Leh, 10:54 am

So I'm finally in the last leg of my trip. I head back to Bombay on Wednesday the 14th, and I've become as black as a burnt tandoori chicken.

Leh, as a city, is quite dissapointing. It's small and quaint, which I ordinarily like, but is overwhelmed with hotels, travel agencies and souvenir shops - which I don't. The area outside, however, is brilliant. I've been in the mountains for 3 weeks now, and I've really begun to dislike urban centers here. The small towns (like Tabo in Spiti - which had only 3 restaurants and 2 PCOs) are so pleasant to hang out in. The mountains around you, a book by your side - it's almost a sense of Nirvana.

I've been meeting so many interesting people along the way, that I've barely been alone at any point- Sandra from Amsterdam and Joppe from Belgium in Spiti, Ursula from Vienna in Lahaul, Kevin and Kate from Guelph (or Kitchener actually), Canada and Dana from NYC with Neghi, the annoying control freak buddhist, she picked up from Tabo - it's been amazing.

I leave for lake Tso Moriri tomorrow, which is at the border of Himachal -Ladakh -China(Tibet), and is a relatively uninhabited place 4000m (~15,000ft) above sea level. The only residents of the area are Yak, snow foxes and nomads whom the lonely planet calls 'Chinese Cowboys'.

In all, this whole experience has been so enlightening - and it's something that I totally needed after 2 years of a mad New York life!