City roamer :: Leh PART III

PART III :A Day for Local Sightseeing:

Leh encompasses lot many tourist attractions & monasteries few of which are absolutely astounding & with rich cultural heritage.

1. Shanti Stupa:
   

   White for Peace!

   White huge dome designated for world peace as the name signifies ,with lovely life stories of Lord Buddha surrounding it. It is also known as Peace Pillar & was inaugurated by Dalai Lama in 1985. Covered with snow capped mountains & surrounded by traditional villages ,this place is a must watch & demands stay for mental peace.

2. Hall of Fame :
   

   WOW place!

   A beautiful museum , maintained by the Army ,built in the memory of soldiers who lost their lives during Indo –Pak wars ,Kargil Wars .This museum is absolutely scintillating & one of the halls play an AV depicting the war ,which is something worth seeing & give a feel what a soldier does for his country .So much sacrifice ,in such harsh conditions ,but patriotism is what you’ll feel once again & it is sure to dampen one’s eyes.This museum also encompasses the war artifacts ,so many missiles & other weapons ,various medals & lot many more things to offer.

3. Leh Palace :
   

   !!!

   Although this palace has been ruined & restoration was going when we visited ,nothing much to offer ,just you can get a great look of the valley  from the roof of this 9 storey palace .Also some of the floor had numerous paintings to have a glance at.

4. Magnetic Hill:
   

   Defying Gravity

   

   🙂

   Engine Off. Still vehicle moving up on a steep mountain?? Can’t imagine na? Try on Magnetic hill/gravity Hill located on Leh –Kargil –Srinagar highway, one side flat sand bed surrounded by huge mountains, Indus River on the south of it. Not just picturesque, it is a place where scientific logic is defies, although research on the same will give many stories, but none of it is certified & correct to be written off.

5. Gurudwara Patthar Sahib :
   

   Pray Pray!

   A holy place where Guru Gobind Singh ji had meditated for a long time ,but a lovely & vry peaceful religious place to be…&yes with a very interesting story of “Pathar” kept for display which is said to have an imprint of the body of Guru Nanak & footprint of the demon who tried to kill him .

6. Confluence of the Indus and Zanskar Rivers : A scenic view at Nimu ,where Greenish Indus originating from great Himalayan ranges meets bluish River Zanskar originating from Zanskar Ranges .Nothing much to do ,but this confluence provides ample scope for a great photography .Also All India Rafting expeditions also happen in Indus valley.

Lovely Confluence!!

We had less time &reached the spot by 5 in the evening as a result of which Rafting could not be a part of Itinerary ,but guys do plan rafting in icy cold Zanskar for an added adventure.

Alchi Monastery :Had heard of huge almond & apple trees at Alchi village & this couldn’t stop us from visiting  a little village of Alchi having this old & very famous Alchi monastery as well. This monastery was built as old as in the 10^th century .Having amazing wall paintings of detailed Buddhism & Kings who reigned during that era can be quite distinguishing & captivating. With gigantic Buddha statue in the centre & some brilliant wood carvings ,this monastery is a worth for history lovers. Outside the monastery lies a lovely garden with peach & apple trees ,worth enjoying plucking few:)

Apricots:)

Returning back in late evening ,this day passed out in a cool & composed manner ,while waiting for the next day which was scheduled for “Pangong” –The most awaited day of the trip!

You would love to read of “My precious Pangong” ,click on –https://jhilmilbhansali.wordpress.com/2015/06/21/living-on-the-edge-pangong-leh-part-iv/
To check out my “Nubra Diary” click on – https://jhilmilbhansali.wordpress.com/2015/06/21/tranquil-zenith-leh-part-i/

Curious about Diskit ,Samstanling Monasteries ?Read on at https://jhilmilbhansali.wordpress.com/2015/06/21/meeting-with-serenity-nubra-leh-part-ii/

Tranquil Lansdowne!! My Travel diary with my KID

Travel Brief :

• Location –Lansdowne (Pauri district of Uttarakhand ,45 Kms of Kotdwar)
• Best Duration – Feb end –May ,September –November ,rains set in during July
• How to go about – About 250 Kms from Delhi ,one can opt for private car/Train (Delhi –Kotdwar)
• Major Attractions : Tip n Top ,Bhulla Tal ,Garhwal museum ,St. Mary’s Church ,Tarkeshwar Mahadev temple

It had been approx. 6 months of going through the preeminent & simultaneously the most rigorous phase in life of any woman…Yes, I’m talking about Motherhood..A fascinating beginning, a significant optimism, a sparkling smile, is what this word ushers our lives with!

First time experience had to be adventurous, with bounty of new surprises day by day ,some snatching the leisure time ,compelling us to work more hard ,& some bringing a sense of joy & contentment within! But ,amongst all this ,I had waited that as soon as my kid turns 6m ,Me ,a “traveloholic” person would begin my travel diary again(after a break of approx.a year) & yes I had been frantically googling for a leisure trip nearby to Delhi.

Many places in Uttarakhand shortlisted, few rejected keeping in mind sudden changes of temperature for the 6m old, some rejected for long distances..A frenzied me…24 hours of hunt zeroed out the little pristine hill station of “Lansdowne”, a weekend Garhwali destination to rejuvenate & chill out!

Gusto set in me!!Well it was a well deserved break!! Bags packed & we (along with our travel friends) boarded our train direct to the Kotdwar, a perfect ride with kids enjoying their first train journey with ample eagerness! Gush of winds blowing past our faces , Little drizzling ,fragrance of wet trees @Kotdwar while climbing own the train itself enthralled me & I dreamt of a perfect 3 day weekend!

So easy to reach Lansdowne from Kotdwar, frequent 8-10 seaters available which drop to the destined hotel..Well, we had intentionally got a resort booked which was some 20 Kms before Lansdowne main city..S.B. Mount Resort —A perfect resort –

• Giving a sense of Freshness & tranquillity
• A sense of adventure by trekking on the hills opposite to it
• A sense of closeness to nature ,with the rivulet flowing across it
• An opportunity for Bird watching & might be lucky if some deer’s say Hi in the mornings due to its vicinity to Jim Corbett!!

We reached our resort by 4pm, with hunger pangs reckoning our body systems…Within 5 minutes, we requested resort manager to arrange lunch tables for us..Wow, that seemed absolutely pleasant, table in lawn, stream flowing across, & we pouncing on nearly home-made food..Paneer lababdaar ,mix veg.,daal makhani ,raita ,kheer ,salad…& hot fulka’s..In just 5 minutes I felt myself so vivid, so overwhelmed being in vicinity to the nature. A stomach full lunch demands some rest …but don’t forget our 6 months old kids were with us..So had to make them take a nap for at least & hour which gave us also the chance to relax..

Weather was pleasant, drizzling had stopped, stomach was tight, all this called for a trek right ahead on the hillock opposite to the resort..But the question…KIDS?? C’mmon, for adventure loving parents, kids might have got those genes right at the birth.So, we decided to take them along with us..Harsh , narrow ,insignificant path throughout the trek..Didn’t knew where it would lead to…few steps & then anxiety of kids gripping us…but yes we did it…we reached the top ,which was a big plane ,with a spectacular scene of the surroundings !!Wow, it gave us a great sense of accomplishment! With sun-setting in the scene cannot be described..We just stayed & captured the beauty in our lenses for next 30-35 minutes..As the night was beginning to fall, we decided to climb down & reach back for a tempting Dinner .Day 1 passed chatting across the tables, mostly around these naughty boys, their tantrums & plan for next 2 days 🙂

Day2:

It had to be special, very special, with clouds engulfing all night & experiencing good rains .Morning was stunning…Little sunshine peeking from the huge trees & drizzling simultaneously made a merry morning! Soon drizzling stopped & we decided to welcome dawn by having coffee besides the river stream, puling our chairs across it..So serene, so calm, it had been ages I had experienced this serenity (before this my last trip was to China, which didn’t got me into calm mode ;))

A rejuvenating hour …shook…wake up…my kid was wailing in search of me 😉 Yes, it was his breakfast time too & my coffee time was over !So an hour of cajoling & pampering, we all got ready to head towards Lansdowne..Well the manager had suggested..Book a cab for an easy ride…but we don’t understand easiness ;)Well, we planned to opt for local bus & have its ride..God, such an entertaining ride was it…Kids almost slept & we enjoying local music, with those sharp & steep twists & turns reached main town of Lansdowne..Well, it’s a pretty small town & requires just a day to enjoy the tourist places & rest dedicate all time to admire the beauty it entails within itself.

We covered 5 places in a span of 8-9 hours, although a bit hectic yet delightful…

With a day full of bliss, calmness, we returned back to our hotel by 8 in the night only to find an amazing night hosted with DJ & dance floor ready for us to rock with the nature!
A break of 30 minutes to stretch out & then we rocked the dance floor with other groups as well..That was absolutely astonishing & a memorable experience to make our lil kido dance in our arms .With no mood to stop ,rather bon fire in the midst of windy night elevated our moods & for next 2 hours there was no looking back from the dance floor (yes ,we took breaks to pacify ,feed kids ) ,but that was the perfect ending of the day ..Seeing hot gulab jamuns at the other end of the table, mouth watered us & finally we planned to break from the dance floor & grab the sumptuous hot dinner & yummy delicacies of halwa & Jamun’s
What a sparkling day it was!
Day 3:
Well Lansdowne has nothing more than this, but we had our train in after noon, so had a great chance to experience another captivating morning!
This morning gave me a chance to watch beautiful birds, although drizzling post 8 narrowed down my search, but still I was pleasantly surprised & glad to follow those colourful birds to capture them .

A relaxed breakfast made our start ecstatic & we decided to climb down into the stream to have some delightfully brilliant pic before returning back to the hustle bustle city of Delhi!
Very short but a blissful trip, a must visit place to experience serenity!!!

Do’s & don’t with kids as small as 6 months –
1. Plan a short trip of 2-3 days only as it does not hamper your kid’s routine
2. Try to make journey as comfortable as it can be ;Train is one of the most comfortable mode & kids too enjoy it
3. Check out the weather on Hill stations & do take along an extra inner wear for kids
4. Don’t plan travel/sightseeing at a stretch, take tours of some 4-5 hours & then break for relaxation with kids.
5. Prefer not to take kids on twisty routes as we took from Lansdowne to Tarkeshwar as kids are prone to motion sickness on those routes & vomit out frequently, also they become cranky on those routes.
6. Do take Gripe Water/Bonisan to avoid constipation to kids