The video, which has attracted over one million views on Instagram, begins with a warning, “You should never go to India”. But what happens next is a surprise we were not expecting. In a now-viral Instagram reel by travel creators Toon and Lin (@noodlesandblisters) from The Hague, the Netherlands, the message has captured the imagination of travellers wanting, wishing and planning a trip to India. What follows next is not an ordinary journey but an unfiltered sojourn across the most difficult Himalayan terrains, far from civilisation in northern India.The journey is transformational, uncomfortable and unpredictable. Tale of two travellersTheir story begins in New Delhi, the beautiful capital of India. But there is no doubt that the city can overwhelm first time visitors. So they leave quickly and board a 15-hour overnight bus to reach for the Himachali mountains.Destination: Manali, Himachal Pradesh
They reach Manali. Set in the Himalayas, the hill station is all about cool breeze, pine trees, and a slow life by the river. For the traveller couple, this was their calling. It is here where things begin to shift; exhaustion fades and beautiful experiences begin. “You eat the best meal of your life,” and that’s Manali for many travellers like them!The couple clearly is not looking for comfort but secluded terrains away from civilisation. They push further north and sit in a pickup truck with three monks. It is an image that feels almost movie-script. As the altitude rises, winding through rugged terrain toward Leh-Ladakh, crossing one of the highest motorable passes in the world.But now the altitude has started hitting them. Breathing becomes difficult and headaches, constant. Yet, they don’t lose hope.Destination: Leh-Ladakh
Leh-Ladakh is just a normal destination but with extraordinary experiences! While the mountains here aren’t traditionally green, they’re virgin, raw and real! Weathered by wind and time. Some monasteries are clinging close to cliffs. Destination: Markha ValleStill not satisfied, the couple decide to go on a five-day unguided trek through the Markha Valley. No luxury, no itinerary, just will to explore the unexplored.“Leh-Ladakh which is unlike any place you have ever seen but even that doesn’t feel remote enough so you decide to do a 5-day unguided trek through the Markha Valley. You’ll sleep in a tiny tent and on the floors of locals. You eat soup with popcorn and use toilets with questionable hygiene.”They sleep in a small tent and on the floors of local homes. Meals are simple, toilets definitely questionable! Soup paired with popcorn is something you won’t try on a normal day but in the Himalayas, you eat to survive but at the same time, the meal feels soulfully comforting! But the journey only gets deeper and difficultNext destination: Markha Valley, Kongmaru La Pass
In remote Himalayan villages, hospitality isn’t a service but a way of life where strangers are welcomed with open hearts and toothless smiles. Language barriers disappear with gestures and smiles. So they climb higher, and reach Kongmaru La Pass, the highest point on the Markha Valley Trek in Ladakh (17,060–17,273 feet).And that’s why the traveller warns, “You should never go to India because once you’re there you don’t want to leave.”For them, something changed. It is not about the place but the journey you experience. The chaos of Delhi, the calm of Manali, the raw beauty of Leh-Ladakh, the gorgeous Markha Valley; they become a part of you rather than an itinerary.The message behind their viral line is clear.Don’t go to India unless you’re ready to experience a change in ways you didn’t expect.
