HOW I GOT LEH’

While roaming around in the Leh marketplace, I was amused at the embroidered T-shirts displaying the words “How I got Leh’d” along with a bike. I came back from my trip to Ladakh and settled back to routine. A lot of pending work had to be completed and unpacking in itself was a daunting task. I kept moving on but something was amiss. It was on the third day in Mumbai that I suddenly realized the meaning of those words and how I missed Leh.

We drove across Kashmir from Jammu to Leh and explored Ladakh for several days. The journey was demanding and so was settling in with the altitude but each day brought us new surprises. The sky was a deep crayon blue and really blue, and mountains on the way were pink, red, purple, blue, yellow, green and all possible shades of brown. We travelled though snowfall on the highest motorable road in the world at Khardung-La (18360ft) at minus 12 degrees and sand storms in the Hundar desert at plus 30 degrees, just a couple of hours apart. Spending the night in a tent on the banks of the fabulous Pangong Lake made famous by 3 Idiots, at an altitude of 14000ft, with nothing to separate us and nature except a few layers of cloth was an awe-inspiring experience.

The insanely harsh climate of Ladakh blends amazingly with the peace and calm reflected in the people who seem to be purified with endurance, to create an environment that uplifts the spirit to another level altogether. Little wonder that my 13-year old daughter said what she didn’t for Dubai or Singapore: I want to come back to Leh every year.