Ladakh, India
ལ་དྭགས
Prayer wheels in Leh, India — July 27, 2004
Ask a Tibetan where are the borders of Tibet and he will surely ignore the administrative boundaries set up by the People’s Republic of China for the province of Tibet. Instead, he would say that Tibet proper includes not only Tibet, but Ladakh in India, northern Nepal, Sikkim in India, Bhutan, Western Sichuan in China, Qinghai in China, and several other areas. Indeed, the sphere of Tibetan influence travels way beyond the fake borders of Chinese Tibet. Leh and all of Ladakh are as much a part of Tibet physically, culturally and geographically as Lhasa is. So in by going to Leh and Ladakh you can truly say you have been to Tibet. That is not say Lhasa is not incredible by any means, nor should you skip Lhasa if you have been to Ladakh. Contrary, Lhasa is one of the most outstanding places I have been in my life and visiting Ladakh should only further ignite one’s curiosity about the wonderfully magical and exotic world of Tibet.