High up in the shadow of the world's highest peaks is a land of mythical beauty - a land where vividly colored mountains rise up dramatically on all sides, dwarfing the crystal rivers and shimmering glaciers which make their way through the barren land. A land that is arid and harsh, but also one of the most beautiful anywhere on earth; a land of warm, friendly people and cultural heritage that is nothing short of amazing.

     Ladakh is an arid, bare land, where for miles you may see nothing but brilliantly colored mountains. And then just as you turn the bend along a mountain road, you'll see a gompa, precariously perched on the hillside, clinging on seemingly through sheer willpower. Gompas are the equivalent of the temples and mosques you see in the more southern part of India. They tower, with whitewashed, wooden-windowed facades, over tiny villages, and are more often that not a virtual treasure house of interesting and ancient arts and crafts. The Gompas are always rectangular, in typical Buddhist style, with a series of inner halls and passages, dark stairways and open courtyards within.