I just returned from Leh after a weeklong adventure, and
have been wondering all this time how places get names like gods own country,
and pearls and diamonds and all other precious names, when we have this place,
like very few places on earth, with towering mountains as far as the eye can
see, that look like creations of some ancient alien presence, with snow capped
peaks in the middle of summer, turquoise rivers carving their way down to the
valleys and wild ponies and yaks grazing all over the countryside and small
remote villages that get covered in snow during the harsh winter, that contrary
to reality, make for beautiful postcard pictures.
What started off as a trip of a bunch of school mates that
have stayed dear friends, it turned out to be a trip of a bunch of crazy fun
people with some new friends and some old all heading out to see our old school
mate Randy, a crazy naughty football fanatic, now Colonel Vaz, Special forces,
pride of the Indian army, and super hero to us, his friends. Ashwin, great
photographer and childhood friend and Diem, one of my closest friends, decided to
start at Chandigarh and drive our way up, acclimatizing along the way to save
time, or at least that was the plan, but nothing is truer than the old saying
about nature being a great servant but a
bad master. Ravi of Manali Backpackers, our trusted driver and guide, recomended we stop for a late brunch at the first decent looking dhaba en route, because our plan was to
eat as local as possible. Sunny dhaba was vegetarian but the aromas emanating from the kitchen
were irresistible. We ordered a variety of Paranthas
and something called soya chaap, which sounded like something new and
exotic. The paranthas were deliciously
drenched in butter and the soya chaap, that sounded quite unique was actually
soya chop, a new product that makes soya
look like chunks of chicken kebabs. It was delicious. Soon after, we started our
ascent, taking in the breath taking views as we wound our way up through the
mountains. We stopped for tea later in the evening at a place making Jalebis,
fresh and to order.
They were crunchy and popped in the mouth and the syrup was
just right, sticky yet not overly sweet.
We arrived, a few hours later at our
beautiful home stay in Manali, The Shobla Pine Royal, which had a lovely fireplace in the reception
area, with parquet flooring and warm pinewood finishing and an equally
impressive guest room with all amenities.
The true beauty of the room became
apparent to us in the morning when we were awoken with absolute silence, broken
by random cheeps from birds and the relaxing sound of the river flowing by in
the distance. Unfortunately this was only a transit stop and so as soon as we
were done with our breakfast we headed out towards Leh.
For lunch we stopped at
a small shed made with corrugated metal sheets and an interior as warm as it
was rustic. Simple tables and benches lines with thick woolen carpets which
could be converted in to beds in the night, lined the sides and cold hungry
faces waited to be served whatever was being cooked for the day.
We were served
hot steaming rice, thick lightly spiced Rajma, a slow cooked lamb curry and
just green chillies, sliced onion and sliced radish as sides. Finger licking,
soul warming, deliciously simple or simply delicious would be the most apt adjectives
that would come to mind in regards to this meal.
Now out of breath from lack of oxygen and tired from hours
of driving, having crossed thirteen thousand feet, we resigned to a small lodge
in a town called Jispa. Bikers from all over poured in from all directions to
show their backsides some mercy. Our dinner was just an average chicken curry
and rotis, nothing to write home about. With a long way still to go we set out
at dawn on our last grueling leg of the journey to Leh, through more winding
roads and other winding rock paths with impatient Indian drivers zooming around
as if those un barricaded hundred meter or more drops were fictional.
Travelling to leh is like an episode of the worlds deadliest roads on National
geographic.
After crossing the second and third highest motor able passes in
the world, playing with snow and almost collapsing from breathlessness, eating
Maggi noodles, drinking countless cups of tea, stopping for bathroom breaks an
equal amount of times and taking silly selfies and mad videos, we finally
arrived in Leh, where we were escorted straight to the guest room at one of the
military units where Randy made sure we were checked to make sure all was ok
with our vitals. After a good nights sleep and a reasonable amount of
decompression, against Randy’s order to rest, we set out to discover. A short
hour of walking around the market area like asthma patients we decided to obey
orders and relax and try again later in the evening. Refreshed with hot showers
a tasty vegetarian lunch and strong tea, we set out again. This time to a
recommended eating spot whos menu was like its name, Eclectic. En route we
dropped in to a tiny Wazwan kiosk that looked too tempting to pass up. We had
sheek kebabs and lamb kebabs served with a yoghurt salad and Rumali Rotis
which really hit the spot. 
The next day we left for Tangse, one big Millitary camp, for
all practical purposes, and as beautiful as it is remote. Randy was worried
about us and wanted us to rest as soon as we got to camp, so we decided to
visit the Pangong lake before we were detained on arrival at the camp.
It’s a tourist spot and it not
always good for the spot when everybody wants to come there and be an Idiot, as
if three weren’t enough. Right from the yellow scooter parked on the banks, to
fifty percent of the shacks there being called Rancho, its got everything a
touristy place has got. What it has though that no other has, is a lake with
the most gorgeous hues of turquoise and aquamarines that you will ever see. After a million selfies and panoramas and our
silly trademark #idiotsinmotion and some calls from Randy to find out why the
hell we hadn’t arrived yet, we headed to base camp where we were greeted by
some wild ponies right at the gate of the base. Lunch was with Randy and his
officers and some stellar army style service that us civillians are not used to.
We relaxed a chatted for a while and then I was off to get my 20 minute dose of
oxygen to help me breath. The next morning we came out into the warm sun to
thaw from the previous nights chill. We got the most amazing hair cut and Tel Maalish surrounded by snowcapped
mountains sitting in the early morning sun yet getting a chilly wind blowing to
freeze all the exposed extremities of our bodies.
After a hot day at the firing
range where we tested our aim and lived out every man’s fantasy of firing
weapons that are not just meant for Diwali
or Ganesh, and I must say it was a tad bit too exhilarating. Then we took a
tour of the camp and saw a river full of trout that, unlike Alaska where you
cannot fish for salmon without a license. You cannot fish period. it was like
looking through a window of a shop with a ‘closed’, or rather ‘do not open’
sign on it. Dinner was barbeque of a whole goat and a couple of chickens, four
types of stuffed Paranthas and a Serradura that I showed the mess chef
how to make. We left camp the next morning, Randy now looking forward to
his leave, and we leaving with a new found respect for the life of an army man
and the sacrifices he makes for his country, people, and government that
absolutely don’t deserve, and the extreme conditions they have to live in
while the law makers sit in their cushy offices deciding the cheapest mode of
transport for the soldiers while the drive fancy cars and travel first class.
The next morning we headed back to Leh for our last night
and after all that altitude and traveling, rest assure we could breathe easy,
pun intended. Ashwin and Diem were in the mood for beer and our search took us
to the oldest bar and restaurant. With very rustic interiors, probably looking
the same for decades, the Ibex bar and restaurant . the menu had Wazwan, Tandoori, Indian continental and Chinese, and this should have been the first
sign. The Tandoor looked good so we decided to sanck and then go looking for
something local for dinner. The menu as usual always has something amusing for me and this one had a special kind of Biryani.
The Tandoori chicken was well marinated and cooked
to perfection and was easily of the best I have tasted and the Naans and
Parathas were light, flaky and buttery. There was this great house music and
playing and it was so familiar that we just had to ask, and we were right. The owner
runs a restaurant on Agonda beach during their off season, Duh! All the signs
were there to see.
A few beers and several old monks later we decided to call it a
night because our flight was at eighth twenty in the morning.We woke up had breakfast sat in the Gypsy and headed to the
airport that was five hundred meters away. We got on to the road and it was
closed by the police because of some marathon, and the part which was open was
closed by the public who like all Indians find it hard to use their brakes and
stop behind someone. The next two hours
was spent walking to the airport, finding out our flight was actually at seven and that we had missed it,
begging with the Go air manager to put us on the next flight, checking and identifying our luggage, and finally getting on the plane with our mouths
completely dry and almost completely out of breath.
The pictures I got from the
plane window as we flew away were breathtaking and it is al most unbelievable that this exists in our very own country
Leh just has to be on everyone’s bucket list, and my
suggestion is to take more time, acclimatize better and no matter how arduous
or daunting, the winding dangerous roads are the best way to get the best
experience. Its sounds corny and cliché but I got Leh’d
