Took the red eye flight from Mumbai to Delhi at 02:30 A.M. reached Delhi at 04:30 A.M.
Had a connecting flight from Delhi to Leh at 05:45 A.M.
Walking the T3 Terminal at Delhi to reach gate 45 is a good 30 minute walk; and so I finally make it to gate 45 just in time to catch the flight to Leh.
All the tiresome early morning walk was compensated by a window seat and that turned out to be a blessing at the tome of landing of the flight.
The flight was about 85% full and a slightly surprising fact about 60% of passengers were foreigners and Indians formed a minority.
After about one hour and 10 minutes the window seat enable me to witness something spectacular about five minutes to landing and the sight that I witness out of window was breath taking.
What my eyes saw was the flight was passing through the snow clad mountains on left and right side and clouds on the top and bottom of aircraft.
We landed on time and were accompany by an air India flight which transport our jawans to and fro from national capital.
The Airport is basically a military airport and has only six (summer) and three (winter) arrivals.
The flights arrive and depart before noon as the winds get mighty stronger and the it would be very tricky for the flights to land or take off safely.
The airport is very basic and has few basic amenities and only fans and no air condition; well you wont be complaining though as god has made this place like a natural cooler and even the hotels would have no AC and not even any fans as you simply don't miss it!
At the airport; I took the assistance of the tourist help office and told them what my schedule was for the trip and they made a customised trip for me and here is a listed a few transport options for the future tourists:
I strongly recommend taking taxis more reliable and it charges INR 200 from Airport to Hotel the charges are for the vehicle a four seater so it comes to INR 50 per person which is very economical.
So I take the taxi check into Hotel Kanishka in Leh priced at moderate INR 1500 per day basic hotel with a stunning view.
It is advised to take a days rest so that you can adjust to the low oxygen levels at such high altitude but I took just a two hours nap to get rid of the fatigue and was on my way exploring Leh starting at 1 pm.
My first stop was Gurudwara Patthar Sahib, a sikh gurudwara which is situated 25 miles from Leh.
Here all you need is to put your car in neutral gear and the magnetic properties of the road pushes the car in upward direction.
This is one place that is must for Indians who visit Leh.
Before we call it a day we head to Old Town of Leh where you have the palace of the erstwhile King of Ladakh It can be quire dark inside so carry a torch with you.
We wrap it up with a visit to the Shanti Stupa; worth a visit as the same provides you a nice view of the Leh Town.
That wraps Day One at Leh.
We start Day Two bit early and cover two attractions:
The Khardung La pass widely acknowledged as the Worlds Highest Mortarable Road in the World; a contender for world's most dangerous road and a place where the oxygen gets really low very low
After crossing the Khardung La Pass we head towards Pangong Tso Lake also known as Pangong Lake which is partially shared by Tibet and India
The lake is a five hour drive from Leh; an Inner Line Permit is required to visit the place and you must make an application atleast a day in advance and submit a proof of address and identity.
The permit cost INR 150 per person.
After spending some time at the Lake and we head back to Leh reaching by afternoon 4 pm and spend rest of the day roaming on the streets of Leh and shopping in the Tibetan Market where you get decent leather products like coats, bags, etc. at reasonable cost.
Day Three:
We start day a bit late as we have more time today and visited more nearby place;
We head towards Shey Monastery passing by Choglamsar pretty close to Leh to be called its suburb.
Upon Reaching Shey we first visit Druk White Lotus School more commonly known as Rancho's School as this is the School that was shown in the Bollywood movie "3 Idiots".
Next stop is a visit to Shey Palace, a Buddhist Monastery:
Next Stop Thiksey Monastery; a spectacular piece of Architecture sitting atop a mountain:
We head back to Leh to spend day at leisure and take our flight next morning back to Mumbai via Delhi.
One thing about Leh Airport while departing is that you need to personally identify your check in baggage before the same is loaded into the plane's cargo belly; all for security reason as the Ladakh region forms part of the sensitive Jammu & Kashmir region.
The best part of the trip all the medicines that I took for Altitude Motion Sickness was kept untouched as I never felt the need for them infact I felt really fresh and happy at any other place ever; a record that still stays with Leh.
One advice to avoid Altitude Motion Sickness is to drink small quantity of water at reasonable interval to compensate for low oxygen levels.
Signing off for this post hope you find it useful when you viist leh or the ladakh region.
Had a connecting flight from Delhi to Leh at 05:45 A.M.
Walking the T3 Terminal at Delhi to reach gate 45 is a good 30 minute walk; and so I finally make it to gate 45 just in time to catch the flight to Leh.
All the tiresome early morning walk was compensated by a window seat and that turned out to be a blessing at the tome of landing of the flight.
The flight was about 85% full and a slightly surprising fact about 60% of passengers were foreigners and Indians formed a minority.
After about one hour and 10 minutes the window seat enable me to witness something spectacular about five minutes to landing and the sight that I witness out of window was breath taking.
What my eyes saw was the flight was passing through the snow clad mountains on left and right side and clouds on the top and bottom of aircraft.
We landed on time and were accompany by an air India flight which transport our jawans to and fro from national capital.
The Airport is basically a military airport and has only six (summer) and three (winter) arrivals.
The flights arrive and depart before noon as the winds get mighty stronger and the it would be very tricky for the flights to land or take off safely.
The airport is very basic and has few basic amenities and only fans and no air condition; well you wont be complaining though as god has made this place like a natural cooler and even the hotels would have no AC and not even any fans as you simply don't miss it!
At the airport; I took the assistance of the tourist help office and told them what my schedule was for the trip and they made a customised trip for me and here is a listed a few transport options for the future tourists:
Transport
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I strongly recommend taking taxis more reliable and it charges INR 200 from Airport to Hotel the charges are for the vehicle a four seater so it comes to INR 50 per person which is very economical.
So I take the taxi check into Hotel Kanishka in Leh priced at moderate INR 1500 per day basic hotel with a stunning view.
It is advised to take a days rest so that you can adjust to the low oxygen levels at such high altitude but I took just a two hours nap to get rid of the fatigue and was on my way exploring Leh starting at 1 pm.
My first stop was Gurudwara Patthar Sahib, a sikh gurudwara which is situated 25 miles from Leh.
Legend has it that Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion and the first guru, was attacked by a demon.
The demon threw a large boulder on the guru as he sat at the base of a hill meditating. However, the rock became soft like molten wax and failed to cause any harm to the Sikh guru..
The demon was in for a surprise when he found the Sikh guru unscathed. Bristling with fury, the demon tried to crush Guru Nanak by kicking the boulder with all his might. To his surprise, the demon’s foot caused a deep impression in the boulder which had turned soft. Realizing that the man in front of him was no mortal soul, the demon underwent a transformation and stopped harassing the people.
The gurudwara is maintained today by the Indian Army. It is a tradition for vehicles to stop and pay obeisance at the temple...
Next Stop is Magnetic Hill which is believed to have magnetic properties strong enough to pull the cars upwards.
Here all you need is to put your car in neutral gear and the magnetic properties of the road pushes the car in upward direction.
Then we proceed to Sangam Point where there is confluence of Indus and Zanskar Rivers hence the name.
Here you get an opportunity to do rafting at perhaps the highest level on earth.
Then we move back towards Leh stopping at the War Museum also known as Hall of Fame run by the Indian Army showcasing some inspiring stories of the Real Heroes of India defending their country in one of the most hostile terrain in the world also tells you the story of Siachen Glacier the highest battlefield in the world. .Here you get an opportunity to do rafting at perhaps the highest level on earth.
This is one place that is must for Indians who visit Leh.
Before we call it a day we head to Old Town of Leh where you have the palace of the erstwhile King of Ladakh It can be quire dark inside so carry a torch with you.
We wrap it up with a visit to the Shanti Stupa; worth a visit as the same provides you a nice view of the Leh Town.
That wraps Day One at Leh.
We start Day Two bit early and cover two attractions:
The Khardung La pass widely acknowledged as the Worlds Highest Mortarable Road in the World; a contender for world's most dangerous road and a place where the oxygen gets really low very low
After crossing the Khardung La Pass we head towards Pangong Tso Lake also known as Pangong Lake which is partially shared by Tibet and India
The lake is a five hour drive from Leh; an Inner Line Permit is required to visit the place and you must make an application atleast a day in advance and submit a proof of address and identity.
The permit cost INR 150 per person.
After spending some time at the Lake and we head back to Leh reaching by afternoon 4 pm and spend rest of the day roaming on the streets of Leh and shopping in the Tibetan Market where you get decent leather products like coats, bags, etc. at reasonable cost.
Day Three:
We start day a bit late as we have more time today and visited more nearby place;
We head towards Shey Monastery passing by Choglamsar pretty close to Leh to be called its suburb.
Upon Reaching Shey we first visit Druk White Lotus School more commonly known as Rancho's School as this is the School that was shown in the Bollywood movie "3 Idiots".
Next stop is a visit to Shey Palace, a Buddhist Monastery:
Next Stop Thiksey Monastery; a spectacular piece of Architecture sitting atop a mountain:
We head back to Leh to spend day at leisure and take our flight next morning back to Mumbai via Delhi.
One thing about Leh Airport while departing is that you need to personally identify your check in baggage before the same is loaded into the plane's cargo belly; all for security reason as the Ladakh region forms part of the sensitive Jammu & Kashmir region.
The best part of the trip all the medicines that I took for Altitude Motion Sickness was kept untouched as I never felt the need for them infact I felt really fresh and happy at any other place ever; a record that still stays with Leh.
One advice to avoid Altitude Motion Sickness is to drink small quantity of water at reasonable interval to compensate for low oxygen levels.
Signing off for this post hope you find it useful when you viist leh or the ladakh region.
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