The trip to Pangong Tse had been ruled out due to worsening weather conditions, so after a morning well spent at the Thiksey Monastery, we decided to go to Leh and explore the town. We had some hours to spare before leaving for the next destination and that useful things could be done in that time. So we hired a cab and set off to Leh on a very hot afternoon.

Apart from being the political and spiritual nucleus of Ladakh, the Leh of today is also the prime base for launching expeditions all over the region. Settled lower than the high mountain passes, it is also an ideal resting place to acclimatize with the unforgiving climate of Ladakh before starting on a trip. This acclimatization is very critical and any negligence can lead to Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), which is sometimes fatal. As the saying goes – Don’t be a Gama, in the land of Lama.

The main places of interest inside the Leh town are: the main market, ruins of the ancient fort, Leh Palace, Stok Palace and the Shanti Stupa (Peace Pagoda). Of these, we were able to see the Leh Palace and Peace Pagoda with the limited time available to us.

Leh Palace

Modelled over the Potala Palace in Lhasa, the 9 storied Leh Palace was the residence of the royal family of Ladakh since the 1700s till it was abandoned in the favour of the Stok Palace in the 19^th century. The palace was in a dilapidated state at the time of independence and has since been restored by the ASI. It houses a museum and photo gallery. The architecture is Tibetan and while it is not richly decorated like the palaces of Rajasthan, it is quite impressive nonetheless. It provides a stunning view of the Leh town and surrounding areas. We spent about an hour here exploring the rooms and galleries of the palace. There was a photo exhibition going on, on Rupert Wilmot’s travels to Ladakh in 1930s.

Shanti Stupa

This was the third Shanti Stupa (after Rajgir and Vaishali) that we visited. Built on a hilltop with Japanese collaboration, the Stupa contains relics of Gautam Buddha is meant to promote the message of world peace and harmony. In structure, it is the same as the other Shanti Stupas – a two level structure with a parikrama path on the first level and the relief of Buddha on the second level. The monument provides an excellent view of the Leh town and surrounding countryside and its dazzling white structure can be noticed from anywhere.

Leh Market

It is difficult to estimate exactly how old the main market of Leh is. While there are narrow lanes within antiquated shops selling peddling merchandise galore give it the charm of a bygone era, there is no dearth of ugly concrete boxes. Bereft of any character, these new structures try to pass on as modern and end up earning Leh, the nickname of ‘Paharganj of Ladakh’. The influence of Tibetan Buddhism is apparent everywhere and countless shops sell Tibetan souvniers like Maane and Khor. There is a little shop which calls itself ‘Bookworm’, owned by an elderly Sikh gentleman from where we bought a few books.

There was a slight drizzle while we were taking a walk in the market and that gave some relief from the scorching sun of the late morning. We were famished after the walks up and down all afternoon and asked our cab driver where good local cuisine could be found. He suggested a restaurant named Amdo which is located in the main market at a small distance from the parking lot. So it was there that we went first. This little place owned by seemingly owned by a Tibetan is quite simplistic in ambience, with just a few plastic tables and chairs in a plain looking room; and serves amazing food. None of the waiters know English or Hindi, so the guests have to write down their order on a piece of paper, which is then taken to the lady at the counter who deciphers it to the kitchen staff. We ordered the famed Thukpa and some other Ladakhi dishes and were bowled over by its fulfilling taste.

There was another interesting thing about the restaurant; the walls of the dining room were replete with posters of Free Tibet and Chinese atrocities in Tibet. There was a group of Chinese tourists sitting in the restaurant and they must have been feeling a little hot under their collars!

As we got stranded for a couple of days due to more cloudbursts, we kept coming back to Leh market for shopping or just to pass time. There are some very good restaurants in Leh, Chopsticks became one of our other favourites. There is much more to see there and elsewhere in Ladakh, that we will need a few more trips to be satisfied of our knowledge of this beautiful place. So more about Leh from the next trip maybe ..