Back to Leh from my 5 kms mini trekking to Dalai Lama Gompa, a good exercise for the coming trekking to Markha valley starting tomorrow morning. Now sitting in the satellite cybercafe connectting with outside. This place is full of surfers, just took 1 minute studied all of them.

They are trekkers and seekers, backpackers and Buddhist followers, Buddhist monks in Tinetern robes, and they come here for both spiritual sustenance and for rugged hikes amid ancient monasteries and snowcapped mountains.

This northern region of India known as Ladakh is a cold desert plateau, a western extension of the Tibetan Plateau in the great Himalayas, on the frontier with China. Local residents include Tibetan refugees who crossed into the Indian Himalayas through what is known as “the roof of the world” and settled into an area now known as Little Tibet. Monasteries perched atop small hills above the valley attract surprisingly large groups of Western tourists, including Europeans, North and South Americans, and a steady stream of young Israelis looking to decompress after completing their military service. These visitors come both to immerse themselves in Buddhist teachings and to master the rugged terrain. But hiking and reaching the temples is far easier for the locals, who are acclimated to altitudes that range from 3,500 to 7,500 meters above sea level.

The tourists are easy to spot, clad in Bermuda shorts and toting cameras, sunglasses, colorful hats and water bottles as they fight the punishing sun while thronging to admire the marvels of craftsmanship on display at the monasteries, known as Gompas. In contrast, the locals’ attire includes traditional outfits crafted from yak wool, long gowns or jackets adorned with turquoise jewelry.

Same as most of the tourist places in India, I am hooked by shop owners all the time, and whenever they learn I am from China, interesting appearance on their face. As probably the very few, if not the first, single Chinese woman travel to Leh and the neibourhooding area, I feel so foreign among all the flat-faced, almond eyed Tibetern Indian in the south side of Himalaya.

Refugees everywhere, some followed Dalai Lama, some just followed the others, Free Tibet, Save Tibet signs all along the street. Ladakhi as a launguage is very similiar to Tibetern, probably just as German and Austrian German. Smoking in kinda not welcome here, but everyone drinks the infamous Tibetern cereal beer.

Still no power outside, must to tough to walk through the maze lanes to my Tibetern room in Old Ladakh guest house. Time for a good mumu dinner.