The past few days in Leh, Nubra Valley, and Pangong Lake have been nothing short of transformative for me!

I successfully completed 21K at the Ladakh Marathon – the world’s highest altitude run!

Tough inclines after 16K, heart rate hitting 190, but nature, local cheers, and a plastic-free, sustainable race made it truly a run of a lifetime.

From the grandeur of Diskit & Thiksey Monastery to walking the sand dunes of Nubra with Bactrian camels, and to the surreal stillness of Pangong where I ran at 1°C, watched both sunrise and moonrise over its deep blue waters, and stood in awe under a sky full of stars… every moment has been a reminder of how much beauty there is in stillness.

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“When are you coming to stay with me in the Hills? I am afraid you are passing through a great deal of worry, and you are in need of a good rest. I won’t let you work during this vacation. We must have no particular plans for our holidays. Let us agree to waste them utterly, until laziness proves to be a burden to us. Just for a month or so we can afford to be no longer useful members of society. The cultivation of usefulness produces an enormous amount of failure, simply because in our avidity we sow seeds too closely.”

— Rabindranath Tagore (May 10, 1914)

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And as every traveler in Ladakh learns: the greatest mountain to conquer is the one within.

Grateful for the chance to pause, breathe, and take it all in. 🙏