Anybody going to India(Ladakh) at that time?
Drop me a line, let's go together...

Hi Sasho,
I have been to Ladakh three times and done some driving, climbing and hiking there. It's out of this world. But pls be careful about some basic things. If you reach Leh, the capital, by road, you'll acclimatise on the way. But if you go by air, you'll be reaching 11,000 feet in a jiffy. For the first 12 hours you must rest completely or you'll find yourself feeling ill, headachy and unable to eat. During the next 12 hours, rest intermittently. Why this is important is that your body has to make extra red blood cells to cope with the drop in oxygen content in the air. You need to rest, eat and drink plenty of fluid to let your body do that. After that, you'll be acclimatized and able to visit the local villages, the highest motorable pass in the world (Khardung-La), do some rafting on the Indus (the river Alexander the Great crossed) and drive to Kargil or the Nubra Valley. There are plenty of monasteries but pls be careful not to use flash when taking photographs. I really feel bad when people do this because it fades the centuries-old vegetable dyes that were used for the paintings on the walls of the monasteries. It's of interest to know that the Potala in Lhasa was modelled on Thikse monastery just outside Leh. The other wonderful monastery there is Hemis and I have wonderful pictures of the monks doing mask dances during the annual monastery festival. It was in June so you won't get to see it. But the monasteries have their festivals at different times so you might find one of the others holding theirs.
My friends who are in the travel business can help you in case you need help like tickets, places to stay and want to be met at the airport when you arrive. You can mail them at vivekmukherjee@rediffmail.com or vivekmukherji@indiatimes.com.
Hope you enjoy yourself!
Yana