Visit Ladakh - The Roof of the World

Wow! Ladakh seems so alluring. Please tell us more about the place. How to reach there & What to see in Ladakh and Leh.

Has any of you ILites visited Leh & Ladakh? I'd love to hear about visiting Ladakh from a tourist point of view.


Happy Posting!
Sonia

 

Flash floods hit Leh in Ladakh

I visited Leh 2 months back and I'm really sad to see the news today that at least 100 people have been killed and many more are missing after flash floods hit Leh in Ladakh. :-(

I'm really sad today as I can't believe the beautiful picturesque Leh will be in ramshackles, not to forget the miseries of the lovely people.....

Can somebody tell what is cloudbursts?

 

You are right Amandeep, the Leh flash floods were perhaps one of the worst natural disasters in recent times - although I believe, no disaster is by far any less for the ones who suffer.

Incidents of cloudbursts is very rarely heard here although it happens, in small scale and many even go unreported. The severity of the Leh flash flood has however, brought cloudburst int the 'spotlight'

Cloudburst is a localised weather phenomena representing highly concentrated rainfall over a small area lasting for few hours. This leads to flash floods/ landslides, house collapse, dislocation of traffic and human casualties on large scale.

It is mostly seen that hilly areas are prone to cloudbursts because the topographical conditions like steep hills favour the formation of these clouds. And also the devastations, as water flowing down the steep slopes bring debris, boulders and uprooted trees with great velocity damaging any structure that comes in their way.

Hope this helps.

Have any of you actually experienced flashfloods or cloudburst? We'd love to hear from you.

Regards,

Pamella

 

Re: Flash floods hit Leh in Ladakh

That was really one of the worst disasters to happen in recent times in India. So many people have become homeless, so many have seen their loved ones being washed away by the mudslides and with hundreds of people missing, many are too unfortunate to even know if their dear ones are living or dead.

Nature has not even spared the abode of learning in Ladakh - the Druk White Lotus School at Shey, which has become famous as 'Rancho's School' after the Aamir Khan Blockbuster was shot there for the climax scenes.

I heard that ever since 3 Idiots captured the fancy of India and became a box-office phenomenon, this school on the Leh-Manali Highway has become an unexpected tourist attraction for having featured in the film. Every day, a handful of tourists arrive at the Druk White Lotus School at Shey to glimpse Phunsuk Wangdoo's (a.k.a Rancho's) idea of education. Amazing, how reel life takes over real life....

Does anybody know about this school in reality?

 

Indeed Chandni, the Leh disaster is one of the worst natural disasters of recent times. News comes and goes, and our media sets off to find another 'breaking story'. However, the destruction this flashfloods have caused to life and property will live instilled in the minds and hearts of the Leh-Ladakh people for years to come.

The children at the Druk White Lotus School were ecstatic when their idol Aamir Khan or 'Rancho' of '3 idiots' fame visited them in real life situation appealing to the countrymen to contribute in rebuilding Leh and the school so dear to his heart.

 

thanks 2 all 4 sharing these informations