We began our day with just my Dad having breakfast with the hotel owners cabin who also provide the 'Ladhaki' breakfast. I think it was the regular north Indian breakfast, it is worth trying once or if you don't want to leave the comfort of your cozy hotel. Menu: Aloo paratha, self-help scoop from a bottle of standard market purchased mango pickle, Toast (They call it Ladhaki bread), again more self-help from a single bottle of market purchased Apricot Jam and Tea. Cost: 150 Rs. The only unique thing was the Apricot Jam which is sold only in Leh Market.
I opted for brunch at 'Gesmo Restaurant & German Bakery' in the main Bazaar. It was Italian bruschetta, Salad with cheese, olives, French toast and Coffee. In Leh, one can find any International cuisine because of the heavy presence of foreigners. Every other restaurant has/is 'German Bakery', lots of Israeli, Italian, American, Mediterranean and other International food options.
Eco driver came in late for our first 2 day trip outside the city.. :|
Food and water are two things you will find expensive in Leh considering that there is practically nothing grown on a vast scale in this region except for Apricots & Apples. Most of the consumables are brought in from outside Leh, thus steep price. Do keep a good budget for good food while in Leh.
Infact, we had to scout a lot to find a tasty Indian food joint. These places however are packed and have huge waiting period at nights, they are small places owned by localites, pretty expensive. When travelling outside Leh, plan to keep some food items and bottled water with you.
Leh - Pathar Sahib - Magnetic Hill - Khalsi - Lamarayu - Alchi - Likir - Leh
Pathar Sahib Gurudwara:
This is near Leh & maintained by our Army. The history of this place can be read here. We prayed for blessings and the relished the cool sherbet offered by the Jawans. We also had the fortune to have the generous langar lunch here served by the most humble people.
Magnetic Hill:
This place really did move the car in Neutral forward even though the compass we had showed no elevation. There are lots of cars scampering and trying to do the same thing, all I can say enjoy the scenery, move on, there is more good ahead then fighting to sort out this mystery!
PS: Our investigation says that the slopes on both sides of the road create an illusion of a straight road, whereas in reality it is just a slope downhill..
Moving forward, a real treacherous journey started with some pretty bad roads..
Confluence of two rivers: Zanskar & Indus
Moonland
Soil erosion across the river
More Moonland views:
Khalsi:
The travel to Lamarayu is pretty long hence we decided to take our break in a small village called 'Khalsi'. This place had a fantastic restaurant 'Garden View'. It was near a gushing stream of water with the tables and chairs set in the orchard of apples and apricots. The fruits were hanging so low we could touch them while having lunch & even eat a few ! The food here was fantastic but it is another thing how much your appetite will let you eat after such a winding long road trip and with some signs of AMS.
Here is a picture of my mother beaming with happiness enjoying this beautiful place.
Lamarayu:
Moving forward, the road became narrower, canyons rising, the sharp road turning dangerously close to the mighty river. This was the road to Kargil as well and thus busy with vehicles. Lamarayu is a tiny hamlet as you can see from pictures below. The monastery, however, dates back to the 11th Century and one of the the many reasons for high tourist volume here. The village also is located at a pristine location surrounded by amazing 360 views.
Some background about this place:
A foreigner's tour had come for a visit at the same time we were there.. They all sat down occupying all the seats in the monastery. I believe they had booked to see the monks in prayer session. Everyone was welcome to attend the ceremony where the senior monks were showing the kid monks the rituals who were busy playing though. I was amazed at the patience shown by the monks with the children and visitors disturbing the peace. It really is a memorable and spiritual experience for me.. We travelled so far to a beautiful land and the mind felt nothing can be better than this moment, right here, right now !
We ended the journey with return to Alchi for overnight stay, I will describe that in the second half of the post. On our way, the driver stopped near a gorge which had some waterfalls and the river passing by. Don't have any pictures of this amazing place but memories of standing near the fall and feeling the icy water droplets falling on my face...
I opted for brunch at 'Gesmo Restaurant & German Bakery' in the main Bazaar. It was Italian bruschetta, Salad with cheese, olives, French toast and Coffee. In Leh, one can find any International cuisine because of the heavy presence of foreigners. Every other restaurant has/is 'German Bakery', lots of Israeli, Italian, American, Mediterranean and other International food options.
Eco driver came in late for our first 2 day trip outside the city.. :|
Food and water are two things you will find expensive in Leh considering that there is practically nothing grown on a vast scale in this region except for Apricots & Apples. Most of the consumables are brought in from outside Leh, thus steep price. Do keep a good budget for good food while in Leh.
Infact, we had to scout a lot to find a tasty Indian food joint. These places however are packed and have huge waiting period at nights, they are small places owned by localites, pretty expensive. When travelling outside Leh, plan to keep some food items and bottled water with you.
Leh - Pathar Sahib - Magnetic Hill - Khalsi - Lamarayu - Alchi - Likir - Leh
Pathar Sahib Gurudwara:
This is near Leh & maintained by our Army. The history of this place can be read here. We prayed for blessings and the relished the cool sherbet offered by the Jawans. We also had the fortune to have the generous langar lunch here served by the most humble people.
Magnetic Hill:
This place really did move the car in Neutral forward even though the compass we had showed no elevation. There are lots of cars scampering and trying to do the same thing, all I can say enjoy the scenery, move on, there is more good ahead then fighting to sort out this mystery!
PS: Our investigation says that the slopes on both sides of the road create an illusion of a straight road, whereas in reality it is just a slope downhill..
Moving forward, a real treacherous journey started with some pretty bad roads..
Confluence of two rivers: Zanskar & Indus
Moonland
Soil erosion across the river
More Moonland views:
The travel to Lamarayu is pretty long hence we decided to take our break in a small village called 'Khalsi'. This place had a fantastic restaurant 'Garden View'. It was near a gushing stream of water with the tables and chairs set in the orchard of apples and apricots. The fruits were hanging so low we could touch them while having lunch & even eat a few ! The food here was fantastic but it is another thing how much your appetite will let you eat after such a winding long road trip and with some signs of AMS.
Here is a picture of my mother beaming with happiness enjoying this beautiful place.
Lamarayu:
Moving forward, the road became narrower, canyons rising, the sharp road turning dangerously close to the mighty river. This was the road to Kargil as well and thus busy with vehicles. Lamarayu is a tiny hamlet as you can see from pictures below. The monastery, however, dates back to the 11th Century and one of the the many reasons for high tourist volume here. The village also is located at a pristine location surrounded by amazing 360 views.
Some background about this place:
A foreigner's tour had come for a visit at the same time we were there.. They all sat down occupying all the seats in the monastery. I believe they had booked to see the monks in prayer session. Everyone was welcome to attend the ceremony where the senior monks were showing the kid monks the rituals who were busy playing though. I was amazed at the patience shown by the monks with the children and visitors disturbing the peace. It really is a memorable and spiritual experience for me.. We travelled so far to a beautiful land and the mind felt nothing can be better than this moment, right here, right now !
We ended the journey with return to Alchi for overnight stay, I will describe that in the second half of the post. On our way, the driver stopped near a gorge which had some waterfalls and the river passing by. Don't have any pictures of this amazing place but memories of standing near the fall and feeling the icy water droplets falling on my face...
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