This monastery is the largest and the richest in land of the Ladakh's monasteries and was founded way back in 17 th century. Thiksey Gompa is an attractive monastery very similar in design to the Potala Palace in Tibet. A Twelve meter high statue of The Buddha, resides in the Gompa. Worked in copper sheets, guilded with gold it is the largest metal statue of Buddha. Hallmark of the valley certainly lies in its astonishing rugged natural beauty, its adherence to religion as the guiding principle of the life and the basic nature of the people - kind, benevolent, cheerful and courteous.
Today is a well deserved rest day for the man and the machine.
It is essential at this altitude to acclimatize. Leaving the bikes in the capable hands of the mechanic we explore the delights of Leh, including the 16th Leh century Palace once the seat of power, the splendid Shanti Stupa and the busy marketplace - a fascinating labyrinth of winding streets. We will see the Shankar Gompa, about 2 Kms from the market in the Northwest direction. It houses a number of pure gold icons and richly painted walls. Its back to the road as we head towards Pangyong tso .