Leh, India
Monday, May 9, 2005
Last minute decision - we took an internal flight from
Delhi to
Leh, a remote town in the Himalayas, 3,500 metres above sea level,a centre of Buddhist cultre and refugees from Tibet. The flight itself above the Himalayas was incredible (and surreal - from 41 degrees to 5 in one hour), but the landing was terrifying, and the air once we landed noticeably thinner (you're advised to rest for 24 hours to get over altitude sickness). The town proudly boasts the world's highest petrol station, the world's highest school, and the world's highest cinema. All in all probably the most AMAZING place we've been so far and a brilliant way to end the trip. Deep blue skies, remote brightly coloured monasteries where monks happily showed us the art of making intricate mandalas, craggy moon-like landscapes framed by the Himalayas, and high altidude deserts populated only by mountain goats and yaks. Truly remote - no gas and electricity for several hours every day, the road linking
Delhi to
Leh is only open three months a year in Summer meaning that there was no meat (dinner choices were basically spinach or cheese), and no phone signal, but totally worth it, even for us fussy urbanites.
We're back in London now and suffering slight re-entry blues. Hope you enjoyed the blog and see you soon!!
A & Z
