White is what we fathom from the name- Himalaya; the abode of snow, but the myriad of colours leave one spellbound as the paintbrush of nature runs amok while painting the landscape of Ladakh- The land of passes.
From the Scraggly snow covered tips of the dark mountains around Dras and Kargil, to the sandy moonscape of Lamayuru, the sense of time is lost, and the sensations in the lower limbs are forgotten as we traverse through the remnants of the roads to the capital of Ladakh, Leh.
The steep climb to the Zoji-La, the dramatic change of the Landscape from Rocky to sandy, and the ever thinning cover of air as the road winds through these lofty peaks towards the city of Kargil, which is an oasis of green. The green turns to brown, and the road makes way for a jittery and stony path towards the Pensi-La and the icy expanse of white known as the Drang Drong. The Nun and Kun massifs watch as sand turns to alpine flowers and merry shades of green, lavender, blue and brown as the road ends at Padum.
The return journey leads one to Kargil yet again, and the landscape changes from Rocky to Lunar, as we approach monastery of Lamayuru, perched on a ledge with sheer drops that make your heart skip a beat.
Alchi is no different, but on a hillside with a gentle slide into the Indus valley.
Drawn across the magnetic hill, we reach Leh. Leh is an extremely colourful city where people from all over the world come to find peace, and skies that are lit up with an unimaginable number of stars.
The view from the Khardung-la pass is breathtaking, but is soon forgotten as the sun sets over the Nubra-Shyok confluence, and paints the valley in gold.
Bactarian camels sail through the sea of sand and so do the vehicles that navigate through the desert of nubra towards the city of Leh, and then to Shey, where the lofty palace of the Namgyals . The road turns towards a pass aptly named the Mighty Changla, and the sky is a fierce shade of blue. The deep blue of the sky is soon contested by the vast dark blue expanse of the Pangong-Tso, which snakes through the Indo Tibetan Himalaya for over 120 kms.
Hypnotized by the blue, the road meanders through the mountains towards Sakti and upshi, climbing onto the Tanglang-La pass and finally dropping into the sandy expanse of the More plains. The Gata loops sidewind and cling to the mountainside as the road drops into the plains at sarchu. The air rarifies, and the Baralacha La looms into view.
The suraj tal is similar to an Ink Drop on white paper, and soon the white, brown and grey turn to green, as we cross the river into Darcha and finally into Jispa and Keylang.
The blue has decreased, the green constantly increases until the summit of the Rohtang-La and the colours are slowly tainted, and finally devoured by humans, traffic and pollution.
