India - Things you need to know

5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN VISITING LEH - LADAKH

If you ever get the chance to visit Northern India, do it! It was my overall favorite place in India. However, you need to know a few things before you leave during wintertime!

1. THE HOTELS In winter, 90% of hotels are closed because of the cold. One a few stay open during these freezing times to harvest the handful of brave travelers. Just consider one thing. The hotel rooms are not fit for these conditions.

For example, there will be no running water and only a tiny heater that works only half the time. In other words, your room will be freezing cold. We stayed here for four nights, and it's pretty fun now looking back at how we needed to wash our hair in a bucket of boiled water and sleep very close to each other wearing full thermal underwear. So that was definitely a cozy experience.

Our host at the hotel (the blue stone) was so kind. However, he felt guilty about the weather. Therefore we got complimentary breakfast and a fireplace to drink free tea and whisky to make it all more bearable.

If you don't want this chilly experience, go to 'the grand dragon hotel.' It is pricy, but they have running water and heated rooms!

2. THE RESTAURANTS Leh has a few good restaurants. Chopstick noodle bar or The Tibetan Kitchen, for example. Too bad there are only a couple of restaurants open during winter. Don't let this scare you. We found an excellent restaurant that's open year-round. 'Summer Harvest' they have plenty of choices on the menu. We ate here almost every evening, and I would do it again! (:

3. THE ROAD In the summer, you can rent a car or a bike and drive around. The roads will be in good condition. However, during wintertime, they're covered in snow and rock debris. This will make driving difficult, and the rental companies don't like renting cars to inexperienced mountain drivers. In the valleys, the roads are often flushed away by floods. You can quickly get a flat tire with no help in miles around. Sometimes it's terrible that the army has to make the road clear with a bulldozer. Long story short, hire a driver! He's got some tricks up his sleeve to get you out of these bad situations.

4. GET ACCLIMATIZED

Maybe you're already familiar, but it was my most complex struggle. The only way to reach Leh in winter is by plane. Which means you arrive immediately at 3500 meters above sea level. The only tip I can give you is to drink enough water and take it very slowly. Stay in Leh for at least one day or even two before going on a long trip.

5. THE WEATHER

You never know what's coming in the Himalayas. We got lucky; the sun was out. But two days before our arrival, there was a snowstorm. Keep in mind that flights can be rescheduled or even canceled.

There is something positive about this cold weather. Nobody is traveling here. We only met one German hiker, that's it. So you have all the beautiful landscapes for yourself.