“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang



Sitting in the office going back to the days when I was praying hard to get a volunteer job I never imagined that I would end up in a place as pure and beautiful as Leh.
Glancing out of my window I see the mighty mountains with their peaks being kissed by clouds. These clouds are grey and the rays of the golden sun cut through them to highlight the amazing detail that lies within each cloud. I feel so privileged to be a part of Ladakh Heart Foundation. People here are so humble and polite; which is good break from the generally rude people back home. It amazes me that every person here is ready to serve one another with a smile on their face. They never tire of being hospitable to people who are completely different from them. Every person that I have met till now says “Joolay” meaning ‘Hello’ with a big huge smile. People in Ladakh are economically poor but the chambers of their heart are overflowing with the treasures of love and goodness. My first day was quite eventful. The flight from Delhi to Leh was real quick. I felt like I was lifted and dropped within a minute. A nice Bengali couple ; in their late sixties, were next to me. I showed off my Bengali skills by shouting ‘Khoob Bhalo’ while viewing the gorgeous terrain of the Himalayan range. They were very pleased indeed. J
The room that I stay in couldn’t have had a better view than the one I’m enjoying right now. Draw the curtains and there you see the gigantic mountains greeting me with their mightiness. They look like a conical dark brown chocolate fudge cake sprinkled with a generous amount of icing sugar at the top. I lazed around the whole day lest I get altitude sickness. So a large part of my day was spent sleeping. I did not really develop any breathing problems as I was warned off back home. The transition from dilli’s garmi to Leh’s khoobsurati was as smooth as a baby’s bottom. I visited Shey palace, Shanti Stupa, Sindu Ghat(by the time I reached there the festival was over and it was completely deserted), Indus river, saw the royal family’s palace and walked around Leh market.
My evening was spent pretty well as I went out for dinner with my boss at this nice restaurant called Tibetan Kitchen. I wanted to try something different so I opted for Mutton Phee Phee soup(Mutton dumplings with boiled vegetables that are slightly raw). It was really warm and something that I desperately needed in this cold weather. After dinner went shopping for bread but got buns instead which I devoured this morning with eggs and butter. Electricity or rather the lack of it is something that I will have to live with for the time that I’m here. Everything is very erratic leaving aside the water supply(which is 24 hours a day).Even local communication is challenge here with most areas being out of range. I just hope to get my own local number pretty soon before my family goes crazy trying to get in touch with me. Internet is also a problem with most cafes charging Rs.120 for one hour of usage. Like I’m going to pay that much.The issue here is that since its snowing for atleast 7-8 months in this region people make the most of business during summer months so that they can save enough for winters. Many people prefer to stay inside the kitchen and make handicrafts to make a living during the harsh winters. As far as I know I can only dream of experiencing a snowfall for the time that I’m here.Adios!