Day 1 in Ladakh

This was the view from our balcony at Maryul Guesthouse where we stayed in Leh. The place is family-owned and exceeded my expectations in every way (as long as you didn’t open the drawers). We had a very pleasant stay and the mint tea was great.

Chloé had a bit of trouble with her curtains! Fortunately she was tall enough to fix it.

The guesthouse had a very nice garden with various plants and flowers. I liked these:

The village temple can be seen at the top of the mountain in the background:

I saw this guy a couple of times carrying heavy loads of water up and down the hill.

This old lady was missing a leg. What a tough life some people lead.

Shops on the main road of Leh:

A market:

Leh Palace (in grey) and the buddhist temple (white and brown) overlooking the village on the mountain:

We enjoyed a nice meal on a rooftop restaurant.

Typical streets of Leh:

We decided to take a taxi to the top of the village mountain to visit the buddhist temple. The road went almost all the way around the mountain. This is how the suburbs look.

We reached the top! Just a few flights of stairs to climb before we reach the temple. You can see a long string of prayer flags. They are essentially automated prayer-making devices that take effect every time the wind flips them. I think the concept is a little ridiculous and beautiful at the same time…

A view of Leh from the buddhist temple:

I think these are mantras, I don’t remember!

The Buddha statue inside the temple. These statues are HUGE.

Paintings cover the entire walls in the temples: