While I was exploring possible options to reach
Ladakh, Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) was one thing that was cautioned in every travel forum. Mr. Google told
me that AMS is caused by low oxygen as one gains altitude; but it is not a serious issue if acclimatisation is done properly. Since Ladakh
region has many high altitude mountains (10000+ ft high), gaining such
altitudes from mean sea level within a matter of hours is not advisable. Taking
the road is by far the safest one in terms of AMS. It is advised to gain
altitude slowly, spend a night acclimatising and then resume our journey.
- Manali route – Reach Leh from Delhi via Manali. It is supposed to be a very scenic route. To enjoy the journey, you can take multiple night halts and reach Leh in 3-4 days. But it is advisable to keep this route for your return journey since this route has more high altitude passes than Srinagar route.
- And my favourite is Srinagar route – this is the safest of all three in terms of AMS. Takes about 2-3 days depending on the number of halts. I reached Leh in 2.5 days by road
Day 1 – Chennai – Delhi – Srinagar
The view from my early morning flight to Srinagar was bit
foggy and it was quite disappointing that I couldn't enjoy seeing Bird's view of Himalayan range. But as
soon as I landed in Srinagar, cold, pure refreshing mountain air was enough to make me forget it. The plan was to rent a boat house in Srinagar and simply roam around
for half a day (me thinking about an old classic Tamil movie “Then Nilavu” kind
of scenery). Instead of a boat, I found a hotel to stay for half a day since
boat houses were ridiculously expensive for short stay and hourly rides. After reaching hotel, a Ladakhi taxi was arranged to take me to Leh with two night
halts, one at Sonamarg and other at Lamayuru.
Tip – Look for taxis with JK10
name plates since they are from Ladakh. As per taxi rules, they can't take
passengers from Srinagar to Leh. So, these taxis are chea
per. |
| Colourful flowers were blooming everywhere |
All set for sight seeing. I went on a half day garden-hopping auto rickshaw tour in Srinagar. The famous Mughal gardens in
Srinagar are so beautiful and vast that you need time to do proper justice. I
intend on doing a separate Kashmir trip covering these places. Clear blue skies,
lush green of the gardens, flowers in eye popping colours and shapes, Persian
architecture style – you realise what living a “king’s life” is…
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| One of the many pathways to walk at leisure |
Shalimar and
Nishat are famous among the gardens in Srinagar. Shalimar garden has Dal lake in
the background.
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| Shalimar Garden |
Though I didn't go for boating in Dal Lake, I
happened to cross it twice. Once you get past the main tourist area, the lake
is actually so serene and beautiful with a mountain in its backdrop. Sellers
with flowers, fresh vegetables go about in the lake selling their wares to
excited tourists.
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| Dal Lake |
Clock was ticking and if I didn't start soon
enough, reaching Sonamarg may not be possible before night fall. Skipping lunch, I bid
goodbye to Srinagar.
To be Continued...
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