Srinagar- Leh

24th
The drive to Sonmarg is at a distance of around 90 kms from Srinagar, it passes through the Sindh valley, a very picturesque part and this was the first place where we actually began to see snow clad peaks quite frequently, a one-street town dotted with the ubiquitous hotel and shops, it is also the site of the national river rafting competition held at Sindh river in August. Ponies could be hired for 200-300 rupees for a four hour to and fro ride to the nearest glacier and traffic was heavy through this place due to the yatris and frequent army trucks.
After crossing baltal, 15 kms from sommarg where the yatri traffic ends, we began our climb to zojila pass chomping away enthusiastically on energy bars and swigging water. Here the landscape begins to change dramatically. Earlier the outskirts of the valley are a carpet of green, dotted with chinar other trees with lakes but now it was pure lunar landscapes. Barren landscapes dotted with the ubiquitious biker and cars returning from leh to srinagar. We slowly start nearing the border areas. Tiger Hill, Tololing Range, Drass, etc. Preparations were afoot to celebrate the 10th year anniversary of the Kargil war and we briefly stopped at the Drass War memorial. The sheer biting cold even at this time of the year hits us hard and we wonder how they must have coped when the Pak intruders occupied the peaks during winter.
According to one soldier, the Army sent up waves of Gorkhas (due to their mountain climbing skills) in World War 2 style to overwhelm the intruders due to which casualties were very high during the initial phase of the war. Heroic stuff!! We reach kargil town by evening, a distance of 220 kms from Srinagar and the mid point between Srinagar-Leh. A largely nondescript border town, dotted with hotels for overnight travelers. Checked into a hotel called Siachen heights and crashed early but not before some among us have the energy to shop for dry fruits.

25th
Kargil to Srinagar is another 205 kms and we start early by 7 in the morning and we make better time than yesterday. Lunar landscapes continue but it is really intriguing to see the mountain ranges, each in different colours as if a superior power wanted to infuse some variety in the landscapes. Dusty roads and at a couple of places we encountered minor landslides which army JCB's were clearing up. The army is everywhere and the Border Road Organisation do a great job in maintaining the roads in such trying conditions. A measure of it is can be understood from the fact that it takes two people to collect gravel in big trowels: one to use the spade to bring it on the heap and the other to pull it by a rope attached to the spade to the trowel. About 4-5 hours later, Futila Top: the highest point on the Srinagar-Leh highway. And from this point, the roads are black tops and sitting in a car becomes actually comfortable after being bumped around for 1.5 days. After Lamayuru monastery, we pick up two hitchhikers who get off at Alchi and we continue our way up to Nimmi where we stop for lunch 30 kms from Leh. After crossing Magnetic Hill (where stationary cars start moving on their own due to the presence of big magnetic deposits), we finally enter Leh. Our search for a hotel starts and Ashok comes to the rescue and we check into Lharimo hotel, a very nice place. Dinner is steaming thukpas and momos but not before a couple of drinks and we call it an early day.

26th
Quietness and silence. Even though we have spent two days on the road climbing up gradually, at a height of 3500 meters of sea level, the breathlessness hits you and we spent the entire day walking gently around the city. Temperatures in Leh varies between - 30 C to +28 C and the majority of the population is Buddhist. As Harish said our trip started with the Hindu part of the state, then to the Muslim part and we end with the Buddhist part. Leh is a smallish town with 2 parallel streets housing the main commercial establishments and restaurants of the city in the backdrop of the ruined royal Palace. A long beery lunch and a nice afternoon siesta nicely recharged our batteries. Some more walking around the city centre and spending some time at German bakeries (there are tons of them around), peering into curio shops, and standing in endless queues to withdraw money from ATM's. A word of caution: if you are visiting Leh, please be sure to carry some cash with you, as there are only 3 ATM's in the city and at no point in time more than 1 is working (SBI is the most reliable).

27th
Monastery time and after a hearty breakfast we leave for Alchi which is around 70 kms from leh city on the banks of the Indus river. Alchi houses some of the oldest monasteries and the paintings and the wood carvings there are breath taking. On the other side of the monastery is a steep drop to the river Zanskar and both the rivers meet 10-15 kms from Nimmu. Alchi village itself has an experiential place where tourists can come and stay in a village. We next move on to the Likir monastery which was built in the 14th century and has a massive statue of the Buddha in a seating position covered with gold water. Likir has a small museum too which houses some ancient tankhas, scrolls and weapons on the upper reaches of the monastery. we meet foreigners who come and stay in the monastery for months at a stretch to meditate. Beautiful stuff. The last one is Thiksey which is situated inside the ruins of a very old fort. The conditions are extremely windy and the climb up the fort which leaves us breathless. A striking thing of the Buddhist statues inside the monasteries is that every Buddhist statue have their head bumping above the wooden ceiling to signify his greatness. The colors used are animal pigments and even today they are so vibrant and extensive restoration work is being carried out in alchi.

28th
We start our journey to Pangong Tso (lake) after securing our inner line permit passes as the lake straddles Indo-China and on the way we stop at Hemis Monastery where preparations are afoot to celebrate the 3-day Hemis festival with monks putting up festoons and making delicacies. After a brief stopover we continue onwards to the lake. The lake with two thirds of the 134 km lake in China and the rest of it in India and is 5-6 kms wide at its widest point and the water is the most serene shade of blue you can imagine. The lake which is 40 kms from the border and tourists can go only up 10 kms further and has a army check post with a cute signpost requesting tourists not to ask them for a trip on the lake on the only speed post it has. The 150 km journey takes around 5 hours and passes through 3 army checkpoints and Changla Pass, the third highest pass in the world where army checkpoint and warm tea and biscuits greet you.
After passing through ice clad peaks and some very rugged landscapes with clouds casting shadows on mountain tops (yep, that's how high it is), we suddenly encounter ELECTRIC BLUEEE!!! A shade of color that I haven't seen on any water yet and extremely clear. According to villagers, the border area is quite live and there is frequent movement of troops on both the sides. Standing on the lake, you can actually see the Chinese part of the border and the nail biting winds eat into your warm clothes. The ladies were a bit disappointed as we missed Aamir Khan by a day who was shooting on the lake and we encountered a group of bikers from Vizag who had biked it all the way from Delhi and were staying on the lake for a night before starting on their return journey. The army allows only a couple of local villagers to set up tents here for tourists and they keep a close watch on them. For me, who has never stayed in a tent before, the experience is beautiful especially as it is on the lake and the colors change dramatically

29th
BRIGHT SUNLIGHT!!. That’s what greets you at 6 in the morning. Come to think of it. That’s what the state is even at 4 in the morning. The sunlight is bright but it not at all hot and we go for long walks around the lake. The waters are extremely clear and a lot of geese are flying around the place, but being a salt water lake, there are no fishes in it. After a brisk 3-4 kms walk, we are ready for hot steaming Maggi ( can't remember the last time I enjoyed it so much) and then we are ready for our return journey but not before we pick up some souvenirs from a nearby army shop where they sell it at rates that would make Bombay shopkeepers jealous. We start around 10 and after a couple of brief stops to run across fields of ice and cuddle some pashmina sheep we arrive at the Dalai Lama's summer residence on the outskirts of Leh city. One of the monks showed us around the place which is very tastefully decorated and we reach Leh back by evening.

30th
With Jaydeep and Ashima leaving the next day, this was the last day we were all together but we still had not got our fill of adventures and we were looking forward to one last fling. So, there it was RIVER RAFTING down the zanskar river. A 15 kms stretch up river from Nimmu and ending half a km after the confluence of zanskar and Indus, through some very scenic landscapes and rock formations. Though the rafting itself wasn’t difficult with some grade 2 rapids at best and minor whirlpools, the water was bone chilling. So 7 of us set out on one raft accompanied by two other groups and we beat them by a comfortable margin but not without some lusty singing at the top of our voices and Harish and jay deep jumping off the raft into the brown river. By the time we ended back to the hotel, we could feel nerves where we thought none existed before (extremely clichéd line, isn't it). Some rest and we were all ready for our last night together of partying to celebrate the conclusion of a great trip.

JULY
1st
The last day of our trip for the rest of us and we went around the town picking up some souvenirs, yak cheese (pretty strong stuff!!) and of course dutifully standing for more than an hour outside an ATM. A nice long lunch at a German bakery and we decided to renew our expedition to climbing the ruined Leh fort which we abandoned the day we got to the city. So, with Sham leading the way, we took a steep climb up to the fort for nearly three-fourths of a kilometer with fierce winds and biting cold. the ruined leh palace was built in the 17th century and was now a multitude of ruins but with a panoramic view of the town below with mountain ranges hemming it in from all sides.

Footnote:
on the morning of the 2nd we flew back to Delhi and at the airport I met a army fellow who was at the Chang la pass and was going on furlough for a couple of weeks and we chatted up like old friends for 10-15 mins and promised to keep in touch.