Waking up early morning to the melody of the wind sung by Himalayas in the city of Leh was just too mystical. We stayed back in Leh and went around a few places like the Santi Stupa, Thikse monastery and Rancho’s school. It was day eight of our mission and I must say that it was really draining at times but being in the lap of Himalayas was soothing enough for us to continue our journey.
Rancho’s school: Originally called as Druk White Lotus School, which is now popularly known as Rancho’s school after the movie 3 idiots. This is one of the attractions at Leh; the school got renovated after the heavy floods in the year 2010 and now stands as one of the best attractions at Leh. As I walked around the school, memories of the movie 3 idiots just flashed and it’s nice to know that this school imbibes the tradition and culture of Ladakh in their students.
Leh Market
Visiting the Leh market was worthwhile; delicious apricots and leh-berries, pashmina silk, woolen goods, souvenirs and a lot of things can be bought from this place.
Our next destination was the astounding Pangong Lake and riding through the dusty roads at some places were really challenging. It was day 6 and we had to cross the third highest pass, the Changla pass which is an avalanche prone area and gets risky during the winter season.
The distance from Leh to Pangong Lake is approximately 140 km and it took us straight 8 hours of riding. After we had the inland permission at Sakti, we headed straight to Pangong Lake after a satisfying meal at Tangtse on the Pangong Lake Road.
Pangong Lake locally called Pangong Tso, one of the most serene places; with the turquoise blue crystal clear water, black and brown pebbles and your own mirror image is magical. We spent an entire day at Pangong Lake and there are tent and home stay facilities available. It is good to book them in advance and the costs are a little on the higher side in comparison to the other places. With the cold breeze hitting my face, millions of stars shining in the sky; we spent the night in Pangong dreamland.
Day 8:
After spending time peacefully at the paradise Pangong, we rode back to Leh as our next destination beckoned us. The Nubra Valley, which is at a distance of 130 km from Leh. This is one of the high altitude cold deserts of the Tibetan Plateau. Crossing the highest motorable path Kardungla brought heebie-jeebies to me; you get to see a lot of tourists and riders at this place and taking a lot of photographs at the board which says, “Highest motorable pass”. Himalayas revealing her true beauty in different shades and hues is beyond fathom. As we filled our heart and soul with the amazing virgin beauty of Himalayas, we reached the Nubra Valley at 4pm. We visited the Diskit monastery which houses the golden statue of Buddha and as the sun rays hit the crown it calls for an amazing click.
Hunder Sand dunes: As you stand on the paths of Nubra valley, the view on either sides of this place is a heavenly treat. To the left, you will get to see the Hundra sand dunes and to the right are the mountain ranges and that’s a feast to the pair of eyes.
As we explored the Nubra valley, we called of our day with an amazing camel ride and escaped into our abodes, The Grand Nubra.
As you all wait for the next write-up, I shall dive back into my memory treasure.
Dreamer signing off from Nubra valley!
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