…That is no joke! Ladakh’s extremely high altitude is nothing to fool around with! There is no rhyme or reason who will come down with altitude sickness; very fit people can be laid low at altitudes of less than 2,400 meters/8,000 feet. We learned this the hard way; on a trip to Tibet when one man in the group developed a Cerebral Edema in Lhasa on the first day. Called HACE, High altitude cerebral edema, it is an often fatal form of altitude sickness. Brain Tissue swells from fluid leakage which almost always begins as acute mountain sickness (AMS).
Did we learn from that? Who wants to spend extra days sitting in Leh and doing nothing? Not us. Against Lobsang’s advice, we immediately set off on the Sham Trek where Steve became deathly ill. Lobsang even rode his motorcycle to our camp to see if Steve was alive and/or needed to be hospitalized!
We now build in three days at the beginning, spent doing nothing while red blood cells struggle to carry more oxygen through oxygen starved lungs. The majority of people will have a symptoms since it is impossible to fly into an altitude of 3,500 meters/11,483 feet without feeling something.
widening a road in Ladakh
Ladakh mountain range
Acclimatizing. It doesn’t seem to matter what people read about high altitudes. They still come with a preconceived notion that they will adjust without any problem. I can’t begin to count how many people we’ve met who have become ill. One man flew out because of a Pulmonary Embolism. Two young girls from Montreal had diarrhea and were sick to their stomachs. Don’t be naive about altitude. Only Tibetans and Ladakhi people are immune. Oops…forgot yaks. Unless you have any of this blood running through your veins, sit and vegetate.
Now smarter and wiser, Steve swears by Diamox (Acetazolamide) for altitude sensitivity. Diamox is the most tried and tested drug for altitude sickness prevention and treatment. He takes Diamox twice a day, beginning two days before arrival and the first week in Ladakh. My symptoms usually tend to be minor; bad headaches, loss of appetite (not so bad if you want to lose a few pounds) and trouble sleeping.
We bring lots of books, force ourselves to do very little for the first 36 hours other than eat, read, sleep take short walks into Leh, and visit Shanti Stupa.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Shanti Stupa was built by both Japanese and Ladakh Buddhists in 1991 and holds the relics of Buddha at its base, enshrined by the 14th Dalai Lama. The Stupa was built to promote world peace, prosperity and commemorate 2500 years of Buddhism. This is a major tourist attraction due to its… location, location, location… with wonderful views of Leh, surrounding area, and mountains. Shanti Stupa is within easy walking distance from Deskit Villa and/or Changspa.
entrance to Shanti Stupa, Leh
one side of Shanti Stupa, Leh, Ladakh
For a 20 Rupee Entrance Fee (around .40 cents USD), visit even though this stupa isn’t ancient or as photogenic as others.
By the way, Juley means: hello, goodbye, thank you, and you’re welcome in Ladakh…