Keep it Simple!

So I thought of describing some of the best shots!

To start with, Ladakh is not "just another holiday destination". Its far more than what we think. Its million times more magical than a location you must have fantasized of going to in your dreams.

The journey started with our 'Rail Yatra' to Delhi. Hunting food in Delhi is difficult if it is past 9pm. And for vegetarians, its like finding a diamond in coal mine! But then here is where Mumbai skills come handy. Veg resto found and dinner accomplished! :)

Now Leh is the capital of Ladakh and the only town with proper connectivity with outside world.
The best part of reaching Leh by flight is the unmatched window view. Never in your life will you get to see it anywhere! Am not talking about a secret tribe of beautiful girls visible on one of the mountains.
As soon as we reached Leh, there was an announcement which added to our excitement : "The temperature outside is 1 degree Celsius." Whoaaaaa! Welcome to Ladakh guyz! ;)

Leh has like a zillion guest houses ranging from Rs.300/day to 5000/day. Tourism is the major source for roti-kapda-makaan here!
Our search for a guesthouse was a pleasant experience. After rejecting an old dust filled guesthouse, we zeroed in to Sia-La Guest house. An amazing guest house with amazing people!

The temperature there was sub-zero throughout the day and went up to -10 at night! So its a heaven for people like me who don't like to bathe everyday :D
The only warning here is that the climate changes anytime any moment and you have to be prepared for it. One moment we were in our tees and jeans, other moment we were in a jacket over 2 tees with cap, gloves and muffler on.
"Acclimatization" is what you do if you are sitting idle and not doing anything. :P

The major places to visit there are Lama yuru (oldest monastery) , Pangong Lake, Nubra Valley, and other major monasteries.

The picture above is of Pangong lake. It is highest lake in the world! 1/3rd of it is in India and 2/3rd in China. What we saw left me spell bound... the entire lake was frozen! I had heard of frozen lakes before, but when I saw this, I was like WTF! It was one of the best moments of the trip. People could actually walk on the lake! And yet we could see water and fishes inside the frozen layer...

Apart from natural beauty, another amazing aspect of Ladakh is the people there.
Ladakhi's are known to be the most friendliest and most hospitable people in the world. We experienced it!
Meet any random person there, and he will make you feel over comfortable. I think, these people are perfect case studies for being polite no matter what! You will feel good even if they they use slang words, coz you would never know it was slang!
"Julley" is the master word in Ladakhi lingo. It covers all greetings like hi, hello, welcome, thank you, bye etc.. So interaction wasn't a problem :)
The real challenge is to understand their names and most importantly remember them. They have all kind of tongue twister names. We are still wondering what our drivers name was : Rig Zing / Reg Zhing / Reg zene / Rig Jhin... :D
But anyway, it was fun being with these people.

Have a million stories to tell about the place. But as always am too lazy now. Maybe I will add some interesting facts later. Till then.... Julley!