards our tents, unpack our bags, get the extra warm clothes on and gather for a dinner buffet at a camp that had people from various parts of Asia with a common interest to explore. Heading back to our tents we made plans for the night as no one wishes to sleep here. Played games, shared stories while gazing at the sky full of stars that felt like a quilt to the heart. Giving up at around 1.00 AM we left to sleep though I hardly felt like sleeping that night. Looked towards the sky one last time that night and it felt like they sang a lullaby to the kid inside.

Day 8: Took a stroll at the lake and the calmness that surrounds, the unreal blue hue and the clouds playing hide and seek with the least sunshine that fell on the mountain top, felt captivating, I felt overwhelmed. The thought of returning back from where we started hit me hard but the only happening thing here was I got a chance to go back on a bike with Majid. I got back in the minibus after a while, silent and lost in thoughts about the entire journey until now. Felt a little low on energy and I tried relaxing on the last seat, another mistake but then I chose it for myself. Halted at Chang La pass for a while, claimed to be the second-highest motorable road in the world from where we had a traveler along who we had to drop at Leh since he was seeking medical help and the doctors had suggested him to avoid the bike ride from there. We made sure we reached Leh as soon as possible avoiding further halt. Dropped him at Leh from where his biker friends took him to the Hospital. Finally, we had our late lunch almost dinner and kept moving to check-in back to our hotel at Leh for the night!

Day 9: Back in our cars, Sarchu, was our destination for the day or calling it a night wouldn’t be wrong as we had a long tiring journey to cover. Checked in, in our tents, dumped the luggage and gathered for dinner after a fight between the mind that felt the freezing breeze and the stomach that was equally hungry. Gathered, in a tent to beat the breeze, sharing stories, grooving to the music cherishing the bond we created and falling silent all of a sudden as it was the second last day in our journey and no one wanted to fall apart.

Day 10: This was tough we left for Manali early in the morning with a heavy heart and mind full of mixed emotions. The journey was approaching its end. The baggage suddenly felt heavy. Trying hard to hide it all, we shared stories, poems, and incidents nobody else would ever know except the ones in this car. The network on our phones was back. Calls started flooding in with emotions making me realize no matter how much I disagree but there’s someone out there who really cares about my existence, the one’s the society calls family and friends.

This was some experience, probably a lifetime one. I am sure I will visit this place once again if not next year than in the years about to come but this feeling of crossing a place off your bucket list only happens once and this was my moment.