It’s been almost a year since we visited Ladakh. Now, news out of Leh is that flash floods have killed hundreds of people in the region. Both locals and foreigners remain unaccounted for, and the whole area is cut off from the rest of the world. Normally it never rains in Ladakh. As the above [...]
Wow, was this ever an adventure. It started as a whim – I figured that it would be fun to count a six thousand meter peak among my achievements. It was a four-day trek with a climbing expedition thrown in as a bonus. It ended up being one of the physically most taxing things I’ve [...]
No matter how many new countries, individual cultures and amazing people we meet, I still can’t let go of the consumerist in me. I feel like a bad commercial when I say this, but sometimes I just need to shop. Granted, the shopping is done in local bazaars and the products are often one [...]
We’re back in Leh after our jaunt up to Stok Kangri and its surroundings. We’re safe and sound, and checked in to our favorite guest house where we just had a hot shower (well, bucket of warm water). The climb went well, although Jaime had a spell of the old altitude sickness and spent [...]
Insert any Beyonce/JLo/Kim Kardashian/Most of the ladies from the Real Housewives of Atlanta joke here
Martin and I had dinner in a Leh restaurant that just happened to sit right next to the mosque. Though it wasn’t on the menu, as it rarely is in these parts, we ordered two beers to drink with our meal. The beer showed up in two tea pots and the glasses were covered in [...]
This is Stok Kangri. For six mornings in a row, we’ve woken up to this stupendous view. The mountain stands more than 20000 feet above sea level, and it has a permanent snow cap on its peak. Tomorrow morning, we set out on a trek to try to reach the summit. Actually, I’ve had [...]
Yesterday’s plan was to get the heck out of Leh. We’ve been here for a week now and it was time to see something new. Our transportation of choice was a rented Enfield motorcycle – a step up from the scooters we’ve been renting. Martin drove, while I did my best to stay out of [...]
We’ve known Bacon for a while now, during which time he’s never worn clothes. He was, however, totally ignorant of that fact. From what I can gather he felt certain that he was wearing clothes. And not just any clothes. “Fancy clothes to match my fancy tastes,” as he continually boasted to us. He was [...]
You may wonder why all of a sudden Jaime’s the only one posting, and why we aren’t moving anywhere. The reason is work! In my previous life (a whopping four and a half months ago) I was a freelancer, dabbling in various kind of reporting and writing. I also did translations from Swedish to English. [...]
The ruins of the newly renovated Leh Palace and the Namgyl Tsemo Gompa (a Buddhist monastery) both sit on the mountain above Leh. You have two choices for getting to these places. You can either hire a taxi to drive you up the mountain, or you can tackle the dirt track that zigzags across [...]
Our guesthouse in Leh has hot water, but only if you ask for it. I learned this about five days too late. You see, I felt the water when we got here and my fingers didn’t recover for half an hour. The water in Leh comes from glacial melt, so it’s basically a few degrees [...]
It’s been a while since the children’s clothing urge has struck, but yesterday, while walking through a store that sold traditional Ladakhi clothing, it struck hard. Sitting on the shelf, surrounded by adult size shoes, sat these little beauties. It’s hard to tell in the photo but they should fit a child about 2-3 years [...]
Our travels have taken us to Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. The one thing these destinations have in common is the total absence of cold temperatures. Our wardrobes reflect this situation: we’ve got no shortage of tank tops, bathers, shorts and airy short-sleeved shirts. We arrived in Ladakh just at the tail end [...]
This was my favorite part of the performances. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it – I cried a little bit when I watched these children sing and dance. It was one of those overwhelming “where the hell are we” travel moments. Check out the short videos below and don’t feel bad if you’re moved [...]
You know the saying, “to fly by the seat of your pants?” Well, that's been our philosophy for most of our adult lives – before and after meeting, falling in love and marrying. We're now taking that idea on an extended round-the-world trip. Follow us as we share the good, the bad and the downright nasty of life on the road.
