Shiraz Hotel Srinagar

... their green tea (made with cinnamon, saffron, cardamom and other spices) and some delicious cocoa cookie/biscuit things. Ashraf has a 4.5yr old German shepherd Rocky who keeps us entertained with his playful nature.
The house has been intentionally kept as it is with a homely feel to it I'm told so that it sets it apart from other hotels.
We are joined by the German couple Andrea and Michael who are both nurses and seem friendly. They have been here a couple of days ...

... survive - they don't wear boots, just some shoes or slippers, no trousers - only these maroon covers. I just can't get it! 
The young monks are just giving me some curious looks. Then the senior ones propose me to have some "tea" and smile very welcomely. When I step into the praying hall they propose me to have a sit in the second row. It's not possible to take pictures in the prayer hall, so I'll try to explain what is it like. Well, it's a big room - some 40x25 meters, there ...

... it became colder, but in a pretty severe way. When I reached the check post - South Pullu - some Indian tourist was very surprised with me having no hat, and was very kind to give me one - called Monkey Hat (it just took it off the head of the the ladies in the car, which made her surprised as well :). So now equipped with the Monkey Hat, gloves, full helmet, thermic underwear, boots I was going to pass the Khardung La @5.6 km. This would be the highest point for me to visit ...

... out on the ver*nd* re*ding *nd drinkin some k*shmiri te*, enjoying the tr*nquility *nd pe*cefullness of the house bo*t full l*ke.
Next morning we're t*ken on * shik*r* (f*ncy bo*t t*xi) to see the h*nging g*rdens full of lilleies *nd lotus flower *nd looked *bsolutely lovely. we *rrived *t the Nish*t b*gh which w*s * lovely g*re\den *g*in full of exotic flowers *nd some well known f*vourites.From here we went to the Sh*lim*r ...

Öösel on palav. Õnneks ei andnud ma järele soovitusele, lisaks magamiskotile veel ka kaks tekki peale võtta.
Hommikusöögiks lõputus koguses khambirit - Ladakhi leiba. Moosiga.
Rahakotti on paraku jäänud ainult viiesajased, seega arvestan juba õhtul võimalusega, et tagasi pererahval anda ei ole. Seetõttu olen ka rõõmsalt nõus, kui pakutakse kaasa pack lunchi. Siis on ikka nagu lõuna ka. Pakilõunaks saan endale ise veel moosi khambiri peale määrida. Peremees m ...

... we set off tow*rd the centre of the L*ke D*l, *lso c*lled Son* L*nk or Lukut D*l, the l*ke of Lotuses.

White be*rded mount*ins preside over the e*stern end of the l*ke. The w*ter´s surf*ce reflects their gr*ve bulk *nd the width of the blue sky *bove. Ag*in *nd *g*in the flo*ting merch*nts try their luck but with * firm f*rewell they *re set on their w*y *g*in. Below the surf*ce the *gle* billows out in ghostly sweeps. Shrouds of greenish, fe*thery veget*tion pollute the l ...

... Mardi, de Jingchan au pied de Ganda La ("La" signifie "Col")
Lever aux aurores a 6h (ca va devenir une habitude! enfin vu qu'a 20h dernier carat on est au lit, plutot dans les sacs de couchage!!) et a 8h on est sur la piste apres un bon petit dejeuner, qui sera chaque matin different! Ce jour sera un peu plus endurant, car on va grimper d'environ 3 700m jusqu'a 4 100m environ. Le paysage change et la vegetation un peu eparse est plus dense dans des petites vallees ou des ...

... test my new camera. Again there was a festival going on and I was entertained with a big military band playing in front of India Gate. I have no idea what it was for, my tuk-tuk driver just shrugged when I asked him but it was plenty of pomp, marching and ...

... the river flows down the mountains. and all of it is singing the song of life. and everything i was doing was a celebration for this blessed song. so i walk around with a big goofy grin on my face. yeah, i'm a completely different person. a happy and at peace person. today, i went around the lake. dal lake is the lifeline for this community. everything happens around the lake and there's no escaping the lake when you're in town. you ...

Leaving a disappointing Lamayuru behind, we drove to Alchi. Without question, one of the best villages so far. The Buddhist monastery was quite different than all the other Buddhist monasteries I had visited. Due to the rain, many trekkers were stranded in Alchi as it was immpossible to attempt the Marka Valley and Stok treks.