Weekend in Amritsar @Day 2

The lights could have been stars. I was standing just at the entrance of the parikrama of the Golden Temple. It was dark at 6.00 am in the morning and the temple glittered in itself and more in the water below. As I walked around the parikrama towards the temple, I must say that a sense of quietness came over me. Hundreds of devotees, the chanting prayer voice and the obvious reverence of the caretakers compelled me to stand aside near the sarovar to soak in the atmosphere all on my own. How often do we have this feeling of calmness in a huge bustle? It needs to be treasured.

Seven of us are visiting the Harminder Sahib or the Golden Temple. Our heads covered with duppatta’s and hankies, we make way slowly towards the temple complex itself with platefuls of ghee drenched prasad. As we approach it, my two year old nephew Aryann, remarks that “ the Golden Temple is very golden”. True it is, almost covered with gold sheets with only few marble pillars to be seen. We enter and bow to the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The temple has three storey’s . We climb each and pay our respects. We slowly file out clutching our Prasad donas. It is light now and people are dipping in and out of the sarovar. Aryann, is happy to see the fat fishes while Myra (my year old niece) is happy sitting on Sanjay’s head, getting a balcony view of all the going-on. We spend some time around the parikrama clicking pictures and dipping our feet and hands.

It is time to head back to the hotel for breakfast. There is a selection of Indian and continental options and I opt for Indian. After thick aloo parathas, curd and pickle washed down with tea, I am all set to visit the Jalliahwalah Bagh and maybe some shops.

The Jalliahwallah Bagh is a landmark in India’s freedom fight. A protest was organized against the Rowlatt Act on April 13, 1919. About 20,000 people participated in this and had collected at the Jalliahwalah Bagh, then a private garden. General Dyer, trying to control the crowd, asked his soldiers to fire at the crowd. Many were killed by bullets and more injured in the stampede that ensued. The walls of the Bagh are marked in white boxes depicting areas where bullets were fired. The well where many jumped to save their lives can still be seen. An Amar Jyoti (eternal flame) in the garden marks respect for the martyrs.

After a solemn morning, we head to the market streets of Amritsar. We are keen to buy salty snacks, pickles and some of the famous “phulkari” cloth materials. The next and last stop before we catch our train to Delhi is a dhaba. We head to Surjit’s dhaba famous for its fried fish and chicken. I, being a vegetarian, stick to paneer tikka which is super soft and delicious. My roti and dal tadka are quite tasty too and we all dig in.

The afternoon passes and we are soon put still in the train seats. As I am sitting, I realize I am tired. The trip though short was hectic and my eyes are drooping shut. I am unable to enjoy the views from the large train window of the landscape passing by but the pictures of the last 48 hours flash through my sleepy mind- hundreds of us Indians shouting out Vande Matram, a thali of hot food swimming in butter, a flame alit, the silver moon in the dark sky against the very Golden temple!

Weekend in Amritsar@ Day 1

We are on a two day trip to Amritsar- 5 adults and two small children. The Shatabdi train from Delhi to Amritsar departs on time at 7.20 AM for its 6 hour route. It has been long since I have been on a train journey and a large group always means more fun. And fun we have- switching seats, chatting and passing around an unending supply of snacks.

We reach on schedule and head towards the Carlton Inn and Suites, a newly opened hotel barely 5 minutes from the station. The lobby is pleasant and we are very happy with our rooms. The are large and modern with flat screen TVs and bright framed modern art on the walls.

However, we quickly shower and change as we have to be off to the Wagah Border last by 3.00 PM. Wagah Border, is a border gate between India and Pakistan. Every evening at about 5.00 PM there is a parade and ceremony while taking down the national flag before sunset.

We file into an Innova and pick burgers and Pepsi enroute as lunch. The countryside is a slideshow of green sugarcane fields. Yellow flowers indicate some mustard in between. It takes us an hour to reach the Wagah Border. In the least it is a mayhem of cars, rickshaws, hundreds of people, food stalls, kiosks, men selling the tricolor flags and visors to cash in on the temporarily heightened feeling of nationalism everyone feels when here. Security is tight and one cannot carry any bags- not even camera covers. Stuffing any money we have into pockets, we walk towards the entry gates. The personnel check us and file us towards stand.

There are 2 separate sections- one for the men and one for women. The crowd, even on a weekday is astoundingly large. Atleast a thousand people are here, cheering for India and hooting for Pakistan. “Vande Matram”-the sentry calls out and the crowd roars back. “Hindustan….” he goes and the crowd bellows “zindabaad”. Soon they put on patriotic film music and many come down from the stands to dance away. I have never seen anything like this before. It is a spectacle on a scale of its own. The crowd on Pakistan’s side is much smaller.

There is a parade and both the sides together take away their flags. We have been here since over an hour and the heat is now getting to us. We head back towards the car and the city. Dinner is in order and a friend has recommended Prawah da dhabha. It is a completely vegetarian joint. Be prepared for large portions and dollops of ghee and butter! It is soon time to wrap up the day as we are going to the Golden Temple early next morning.

Weekend in McLeodganj @Day 3

To Norbulingka: It was our third and last day. Done with a relaxed breakfast at Llamo’s once again, we hired a taxi for the day. Our destination was Dharamshala’s Norbulingka complex. The complex has a monastery, a doll museum, paintings and a tiny café. There are also monks in residence.

The monastery is colorful and picture perfect. More than that, it was peaceful. The Doll Museum is interesting; depicting Tibetan life and culture; a procession, a marriage, King’s ceremony, a domestic scene around a home. Each depiction is in a glass case with an explanation. Next to this is a large room with beautiful Buddhist paintings- the Thangka.

Finally, a prayer hall where we met a cute girl with her mother. This child aged about two was intent on catching the tail of the monastery’s pet dog. Before leaving though, we did enjoy some honey lemon ginger tea under the colorful prayer flags.

Near to the institute, is the Chamunda Devi Temple. We drove to it and paid respects. There is also a small stream running through the temple filled with devotees.

Soon it was time to back to the bus stop- to catch the dreaded Volvo to Delhi. On the bus stop we met Rahul and Deepti, who were incidentally on the bus on our way to McLeodganj. We chatted and exchanged numbers. Six months down the line we went to Leh together- a fantastic trip it was. All in all, we had a great trip; we relaxed, saw a wonderful place, and unexpectedly climbed a snow capped peak. Travel can gift you so much if you accept with an open mind. Even friends!

Weekend in McLeodganj@ Day 2

Impromptu trek to snow at Triund: The next morning Shambhu told us it had snowed in Triund. Wow! Wish Sanjay had asked for something more! We decided then we just had to trek up to Triund no matter what. We packed a bag with some food, water, torch and clothed ourselves in layers.

But first, we needed to have a good breakfast for the climb. So we headed to town to Llamo’s Croissants. Another cheery place; it has two tiny levels with a balcony. You eat your breakfast on low mattresses and tables. Grab a book and dig into bowls of muesli with curd (sour if I may say so); carrot cakes; hot croissants, chocolate donuts and eggs with fresh juice or tea/coffee. The breakfast is delicious and you can watch all sorts of people.

Triund is about 24 km from McLeodganj. Since we had one day, we were going to cover half the distance by car. The road is narrow and bumpy. A local taxi dropped us at the midpoint where there is a temple and a tiny tea shop. Only trails from here and we began our climb waved off by a local couple. It was 11 in the morning and we were running late. We had about 7 hours at the max. To go up and be back before sunset-after which the temperature drops considerably and the paths and stones become unsafe due zero lighting.

The first half an hour went quickly; but I began to feel my breath puff as we climbed higher. For some time I slowed my pace and then learnt to perch my feet on stone edges and breathe in tune to the climb. Another hour gone by; and it began to drizzle. We saw a tea stall in a distance; there are precisely 2 (next to each other) on this entire route. Our pace quickened and we took shelter under plastic sheet roof. We met a group of 3 friends (a Canadian, American, and German) and shared tea, cookies and conversation. Once the rain slowed we were off again. The trek up is scenic with rich green trees and bright red and pink flowers. The city is below you in a distance and there are stretches where you see no one but yourself.

I was tiring at around 2 and thinking of going back down. Sanjay, however, insisted that we could do this and we must! He pointed out to the snow nearby and then said: “it is just an hour and a half more, and I promise we will have maggi at Triund”. How does one refuse an offer like that? So with a deep breath we set off; I admit was nervous that most people at this point were coming down.

The climb became tougher as we had to climb over rocks versus walking on stone filled trails. The snow made it a slippery and slow climb.  Digging shoe heels and fingers in the snow, we finally reached up at about half past 3. And what an achievement it felt like! Triund was almost a snow field. No civilization except a tiny Daak-house and a tea stall. Someone had made a statue and a snowman. We sat and enjoyed our maggi and tea with the snow people. Soon it was time to head back. The tea stall owner told us we must head down fast and wished us luck.

Down we went; this being tougher than we had anticipated. We were tired from our climb and the pressure to be back down before sunset was constantly on our mind. We prayed for no rain and continued our descent. Luck was on our side, and the clouds cleared for some sun. Having a stick can help considerably as you put less pressure on your knees. We climbed and walked the same trail- seemingly longer. No stop for tea this time. It took us almost 4 hours to reach the point where we had started off- a little longer than our climb up. Thankfully, the taxi driver was waiting and we heaped into it.

It was pretty dark by now but we decided to head to town and not Udeechee for dinner. What don’t we do for good food joints, I tell you! We dragged our almost collapsing legs to Carpe Diem – a place which serves all kinds of yummy food. Carpe Diem means “seize the day”; it is from a famous Latin poem and also the slogan of a group of Middle Ages Knights. How cool is that? Sanjay opted for a Tibetan version of Pad Thai and I think I ate hummus and pita bread. The food was great and we very hungry. Between that, though, I did notice that the place has interesting décor and people. All tables have glass tops under which people have left some mementoes like pictures, comments on tissue paper, a map!

Done with dinner we took an auto back to Udeechee and crashed into bed after a hot shower. Shambhu kindly gave us 2 hot water bags. We slept with those plus our own electric heating pad tucked under legs and backs!

Weekend in McLeodganj @Day 1

March 20-23, 2009

Off we go: Sanjay and I finally had a long weekend all to ourselves and we were going to make the most of it! So we booked our tickets on the Volvo to McLeodganj- a place on our travel radar since some time. It is about 20km up the mountains from Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh and primarily a Tibetan settlement; filled with monks and foreign students/tourists.

Back to our trip. The Volvo ride was pretty uncomfortable to say the least. The seats are not what one would expect and they played the same movie (Vivah) thrice till it stopped each time at the same point after the hero and heroine go for a picnic during courtship! But once we got off at McLeodganj, we knew the trip was going to worth every song we endured.

We were picked up by the hotel car- we were staying at Udeechee Huts in Naddi, an isolated village, about 20km higher up from McLeodganj. Round and round we went till we reached Udeeche Huts- settled on a mountain top with not much on either side. Our hut room was of OK size and clean. The best part was that we had unobstructed views of the Dhauladhar range. Time seems to stand still at such places. Where happiness means looking at snow capped mountains, grazing horses and rosy cheeked children walking to school. And hot chai certainly adds to the charm!

It was just 8 in the morning and we had the whole day to ourselves. We headed down to McLeodganj-walking down the turning roads and then a short cut through the local school and woods.

Exploring McLeodganj: The best part about the town is that it is walk able. There are two main streets running parallel and a few lanes behind. All you have to do is walk and observe. It is a quaint place filled with character. We headed first to the Tsuglag Khang, the Dalai Lama's temple complex at one end. A simple building, it houses statues and paintings of Buddha. So I went in and chanted the Buddhist prayer I learnt from a friend “nam myoho renge kyo” (indicative meaning being “to devote oneself”). Then I went and turned the prayer wheels, something I always do in a Buddhist temple as I find it reassuring for some reason.

It was almost noon and time for lunch. Mcleodganj is a foodie’s paradise. But what you need to do is explore, explore, explore! We headed off to Jimmy’s Café serving mostly Italian food and sandwiches. It is a cheery looking place with old movie posters and shelves lined with books. I picked up one titled “Tales from Tibet” while Sanjay chose his ever favorite Tin Tin. My vegetarian pizza was thin crust and delicious; Sanjay’s chicken sandwich looked wonderful even to me! We read some more and enjoyed ice teas till the sun came down a bit.

We went again strolling down the streets, first to the prayer wheels at the center. These are red and blue and green versus the plain gold in the temple. They line four walls and off I went to turn them round and round.

The streets are filled with cafes, curios and stalls. You can look around for a long time. There are colorful caps, gloves, scarves, bags, Buddhist key-chains, wheels, singing bowls and stone jewellery. But most of the stuff is expensive. This is because of the large number of foreigners in residence plus the tourist inflow which increases substantially every year. So, we window shopped on the streets and walked till we reached the town’s end- which came pretty soon.

We walked a bit further out of town towards the St. John’s church (constructed in 1852) and the memorial of Lord Elgin, the British Viceroy of India (1862-63) who died while on a tour to McLeodganj. You need to walk down and then take a left. The area befits a black and white Hindi horror movie. Spooky with not a soul in sight; the church stood with its shutters closed with chains. One side were some graves, which we quickly crossed and right behind the memorial. Out of the blue we heard a loud voice from inside the church (this is serious stuff and the absolute truth) and we fled! We slowed our pace once on the main road and then caught an auto (tuk-tuk) up to Naddi.

We were just in time before it started to drizzle and then pour. Sanjay asked Shabhu (the caretaker) if there would be any snowfall and he said there had been none in summer in the last 2 years. It continued to rain and we slept to the sound of raindrops splattering on our roof.

Bangkok: Eating, Shopping and Evening-Outs!

Let me warn you at the onset. I am not much of a party person so I probably saw the tamest side of Bangkok. But we had fun and here’s the score!

Eating: Bangkok as you probably know eats everything and you will find all sorts of food and eating joints- from fantastic roof-top restaurants  to road side kiosks. If you are adventurous go for the local stalls. My husband tried a kiosk selling fish dumplings with lots of veggies and hot sauce (something like a bhel-puri). He asked the lady to make it hot, she did and he was soon gulping down a bottle of coke. Spicy in Bangkok can be really spicy. If you are on a budget try Cabbages and Condoms. The food is OK but is the atmosphere which is very pretty with fairy lights and outdoor seating. We also checked out the Sua-Lum Night market and did not like it much. You aren’t missing much if you don't go. Most malls in Bangkok have a food court serving good and varied food. The one in MBK has an Indian outlet too if you are craving for dal-naan-paneer. The fruit milkshakes are a good option too.

Another must to is heading to Sirroco- the roof top restaurant at Lebua for a drink. You can stand on the roof-top with a drink in hand and enjoy the view and the fashionable crowd. A meal here can be very expensive and one might have to book days in advance.

Evening-Outs: Like I said, my review will probably be very tame. If you have a great group of friends , any place can be fun and that applies to Bangkok as well. We checked out a couple of clubs and most were filled with tourist and Thai ladies. No surprise here. The places almost look and feel the same. Dance or enjoy a drink if you want to. We headed out shortly. What I would recommend for an evening out is a dinner cruise. There are a large number of these with a variety of budgets. Most leave between 7.00-8.00 PM, so be sure to make early reservations. It is not the food but the whole experience of Bangkok floating by with lights as you sip your drink and feel the cool air from the boat deck which makes the experience memorable.

After the cruise, we went to Bamboo- a restaurant at the Oriental Hotel where they play jazz after 10.00 PM. Dress code is formal and men must be in trousers and closed shoes. I thoroughly enjoyed the music and the voice of Frankie- the lady on the mike. She even autographed a paper coaster and told me how she wanted to be a singer ever since childhood.

$ Shopping $: There are three types of shopping experiences in Bangkok. First, the high end global brands: There are a number of malls in Bangkok which house global brands like Valentino, Todds, Gucci, Judith Lieber and the second rungs like Calvin Klien, Mango, Guess. If you are looking for bargains or the latest styles you would be better off buying these in US/or asking a relative to do so during sale season. The Bangkok prices are high with barely any promotions running.

The second shopping experience are the local Thai brands. These are housed in Central World, Robinsons, Zen etc. Trendy styles and good quality. An evening blouse might cost anywhere in the range of Bht 1000-2500. They have lots of home products, stationary and accessories. Take a look and you might find something you really like.

The third shopping is the local street bargain shopping which most of us are excited about when we go to Bangkok (including myself). Heading to MBK is almost mandatory. It is a mall with stores as well as kiosks. You will find all sorts of stuff here at good bargains. I found some lovely stoles for Bht 300, comfy cotton Giodarno t-shirts for Bht 350 (on sale) and some very nice bags for Bht 300-500. There are small picks like coin purses (Bht 35), cushions (Bht 200), movie CDs (Bht 50) and many more. If you have the weekend you might want to check out the Chatuchak market. The market comes up on weekends just outside Bangkok and is huge (about 20,000 stalls) and crowded like crazy. You will get anything and everything. Clothes, pets, food, furniture….But be armed with a hat, water and common sense. Having a friend helps immensely.

But if crowds are not for you and you still want to do some street shopping there is hope. Look around your hotel and malls post 6.00 PM. Stalls come up with clothes, CDs, bags etc. Take a look and bargain hard.

Most importantly have loads and loads of fun! We did :)

Sights and sounds of Bangkok

We headed to Bangkok from Hua Hin by road yet again. We left early morning and reached our hotel (Shangri-La, see review) by 11.00 AM. A quick shower and we were out of the hotel in a jiffy to cruise down the Chao-Pharya and see the wonders of Bangkok.

Chao Pharya Cruise: The Chao-Pharya river cuts Bangkok into two and is dotted by large hotels on both sides. We started from the Boat Pier 1 (right next to the hotel) where we purchased a tourist cruise day pass for 150 bht (about Rs 200). This pass allows you to take any of the tourist boats for the day. You can hop on and off as you please and comes with a river map which makes a nice souvenir. Our plan was to stop at 2 piers (Wat Arun and Grand Palace) and then simply sit in the boat and view the city as we cruised forth.

Wat Arun: Even though our visit was in December, the weather was hot and sultry and we kept drinking lots of water. Our first stop was Wat Arun, Temple of Dawn (Wat=temple, Arun=sun). It is about 80 m high and the climb is pretty steep if you decide to go to the second level. The temple is decorated with mosaics and sculpture. The area also has a number of kiosks selling cane bags, wood carvings, masks and other knick-knacks.

Grand Palace: Our next stop was the Grand Palace. Since we were in shorts and half sleeves we were unable to go in but could only see the structure from outside. Though there are clothes for hire, the line is long and the procedure cumbersome. Remember to wear clothes till your ankles and palms, however, hot it might be! The Palace has was construction post 1750 and has been the home of the Thai King since. It is an enormous complex but then thats what royalty is all about !

If alive, its possibly edible: After these 2 stops and 3 hours, believe it or not, the Bangkok heat and smell had tired us for the day. The steets are lined with dried fish, frogs and intestines of god knows what. It appeared to me that if something lived it could be eaten. Overpowered by all this we decided to keep sitting on the cruise boat after Grand Palace and simply watched the world go by till about Boat Pier No. 15. What I had fun doing was throwing out bits of bread to fishes in the river. A fistful of bread crumbs quickly attracts fishes almost 12 inches in length. They will hurry towards the food and you will see a whole bunch of fishes splashing about for a treat!

Other tourist must stops in Bangkok are the Emrald Buddha, Jim Thomson’s House and the Crocodile Farm. Recommended one day de-tours if you are in the mood are the Ancient City (if you like history) or Pattaya (for Beach).

Hua Hin- around the town

Hua-Hin is actually the Thai King’s summer resident. And, so, the well off families also began spending their summer here. It is now filled with luxury resorts and hotels; at a fraction of what you would pay at Maldives or Kho Samui. Still, we decided to look around and it was easy to cover the entire town in a day or two.

We first headed to the beach. It is packed with locals and tourists; with the locals usually eating and the tourists reading or drinking. You can sit on the chairs if you order something. We asked for a couple of cokes but after about an hour decided to move on. There were no water sports but we did collect shells, ate corn-on-cob and picked hats and fake Armani sunglasses!

Time for lunch and we headed to a Pizzeria at a mall. A sight I kept noticing was Thai girls and women with tourists in Hua-Hin. It is common in Thailand, but specially so in Hua Hin. It is very common to find such couples specially at eating joints and shopping centers.


Some landmarks in Hua Hun are the railway station (supposed to be the country’s prettiest), the clock tower, the King’s Palace and the elephant park. The rail station was small but brightly painted. The area around it was decorated with paper streamers and buntings. The clock tower also serves as a bus stop! The King’s palace we had to miss as he was in residence.

I tried to shop (I try to shop everywhere ) but could not find much. The market is about a street or two. What you must do is check out the Thai boxing though! They put on music and its fun to see jabs. The one which we saw was a friendly match sponsored by a company so thankfully no broken teeth or nose!

To Thailand: Hua Hin and Bangkok

“ I am going to shop and shop, till I drop”, said me as we checked in at the airport for our flight to Bangkok. My excited look was matched by a thoughtful one by Sanjay. “But we are in Bangkok for 2 days only” said my husband regaining his composure. And so started our trip to Thailand- 7 days in Hua Hin ( a sleepy beach town filled with resorts) and 2 days in Bangkok.

We landed at the Bangkok airport early morning 6.00 AM and were met by the attendant of AKA Resorts, Hua Hin. She led us to a 5 series BMW, our chariot for the 3 hour drive to the resort. These 3 hours flew as we looked out into the scenery, busy Bangkok surburbs slowly replaced by small dhaba style eateries interspersed by large factories and temples every now and then.

AKA resort, Hua Hin: We checked into the resort; our first impression being fabulous. We were looking to just chill, laze and do absolute nothing in the next week and the place seemed perfect. In the middle of rice fields, the resort had large well maintained lawns with open eating areas and a pool. We drove to our villa in a golf-cart. It had a lounge with TV and small bar area, a bedroom, a massage room, two bath areas, a terrace with sunbed and a decent sized pool all to our selves.  :)

We spent the next 3-4 days reading from the library, swimming and taking walks around the area. There are times when you just want to be pampered. AKA fit the bill perfectly. We had picked some groceries on the way to the hotel and had enough to munch during the daytime. I am a vegetarian so my choice was certainly limited.

On the fourth day we decided to head to town.

Leh Diary@Day 9

September 12, Saturday: Back to Delhi

We have a 7.00 am Kingfisher flight back to Delhi. We leave the hotel early and soon I am on my seat, the seat-belt clasped. The aircraft takes off and I crane my neck- looking out of the window to see the last of Leh. The week we spent here was wonderful. We relaxed, we saw a different people and culture and more than anything nature at its best. I feel lucky visiting and learning about this place, which, in turn taught me some things about myself. So long!

Leh Diary@Day 8

September 11, Friday: Pangong Tso

It is our last day in Leh and we have reserved it for Pangong Tso. Pangong Tso ( Tso: Ladakhi for lake) is a salt water lake in the Himalayas at a height of about 4,250 m (13,900 ft). It is about 140 km long and extends from India to China. Two thirds of the length of this lake lies in China. It is 5 km wide at its broadest point. In winter, the lake surface freezes completely overnight. The drive is 5 hours one way and we leave the hotel by about 7.

The drive: It is some time before we enter unchartered territory. Like all our journeys in Leh, this one also has merismerzing views. I know this is our last day here and I am busy looking out of the window trying to soak in as much as possible. We cross Chang-La pass (18,000 feet / 5,475 m) on our way after a couple of hours. It is extremely cold and windy here; much more than Khardung-La. We quickly click some pictures and pack right back into the car. The road winds its way across snow-capped mountains, bare brown valleys and green plains. The road is very good, and again, maintained by the army. They have put some amusing road-signs on the way. We rattle them off as they approach. “If married, divorce speed”; “It is better to be Mr. Late than Late Mr”; “Peep Peep, do not sleep”.

Wildlife: The route from Chang-La to Pangong is almost uninhabited except army presence. We see yak, wild untamed horses, blue sheep (they are brown but for some reason called blue sheep) and various birds. We also site this very cute rodent like creature known as “walmuthu” locally. We name it “muthuswamy”. It stands about a feet tall and is furry. Sanjay and Rahul get out and feed it biscuits. And then some choco-pies, kit-kats and cookies! And muthuswamy eats it all and wants more! It is certainly not calorie conscious.

Lake: We begin to approach Pangong at about noon. I can see this patch of sapphire enclosed between bronze-gold mountains. We get closer and realize that the trip is worth the distance. Vast like the sea, the lake stretches right into the horizon. Mist clouds the horizon. It is very cold and windy as the area is open. We walk around the edges, taking in the place.

After an hour it is time to head off. We all doze off at various points on our drive back. The landscape passess by...

Leh Diary@Day 7

September 10, Thursday: Khardung-la

We are in no hurry today and everybody wakes up later than usual. The only thing on our agenda today is the Khardunga-La for which we start at about 10.00 am.

Fast facts: Khardung-La has the distinction of being the world’s highest motorable road at 18,380 feet and possibly one of the most scenic. It lies at the crossroads of the ancient silk route. The road was constructed here at second attempt in 1972 by 201 Engineer Regiment of the Indian Army.

Tourists need passes to access Khardung-La and the guesthouse has arranged ours. It takes us a good two hours to reach Khardung-La but not a moment is boring. The ever changing landscape keeps us occupied. The road is in very good shape. Our driver tells us this is because it shuts every Monday for repair and maintenance. The work certainly shows. The drive is smooth for most parts, albeit scary at times with a random reckless driver from the opposite end.

The pass: The top has army presence. We can see snow all around and waste no time in throwing fistfuls at each other. And do they hit hard! Peace prevails and we decide to make a snowman instead. But the winds gather speed and it gets chilly. I make a quick stop at the tiny temple and pick up a mug at the sovenier shop run by the army. We chat with the army person who has fought in the Kargil war. Solemnly, we head back to Leh.

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It is evening as we reach back. Since we are changing our hotel for the last couple of days we pack and move to the nearby Leh-Chen. It has opened just 2 months back and is new. What we all really like is the food. We wrap up the evening looking out with hot chai and pakoras!