To Travel Is To Live

Author: Samridh Agarwal, Delhi Public School, Varanasi.

Life is a long road we travel, from experiencing the beauty of path filled with flowers to continue the journey with hard rocks beneath our legs. Many a times there is an uncertainty in our way which has either sweet or bitter taste.

There are some things which cannot be put in words. Love is one of them and then there is Ladakh- the land of scenic beauty, rustic charm and nature at its best. Nevertheless, I will try to pen down my experience of Ladakh as best as I can, trying hard not to lose myself in those brilliant moments spent in the lap of majestic Himalayas.

The moment I reached there I was already certain of how magical this journey is going to turn into… .. In first few days me and my family tried to discover the hidden gems of Ladhak about which we already heard a lot and believe me it deserved the praise… . For any of the trekker lover out there I would suggest to explore this majestic place on foot. We started with tracking the Markha valley. It took us through varied landscapes, quaint villages and stunning views, which is like second skin to Ladakh.

And then there was the local food and a bit of paragliding.. Believe it or not, if you are in Ladakh long enough, you will fall in love with the local food here. The Yak cheese that I had, had a distinct flavor to it, which does take getting used to, but at the end of it, it was delicious for sure. There were various herbal teas available which would keep people warm in the cold weather as well as good for my health.

Although I was content with scaling the heights of Stok Kangri, I could not hold myself back from giving paragliding a go. And I am glad I didn’t hold back. It was one of the best moments of my life where I could feel the cold air rushing off my cheeks… the experience was simply out of this world. Soaring in the skies of the remotest part of North India is definitely an experience to be had. There is much to see, much to cherish and much to bring back from a trip to Ladhak. I got memories unlimited and so will you.