Wanderlust Tales #1: Autumn In Ladakh

This Segment ” Wanderlust Tales” will bring fascinating stories of a young dreamer, a passionate traveler and a wandering soul. Witness her emotional stories coupled with exquisite photographs from her travel diaries, every Friday.

From Wanderlust Tales of theWanderingSoul

Follow her on Instagram / Like her on Facebook for more;

“In a little hue of Red…

In a tinge of coral shade…

I let MYSELF fade !!!”

All these years I missed the fall colors of my place and this year I took quite a long break to relieve the longings of my eyes and my heart. Ladakh is incredibly beautiful. It has every beauty you seek. You can see the four distinct seasons.Spring with beautiful white flowers on the apricot and apple trees like the cherry blossom in Japan😋, Summer with greenery like other parts of the country😊, Autumn with bursting fall colors like in NY😄 and winter with snow and ice everywhere like in Europe😍😍.

As a child in one of the villages in the beautiful Sham valley of Ladakh, Autumn would mean the cattle would be brought back to the village which are otherwise sent to the mountains during summer.

I always cherish the memories of being delighted at the goats and sheep being back in the fields and we would take a stick to hit the apricot tree branches to make the leaves fall so that the cattle would surround us to eat the leaves and being happy seeing the goats standing at their hind legs to trim the tree’s lower branches.These small things used to be pure joy for us and today when I look back, it is these small joys that make me smile.

24296430_1708479182504169_7715100811716668942_n — **October’s poplars are the flaming torches lighting the way to winter–Nova S. Bair**

I used to hardly notice and feel delighted to see these small yet beautiful things be it bursting color of autumn leaves or the soothing turquoise color of the river Indus or the star studded night sky when I was in Leh but now when I have been staying in the so called big Metropolitan cities,those small things seem like a luxury.And it too me 8 long years to see these soul soothing colors again

24852295_1708478919170862_7574423635866500875_n — ***Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower–Albert Camus***

Ladakh remains cut off from the rest of the world for almost six months.As soon as the road opens via Zojila on Srinagar-Leh Highway and the Rohtang near Manali in March/ April, tourists from far off lands rush to Ladakh for its serenity, peace and the dramatic landscapes.

lrm_export_20171126_095309 (1).jpg — ***Drifting in the openness of the autumn sunshine, I spend all minute moments of my time***

By the mid of October, temperature starts dropping paving its way to the harsh winter. This is the time when everything bursts with its last beauty as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale and that too for us alone as by that time tourists leave this land and very few dare to come to Ladakh after October.

24300941_1708479245837496_2295075546734090127_n — **Fall colors and the beautiful Indus river near Achinathang village,Sham valley in Ladakh.**

We have a saying in Ladakh especially for the unforgiving winter

“The Land is so barren and the passes so high that only our worst of enemies or the best of our friends would want to visit us”.

And this holds true for the late Autumn and winter months when temperature drops down till -30 too..

lrm_export_20171224_215546 (1).jpg — **Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let go of things ❤**

No matter how unpleasant, rough and ruthless the weather is, the beautiful fall colors and the soothing turquoise color of river Indus are enticing enough to lure you.

24294437_1708479365837484_8952967775355205820_n — **I am so glad I belong to a place where we have Autumn**

Special Tips from theWanderingSoul

Due to very few tourists in this season, getting accommodation in Leh will be easy and cheaper as compared to the summer season but in remote areas home-stays will be the only option.

There are chances of Zojila and Rohtang pass getting blocked due to snowfall.

Hence, I would recommend you to take a flight directly to Leh as it is better than getting stuck somewhere mid way as the weather is unpredictable and another reason for taking flight is because the fares drop down considerably after October mid.

Pack the warm winter clothes and enjoy the enchanting hues of Ladakh.

Share Your Stories

If you wish to be share your stories and articles, please write to us at dfloatingthoughts@gmail.com or submit your articles here.