High In The Himalayas

view from Tikse Monastery, Ladakh

This year marks my 20th Anniversary with my acquaintance with the Himalaya mountain range.

My first trip to Ladakh in June 1989 marked the start of an intense relationship with the highest and youngest mountain range on the planet. My extensive subsequent journeys have included visits to Lahaul, Spiti and Ladakh (both twice) in India, five trips to Nepal, two trips to Pakistan and Tibet, and an unbelievable trip into the remote kingdom of Bhutan.

Of course, this time last year I was coming off the Langtang trek in Nepal, a particularly interesting backwater of the Himalayas. The post is surprisingly short, but the photo-link is cool and gives a flavour of the trek.

Back in 1998 I compiled some of my favourite images of my travels in the mountains entitled somewhat appropriately High in the Himalayas and exhibited in three galleries in Hong Kong over a period of six months. It remains one of my favourite collections. I always remember each shot I take, so I can picture the location, weather conditions, etc.

Fortunately they were scanned for these were in my pre-digital days. You can click on this link to view the photographs.

chewing gum in Kathmandu

It is the high mountains that I am going to miss the most.
An avid list writer, these are some of the other things i´ll be missing from The Ganj and India also.
• My veranda
• Daily koras (weather permitting)
• The peace and tranquility
• The starry night skies
• Fresh curries
• Shevy Singh – football pundit for ESPN – insightful and ever so polite
• Gold Flake cigarettes (at only Rs30 for a packet of 10)
• Snacks from the Tibetan Quality Bakery
• Cheap eateries
• Cheap rent
• Fresh local litchi and apple juice
• Unique drinks exclusive to India, most notably Limca (lemon soda), Grappafizz (sparkling grape juice) and Maaza (thick mango drink)