Have you ever dreamt of that perfect job, the fairytale romance, or a night out without a hangover the next day? We all have those fantasies, but life rarely goes according to plan, right? As humans, we crave comfort and control. We try to build routines, to avoid chaos.
Can you relate? I certainly could. After countless plans and failures, I realized I needed to embrace the unexpected. It's easier said than done, trust me! (Especially when you're hungover from that delicious LIIT - Long Island Iced Tea, for the uninitiated.)
So, here's where "The Daring" comes in. My life was stuck in a rut, and I craved an escape. Enter Zostel Leh. After a quick call, I learned I could actually work remotely from this cool hostel in the Himalayas – a bit unconventional, but totally doable!
With a one-way ticket to Leh and a shopping spree at Decathlon (a haven for outdoor gear), I was ready. Now, for someone who'd never even been to the mountains, this trip to the Himalayas, with its thin air and harsh winters, could have been a one-way street. But hey, sometimes you gotta be a little crazy to have an adventure, right?
Everything came through a quote in Bhagavad Gita -
You have a right to perform your prescribed duty (Karma) but are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.
These words resonated with me. Maybe I couldn't control the outcome of my meticulous plans, but I could control my actions. I could take a leap of faith.
Skipping over the Delhi airport saga (let's just say it wasn't pretty!), I landed in Leh on December 24th, 2022, at 8:00 AM. Stepping off the plane, I braced myself for the shock – and surprisingly, -18 degrees Celsius wasn't as bad as I imagined! The walk to the taxi stand, however, was a different story. Coming from sea level, the thin air hit me hard.
Luckily, I snagged a cab with Stanzin, a friendly Ladakhi local. He dropped me off at Zostel Leh, where I checked into my first-ever dorm room and promptly crashed. An hour later, my roommate arrived – Madhur, a fellow solo traveler on his first Ladakh adventure (though a seasoned explorer otherwise). We braved the cold afternoon and explored the eerily empty streets of Leh.
Finally, evening arrived. We gathered in the common room, shared a Christmas cake, and bonded with 10 other solo adventurers. Together, we hatched a plan: a group trip to Pangong Tso, the crown jewel of Ladakh, for the next day.
This was just the beginning. Stay tuned for the next chapter of my daring escape into the Himalayas!