Road to Rome

Leh Ladakh Highway, Kashmir, India

All roads lead to Rome...

Seriously!!!!

The moon

Clicked almost 2 years back in the shivering evening cold of the Ladakhi mountains. Its my agenda to go back there again. Once is simply not enough. Time and again, I keep going back there...in my mind. 

Well, we had this picture enlarged, printed and framed. But it was framed upside down and well - we realized it only 2 weeks later when a friend point it out :-). Well, it is difficult to make out - I think. Until, you look at it more closely and see the tall grass on the bottom left hand side. 

But yes, looking at the moon, in the shivering evening cold, was a very soothing effect. A paradox in itself. 

Let the sunshine in...

Open the doors... Let me in...

This picture was taken by Munish during one of our trips. Nice composition. Its only today that I got around to work on it. I miss this. 

I miss my blog too. There have been so many instances that I wanted to blog about a day, a wedding, work, movies, friends, plans...but somehow, I have not been able to make time for this. Whenever, anything of importance happens, I miss writing, I miss my blog. 

I want to spend more time here. Have not been able to. Would love to....

Until then...

Road Signs

 Interesting Road Signs en route from Srinagar To Ladakh. There were many more of them, but must say that I was very unprepared for the unpredictable humour found on the nook and corner on the roads of Ladakh.

Another one of the interesting road sign we came across en route from Leh to Pangong Tso...:-)

Some more dedicated to Chang - La Pass and ChangLa Baba :-)

 

Ladakh - A trip to remember!!!

@ Dal Lake, Srinagar, Beautiful town set inside a lake.... scenic, calm and peaceful..... boatman singing a Kashmiri song, hot pakoras  and chai.... floating vegetation.....floating shops and eateries.... must come back here again....

 @ en route to Leh via Kargill..... Sparkling tributaries, Mountains..... brown and white.... green and barren... hamlets, towns, museums, people so wonderful....breakfast - bread and chai..... a shepherd, his flock of sheep and goats ....all posing for a perfect score....  Jhelum’s rivulets, sometimes sparkling clean and sometimes muddy brown.... crossing the Rocky Mountains....  admiring their frown....

 

@Sindhu ghat....

@Hemis Festival, Hemis Monastary, Of museums, butter lamp house and prayer rooms....Of Buddha, Buddhists monks and kids.... Of dances, expressions and beats....

 

@Thiksey monastery, Altitude and peace, solitude and wind.....,A vast pan of fields, road and barren beauty.... as far as the eye can see.....

 @Shey Palace, Home to Maitrey Buddha and the wheel of life

 @Stok Museum, A different era, different belief, a     different culture..... What remains are its pieces....a window to the world afar....

@Chang la baba’s temple, the friendly Indian army and a hot cuppa of ginger chai....

A snowball on my co-travellers face, a smile for the camera...

@Pangong Tso

Unbelievably crystal blue.... salty.... clear..... peaceful..... and Brahmi ducks.... so beautiful.....Hot Maggie and chai.... a camera in one hand.... sitting on the edge of the lake....Tired of clicking away!!!!

Brahmi Ducks

@ Rohtang La

A drive into the clouds.... cold and frosty..... a bumpy road.... a hot makai in hand..... driving down to civilization..... away from the magnificence of the Himalayas..... away from the beautiful people and experiences....

Ladakh was a wonderfully enriching experience. I was awed by the magnificience of the Himalayas, its beauty, its culture, its people and its food.... Never felt anything like it... .right from Srinagar to Manali.... the multi colour mountains, the crystal clear tributaries and so much more... The best of this journey was the road....:) which took us through such wonderful terrain of green and barren mountains, arid vegetation, the flowing ice cold water, the ladakhi songs - which we didnt understand but enjoyed every bit of it.... the waving hands of other travellers on the road, acknowledging their presence.... just roaming aimlessly through the streets of Leh, the shop vendors selling their wares, eating momo and aloo ka parathas in the same lane.... walking... talking..... a culmination of cultures - foreign and local..... it was simply amazing.... returning back to Delhi, was a jolt to my senses which had got so familiar with Ladakh. And I know, I will come back again :)

The trip to Ladakh was the most beautiful days spent.... the magnificence of the Himalayas empowers you....the beauty enthralls you..... such much so that when you get back to 'Planet Earth' it feels unreal....