First Leh photos ... and one of Delhi ...

Back in Delhi .....

It took a couple of days, but finally I heard the sound of a plane ...

I was lucky enough to get seat on the first plane out .. Air Deccan. The delay was due to the runway taking time to be cleared. Over 300 soldiers took 36 hours to clear the runway alone .... by hand! More were working on the taxiways. When we were ready to take off they lined the runway, huddled in groups, brooms and shovels in hand, and waved at us as we roared down the runway ... a very moving sight.

The Himalayas were absolutly stunning as we threaded our way out of the Leh valley. The snowfall was the biggest in many years, and that is great news not only for the Ladakhi's but the millions and millions who rely on the rivers that flow from the mountains.

I sat next to a Zanskari man on the plane who had walked out of the Zanskar via the Chaddar trek to Leh a few days before. He had fallen into the river twice he said ... my decision not to do the trek seems to have been a wise one!

I'm now back in Delhi, which, unlike my previous experiences is quite pleasant - much cooler now it's winter, and I'm much more comfortable with the chaos and craziness of the place.

I spent the morning at the big Appollo Hospital here in Delhi, having a major physical - long overdue - before heading off to Rajestan in a couple of days.

What am I doing here?

"Here" is Leh, capital of Ladakh, the northernmost part of India, nestled at 11,500 ft in the Himalayas above Kashmir.

I arrived here by air on Wednesday on an Indian Air flight from Delhi. The road into Leh is closed from October to June and the only way in, or out, is by air.

The arrival was spectacular as the Airbus 320 maneuvered between the snowcapped mountains to the airstrip that is operated by the Indian Army. There's a large base here, and the flight was full of soldiers - I was one of two westerners aboard.

I came here to be in the Himalayas again, which had so captivated me last year when I went trekking in Nepal. The plan was to acclimatize for a couple of days and then do the Chadar trek, a famous route up the frozen Zanskar River to Padum.

Despite the large military presence, it immediately felt good to be here among the smiling faces of the Ladakhi's (who are very similar to the Buddhist mountain people I encountered in Nepal.) Gompas, chorterns, prayer wheeels. prayer flags are everywhere.

I was warmly received at Padme Guest House - which is a good thing since I was freezing ... the temperature was about -5 when I arrived. Pretty soon it started to snow, and I began to feel the effects of high altitude - headache, nausea and later that night sleeplessness. As it turns out I'm the only person staying at the guesthouse - my hosts gave me a gas heater, lot's of blankets and an invitation to take my breakfast and dinner with them.

The snow continued, and after a pretty rough night, woke up to a blanket of about 3 cm snow .... which continued all day. Apparently this is the most snow they have had up here in years, and everyone is pretty happy about it.

I managed to do a pretty good fall on the ice yesterday and fell on my back - nothing serious, but a bit stiff and sore now.

This along with the snow and altitude problems, has led me to have second thoughts about doing the trek ... which is described as being quite challenging.

There was more snow today but it finally has stopped this evening, however more is forecast for tomorrow and the next five days. I'm booked on a flight back to Delhi tomorrow, but not sure if the airport will be open. It's been closed since I arrived, so I may be here for awhile!

The people here are incredibly tough, and many quite poor. There is quite a large tourist infrastructure here ... restaurants, guesthouses, trekking companies etc, but most all are closed. Some people in the tourist business work in Goa for the winter - I can see why now!!

Despite the cold (it's -10 now going down to -25 tonight)it's still a fascinating place, that I hope to return to when it's warmer.

Depending on the weather I may still be here for a while ... if so I'll try and post some photos ...