LADAKH – An expression of a true expedition!
I believe, Ladakh, is not just a place but an emotion, for everyone to strife, at least once in a life time!
Sheathed with the white sheet of snow, and a unique gift of serenity, this place has a lot to learn from and present about!
HOSPITALITY PERIOD:
Winters are followed by the closing down of the hotels in Ladakh, due to heavy snowfall and chilling climate.
Thus, the only place to reside for the travelers is at the local’s haven, and thus, a different set of experience, where one can get to live with the locals and be a part of their lives temporarily. One gets a facility of a room, with a custom toilet that is mostly a hole in the room. The hosts take good care of the guests by offering them with their popular meals like butter tea, kahwa, thukpa, noodles and soup, dished up to them in a common dining area with BUKHARI!
WANDERING INTO THE ICE AGE:
This place offers a location, similar to the ice age, seen in the science fictions. The Bong Bong la snow valley is one such frozen world! Everything here is frozen, be it the trees, the lanes, the rivers, the vegetation, due to its biting temperature of around -35 Degree, with the frosty wind adding up to another -10 degrees!
SOMERSAULTING ON THE WAY:
Winters have a lot to offer, despite of the biting cold! It has a range of frozen rivers, thus appearing as a wide expanse of land spread across as if a sheet of ice! One can play cricket, hockey or even perform somersault!
Warning: Can’t survive here for more than half an hour!
EXHILARATING TREK:
Ofcourse, this place has a a trekking expedition, that reveals the travelers true wild and tough side. The famous one is the Chander Trek, which is a real challenging one! Some, simpler ones include: Stok base camp trek, Markha Valley Trek, Sham valley trek at a very cheap price like 10K. Ice skiing is the buzz of Leh from December to March! Do not miss!!
BEFRIENDING THE LOCAL DWELLERS:
In winters, this place has a very relaxing, serene and peaceful life as the locals, schedule being mostly at home, just look for people to talk with and the kids too being free from school in winters are into playing! It offers an amazing opportunity, to interact and know the new genre of people.
THE FESTIVE SEASON:
The winters being mostly lethargic, it is seen that almost all the festivals here are celebrated in winters! The various festivals of winters include: Ladakhi Losar, Spituk Gustor, Thiksay Gustor, Stok Monastery Festival, and Matho Monastery festival, Dosmoche. One can even interact with the lamas and get to know a new community of the place! Many older lamas visit the monasteries to pray and dedicate themselves to their gurus!
PHOTOGRAPHERS HARBOR:
Due to its rich expanse of serene beauty, resembling a paradise on earth!, this place has a lot to offer to the world wide photographers! The camera bearers flock here, to stash some of the most ravishing sceneries of this place!
SPOTTING THE COVERTED:
Due to the winters, the wild life sanctuary is easily spotted in the lower altitudes. It is the time to even trip over the famous “Ghost of the mountains”- the snow leopard, which otherwise is not easily spotted! There are even many more like mountain fauna like Ibex, Blue sheep, mountain wolf, wild hares, magpies etc.
GLIDE THROUGH CHADAR TREK:
This piece of mesmerizing expanse, offers an opportunity to skate and walk over as much as one likes! But it has to be covered before the extreme climatic condition, as then its closed until the normal temperature, due to its susceptibility to the natural calamity!
REVIVE THE LOVE:
This is one true vicinity to rejoice in the kick of love. The experience that the couple can have here is invincible and breezy! Making love under billion of stars, kissing or hugging at 18000ft above sea level, is a top-drawer experience, worth savoring!
