From the Land of High Passes

Journey to Leh and beyond: June 2014

From top: 1) Captured Pak army bunker at the Kargil War Memorial (rather small, isn't it?) 2) Entrance to the Kargil War Memorial, 3) First view of River Indus at Upshi enroute to Leh, 4)The gorgeous, famous Lake Pangong, 5) Namik La, just one of the many high mountain passes we crossed, 6) Roadside dhabas at Rohtang Pass between Manali and Leh, 7)Snow by the wayside, 8) More snow, 9) Lovely view of the Indus

Our road trip to Leh was a dream fulfilled. A journey planned for many years and finally done in June last year. The route we took was Chandigarh- Srinagar- Kargil- Leh- passes beyond and then back to Leh- Manali- Chandigarh. What can I say about Ladakh? It's the Land of High Passes, a remote, unspoilt place where people are still decent and kind and honest. Leh itself is crowded and full of the inevitable tourist jamboree but go beyond to Khardung La (for the uninitiated, 'La' means 'Pass'), to Nubra Valley to Pangong Lake and other amazing places that'll leave you breathless and wanting more.

A trip to the Kargil War Memorial in Drass (the second coldest inhabited place on earth! The first is in Siberia, Russia) is a sobering event. You realize just how close the enemy had come! They had a clear view of the National Highway. Tiger Hill looms in the horizon, a testimony to the Indian Army's triumph and there's certainly an air of tension and caution now. A second Kargil War won't happen. This time we won't be caught napping. Here are photos of two stones with details of the battle. Take a moment to read them.

Every moment of that trip is special but a word of caution: high altitude sickness. It was a huge lesson for me. No more Superwoman! I suffer from asthma off and on and while it's mostly under control, yours truly had a bad scare during the trip. I experienced breathing problems from Drass onwards and once we reached Leh, I found it hard to even walk up to the hotel room. `Thought the road trip would've acclamatized me but it didn't. My husband and son had no problems, though. Thank God. We didn't heed our friend's warnings (our dear Sonam Yangdol, who's a Ladakhi) and we took off for Khardung La the next day. It's over 15000 feet! I was okay until we got out of our Skoda Yeti at Khardung La. Then it hit me. I just couldn't breathe! Panic-stations! Fortunately, a taxi driver intervened with an oxygen canister and also directed us to an army post nearby. There in a dramatic fashion, I was put on oxygen by the most solicitous army personnel. We laughed about it later but I had to breathe in from oxygen canisters for the rest of the trip until we reached Manali, which is at a lower altitude. It was the kind of excitement we could've done without but- hey- doesn't this make the trip more adventurous?

Go visit Leh whenever you can. Remember, India has the highest mountains in the world. Why leave them unexplored?