Never before had I experienced that kind of thrill at looking at the clouds take so many forms. The clouds were like the minds’ eye taking up the form of huge snow-capped mountains or endless stretches of the desert and whatever you could imagine. I know it was all due to the three month wait that seemed never-ending for the trip to Ladakh. Even Taj Mahal did not appear beautiful enough when it stood on the way to the pristine mountains and eye-catching landscapes of Ladakh. The wait at the Indira Gandhi International Airport felt so restless and the tug that the snow gave at the heart felt so strong that I could not even feel the tiredness due to over 24 hours of journey from Chennai to New Delhi and the half day stay at the scorching heat of Agra. And then it was me, my window seat in the Airbus and my thoughts about the one week stay at Ladakh. For the first time, it gave me the feeling that I was flying away from all worries and cares of this world and no one could stop me. It felt like I belonged to the fantasy world and reality was alien to me. And when the snow-capped summits came into view, the thrill overflowed. If the eye were a camera, it would keep clicking because the next view was always better and more beautiful than the previous one. I sat there too scared even to blink my eye lest I missed something special, something unique and believe it or not I don’t regret the tautness I felt because the relief at finally landing and setting foot at the Ladakh soil was a reward in itself.
The moment I came out of the plane, I was welcomed by a strong gust of cold breeze and serenity all around. The silence felt like a melody and the sun felt balmy on the face. It was slightly daunting at first but slowly it felt good to be away from the normal daily life and I just knew I would love the stay.
We were escorted to the Alim Jaan Guest house, a cosy and homely place with a spectacular view of the mountains through the windows and nice people to attend to us. Just a look at the place and I knew it would be our haven for the rest of the week and we would long for its warmth after each day’s adventure. For the first time, after we boarded the Tamilnadu Express on the 2nd of April, I felt I am home and the advice to take rest for the rest of the day by our tour guide was the most welcome one. At first I thought that the excitement and the thrill of having reached Ladakh after three months wait won’t let me sleep but I was mistaken because no sooner did my head hit the pillow than I drifted into a dreamless, soothing sojourn into the world of nihility.
Evening had a pleasant surprise awaiting us when we realized that we would require more warm clothing as temperatures plummeted to -6° Celsius. We thought of exploring the small town of Leh and went shopping for gloves, scarves and sweaters. However, our shopping got extended to a sightseeing venture as we climbed the Leh Palace. Tired and fatigued by the uphill climb we took a short repose at Gezmo Restaurant. As I write the account of my stay in Ladakh, I feel it would be unfair if I don’t speak about Gezmo. It was a quiet and small place run by a couple of teenage boys and most of the times we found it empty. It was the ideal place to relax with the most amazing hot cup of Cafe Latté and different varieties of cookies and cakes. If you happen to visit the restaurant in the evening, you get an additional bonus of listening to Backstreet Boys. Gezmo became the most sought after coffee stop while we were in Ladakh.
1 comment:
Great post. You are good at painting with words. The first day walk was really awesome. The photo that you posted was clicked at the end of the trek on the second day. Anyways Ladakh is an naturally aesthetic place. A memorable week at Ladakh..
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