Author's note: there are no photos loaded to illustrate this post because of Ladakh's woeful lack of internet capacity. See point 3 of this article. Sorry about that.
Simon: What are you going to write about Ladakh?
Simon: What are you going to write about Ladakh?
Me: I just can’t get my head round this place.
The reason I can’t work out my reaction to Ladakh, and its main city Leh, is because of its weird juxtapositions.
Peace and war
Ladakh is where the nuclear-armed forces of India, Pakistan and China stare each other down over a disputed border. The uneasy truce often descends into stone throwing, armed incursions and threats of annihilation.
