General thoughts

-The road wasn't too bad but we had to stop at a few places because of the re-building going on. The road builders, mostly men and women from Bihar and Nepal were sunburnt as they toiled away in the high altitude. Sometimes, they reported to work with their children. I saw a little baby girl, sat on the mountain side, her cheeks red and hardened by the exposure to extreme cold and harsh rays of the sun.

-At one point there was a noise as if the bus had hit something as it swung around a bend. But the vehicle just grunted and moved on. I also saw a few vehicles that had dropped off the mountain road!

-I arrived in Leh, last night, with a persistent headache, mild nausea, and even the loss of my appetite---symptoms of minor altitude sickness. Clearly one night in Keylong (3,300 metres) and four passes ranging in altitude from 3,900 metres to 5,300 metres (the same as Mount Everest Base Camp)in 24 hours was not good for acclimatisation. I think I should have spent two nights in Keylong and then hopped on the bus to Leh. I would have acclimatised better and enjoyed the journey more.

-As expected, I was questioned at the checkposts about the lack of a visa on my passport. There were three checkposts and I have to say it didn't take too long to clear the matter up. So all that worrying was for nothing!

-But this journey has been truly spectacular, better, in my opinion, than the Kathmandu-Lhasa tour. I want to come back again next year!