Life on the highest motorable road to Khardung La in Ladakh – Photo journal
A panoramic view of the Himalayas in Ladakh and realization dawns – there are things more important than meeting one's credit card payment deadline :-)
After visiting this place last summer with my best friend and now wife - Viti, one thing is for sure that there's no point settling for a foreign jaunt before enjoying the beauty of India. I here present a few pictures of my tour and I am sure they are going to prompt you for a visit to this awesome place, right here in India, just a two-hour flight away from New Delhi.
Air-view
Clicked from the aircraft flying at an altitude of about 60,000 feet.
Approaching Khardung La
The moment we spotted some greenery in the cold desert of Ladakh, we got ourselves clicked. This road led us to the world's highest motorable mountain pass and road-Khardung La.
Courtesy Border Roads Organization
Oh my god! That's such a remarkable feeling to sit next to the tower of Border Roads Organization which has a Guinness record for constructing the highest road and bridge in the world.
Ladakhi Gompas, Buddhist temples
Spotting such small gompas (Buddhist temple housing a maaney-the cylindrical structure which revolves round an axis) in Ladakh is as common as spotting small temples in central India.
Hemis monastery – the biggest monastery in Leh
We chanced upon this lama on our way back to the base camp after visiting the Hemis Monastery or Hemis Gompa, constructed in 1630 during the period of Sengge Namgyal, is the world known biggest Buddhist Monastery in the region of Leh. The Monastery is managed by Drukpa sect of Buddhists.
Touching base camp for Khardung La
Now that's one breathless me. The air gets rarified as you move up. Here I stand next to a board which reads South Pullu-base camp for Khardung La.
Murmot takes a snow walk
This is a murmot – an animal which resembles a mongoose or nevla. It lives in higher altitudes and comes out only when the snow melts. It hibernates for almost 8 months!
Lure of the snow wall
It was really amazing to stand next to a wall of snow. It felt awesome and I guess it looks alluring as well…
Khardung La, at last!
I just couldn't miss the opportunity of driving on this road. Finally, here we are – reading the board which says that we have arrived (breathless though) on the highest motorable road in the world!
Two adventure freak bolivian tourists cyclying down their way to Jammu after visiting Leh. The Zaanskar range is forming the backdrop of the picture.
Up there in nature's cool bosom, even the noise in one's head dies a muffled death. Though it isn't like really being there, these photographs transport me back into those cool locales and I can almost feel the chill in the air.
More on Ladakh
Travel guide – Ladakh
map
[Photo credit: Nishant]
