Joolay means both hello and goodbye. In this case, it's goodbye, with fond memories but itchy feet again: it's time to hit the road...
The last week has been fantastic. Went to Pangong Lake for a couple of days with the friends I've met here, one of the highest lakes in the world. Had a nice swim, it was probably slightly warmer than the Fjord at Flam in Norway, though not much, as I didn't last longer than a couple of minutes. Then the day before yesterday hired bikes and cycled out to Shey and Thiksey to see the monasteries. Such a rewarding bike ride, going through the beautiful countryside and enjoying the views, and the donkeys of course, ever present... coming back was hard work though, the last 6km before Leh are all uphill, and what a hill - it's one of those that gets steeper, and steeper, until when we got outside Leh it was faster for me to get off and push! Still have a very sore arse, but it was worth it.
Decided instead of staying in Leh till August, I'm joining Nick and Trevor to travel back to Manali the long way round, hitting some of the smaller towns and villages along the way. Really excited to be honest, it's going to be great to see places that aren't giant tourist traps... even Leh has felt a bit like that in places, despite being fairly remote. A few people I've met now have said India is changing so fast, that soon it simply won't be the "India" backpackers expect. But I think that's a subject for another blog post.
Time for breakfast!
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