Vegas and all the jazz.. Part 1

Having seen enough movies and TV shows featuring Las Vegas, the lights, the glamour and the casinos were way too much for me. I was not interested in any of those, but then a tiny part of me was curious I guess. 

When I was planning my USA trip, I knew I would be visiting the Grand Canyon and when I looked at the various options of getting there, most of them included Vegas as part of the journey. After a bit of deliberation, I caved in and chose a tour that was for 3 days, 2 nights through Take Tour company.

The agenda for the tour was, 

• Reach and Stay over in Las Vegas 
• Visit Grand Canyon (Grand Canyon South Rim or west)
• Optional- Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe bend [though not mentioned in main itinerary, they offer this visit]
• Breakfast and leave to Los Angeles
• Visit Hoover Dam, 
• Quick stop at Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Botanical Cactus Gardens
• Longish break at Barstow (Tanger Outlet Center)

The bus departed from China town around 7am and we were in Vegas, at the hotel- Circus Circus by 4pm. The hotel was quite nice, vintage in outer appearance but the rooms were beautiful. Mine had a view of the entire Vegas strip and the Trump tower [ a tall building shimmering of gold].. After a short nap and change, I was back and ready to explore the city, to see for myself what it was all about. 

The first stop was the old part of Vegas- Fremont Street... We had about an hour here before we moved on to the next spot. This section was packed with hotels from then years gone by, a few souvenir stores and general outlets [ water, snacks, etc]... A lady from China came up, struck a conversation and asked if she could tag along with me that evening. She knew just a few words in English and had come to Dallas for a teacher's conference from Beijing. How about that... And all she wanted to do was shop shop and more shopping... lolz.. Oh and ya take selfies/self portraits everywhere ... 

That evening was magical, for lack of better word.. I enjoyed wandering the streets, watching the street performers [ if you want to take their picture, make sure to get their permission and pay them something...] . Also grabbed myself a few souvenirs from the stores.. The highlight was that I gave ziplining a shot. Dumped my backpack at the counter and went ahead to zip across the long stretch in that indoor space. Wow, what a rush!! It was over in a flash. So much for all the anxiety and palpitations fluttering within me while I made my way up to the podium.. 

What else did I do in Vegas? well, stay tuned... 

Sangam point, Leh

As we rode along the mountains, the landscape changed slowly, from blue skies and brown mountains to grey waters and muddy paths.. We were headed towards the Sangam area. The spot where two rivers come together, join hands and flow along- the Zanskar and Indus river. The vehicle came to a halt and we could see the rivers down below shimmering like a silver necklace amidst the tall mountain ranges. One was slightly blue while the other was silver & grey. After a few minutes watching them race along separately before meeting and flowing ahead, we drove down the hill getting closer to the river.  They flow into Pakistan before ending up in the Arabian sea. 

In winter months the Zanskar river froze and form a trekking path for adventure lovers. This trek is known as Chadar trek.

We made our way down near the water where we felt the cold water rush beneath our feet. Played around for a while, making jenga towers with pebbles and trying to see who can get the stones to hop most number of times along the water. We noticed a few folks doing rafting, and there was also a sign that Bungee jumping would be available soon at this spot. 

Even though the rivers were flowing quite fast and heavy, there was nothing but silence all around. We sat there for quite a while before making a beeline for the vehicle and heading out of here. I realised that is the beauty of Leh. There is not much to do, but what you do get to see/witness is magical and breath taking.. 

Skywatch Friday- The Magnetic Hill, Leh

As we got back on the Leh-Kargil-Baltik national highway, we were told the next stop would be the 

"Magnetic Hill" which is located about about 30 km from Leh.. It is at a height of 14,000 feet above sea level . I had read about this place during my research on Leh but there were contradicting pieces about the same. Some said it was just an optical illusion, others say there is a phenomenon that exists, and then there is one that says this is said to be the path straight to heaven.. 

Well, the human mind chooses to believe what it does right? So, there we were headed towards the "Magnetic hill". As if on cue, our driver turned off the ignition neat  the spot that carried a box with the name board. And lo behold, the vehicle moved ahead down the road. Wait, I thought the road ahead was going uphill, is it a mirage? Are my eyes deceiving me? The car stopped few 100 yards ahead and we walked out to inspect to the place. We did see a few bikers and trucks drive by, and every single one of them would pause when they approached the box marked on the road. 

Finally, we gave up and just enjoyed the place, the silence, the long winding road that seemed to disappear around the mountains and the beautiful blue skies.  Did not matter if this was for real or just an illusion, it was a place worth a visit~! Sometimes it is fun to just believe the concept and play along, what is wrong with throwing caution to wind and enjoying something cos its fun, right?

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday