Juley To The Soul: Sanket’s Profound Ladakh Trip Review with Thrillophilia
I was sitting beside Pangong Lake under a sky full of stars when it hit me—what I had been looking for wasn’t out there. The lake stretched endlessly, the mountains stood silent around me, and yet the peace I had been chasing for weeks, months, maybe years, didn’t come from them. It wasn’t in the stillness of the landscape, but in the quiet space it created inside me.
I came to Ladakh looking for peace and answers, but what I didn't realise was that they were with me all along—I just needed the right space to search for them.
Let me take you back to where it all began—a restless heart, a desire to escape, and a solo ticket to Ladakh booked through Thrillophilia. I had convinced myself that this trip was about finding peace, but Ladakh had other plans for me.
The Unexpected Friend
When I first arrived in Leh, I was full of expectations—expecting the mountains to give me something I was missing, expecting the quiet to fill some void I couldn’t quite name. But what I didn’t expect was Mustafa.
He was my driver for the trip, and he had a way of speaking that felt like he had lived a thousand lifetimes in this land. “Juley!” he greeted me with a wide smile when we met, and it instantly felt like I was meeting a friend I had known for years.
On our way to the first stop, the Shanti Stupa, I asked him if people came to Ladakh seeking answers. He laughed softly and said, “People come here looking for peace, for answers. But you see, the mountains don’t give you answers. They just give you space to hear what you already know.”
It sounded simple, but I felt a quiet truth in his words as if he had uncovered something in Ladakh I hadn't yet understood.
As we travelled, Mustafa shared stories of the land and its people. At every stop, he would make sure I took the time to stop and breathe, to appreciate the stillness of it all. Whether it was the Magnetic Hill or the ancient Leh Palace, the landscapes seemed to hold a kind of wisdom, not in the grandeur, but in the space they left for reflection.
The Simple Joys
One of my favourite moments was when we arrived in Nubra Valley. The sand dunes stretched out in front of me, the perfect spot for a camel ride. At first, I hesitated. I was travelling alone, and solo travel can sometimes make you feel like an outsider in a sea of couples and groups. But there, in the vastness of the desert, it didn’t matter.
The camel ride was awkward at first—me wobbling on the back of the two-humped creature—but soon I settled into the rhythm, feeling the cool desert air against my face.
That night, as I lay on a blanket beneath a sky filled with stars, I realized that the beauty of Ladakh wasn’t just in the landscape—it was in the way it made me slow down. The stars above were silent witnesses, offering no answers, but providing enough calm for me to find what I was looking for.
The Peace I Was Searching For
In Turtuk, a remote village near the Pakistan border, I felt a deep sense of connection to the land and its people. As I walked through the village, the simplicity of life here struck me. The fields were filled with apricots, apples, and vibrant green crops. The people here, with their rich history and culture, seemed to live in a rhythm that matched the slow pace of the land.
I met a woman in the village who offered me a basket of freshly picked apples. With a smile, she said, “For you, traveller.” I couldn’t help but feel a warm sense of welcome. Even though I was a stranger in her world, it felt like I belonged.
On the way back to Leh, as I crossed the Khardung La Pass and passed through the colourful markets of Leh, I realised that what I came looking for was not some grand revelation or a new direction in life. It was peaceful.
And peace, I realised, doesn’t come from the mountains or the people—it comes from being able to sit with yourself, in the silence, and find comfort in the quiet.
Peace Was Always Within Me
As I wrap up my journey through Ladakh, I realize it wasn’t the towering mountains or the shimmering lakes that left a mark on me—it was the transformation they inspired within. Ladakh didn’t hand me peace; it held up a mirror to help me find it in myself.
From the warmth of strangers to the solitude beneath a starlit sky, every moment whispered the same truth: the answers I sought weren’t scattered across landscapes—they were waiting quietly within me, all along.
Thrillophilia wasn’t just a travel companion; it was the bridge to an experience that rekindled my spirit. Ladakh, with its serenity and soul, gave me more than memories; it gave me a piece of myself back. Juley, until we meet again!
The trip ended, but the lessons stayed with me. As I boarded my flight back home, I knew that the mountains had given me something priceless—not answers, but the space to listen to the answers I already had.
They gave me the quiet I needed to hear them.
Read more: Thrillophilia Ladakh Sightseeing Reviews