Today is my last day in Ladahk (Leh). I have to take a flight back to Delhi tomorrow because the hotel owner here (the Snow View Hideaway), said it can be risky to book a flight back to Delhi on the same day I have to fly back to Germany because often flights are cancelled at the last minute due to weather or problems with the aircraft. Well, I don’t think we will have any weather problems cause it’s been BEAUTIFUL everyday since I’ve been here the past few weeks. It is chilly in the mornings (like in the Fall) and cold at night. I still can’t get over the light here. There is a special sort of light here that I’ve never seen anywhere else.
What will I miss when I leave here? The sun (although it can be quite overwhelmingly hot), the light, the mountains, the kind people I’ve met, the yummy homemade Siachan Apricot Jam, the sound of the tall trees blowing in the breeze, the old grandma who walks around the property in the mornings with her prayer beads saying Buddhist prayers, the kind family from the hotel and the other workers who did their best to make my stay comfortable, and all the impressions I’ve made since arriving here on Sept. 27. I’m amazed at how the people here live in comparison to how we live in the West. They don’t have running water, no sanitary facilities. They call their standard toilets the local Ladahki toilet. It’s an oblong hole in the ground in a small room filled with dirt and a shovel. A few I’ve used were hard to stand due to the stench. The one in the place at the higher elevation was actually ok, VERY big and for some reason, no bad smell. I wonder what it’s like below in the place where it all goes… I found out it's called a dry composting system. Here is a blog of a traveler that I found with some photos. Her account is similar to mine. https://myindiaencounters.wordpress.com/tag/ladakhi-toilets/ Also, they don’t seem to have a problem if they are traveling somewhere in a car to just stop on the side of the road, and do their business. Because it’s so dusty here, they are covered in a coating of dust and the skin of most of the people is very dark, wrinkled and almost like leather. It’s hard to tell their age. The women here all have beautiful, thick, very long hair. I’ve had nothing but dry skin, rashes, dry hair, and nosebleeds since arriving. They say it’s due to the weather but I also think it’s due to the water too. They chemically treat their water here and I guess my skin and hair isn’t used to it. The skin on my hands was looking a bit aged BEFORE I came here and now they look like they are from a 90 year old woman!
Well it’s another beautiful sunny day for a bus trip. Let’s see where I end up today. I heard it’s near the same area where I’ve been before. That’s fine. I just want to hang around here today and take in the sights and sounds before I leave tomorrow morning for Delhi. I will be staying in a hotel in Delhi called the Rockwell Plaza at Karol Bagh and then leaving in the early afternoon on the 11th to fly back to Frankfurt. Wow! The three weeks have flown past!
More later…
What will I miss when I leave here? The sun (although it can be quite overwhelmingly hot), the light, the mountains, the kind people I’ve met, the yummy homemade Siachan Apricot Jam, the sound of the tall trees blowing in the breeze, the old grandma who walks around the property in the mornings with her prayer beads saying Buddhist prayers, the kind family from the hotel and the other workers who did their best to make my stay comfortable, and all the impressions I’ve made since arriving here on Sept. 27. I’m amazed at how the people here live in comparison to how we live in the West. They don’t have running water, no sanitary facilities. They call their standard toilets the local Ladahki toilet. It’s an oblong hole in the ground in a small room filled with dirt and a shovel. A few I’ve used were hard to stand due to the stench. The one in the place at the higher elevation was actually ok, VERY big and for some reason, no bad smell. I wonder what it’s like below in the place where it all goes… I found out it's called a dry composting system. Here is a blog of a traveler that I found with some photos. Her account is similar to mine. https://myindiaencounters.wordpress.com/tag/ladakhi-toilets/ Also, they don’t seem to have a problem if they are traveling somewhere in a car to just stop on the side of the road, and do their business. Because it’s so dusty here, they are covered in a coating of dust and the skin of most of the people is very dark, wrinkled and almost like leather. It’s hard to tell their age. The women here all have beautiful, thick, very long hair. I’ve had nothing but dry skin, rashes, dry hair, and nosebleeds since arriving. They say it’s due to the weather but I also think it’s due to the water too. They chemically treat their water here and I guess my skin and hair isn’t used to it. The skin on my hands was looking a bit aged BEFORE I came here and now they look like they are from a 90 year old woman!
Well it’s another beautiful sunny day for a bus trip. Let’s see where I end up today. I heard it’s near the same area where I’ve been before. That’s fine. I just want to hang around here today and take in the sights and sounds before I leave tomorrow morning for Delhi. I will be staying in a hotel in Delhi called the Rockwell Plaza at Karol Bagh and then leaving in the early afternoon on the 11th to fly back to Frankfurt. Wow! The three weeks have flown past!
More later…