India

If Ladakh was clean and quiet, India was havoc but fascinating. Our first stop in Udaipur was unremitting chaos, but soon we were on our way to Jawai and the possibility of seeing leopards. We were staying in a very serene hotel which is run by two pleasant and dignified brothers. The property had originally housed the Jodphur Lancers and their horses, and there were traces of them throughout from pictures to stone tie up rings. 

This photo of a beloved Mawari hors, made me cry, and I could feel the spirit of all the horses that had ever lived there. This picture below was a little weirder!

Although we saw three leopards in total, it was getting dark and they were too far away to photograph. You just have to believe us.

We went on two impromptu walks around the area, entering the Jain temple where we were greeted enthusiastically, going into someone's house to have a cup of tea, and visiting a family who keep many goats.

The following day, David and I parted, him heading back to Udaipur and me on my way to Camel Charisma to meet Ilse Kohler-Rollefson and Hanwant Singh, champions of pastoralists worldwide and particularly the local Raika community who believe that it was Shiva that gave them responsibility in perpetuity to herd camels.

My only picture of Ilse is typically more about the camel than it is about Ilse and was given to me by Philippa Kaye, the lady who organised our tour through her company, Indian Experiences.

Ilse and Hanwant welcomed me into their property, and into their home, which was like a museum of camels ancient and modern. They also took me out to meet the Raika and their herds, and I was greeted like family, eating and walking with them over the next two days. 

Last stop was Rohet Garh where I visited the Mawari horses and helped to wash a stallion.

I spend my last evening and the following morning walking with Bhagwan Lal, meeting his lovely family and visiting his daughter's school. For a woman whose phone and bank card gave up the ghost when I touched down in Ladakh, I felt surprisingly calm and independent.

Ladakh

Last month, David and I went to Ladakh and India but for different shifts. After travelling across the Himalaya for eight days, I met up with him near Leh, and we travelled together for just over a week in Ladakh and then Rajasthan before he went home. Then I continued to Sadri to meet one of my heroes in life, a special tribe of camel pastoralists, and their camels. 

David's group were very friendly and great fun. They all road Royal Enfield Himalayan motorbikes and went over some of the highest passes in the world. 

By the time that we met up, he was very worn and tired, conking out on the bed almost as soon as he arrived. Once revived we were off ourselves to travel and walk up and down Himalayan valleys. At these high altitudes, the air was so clean, fresh and cold. Luckily neither of us suffered altitude sickness.

As well as amazing scenery, we saw a few wild animals - and some domesticated ones. 

My aim had been to see two types of camel in India and the camels of Ladakh are Bactrians originally left over from the Indo-China war. 

The camels have survived because they have a role, and I was keen to find out more about them. On the whole they seemed very well cared for, mainly wear simple halters and a cushioned pad, to give short rides to tourists along the Hunder Sands. There were about 300 of them, and each owner takes it in turn to take their camels around the sand, with any calves loose.

The rest of the time, the camels sit down close together at the 'cab rank' whilst tourists weave in and out of them taking photos.

With the help of our guide, Jemphel, I talked to one of the owners who seemed to be very kind and loving towards his camels.

Of course I had to have my own personal moment with one of them.

I wore Indian clothes throughout my stay so that I was ultra-comfortable and making the most of my recent weight loss. It feels good to be back down to the size I was before I had my accident and surgeries. I fitted in quite well!

These ladies were having their well-deserved lunch break after spending many hours tidying up the temple for an impeding visit. Locals look after local roads whilst major highways are being built by migrants from Nepal and elsewhere. The work is back-breaking, horrendously dusty, and extremely dangerous. There's little room for a mistake in the midst of a frantic style of driving.

We found these ponies setting off for a week-long trek across several passes, carrying the luggage and tents of their foot companions.

I found it quite a challenge even to go over this wooden bridge that they had traversed only ten minutes earlier.

We encountered lots of cattle.... 

and throughout Ladakh, healthy looking street dogs.

We really loved Ladakh, and our superb guide, and here are some more highlights.

Very sadly there was a political protest in Leh the night before we got back to the city. The office of the local representative of the Indian president was set on fire along with vehicles in the street. Five protesters were shot dead. We arrived to find ourselves under curfew which affected our guide and driver far more significantly than us. They had sensed that it was coming but the aftermath really shocked both of them.