Day 2: Leh – Monastery tour and sightseeing

Sun rises very early in Leh during that time of the year (around 5.30 am) and so we were up early to get a glimpse of the sunrise. But due to cloudy weather, the sun did not come out and play with us. This was supposed to be a light travel day for us, covering a couple of monasteries and scheduled to be back by 4 pm. We left the hotel after breakfast at around 9.30 am, to visit the Hemis monastery which was about 40 km from Leh. The road was pretty good throughout and we reached there by 11. We managed to catch a glimpse of monks practicing their dance within the premises. The monastery also hosts a museum inside which has a collection of ancient artifacts and statues dating back to second century. As with almost all the monasteries, photography is not allowed inside the prayer hall.

Our next stop was Thiksey monastery. This is situated almost half the distance from Leh on the road back to Leh. The beauty of this monastery lies in its view from outside and also in the spectacular views that it offers from the top. It closes by 1.30 pm for lunch, so you better plan your visit well for this place or else you will end up waiting for 30 to 60 mins.

It was now time for lunch and we were dropped at one of the houses having a large garden area and some tents with tables and chairs for seating. We realized that MakeMyTrip makes a deal with these places which serve food for its guests and this was how they served lunch throughout the trip. The lunch was a simple buffet and we left for ‘Shanti Stupa’, post lunch.

This place turned out to be very close to our hotel and is a Buddhist white-domed stupa on a hilltop. The architecture itself is very well constructed and you also get to see the full range of mountains from that place (you could even see the road from Leh leading to Khardungla pass).

It was time to head back to the hotel. On the way back, we got down at the market to check out some of the offerings. You can find some interesting piece of Tibetan jewelry, Buddhist artifacts and even some Indian army merchandise like caps and t-shirts. Be careful not to pay the full quoted price as they are jagged up quite a bit. Make sure to check out multiple places and bargain well (my wife bought a set of earrings for 70 Rs against a quoted price of 300!)

We were done for the day and took a taxi back to the hotel (cost us 150 Rs for around 2 km). It was about time for our dinner when my wife started feeling a bit uneasy, suffering from the mountain sickness. Her heart beat was up, close to 120 beats per minute. She was also struggling to breathe when she was lying flat on the bed. The frequent climbs to the 4th floor wouldn’t have helped her much either. There was an air of anxiety in the room and we called for help from the hotel reception. The hotel caretaker checked her heart beat and her oxygen levels. The heart beat, though a little high, he said was within manageable levels for a mountain condition. The oxygen level read very good readings. He said there was nothing to worry, but still that didn’t put away my wife’s fears. She found some peace only after reading the same thing over the internet. The hotel also had oxygen supply in case of emergency and this made us feel a little better. We decided to shift rooms and move to a ground floor room as we felt climbing to the top floor will not be safe for her anymore. She didn’t eat much that night, but decided to sleep instead. We were worried about the strenuous journey the following day and were wondering whether she would be fit enough to make the 6-8 hours travel to Nubra valley. We decided to make the choice of whether to go on the journey or take rest in the room, the following morning and so we both hit the bed.