Yet for more than 1000 years, it has been home to a thriving culture. Everyone had enough to eat; families and communities were strong; the status of women was high. Traditions of frugality and co-operation, coupled with an intimate and location-specific knowledge of the environment, enabled the Ladakhis not only to survive, but to prosper. This account moves from the author's first visit in idyllic, nonindustrial Ladakh in 1974 to the present, showing the profound changes as the region was opened to foreign tourists. Hardcover, DJ, Fine.