Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out! Leh, the capital of Ladakh , is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Each option has much to recommend it, and we chose the road for just one reason – altitude sickness. Altitude sickness was one of my biggest concerns, since I suffer from motion-sickness. Yes, I do travel a lot, but that is despite my condition, and, over the years, have learnt how to handle it. I struggled with it when we visited Nathu-La in Sikkim, and wondered if I would be able to manage a week at the even higher altitudes that we would encounter in Ladakh. This was the reason we stuck to a basic plan, of only 9 days in Ladakh, though we
Walking on
the sands of Cherai Beach in the rain, our attention was captured by what
appeared, at first sight, to be a ripple on the sand. A closer look revealed a
tiny crab scuttling into its hole. Can you spot the crab in this photograph?
Here, take
a closer look…
These crabs
are called ‘Ghost Crabs’, because of the apparent ‘invisibility’ their
camouflage offers. We saw lots of them over the next couple of days, both small
and big…
But were
especially fascinated by these huge ones…
They stayed
at the edge of the water, waiting for the waves to flow over them, yet
retaining their hold on the sand and staying in their place long after the
waves had retreated.
 |
| Can you see the crab in the water? |
Their behavior
was intriguing, and it was only after we returned that we learnt that these
crabs are only partially amphibious, and breathe through gills moistened with
sea water, though they cannot stay underwater for long. Therefore, they stay
near the shore and regularly venture into the sea to wet their gills, taking
care to stay well inland to retain their hold on land!
These crabs
significantly brightened up the monsoon evening on the beach at Cherai! It only
reiterates the fact that nature always has interesting to things to show us.
All we need are the eyes to see them!
Those are some beautiful pictures... what a beautiful creature ..
ReplyDeleteBikram
Thank you, Bikram! It is indeed beautiful, isnt it?
DeleteNice pictures, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThank you, Empty Rucksack!
DeleteNice pictures, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteAwesome post of ghost crab thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteWild Wacky
THank youm, Neetu
DeleteGreat photos! I like how the crab has this great camouflage. You just can't even see it!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marcia! The camouflage is really amazing!
DeleteHey thanks for sharing this information.
ReplyDeleteyou are welcome.
Delete