Ladakh - A Beautiful Journey - Stories from our all women trip to Leh / Ladakh

Our first trip to Ladakh – through its beautiful mountains, puffy clouds, ever smiling people, Thupkas and Captivating lakes and a sense of serenity impossible in city. To the 12 women that made the trip even more beautiful, through innumerable stories, loads of singing and learning a bit of Ladakhi – Khung Sung Ina?

Day 1 views - Waking up to the clicking sounds in the aircraft. The snow peaks playing peek a boo through the puffy clouds!.

Day 1 views - Piling out of Leh Airport.. All are a little concerned , about Altitude and breathing is heavy now. At 11,500, you need to listen to your body and see what it tells you about high altitudes. That is the top Priority on day 1

Day 1 views - Captivating snow peaks against blue skies.

Day 1 views - See the sand-dune like mountains at the backdrop! Let us take a few landing pictures! Kudos to Minu& Renji who stepped out on their own for the first time from Cochin!

Day 1 views - Short drive to our Hotel and Waiting for our Tea in the Garden area. No one cares to get into the rooms!

Day 1 views - Question :- Have you seen that building? Is it a monastery? Can we climb it? Ans : nah, you cant climbthere.. We are better oFf enjoying it here with our tea

Day 1 views - What is this Landon written in the sandy hill? That is a School .. found out after 3 days of intense research!

Day 1 views - Another perhaps monastery in another hill. Clouds are so beautiful!

Day 1 views - No one can resist the views.. More of the team joins us!

Day 1 views - Sheetal could not resist the apricot bloom!

Day 1 views – We were asked to move in, drink loads of water and sleep to acclimatize.. This is the view from our room Window!

Day 1 views – Better views.. From our rooms.. It is heavenlacious!! – Yes, we just made up the word!!!

Day 1 views - Ladakhi woman in her daily chores. As we acclimatize, sleep and taking the 4th bottle of water to drink. Suma asking “how much do you drink Jo”?!

Day 2 views - Hemis – The monastery of the Kings!

Day 2 views - Hemis from the same angle as the National Geographic team that was covering it.. Yea, they also don’t get itright the first time.. sometime at least!!

Day 2 views - One of the many beautifully bedecked Statues at Hemis

Day 2 views - And we climbed up the monastery.. To check if all the 150 monks are around.. found just a bunch..

Day 2 views - Atop Hemis.. Nice and ancient looking roof.. Ruhi had to pose!

Day 2 views - They paint every corner.. That too in real gold pigments.. Beautiful door atop the monastery!

Day 2 views - Sheetal with an ancient musical instrument. (She actually struggled hard to balance it… Shhhh!!)

Day 2 views - This was our best moment.. Monks are so .. so.. what shall we say.. monk like!!.. Kind, very accommodative to Our request for pictures, before they went back to their chants – without any change of expression.

Day 2 views - Lunch near Thicksey Monastery (It was closed for lunch when we reached) when we reached. First time with Thupka, which was nice and tasty. Some others tried to sell their smoked fried rice(yea, it was more smoked than needed) to us After struggling for a while. As usual, Maggie is a good savior when you are in doubt!

Day 2 views - This statue is so beautiful & big and intricate. Thiksey monastery

Day 2 views Tara Temple in Thiksey. And reflections on the water offered to deities

Day 2 views - intricate paintings and idols again. Beautiful.

Day 2 views - Shey Palace Buddha. We got Marie Biscuits here as prasad!

Day 3 views – what do we prefer? The beauty of the paintings in monastery or the canvas nature paints for us? Which is more beautiful? We are in love with the skies and the clouds and the hills and the monasteries!!Long day today to Changla and then Pangong Tso!

Day 3 views - Changla Tea Shop@ 17,688 feet!! We were all wondering how we cope here. Indian Army had a board that saidFree Hot Tea. All we saw was Hot Javans minus tea cup. Dhokka ye Dhokka…

Day 3 views - Suma Showing off at Changla.. For many women, first time in snow

Day 3 views - Prayer flags against snow peaks – Changla

Day 3 views - Yea, we were there! Though you cant stay here for more than 20 mns before altitude starts hitting you!

Day 3 views - Girls having fun with the snow! Nisha, Anu, Sheetal, Susy & Ruhi.. Don’t get impressed by the skirt.. That is just Another layer!!! Layering is the key in cold cold weather

Day 3 views – how do you describe this? The clash of colors, textures and even temperature. Warm sun beating down the Snow carpets

Day 3 views - Tsering, our driver first showed a dull steel colored dried lake and said it is Pangong Tso and we all screamed .. Then here are the first glimpse of the real lake. Is it as beautiful as in pictures? We dunno yet

Day 3 views - Wow!. It is stunning.

Day 3 views - And we need pictures! We look like penguins as it is still v v cold out there!

Day 3 views - And each step reveals a different color. This is so so beautiful. Let us take a walk.

Day 3 views - And sit down after a few kilometers of walk. How long do we have to walk to reach China boarded one asked!

Day 3 views - Where should we look? The clouds, the hills or those different shades of water .. Each frame gives out another mesmerizing view

Day 3 views – some more pictures from here.. phlleeease

Day 3 views – Sheetal will say wrong company, but right picture

Day 3 views – Time to go back .. Look at the hills. And Army truck.. Half the girls wanted to shift to one of those!

Day 3 views – Different shades of hills. Cloud formations

Day 3 views – We had slight delay due to the heavy traffic on the roads!! Can we transport these roads to Bangalore?

Day 3 views – Why on earth all the beautiful corners migrated to Ladakh? V unfair

Day 3 views - And a bridge

Day 3 views - Chocolate pudding hills with a dash of icing sugar at the top

Day 3 views - Icicles in different shapes.. Susy wanted these pictures

Day 3 views – The gradients are beautiful. No camera can capture the real beauty that nature bestove!

Day 3 views – Ice ice baby!

Day 3 views – Ice ice baby! Susy this time!

Day 3 views – These icemen are captivating.. What is this shape? Sugar Candy?

Day 3 views – Shey Palace in the evening!

Day 3 views – Near Shey palace during our drive back.. Very rare showing of some green in the otherwise barren desert!

Day 4 Khardungla18,380 ft

Day 4 views – Shorter drive today but to 18,380 ft up from 11,500. Worlds highest motorable road – no less!

Day 4 views – Chocolate hills follow us every where… We need some ice-cream please!!!

Day 4 views – This is the best view point as per Tsering

Day 4 views – And this is what we do when we see something beautiful

Day 4 views – Khardung La also has a Gompa and a tea Shop!! Nice lemon tea!!

Day 4 views – What captures you is the contrasts.. Rocks, ice, clouds.. Incidentally not much water in Ladakh since it is in the rain shadow area

Day 5 views – Hall of fame. A true tribute to those who guard our boarders when we sleep peacefully every night

Day 5 views – Hall of fame. Backside view

Day 5 views – Magnetic hill was not up to expectations. We could not see / feel / any magnets other than two bikers tryingsome stunts perhaps seeing a bunch of women!

Day 5 views – Confluence.. next time enjoy rafting here! We are told rates are about INR 1,400/ for two hours

Day 5 views – Leh city from the Shantistupa. We could locate our hotel from here!

Day 5 views – Shantistupa!!

Day 5 views – Monks climbing up the stupa.. Some of us wanted to.. May be next time

Day 5 views – And the best place in any get-together was under the blanket!! Usha, Minu, Jyothi & Anu got the hot seats thistime

Bleary eyes waiting for the flight to arrive. Did we want to get back? No. Do we want to go back once again ? Yes yes Leh airport has additional security measures that bans clothes, cosmetics, toiletries etc from our carry on bags .. New friends found in Minu, Renji, Usha, Nisha, Chandrika, Aruna, Sheetal, Ruhi, Susy, Anu, Suma & Jyothi. Juley!!

Day 4 views – There again.. Everywhere. Let us start some Antakshari.. Can we?