Saturday morning was the beginning of the Indo-Canadian Friendship Tournament. Our (World-White) had our first match against the “India 2” team, the second match of the day and already the ice was near dangerous. Ruts the size of boots. All was well, however, since I was near useless after 30 seconds of play. The rink is near 12,000ft and you could feel it. What was amazing was how fast you recovered…10 seconds on the bench and you’re ready to head back out.
“World White” was a true international team. We had players from the States, Germany, Switzerland, Quebec (I was told they are not real Canadians…it was a joke), and Canada “proper.” Almost all were ex-pats living in Singapore, India or Australia. Quite a mix.
The game was slow, due to ice and the small ice surface (its crowded!), but tons of fun! Erik and I were on the same line (Erik played left wing, I had center) for the first time ever and on the same team for the first time since high school. Lucky for us our linemate, Sam, played D1 collegiate hockey at Niagara. Got my first goal in international competition in a 4-3 victory. A great start to an undefeated day, beating “India 1” (the national team) and then beating Canada’s Sacred Bulls 4-0!
I was tired, it was 12:30pm and felt like 6:00, but I…everyone in fact…was in awe of the day’s experience.
Some pics…I’ll add more later, as some ex-pat fans took great pics of the action.
“World White” getting ready to play
Speak, Memory 
What are the accommodations like in Leh and what do you eat?
We stayed in the only hotel open this time of year (winter). Summer is trekking season and hundreds of hotels and guest houses open up for travelers. The hotel was quite nice.
We ate Indian food (naan, dal, curries) in Ladakh, which is not local food. Rice, potatoes, roasted meats filled dumplings. (momos) are more the norm. I bet in the summer local cuisine would be more readily available.