I was born in a hilly city called Chikkamagalur that is situated almost towards the south western part of Karnataka. Having seen greenery, hills, falls etc at a young age, one would assume I am more of a nature person but that was never the case. When me and my twin sister were of 8-9 years of age, my father, a govt employee, got transferred to what is called a Pensioner’s paradise around here, Mysore city. Although it is supposed to be calmer and less busier than the metro cities, to me, it felt like a nice upgrade. I was in love with Mysore’s sophistication, its relatively buzzier vibe when compared to my earstwhile place of stay. I still identify myself as a Mysorean ofcourse because most of my formative years were spent (and how well) there. When Susie (my twin) and I came of age, we figured it was time for us to escape the mundanity of life. We were brought up somewhat in a conservative way and we wanted to break free. Although, I think we didnt have a definitive idea that freedom is what we sought back then, we did know we wanted a huge change. We wanted to explore the world on our own for some time. It was actually a small trip to Bangalore which was for a college fest that pushed us to take this decision.
Bababudangiri Moutains in Chikkamagalur (image from Google)
We had to fight for it, we were coaxed by material things to stay back but we still stood by our decision, we had made up our mind (yes, we took the materials along when we moved). Am I so glad that we did despite all the odds stacked against us, take that plunge and followed our hearts. We landed in Bangalore and discovering the meaningful chaos of the city made me the person I am today. It helped me discover my own interests, my dislikes, my loves, my ambitions.. I was able to grow independent (Despite being a piece of the pod that held Susie and I intact) and actually own and love my personality. In fact, this city helped shape it.
I became addicted to the buzz, the social aspect of it, the diverse part of it, the material side of it, the very straight “I-dont-have-time-for-anyone” tightness of it! I thrived on being busy, working all the time, travelling to other cities, metros to meet clients, I loved what a mad-house experience was building around and inside me. With all this boiling up, I left behind the hills very organically. Whenever people would show me their pics of being in mountains, dipping their toes quite literally in clean blue lakes, I wouldn’t understand what the big deal was about. I remember a friend sent me a series of such pics to one of his trips to the Himalayas, and the other showed me pics of his previous trips to Leh, I was like, “they all look the same, what do these guys see in such places” and was fast to dismiss it being any therapeutic since to me, being fast paced was more of a calming experience than slowing down.
Boy, was I wrong! The past few months, for over a year now actually, a lot of changes, very positive ones have happened in my personal life that had me allocate more time to nurturing the new family, the new relationships forming around me. And that translated to coming to a realisation that I had to slow down now. I was beginning to experience and enjoy the newness, the warmth of the friendships, the beauty of a new love, while also undergoing some pain of finally parting from the pod that my sister and I were so intactly the components of. I was overwhelmed by everything happening at once and needed a breather, tried to escape to other cities and to the party capital of India, Goa. But nothing helped, I didnt seek an outlet after a while, I just let things be. While this was happening, my fiancé, a lifelong fan of nature, decided to go on a cycling trip from Manali to Leh. I still do not know how he managed to do it but he completed it successfully, lost a few kgs along the way but seem to have gained a lot of peace, a sense of achievement in doing so. Since my birthday was just after his cycling trip ended, we decided to spend some time in Leh.
I wasn’t sure what would be the outcome of it. But good thing was, I went all in with an open mind. I figured there was nothing to lose. And it came at a right time because I really needed to apply breaks on the other part of my life. I wanted to relax, unwind, get rejuvenated and get back to the grind. I was supposed to fly from Bangalore to Delhi and from there to Leh. On the day, the weather was supposedly super bad at Leh and therefore I had a jolt when I was waiting at the Delhi airport and it was announced that the flight to Leh was cancelled. Even when it was jarring, I planned to complete a work that was pending while at Delhi. I booked a hotel that was a stone’s throw away from the airport. So when I opened the window shades, I could actually see the parked aircrafts and also a view of the ones taking off. While at the airport, I was super exhausted getting things sorted and finally got the next flight out to Leh the next day, when I relaxed in my hotel room, I felt somewhat ready to still get back on the horse! But well, anyways, I flew to Leh the next day.
Lemon Tree Hotel, Aerocity, Delhi
When the plane was above the mountains, I was immediately overwhelmed by the depths and the size of the mountains! Some were so huge, they were kissed by the clouds. I had a hard time regulating my breathing but was able to compose myself as we landed.
The overwhelming view of the mountains
The first beautiful sight as I landed, was ofcourse that of my fiancé waiting at the airport, 5-6 kgs leaner than I had last seen him! He seemed happier, calmer and more like a sage as I spoke to him about his experiences. Felt optimistic about what the place had in store for me similarly ( although it was just staying and not undergoing a rigorous few days of cycling :D). I was told to not physically exert myself and acclimatise for a good 2 days. So we went cafe hopping and just walking around the city. The crowded market area, the souvenir shops, the pashmina stores, the many many cafés that co existed side-by-side, the colourful Tibetan tiny flags everywhere, the hilly top palaces and Stupas, the stylishly clothed people, the fashionable monks, the long lane to our guest house, the garden area of the guest house we stayed at, our polite hosts - I felt like I was exposed to a new culture altogether!
A view from Lehvenda Cafe. The cafés formed the heart of the market.
The garden at Raku Guest House, a perfect place for a nice tea party
The third day we visited, the by now made popular by 3 Idiots movie, Pangong Tso lake. I was told that it would be a bit of a rough ride, that the roads after a while up the mountains would be bumpy and rocky. Even with all this information, I remember looking forward to visiting the lake. The Chang La pass was truly hard, I was thrown a couple of times side by side in my seat while both uphill and downhill enroute the pass. But at the top, we stopped at this small, quaint cafe full of small banners, stickers from YouTubers, from the bikers across the world stuck to the door and the walls! It was super cold but that’s what made drinking my cup of coffee more enjoyable. I literally was shivering so much that I spilled some coffee on my gloves and the winter jacket. However, it was supremely worth while.
The Chang La cafe premises
I fell asleep a couple of hours after that and when I opened my eyes, again I was surrounded by mountains, green and brown ones, sandy and cloudy ones. Also came across some workers constructing what can be repaired of the snow, rain and avalanche damaged roads. Then straight ahead, a sight to behold! The stark contrast of a stagnant water area which was due to the rains 3 days ago and then a little further the godliness of the lake itself. I could see an algae-ish green and upon it a crystal blue layer. I was awestruck, inwardly I was having a deep spiritual experience. I had been to a monastery and a Stupa the previous days but nothing compared to the emotional ride that my mind and body were going through that very moment. Spent sometime taking the customary pictures, some good ones and some how my fiancé puts it, the “unoriginal“ ones (the 3 idiots props, anyone?).
I was truly mesmerised by this spectacular view! It felt like someone had used water colors to paint this scenery. Our driver was so knowledgeable, he gave us some information about the part that belonged to China, the notorious Finger 4 area that was in the news for the wrong reasons lately. We could see our army men almost at every pass and ranges. I am still fascinated by the lives of our defence systems and the monks. Although they are so far apart from each other to be spoken about in the same line, I do feel like there is a commonality in terms of being secluded from all the luxuries that we take for granted in general.
The magnificent Pangong Tso Lake
While on the way back, I remembered our driver mentioning some “magic” flowers or so I might have heard in my drowsy state earlier. So I requested him to stop there. When we reached the place, I realised why he called them magical! There were tiny yellow flowers everywhere that looked like a bunch of tiny people on a pilgrimage across the mountains. I think I fell hard in love with this specific spot than anything I had seen so far. That beautiful place absorbed me in many ways, I don’t think even an alcohol can give that kind of a warm high. I was awestruck, and I think thats an understatement actually. Even further up the way, we saw a few ponies and pink colour flowers, the snow turning to water and therefore a constant stream flowing below the mountains. All this collective experiences truly changed me, I was able to slow down, I was able to recline and now ready to move forward like a catapult action.
I came out of the place feeling deeply grateful and also transformed and I can only hope that this transformation is long lasting. There is a sense of positivity, hope and peace I derived from all I could absorb. I am a spiritual person and believe that your outer world is a reflection of your inner one. But there I felt it was the other way around, I mooched off of on all the positivity that the nature provided and cantered it all within me. My deeply cluttered mind benefitted from that cleanse (for the lack of a better word). I believe that the more physical space there is around you to enjoy, the more mental space as well, and that ofcourse is just a construct of my mind, however, due to this intrinsically held belief, the place did help filter out all that was not required.
I wouldn’t have ever willingly traveled to this place on my own so am also thankful that I met my mountain man and that I am able to follow him without any qualms or tantrums within. I am happy to have been proved wrong by nature, that am able to accept that a slower pace is good for the mind and my body. If I ever get more time like this again, some time in the future, I would also like to visit Nubra Valley and the likes. Leh has carved a special place in my heart for itself and it is unlikely that this ll be replaced, but .. hey nature, challenge extended..
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