Onwards to Leh via Kargil

You know that moment? When you come up with poetic lines to say to the one you love.. and as you say them, your love just keeps looking back into your eyes with the most lovable look ever. And somewhere halfway through all that romantic talk, you suddenly run out of words due to that adorable look… you have no more to say but to keep looking back in wonder…

Yeah… That’s how I felt on my way from Srinagar to Leh as I kept staring at the Himalayas…

I guess most of you’ve read my earlier post about our stay in Srinagar and how we left the place in a hurry early morning. Since we’d packed off our large bags onto the bus the earlier night, we just bundled in, sleepy eyed at 4.30 and started the long journey to Leh. The route was from Srinagar to Kargil the first day and from Kargil to Leh the second day. Among the halts that we took on the way, the first was at Sonmarg where we had ‘Kawa’ a spiced Kashmiri tea. It was a delight to the taste buds! Another halt was at the Kargil war memorial at Drass. It was a really simple set up but it got goosebumps to me. Just one of those million times when I feel really proud of my Indian Jawans… Then post Kargil, we stopped at a place called Lamayuru; a landmark monastery which was an idyllic, peaceful place. There was one interesting scene that we saw though. It’s called the moonscape. It didn’t look like anything I’d seen before! It was just this huge chunk of mountain that looked like alien land! seriously a moonscape!

The awe-inspiring landscapes and a few moments of glee every now and then when the bus turned to expose yet another beautiful sight were an unforgettable journey. I was either stuck fast to the seat next to the driver, ogling at the hills before me or was in some window seat, grinning from ear to ear like a cat just out of the sheer pleasure of being where I was.

There was a moment, when we turned a corner right at the top of a mountain and I saw a whole spread of the Himalayas from one end of the horizon to the other. The breath that I drew in stayed in for a long time, until I remembered that I should be breathing…. Calling it ‘beautiful’ would be promoting the over-used adjective to a never-before height (literally!) For one, I have never felt that humbled ever before. Never have I felt as small and insignificant as I did in that moment. The Himalayas, they are just to mighty that one feels like a mouse before their might. Knowing that they have been around for millions of years is even more a perspective modifying experience.

In terms of the journey, there isn’t much that I’d write but since they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ve got back a few of them for you guys…

Vijay path.... the Kargil War memorial at Drass

The flags of the different mountain divisions at the memorial...

Operation Vijay war memorial...

Shahid Kalash

It's kinda dark, but it's a beautiful river!

magnificent Rock faces!

Again, a dark pic, but loved it too much!

blue!!

🙂

Khardung La

ICE!!

One of the unbelievably cute babies there!!

A Buddha sculpture that actually emitted peace.... *Serene*

Prayers...

The moonscape... well... a part of it...

The other side of the moonscape...

me....

I don’t know how some people have gigantic egos. I don’t know what makes them so super proud and damn arrogant! When you look at the face of Creation the way you see it in a clean sea or across a huge mountain range, you realize how insignificant a part you  are in the whole Dance of Creation. But it is beyond this realization that you find wonder to know that despite the fact that we are but miniature bits of the whole picture, God or The Creator or evolution or anything that you wish to call it, cares enough about each of us enough to have made us as detailed as we are. It is an enlightening and wonderful feeling…. and that wonder stays on with you till Leh knocks you right off your feet once you reach there…