Vibsville

“Masla toh ji Sarkar ka hain, logon mein to sirf pyaar hain”, summarized our Immigration officer at the Pakistani border as we inhaled our last few breaths of Pakistani air before taking the dozen odd steps to cross over back to Amritsar. We had the privilege of spending five days in Pakistan thanks to Nutshell Conferences and its CEO, Azfar Bhai who invited a delegation from the Harvard Business School Club of India to visit Pakistan – when I received the initial invite, I RSVPd instantly and instinctively – without bothering to check my calendar – both professional and personal commitments seemed to fade into insignificance when compared to the opportunity to visit this enigmatic nation (Big thank you to the HBS Clubs of India and Pakistan!). We took the Spice Jet flight to Amritsar from Bombay (the only direct flight) and spent the day there visiting family and family friends, attending the border ceremony (a 2 hour evening drama with soldiers, Bollywood music and lots of f

I intended to write a detailed travel description on Ladakh but feel that the place has to be experienced and not read about. Instead, I’m just going to describe our itinerary and provide basic tips on things not to be missed. Best season: July to mid September (If you enjoy music/culture the Leh festival is celebrated early September) Days needed: One can spend anywhere between a week and a month discovering new places in the region. We spent about 12 days total and were quite content but intend to revisit. Avoid large group tours and try and customize your trip. It is a place you want to discover at your own pace and truly immerse yourself in. Basic geography: J&K state has 3 distinct regions: Ladakh (Buddhist majority), Jammu (Hindu majority) and Kashmir (Muslim majority). This makes for complex politics in the region. Leh is the biggest town in Ladakh region and the only one with a civilian airport. This is a broder area also called a War zone. One will see several army/militar