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We stay up night after night and prepare for our dreams – our dream college, our dream job, our dream promotion but even as we work and work hard we draw a few lines and set our own limits to how far we can go. We unknowingly decide where the comma must be placed or a full stop must appear on our everyday life adventures. There are, however, times when you are enthralled by an idea so spectacular that what you are capable of is a question that evaporates, all that remains is the idea and you and how it must come true.
For us, that idea was Ladakh. Even before we realized we loved traveling or we wanted to quit our job for full time travel, we knew we loved Ladakh. How many passes can you cross? How many knee deep water puddles can you traverse? How many cold winds can you tolerate? Can you really sleep on 4500+ meters? Can you really ride for hours and hours in wilderness with no end in sight? How would you even convince your parents to let you hire a bike and go to such trying conditions?These were the answers we didn’t have, all we knew was that Ladakh must be chased.
And it was Ladakh we blindly chased riding 15 hours to get straight to Manali from Delhi meeting head aches and breathlessness at Pang and basically three days in the cold of Leh-Manali highway followed by many additional days’ travel exploring the region. Nothing mattered then, but Ladakh.
Ladakh taught us that when there is a passion flickering in your heart, its glow hides away all your limitations. So, if you have a passion go chase it, do not sit back or work on your limits for the best way to know your limits is to test them. How else do you know what you are capable of?
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The best part about Ladakh, when I went there, was my bike trip on Leh-Manali Highway. I had to halt just after Baralacha La as one of the bike – of the 3 that were traveling together – got stuck in the vicious water stream that flows on the pass. Couldn’t sleep all night due to acclimatization problem and the rum that we had at the tent didn’t help 🙂
But after all that happened it was truly worth it. The high point was riding in the Gata Loops as well as Chang La on our way to Pangong.
It was definitely one of the most defining moments of my life!
Nikhil Chandra recently posted…Northern Ridge: Delhi Heritage Walk
I remember those water crossings, The worst one we encountered was in a previous trip which was in Spiti.
Manali – Leh and Zanskar came close but if you want the worst of roads and the worstest of crossing, Spiti is the place you need to be.
The adrenaline rush is so high that you miss your sleep only till you hit the road. Then the views make up for the aches.
in the Gata Loops, we saw a temple of plastic bottles.
It was unbelievable why someone would carry plastic bottles all the way and leave them there.
-Empty Rucksack
Such a nice message at the end. Of course I have been to Ladakh and it is one of a kind place. But the message you have shared is true for all passions. We have to test our own self to know the limits we can withstand…
Richa Singh recently posted…A blessing in disguise- 100 words on a Saturday
Thank you Richa. As they rightly say, Ladakh ek taraf, baaki duniya ek taraf.
It is one place where all your efforts are rewarded.
I guess no one can forget Ladakh! That hammering in my head when we reached after a cannon ball run from Manali in a shared jeep! Memories, memories. Loved all your pictures!
Mridula recently posted…5 New Year Resolutions I will Like to Keep
Thanks Mridula,
Did you the 1 day shared jeep leaving Manali at 2am and getting to Leh by 7pm.
When we do it again, we will take the one day bus from Manali, it seemed most logical to do that.
However as I write this, I get goosebumps thinking about it. Definitely heading back to Leh this summer.
Did you visit nubra and zanskar?
-Empty Rucksack
Ladakh is always there to push one’s limit. and no matter how many times you go, you see a difference face.
I remember seeing Leh as a vibrant city ripe with colors when I visited it in summers, but when I went there again in six months, in January it was a different story altogether. What I saw was a ghost-town with 90% shops closed, and entire city closed down. going around the area – Shey, Thiksey, Hemis, Alchi, Likir all seemed in a different mood altogether.
I would highly recommend you guys to try the Chadar trek, its a lifetime thing again.
after being there twice I said to myself, it would take me few years to come back but I am searching for an excuse to go there again soon.
Anshul,
1 month road trip pushed all our limits, but we also used that as a great excuse to chill out half the time.
We were in Leh for a few weeks and only visited Shanti Stupa, our guest house and the people staying there were very awesome, most days were spent over unending cups of tea infront of a chess board and greatly intellectual discussions about the life of a nobody.
Chadar Trek- That is one thing we keep for the 30’s. It will give us a reason to stay fit. You did that twice, you must be super fit. till the time you are not doing the Chadar Trek and need something light and moderate, please get to Uttaranchal, we loved the one month we spent there doing three treks.
-Empty Rucksack
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