The many faces of Ladakh, India

Ladakh! Its one of those unspoilt areas of India that has remained so by virtue of being so inaccessible. Roads to Ladakh are closed for nearly all the year, save for three months in summer. Most of Ladakh is a high altitude (some 10000 feet or more) desert in the rain shadow of the Himalayas. It is surrounded on all sides by four different mountain ranges, the Himalayas, Karakoram, Ladakh and Zanskar.

The place is isolated, cold, dry. The people are warm and friendly. Here is my tribute to the many people I have met in my travel to this far corner of India. How can I ever forget them? Tsiring, who patiently drove us around Ladakh; Padma, and her pashmina goats, in the remote corner of Ladakh, where we stayed one night; Zarina and Gulam Nabi of the Sia-La guest house, who made us feel at home in Ladakh. They all leave behind memories that will last a lifetime.

A Ladakhi bride on the way to her wedding

The Chonzom family in Spangmik, Ladakh

Padma and her pashmina goat

Sisters

Zarina, M, R and Gulam Nabi at the Sia-La Guest House, Leh, Ladakh

Monk at Deskit Monastery, Ladakh

Tsiring, the modern Ladakhi man

Traditional Ladakhi woman at Sumur, Ladakh

Children at Likir Monastery, India

Child monk at Likir Monastery, Ladakh

Monk at Alchi Monastery, Ladakh

Ladakhi children in Alchi Monastery

Ladakhi elders at Lamayuru

Elderly man at Lamayuru Monastery, Ladakh

Man at Lamayuru Monastery, Ladakh

A happy Ladakhi child

Mother and son

The Kung-Fu Master

Tsiring - the jewelery shop keeper

Monk at Deskit Monastery, Ladakh