Ladakh – where we went and what we did

 

My first trip to Ladakh happened in August 2012. It was a week long trip; albeit in retrospect I feel a few additional days would have been good for the plain reason that the beauty of Pangong Tso called for more time and shopping in the Leh market, which has lots to offer, also needs a few hours of dedicated time. I went with a group of 17 GALS through a trip organized by BucketList Travel Company. What we covered: Rafting on the Indus River

Most visitors try and do rafting on the Zanskar, while we decided to do the same on Indus and we weren’t disappointed. For Indus River unfolded many beautiful moments – some scary, some freezing and many more mesmerizing.  The hot lunch at the end of the rafting experience served under the shade of apricot and apple trees was a moment imprinted forever in our memory! Not to mention the fun we had plucking apricots and apples straight from trees and gorging on it 🙂   Alchi

Alchi, is a village and monastery in the Leh district of Ladakh region,  situated on the bank of Indus River.  Unlike the other gompas (monastery) in Ladakh, Alchi is situated on lowland, not on a hilltop and all of us made many a wishes here.   Hall of Fame

A war memorial by the Indian Army, left me with many questions in mind; about the life of security and luxury that we live, vis a vis, the sacrifices the army men make for us.   Magnetic Hill

Here we got to watch a rare phenomenon, something that defies rules of gravity. Owing to the magnetic properties of the Magnetic Hill, vehicles travel uphill when they reach a particular spot even when they are in neutral or with the ignition being off!A school of thought, skeptics, believe its nothing but illusion and nothing else.   Nubra Valley

Nubra Valley, the capital town of Ladakh, is a high altitude desert. Most of the Nubra Valley is inhabited by Ladakhis who speak Ladakhi; the majority of them being followers of Buddha, with a minority of Shia and Sunni Muslims. Local scholars say that its original name was Ldumra, the valley of flowers. We took a camel ride on the sand dunes. It was not value for money, but surely an experience. We camped overnight here before resuming our journey next morning.

  Diskit Monastery We also went to the Diskit Monastery, also known as Deskit Gompa or Diskit Gompa which is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery (gompa) in the Nubra Valley of Ladakh. A popular festival known as Dosmoche or the “Festival of the Scapegoat” is held in the precincts of the monastery in February during the winter season, which is largely attended by people from villages of the Nubra valley since the other regions in Leh are inaccessible during this period due to heavy snow fall.   Leh Palace

Modeled on the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet; Leh Palace is currently being restored by the Archaeological Survey of India; hence there was nothing much for us to see here when we went there.   Stok Palace Museum Stok Palace Museum, located within the Stok Palace, at a distance of 14 km, from Leh is the Palace Museum of the Royal family. Stok Palace or monastery was the residence of Ladakhi Royalty at some point of time. The museum showcases the worthy royal artifacts and paraphernalia including royal crowns, precious heirlooms, copper coins, prayer instruments and materials, precious stones and jewels. There are also many very old 16th century Thangkas, which represents the life and teachings of Buddha which we all found very fascinating.   Hemis Monastery

Situated 45 kms away from Leh, Hemis Monastery is a Tibetian Buddhist monastery of the Drukpa lineage. Hemis monastery happens to be the biggest and the wealthiest monastery in Ladakh. The Hemis Monastery also serves as the venue of an annual festival, known as the Hemis Festival and the stories about the same left us with many more plans to come back one day.   Sumur

On the far side of the valley, another dramatic gorge runs north along the Nubra River. Sumur is the largest village here, a pretty, green settlement with some interesting Buddhist relics. Sumur is home to the Nubra valley’s most important monastery, Samstem Ling Gompa. We had the opportunity to get some awesome snaps here.   PangongTso

Covering about 604 sq m.  Pangong is the highest salt water Lake in the World, shared by two countries India & China. We were enchanted by the sheer  beauty of the lake and appreciated the changing Colors of the Lake. This is a salt-water lake that freezes during the winter.  The Lake will simply take your breath away!! It has been featured in movies like The Fall, 3 Idiots,..etc. An overnight camp, near the lake was an out of the world experience for all of us. Wish we had more time here!   Shey Shey was the summer capital of Ladakh in the past. Shey Palace complex are structures located on a hillock in Shey. The palace, mostly in ruins now, was built first in 1655, by the king of Ladakh, Deldan Namgyal, also known as Lhachen Palgyigon. It was used as a summer retreat by the kings of Ladakh. We visited Shey on our way back from Pangong Tso and took a break under the shades of trees by the stream picnicking on hot biriyani and chicken. This was just a day before we were to leave Ladakh and was a memorable stop.   ShantiStupa

Shanti Stupa is a Buddhist white-domed stupa (chorten) on a hilltop in Chansp close to the main Leh city. The Shanti Stupa holds the relics of the Buddha at its base, enshrined by the 14th Dalai Lama himself.  The stupa has become a tourist attraction not only due to its religious significance but also due to its location which provides panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.But in totality Shanti Stupa was a letdown when compared to age old monasteries that we had already visited. The modern take on monastery did far from please us.   Next post : Ladakh – Where we Ate& what we ate!