Leh, Ladakh
Leh is the largest city in Ladakh, a region in northern India in the disputed territory of Kashmir. Sitting at 11,500 feet above sea level, this city of 120,000 people feels both remote and extremely vibrant.
We arrived in the off season, when the usual flood of tourists thins out and the city has space. The Main Market, which is busy with visitor activity in warmer months, was quieter, and full of locals. There's something special about experiencing a place like this without the crowds, and Leh in winter had a calm, authentic energy that we really enjoyed exploring.
We spent two days in Leh to acclimate to the higher elevation, fighting headaches, taking altitude medication, drinking tons of water and resting.
Thiksey Monastery
Thiksey Monastery sits about 19 kilometers east of Leh and is the largest monastery in central Ladakh. Whitewashed and red-painted buildings cascade twelve stories up the hillside, as if the mountain itself had grown a city.
The highlight inside is the Maitreya Temple, built to commemorate the 14th Dalai Lama's visit in 1970. It houses a 49 foot tall statue of Maitreya (the prophesied future Buddha) , the largest in Ladakh, filling two full stories of the building. Today, around 80 monks call it home, making it very much a living institution rather than a relic of the past.
Mangyu, Ladakh
Mangyu is a small, quiet village about 70 kilometers west of Leh, tucked into a narrow gorge in the Sham Valley that keeps it hidden from the outside world until you cross a small bridge and enter.
With around 50 households, the village revolves around traditional farming, barley, wheat, apples, and apricots, irrigated by water melting from the glaciers in the surrounding mountains. We based ourselves here at the Mangyu Lodge with our guide and the lodge's owner, Tsering, ad his team, whose warmth and local knowledge made us feel at home.
Rizong Monastery
Founded in 1831 and roughly 55 kilometers from Mangyu, the Rizong Monastery is often called the "paradise for meditation.” Rizong has two incarnate lamas, Lama Tsultim Nima and his son Sras Rinpoche.
Today, roughly 40 monks live there.
Women’s Wool Spinning
Many women in Mangyu gather every day to spin wool into thread, that thread into yarn, ultimately creating spools & balls of yarn to be turned into clothes. Much of the wool is gathered from the local sheep owned by many families in Mangyu.
The Snow Leopard
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Landscapes
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