One of the things that I missed most following the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic was traveling. Our yearly trips consisting of beautiful beaches, long plane rides, crowded airports, worldwide cuisines, and hundreds of thousands of pictures had come to a standstill, like much of the world. So, after a year of masks, distancing, and mind-numbing academics, when I got the chance to go to Ladakh with Srijaa’s family, I all but cried with excitement. So, after praying for a negative result on my required Covid-19 test, digging through my cupboard for my winter clothes, and coming to terms with the fact that I wouldn’t see my dog for a week, I boarded the plane.

 

All I knew about Ladakh while I sat on the plane was that it was mountainous and cold. I had no idea about the beautiful, historically rich monasteries that awaited me, the long car rides next to crystal clear rivers, and the friendliest people I have ever met.

 

Of course, the first view of the snowy Himalayas gave me an apt idea of the beauty (and extreme temperatures) that I was going to experience as we descended. Getting off the plane, we hastily put on our puffy jackets and were offered our first taste of Ladhaki cuisine – sweet hot tea called kawa.  

 

To allow ourselves to acclimatize, we were supposed to spend the first day in Ladakh simply resting and getting used to the high altitude and cold. After taking hundreds of pictures in front of our hotel room, Srijaa and I killed time by layering up on jackets and going on a long, scenic walk, sinking in the mountainside view as we did so. Whilst on the walk, we had the pleasure of meeting a cow who we named Dolly. I learned that accidentally touching sea buckthorns really hurt but apparently the juice from their berries is delicious.

 

The consecutive days were simultaneously hectic and relaxing. Ishani and I got into the habit of waking up at 8 am, after several alarms, of course, and proceed to inhale our set breakfast of pancakes, Nutella, and coffee. Our first proper day in Ladakh was spent exploring the Ladakh Main Market, a quaint little area with cobbled streets, colorful shops, and no dearth of souvenirs. My parents expected us to meet them at a restaurant located 5 minutes from where we were, but Ishani and I, being Ishani and me, ended up a good 30 minutes from our destination and had to wait on the pavement outside a petrol pump. But regardless, I wouldn’t exchange that day for anything, constantly surrounded by majestic mountains, and with Ishani for company. 

 

The next day, we visited Hemis Monastery, Ladakh’s biggest and most holy monastery, owing to the fact that the Dalai Lama had a special preference for this Buddhist temple. Adorned with heavy tapestries and intricate paintings dating back to the 17th century, Hemis had us spellbound. It was a chilly day, with temperatures at around -5 degrees celsius, and we got caught in a light snowfall. We stopped for Maggi on the way back, because have you really been to Ladakh if you haven’t had Maggi in freezing weather? The fourth day was perhaps the most eventful, in the sense that Ishani and I visited the Zanskar-Indus Sangam, a point where two rivers meet. It was beautiful, but the water was freezing. Ishani was the only one brave enough to venture into it that day, leaving the Sangam with numb feet and high spirits. Towards the end of the day, we took a short walk, returning with hundreds of pictures, because who wastes golden hour? The last complete day we got in Ladakh, we decided to go for a two-hour trek up in the mountains, walking around 10 km through frozen streams and barren mountains. The view was beautiful, and the meal of biryani afterward was certainly rewarding. Our evening was spent crying over a spicy bowl of Buldak, rather than our usual yoga lessons, which ended with Ishani and I laughing until we cried. 

 

Leaving Ladakh was a bittersweet moment, more bitter than sweet. A beautiful place, with beautiful people, Ishani and I had the time of our lives. For those worried about traveling there, Ladakh offers nothing but sereneness and beauty, and definitely is a trip worth taking! Forever grateful for this holiday, forgetting to spend time with one of my closest friends, and, of course, receiving the opportunity to meet Dolly!

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Written by: Srijaa Chatterjee 

Edited By: Aarushi Bansal

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