20. – 26. July 2026     On Monday, my life here changed a bit. I got company. A lot of company. In the morning, Spalgon and I drove to the airport to pick up my friend Andrea and her travel group. There are seven of them, traveling mostly on their own—I only arranged the … Continue reading Thikse-Chemday-Leh – Friends, Rain, Pictures → Read more

25. July 2026     In March 2023, after descending from the Annapurna Circuit toward Kagbeni, I stood there staring toward Mustang, wishing I could go, but thinking it wouldn’t happen anytime soon. And just a little over three years later, the time has come after all! And why? I have to leave India for … Continue reading Nepal – Mustang – before the trip → Read more

17. + 18. July 2026     Like almost every place in Ladakh by now, Stok also has a large outdoor Buddhist statue. You can even go inside it. It was consecrated by the Dalai Lama in 2016. Now, another visit from His Holiness was coming up. And for that occasion, everything was being swept, … Continue reading Stok – even more wonderful experiences and encounters → Read more

16. + 17. July 2026     had an interesting invitation to Stok, which is diagonally across the Indus River from Leh. It wasn’t entirely clear to me what exactly I was being invited to. Someone—a buddy of a staff member from Overland Escape—wanted to show me a place where you can also stay overnight. … Continue reading Stok – A place full of surprise and excitement → Read more

11. – 15. July 2026     I actually thought the ‘atypical’ cloudy weather for Ladakh in June was over, but July is turning out to be quite mixed as well. I’m glad it’s not that hot, but it’s still strange. On the bright side, water has been flowing through all the channels in Leh … Continue reading Leh – Odds-and-Ends Days → Read more

03. – 10. July 2026     When I was back in Leh, I felt exhausted but had a few things on my to-do list. For one, I had to clean my luggage, drop off all my dirty laundry—and meet up with people!   First, I met Markus, whom I first encountered in India back … Continue reading Leh – breathless days → Read more

2. July 2026     The other horseman-mate had the strongest hands and the best technique for rolling up the sleeping mats. By the way, in this photo you can see that Chamba is wearing a hearing aid. He is the first Ladakhi I’ve ever seen with one.   I ended up setting off as … Continue reading Trekkingday 6: Matho Phu -> Matho – The bitter end comes last → Read more

1. July 2026     This morning, instead of a horse, a dzo was looking at me from outside my tent. I really liked the fact that there were so many animals wandering around. Sidhar said goodbye after breakfast; he had to head down because of a family matter. The weather started out with a … Continue reading Trekkingday 5: Shang Phu -> Matho Phu – many people and a real mountain pass → Read more

30. June 2026     Since the horses stayed right by the camp overnight, one of them could even look inside curiously in the morning to see what I was doing in my tent. This time everything went smoothly. We packed up, I started hiking, and the horses caught up with me again by the … Continue reading Trekkingday 4: Chogdo -> Shang Phu – A nice Route → Read more

29. June 2026     At night, the horses are either left to graze freely or they are picketed. When they graze freely, you have to get up very early to round them up again. Chamba had gotten up at 4:00 AM, had a tea, and set off – and by 7:00 AM, he still … Continue reading Trekkingday 3: Chogdo – The Horses climb a Mountain → Read more