Himalayas on a motorbike- Leh

Love at first sight in Pangong Tso

The Pangong Tso is one of the most incredible sights one can see in his/her life. The view of the snow capped mountains reflecting off of the turquoise blue waters borders fantasy! As a “biker” in India, the Ladakh motorcycle trip is the epitome of a rider’s metal. And if there is one place in this truly paradise on earth that deserves the title of being the most memorable, it is undoubtedly Pangong. But riding through some of the most dangerous terrain in the world has its own pitfalls, fatigue being one of the major ones. So on reaching a place like Pangong you find yourself yearning for a bit of shut eye rather than going ‘shutter eye’ all over the landscape. The extreme cold means that you close out all possible vents through which air can sneak in and soon you find yourself trying to sleep under a pile of blankets. Some unfortunate ones have to live through the horrors of Acute Mountain Sickness(AMS) as well. So the next morning you wake up with …

Serenity at Shanti Stupa, Leh-Ladakh

Published by Shilpa Balakrishnan

Although, the Namdroling Monastery at Coorg was one of the first I had seen, a fulsomeness of a crowd gabbling around you almost kills the tranquility one is looking for at a Buddhist temple and not something you want to experience after taking an effort to go all the way. Needless to say, a quiet and not- too- touristy but a desolated ambiance, with whispers of prayers mumbled by the monks spreading a feeling of spirituality,is the kind of place, I choose to experience . Believe me, Shanti Stupa was one such true heaven where I experienced this and would any day return back to Ladakh. Constructed in the year 1983 built partly by both the Japanese and Ladakhi’s, the stupa is built in two level structure, its first level has inscribed stone work depicting dharamcackras ( buddhas teachings during the path to enlightenment), Below the central structure,stone word depicting wheel of dharma/ wheel of life, its second level has stone work depicting the birth of Buddha, the death of Buddha(also knows asmahanirvana) and Buddha defeating the devils …