The first word uttered to us when we landed in Leh was “Juleh” (also spelt Juley, Jule or Julay and pronounced “joo-lay“). We figured it probably means hello. Curious, we asked the manager of the inn we stayed at what it actually means. “Juleh is a magic word”, says the manager. “You can say juleh when you want to say hello, goodbye, thank you, how are you, nice to meet you and you’re welcome”.
It really was the ONLY word we learnt while in Leh and the only word we needed! People in Ladakh are incredibly friendly. A smile, a head nod and an exchange of “juleh” are always offered as you walk past anyone in the town.
[bq_right]It was indeed a “magical moment” every time we exchanged “juleh”, the magic word, with the people of Leh.[/bq_right] Honestly, we were not sure what the people in Leh would be like before going to Leh. Having read the travel advisory about the dangers in Jammu and Kashmir, we couldn’t help but wonder if the people of Ladakh would be less friendly because of the hostile environment surrounding them. But we were pleasantly surprised at how sweet, friendly and welcoming the people were! We felt totally safe walking around town late into the night and were always greeted with a “juleh” and a smile everywhere we went. We fell in love with the town because of the people!On one of our walks around town, we stopped to say hi to some people selling vegetables. We asked them for permission to take a picture of them and they happily obliged. All of them giggled when we showed them the photo we took of them on our camera. We didn’t talk much but the exchange of “juleh”, the photo taking and the giggles were an honest exchange between different cultures. We hope we’ve “enriched” their lives that little bit more as they have ours!
Sidewalk of the market in Leh, in HDR
We then took a photo of a man from whom we bought dried apricots from (yes, we ate the dried apricots sold on the side of the road. Friends cautioned against it, in case we got sick but we couldn’t say no after the man packed a little bag of dried apricots and handed it to us! We didn’t get sick and as it turned out, the dried apricots were a delicious snack!). We again asked for permission to take a photo of him and he too happily obliged. His friends gathered around and looked at the photo we took of him on our camera and they all had a good laugh.
On our return walk, we stopped by a camera store and printed a copy of his photo and then handed it to the man when we walked by his apricot stand. He smiled and looked very happy to have a copy of the photo. He nodded at us. Juleh, we said. It was indeed a “magical moment” every time we exchanged “juleh”, the magic word, with the people of Leh.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: For the portraits above, we used a Nikon D700 with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 prime lens. The photos are shot at ISO 500.
Have you had an experience where you didn’t speak the local language but was able to communicate with the people? Do you know any other “magic words”?
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46 Comments
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What a nice post and I love how you printed a photo of the man so he could keep it. I’m sure he’ll keep it forever and will remember the magical moment you created for him.
Laurel recently posted..Dreikönigenhaus – What’s Wrong with this Photo?
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Thanks Laurel! He and his friends enjoyed looking at the picture on our camera so much that we figured we should give him a copy so they can have it for themselves. It made us happy to see them so happy!
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{China} Picturesque West Lake of Hang Zhou
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Well done for giving the guy a copy of his photo. Something for you, something for him.
robin recently posted..A Starling In The Apartment-
It’s indescribable the look on his face when he received the photo. We’re just delighted we’re able to make his day just that little bit brighter! We hope we’ve created memories for him as he has for us.
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{India} Overnight at 15,000ft @Pangong Tso
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{India} Juleh, the Magic Word in Leh http://t.co/skHymOG
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Atleast now i Know a few magic words
Zablon Mukuba recently posted..Tips For Your First Volunteer Abroad Trip-
Yeap! Keep building your “magic word” vocabulary from there 🙂 When I was in Helsinki, “Kiitos” was a “magic word” i used often. It means thank you and the people definitely appreciated it!
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{India} Paradise on Earth, Taj Mahal
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{India} Juleh, the Magic Word in Leh http://t.co/0Blxbot #travel #language #Leh
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When I was backpacking Europe for 3-months, the magical word that I used throughout my whole journey is “COKE”. It’s the easiest thing to order in foreign restaurants and they usually have it. Pretty amazing =D
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Nice! Yeap, that qualifies as a magic word for sure!
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{India} Overnight at 15,000ft @Pangong Tso
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The faces have such kindness in them, great capture.
ayngelina recently posted..Montreal, Je t’aime-
Thanks Ayngelina! Glad you like the photos. The people were definitely kind and nice to travelers, to our delight!
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{Worldwide} Make a difference through your travels!
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Can’t say I know any magic words. I just look desperate.
adventureswithben recently posted..The adventures with ben “Face” Explained-
To each his own! If looking desperate gets your message across and helps you communicate, then that’s your “magic word” 🙂
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{Worldwide} Our 7 Links, What You May Have Missed the Past 7 Months
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I love the colors of the fruits and vegs!
What beautiful faces. Very lovely experience.
InsideJourneys recently posted..Weekly Photo Challenge – Hot-
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! Yes, it was definitely a wonderful experience. I hope more people will visit Leh and experience it for themselves.
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{India} Paradise on Earth, Taj Mahal
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Wonderful photos! I wish there were more “magic words” in Spanish 🙂
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Aussies and Empanadas-
Thanks Stephanie! It would definitely be nice to have “magic words” in Spanish!
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{USA} Sea Kayaking & Camping on San Juan Island, WA
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{India} Juleh, the Magic Word in Leh http://t.co/XbgzH1m
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What a great story! I love the pictures included. You really captured the emotions.
Debbie Beardsley recently posted..Viva La France-Back to Burgundy!-
Thanks Debbie! We wished we’d had taken more photos but we decided to spend our time walking through the markets, meeting people and just enjoying the experience, cameras forgotten most of the time.
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{India} Overnight at 15,000ft @Pangong Tso
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{India} Juleh, the Magic Word in Leh « Idelish http://t.co/0ITlvPG
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sweet~ u manage to make a copy of his photo and gave it to him~ can imagine his expression when he got tat pic~
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Yeap, it’s indescribable the expression on his face and the connection we had with the man. Thanks for commenting, Li Huey!
Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{India} Overnight at 15,000ft @Pangong Tso
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{India} Juleh, the Magic Word in Leh http://goo.gl/fb/Iz5yl
