Ju-Le

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

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I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

These words so aptly describe exactly what I feel about Leh. It’s been over two months but even to this day I just have to close my eyes and I am standing in the middle of the street, lined by shops and far into the horizon the majestic Himalayas swathed in snow. Clear blue skies and the cool breeze caressing my face as I breathe in deeply taking in, the very essence of the place.

Dad has been traveling for ever and I caught the bug from him… I am so glad that he one day decided out of the blue to go book tickets for the trip. I was pretty skeptical about making it for the trip. I should thank my sweetheart of a boss who made sure that my leave was approved. We reached Delhi in the afternoon and that very evening started our journey to Manali by bus. There were some hiccups on the way n we reached around 4 to 5 hours later than what was expected. These were my first glimpses of the mountains and slowly the rest of the world sank away............

I guess that was the best part…. I actually managed to leave everything behind for this brief interlude, and was truly happy. It was surreal that I could remember most of Manali from my last trip 7 years back. Not much has changed out there except that it was a bit more crowded especially by vehicles. That evening we headed into the market and got lost in the local revelry. We ate our dinner at a Chinese restraint. Had soup, steaming hot – delicious momo’s washed down by a glass of refreshing cool plum wine. I was a little tipsy walking back to the hotel though (he..he..). On our way back we surveyed the local veggie market and bought apples (crispy and slightly tangy) and peaches and cherries. I had not slept as soundly in ages as I did that day.

The next day we began our sojourn to the ultimate destination – “LEH”. The bus journey was exciting and very exhausting but worth all the pain and nausea that I had to endure. It took us two days to reach Ladakh. On the way I was first amazed then, astounded, stunned, dumbfounded and in the end simply resigned to the fact that if I keep trying to describe in words every view that every new turn took us too, I will – drive my self nuts. So…….. I stopped.

The evening we reached Leh I was too exhausted to think, just happy that we had finally reached. We went to our hotel which turned out to be a cozy little place tucked away in the corner of the town. Mom, dad and my aunty n uncle went out in search of dinner while me n my brother relaxed. They brought back with them the yummiest mushroom soup I have ever had.

The next day we decided to explore the place. We walked up the narrow winding streets. I tried absorbing every little thing that I saw. Our destination was the Leh Palace that could be seen from every corner of the town. It was an exhausting trek. The palace rests on a hillock in the centre of the town. You can either go up by a vehicle or simply walk around discovering your own way up the hill. We just decided to walk in the direction of the palace and with a little help from the local people found a cobbled lane going up the hill. It was not the exact route to be taken; nevertheless we did reach our manzil. We spent an hour exploring the place. All these structures in Leh have a temple inside with mammoth statue of Lord Buddha inside. These temples are at least two storied. It’s almost as if the rest of the place is built above and around the temple. We then went to a local Buddhist place of worship. At the temple I was confused and at a loss to understand the rituals that are followed. Luckily I found three very sweet girls in their school uniforms. I think my puzzled expression very clearly explained my dilemma. They took my hand took me around the temple explaining the prayer ritual.

That evening we went window shopping. Now, Leh has Kashmiris who have very specific features and can be instantly recognized and an equal number of Tibetans. They can also be very easily identified. And the rest are the Nepalis and a huge number of European tourists. Of course the rest of the crowd are the tourist. While we were returning back to the Hotel we stopped by some Tibetan shops. They were selling various artifacts and a lot of jewelry. I have never been fascinated by Turquoise before but I found myself staring at a beautiful turquoise necklace in silver. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. And I obsessed about it for the rest of the trip.

The next day we went to the Pangong Lake. It was definitely the most beautiful vista. I won’t delve into it further, and from the picture you will know why. On the third day we went white water rafting, my first brush with any kind of adventure sport. Needless to say it was the most exciting stuff. And it has left me panting for more…..

On the last day we decided to go to all the monasteries in and around the town. We went to the Hemis and Thiksey monasteries. We returned in the afternoon and went around shopping. And this time make no mistake I did pick up the necklace I had been dreaming of. I felt sad leaving the place next day but then “Everything that’s has a beginning has an end”. So there ended my magical journey.

I am glad that I went and grateful for all the memories that I shall cherish for the rest of my life…