Tanvi 🐳

Wanted to go on a run today morning but cancelled after checking the AQI. Neighbour uncles defended bursting crackers while coughing throughout the conversation. But such a happy diwali otherwise ✨ Coming home and celebrating with family is such a blessing and privilege.

Do not recommend using a leaf from mom’s fav plant for your rangoli 😅 Happyyy diwali✨

Diwali cleaning led me to reunite with a long lost friend: my first chessboard. Dad brought it back from Kenya and taught me how to play on it. I remember being thoroughly disappointed when I had to switch to the standard plastic pieces and the green & white chess mat after learning the game with these

7. Cafes to work from Kohi cafe - top recc I sat here for hours. They have good wifi, good waffle & coffee, non-chaotic/crowded vibe and a great market-view. Naas Cafe people were quite rude and non-accommodating.

6. Where to eat - Leh Reccs: 1. Haha Bakery Absolute fav morning coffee, swiss roll, toast and baguette sandwich place! (Still dream about it) 2. De Khambir Traditional sandwich 3. Bon Appetit Scenic outdoor candle-light sitting with great food 4. Tibetan Kitchen It has mixed reviews but my experience was good and we visited it thrice 5. Lehvenda Cafe Mixed reviews about this as well and I was lucky. I got a table faster than others and even got good food while some of my friends left because their order didn’t arrive for an hour. 6. Analog Cafe Gets crowded but great coffee and vibe 7. Zilzom Had amazing soulful thukpa and risotto 8. Namza dining Good fine dining experience and loved their pulao/biryani that they cook for 7+ hours but the other items were alright. Didn’t stand out too much for me 9. Neha Snacks I liked everything here. Roti sabzi, vada pav, pulao. Basically non-tibetan/ladakhi food.

5. Festivals/Events - Ladakh Marathon Happens around September just before the off-season begins It’s like a 3 day festival with the entire city cheering for marathoners who complete races ranging from 5 to 122 km. You can even register to run. Need to do it online a few months in advance when the announcement happens. - Hemis Festival Monastery festival that happens around June/July. Witness multi-day performances in extravagant costumes. - Ladakhi Losar (New year) Lit up homes, musical nights and feasts - Ladakh Festival Happens in Leh so don’t need to travel around to experience. Vibrant streets, games, folk dance and music. Some festivals are scared and spiritual and not just for entertainment so read up before you attend. Need to book tickets months in advance when some of these festivals are scheduled

4. Cabs and Stay Booking If you want to go around different parts of Ladakh, best to figure out the route, car and stay in advance. There are no fancy hotel chains. Home-stays tend to get booked quick during peak season and they aren’t even listed on booking, bnb, agoda, etc. However, most of them were really affordable with home-made breakfast and lunch included.

3. What to carry This is a tough one to crack as it gets really hot during the day and cold at night in some places. You won’t need as much winter wear as you would imagine. Just need the right layers- thermal, wool/fleece, wind-cheater at max unless you are going during the winters ofc. During the day, you’ll only need normal clothes. One layer at max. Cap and sunglasses are such a savior! I wore them all the time. It gets really sunny, For footwear, just sport/running shoes and slippers are good. 1-2 body warmer patches work really well if you tend to get cold easily. Best to hug them while sleeping at home-stays near the lakes like Pangong/Tso Moriri. Good to have moisturiser, vaseline and sunscreen handy all the time. Carry lots of socks Carry healthy snacks. Avoid eating chips during road-trips. Can add to motion sickness if you are prone to it.

2. Routes Everyone gets confused about which loops to follow. This is the one I followed as I could only go around for 4 nights, 5 days - Tso Moriri, Hanle, Umling La, Pangong Where to go depending on what you wanna do: Cultural experiences Turtuk, Aryan Valley, Stok Lakes - Tso Moriri (less commercial) - Pangong (a bit more commercial but huge!) - Kiager Lake - (stunning revelation on the way towards Tso Moriri) - Yaya Tso- untouched and a bird paradise High Altitude Passes - Umling La - Highest Motorable Pass It’s at 19,000+ ft. Avoid staying here for more than 20 min. Get the Guinness World Record certificate for fun - Khardung La 17,500 ft. Even here, avoid staying for more than 20 min. It’s a beautiful gateway to Nubra-Leh Since it’s just a 15-20 min stop, see if it fits in your route and maybe avoid modifying your plan majorly for it. Star Gazing - Hanle Not every night has a clear sky even in Hanle. Recommend staying 2 nights just in case the sky decides to not clear up on one night. Monasteries: - Thiksey (near Leh) - Diskit - jaw dropping photography - Alchi - a bit different than others and not on a hill top

1. Don’t rush this trip If you really wanna take it all in, the sweet spot is 1.5 to 2 weeks. I was there for almost 16 days and I am still not over it. Acclimatisation, distances between all the places and various routes are the main reasons.