A kingdom in the middle of nowhere

A couple of days ago, I was scrolling through my Youtube feed and found a video of the Indian army performing push-ups at the highest pass in the world - Khardung La. As I watched the video, my trip to the land of nowhere began to play on my memory screen.

Narrow your eyes a little bit more, right there on the walls of the mountains, and you'll spot tiny clusters of matchbox houses, cleverly camouflaged into the color of the mountains. Generally, they appear as dark black eyes staring at you from the hills. The Ladakhis took the arid climate to their advantage and made this barren land their home, weaving it into their lifestyle and developing a fingerprint of Ladakhi culture. My visit was sanctioned for 10 days, where I would cover Leh city, Nubra, and Pangong Lake, the regular package according to my travel agent. But what I experienced in those 10 days was beyond anything usual and ordinary.

Ladakh Wilderness - Ladakh and Ladakhis.JPG

Leh Palace - A nine floored marvel

Situated on the inclining side of the hills, Leh Palace was once the home to the royal family of Namgyal. The story of the palace is as amusing as its architecture. According to an oral legend, King Jamyang Namgyal felt a need to have a royal palace built for his family and picked a site (I was already impressed looking at the monotonous landscape around it). He summoned the Balti Muslim designer, Chandan Ali Singge.

Singge was to design the palace in Tibetan style, which was going to be recognized as the Royal Palace of the Namgyal dynasty. The task was not easy; the terrain was unleveled and rugged, the freezing cold weather, and the inaccessibility of raw materials. But when you look at the palace today, you cannot stop appreciating the intensity of dedication and visualization of Singge, who made something so marvelous for the world to see. It won't come as a surprise to know that it was one of the tallest and striking structures of the world in its time. Built with astute elevation techniques, nine floors in total, and about a hundred rooms of which many the purpose is yet to be known. The palace can be counted as a gem on the crown (literally), making your visit to Leh incomplete if missed out.

Nubra - The great dip

The way to Nubra valley goes through the highest pass in the world, Khardungla. 'Khardung' or 'Khardong' translates to Lower Castle, and 'La' means road. Once a popular route for caravans, the pass has now become a hip tourist spot. The journey from Leh to Nubra is pretty unique because of the altitude fluctuations happening along the journey and also some of the most amusing sightings. While you are feeling the chills of Leh circling around your spine, winter or summer, you end up draining all that water out in a sweat in Nubra. This is because Nubra is not situated as high as Leh. It took us close to 6 hours to reach our resort. By the time we dropped our bags in our rooms, it was half-past four. We chose to spend the day in and watch the vast spread of nature from our tent view. Nubra could be said to sit in a cavity of Ladakh where habitat got an opportunity to flourish. It is home to a vast flora and fauna that rules the space and enjoy the weather here equally. The most interesting one is the Pika, a rodent-like animal that could be spotted on one of your excursions.

There are quite a few exciting activities one can choose to do around Nubra. One, travel further to Turtuk, the last Indian village in the Ladakh district, and famous for its apricots. Two, Diskit monastery located on the banks of Shyok river, and three could be spent visiting the sand dunes in Hunder. That is where I was the next day. According to locals, Hunder has been a beloved site of the Bactrian camels. Besides the animals, the place is perfect for bird watching or nature admiration. Your phones not working here is simply a sweet addition. You might be just lucky enough to spot a Marmot prancing around. The experience of being in a place that is wild and scarcely touched by humans and technology is real. The decoration of the valley with such distinct features of nature has definitely complimented well in its beautification.

Disco rocks

It is difficult not to go awe about the artist's palette in California, USA. Those colorful mountains are a marvel to watch. But let us all turn our attention towards Ladakh. It seemed like God's idea was similar to Sanjeev Kapoor's while designing this space, "Sab thoda thoda daal dete hai"(let's add in a bit of everything). On my way to Nubra from Leh, my eyes had a feast watching this scenery. From purple to red to blue to green, I would eagerly try to imagine a rock in a particular color, and there I saw it coming up next. Collect them all, and my own little rainbow could be created. Clearly, the region's natural gift of minerals has become the source of amusement for travelers who took on this long road journey to Nubra.

Hall of Fame

We all must be aware of the two exceptional locations in Ladakh - Siachen and Kargil. The hall of fame here exhibits our national defense's missions, sacrifices, our heroes, and impressive achievements in Kargil and Siachen to date. By the time I stepped out of the exit door, my perception formed from those Indian war movies like Haqeeqat, Lakshya, and LOC: Kargil as a child was completely changed after my experience in this museum. I felt no less than an honor to know their stories. Make sure not to miss out on making a trip to this museum.

Although my trip was cut short and only imagining Kareena Kapoor Khan driving a scooter at the Pangong lake in 3 Idiots movie scenes, it didn't spread disappointment over the rest of the days spent at Leh. Spending my hours leisurely watching over the dry mountains and being lost in the views was explicit. As the trip came to an end, and I took the flight home, I got the best excuse to return and continue my journey of Ladakh with new adventures once again!