Day 4 in Ladakh
Day four in Ladakh was spent getting back to Leh and relaxing. I woke up super early at around 6:00 AM in the morning simply because I could. In the winter in Canada I always have a hard time waking up before 1:00 PM, but here the fresh air, the bright sun, the warmth and the singing birds all make for a bright and early start.
What do you do when you wake up before breakfast in the Himalayas? You climb a mountain and bring your big 70-200mm lens, of course! As I start climbing the village of Rumbak becomes visible in the distance:
Horses make their way down the valley occasionally.
I’ve reached the first peak of two! I am standing at approximately 4300 meters of altitude according to a local. Time to move up to the top!
You can see the kitchen tent of our campground in the middle left portion of the image. I think everyone is now having breakfast without me!
The other side of the mountain… what a beautiful view.
There’s the first peak photographed from the topmost peak.
Beautiful glaciers on the other side:
As I start climbing down I see locals moving their animals about. The hill is very steep, at an almost 45 degree angle. And to think that I climbed it head on! I admit I felt a bit of pride at that moment.
Back down at the campground! It took me an hour and a half for the return trip up and down the mountain. Time to wash my hands for breakfast!
The hike back was just as remarkable as the previous day.
A local was sitting on the side of the path with his dog:
Chloé and our guide:
As she was climbing down a particularly tricky little cliff, Chloé fell down on her bum and I got this picture just at that moment. Hilarious!
The drive back to Leh was superb. I snapped this out of the window.
We’re all enjoying one last meal in Leh on the rooftop of a restaurant:
