So here we were, three of us taking a flight from Bombay To Leh, Ladakh. All of us sitting in window seats which was specially booked by my friend who insisted that it was a sight to see..

It was an early morning flight and seriously not much sleep for me.

I had  downed 4 beers a day before with an awesome friend, followed by  dessert and coffee with another friend and his heartfelt company and continuing the sojourn with a peg of vodka later in the night and having to wake up in 3 hours.

As we were approaching the region, I didn’t need any prodding or a wake up call by my friend. Words cannot explain what I saw from the plane as I looked down..

Vast raw Mountains that went on and on, Ridges that could continue forever, snow capped mountains, the clouds dancing and blending with the landscape and for a moment it felt like my eyes were playing tricks with me.

This is Ladakh??!! Am I dreaming? What is this place??

I was open mouthed and I felt that the plane was narrowly missing the peaks of this remote region. Bursts of green, waters somewhere in between and standing like a force, alone in solitude were the mountains..

And in spite of my friend warning me that we were landing directly at an elevation of 11,000 feet above sea level and to take it easy, walk slowly, my confidence in me was unlimited.

Ha, 11,000 feet?? I workout  every day, I practice yoga every day, I breathe deeply blah bah blah in my mind. I will be ok!

But yeah, Ladakh gave me a tight slap because the moment I landed and i bent down to pick up the baggage, I could barely breathe, I was wheezing, I was feeling dizzy and I just couldn’t talk.

My footsteps were slow, as if I was in slow motion and that’s when it hit me, this beautiful region was telling me, take it easy lady, you have no idea what I can do to you, you got to respect me and what I hold on to.

That’s when I became gentle with myself, really gentle. The feeling was completely new, completely virginal.

We get so carried away with the routine, with the experiences we have faced, the circumstances,that we tend to get away from that soft core, that soft space that we have inside ourselves.We move away from it.

And that’s what I did. I just listened to my friends as they lovingly took care of me. Lying down, getting acclimatized, sipping water, sipping lime juice and ginger and just being SILENT.

I also took that love, that care openly, just let myself surrender to what people around me were giving me. I was just receiving it. Not fighting it, not trying to be independent ‘I can take care of myself’ but I let that happen to me.

All this was so new to me..After a really long time..

The first day in Leh was as if I was in dream, a haze, a kind of drug that keeps you nicely and pleasantly high. Not at all aggressive, but purely meditative and contemplative..

You see everything ,everyone in a new light and most importantly you see yourself in a new light.

And this was just the first day…