Gypsy at Large

View from my stay on the first day in Leh I had been Leh’d for three times already and knew Ladakh like the back of my hand. So I approached the fourth trip that came after a gap of nearly seven years with a bit of trepidation sparked by reports of tourism boom spoiling the pristine cold desert. Moments after landing in the “Land of Passes”, I realised the misgivings about the callous tourism were not unfounded. I was staying at a place just short of Nimu. So next day after 15 minutes of mild Yoga I headed to Indus-Zanskar confluence. That was the first spot that made me fall in love with Ladakh when I came here back in 2008. Now trash marks the spots along these two mighty rivers – one of them gave India its name. The bevy of ‘selfie-tourists’ have reached this place too. Also present was an edifice selling eatables and promises of adrenaline rush through river rafting. The next pit stop was Magnetic hill, where revving of All Terrain Vehicles reverberated through th