Conquering Peaks: Navneet’s Ladakh Adventure with Thrillophilia
My best friend and I screamed the most in the theatre during the climax scene of 3 Idiots when Kareena Kapoor runs towards Amir Khan. No doubt, the scene was epic but the location was equally amazing- it was the Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh!
After the movie, we got so much fascinated by Ladakh that in no time, it became our dream destination. Our craze for Ladakh only doubled after watching more movies like Tubelight and Jab Tak Hai Jaan.
Time to Gear Up for Ladakh!
I guess it is true -
“Agar kisi cheez ko shiddat se chaho to puri kaaynat use tums
milane ki koshish me lag jaati hai!”
My phone rang in the middle of the night, it was him. I picked up and he asked me to check an advertisement that he had sent for a Ladakh tour package. When I asked him about it, he said, “I think it’s time. It’s calling us!”
On asking what he was referring to he said, “Ladakh is finally calling us. I can hear it loud and clear. Check out the package that I just sent you. It is perfect, Navneet! It is under our budget, it has everything we wanted to visit and especially Pangong Lake.”
With half-opened eyes, I looked at the package and it was pretty exciting. I could not help but get up, turn on the light and click on the package instantly to know more. And we spent the rest of the night as well as the morning discussing our trip to Ladakh.
In that moment, we both knew- Ladakh was no longer just a dream!
The World From Up Above…!
During this trip, one of the most amazing feelings was when we reached a height of 17,582 ft at Khardung La Pass. Just like any other corner of Ladakh, Khardung La Pass is nothing less than a masterpiece of nature’s beauty, leaving all of us mesmerised.
The world from up here looked so calm and tranquil. The vibrant fluttering flags were the only splash of colours in the vast white snowy landscape of Khardung La. At that moment, all I wanted was to freeze time and stay in this dreamlike paradise forever.
I made sure to cherish every moment while we were up there by lying down on the snowy land, closing my eyes for a moment and basking in the serenity. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. At that moment, I felt so lucky that I was able to see such a wonder of nature with my own eyes. I was finally living every bit of my long-lived dream of exploring the real Ladakh, in its purest, untouched and unfiltered form.
Our next stop left was even more speechless. We thought that Khardung La Pass was the most stunning. But in reality, we were not ready for the captivating beauty of Chang La Pass.
On day 4th, we reached a height of 17,688 ft at the Chang La Pass. Reaching here, I could not decide if I was having difficulty breathing because of the altitude or my heart simply just skipped a beat by looking at it. Honestly, till date, I am unable to find any word in the dictionary that would justify its alluring beauty.
So, instead, let me just quote my favourite Bollywood song that might sum up my feeling for it:
“Yeh haseen wadiyan,yeh khula aasman,
Aa gaye hum kahan, ae mere saajna…”
Racing in the Clouds!
For those of you who don’t know, Ladakh’s Nubra Valley is renowned for having the world’s highest go-karting race course. And, there was absolutely no way we were skipping this!
We reached the gorgeous Nubra Valley and geared up for the most adventurous activity of our life. Both my best friend and I got our go-karts and as soon as the timer started, I pressed the accelerator button and drove as fast as I could. It had been ages since I felt this kind of electrifying adrenaline rush through my veins.
Both of us had a great time making it through the twists and turns of the race course. What elevated our experience even more was our scenic surroundings that was unlike any other race course in the world.
Recreating 3 Idiots?
Our dream had finally come true when we finally got to see the enchanting Pangong Tso Lake with our own eyes. Honestly, it was way more beautiful than what we had seen in the movie or any of its pictures online.
The water of the lake shimmered like glass, so crystal that one can see their own clear reflection. The azure waters beautifully contrasted with the towering snow-peaked hills in the background.
Not to forget, the clear blue sky and the bright yellow sun made it look straight out of a postcard.
There was no limit to our happiness, reaching our much awaited destination. While the majority of the people were busy capturing pictures, I was busy soaking it all in and storing it in my memory.
Instead of taking pictures, I thought of a better idea. I wanted to make a reel that would sum up our dream journey to Ladakh. I called Raj and asked him to recreate the end scene of 3 Idiots.
He took a long pause, stared at me and replied in shock, “What…? You want me to enact Kareena? I don’t want to!”
I burst out laughing, listening to his reply and added, “Are you kidding me! I wanted you to be Farhaan or maybe Raju. Why would you think of enacting Kareena dude!?”
Listening to this, we both couldn’t stop laughing.
In the end, I said, “Let’s leave it and make a simple reel where you will not have to play Kareena!”
Read More: Thrillophilia Ladakh Sightseeing Reviews