Ladakh Part 1

Top of the World!

Ladakh is a region of northern India that borders Tibet, China and Pakistan. Flying  into the main "city" of Leh was ethereal. The Kulan and Himalayan mountain ranges took my breath away. When our airplane began to descend I felt as if I could reach out and touch a peak. Some of the most skilled pilots in the world fly these routes.



Our driver, visiting with a monk and fellow guide.

Ladakh is a high altitude desert with elevations averaging around 10,000 ft. When we arrived at our hotel in Leh, the manager greeted us with tea and insisted that we sit and rest for several hours. Altitude sickness is real and can be deadly. It can take up to one to two days to begin to acclimate. Later that evening Cristi, my traveling companion, and I decided to take a very short walk down the street. Sure enough, each step was laborious. Felt like a heavy weights were in my shoes. Each day we became stronger and stronger until we set off for the 18,000ft. pass.

Thiksey Monastery

 Day 2 we hired a driver to take us on a half-day tour of some local monasteries. The people of Ladakh, or "little Tibet,"are 80% Tibetan Buddhist, with the remainder mostly Shia Muslims and Hindus. Many of the monasteries are still the training places for Buddhist monks and nuns. I was told that most Buddhist families have one son or daughter who join the monastic life. It is thought to bring great honor and karma to such families. In turn, the families help to support the monasteries through donations of money and work.

Maitreya Buddha (future Buddha)

 Inside every temple is an amazing Buddha. This Buddha was inside the Thiksey Monastery. It was constructed in the 1970's to commemorate the visit of the Dalai Lama. It is 49 feet tall!

Monks gazing at the mountains, as they must do daily.

I must say that I am quite in awe of the  monastic life. The commitment to study, pray,  and meditate for a life time (and more?) is bewildering. There are moments that I think I may have missed my calling...fleeting moments...

Prayer Wheel

Prayer wheels are on every corner, much like coffee shops in the Pacific Northwest. Each wheel is filled with scrolls of mantras. As you pass, you turn the wheel in a clockwise manner and repeat the mantra, "Om Mani Padme Hum" (loosely translated as "the jewel is in the lotus"). Prayer wheels are used to gather wisdom, good karma and to purify oneself. I was deeply touched by the notion that by simply turning the wheel, the intent is to send prayers out to the world/universe.

More Prayer Wheels

The wheels spin on a spindle and can be made from metal, wood, stone, leather or coarse cotton. They can also be powered by wing, water or by a butter lamp.

Hand held prayer wheel



Stupas or chortens

Stupas or chortens hold Buddhist relics, typically ashes of monks. They are also used as places of meditation.



A valley of stupas

After two days in Leh, rested and acclimated, we were ready to head off to the Hundar and Nuber Valleys and the famous "highest road in the world"