The Travel Connection

Om mani padme hum - Though i have heard this chant many a times at home , I had to Google the meaning as i sat down to write this blog. Why are some of us restricted by money and time that we don't sit down and reflect the memorable moments during the journey. Maybe recollecting it later and writing about it is a good way to relive the emotions and the moments. So i guess i am doing the right thing. In between the different pit stop , we spent a tranquil dawn at Thiksey monastery which is about 19kms from leh. The pre dawn wake up call was to be part of monastery's morning prayers . The drive through the Indus valley plains as the sun was peeping out was enough to drive the slumberness away. As we approached the monastery the size became apparent. The architecture with its vibrant colors became one with its surroundings. Why don't the modern buildings give us the same feeling. The stepped architecture came hand in hand with steps, lots of steps. You think you rea...

It is interesting that I rarely see a reaction from travelers when they get to know we are going to be part of something that is from 11th or 12 th century. Is it difficult to figure out the number of years or do we choose to ignore the number. What if somebody shared the fact that the piece of history is 2000 to 3000 years old. Would the reaction be different or indifferent. I am not sure. I guess it is difficult for some to appreciate that  our history and everything associated, is generations old. On the second day, I was going to pay my respects to monasteries founded in 11th and 12th century and  I didn't know what to expect. But there was a hurdle to cross before going back in time. Well, not so much of a hurdle as my skepticism to magnetic hill. The Innova moved about 100 meters or maybe less on its own. There could be any number of reasons for that to happen and not necessarily magnetic force. But it did ma...

As I started making plans to holiday at Ladakh, I took the usual route of researching online. The first thing that hit me was that return trip from New Delhi would make me poorer by an average of 40000/- per person. This made me rethink my strategy and I started considering tours offered by operators. For a seasoned traveller, considering a conducted tour is almost unholy but with passing time or lack of it, it was not a bad option. Every travel website has top ten lists. If there was ever one for top ten scenic flights, this would certainly be on it. I am talking of the flight from New Delhi to Leh. It was the most incredible flight ever. I caught the first glimpse of the snow capped mountain peeping out of the snow white clouds about 15 minutes into flight. It is one memory that will forever be etched in my mind. From there things just got better. No looking back! With  the mandatory resting period being ignored as this holiday was ...