After taking a few days of rest (and some massive cleaning), I took the train with friends Nicole, Chris, and Nicole's visiting sister to Delhi. Torrential storms delayed our train, but we eventually made it to our hotel and were greeted by WCB friend Marie who is visiting for 3 weeks. Due to excitement, anticipation, and the lateness of our arrival, we managed one hour of sleep before heading to the airport to begin our journey to Ladakh.
Ladakh is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (northern tip of India). While the western part of the state is known for violence and unrest, the region of Ladakh is very traveler-friendly and peaceful. It is sometimes referred to as "Little Tibet" because the Ladakhi culture and landscape is very similar to Tibet. The flight to Leh was short (1 hour) but full of amazing views. In essence, we flew over the width of the Great Himalayas (although there are smaller Himalayan ranges that extend farther north than Leh). Snow peaks filled the horizon and, reaching into 20,000ft, seemed very close to our plane! We arrived at 7:30am and were shuttled to our guest house.
Padma Guest House is HIGHLY recommended! We walked down a little alleyway to the entrance and were greeted with friendly faces, hot chai, gardens, and views of the mountains. I was delighted when I saw fireweed (a BWCA staple) growing! Our friends Kate, Laura, and Jed (Laura's visiting brother) had been there a few days already. Throughout our stay, we spent hours on the beautiful rooftop restaurant sipping hot ginger lemon honey tea, reading, and chatting - a little piece of heaven!
Entrance to Padma. Snow-caps in the background.
Fireweed growing in the garden at Padma!
In order to acclimatize, we had to spend three days in Leh before starting our trek. We slept a lot, explored the market, and took a day trip to a few monasteries outside of Leh. Acclimatization went pretty smoothly; I was the only one who had a constant headache one afternoon.
One the way to Chemrey and Thaktog Monestaries.
The whole group at high altitude!
Thaktog Monastery.
Old monk at Thaktog.
Punk monks at Chemrey Monestary.
After three days, we said goodbye to Leh and Padma for a bit and went on a trek (more about this in a separate post). After 8-days, we returned for an additional day and a half before heading back to Delhi. We shopped, ate, read, and explored the city a bit.
Near Leh.
Monastery near Leh.
Near Leh.
Woodcarvers carving wood for house exteriors (above windows and doors).
View of the main shopping bazaar from a rooftop restaurant. Leh Palace in the background (left).
Leh. 
View of Leh from Leh Palace.
Marie and I with Leh in the background.
Leh. 
Ladakhi Yak Boots!
Leh.Highlights of Leh:
-Joyful cries of "Julay!" from everyone we met. (Julay means "hello", "goodbye", and "thankyou" in Ladakhi)
-Clear weather (no monsoon in Ladakh!) and perfect temperatures
-Clear views of snow-capped Himalayas at all times
-Getting away from the tourist markets and walking the tiny streets of the city
-Sipping ginger lemon honeys about 4 times a day :)
A drive outside of Leh.
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