My Backpacking Story to India Sept 2019 (Day 5) 13/9/2019 & (Day 6) 14/9/2019
I woke around 5am to catch the sunrise early in the morning. its freezing cold and honestly, it is so beautiful. that was the most beautiful sunrise I have even seen. We waited for 2 hr for the sunrise but it is totally worth it. I meditate for 30 minutes when the first sunshine ray touched the tip of my head. It was wonderful experience full with serenity and relaxation. I feel completely free out of everything. I really wish to return to the place just for the scenery.
The first glimpse of the sunrise which touches the tip of my head. 💗😘😘
After that, we have our breakfast then, we move to continue our journey back to Leh to catch out flight on the next day. Our first pit stop was at Changla pass. Changla is like second highest motorable pass after Khardungla Pass. This place fully covered with snow, oxygen level dropping with temperature reaching negative at afternoon. You can feel your skin totally dry but extremely cold. Bare in mind that, you might experience shortness in breathing due to AMS. We grab a small glass of hot coffee from a military stall beside the road.
"Chang La (also known as Changla) is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 5360m (17,590ft) above the sea level, located in Ladakh, in northern India’s Jammu and Kashmir state. It’s one of the highest mountain roads of the country. Altitude sickness is a common phenomenon here, so you are suggested not to stay there for more than 20 minutes.
Changla Pass is the main gateway for the Changthang Plateau situated in the Himalayas. The pass is located on the 134 km-long (83 mi) road between the Pangong Lake and Leh. Road closures can be frequent, so check conditions before traveling to this area. It is falsely claimed that the pass is named after the supposed sadhu Changla Baba, a myth propagated by the dedication of a temple at the pass to the supposed Changla Baba. The road to the summit is mostly paved, with some gravel sections. It is driveable by all kinds of vehicles. The pass, guarded and maintained by the Indian Army (due its proximity to Chinese border), is covered with snow throughout the year. The best season to drive the pass is summer. The pass remains open for tourists from mid May to October, but the most pleasant months are May and June."
Honestly, I saw alot of militaries all along the road whereby I believe they control the area. We even saw a place where they were like probably the place they train for their military duties. One of the main reason is because that is the border to China.
After that, we move straight to Leh. On the way, we stopped by the school which was populated in 3 idiot movie. The school was partially closed due to maintenance at that particular time. The kids are still studying there but it was closed for public. The administrator told us the school receives a lot of fund the movie was released and Amit Khan personally contributed a lot for the school especially when it was flooded few years back. The school is quite antique as well because the structures are quite unique probably because it was school that was build quite long time ago.
That night, we stayed at Leh before our flight to Srinagar. On 14/9/2019m,we took early morning flight to Srinagar. We suppose to travel to Srinagar by road but because Kashmir was under the curfew, we decided to change out plan. We were a bit scared because we need to stay at Srinagar for 4 hours before our next flight to Amritsar. One of the main reason is because of the terrorism threat all over Kashmir at that point of time. Tourism industry one of the main occupation for most of them there. The curfew affected them badly and literally no tourist there at all except us. There are militaries standing like pole all along the road. NO RESTAURANT WAS OPEN. We were super hungry so, we decided to take the risk 😝 God promise, it was super scary to travel all along the road. We hoop on one of the cab to get some food. Kashmir has one of the best briyani of all time but, sadly none of the restaurant was open. The driver was kind enough to get egg briyani from one of his friend who open their restaurant secretly. Their business was terribly affected due to the curfew and we were the only customer for the day i think. The briyani was so freaking good. Damn delicious.
Upon reaching, we find it is big waste if we did not try the Shikara ride. We have like 3 hour before our flight so, we decided to try the Shikara Ride. I think we paid like RM 8 each of us for 20 min ride. We managed to negotiate the price but, they really need customer to sustain as well. The lake was not maintained well. It was dirty and we cross by the house boat which we planned to stay in the beginning. The view was really beautiful.
Honestly, I was expecting more on the cleanliness but there were moss and some rubbish. The Shikara boat guy told us that after the curfew no one is there to clean the lake. It is pretty sad to see honestly.
Frankly speaking, among all the adventurous things that we have done, tour around a curfew city really need alot of guts, man. HAHAHAH. The driver told us that, few days back there was a riot at the city. Srinagar airport like dead town and I only feel relieve once I reach Amritsar. HAHAHHAHA
Amritsar is like cultural town. I feel like the poverty level also quite high. So many many small kids are working there and I really feel like I need to take care of my things from getting stolen. I stick to my friends and I was being so careful as well. The hotel that we suppose to stay was closed so the hotel guy replaced another hotel for us which is near to the Golden Temple. 😍😍😍😍😍 which was our next destination. This temple has special heart for me. It was so beautiful and the serenity there is real. The temple was remarkable. The aura there can enlighten you so much.
At the temple, they were giving this water which they call as holy water. That temple was full with people even at late night. We get to know that they serve free food for 24hrs. wooow Amazing. Honestly, I love the positive vibe over there. Okay I will continue the Amritsar story for day 8.
