Skywatch Friday - Ladakh from Sky!

Which is the best picture for this season to showcase on Skywatch? It has to be something with snow. Being the season of Yuletide, it fits the bill. Last year, we were in Sikkim during this time and the spectacular drive to Nathula was a picture postcard made for the season. We only missed Santa!

The best views of Himalayas if you are not a mountaineer is from the plane. Though Ladakh does not have a helicopter/Plane safari of Himalayas like you have in Nepal, you will still get to see magnificent views of the mountains when you are landing or taking off from Leh. You have to make sure that you have a window seat. We were lucky to experience it five years ago which we shared it here. Ladakh Diaries 7 - Himalayas from sky!

We were in Ladakh again in August this year. Unlike five years ago, it was an incredibly sunny month which had melted most of the snow. In fact, we did not see snow in Khardung La! When we took off from Leh, back to Bengaluru, we ensured that we get a seat near the window. Poorna was ready with his zoom to capture the magical views. We were not disappointed. Though the snow was less, the contrast of snow and black granite was mind-blowing. 

Check out these pictures. Click on them to see them in larger size.

For ten minutes, we were treated with magnificent vistas of Ladakh ranges. Now you know what to do do when you fly next time to Leh. Make sure you have a window seat and keep your camera and binoculars ready.

If you want to read more about our journeys in Ladakh, please check this link.

Ladakh Diaries

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Skywatch Friday - Mountains and the Valley!

When you drive in Kashmir and Ladakh, you are invariably greeted with lovely vistas. We always feel that when you are in Ladakh, it is the journey that is captivating than the destination itself. Though the destinations themselves are fabulous - like Pangong Tso or Tso Moriri - the curiosity of expecting changing landscape is what makes the trip to Ladakh always a thrilling experience.

It happened with us too during our trip to the region in August this year. This time, we drove from Srinagar. The valley was uncharacteristically hot. The rains had not arrived. The peaks were naked bereft of any snow. When we left Sonmarg and started driving, we were looking for the first opportunity to see the snow. After few hours of drive, we saw this valley and we felt our prayers were answered.

Why not? Here was a lovely valley. Green in the foreground with snow covered peaks in the horizon. While we would have loved a clear sky, the clouds bring their own charm. The shadow play was excellent. One part of the valley lit by morning sun and the other under the shadow. The brown was perfect contrast to the black.

Click on the picture to see it in larger size.

For more interesting posts in Skywatch Friday Series, please click on this link below.

Skywatch Friday

For more stories on our adventures in Ladakh, please check out 9 part series "Ladakh Diaries" here.

Ladakh Diaries

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Skywatch Friday - Hole in the Sky in Ladakh!

Ladakh is always fascinating. It amazes the travellers with new things everytime you go there.

But you need to be curious traveller!

We found these natural holes formed in the mountains on our way to Nubra valley and again during our trek in Markha valley. It is a geological phenomenon and no one knows how it would have occurred. But it is a natural wonder indeed. Take a look at these pictures below. Please click on them to see in original size.

On the way to Nubra Valley 

Near Hunkar Village on Markha Valley trek

Close up shot of the above

Next time when you travel to Ladakh look out for such fascinating vignettes. These are like icing on the cake!

There are many Ladakh stories in this blog. We welcome you to take a look at them by clicking this link below.

Ladakh in a basket - All Stories on Ladakh

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Monasteries of Ladakh - Brilliantly aesthetic!

When you are in Ladakh, you will be greeted by the the cold desert in its myriad formations. You get mesmerised by its valleys, the snow-caped peaks, the sand dunes, wind weathered mountains forming unusual shapes, colossal granite walls et al...... When you are enjoying such a brilliant landscape, you will suddenly stop and get awed at some lovely structures ensconced into the mountains. They are Gompas or Buddhist monasteries.

One of the charms of travelling in Ladakh are the numerous monasteries spread across the barren landscape. Perched on the mountains, they add colourful contrast to the landscape around. Be it the large monasteries like Tiksay or Deskit or the smaller ones, these places of worship are like lovely little gems in the arid landscape. They are aesthetically pleasing, rustic and colourful.

During our recent trip we thought of capturing many of them. We don't know the names of many of them but looking at them, we assure you that you don't need any more information to enjoy the beauty of their brilliance!

Here we go......

We saw this small gompa on Srinagar - Leh highway near the village Budhakarbu. Perched on a steep hill.

This was again on Srinagar - Leh road. The location was beautiful

The Gompa @ Lamayuru. One of the largest in Ladakh, the Monastery located on a hill commands a lovely sight of the moonscape surrounding it.

Namgyal Tsemo Gompa - Located behind the Leh palace in city in the mountain, it still commands brilliance of Isolation

Gompa @ Rumtse village. Perched on a small hill in a lovely village of Rumtse on Leh - Manali road

Stakna Gompa on Leh - Manali road. On a hill on the banks of Indus river

Gompa @ Deskit. One of the largest monastery in Nubra valley

Shanti Stupa and Monastery as seen from Khardung La road

A Gompa in Leh city. We clicked this on our way to Khardung La.

A monastery located on the bank of Indus on a small hill on Leh - Nimmu road

Not sure of the name. A large monastery which can be seen on the horizon behind Stakna on Leh - Manali road.

Thiksey Monastery - One of the largest in Ladakh.

Charming monastery @ Basgo. Located in the wind weathered hills on Leh - Srinagar highway

We reserved the best for these last ones. Isn't this amazing? The monastery in Phuktal which is 6 hours drive from Kargil and then a day trek to the monastery. Thanks to Neo Parekh for this lovely picture

And this one too......Can you locate the Monastery? This is Tacha Gompa. Atop a steep hill, we saw this during our Markha valley trek.  Our guide asked whether we would like to climb to it. It looked steep and we were tired. We were awestruck at the location.

We have still not listed many which we haven't been to like the ones in Alchi and Hemis. Some of the Gompas are located in such places that you can only trek to them.

Next time when you are in Ladakh, reserve one day for Gompa hopping. It is spiritually up lifting.

Thank you for sparing your time to read this post. If you are interested to know more about travelling in Ladakh, we have many posts on Ladakh titled "Ladakh Diaries". You can start with this one here.

Ladakh Diaries 1 - Spectacular drive from Manali to Leh, Day one

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Monday Medley - Postcards from Ladakh!

We returned from a lovely trip to Ladakh this evening.

Ten days in the region kindled nostalgic memories of our visit four years back. This time around, we did a six day spectacular trek in the Markha valley to Kongmaru La at 5100 Metres.

Here are few pics from the trip. Please click on the pictures to see them in original size.

Markha valley.....and quiet flows river Markha!

Panoramic view of Kang Yatse ranges from Kongmaru La @ 5100 Metres

Spectacular view of Kang Yatse peak on the way to Nimaling

Markha valley after Hunkar Village - Spectacular!

Ladakh ranges from the windows of aircraft.......on our way back.

Do you want to live here!

.........Or here?

Siachen glacier as seen from Base camp

Doesn't this remind you of Petra in Jordan?? Landscape near Budha Korbu on Srinagar - Leh highway

Moonscape on the way to Nimaling from Tochungtse

Stay tuned for more stories from our trip to Ladakh.

If you want to know more about Ladakh you may check out "Ladakh Diaries" in this blog. Please click the link below. 

Ladakh Diaries

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Monday Images - Stunning Nubra Valley, Ladakh

Monday Images. Every weekend, we share images taken by us during our travel or those taken by fellow travellers from different parts of the world to places we haven't been to but liked them. Hope you will like them too.

Our affair with Ladakh continues in this blog!

Four years back when we were in Ladakh, we missed out going to Nubra valley. We plan to compensate for that this year when we go there in August.

Nubra valley and surroundings have stunning landscape. 

A desert within a cold desert! 

Spectacular Sand dunes with a backdrop of snow capped mountains!

Bactrian camels with twin humps. 

A clear sky when night becomes a spectacle!

We will leave you with these mindblowing images of the valley. 

Please click on the pictures to see them in original size. Click on the name of the photographer for more pictures taken by them in Ladakh.

Diskit, Nubra Valley ( Photo Courtesy - Sreenath U B )

Reflections in Nubra ( Photo Courtesy - Rajesh )

A small pond in Nubra at Sun rise ( Photo courtesy - Andrew Beirne )

Sand dunes, Hundar, Nubra valley ( Photo courtesy - Prabhu R Doss )

Potato fields around Turtuk in bloom - Nubra Valley ( Photo Courtesy - Fulvio Spada )

A panoramic view of the Shyok River in the Nubra Valley. ( Photo Courtesy - Praful Tripathy )

Diskit Monastery (Photo Courtesy - Amit Rawat )

After seeing these pictures, we are excited to be in Nubra in August.

What has been your experience in Nubra? Do share it.

To find out our experience in Ladakh, you may click on the Series "Ladakh Diaries" here

Ladakh Diaries 1 - Manali to Leh, Day One

For other posts on Ladakh in this blog, please click here

Ladakh - Mesmerising cold desert in Himalayas!

For other posts in "Monday Images" series, please click here

Monday Images

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10 places you should not miss eating out in Leh!

So, you have landed in Ladakh. You have gone around the mountains and feasted your eyes. You had your share of lovely sights of Himalayas. How about satisfying your taste buds now?

Leh is the best place to explore. Traditional Tibetan fare is now offered along with international cuisine in this small mountain town. Leh seems to moving in the direction of a Gourmet's paradise in years to come.

We are gourmets and look for opportunities to explore local cuisine. These are the ten places you should feast while in Ladakh. Some we have eaten in. Thanks to some of our friends who have shared their favourite places in Leh.

Here is the list. Like Ladakhis say "Shelak nye po nang ko!" 

Dzomsa

For a quick authentic Ladakhi breakfast of khambir (leavened bread) with homemade khakla (butter) and fresh apricot preserve, jo labuk or tang tur, a sort of raita with veggies, smoky tsampa with apricot or Leh berry juice and gur gur cha or butter tea (free) head to this small place on Fort road. The other branches in town do not serve breakfast.

Open Hand Cafe

If you have been to their outlets in Varanasi and Kochi, you know where to go in Ladakh. This is a typically "chilled out" place in a large garden where you can actually see vegetables being grown. Check out for piece of chocolate cake. Try their pancakes filled generously with chocolate, banana, apricot cream or apple crumble or any of their breakfast selections, from yoghurt muesli to toast, sausages and eggs.

Budshah Inn

If you are looking for a Kashmiri meal in Ladakh, search no further. Being Veggies, we had to be content with Dum Aloo and Rotis. But our Non Veg freinds say you get best Roghan Josh here in Leh.

Lala's Cafe

You go here for sheer ambience and snacks. Beautifully restored Ladakhi house, you are greeted by a nine foot statue of Maitreya. Behind the cafe, you can see Leh palace. Feast on Gur Gur cha while munching on local Ladakhi dishes or Italian pastas.

Bon Appetit

The fine dining choice of Leh. This one is in Changspa. It is quite hidden. But once you get to it, you will like its minimalist Ladakhi architecture. It has a nice view of mountains. Our friends recommend Cashew Chicken in Pesto sauce. We loved chocolate Momos and Jungle tea!

Tibetan Kitchen

You cannot come out of Leh without tasting the best Tibetan cuisine in town. Go for "Tibetan Hot pot" or "Gyakko". A traditional Tibetan barbeque, this has to be pre ordered a day before and make sure there are four hungry souls to share this! Gyakko can be either vegetarian or Non Vegetarian. If you are not lucky to eat Gyakko, then you have wide variety of Tibetan cuisine to choose from.

Tenzin Dickey Tibetan Restaurant

A vegetarian Tibetan hub. Unpretentious. Another nice place to enjoy Tibetan cuisine in town. Savour the steaming cheese and potato fried momos.

Chopsticks

Possibly the best Chinese and Thai fare in town so much so that you need to go there early to get a table. Try depenadale chilli Garlic Noodles with their fries - Veg or chicken or Mutton - with Thai red curry.

Cafe Jeevan

At the tail end of Changspa road is this vegetarian establishment. A small alcove with popular fiction and books left over by tourists is inviting to turn a page or two while soaking the view of Shanti Stupa. The place has best pizza in town apart from regular Indian, Continental fare.

German Bakery

We did not want to leave this out. You go here for its chilled out atmosphere. This is a local institution. Come here for breakfast or just to munch on Cinnamon rolls, Apple Pie and wash it Coffee.

This was our list. What has been your experience? Please do share and let us know if you have discovered any new place to eat in Leh.

You may also be interested to read the following interesting posts on Ladakh in this blog. Please click on links below.

10 things to do in Ladakh you haven't done before!

Ladakh Diaries 1 - Manali to Leh, Day One

If you are looking for all posts on Ladakh, you may click here.

Ladakh

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Monday Images - Ladakh Trekking Stories by Pierre Martin!

These are not images. These are great stories of trekking in Ladakh. We were astonished with admiration when we looked at them.

We were looking for stories and pictures on trekking in Ladakh in preparation for our own trek in Markha Valley in August this year. When we searched in Picasa we stuck gold mine.

Pierre Martin. The man who has trekked over 600KMs over 46 days in Ladakh! The man who is humble enough to share his experiences with trekking community. Hear in his own words the mindblowing statistics.........

• 43 days walking (13 + 19 + 11), 
• 3 days off 
• 24 17 which passes above 4800m and 10 above 5000m 
• 5300m, the maximum altitude reached in Marang La (41th day) 
• 183 hours of work (58 + 72 + 53), 
• between 600 and 800 km (impossible to recognize in the mountains) 
• 27000m positive and negative vertical drop (7330m/8425m + + 12060m/11725m 7750m/6755m)
• 50 strings of prayer flags placed in the collar ("Ki Ki So so The Gyalo!") 
• 1 pair of shoes bass rod of € 49.90 in Quechua (Arpenaz 500) Photo , 
• 4000 photos 
• and only 3 days of meat ...

If you are planning a trek in Ladakh, please take a look his trekking stories in the link below. Look at a preview of the lovely places he has gone in these pictures below........ (Please click on pictures to view in Original Size)

Good morning in the valley of the Borong Togpo

Lanak

Between Yakru and Zabuk Yogma

Tso Tok

Descent Zangla to Padum

For details on Pierre's treks, pls click the following links. The website is in French. Make sure you translate it and read it.

Grand Tour of Ladakh

Bonus - Pierre has also trekked extensively in Nepal. Check that out as well in his website. Amazing exploits in Himalayas which should not be missed!

If you need any help, please write to him. He is ever willing to help fellow trekkers!

Monday Images. 

Every weekend, we share images taken by us during our travel or those taken by fellow travellers from different parts of the world to places we haven't been to but liked them. Hope you will like them too.

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