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...
All roads in Ujjain seem to lead to the temple of Mahakaleshwar , which is the focal point of the city. Mahakal, as Shiva is known here, is not only the guardian and patron deity of this holy city, he is also regarded as the ruler of this city. Our car driver regaled us with tales of Vikramaditya, the legendary king of Ujjain , tales which were more of myths, interspersed with history. One such was the tale of how after Vikramaditya, no king was deemed great enough to rule this city, and the baton was handed over to Mahakal. According to the legend, since then, no human king of the area has ever spent the night in the city, and those who did, did not live to tell the tale. I wonder how much of this story is true, but I must admit that hearing the story from a person who instinctively believes in the story was an interesting experience! The Mahakaleshwar Mandir has its roots in ancient times, and the legends of the temple are plentiful, and also quite confusing. The most popular...