The beginning of a lifetime experience-By Sonal Jain

As the new year begins, I am here to tell you about an experience that has solely been the highlight of the year 2021 in my life. My first blog Ladakh Part 1 from the Ladakh series describes the burst of emotions I felt about the trip. In my heart knew it was a dreamland, but it did not hit me until I reached Leh Airport. 

Well, in this blog I shall be telling you the entire process of planning the trip, our itinerary, and how it turned out to be.  

Trip planning- 

Planning the trip is the most exciting phase because the quest to see the dreamland you always wanted to visit is finally coming true. This trip was the first trip me and my brothers went on with strangers. All we knew was there would be 22 strangers on the trip and, for the 8 days, a new experience unfolds. 

 

As far as my travel experience is concerned, we never booked packages in advance. Our parents suggested trying a package this time since it was our first experience traveling to a tough terrain like Ladakh.

 

We began to get quotes from various travel companies and finalized a package from Thrillophilia. Everything looked perfect because the booking was hassle-free, it had everything included so all we had to do was pack our bags and head out. 

 

To give you a brief detail about the package, our trip with Thrillophilia started in Leh and ended at Srinagar. So, we took a flight from Delhi to Leh on the departure day and another flight from Srinagar to Delhi for the return journey.

Best flight experience-

The flight from Delhi to Leh has been one of my most beautiful flights ever. The view of wide mountain ranges from the top was mesmerizing. Take the right side seats to watch the sunrise. Took a flight at 6 am from Delhi and reached the dreamland in the next one hour. It has been the longest hour of my life and containing my excitement was hard. 

 sunrise view

 

                                       

At sharp 7 Am, we landed in LEH, took us 20 more minutes to step out and it had begun. Leh airport in the middle of the mountains already gave us a teaser of what is it going to be like for the next few days. The weather was just perfect with a cold breeze, fresh air, and a thing of beauty everywhere.

 Leh Airport

First Picture

                                          

Acclimatization- unarguably an important part of the trip-

In the itinerary given by Thrillophilia, we did read about acclimatization but understood its importance only after reaching there. As we reached our first stay, post breakfast I wanted to head out a explore the streets of Leh. But our homestay owner very calmly explained to us why it was important to stay in the hotel for the next 10 hours at least. 

We could feel breathlessness while walking so they advised us to walk as slow as possible. So we spent some time in the homestay. 

The altitude of Ladakh is not easy to understand. It takes time and a certain period of acclimatization to adjust. My only tip for everyone visiting Ladakh for the first time is to listen to the locals.

First meet-up with our trip mates- 

This trip was special because I was going on a trip with strangers for the first time. I and my brothers went with zero expectations but constantly kept thinking about what this experience would be like. All of us met post-lunch in a meeting area of the homestay for the very first time.  

 

New faces, new stories, new experiences. Thrillophilia ground representative accompanied us through all the details of the trip, introduced us to our ground operator, and then began introducing our trip mates.

 

The most fulfilling part of this 1-hour long conversation was getting to know each story behind the Ladakh trip. Everyone had different reasons like- Anniversary trip, first salary trip, bucket list trip, solo trip, friends’ trip, trip with fiancé, and ours was a dream trip and the first siblings’ trip without elders of the family. 

During this meet-up, we found out our two SUV partners for the rest of the 8 days. The two girls were on their yearly ‘best friends’ trip, just our age and we connected instantly. Soon after we freshened up because it was time to finally begin the trip in the true sense. 

Our first picture

our SUV mates

First Day- Local Leh sightseeing-

 

The half of the first day was important for acclimatization but post 4 pm we headed out and visited LEH PALACE. It is a beautiful 10 floored palace, with the palace on the top. It was under construction, but we still decided on climbing up a few floors because it was soon going to be a sunset. I did not want to miss watching a single sunset in peace.

View from Leh Palace

Ancient, raw and authentic

As we climbed up the Leh palace, the view just started getting better and better. The clear blue skies, the big white clouds, the cold breeze, and the warm sun. Everything was perfect. This place was what dreamy views are made of. We stayed there till the sunset and headed to Shanti Stupa at around 7 Pm.

Sunset at Leh Palace

   

Shanti Stupa- The divinity of this place was beyond imagination. It was pleasant, quiet, and calm all around. We loved visiting here but the only regret was that we couldn't see this place during the day time. I am sure the true beauty would reflect in the morning. 

Shanti Stupa at night

  

Post this we went to explore the local Leh market for the next 1 hour because markets here close at 9 PM. Had some coffee, checked out the shops, and then came back to our homestay for dinner. 

The first day was super light, everyone explored individually and not really in groups. We all bonded and spoke a little more at the bonfire set up. This was our first day and what comes next is a ride into the dreamland.

Leh Market

   

Leh palace was beautiful

Incredible views

In my next blog, i shall give you a detailed itinerary of the trip. Stay tuned.