Ladakh.....

Recently I came back from a land, they call, "the cold desert", Ladakh. Just on my return journey I told myself, that I have to write something about this paradise. So here goes...

I have been wanting to visit the himalayas, the monastries, meet the young "lamas", experience the snow, for quite some time now. Since the time the Ladakh trip was being planned, I was very excited and all geared up for it. But when I actually started my trip (from srinagar via sonamarg-zojila pass-drass-kargil) everything was much more beautiful and incredibly fabulous, than I had expected. Ladakh is probably one of those very rare places, after you visit, that you feel, so complete, utterly satisfied. There are definately breathtakingly amazing places in the world, there is no doubt about that. But there is something about this region of Jammu & Kashmir, something that would make your heart skip a beat. For since my return, I have still not gotten over the trip, its like the most fabulous hangover ever!

You visit places, appreciate the beauty, come back, see the pictures, share it with people, talk about the place to them and then thats about it. Ladakh for me is all this and much much beyond that. It is beyond the beauty, beyond the landscapes, beyond the snow, beyond the mountains. One might wonder, what was so different and exclusive about Ladakh? But when I sit back and ponder, it brings a smile on my face. It gives me happiness. I cannot get over the pictures. The place cant get any better, I guess.

The most amazing time I had and enjoyed myself thouroughly was at Lamayuru, the oldest & the largest monastry there. I remember we reached the Gompa (ladakhi word for monastry) sometime around dusk. The sky was clear, the sun setting. The houses, which were located on the slopes of the mountain and the monastry on the top, looked its best then. The moment we entered the area, holy and divine air filled the atmosphere. Everything about the place was so soothing, so calm, so serene. Suddenly I felt so light, so relaxed. We saw young lamas walking down the road, smiling albeit shy and waving, "juley juley" (ladakhi word for hello/welcome) at us.

The next day I went inside the monastry and was fortunate to having being able to witness the prayer, which was so perfect. The chanting made the entire ambience so pure, so holy. I am not a very religious person nor was the entire experience very religious I would say, it was rather more or less spiritual, an upliftment from your normal being. It was like reaching a level where you have no worries and all you experience is sheer bliss.

This trip of mine has changed so much, for good of course. I have become calmer, less anxious/hyper of things, I worried about too much earlier. It feels that my outlook towards a lot of things has changed and I like that. I am glad I went there and so much changed. This place will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Its like you can leave ladakh but ladakh will never leave you!