A story told in parts: Ladakh 2017

This story is getting old. And so far, it is a story told in parts to different listeners in different contexts. The varied contexts in which I find myself quoting parts of this story make me realize that it is probably a story I should write in a complete form, so as to not let the learnings from the story fade away for me. I cannot put a finger to that one moment when I felt for the first time an enormous love for travelling. For me, it is probably an accumulation of conversations and experiences that has made me want to travel more. And given my yearning to move out of my comfort zone, traveling solo had to be tried.

Gradually moving away from the thought of always being at the front foot when it comes to work, I feel like the time between jobs is a blessing. Savings or no savings, having a lack of responsibility of sustaining others, I am glad I chose to travel to Ladakh during that time for my first solo trip.

When I asked my family for permission, they had to choose between me traveling solo and me traveling to Kashmir. They chose the former and I chose Ladakh! The phase when I was deciding between surfing in Mauritius, afforestation in Sadhna forest, train ride across the length of India and volunteering in a village was quite exciting. I suppose finding a Vippassana course in Ladakh sealed the deal for me because it gave me something to discover outside and inside. And hence, I spent close to 20 days in Ladakh – 10 for Vipassana and 10 just traveling around.

Being a stickler for planning, I used the time during my notice period to research about the place. I went through the usual cycle of looking at touristy places online, hostels and AirBnBs, route mapping, tour agencies and what not. By the end of it, I was so exhausted by the research that I just ended up booking my onward flight from Delhi to Ladakh and nothing else. A little bit of a panic attack two weeks before the trip made me also book my return tickets. But that is just about the only two things that were fixed. I rode on the belief in the simplicity and generosity of the people in the mountains that a lot of my mountain loving friends had told me about.

Landing in Leh, I knew my trip was going to be amazing when a kind family gave me a lift in their car from the military airport to the main market. I considered it something of a good omen. The first 10 days at Vipassana somewhat laid the ground for the next 10 days in Ladakh. I got the opportunity to serve during the course. And what an enriching experience it was! Translating the conversations between the 8 ladies in the course and the teacher made me privy to some of the deeper issues that were being faced by the course attendants. And what a humbling experience that was! To meet such women who had been through so much worse and were so so strong! A conversation with 2 of the ladies on the last day decided my place of stay for the next 10 days. I joined Natalia and Abby in the guest house that Natalia was staying in! Trusting two strangers did not come naturally to me, given my upbringing in Delhi!

In Leh, things just happened one after the other! I joined a group of men on a bike trip to Pangong Tso, none of whom I had spoken to before the day we decided to go. Given my fear of bikes, I am surprised at my calmness during the entire trip when our 350 CC motorbikes often crashed into puddles of water on the narrow mountain lanes. I remember feeling no doubt that things would be just about fine. When I think about it now, I am amazed at the certainty I had that time, so unlike the bouts of anxiety one often has at the drop of a hat in office! And hence I often find myself deliberately going back to that feeling of complete surrender and purpose during my day to day life.

Back from Pangong, sitting in Ooh lala Café, materialized the next plan of camping at Tso Moriri with our own camping gear. And this time with a different group. The route to Tso Moriri reinstalls the belief in the cliche of enjoying the journey over the destination. One can’t not enjoy it, if it is interspersed with tiny lakes in the middle of nowhere, clear blue skies with cotton clouds and sheep walking down the road with no care in the world! Nothing to take away from the untouched beauty of the lake but the highlight of the trip to Tso Moriri was a kind, simple Ladakhi family who agreed to let us pitch our tents in their house compound for the night. The shivering cold would have been unbearable for the cosy little shop with no electricity where we cooked aloo paranthas for dinner. I do hope that if I visit the family again in the future, they would have added aloo paranthas to their menu!

Back in Leh from Tso Moriri, we fell into a beautiful routine of just going around the city with no specific place in mind. While mornings were about chatting with the owners of ooh lala or Babylon, afternoons involved strolling in the main market and small cafes there and evenings were about climbing the stupa for meditation or sitting beside the river which flowed next to the road in the city! Ofcourse there was also the task of going to places near the city – magnetic hills, the confluence of Indus and Zanskar river, trekking to the nearby monasteries etc. I do think we hit jackpot when we reached the Hemis monastery and witnessed the famous Hemis festival. The vibe of the Buddhist music and dancing masked monks still gives me goosebumps when I think about it.

This trip was about so many more things - walking under the stars in the night, making acquaintance with strangers, listening to the stories of the locals and just breathing in the colours and sounds of the place! Somehow a lot of the fears I face on a daily basis just completely annihilated during those 20 days. The trip really was about embracing uncertainty and being flexible, two things that I wish I did more. But most of all, for me my first solo trip will always be a constant reminder of the calm, cheerful and level - headed self that the place brought out of me!

Coming soon: Ladakh Picture Story!