Travelogue - Leh Ladakh 2013 - Part 1

Julley!!! ( pronounced Ju-leyy)

You might be in midst of exploring some of the countless palaces or monasteries or trekking somewhere in the wilderness or enjoying a solitary walk in the lanes of some village, and suddenly you will find yourself being greeted by the musical sound of this traditional ladakhi welcome greeting by a perfect stranger, followed by an irresistible heart warming smile, which in an instant will have touched and won your heart and you will no longer feel like a stranger in some distant land.

Nowhere, in your interactions will you find traces of any bitterness left from having toiled against one of the harshest terrain and cold environment for survival (the temperature I was told drops down to -45 degrees in winters, which last from September till March). In fact,The warmth in the smile and the greeting and the hearts of these simple, hard working, kind and honest people only radiates a certain joy, the joy probably of having beaten and survived the battle against cruel conditions of weather and environment (where lesser mortals, at least mortals like me would have failed to survive.)

There is some magic in the air of this region (of course it's free of pollution, which to our city dwelling lungs is magical in itself), It's probably this joy and the feeling of having made peace with what they have, that flows in the air, coupled with great work that nature has done in every nook and corner which makes this place so enchanting.

For 8 days, disconnected from the rest of the world, I wandered around lost in the lanes of leh and valleys of ladakh, sometimes trekking in the villages, exploring places and in the process discovering hidden gems of beauties, enjoying random encounters and conversations with locals and travelers, feeling stunned by the vast enormity and diversity of this treasure trove of landscapes.


                                        A sneak peek of the dealights of Leh and Ladakh

The valleys

The mountains

Sculptures in Snow

River basins

Sand-dunes

General Information -

Ladakh located in India, is a part of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, with it's capital being Leh. Situated at an altitude of about 10000 feet, it is surrounded by the Himalayas, Ladakh and Zanskar range, and is a cold arid desert, it's land locked position leading to lack of rains, and is fed mainly by streams from glaciers and rivers like Indus, Zanskar, Nubra and Shyok. The temperature varies from -40 in winters to 3-25 degrees in summers. Summer season in Ladakh is from June to July end, winters begin from October lasting till March end. It's geography is responsible for the vast variety in it's topography ranging from fertile valleys to grasslands to sand dune covered desert to bare mountains to snow covered peaks.

The best time to visit is from June till September ( you can go in April or may, but the weather around that time is pretty unpredictable and may play spoil sport with your plans) You can reach leh, either by driving in through, Manali-leh or Srinagar leh highways (when they open, information of which is available here http://leh.nic.in/ ) These routes known for their scenic delights, at places are also back-breakingly bad and take about 30-36 hrs but the drive helps in acclamatisation, which will save you from Acute mountain sickness (AMS) but if u wish to spare your back the strain and time, you can take a flight to leh, some cities connected directly or through connecting flights by operators like Go air, Jet or Indian airlines (flights schedules depend on the weather conditions). For local advice, help or organising your trip you can check out http://www.zanskar.com/our-team I interacted with Tsewang Namgyal in this organisation, who was incharge of organising the transportation for my trip and did a great job. (And my interaction with a lot of locals left me wiser with the knowledge that it's better to organise the trip directly through local operators.)

While planning my trip, I studied AMS a lot, literature suggests taking Diamox 48 hrs before reaching and 24 hrs or longer after arrival depending upon individual response. I tried and along with Diamox avoided exertion and altitude for the first 24 hrs alongwith lot of sleep and water and Viola! no AMS. But please consult your doctor before taking this medicine and under no circumstances take this medication without medical advice. Do carry warm clothes, sunscreen, lip guards, sunglasses, chargers, extra camera batteries, torch (as electricity is pretty irregular).

Leh town is a regular town where u will be able to find packaged food, bottled mineral water, ATM, basic medicines and a lot of trekking stuff due to popularity of treks among travelers. Do carry all your required medications, along with medications for headache, nausea and vomiting. Pre-paid sim-cards from outside of the state of Jammu and Kashmir do not work here, amongst the post-paid connections only BSNL, Airtel and occasionally Vodafone offer connectivity, local connections take at least a week to get activated, so do carry a post-paid sim unless of course like me you would prefer to remain disconnected. Hotels and local cyber cafe provide wi-fi and internet connectivity.

Enough for one post, I shall share my experiences and adventures in the posts to come, till then explore ladakh online, let it work it's charm on you and it's magic entice you, till you are moved enough to experience it and it will be a worthwhile experience.

                                                    In my case it was a Bucket list experience.

The Experience

This and That

Not that anyone would have missed my little chit-chat on the blog, but still as a responsible writer it becomes my duty to dwell a bit on my absence, but U are in luck, as there isn't a very long explanation, simply, that I did not have much to say and the writer's block left me paralysed to write about whatever little there was to talk about.

Coming to This and That - since I have been silent for so long, there is a lot of both to write about.

So,just when I got the hang of swimming, I had to put the sessions on hold, Sigh, but I'll be starting up pretty soon.

Work, studies and worries have been occupying most of time, which brought me to wonder, if man has really managed to evolve from the chimpanzee state?
                               The amount of time we spend making a monkey of ourselves about things like job, money, family, love, the right time for this, wrong time for that, about choices to be made, plans to be set, about minutes, days, months and years that are yet to come, while we are unsure of even making it alive into the next moment, really makes me wonder, if are just stuck in a stage of evolution and are just simply highly evolved apes ( food for thought ).
                                Has this compulsion to be able to get in control of future engulfed our present? And the peace that comes with being able to hang in the moment? Do u ever stop in your track and wonder how many such moments we have lost and have become a meaningless torrent of past in our lives? Is this worry to have money, a secure job, the right person so that our tomorrow is better than today, too much in terms of opportunity cost? I have been wondering, but of course it's important to think about this, no denying about that, but is it worth while to let our lives be driven by this worry into a meaningless and endless frenzy? ( questions, questions, questions )

While I worry endlessly about the rest, I am also worried about something more important - ME.
I have been working on self-improvement, identifying the flaws that I have, working on them, trying to get rid of them. Not an easy job, I tell u, but If there is one good thing about me, it's I don't give up.

My anger streak - I have a terrible one, it's this cycle, I become angry, I go quiet and calm, I mull things in my mind, then I explode ( sometimes the last three steps don't set in and I just explode, that's even more dangerous ), then I regret, I analyse, I understand, how things came to be, how could I  have reacted in a less explosive manner and I learn and peace sets in. Even though it's a tedious process and I am getting better at it, I still loose it at times. Ugh ugh ugh.

 I hate it especially when this happens with mom or dad, I know they love me, I know they can't help saying and doing what they do and I know it will be difficult for us to find a common understanding, but they do what they do purely for the love of me, I won't ever find such precious selfless love ever in my life, and yet I tend to loose it most often with them than with any one else. Or maybe it's like they say, we can fight only with the one's we love most, whatever, I am learning.

I am learning to become humble, to be thankful and appreciative of what I have, every night I feel grateful for my family, for still having them around, thankful to them for doing all that they do for me. I am trying to be less selfish.

Also, I am learning to let go, people who are not worth my while, relationships that are redundant, I am teaching myself, that it's ok to move on, painful but needful and that it's not necessary to know why. I have closed doors on a quiet a few people this year, but I refuse to be treated less than my worth. ( I am sorry if one of you, reading this post, are those people, but if u will look carefully, the       door is not locked, u just need to turn the knob and open it )

I am learning that sometimes instead of getting distraught, we need to buck up our asses and sit it out, patience, the game at which I suck, is actually the key that holds a lot of answers, if only u are able to
Endure the test of time it takes, without giving yourself gastric ulcers, I just seem to lack it absolutely.

And I still haven't managed to tell him that I love him ( did not find any decent window of opportunity) I still want to badly tell him, and while I wait for my window, I am playing does he love, no can he, no maybe he loves me, me be he does not, well it does not matter if he does or does not, I just want him to know that I do, he can choose to do whatever he wishes with the knowledge. Because from what believe, when u love someone tell them, to not share such a beautiful feeling with the one who led to experience the joy of being in love, is a collossal waste.

                                                                And,
only for the perseverant reader who has made this far, I am going travelling again, to Leh and Ladakh, few days far away from civilisation and communication, all by myself, to that land that many call heaven on earth.

I will be back with my travelogue when I get back, till then, it's back to silence, as stillness goes wandering again.

Sunday

It's Sunday morning, I am done with my morning swim,  and now while it lasts and while I can I am sitting and letting the Sunday morning feeling seep in. I am looking around in the closet of my memory, searching for a poem or a song that would echo in words, the feeling that a Sunday morning brings along, I can't seem to find any.

Googled, well google may know the answers to the questions of mind, but when it comes to quenching  the queries arising from the musings of the heart, even, poor google stands not a chance.

So, still in search of my Sunday morning poem or song, my thoughts have gone wandering,

Here is one, which has trailed down, the green countryside on a bicycle, found a meadow, with a glorious bunch of flowers in spring, while it is hot summer all around, it can hear the wind sing, and a distant bird or two chime in, while it lays down and drifts slowly away into a dream, enjoying the bounties that have been laid out by nature for the soul to let go all the cares and find for itself a little rest.

Here is another thought, that has found itself waking up in an unknown bed, listening to the peaceful silence, with a mental sigh of relief that, the silence won't be broken unless sought, slowly it walks out of bed and around, pouring for itself a glass of fresh orange juice, while breathing in the calm of being far away from the chase, for a moment it closes again it's eyes, and then it walks out greeting the sun, switching on a playlist it goes out on the run, winding up in a roadside cafe for a brunch.

Here is another one, which has woken up and found itself lying in his arms, kissed his quietly sleeping form, before being playfully taken into his arms and finally ending up full of laughter in a playful tussle. Waking up to the day, with countless plans that may or may not become, but the promise of fun.

Here is another one, all dressed up in an old blue denim, with a mug of coffee, soft strawberry roll, painting a canvas while listening to music playing in the back ground, in between, catching up with the book lying upturned, punctured with a long walk, a sandwich break, walking back while licking a softy cone, and deciding to stand still in a corner of the street while watching life that passes by.

And.....zzzzzzinggggggggggg, the 11 o clock alarm, that had been set, to bring me back from my reverie, into the chaos that life is. And the Magic of Sunday feeling has already been lost in the rush of all the things that are waiting to be done before I rush back to work again.

But, before I rush off, here's the song that I finally found in the memory closet - Ronan Keating's Say Nothing at all.


                      Happy Sunday, my friend, reading this post wherever u are, whoever u are.

Habits

                                                           Swimming has taught me,

                                                                           That,

                                                                Habits, do change.

                                                          I have, for all of my life so far, 

                                                 been a late to bed and late to rise person,

                                     Apart from a few situations of necessity, and even then,

                                                       Waking up early, is a trial for me.

                                                          Not that It was a problem, 

                                                        But, it's not a great habit either,

                                    Especially, when the habit has become bothersome and worrisome.

Worrisome,

Whenever I have to wake up or report for work early or have have something planned up early.

Bothersome, 

Because I don't like to be a slave to a habit, good or bad.

But, 

Even with a lot of effort I was unable to change this habit, 

Till,

I decided to attend swimming sessions in morning rather than evening.

Why? 

I don't know, 

one reason was to avoid the suntan that came with swimming in evening

Another,

That swimming early, left my day free for me to fit in all the rest of the things to do.

And,

Also, that I wanted to give myself good exercise, to stay fit and maintain weight.

And, so, it started,

Me waking up early to attend swimming sessions,

To the amazement of everyone who knows me.

The first few days were a real test of my resolve,

While everyone else was waiting to see, 

How long, before I would give up and quit.

But, then, 

to my own and everyone else's surprise,

It worked!!

By the 7th day, it was easier for me to wake up early

And the residual strain that I used to feel on breaking my sleep early, began disappearing.

Why?

A habit, that school, college and work could not break, was broken by this

I have no clue,

The same ways as I have no clue why I swim,

Yep it's relaxing, but less so for me,

Because I have to continuously fight my fear of drowning while I swim.

Yet for some reason, I continue swimming.

Everyday, out of my schedule I spend 5 mins floating

This is the time when I just relax, let go and listen to the random thoughts just pop up in my mind.

And, sometimes while doing this I get some clarity of thought

Or 

some random realisations,

And it was during one of these moments, that I realised,

Unlike, what is usually believed, that habits once formed are hard to change,

Habits, can change, and easily so,

when provided with a strong or right incentive or motivation.

That, one should always seek change,

Never stop seeking it, because, after all,

Change is the only unchangeable law of nature.

1. 
   

25.3.2013

25.3.2013

Another year has gone by,

Another year has begun,

And as I sit remembering all that has gone

And wishing for all that is yet to come,

I am mulling as much as I am musing :

There is still a lot that I have to learn,

A lot that I have to do and I am yet to begin

Too far to go, and I am just beginning

So little time, it seems, to get so much done

And yet it's only a lifetime that I have

And so much of the time that I had has already gone by.

I am standing listening to the wind,

As it whispers into my ears

The love and blessings that life has to offer.

And it tells me to ask,

Because birthdays are special occasions, it tells me,

They are days when the magic of creation, that led to beginning of a new cycle of life, 

Is alive again, Birthdays are days when prayers asked, from the depth of the being are heard

And so, the wind tells me, Ask.

I stand wondering what is it that I could ask,

I am thankful for what I have been given without even having ever asked for,

I do not know how to pray, so instead I shall ask.

And if I have to ask, then Dear life, I ask

To be blessed, with

The love of the man I love, 

The strength to do the best with the gifts that I have been given

The peaceful joy of fulfillment.

I ask for humility, for patience, for kindness, to be more forgiving, more generous, 

And to become a better person than I already am.

Let me forever remain your child, a student of life.

That is all I ask.

It's my Life

I have a love hate relationship with my existence. Hurtled from one place to another, dumped in a corner, forgotten for the better part of my existence and yet indispensable. I am like the neglected wife of a fairly long marriage, dreaming to be picked up in arms and getting passionately kissed, who instead ends up getting a forgotten peck in rush.

Picked up in a rush, dumped even before I have had my fill of his touch, separated albeit temporarily from the company of the arms I love most, left and forgotten to bump and being bumped in with the rest of my brood, unfamiliar strangers united by the similar situation we are stuck in. Forced upon each other's company, we make conversation, listen to each other's stories, share experiences, listen to the tales of lives from far and wide, before being separated sometimes forever, sometimes to be re-united by the accident of life.

And before long, I am back in the arms I love, only to be dumped again, to be given a quick cursory search that is reserved for a familiar being, and then forgotten in a corner, to be remembered daily in the occasional moments of need, while I from my corner, watch your life go past my hungry eyes, catching every moment of it like a parched lover, asking for no more than the span of attention you give.

Ours is the world of deaf and dumb. He's deaf and I am dumb. Hardly a word is spoken between the two of us, and we do not seek to break the silence that we have grown to love. Left alone, we stick to our spaces, neither wanting to disturb each other. We speak the language of gratitude, gratitude for each other's company, each making the existence of other meaningful. The unspoken understanding being the beauty of our relationship. And it's been a long and happy association.

And if u are by now scratching your heads in amazement, wondering about our relationship, let me tell you, We are inseparable, and the few lost and found moments that we have had, have left our hearts standstill with fear, with separation however small, filling us with anxious tears and lines of worries, making the bonds that hold us stronger.


We are the companions on a long journey, whose presence not only gives the other the happy feeling of a familiar presence, but is also a source of strength. On the strange and unfamiliar roads that we travel we are each other's source of comfort.

                                                  This is the story of my Life.

                                                   
                                                       The Life of a Suitcase.

                           

Randomness

The underlying theme of this post is Chaos and Cribbing ( now that u have been adequately warned proceed to read at your own risk) because I am going to write anything and everything that will pass through my mind in whatever order the thoughts come while I am writing this post.

Pending - I have a pending assignment which I need to submit for the online coursera course that I am doing these days, a lot of medical literature that needs to be read, books that need to be read, paintings that need to be worked on, posts to be written and the list goes on

Neglect - Exercise I'm just neglecting my work out like anything (apart from may be a dozen push ups or so everyday). Dance, I need to start learning again. Swimming, I need to learn more this season and haven't even started yet (I am scared of catching cold, but soon). Travelling, I need to identify the next travel destination ASAP.

Resolution - I need to tell someone I love him, It was a realization that struck me a while back, I didn't knew when or how it happened, it just did and I don't know if it's such a good idea (telling him, I might end up ruining an amazing friendship), I'm not even sure if he feels the same about me, but I do know how I feel about him, and I had promised myself once that If I ever feel the way I feel for him for anyone, I would tell the person concerned. So I'm mustering courage and going through the vicious cycle of sense and sensibility to tell him. (Whoever said love was easy was a bloody fool, with not even an ounce of  idea of what a pain in ass it is)

Inertia - I am suffering from what Newton described centuries ago, an inherent resistance toward any kind of change, I am lethargic and yet I seek activity, I wish to be left alone and yet I wish I had people around to share and have fun with, I wish to do projects and things and yet I'm not willing to exert myself. I want to travel and yet I am scared. Why? What is holding me back? I do not know and I am mad at myself for being so confused.

Feeling - at times elated, at times miserable, tired of being constantly at war within, angry at my innate lethargy, lonely, so much that my loneliness is threatening to consume me and then in between all these feelings, I experienced joy, understanding, peace while star gazing (It's spring time and the nights are just perfect to star gaze while lying on your back in the garden while the wind lulls u into sleep at night). In short these days the word dysfunctional describes me in one word.

This - ' If u do what u love for a living, u never have to work a day in your life ' - unknown. I don't love what I am doing (but it's the only thing I know how to do best), I am doing what I am doing because I don't know what I love doing. It's not a nice state to be stuck in especially when your worst fear in life, is not to have done the best with what u had been given. It makes me miserable to think that I may be giving into complacency, that I am letting my fears to cage me in, and I struggling to break past the barriers of my comfort zone and then I wonder why? what is it that I seek? or is this just an excuse to not working hard? I don't know, but I do believe, If u love doing something, u automatically work hard for it.

Travel wish - to visit Japan in Sakura season and enjoy the delightful beauty of cherry blossoms with him.

Others - Reading Theory of Multiple intelligence these days, made frozen strawberry yogurt and chocolate mousse, read about various varieties of potatoes the other day (don't ask why?)

Stillness speaks - 'Joy is the best make up that a woman can wear'
                           ' Chaos is the underlying theme in the entire scheme of universe, seeking to escape it is not the solution, embracing it is ' - Realized this as I was reading the original script of Newton's three laws of motions the other day.
                            ' Peace cannot be found, unless it is within.' No matter how far, how long u may go searching for it, unless u have made peace with yourself, the relief u find will only be momentary and u will keep wandering in search of it. People or places, charms or memories do not bring peace, it's understanding that does.
                                                                        Phew.

If anyone of u have had the patience to read this far, I am Done (for this post, the crib attack may return). I had to let this all out, not that it's going to make a difference, but then it's better to have spilled my sack of moaning out in the universe, and done my bit in spreading around some more chaos, and may be somewhere in the chaos, my cribs will find some tidbits to quench themselves.