Wanderlust - My Travel Journals: Ladakh - A Slice of Heaven on Earth

My company wanted a travelogy around 200 words. I opted for the Ladakh one.

When I sat down to actually write this one up, I realized the difficulty of the same. A mere 200 words will not do any justice to the spectacular place, but I still tried.

Here is the excerpt. The readers are the best judge of the small attempt.

Thankfully there were no restrictions on the number of photos, but the size was an issue from the office networks.

Here it goes....

*****************************************************

Ladakh is a place where all superlatives fall short. Magnificent vistas of Indus and Zanskar valleys, the solitude of Pangong Tso, the remoteness of Hanle (world's third highest astronomical observatory), the hightest motorable road in the world (Khardungla), a village with an absolutely different culture (Turtuk - belonged to Pakistan till 1971), from the snow-capped Khardungla to the sand-dunes of Nubra valley within a matter of hours - Ladakh has it all to offer.

But Ladakh is not just about the spectacular meadows, it is also a land of spirituality and culture. Ravaged through the several cross-border conflicts ( 1962: India-China, 1971 &1999: India-Pakistan), the essence of peace stood undeterred, although the scars of the bloodshed can still be seen (and felt) at places Kargil, Drass and Chusul.

We spent 16 long days, traveled 6500 long kilometers, crossed 12 of the high altitude passes and passed by 7 divine lakes but still much remains to be seen of this dream destination. Even after a few years, we still long for the rugged mountains, the barren lands, the scenic monasteries and the hospitality and simplicity of the people.

We solemnly took an oath to be back to the heavenly haven once again because end of one journey is the beginning of another.

******************** The End**************************