Tuesday 12th, Leh and surrounding area

Today we drove to the top of the highest navigable road in the world at 18,380 feet (5,600 metres) at Khardungla Top. The road is partly tarmac but is still being built at the top. Driving higher and higher makes you feel you are literally climbing into the sky.

Seeing people working at these heights is surreal, especially as they are breaking rock by hand to be used at hardcore for the road. This is hard work in a harsh environment and I make a mental note never to complain about how ‘hard’ my life in the future.

At the top the temperature is around zero and with wind chill it’s a few degrees below. In winter I'm told it gets down to minus 50 to 70 centigrade here which is pretty chilly!

The views are so spectacular that it’s hard to take in the scale of this place. Huge mountains and deep valleys are everywhere.

We stay at the top for 20 minutes because of the altitude and temperature. Then we head down to find lunch and a short rest before we head out on our first real trek before we leave the relative comfort of the hotel and make camp in the mountains.

The afternoon is pleasantly warm at around 25 degrees and we start our walk from the hotel. We go though the town and then climb to the former royal place and monastery.

We all feel fine but some of the group are finding it tough going. In fact since we arrived, 2 people have succumbed to altitude sickness and one has picked up a nasty eye infection.

Overall the group is a good one. There’s a nice balance of age and experience. Conversation is varied and interesting.

#travel #ladakh #india #himalayas #trekking