✈️ Back to Leh — With Family, By Air (6th–10th Sept)

 The journey paused, but never ended

Not exactly solo, but not to be skipped. These few days were about family, friends, and experiencing Leh in a completely different way.

From 1st to 5th September, I was back in Hyderabad — slipping into regular office work and enjoying Ganesh Navratri celebrations. The detour felt refreshing, a reminder that the trip hadn’t ended, only changed its form.

On 6th September, I boarded a flight to Leh along with my wife Vani and two close friends. The dream was alive again — only this time, not through the highways, but through the skies.

Leh was everything and more — monasteries, breathtaking valleys, and the magic of being at nearly 18,000 feet. The thin air was a constant reminder that health must be respected here. Even a 10-foot walk could leave me breathless, and I had to pause often. At one stage, I even thought of getting a proper health check once back in Chandigarh.

Still, the days were bliss. We visited Thiksey, Hemis, and Shey Monasteries, took in the surreal beauty of Pangong Tso— as serene as any Dal Lake, only wilder — and enjoyed glimpses of Ladakhi culture and quiet laughter with friends. The reroute felt completely worth it, and having Vani and friends beside me made it all the more special.

On 10th September, they flew back to Hyderabad, while I caught a flight to Chandigarh. My MG Hector was waiting faithfully in the airport parking — dusty, but eager. One crank, and it roared back to life, as if it too had been waiting for the road to call again.

........Leh was a dream lived — not by road, but by air. And sometimes, dreams adapt, yet stay just as beautiful.

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