The cool cool mountains

So, I finally caught up with my cool. It had traveled pretty far (about a 30 hour drive North from Delhi). But I think I have it back now. I often see it trying to sneak out the back door when it thinks I'm not looking, but I'm keeping a pretty tight leash on it.
I roped my brother Sam into coming with me on the 'cool quest'. He was an excellent choice, being pretty cool himself.

We flew up to Leh, Ladahk in the Himalayas. As the plane approaches, the landscape rises into peaks of snow, then the pilot magically navigates his was down to the airstrip, almost nicking the wings on the mountains. Hair raising.
Leh is nicknamed Little Tibet. It is mostly a Bhuddist community and is filled with prayer bells, prayer flags, monestaries and palaces. The goods for sale in Leh are a trans bunny's dream. All the clothes look like they came straight off a sunrise set.

We then drove to Pangong Lake.
When the temperature is 45 degrees in Delhi, there is snow on these massive, majestic, magical mountains. This place is breath taking (and not only because of the altitude). Every moment, the terrain changes and even though the air is thin, it is crisp and fresh.


We travelled over a pass which is 5360 meters above sea level and both promptly almost passed out. (Kilimanjaro is 5900 meters.) Walking to the toilet was like running a marathon.



Pangong Lake is certainly the most magnificent place I have seen. The water is bluer than blue.



We stayed over night in tents next to the lake. The gate made it look like a tent camp from hell, but it was pretty decent and the food was amazing. We even got to taste the local butter tea and home brewed beer with a local family. The beer was great, but one sip of the butter tea was enough to pile on 5 kilos and make me throw up.