It is very rare that holidays and a gift of a trip to a heavenly place on earth come together. This year, my maternal grandfather was gifted a 5-day trip to Ladakh by his sister and he decided to take me with him as it was in the first week of May, which is during my summer vacation time and it was a trip for two. He had travelled a lot in his life earlier but I was new to this concept. Although I did a lot of research, nothing could prepare me for the experience that was in store for me.
On the morning of 2nd of May, we took a flight from Mumbai to New Delhi and then another from New Delhi to Leh. The journey was tiring but we managed to visit the Leh market along with the guide, Mr. Lao Chang, from the hotel, Leh Leela, that we were booked in. We bought some lovely gifts for all our loved ones. Next morning, it felt like I woke up in another dimension. The view of the faraway mountains was breath-taking. Due to skipping dinner the night before, we were hungry hyenas ready to pounce on anything vegetarian. Thankfully, they had a delicious spread on the buffet table. Fueled up for the day or at least for half of it, we headed to the Leh Palace and later to the hub of positive energy called the Spituk Monastery via the magic that is Magnetic Hill. Our evening was painted in serene colours by the confluence of the Zanskar river and the Indus river with the moon that looked like a white pearl gifting a silver lining to the visions of everyone looking at it from the banks of the Indus river. Just having fruits at the monastery for lunch, made our tummies growl like werewolves on a full moon night but we weren’t the only ones who were going ‘Slurp slurp’ with our hot soup bowls in our hand in the chilly weather. Knowing that the rest of Ladakh, not that its capital city, Leh, wasn’t mind-blowing, was waiting for us with open arms, made us sleep soundly like a baby in its mother’s arms.
Waking up before dawn and running towards Nubra Valley through Khardung La was adventure in itself. It felt like we were travelling through carpets of snow and surrounded by air as pure as a child’s mind full of truthful intentions. We were at the top of the world and the guide kept explaining different things but I couldn’t hear anything as I was totally mesmerized by the beauty as well as humbled by the feeling of being so unimportant in this universe. That night, neither dinner mattered nor did any conversation.
We were taken the on the fourth day of our trip to Pangong lake via the Changa La pass and all I asked my Grandfather was, “Dadda, how can such a long car ride not be boring?” He said, “Heaven doesn’t allow petty emotions like boredom into its abode.” Yes; heaven is what it looked like. I could hear the winds humming welcome songs that started with “Whoosh whoosh’. The water of the lake taught me that day that there are many shades of blue colour starting with turquoise. The crystal clear water had baby waves that made serene music using the ‘Kull, kull’ sound. There were people camping on the banks in tents but I was so smitten by the snow-capped mountains that looked liked vanilla frosting on golden butterscotch slices of cake. I haven’t seen clearer skies like the ones in Ladakh in my life. If I didn’t know better, I would say God was covering his dollhouse in a light blue cloth. Dadda closed his eyes and said in a calm tone, ” This is what meditation feels like.” I could only relate to the calm feeling and there was a smile on my face without a reason as I watched the magpies and gulls fly. Whether it was the pristine desert of Hunder where we enjoyed our double-humped camel ride or the freezing cold weather of Pangang Tso, two things were common everywhere; the first being the cleanliness which was admirable and the second was the warmth and love of the sweet and simple people of this ‘paradise on earth’.
On the last day, we visited the market to buy some edibles and souvenirs for our home, although, we skipped over the Yak cheese on the list as it gave both of us nausea and headache. The guide, Mr. Chang’s son, Sino and I had become friends and we promised to keep in touch. I slept through most of our journey back home but when I landed in Mumbai, my mind was overwhelmed with multiple feelings. I was grateful to God and my Grandaunt for this opportunity to experience a place that would easily qualify as heaven on this planet but the feeling of being home gave me more joy.
My love for Mumbai and everything that makes it the real earth of human beings and a melting pot of various emotions, is what helped me appreciate a fairyland like Ladakh for all its beauty, be it scenic or soulful. As a Mumbaikar, I am fortunate to have been touched by Ladakh, the gateway to paradise as well as to learn and spread more awareness about cleanliness and the value of natural beauty which will help me to contribute in making my fast-paced city, not just more beautiful but divine too.
Vizzmaya is a wanderer in the land of stories and an explorer in the sea of poetry. She is 10 years old but her life’s experiences make her writing age faster but gracefully. She is awaiting for the release of not just her first book but all her 7 e-books via Amazon by the end of November, titled- Vizzmaya’s wonderland (parts 1 to 7) which contain poems, stories, write-ups and jingles. She hopes they add positive energy to the lives of everyone who reads them and is passed on to others for their betterment.
Vizzmaya Jalal, a Class 5 student of St. Francis ICSE school, Mumbai, is a poetess, a writer, an aromatherapist, a herbalist, a classical singer, a classical dancer, a keyboard player, a basketball and chess player and a linguist who speaks 9 languages. She is an iron girl who sees her bedridden mother medically suffer like hell each day and yet inspires and motivates her to fly higher with the help of my maternal grandfather’s positive energy and take others along with her beyond the clouds of earthly problems and pain to a peaceful place where spirituality and science live together in harmony; thus staying true to her name, Vizzmaya which means wonderment.