25 things I did not expect to see, feel or do at Leh

1. Breaking up frozen river tops to see and hear the gurgling water running underneath
2. Apricot trees in deep pinkish blossom
3. Sandstorm cones swirling between icy-mountains
4. Desert-like sand dunes as soft as dust
5. The rare wild Redux jumping on the crags
6. Molten snow recrystallizing to form bars of glassy icicles
7. Brown, Brown and some more Brown for the first three days
8. Skidding and sliding on the frozen Pangong Lake (75% ‘shared’ with China)
9. Army Sergeants making tea, cooking food and managing souvenir shops
10. Entire mountains of Green, Pink, Orange and Purple rock
11. Ice-cold streams running beside soft sand dunes
12. Hot Springs of Panamic with flowing water temp above 70*C
13. The ubiquitousness of Maggi
14. Stray dogs as large as bears roaming around in sub-zero temperatures (probably fed by tourists and the Indian Army)
15. Indigo-ish green rivers shimmering with Arsenic
16. Ladhaki nomads tending Yak and Pashmina goats at temperatures of -10*C
17. Cheesy BRO signboards at the winding roads, one which said: “Be Gentle on my Curves”
18. The Sound of Silence
19. ‘Sea’buckthorn bushes at altitudes 12,000 feet above Sea-level: Nubra Valley
20. Having Ladakhi Bread with Butter and Apricot Jam for breakfast beside a fast flowing stream in Nubra Valley
21. Driving past the world’s highest and third highest motorable roads. The Khardungla Pass and the Changla Pass: 5700 mts and 5350 mts alt (FYI, Everest is @ 8800 mts alt)
22. Getting stranded in the rocks -- literally high and dry -- in the middle of nowhere
23. Jumpin never tasted so great (@ halfway during a trek)
24. Having Mandarin Honey Chicken and Lychee Juice for Dinner
25. Seeing that kind-hearted people can still make a decent living in a dog-eat-dog world