u/sierravictor20

I bought a new one from a genuine seller. Even confirmed that its authentic from the scan code on lattafa's website and its authentic. I had purchased this thinking that it will have insane projection n longevity. On the longevity part, it did last for quite a while on my clothes but I couldn't smell it until I had put my nose on it. On the projection part again, I dont think it projects even 1ft. No, I haven't gotten nose blind, tested it with my friends. In terms of smell n quality, it is amazing no doubt but the reason I bought it was for longevity n projection.

Its a Feb 2025 batch, I dont think maceration is an issue. Did anyone of you face this issue? Please help me, this is one of my first investments in fragrance so I dont want to be disappointed.

I went on a 9N/10D trip to Ladakh in the last week of May and here are my experiences and tips from starting to ending:

1. If you're flying from Delhi to Leh, always book a window seat. For best views, go for the <10 or >20 seat numbers so that wing doesn't block your view.

2. Early morning flights are the best, after 12 noon the flights frequency also drops and weather can change. If clouds get heavy, they will drop down to the mountains level and you cant see anyyyything from the window.

3. Dont take acclimatisation lightly. It doesn't affect someone based on age or fitness levels. I went with my almost 60 year old parents, one of them can run 5k faster than me, the other one has diabetes. The one who is fitter than me (I'm 25) faced AMS very badly and O2 level dropped to 61. After an overnight stay in the hospital, O2 climbed up to 86 and that was when they discharged.

4. We hadn't taken Diamox before going to Leh but after the incident all 3 of us started taking Diamox. 250mg total in a day and for the rest 8-9 days no one faced any issue.

5. Dont panic if AMS happens. I saw 5 year old kids, 25-30 year old fit adults, 40 year adults, foreigners, male female, senior citizens and many others admitted in the ward for AMS. It is very very common and treatable. Trust the doctors and nurses. We went to SNM Hospital in Leh and for an overnight stay including O2 treatment, 3 injections, and Diamox tablets, it costed us only 10rs.

6. If you think AMS can be an issue, dont go to any place which might need stair climbing, or small hike. Take it easy, dont take it up to your ego. Its fine, you should rather sit inside the car than sitting on a hospital bed.

7. Khardungla isn't as scary as it might seem. It is very pretty and probably the only place you might find fresh snow. Dont get over excited seeing the snow and end up staying there for hours. Take pictures, descend a little to maybe 15000ft or something. Till that point also you can find thick snow, play there. Dont play at 18000ft, unless you want to end up vomiting for the rest of the day.

8. If you have time and money, please go to Siachen Base Camp. I found it very very very beautiful, the route is extremely scenic. The mountains are huge, you pass through many villages so there is vegetation and wild bushes, roads are smooth as well. Go there for the Army, go for yourself and learn about India.

9. Pangong Lake can be extremely cold. No matter what time of the year you go, it is a lake and the winds are crazy. It is also an extremely commercialised location so you pay for bare minm things. Even for the 3 idiots pictures, per person they will charge you 50rs or so.

10. If you plan to stay in one of the cottages by the lake in Lukung, be ready to face extreme cold at night. These are super thin walled cottages, and electricity will come only from 7pm to 11pm. If you dont mind staying a little further from the lake, stay in some homestay, it will be a lot warmer and you might get electricity also.

11. Lukung is commercialised completely as it is the first thing you encounter if travelling from Nubra to Pangong. If you are okay, keep travelling further and you can find stays as far as in Merak also. Equally beautiful lake side cottages but less commercialised.

12. If you are a very photogenic person, be mindful that the lake changes colour based on sky and weather. For best shade of blue, peak sun hours are needed. Otherwise you can always edit in Lightroom.

13. Route to Hanle is very scenic. I could see mountains of all colours and shades and shapes. If you plan to visit the Dark Sky Observatory on the same day, make sure you reach Hanle by atleast 5pm. Last entry to the Observatory is 5.30pm.

14. Most of the homestays will have one person who would say he can show you planets for 200rs per person through a telescope. We could see Jupiter and Moon, but in all honesty Jupiter was one small white dot and we couldn't see anything more than that. If you are a science student, at some point in your education you would have seen more planets with better clarity than this for free so maybe not worth 200rs. But that's how tourist industry works, so your choice.

15. Milky way galaxy will come up at different times based on what time of the year we are talking. For me it was visible at 2.30-3am. It was freezing cold outside but worth the view. On my 2nd night in Hanle, the weather was bad during the day so Milky Way wasnt as strong as the previous night. Hanle is similar in terms of electricity (blackout after 11pm) but our homestay had 24hrs somehow surprisingly. No complaints.

16. This might bring many hate comments but Umling La was possibly my least favorite place. There was almost zero snow on the route, my scenic standards were very high so it didnt meet them. I understand the hype and the craze behind the record and I absolutely respect it as well. My priority was beauty and nature more than records so that's why I place it last. Otherwise its a short 2hrs drive from Hanle so good enough rest also.

17. Route to Tso Moriri is actually 3hrs ish. It can be a day trip from Hanle, visit Tso Moriri and come back to Leh (another 4hrs). I didnt know this and I had planned an overnight stay there. We realized that locals and the government have put fences around the lake perimeter so tourists can only view the lake from a height and arent allowed near the shore like Pangong. This was a turndown for me, though I understand that Tso Moriri is now a Ramsar site and needs to be preserved. Village is very remote and I didn't like the homestays a lot to be fair, so I talked to my tour operator and decided to travel back to Leh rather than staying there. You can stay there if you want but I didnt see what I can do there for the whole day and night so I went back.

18. Route back to Leh is extremely beautiful. You will be travelling with the Indus River for 4hrs straight and it is very calming. Almost feels like the river is travelling with you on your last leg of journey.

19. I kept one day buffer in Leh for emergencies. Thankfully we had none so we roamed around local places again, nice rest day and flew out the next morning. I took an Airtel Postpaid sim outside the airport for 500rs, this included 1GB/day and calls. Based on your internet package this cost will vary. I had connectivity almost everywhere except at Tso Moriri. I had network even at Khardungla so Airtel works, go for it. Most of the homestays and hotels have wifi so will do the job as well.

20. I went with family so I booked through a tour operator called Himalayan Shepherd. Rates were pretty standard as compared to other operators so for one Innova and 3 people, it came down to ~1.12 lakhs. Trip was very good, no issues at all, all my questions were answered and our driver was very sweet as well. Ladakh isn't a one time destination, I'll go there again for sure, when I dont know but I will. If you're reading this, hope you have a great time and make memories!