The Best 8 Days Of My Life

I was right there, staring at my computer screen, it was 12th July, 2012 and I was wondering if I should hit the submit button. I could hear my mom and dad saying no to me in my head. So i shut my eyes and i just hit the SUBMIT button, & there goes my 13K. My trip to HEAVEN was fixed. I had planned a trip to Heaven - Leh. I have a friend who lives there and was working with an NGO called SLC – Snow Leopard Conservatory Trust. She had told me a zillion times to book my tickets and fly to Leh and I finally did it. I envy her big time actually, as she gets to live in this amazingly beautiful place.

I packed my bags and left on 15^th September, 2012 and it was the first time I was going all alone, completely by myself so everybody was worried. However I didn’t care much about that. What I cared about was, how my next 8 days would be. I wrote everything in my small little red diary. Right from my pilot’s name that flew me to Leh to the places I visited there, the people I met and the pilot who got me back to my home town Mumbai.

I reached Leh at 10.30 am sharp, My friend Radhika came to pick me up at the airport. We went to my room in the guest house and stayed there for some time and then left to go to the market. However it was difficult for me at first as I hadn’t acclimatized yet. So I as soon as I took a few steps towards the market, I could feel giddy and nausea so Radhika suggested I rest for the first 2days and that’s exactly what I did. My first 2 days were wasted. However the feeling of just being there was amazing. All I could see from my window were snow clad mountains, black-billed magpie and all different types on flora and fauna.

Julley Means 'Hi'

My Room

I was normal on the third day and went sight-seeing. I visited Sindhudurg River, where children practice ice-skating in winters as the river is frozen. I visited Thiksey, Stok Palace, Stanti Stupa, all the usual places that visitors would see. On the 4^th Day, I left for Pangong Tso. It was 3 degree Celsius; I had amazing hot Maggie in a tent there and came back the same day. It started snowing when I was coming back .It was the best experience of my life. It’s an 8 hour drive to and from. I had never ever ever magined what would snow feel like and there I was trying to hold snow in my hands. Actually I had worn gloves, which I removed just to feel the snow. OMG, it was superb. I can never forget this place in my entire life. I relive those moments every time I narrate my experience to someone or whenever I just think about it. Later that day I visited my guides house, met his family, wore their traditional dress and loved every moment I spent there.

Spikey

Changla Pass

Next day was rest again and on the 6^th Day I went to Nubra valley. Nubra Valley is the place where you get to see Mountains, river and sand all at one place. We stayed over for a night as it takes almost 5 – 6 hours one way travelling to Nubra. It’s hardly a few kilometers away from China border on one side and Pakistan on other. So When I reached there I saw double humped camels, which apparently were used during silk trading times. They were cute, I named one as “spikey” the pic is here too, I am sure looking at the picture you’ll understand I why I named it “spikey”. So people usually sit on the camels to take a ride and all and my friend out of courtesy asked me too, but I guess we had the same thought in mind, that I didn’t want the poor camel to die out of carrying a 75 kg ball on its back, just for my bloody entertainment. So I passed. Bubra valley is a place with white sand one one side, beautiful mountain on another side, I cant even explain the god damn color of the mountains, it was that mesmerizing and then small lake passing by from in between. I stayed there for a while, slept on the sand, looked at the clear light blue sky, with one single eagle flapping it’s wings and flying away to freedom, you won’t believe what I was thinking at that time,

Bloody Eagle

I was thinking this bloody eagle is teasing me because I am getting married soon, so I would lose out on my freedom, my wings would be like damaged, if not cut and this thing is purposely flying in front of me, coz there was just one eagle in the bloody big wide space up there in the air.

On My Way to Nubra valley

I got rid of the thought and then spent some awesome time having dinner with Radhika and then just chilled around, looking at the stars and discussing the whole solar system thingy. I am not good at it, but I get to learn a lot from her about Astronomy and nature. She is too good with it and I enjoy our topics of discussions. It’s like we are friends who were in the same god damn school, but never spoke and then we got back together in our graduation college and yet we didn’t interact much, but then I don’t know, last 6 months of graduation and we just clicked. It’s so weird, that sometimes you know the people around you, but because you don’t approach them or vice-versa you don’t get to know them and then you end up being with more than 30% of shitty people in your life and lose out on the awesome ones. Radhika is a super cool person, with a different perspective towards life and I don’t know and don’t care what others think, but I Love her…She is an awesome person. I may not meet her like for years, but I will always be the same person to her as I have always been and I am sure she would be too.

Me

So unfortunately, my journey was coming to an end, and I came back on 7^th day in the evening and then rested and Left on the 8^th Day – 23^rd September 2012, with tears in my eyes. I didn’t want to go back. I wanted to time to stop there n then, as I was actually living my LIFE. It’s like I had created a bond with that place. It was like the mountains, birds, water, sand, every god damn pebble told me “please don’t leave” and I soooooooooooo wanted to be there too…