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Ladakh - Planning The Trip

Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out!  Leh, the capital of Ladakh , is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Each option has much to recommend it, and we chose the road for just one reason – altitude sickness. Altitude sickness was one of my biggest concerns, since I suffer from motion-sickness. Yes, I do travel a lot, but that is despite my condition, and, over the years, have learnt how to handle it. I struggled with it when we visited Nathu-La in Sikkim, and wondered if I would be able to manage a week at the even higher altitudes that we would encounter in Ladakh. This was the reason we stuck to a basic plan, of only 9 days in Ladakh, thoug...
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Ashoka Flowers

The only good things about summer are school holidays and the vibrant colours that surround me. This is the time the Ashoka tree outside my window blooms, and these gorgeous red flowers brighten my day each morning....


For years, I didn't even know that the Ashoka tree bore flowers. And then, one summer, they did. It was only when I read up more about them did I realise that most of the Ashoka trees we see around us - the tall, pillar like ones - aren't even real Ashokas. They are actually called 'False Ashokas'! The real Ashoka is much smaller, and every year, bears these beautiful red flowers which attract so many birds....



They truly brighten up my day!
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Comments

  1. P.N. SubramanianApril 25, 2013 at 11:36 PM

    Yes its true. Fresh flowers we see in the morning really brightens us up. Although we have the real Ashoka tree in our campus, I am still to see the flowering.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MridulaMay 3, 2013 at 11:59 AM

    What a lovely bunch! Post a picture of the tree too!

    ReplyDelete
  3. NeerajMay 7, 2013 at 10:16 PM

    Interesting, I didn't know about the "real" Ashoka tree. I always thought the tall, pillar like trees were Ashoka. What does the real Ashoka tree look like anyway? Put up a photo here!

    ReplyDelete
  4. SudhageeMay 28, 2013 at 4:15 PM

    Lovely captures, Anu. And this part about real and fake Ashoka trees is so interesting. I didn't know about them. Do share more info and pictures, please.

    ReplyDelete

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