Mj, Ladakh

Traditional dress

Monks in temples.  Ladakh is bound by mountains and made up of mountains.

Look at these mountains

Sheer walls of rock and ice divide the Indus Valley from Tibet, Kashmir. Human habitation is restricted to narrow strips of greenery clinging to the rivers that drain down from mountain glaciers. This rugged region is home to one of the last undisturbed Tantric Buddhist populations on earth, protected from colonial interference, rampaging Mughals and the ravages of the Cultural Revolution by sheer force of geography.

From November to May, Ladakh is almost completely cut off from the outside world. Even in summer, getting here involves crossing the highest mountain passes in the world, or a hair-raising flight that weaves between the peaks. Isolation has preserved an almost medieval way of life, dictated by the changing seasons. However, change is coming to this mountain Shangri La. Tourism and hydro-electric power are flooding the region with money, and global warming is altering rainfall patterns, threatening farming cycles and Ladakh’s traditional mud-brick architecture.

Unlike the rest of Kashmir, Ladakh has seen little violence since Independence. Most Ladakhis are Buddhist,

My mom did this trip without us and with Ray Mehr.

Dead dude above from car crash.  Wow this road: Leh to Kashmir from Delhi is over the top, literally.  Some phtos of the car trip up there.

They could have been killed – all of them.

Dude do not mess with that dude

A lot of driving on difficult surfaces

She saw a lot of action driving there and a few dead people form an accident.