Leh, Ladakh Day 1

Morning flight from Delhi to Leh.  Read that it is good to sit on left side of plane as the sun rises on the right.  Partly cloudy nearing Leh so couldn't see the mountains clearly.  The area surrounding Leh is dry, brown with small patches of green where people live.  The snow covered peaks are off in the distance. 





Ah how nice it is to be away from Delhi! The air is fresh, the sky beautiful blue with white puffy dream clouds, and the mountains are such a nice change from Delhi. The altitude is 11,000 feet, as we are departing the plane the pilot told us that there is 40% less oxygen in the air. That's a significant decrease. Just walking up a slight hill I could feel my heart rate increasing, climbing stairs made my legs weak. I completely understand when they tell you to take it easy in the first two days. I took a nap soon after we checked into Ladakh Regency, nice hotel with beautiful flowers- you know how that makes me happy.

There are three of us on this trip. Vishwa, from PH office and Romila who is a friend of Priya who I met through Yoga. The planned trip doesn't leave much room for free time so I didn't have to worry about each of us with different agendas. Vishwa is great as he's so easy going a kind nice guy. Romila on the other hand is taking a bit of getting used to, but it's OK.

In the PM the driver, Yontun took us up to the Shanti Stupa, a Bhuddist monetary. All the monasteries are Buddhists. 


We attended a prayer and meditation service where monks were chanting along with methodical drumming. We sat for about 1/2 hour and it was great. The drumming definitely helped me enter the mediation mode. A positive experience. The stupa was at the top of a hill, so the views were really nice. Got to see Leh from above, the green areas amongst the barren hills. Had a cup of Chai tea when we got back to the hotel. The tea is already mixed with sweetened milk. Quite good, much better than the instant coffee. Walked around town a bit, many tour companies to help with planning trips and souvenir shops very similar to the ones in Nepal, prayer flags, pashmina scarves, singing bowls, tee shirts, and misc items. Dinner at hotel is included, the buffet is fairly good. Bed early for the busy day tomorrow.