We planned on a whim. We were looking for an outing with our pet golden retriever Leo and found a highly recommended AirBnB called Red Roof Homestay in Barog where we booked two nights stay. Barog is less than 7 hours from Gurgaon. We did not want to test our Leo for longer travel for our first trip together.
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| View from our bedroom |
We were in Jodhpur for a day to attend a wedding. Jodhpur has become famous for lavish destination weddings. However ours was a modest one. Our direct flight from Delhi landed on time and we were settled for a brunch at our hotel by 11. At 12 the Haldi ceremony was scheduled which we did not want to miss.
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| Main exhibition building @ Mehrangarh Fort |
Phuket has the best of both the worlds. Families can plan vacation in and around Phuket while loners can stay for days around Bangla Street and not get bored. We were on a boys trip but we did both. It was a seven day planned itinerary that we were following that included Krabi, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Phi Phi & Phuket.
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| Sunset @ Patong Beach |
Koh Samui is for party and leisure. The island brims with vacation air. Adjacent Koh Phangan island has become the biggest full moon party destination which attracts more and more tourists to this bustling town year over year. We were here around such a full moon party and witnessed the grandiose night unfold.
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| Fireworks @ Haad Rin Full Moon Party |
Krabi was a stopover. There are few attractions in Krabi although if you include day tours of Phi Phi and Hong Island you can actually plan a three day itinerary. We were here for just a night and so we decided to make the most of it without planning anything far.
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| Ao Nang Beach, Krabi |
Trek Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
Upper Waterfall campsite belonged to another world. It was below minus 10 degrees here. Everywhere we could see there was snow. It took some effort just to change clothes and settle in our tents. We were finding it ridiculous to come out and have lunch. Few things are mandatory on a trek and that includes not skipping a meal.
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| On way to summit, a view of our Upper Waterfall campsite |
Trek Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
We reached our next camping ground called Dhanderas Thatch half past noon. By now almost everything in our view was white. We were told to refresh ourselves for lunch after which we will go for a small trek sideways and practise some snow gliding which was a needed skill to navigate the other side of summit.
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| View on the way to Upper Waterfall, our campsite is visible |
Trek Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
From this night onwards there was neither any electricity nor network. It was just us bantering in the dark while trying to sleep in an alien environment. Tiredness cocooned us into deep slumber in some time. Next day we were as fresh as ever and started with spring in our legs. I still remember this day as the most beautiful of the trek. First came the forests, then a ravine and finally a winding stairs to flatlands at the end of which was our camping ground.
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| The ravine on way to Saruwas Thatch |
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| 15279ft @ Rupin Pass |
The road from Nubra to Leh is picturesque. Add to that the promise of seeing the expanse of Pangong Lake, no wonder we were thrilled. The road conditions are not very good because firstly it’s not strategic and secondly there is a road expansion going on around Pangong. We still enjoyed the long hours on the road as the landscape kept changing.
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| Frozen Pangong Tso |
We started at 9 for Nubra and reached Khardungla by 11. At a height of 18000ft, Khardungla is a major tourist destination. For the first time we were among the snow capped hills. It was time for a hot cup of tea and a lot of photographs. We took photos in all permutations and combinations before starting downhill for the Nubra Valley.
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| Khardungla Pass |
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| View of Leh from Shanti Stupa |