The principal dish was a mix of encounters with Ladakhi and Lama's, people from which their smile still comes from the heart. Food and drinks as tsampa, tukpa, skew, chang and yak-milk were strange but sometimes surprisingly delicious. Cultural events, such as the traditional masked dances, were part of the dish too and as common as pepper on a pepper-steak. Lamayuru and surroundings, our first ingredient, was just delicious. The environment and the situation of the monastery brought up the idea that we entered a strange world. The contrasts of color on the mountains were simply wonderful !

We paid a visit to Norboo, a friendly postman, who invited us into his house and treated us to some tea and biscuits. Soon we felt at ease here for Norboo was an example of inner peace.
Together with him we planned a two-day trip to some villages around Lamayuru. It became the climax of our meal. After a few hours of walking in a barren and rough landscape we suddenly arrived in a green oasis. The village of Pams consisted of small, stone houses and many different flowers, sheep, goats and chickens crossed our path. Somewhat moving were the children and babies with their weather-beaten little faces and their old, dirty and worn-out clothes.

Via Fatu La we moved on to the village of Larsa, where Norboos wife and children stayed. We were offered a mattress but we politely refused when we noticed the troops of jumping fleas. At supper ,Norboo and his neighbor enjoyed their usual twenty cups of chang. When we asked him how old his friend was, he laconically told us that he was 'old'.
That night we partially slept outside and enjoyed the magnificent starry sky.
When the first sun-beams caressed our faces we ran outside to the brook where we had a refreshing wash. After a hearty breakfast with chapati (kind of Turkish bread), egg, tomato, tea and yak-milk we were ready to proceed our journey, of course without forgetting to take some pictures of our friendly hosts. We headed for the Atitse-monastery and we soon experienced that the climb was not as easy as it was yesterday.
Only one monk was present and he already expected us. He showed us around and invited us for a cup of tea and a handful of dried apricots.

A short but tough climb took us to a place where we were offered a breathtaking view over a piece of Ladakh. After several hours we safely returned to Lamayuru. An excellent night's rest in a real bed was followed by a 'deluxe' seat on top of the cargo in the back of a truck which was heading in the direction of Leh. It was a unique way of viewing the mountains and gaps around us. Because of road works and the fact that the engine of our truck reached its boiling-point several times, it took us a lot longer than we expected.

Leh turned out to be a rather disappointing ingredient. Nevertheless it was a good spot to recover our breath and buy some souvenirs. We used it to view some monasteries nearby.
Because of the airport and the central situation, combined with its natural charm, Leh has a predominantly touristy character. Twice we tried to flee to some more remote areas but we were not lucky... The first time a landslide on the Kardung la prevented us from visiting the valley of Nubra, the second time a bridge on the road to lake Tsomoriri was swept away.

Another unforgettable ingredient was the bus trip from Leh to Manali. The bus for which we had a reservation didn't show up. Fortunately, in the nip of time another one arrived. 200 meters further our vehicle destroyed several electricity-cables along the road. The driver looked through his window but he didn't think it was necessary to stop.
Some distance before Tanglang La we were held up by a truck with technical problems. Our technical staff, the bus driver and his assistant, were very helpful and they even succeeded in their efforts to fix the fault.
Just before the top of the second highest pass in the world, the road became very muddy and dangerous... too dangerous to leave the passengers on board. The bus may overturn because of the weight and therefore we had to walk, while our driver moved on very carefully.
At the other side of the pass it was even worse. Here we saw a real traffic-chaos. Trucks got stuck in the thick mud and there was no other possibility then to wait for better and drier weather. We were able to pass them in a zigzag way. Once we passed Tanglang La the journey became very pleasant. The landscape changed continuously and we weren't bored for one minute. I was sitting next to the driver and noticed that it was difficult for him to drive in the dark. He suffered from headaches and fatigue. It was quite a relief when we finally made it to the camp.

The next morning we had our breakfast in another camp. A baby was sleeping in a huge bed. When one of our fellow-travelers took the baby on her lap, the mother asked her if she would accept her baby as a foster-child!

The final part of the trip took us through some magnificent scenery but in the evening a thick mist came in and very slowly, with a tiny and scary heart, we descended the Rotang-pass until we reached Manali.
The next day we took a taxi for a trip to Naggar, an ingredient that turned out to be much more pleasant than Manali.