The Leh Experience: Tibet in India 🇮🇳

■ LEH, LADAKH: On the western edge of the Himalayan plateau, in the very far North of India, lays the territory known as Ladakh. In the middle ages it used to be part of Tibet. The architecture of the palaces and monasteries even resemble the famous structures of Lhasa to this day.

Buddhism is still the main religion in Leh and quite a few of the people I met still speak Tibetan thus continuing the heritage of a now sadly non-existant country.

My original plan was to visit Leh already last year. A worse than usual monsoon season put a stop to that when mudslides ruined the downtown market area.

This year I wasn't going to let anything stop me from visiting India's Tibetan heritage territory of Ladakh.

[raydick]

the key man was ridiculous hilarious xd...some say he started the job at the age of 15 and has only opened 4 lamp boxes so far hahaha

[Helpinghand]

India is a world in itself .Too much to discover. I am a tibetan subscriber of your channel from years.

[sinlokemp]

India is literally a continent with multiple countries with unique culture, vibe and people.

[chriswatchingponies]

I find your Himalaya videos very interesting and fun.
Thank you. Great stuff, Northman.

[USNVET]

Harald your vids bring back many good memories of traveling the world during my time in the military. Stay safe bro from your friends in the states!!!!

[HaraldBaldr]

*UPDATE* There was a scene in this vid with (what I still think is) a cool guy who wanted to share some political grievances he had. He was not threatening and presented his views in a thoughtful and respectful manner I think. Plus the issues he raised were things I'd never heard of before. It was very interesting to hear his point of view for me as a foreigner and I appreciated him for sharing his thoughts.

Even though he said his view was controversial, upon me asking if this was dangerous to hold such views, he said no as this is a free country. However, given the tension in this region is much greater than I was aware of (something I only learnt after my visit) I've now taken that scene out.

Although this is indeed akin to censoring that guy's speech, given that I am just a foreign visitor and obviously have no clue nor goals related to politics in this region or anywhere in India, I've decided to take it out. So now the various keyboard warriors in the comment section can stop threatening eachother.

Nobody from local or Indian government or anyone have told me to do so. I'm just doing it based upon how upsetting and divisive so many people seem to think his words were. I actually understand this though and given the wars with neighbouring countries in this region, last one as recently as 1999, I recognise that putting what I consider harmless political banter in a bar conversation in my video about what it is like to be a foreigner visiting Leh, was a mistake given how people clearly don't see it as just that.

That's all 🍺

[Beth]

The haircut... 😂😂😂 that man was a barber, chiropractor and massage therapist 😅

[user]

I’m happy that you met a true Tibetan. Tenzin represents all Tibetans in exile, born and raised in India or Nepal or even Bhutan, and later moved to the west and now speaks fluent English. Wherever you go in the Himalayan belt, the cultural, linguistic and religious influence of the great Tibetan empire is prevalent.

[ALEX_ZED]

The zoom when the barber's finger was penetrating Harold's ear holes was gold (23:02) . Harold delivers again!

[buffy]

india is so great that it help tibet china took is really great❤

[bryan.wood.toronto]

TJ!! That's so awesome you met him, he's such a great guy. Love the shout-out to Toronto, we do have amazing Tibetan food here 😉 Happy to see him in your video 😊🙌

[GabrielTravelerVideos]

12:17 I think there was a communication breakdown there about Jammu. He must have misunderstood that you were asking how to say "awesome" in his language. He must be from Jammu, otherwise he would have just said Kashmir and wouldn't have mentioned Jammu. Although Jammu and Kashmir are one union territory, the regions of Jammu and Kashmir are very different from one another. Jammu is majority Hindu, Kashmir is majority Muslim. At 13:00 he confirmed that his home is in Jammu. I love that little town, the people and the strange landscapes, great that you got up there, weather is better than when I was there last November, it was bitter cold.

[espenr]

The true norwegian reveals himself "scorching hot, it's 28 degrees" in a country with 40 to 50 degrees in some parts.😂

[Rajendrasingh-bynp]

Ladakh was historically an independent Buddhist kingdom, with its own royal dynasty. In the 15th century, it came under the influence of the Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh, which established close ties with Tibet. Over the subsequent centuries, Ladakh faced repeated invasions and conquests, including by the Mughal Empire and the Dogra rulers of Jammu.

In the mid-19th century, the Treaty of Amritsar in 1846 placed Ladakh under the suzerainty of the Dogra ruler of Jammu, who was a vassal of the British East India Company. This effectively incorporated Ladakh into the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.

When India gained independence in 1947, Ladakh became part of the newly formed state of Jammu and Kashmir, which acceded to the Union of India. Ladakh's strategic location bordering Tibet, China, and Pakistan has made it an important region for India's geopolitical and security interests.

In 2019, the Indian government reorganized the state of Jammu and Kashmir, carving out the union territory of Ladakh, which now has a separate administration from the rest of the erstwhile state. This was done to provide greater focus on the development and security of the Ladakh region.

[ChiChi-rjwk]

It’s hard to fine a genuine and loyal blogger like HAROLD. We love u the way u r❤️ FREE TIBET

[TamdingTrogyal]

Loved it that u met a Tibetan subscriber… #FreeTibet

[taidelek]

Ladakh is the essence and the jewel of the western Tibetan platue . Welcome to Ladakh 😊

[wahgwaan]

What a contrast between Varanasi and Ladakh. From hustle, bustle to calm and relaxed atmosphere. Conquering sickness to bring us along on another epic journey, thank you!

[johnstewart]

Thanks for the memories. I spent 5 months in Ladakh as a traveller (not tourist) 8 years ago. I suggest for travellers to use smaller guest houses to understand the culture better. If staying only a short time then being a tourist in a hotel might be better. Top world travel experience!! I traveled the world 6 years straight. Support Ladakhis and Nepalis!!

[tenzinyountentaktsak]

Feeling blessed for you to represent our tibetan society, where normal youtubers would have cut and edited the scripts. You stand for the right ✅️ Thank you. Bdw momo, thukpa are tibetan words so they are tibetan food 😊