For the last 15 years (time since I first dreamt of Ladakh) I and then we (me and my wife) for last 9 years and then us (we and our son) for the past 6 years, have travelled to many a place in the world. There have been very rare and challenging experiences that we have had together. My son has been travelling from the age of 45 days. In his seventh month he has been to Jungfraujoch (11300 feet) in Swiss Alps. He has spent night, out in the Sahara Desert in December when he was just one. Before his second birthday has experienced Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) in -15 C in the middle of the night braving the Norwegian and Finnish winter. And many more experiences in between, thus has become a seasoned 6 years old traveller in his own right.

But then, the conditions he was about to face was unparalleled. Nothing prepares you for your tryst with Ladakh than Ladakh herself. First time is always tough no matter what.

When we started talking about Ladakh in our household some four years back, it was always clear that it should be a self-drive. The caveats were many. We did not know from where we would start our journey. The places that should be covered to have a unique experience. How to prepare ourselves or our vehicle. What vehicle and what in the vehicle to take. The list was long.

Ultimately we got answer for most of it, for others we figured out ourselves. This is what we are going to chronicle here in the coming posts.