Being Young at Heart- Parakram’s Trip through Ladakh at 65!
“Keep shining team Thrillophilia!”
These were the words of Parakram Mishra’s review of the 13-day tour of Ladakh with us.
He is a man of 65, whose wife, 63, and daughter, 25, had booked a Ladakh trip from Thrillophilia. Whenever we come across an aged group, we go a few extra miles to provide them with a hassle-free experience. On this trip, our efforts as well as his prayers paid off well.
But we cannot rule out the role of luck entirely. Since Ladakh’s weather is quite unpredictable, we were a bit sceptical about how they would acclimatise to the climate. But fortunately, the June sky of Ladakh greeted them with some spectacular skies and clear weather that enhanced their travelling experience all the more.
The first challenge to overcome was the transfers. Ladakh’s terrain is somewhat harsh and rocky, with the cold desert landscapes resembling the moon. A 13-day-long journey through these bumpy roads demanded a considerable amount of stamina and endurance. Mr. Prakaram and his wife both did a great job in this.
Through the land of high passes
There is a reason as to why Ladakh is known to be the land of high passes. The area hosts a plethora of high-altitude passes, lakes, and villages, that test your survival skills at all points.
Their itinerary covered all the major places of this region, the Nubra Valley, the Pangong Lake, Leh, Ragdum, Padum, Darcha, and Prune, and they even touched Kargil! It was a wonder for us that people so aged and so elderly could sustain through such a long itinerary and visit all these places with so much zeal.
It is true, the saying:
“Keep yourself young at heart, and you can overcome any obstacle coming your way!”
Their trip had started from Chandigarh. They took the first stop at Manali and the second one at Jispa, as none of them had the chance to explore this place. After spending a relaxing time there, they made their way up to Darcha- the northernmost settlement of Himachal Pradesh located on the Manali-Leh highway.
Mr. Parakram had told us one thing while curating the itinerary-
“Give us a lot of stops, it does not matter if we need more days, but it would matter if each day’s journey is long. We want to have a comfortable travel experience, especially in Ladakh. I have always wanted to explore this place but never had the opportunity to before this. And I don't know whether I will have any more in the future. So, I wish to see as much and live there as long as I can, but I can't travel for more than 5 hours a day.”
So we made sure that they had a spaced-out itinerary to allow them enough time to get acclimatised as well as re-energise themselves. And we kept all the stops at a maximum travel distance of 5 hours. Curating this plan was a task, but we hoped that it would work out for the best.
Of Mountains and Monasteries
Mr. Parakram and his family were quite satisfied with the quality and taste of the food, and the driver assigned to them. They reviewed that they could travel peacefully, there were no sudden jerks and the driving was quite smooth. They also commended the food selection, a mix of comfort food and local delicacies.
But one thing bugged us a bit, how would they find the camps to be? What if they did not suit the family, how can we transfer them to a hotel after reaching Nubra?
Our fingers were crossed.
But Mr. Parakram was a man of steel. He loved the experience! He was a curious person, keen to go beyond this knowledge and adapt to new things.
So, what remained was the sightseeing part.
Mr. Parakram was not much interested in the monasteries, his wife was. So, while his wife was touring the halls and the courtyards, he stood still with his hands at the back, looking up to the towering mountains and admiring the scenery. His wife, on the other hand, was marvelling at the Tibetan architecture, the designs that adorned the walls of the monasteries, and the huge Thangkas that depicted the essence of Buddhism- the wheel of life, the middle path, and Nirvana.
She also took to the monks and attempted to ask about their local beliefs and folklore. This is where her daughter came to her rescue. Being a student of history, she could very well connect the dots and explain to her mother what the monks were saying.
The day they arrived in Nubra Valley
The extreme cold weather and the scenic sand dunes caught their attention, sending them to a zone of happiness and excitement. They were thrilled to ride the Bactrian Camels (double-humped camels), who took them on a tour of the desert. The vast expanses of barren land, coupled with the 360-degree vistas of mountain ranges, made them fall in love with Ladakh.
As for the campsite, they loved it. It had all the necessary amenities that catered to all their needs. For the first time in his entire life Mr, Parakram allowed himself to be treated with stargazing. He could recall his childhood when he and his father would stare up at the sky to admire the stars, but this was different. He felt close to the Akashganga, he was amazed to see so many colours of the galaxy with his naked eye.
The final bumper showed itself in Pangong Lake. This was a long journey of almost 7 hours. We could not arrange a stop here as there were none, and we had communicated this to him. He was okay with this journey as he was already acclimatised well to the place.
This was the most precious destination of Ladakh that they were visiting- and it stood up to their expectations. They spend hours beside the lake, sharing some family jokes and some nostalgic memories with each other, while watching the colour of the lake change from blue to green and then to red… finally at sundown, they witnessed the whole sunset before retiring to their cottage.
The success story
Of both of us. As for Thrillophilia, we were glad that our itinerary worked out. And for them, they were exhilarated that they could pull off this trip.
Their daughter was a great support for them, providing the courage and the motivation to just hold on because there was something better to witness every day!
With a smile on all of our faces, the trip came to an end. Mr. Parakram greatly appreciated us, and we too congratulated him on completing the journey.
We both knew,
This experience was nothing short of a miracle.
Read More: Thrillophilia Ladakh Sightseeing Reviews