I got to witness the peacock courtship ritual this weekend from my balcony and hence realized it was high time I dusted my Nikon and put its lens to work.
The story is of a beautiful shy peacock with a beautiful plumage trying to impress his favorite peahen on a beautiful rainy day. As he tries to show his love, he gets a younger featherless competitor plus attention from many other younger peahens.
Like the annoying paparazzi, I hovered over and took pictures. I was just waiting for a nice frontal shot of the shy and handsome dancing peacock …. I had already invaded their privacy too much so left them to do their dance ritual and explore their options 🙂
“Stillness and tranquility set things in order in the universe.” – Lao Tzu
I thought I had tested my lungs enough and was ready for the journey forward. Oh! what a fool 🤦♀️, we were in for a roller coaster ride. Each step from here was amazing to the eyes, hypnotic to the mind and literally choking to the lungs.
When packing for a trip the crude and the temporary expedient in me comes to life. So I had this mini heater in my bag which really came in handy in a lot of occasions. This is how I made myself coffee when the kitchen wasn’t open so early in the morning and when there wasn’t a kettle in the room.
Seeking more adrenaline after that coffee, we started the journey towards Khardung La Pass which is at 18360ft and is known as the highest road in the world.
Khardung La Pass is just 40 kms from Leh. As we started the climb it starts to snow…
Slowly the greenery starts to fade away and rocks and ice set in, we roll up the windows and start wearing the gear. Temperatures drop, cold sets in and oxygen gets scarce.
Not just you, your car also needs to gear up so that it doesn’t skid on these slopes
With each turn of road, your mind surrenders to the stillness and tranquility around you. Thoughts dissipate and you are in a complete bliss.
One more turn and you have reached the highest motorable pass in the world where you see flocks of tourist clicking pictures, army people helping some with oxygen cylinders, a dog sleeping in snow oblivious to the chaos around it, the frozen washrooms, frozen atm and finally a cafe where you get hot chocolate, the only thing I need now!!! 🍵
ART PEACE 
