Gypsynan

Leh was the base for excursions into the mountains, the most amazing of which was visiting the Pang Gong lake, a 125 km salty, high altitude sea that marks the border between Tibet and India. At the highest point in our journey we were at 17.5,000ft at Chang la pass, the 3rd highest in the world. We stayed at a series of army/ air force camps, touching base with the culture I grew up in after a long time. The 2 Scorpios were filled with family and friends and we kept going, as the air grew rare and a strange light headed euphoria filled our spirits. The landscape was unbelievable, a moon scape that is beyond my powers to describe, so here are some photos.

Leh itself was a small town in the shadow of the high mountains, with monasteries and small ceremonial gompas scattered across. The little monks dressed in red, called aengelas, glimpsed against the bleak facades like tiny exclamation points. The river Indus, an icy glittering thread meanders around Leh, providing the only green cover one can see.