Exploring Leh – breathing hard

Today was another slow day, as we continued to get acclimatized to Leh’s elevation. As such we had a leisurely trip around Leh’s main sights.

First it was up to the old castle on Tsemo Hill for great views over town and valley – views even turned out better after the climb of some steps up to Tsemo Maitreya Temple (which unfortunately was closed).

It was now back to the cars for the short drive to the next stop a hundred meters below – Leh Palace. Leh Palace is the former royal palace, today a museum and open to the public. After learning about the palace’s history, taking in more views and (occasionally) taking a rest to catch our breath, it was into town for masala chai and Leh Market for a first souvenir shopping opportunity (Kashmiri Kahwa Tea anyone?) and (more important to me) a proper espresso.

Into thin Air – on to Ladakh

We had a very early start today, leaving our hotel in Delhi at 01:30 to catch the 04:55 flight to Leh. The flight turned out quiet spectacular as we reached the Himalaya range – with great mountain views (limited for me, due to me being in an aisle seat).

After a bit more than an hour flight time we arrived in Leh at around 06:00 to a fresh, sunny morning. Despite this being a short domestic hop, our surroundings were very different now compared to just a few hours earlier. We had swapped the hot and humid monsoon with a very dry desert-climate; the air – now at an elevation of 3500m above sea level – turned out much thinner. Also there was a clear cultural shift – this did not feel like India anymore … with a Tibetan-style Buddhism being the main influence here. Only the food remained distinctly Indian – daal, paneer and galub jamun continued to be our (almost) daily staples.

A quick drive got us to the hotel, where our rooms were already waiting for us – as was breakfast. I made it back to bed after breakfast to catch up on a bit of sleep and ease the adjustment to the elevation. After lunch I continued to take things easy – over a pot of tea and a book … and enjoying the views from the rooftop of the hotel.