After that conversation with Jagdish Bhai, I began training more seriously. I had about five weeks in hand, which is honestly not enough. I stay on the 11th floor. I skipped the elevator most of the times while going downstairs and climbed up twice a day. Alternate days of cardio exercises included dance and little running. Now as I think, I should have done more running. Other days, I did weights to strengthen my muscles. This help keeping injuries at bay. Lastly, a good diet and no alcohol or smoking.
The 'always reliable' good old Decathlon store helped me for trekking gears purchase.I decided to give rest to my old reliable but slightly bulky Cannon bridge camera that has capable 40X optical zoom. After a little research, I narrowed down to a much more compact but very powerful Sony RX100. I rented it. I had already spent a good amount on other purchases, so couldn't really spend on buying a camera.
I opted to fly to Leh. Main reason was the flight offers stunning views of Ladakh mountains. I paid a little extra to get the seat that offers best views. It surely was worth it. Here is a glimpse.
Ladakh mountains
I was awestruck by the beauty of Leh from the moment I landed. Surrounded by mighty Himalayan peaks, the beautiful town of Leh is a backpacker and trekker paradise. I chose to stay in a backpacker friendly hostel. We were six travelers in the small room. Staying in a hostel was something I had never done before. I enjoyed the experience.
Coming from land ~2500 meters low, it took me no time to fall sick. This being my first experience in a terrain of a cold desert, the realisation of me being unprepared hit me as I was exposed the harsh Leh Sun and absence of trees or any shade. While I had enough protection from the cold, I surely needed things like arm sleeves for protection from the sun rays. I rested that day, next day I was better.
I had a couple of days in hand to acclimatize. I decided to hike. Leh palace is visible from entire Leh town. I hiked up there. It presents stunning views of Leh and around. Namgyal Tsemo Gompa is a Buddhist monastery next to the palace, just a climb away. I visited that too. The monastery is so peaceful and I found myself meditating there before I even knew it
Leh palace and Namgyal Tsemo Gompa the buddhist monastery
Leh town view from Leh palace
Down under the weather again 🤒
I reported at the Leh camp that marked the formal beginning of our trek with a brief by the trek leader and introductions. Next day, we had a plan for a small acclimatization hike around, however I fell sick again. I skipped the hike and decided to rest. The day after, we were to reach our first camp in the mountains and I had an unbearable headache, slight cold and also the lingering feeling of being unprepared.. I was a little worried now.
To be contd...
PS For the amusement here are some stck's Picto generated Leh images
Write a comment ...