Jammu & Kashmir - As we saw it - Day 7 - Kargil to Leh via Mulbekh, Lamayuru, Alchi, Likir, Nimmoo, Gurudwara Pather Sahib

Its hard to believe one could visit so many places in a day. Well, not really, as you would see that the 210 kms from Kargil to Leh translates to about four 4 hours of journey time on the mountain roads. Also, this particular stretch of roads are so well maintained that the ride was really butter smooth. With all the places we intend to see en route being only minor detours from the highway, what best way to break our journey to Leh. 

We left Kargil just before 7 am, after the comfortable stay last night ensured that our batteries were replenished. It took us roughly half hour to reach Mulbekh which became our first pit stop. On the right hand side of the road Maitreya Buddha has a towering presence. The temple wasn't open yet and while we waited for the priest, we took a few nibbles of the biscuits and chai from the shops opposite. Few people who were waiting for the bus to Kargil became curious onlookers.  Small talk got us info about the significance of Maitreya. Post our temple visit we started on our next leg of journey.

In less than an hour we reached Namika La which was approximately 12000 ft. We did take a short break here, well with the photo stops and all. I enjoyed the comfortable ride since morning and all credits to the people responsible for maintaining this is in such shape. Within the next hour, we reached the loop roads and I also happened to spot my first desert flower here. Have a look you all. 

Fotu la, at approximately 13500 ft height is the highest point on the Srinagar Leh road and provided some amazing views. I could see the loop roads from here as well, given we had hardly traveled another five minutes from our previous stop.

Lamayuru was easily an hour's journey away and we were excited to visit the famed "Moon Land". We could spot the Lamayuru monastery as our car took the final turn on its approach to the monastery. The view was absolutely stunning.

Once within the monastery, we saw Avalokiteshwara (Buddha with 1000 hands) and a few other shrines.

As we exited and came in the open, we saw, kids being taught in open classrooms by a few monks. It was such a mesmerizing scene. None of the kids or the monks got distracted by our presence. We soon found our way up the mount behind the monastery. A single footpath climb led us to amazing views of the lunar landscape. It seemed like the moon land was awaiting our visit, so calm and serene, with nothing else in sight, except its own beauty. This moonscape is most certainly incredible with its spectacular geological formations. See for yourself, you will know what I mean.  

Once you are way up the mountain, you could also see the purple topped roads, forming many loops on its way to Leh. There is a green path of vegetation on the other side where there are small households with people busy with cattle farming and meditation. The lake mentioned in the legend has vanished for sure leaving no trace of its presence. Around the monastery, old woman spin their hand held prayer wheel non stop. One could just keep watching them. They are a sight of peace, love and tranquility. After having spent a few hours there, we left Lamayuru filled with so much joy and peace.

In the next thirty minutes we found ourselves in Khaltse where our driver suggested we should have lunch. Given we had already planned for lunch at Alchi, we decided to let him have his here, while we would later. A quick 15 minutes later we were on our way once again and the green belt which is fondly called as Uleytokpo came in sight. It was a short but beautiful stretch of ride here. There were some good resorts in the lush green surroundings. We did not make our stop here. Its for another time for yet another Ladakh trip I presumed.

Soon enough we reached Alchi. It must have only been ten to fifteen minutes from Uleytokpo to Alchi. Before Saspul, take the right on the bridge crossing the Indus river and you will reach Alchi. First we wanted to have our lunch. We walked through the market watching for a sign. During my travels one of the things I have learned is to go into the most recommended or most crowded restaurants for there is good food for sure and you wouldn't be left wanting for more. We chose the German Bakery at Alchi overseeing a house surrounded by apricot and apple trees. When you have a soothing sight along with delectable food, what more can you ask for. We most certainly enjoyed our meal, picked a few apricots sold by an old man and walked into the monastery. The three temples here held some beautiful paintings and the Tara within the Manjushree temple was a magnificent view. So was the temple door way, I must admit. Easily we must have spent an hour within the monastery admiring its beauty.

We were advised to go visit Likir Gompa as well by the locals. As we understood, it housed some amazing view of the region and a tall Maitreya Buddha statue in seated position. We so looked forward to it. It was a 20 km ride from Alchi which is almost a thirty minute ride. Once there, we hiked up the monastery from the parking lot. It indeed was beautiful. Having visited a few monasteries in the past couple of days, I can only appreciate more the peace and tranquility it offers. You could sit on the rooftop admiring the beauty around. Breathing in the less oxygen available along with the calmness surrounding you, one can easily be calmed and soothed and be alienated from the wanderings of the mind. We didn't take too long a time here but spent enough to enjoy the beauty it offers.

We proceeded to Leh, excited to have seen so many places since morning and still not tired of the day. En route we spotted Basgo palace. There was never a plan to visit here so we kept on till we reached Nimmoo. At Nimmoo, we could see the confluence of the rivers, Indus and Zanskar, so beautifully merging losing its distinct colors in becoming one. Truly a sight to behold. Nimmoo seemed to convey so much with a single view than what I could have gathered through all the writings about it which I happened to have come across earlier. Life, like this confluence, has so much to offer, if you happen to truly allow your feelings to merge within, rather than get worked up about it. It was before sunset and we enjoyed the vistas here. 

In the next few minutes, we were told we will be in Magnetic Hill. It is also called as the gravity hill and the most hyped about phenomenon here is about the wheels moving uphill when people are actually trying to go downhill. Well, the truth is, this is nature's own optical illusion being played on us all. Vehicles may appear to roll uphill in defiance of gravity while they are actually moving downhill. We let this optical illusion trick us a few times and thoroughly enjoyed it. The air around here echoed the excitement from the folks viewing it. After the little trick show, we moved on enjoying the long straight roads. It was like we were in the plains and felt almost like a desert but surrounded by large mountains.

By evening's tea time, we were at Gurudwara Pathar Sahib. We have heard so much about this place that we couldn't proceed without visiting it. Pathar Sahib welcomed us with a humongous heart. The dedicated service of the men here are beyond compare. Every visitor is offered tea and snacks free of cost just like any Gurudwara in the city. The crowd just keeps pouring day in and out throughout the peak tourist season. Once inside, you would see the Pathar (stone) with hollow imprints of Guru Nanak's shoulder, neck and backside. You would also see the footprint of the demon on another rock. This was our last stop for the day before we reach our accommodation at Leh. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here sipping on hot tea and nibbling on the snacks offered. Again I felt in peace here, just like it was in the monasteries. 

It was late evening and well before time for dinner that we reached Leh. A truly amazing day travelling through such beautiful terrain and I still cannot stop appreciating the best roads I have seen so far in the entire J&K.

Some useful tips:

1. With comfortable pit stops you could cover the mentioned places easily in a day. You don't have to rush it in anywhere.

2. A stay in Alchi or Uleytokpo comes easy as these places are beautiful by themselves and one could spend days here doing nothing but admiring the nature.

3. Old men and women at Lamayuru and Alchi, do not expect anything from you but are more than willing to share what they have. Help them by buying what they have to sell. 

4. Be open and your kindness will be reciprocated multifold. 

My second 35 km ride in a Trek bike

After my first long ride I didn't go on another for the next week. But then you know, once you have enjoyed doing something, its really hard to stay off of it. So week 2 saw me riding a Trek 3700 series and this time too India Gate called to us. So there we were, all geared up on a Saturday morning to explore the roads on our bikes.

Pain from my first ride taught me more; I was better prepared and equipped this time. The 17 km ride took me 55 minutes onwards and roughly about the same on return. Riding experience wasn't too different but a Hybrid has its advantages on the city roads. Its lighter and hence moves faster. Trek's size was perfect for my height and I loved the ride. I now need to test the bikes on longer distances to see if I prefer an ATB or a Hybrid.

Remember the gradient I mentioned in my first post. I was intimidated by it as we came to that spot but then I didn't let it get to me. I shifted gears comfortably well before the inclination and was able to get through it without making a stop. It was a small achievement to me.

My riding experience was fantastic and less painful when compared to my earlier one. All through out the ride, I was more or less at even pace. It helped me maintain my energy levels in spite of the hot sun.

My verdict: Trek is a perfect bike even for beginners. The ride is smooth as a butter and it is value for money.

Things to ponder on

1. Enjoy the ride throughout.

2. Take breaks if needed.

3. Cycle for 15 minutes every day even if you aren't ready to go for longer rides.

Jammu & Kashmir - As we saw it - Day 6 - Padum to Kargil

With a promise to myself to visit this land again, we started our journey to Kargil post breakfast. We were more than glad to let ourselves be lost in the vastness of the beautiful landscape that changes every few seconds. I may have mentioned already but I need to state again; "The best part of traveling in the mountains is the changing landscape". For me, it is a reflection of our life that keeps changing continuously while we are busy making plans.

An hour into the roads after crossing the hamlets around Padum and Sani Monastery, we were onto the long roads once again. People were busy about their daily chores and kids were aplenty around. Most of them were in their uniforms walking up the road. A group of kids, aged about 5 to 10, sprang into an action mode, a few hundred metres ahead of our vehicle . All that they were doing was to raise their hands above their head with both palms touching each other in the Indian pranama (salute), bring it to Namaskar (in front of their chest) and bending down to touch the ground almost as if touching an elder's feet. They did this non stop till even after our vehicle crossed them. Curious we inquired our driver and he mentioned they are asking for a lift as their schools are far away and there is no other transportation. He suggested we move ahead as these kids ask lift to every passing vehicle in the hope of getting one.

Deeply moved by their act, we requested our driver to stop the vehicle. We weren't going to go away ignoring them. We signaled to the kids to hop on and even managed to seat a few on our laps. Our vehicle was now packed completely as we picked up 7 kids, including a girl. As we moved further, we saw the same action repeated by other kids and this time they were even smaller. Sadness engulfed me, watching those tiny faces looking at you with hope. I almost teared up at their sight but also felt happy that kids here are eager to go to school to learn. A few kids in the cities do not want to go to school or even learn in spite of having all facilities. That is the irony of life.

Back in our vehicle, we got into chatting with them. The girl was shy but the guys kept chatting. They mentioned that they learn Ladhaki, Hindi, Urdu and English as their languages apart from the other main subjects. One kid was able to converse fluently with us and we were very happy for him , especially after listening to his plan post schooling. He wants to be a teacher and help his community. He also mentioned that the schools here do not function in winter, as the winters are very harsh and the teachers, who are outsiders, are unable to get used to the weather conditions. If they could get teachers from their home, then they could learn in winters too.

Soon their stop came and we dropped them. After a quick group photo and handover of chocolates, we proceeded on our way. Emotions must have run very high as none of us spoke for a longer time. We made our stop at Drang Drung Glacier and then again at the Alpine lakes. We couldn't have avoided it even if we wanted to. You need to be here and see the beauty in person for you to understand it completely.

Descending from the Penzi La pass we reached Rangdum Monastery where we had our lunch and moved on to Kargil. The rest of the day was spent in soaking in the beauty of the Suru Valley. We reached Kargil late evening, which gave us ample time to relax and unwind for our next big day. 

Relishing on another bowl of apricots freshly plucked from the trees, we packed and had a good nights rest.

Some useful tips: 

1. Engage with the kids and you will explore a whole new world through them

2. Help wherever possible with whatever you have in hand even if it is just time to spare

3. Experience silence and allow nature to teach you a few things that you wouldn't learn othewise