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
It was
evening, and
the light was fading as we arrived at the Do-Drul Chorten (also sometimes spelled as Duddul Choedten) in Gangtok. Samhith
was tired, and all he wanted was to get back to the resort, and to his games
with his friends. Leaving him behind in the car, we walked up the short path to
the Stupa, which was so recognizable from the photos we had seen.
A
board at the
entrance told us an interesting story… of the place being haunted by spirits. Apparently,
the spirits caught hold of anyone who came here. Eventually, a Lama from Tibet
came here, subdued the spirits and set up a monastery. His successor later built
the Stupa to keep the spirits away even after the demise of the Lama. It reminded me of the scores of temples built
to ward away evil spirits!
As we
walked around, I
was astounded by the sight of these rows and rows of lamps lit inside an
enclosure…
The lamps
reminded me of temples, and I wanted to light one too. There was no board, no information, and
no one I could ask, though the place was full of monks. They were busy with
their evening meals, which were being served. We approached one of them, and he
gestured to us to take a plate. We did, and shared it between ourselves. Then,
reverting back to our question, started looking around for someone who could help
us out. Language seemed to be a major barrier, but eventually, we found a
visitor who was happy to help us.
She
had come from Bhutan, on a pilgrimage, one she made every year. The lamps, she said, were
lit in memory of ancestors, to show them the path in the world they were in. Could
we light the lamps? Yes of course, but they had already been lit for the day. We
would have to come again in the morning and arrange for one. That wasn’t possible,
but the thought was a good one. As we walked back towards the car and Samhith,
it wasn’t the evil spirits we thought of, but the souls which, somewhere were
grateful for the light provided by the lamps!
Seems like a very serene place.
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