Leh Ladakh - The most beautiful place i have ever seen

Trying to write something about the trip to Leh Ladakh since the day i came back from there, but i guess i have very limited vocabulary to describe the place and its beauty. It's beyond explanation and one should must visit the place to make sense why i am saying like this.

Ladakh is tibetian influenced area. The people there are very helpful and charming. They always wear smile on their faces, its really good to see people smiling all day long, even if they are in middle of the market, and even when they met with any kind of the accident on the road and that's amazing.

24th July (day 1)

We started our trip from Pune on 24th July. But the real travel starts from Delhi, where we took a bus for Manali. Not sure about the rest of friends but i slept all way long on the way to manali and reached manali on 25th July morning.

25th July (Day 2)

On the same day we started for Leh in a Sumo @2.30pm. Even though the Sumo condition was very bad ... we some how manage to reach Leh. The driver was so wired that he did not knew anything about the car and its machinery. He had just one cassette in his Sumo and we had to listen to his sad love song cassette all 2 days, until we reached Leh. I can't forget the song "tu to bewaqt aati hai, teri yaad har waqt ati hai".

1. We crossed a placed called Maadi, full of flowers and beautiful rocks. The place had a guest house worth spending 3-4 days.
   
2. Tandi bridge was the next stoppage on the way, a bridge over the Bhaga river. The place was so clean and the weather was good clear that there were 3 times more starts were visible in the sky.
3. Rohtang pass, this place is like lonawala, not because of the place but because of the crowd, the place was full of people local as well as visitors.
   
4. We stayed at a hotel @keylong overnight.

26th July (day 3)

1. Started early morning @5.00am for Leh.
   
2. Crossed Zingzingbar, amazing place. It was cold, we had salty tea there.
   
3. Surajtaal, the first glimpse of snow and we played as if we will never get to see snow again :)
4. Jipsa - The first place you will start feeling mountain sickness. Make sure to take rest whenever u feel mountain/motion sickness.
   
5. Baralachala Pass
6. Sarachu - Border of HP and J&K. [End of Deepak Project, start of Project Himank]
   
7. Pang - This place have very less oxygen and u will probably feel sick bcoz of the same.
8. 21 turns/loops - The route had 21 steep turns. And it was looking amazing from the higest steep :).
   
9. Morre plains - The areas which was more like a desert, a plain surface area totally different from the hills.
   
10. Lachlungala pass
11. Taglungala pass
12. Rumtse
13. Upshi - A beautiful valley with mountains and rivers.
14. Crossed Army check post of Leh and finally reached Leh @10.30 pm.
    

27th July (day 4)
1st day in Leh, we saw places in Leh, to get acclimatized with the Leh weather.

• Hall of Fame - A museum, constructed by Indian army. The place with biographies, weapons, attires, multi layered shoes and many more things related to war and army.
  
• Stok Palace - A beautiful palace with beautiful architecture and internal construction.
• Shey Palace
  
• Thikshey Gompa - A beautiful Monastery. It has school of Buddhism.
  
• Leh Palace
  
• Ingtse Gompa
• Shanti Stupa - Whole Leh can be seen from this place and its looks amazing in the night.
  

We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant with chopsticks, it was fun learning that.

28th July ( day 5)

We started early morning for Nubra Valley.

1. Khardungla pass -The world's highest motorable road @18,380 feet.
2. Reached Panamik - A place where you can find natural hot springs situated at valley of Sumoor. Had bath with the natural hot water, it was awesome. The view of panamik was amazing, greenery, sand, water, hills, every things can be found together at one place. WE stayed there overnight, it was cold there at night.
   
3. We had thanktuk for dinner. Its a local dish which was watery containing veg, wheat in it.

29th July (day 6)

Left panamik, for sumoor Gonpa, a monastery.
Then for Hunder, where you can find camels with 2 humps. Hunder a place of wonder where you can fine, water, mountain, greenery, rocks, sand all at one place.

Reached Leh around 4.50 pm and then kept ourself busy in search to shop something or other ...


30th July (day 7)

We started early mornign for Pangong Lake.
Stoped at Changala Pass on th way, world's third highest motoring road. The routes to the lake was exceptionally beautiful, but when i saw the lake, i realize this might the most beautiful i have ever seen in my entire life ....
It was awesome ... the water was toooo cold and it was so amazing to sit there ...
Unfortunately we had to leave the lake a bit early .. and we stoped around 4.30 pm at a place, for the overnight camping.
This was my first camping and i must say, there could not be a better place than this for the same. The palce was so good, clean and chilled. Sounded by mountain from 3 side with a small river just by the side of the tent. After having delisious dinner we played card till late night....


31st Jult ( day 8)

We started our journey back to Manali, packing our camping ...
Reached Kelong and stayed there overnight ...


1st Aug (day 9)

With a heavy heart we started from kelong, as this was about to be our last day of this beautiful trip and the amazing jaouney ...
On the way to Manali ...
1. Experienced Paragliding, it was awesome and scary in start .. but we had fun.
2. Cycling till manali ( just for 15 km, but still it was fun)

Finally as soon as we reached manali, shopping was only thign we were interested in ... :)

2nd Aug ( day 10)

Started for delhi around 12.oo pm in a enova.
Reached Delhi @3.30 am.


3rd Aug (day 11)

Took flight for pune @9.00 am and finally reached Pune @11.00 pm.

Not to menton, this was my best trip. Had so many amazing, awesome and different experience. Looking forword to go there again next year ...