I had never known North Pullu to be like this : The entire landscape was shrouded in a pall of white and a deathly silence prevailed. Maybe the army wouldn’t have let me ago if only they had seen me. The gentleman giving me the ride stopped for a breather, after all even the snowfall Gods had decided to take a break to gather the energy for a renewed battle.
You can read Part 1 of this journey here : From Diskit to North Pullu.
The Dalai Lama smiled from the dashboard picture and perhaps it was faith alone that kept us going. We had developed a camaraderie, I sang an old hindi classic; he invited me home next time I was in Nubra Valley.
I felt like an action hero, escaping from the clutches of a potentially dangerous situation. Only that instead of missiles or nuclear bombs, it was the small matter of a snowstorm!
As we climbed higher towards South Pullu, the flakes began hurtling down faster and with a furiously blowing wind meant double trouble. Visibility had reduced to zero and perhaps it was only faith that kept us going.
We were stuck in the car for a good period of two hours. It was a lesson in waiting for a restless soul like me. At one point of time, the car door on my side would not open because the space had been blocked by a snow wall.
It was so cold, the pen ink had begun to freeze. I was already hungry and was dreaming of wolfing down some tasty food in Leh, after the rigours of Nubra Valley.
This trip was a part of my epic year that was 2015 : Travel memories of 2015
The gentleman met up with his old friend as we reached Leh and together they took me to a lovely meal of authentic Ladakhi & Tibetan delicacies to a place which I might never have known otherwise.
I left for Hanu Yongma after normal life was resumed in Leh, it was later communicated to me that Khardung La did indeed close down for a day after this snowstorm.
Stories of the Aryans : Walking into the past along the frozen Indus in Ladakh
Does this adventure remind you of one of your own? Please share with me, I would love to listen to stories.
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What an amazing journey you have had ! The photos speak volumes. Never traveled to this part of India, but in my bucket list 🙂 There is something enchanting of snow & Himalayas. Keep posting more travelogues .
Thank you so much R. I think the photographs hardly do justice to the actual landscape that my eyes saw and the words are a faint reminder of how many heart whizzed that day! Thanks again.
What stark contrast from your hometown of Rajasthan! Colors and people, both are missing. 🙂 But what a journey you had ! I always wonder, who would want to live there forever in those conditions. Not us, definitely.
Absolutely correct, Nisha ji. It really was a crazy mad experience that just happened! The locals say that they have been living there forever and are used to all this. I don’t think us people from the plains can survive that kind of winter for long.
Is this for real??? I have goose bumps just by looking at it! I am short of words..period!
Awww, thank you so much Tulika for the gracious compliment! Hope you shall travel here soon :))
Hi! Great blog, thanks for sharing your amazing experience.
I’m going to Leh this winter – end of Jan’17 for chadar trek. Is it possible to ride(bike) to Khardung La from Leh?
Hey Nimalan, thanks for checking it out and the appreciation 🙂
While it may be possible to ride a bike from Khardung La to Leh, let me very clearly tell you the situation can get life threatening due to unforeseen circumstances and bad weather. Best wishes 🙂 See you in Ladakh.
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Amazing landscapes! Enjoyed this virtual journey else I would not have the courage to take trip to Ladakh in winter … 😀
Thanks Moon 🙂 Glad you liked the photographs. Ladakh in the winter can really get unbearably cold.
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Woo! Your post actually gave me goose bumps. I just came back from Leh Ladakh and can well imagine the car driving on the edge at KhardungLa – indeed just a line between life and death. But your pictures have shown me the winter side of Leh which is a real fairyland. I wish I can explore this someday.
Thanks for checking this out and the comment. It was a crazy ‘once in a lifetime experience!’.
Best of luck 🙂
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Not one of our own, but the images remind me if the Christopher Nolan movie Interstellar 🙂
Hehhe, I don’t think I understood any of that movie! Hope you liked this crazy experience 😀