Leh

And finally i am just a few kms from Leh & the signs of a bustling city are visible; the BNHS tour leader, Sudhir Sapre arranges for my pic-up & I have reached my destination Hotel Bijoo for the day with a warm welcome from the group leaders and my fellow travelers almost all of whom had already arrived by flight the same morning and were getting acclimatised perhaps in a rough way! Leh is at an altitude of 3505 msl. may not seem very high, but since it is a cold desert with sparse vegetation, the oxygen level in the atmosphere is low and hence the need for acclimatisation. The next day is a comparatively lighter day as we explore Leh, Sindhu Ghat,  etc.,. Still some need for further acclimatisation before taking off to higher altitude

Citrine Wagtail at Sindhu Ghat

Another view of the Citrine Wagtail - possibly juvenile

confluence of the Indus & Zanskar Rivers

above & below views of Magnetic Hill

Hall of Fame - a moving account of the trials & outstanding efforts of the Indian Army & Indian air force in protecting our borders

Leh Palace  - an imposing 9 storied structure built in the 17th century

Views of the interior and from the palace

A view of Leh town taken from the Palace

Tesemo Gompa situated just next to the Leh Palace

One of the exotic gates outside leh city, taken from the vehicle

View of the Leh Palace from the city

Shanti Stupa

View of the Leh palace, Tesemo Gompa taken from Leh Market

 busy market - for the shopoholics, there is plenty to buy in Leh from beautiful artifacts to herbal items, good quality camping gear et al

Jama Masjid

Cultural evening at Hotel Bijoo

My last day in Ladakh - an unexpected cancellation of all return flights due to bad weather entailed an extra day - so here is the view from my hotel window & the rainbow (photo below) is truly a bonus!

Add caption