Musings of a Wandering Mind

Ladakh

It has been a little more than a day since I returned from a long journey traversing the mountainous regions of Ladakh. From the moment of return, I have been my laziest best and have been trying all I can to postpone everything that needs to be done. Not that I am recuperating from fatigue, I have been as fit as I can be. But a sudden end to a long travel puts the mind off the guard it has maintained all along – to ensure to stay fit and active, to manage body’s health properly and to make best of the timeout. Now at home, none of it is necessary and the guard is dropped. I can afford to relax, postpone things that are not imperative and put the couch and pad to good use.

But this is not a state I would really like to linger in for long. A few lax days can lead to a few more, and then some more, making it harder and harder to return to activity. Even writing this post has been an effort that I have managed to make after a few postponements. Now, why haven’t they worked on a system that can automatically convert thoughts into words and upload them on the computer? I need one such thing right now.

The two month long Ladakh trip was rewarding in many ways. There were ups and downs – downs when I figured that one of my lenses stopped working in the beginning of the trip, and my tripod gave away at later part of the journey. But the highlights overshadowed these minor troubles. Besides spending time in a region of unfamiliar people, culture and landscapes, the journey genuinely helped me better myself, look at my own self and introspect my ways. The simplicity of the people of the region and the ease with which they take their daily lives amused and impressed me, and compelled me to learn from them. Besides, I learned to travel better and make the most of it, ignoring the inevitable problems and annoyances that are essential part of long term travel.

The Trans Himalayan landscapes of Ladakh are another thing that I looked forward to indulge in. There was much to see that is unique to the region – immense brackish water bodies trapped amidst the mountains, glaciers lazily drifting down and feeding the rivers, sudden burst of superb greenery in the middle of desert landscapes, streams running down the slopes wherever you see,.. It is a land that surprises the visitor at every turn.

Despite the delight of travel, it was a disappointing tour for the photographer in me. Even when the weather remained sunny, clouds remained comfortably settled on mountain peaks for almost the entire season. Opportunities weren’t many, and weren’t properly utilized even when they did show up. I goofed up right at the beginning of the journey by forgetting at home some small but critical equipment needed to make good landscape images. The fact that one of my lenses gave away half way through the journey did not make things any better. Yet, there are plenty of images that I have brought back to document the journey. Here is one to begin with.

Needless to say, though it takes a few months before I begin, India Travel Blog will see a detailed log of all the experience from Ladakh. In fact, I am looking forward to doing a lot of writing from the few notebooks I have filled up in writing my journals.