All's well that ends well !!!

The one and half months just ran by and we came to the end of our project. It was time to say good bye to Leh. We made our presentations to the NGO, submitted our reports and then packed our bags to leave. My flight was at 11 am. I started from the hostel at around 8.45 am. There were multiple security checks at the Leh airport. First my ticket and ID card were checked at the airport gate near the road. Then once again my ID was checked and I was made to walk through a metal detector before entering the airport. After this came the baggage screening and another detour through a metal detector. Here I was also frisked by a security guard. Then came the check-in procedures. After that there was one more security check where the cabin baggage was checked and I was frisked once again. After all these checks I was called to the baggage loading area to identify my baggage once again. In Leh they dont load the baggage into the plane if this final baggage identification is not done. After all these rounds of checking and screening I finally boarded the flight and looked out of the window and said good bye to Leh. Then the plane started taxiing on the runway to take me away from Leh !!!

Jullay !!!

Pangong Tso

The NGO with which we were working were very happy with our work and hence decided to send us on a one day trip to Pangong lake. This is the lake where the last scene of the movie 3 idiots was shot.

Pangong Tso is the world's highest brackish lake situated at a height of about 4,350 m (14,270 ft). It is 134 km long (approx.) and extends from India to China. 60% of the length of the lake lies in China. The lake is 5 km (3.1 mi) wide at its broadest point. During winter the lake freezes completely, despite being saline water. We crossed the world's third highest pass, Chang La (5360 m approx above sea level), to reach Pangong lake. Words are not enough to describe the beauty of Pangong Tso !!!

Nyoma, Tso Moriri, Tso Kar

We started from Leh on Saturday. Morning there was snowfall so we had to delay our start. We started at around 10 am and went first to avillage called Nyoma. We reached there at around 5pm. It was around minus 2 deg C when we landed there. We stayed at a home stay there at night (a home stay is nothing but a villager's house where they rent out a room for tourists). We had dal and rice and salt tea (ya u heard it right, it is salt tea) for dinner (btw the lunch on the way was also dal and rice). At night it started snowing heavily at night and the loo here made us think of the loo at the hostel in Leh, a heavenly one.

We got up in the morning on Sunday and started at around 0830 hrs after a breakfast of bread and apricot jam. We then proceeded to Tsomoriri. We reached Tsomoriri at around 1.30 pm. At Tsomoriri there was a village get together to mark the start of the sowing season. So the village looked deserted when we reached there. We waited for the villagers to get the Lama's blessings and come back. By the time they came back it was around 3.30pm and we were terribly hungry. Found a home stay here too and then had lunch at 4.30pm. Guess wat it was...dal and rice once again !!! There was a beautiful frozen lake at Tsomoriri. We walked on the frozen lake. Since we did not have anyone to guide us, we did not venture far into the lake as we do not know where it might crack.

Btw this place is just 50 kms (approx.) from the Indo-China border. However we cannot go beyond this village as it is extremely risky. In this area the border is not clearly drawn (as in no barbed wire or fence - since it is still under dispute post the Indo-China war). One will come to know whether he/ she has crossed the border only when the Chinese start firing from the other end. So the Indo-Tibet border police do not allow any civilians to go beyond this village which is 50 kms from the border.

We came back and had dinner (now am not going to repeat wat it was...here after wenever i mention lunch or dinner u can safely assume it is dal and rice). The night sleep was a memorable one. The temperature outside the room was around minus 10 to minus 12 deg C. Inside the room it would hav atleast been minus 2 deg. (as mentioned by the owner of the home stay). I was wearing 5 layers of clothing. Over and above we were given a blanket. We could not sleep beyond 2 am as the cold became even worse. We were waiting for the sunrise. Things began to feel good beyond 6.30 am. We were lucky tat the window was east facing and hence the sunlight filled the room. We were given a bucket of water to freshen up ourselves. When i went out to use the water I found two donkeys standing near the bucket of water and the state of water in the bucket created a doubt in my mind as to if the donkeys were drinking from the same bucket!!! However since there was no other alternative I just closed my eyes and said a prayer and used the water to brush my teeth!!!

Then post breakfast (barley roti and butter), we went to Tsokar. Here too there was a frozen lake and it was in the middle of a cold desert. Tsokar has only few nomads who stay in tents. So no hope of getting anything for lunch. We could not even get drinking water. Now it was already 1 pm and we were terribly hungry and thirsty. The frozen lake water cannot be heated to drink as the water is salty and not good todrink. We decided to start our journey back to Leh. After a journey of another 3 hrs we finally reached a village Chumathang. We finally gotsomething to eat and most important of all some good water to drink!!!

Then after a journey of another 4 hrs we finally reached the hostel in Leh (home sweet home atlast).

Some special mentions regarding this trip


1. Due to the cold climate none of us could change our clothes even once. So we were wearing the same clothes (almost 5 layers) all the three days.


2. This implies that there is no question of taking bath (the bath at Leh after we came back gave a heavenly feel)


3. There was no internet, no mobile network, not even a working STD booth in any of these villages. If at all we were stuck anywhere we wud have had to wait for any villagers or the army to rescue us. :)

Trip to Kargil

As a part of our project, two of us had to go to Kargil for field trip. We had to visit a hydram installation in Barso village and a micro hydropower unit at Bartoo village. We started from Leh at 8 am. We took a shared taxi to Kargil. The driver said it would take around 7 hours. Now Kargil is roughly 240 Km from Leh, and we would be travelling through winding hilly roads. We crossed two passes Lamayuru and Fotu La on the way to Kargil. Fotu La is where one would face almost 22 hair pin bends within half an hour. The journey through Fotu La was thrilling. The driver who was an ardent fan of Ladakhi music made us listen to the same Ladakhi song almost 20 times!!! We finally reached the Kargil office at around 4pm. Vegetarians would find it tough at Kargil if the roads don't open as it was in our case. Every hotel serves only rice and different varieties of mutton. After a search for half an hour we found a hotel that had rajma and rice too !!!

The next morning we started for the Bartoo village. The driver told us that the village was just 40 Km away from Kargil. But thanks to the roads' condition it took us almost 4 and half hours!!! to reach the village. We visited the installation sites, interacted with the operators and the locals there. Then we stayed at a house in the village. The villagers were very welcoming and hospitable. I drank lots and lots of salt tea (ya u heard it right, it was salt tea with butter added to it). The amount of tea I normally drink in a month, I drank in two days of my stay at the village!!! At night the temperature went down to almost minus 6 deg C. We were wrapped with three layers of blankets to keep ourselves warm.

The next morning we started back to Kargil on the 4 and half hour journey of 40 kms. Just as we reached Kargil we had a surprise waiting for us. Some truck driver had beaten up a police man and had damaged a police vehicle. This led to the police arresting him and this led to the transport strike. The news was that a riot could break out at any time. The Kargil office people asked us to get ready to leave for Leh immediately. They got us the first cab that they could and we started for Leh immediately. We were already terribly tired after our 4 hour gruelling journey from Bartoo village. Without even a rest for half an hour, we were now embarking on a 7 hour journey to Leh. We saw riot control police squad and military police teams all the way out of Kargil. We were denied permission to go to Leh via Batalik due to army convoy movements. So we had to once again cross the pass Fotu La. But this time we had to cross it in the dark. It was the most terrifying experience. We were travelling at roads on the hill that were just wide enough for an army truck. On one side was the towering rocks and on other side was a 3000 feet drop to the valley. We could almost hear each others' heart beat. The road was visible only to the extent the headlight was able to light up. This delayed our journey even more. Post this thrilling experience we finally reached Leh at around 11.30 pm. As soon as we reached the hostel I was totally drained out and fell on my bed !!!

@18380 feet above sea level

The third weekend was marked by a two day trip to Nubra valley. The average altitude of this valley is about 10000 ft above sea level. It is located South of Siachen. We crossed the world's highest motorable road on the way to Nubra (the claim as highest motorable road is currently disputed). It is the Khardung La, the pass that is between Leh and Nubra. The Khardung La top is at an altitude of about 18380 ft. above sea level. We stayed at Hunder district for night. One can see Bactrian (double hump) camels here at Hunder. There are also beautiful sand dunes (it is a typical cold desert like Leh). On our way back we saw a convoy of army trucks heading towards Siachen (reminded us of the scenes in movie 'Lakshya'). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8f-x3vp7rE

Bikerz in the Paradise

The roads to Leh had not opened yet and hence the food was still Dal and rice (for lunch and dinner). Occassionally we got Ladakhi spl. food like Timok and Thukpa. In the second weekend we thought of going on a bike ride (What better way to enjoy the roads and the sceneries than travelling on a motorbike?). We rented Yamaha FZ 60 and started in the morning. It was pretty cold and I wrapped myself with 5 layers of clothing. We decided to go on a ride to a monastery at Hemis. The way to Hemis was really beautiful. We were driving along the Indus river. The winding roads with the Indus river flowing parallel to it was a mesmerising sight. We stopped on the way at Karu and had lunch at a Punjabi Dhaba. The chole and batura tasted heavenly. Then we went to the monastery. It was on the banks of the Indus river. On our way back the clouds suddenly covered the sun and wind started blowing. So we had to drive at temperature of around 12 deg C with cold winds making our hands go numb. It was a joyful and thrilling experience though !!!

The First Weekend

After all the hectic work in the first week :) :) the first weekend was a real treat. We booked a cab and went on a trip to Sangam (The Confluence), place where the two rivers Indus and Zanskar merge. One can see the blue and green colors merging at this place. The Border Roads Organisation have constructed the beautiful roads that led our way. "Be gentle on my curves", "I am curvaceous and I like you slow", these are some of the go slow warning signs on the roads. Border Roads Organisation definitely has good creative thinking ;) !!! Then we proceeded to Nimmu and had our lunch there. Post lunch we went to Dharma Wheel monastery at Alchi. We ended our trip after paying a visit to the Pathar Sahib Gurudwara (constructed and maintained by the Indian Army).
On Sunday evening it was pretty cold and so we decided to enjoy it in style. We arranged for a campfire and had a great time.

March 23, 2010 - Against All Odds !!!

Woke up in the morning at 0630hrs. The room was cozy and comfortable, so forced myself to sleep till 0730hrs. Came out of my room and encountered a beautiful chilllllllll morning. It was our first day to the office. So gotta get ready soon and try to be punctual (???!!!). Armed with a toothbrush and paste I went out to find the water frozen in buckets. Then I had to take water from the tank which was being filled by a solar pump. Next step was to get this water to a bearable temperature using a solar heater. My hands became numb as I finished brushing my teeth; First lesson: never allow your hands to stay wet. Next came the primary morning ritual. The loo was a cabin with a hole in the middle, constructed on a raised platform above a pit. Now for those who have seen the movie Slumdog Millionaire, this is the same kind of loo as shown in the movie in the beginning. It was a pain relieving oneself, with the chill winds blowing at the rear making the body go numb. Acute water scarcity and the climate, makes bath a luxury, and hence is a ritual reserved for weekends. However, in case the climate is favourable the frequency can be increased to twice or even thrice a week.

As soon as I was done and ready, the breakfast was ready. There were hot rotis, apricot jam, butter and tea. Now these rotis were twice the thickness of the tandoori rotis that we get in hotels in Mumbai. Post breakfast we got ready to go to the office. We were given a route map to the office. It was supposed to be a half an hour walk. We got lost on our way and then were rescued by the office vehicle. Finally we reached the office.

Acclimatisation - A Must Do !!!

We were a team of 8 who came to Leh for working on projects with an NGO. All the 8 of us met at the Leh airport. Entering the airport I felt like I had come to some army base. There were army people everywhere in the airport. Our baggages were verified before we left the airport. Coming out of the airport we began the hunt for a taxi. Finally we were able to get one Maruti Omni. Now 8 of us along with our luggages were packed into the Omni !!! Then we headed to the NGO's hostel at Ribook centre.

The Hostel

The volunteers' coordinator gave us clear instruction that we must spend the rest of the day sleeping !!! (sleeping the whole of first day??? Did I hear correctly???) At 13000 feet above sea level the air is thin and that makes breathing a bit difficult initially. To get used to this atmosphere one must take rest for the whole of the first day. This acclimatisation streamlines the breathing and helps the body to adapt to the environment. Acclimatisation is very essential and not following it, may on rare occassions prove to be fatal.

My Bed















I just ate and slept the whole of the first day. In the evening we were told that we shall start coming to the office from the next day morning (i.e from March 23, 2010).

Landing on the Paradise

On March 22, 2010, 0730 hrs, I witnessed one of the most beautiful flight landings in my life. I was seated on the window seat ahead of the wing in the Air India flight. Unable to focus on the breakfast set in front of me, I was peering out of the window like a kid. Was it Vanilla ice cream with chocolate shavings sprinkled on it? It was the beautiful snow capped Karakoram range. The pilot did some beautiful manoeuvres which enhanced the view of the awesome landscape outside. Then came the final touch down on the paradise on earth "LEH".

As soon as I came out of the flight I was greeted by an environment at 7 deg. celsius with chill winds. I thanked myself for my thoughtful action at Delhi airport. I had removed my Jacket and skull cap from the check-in baggage and carried it along with me (definitely a wise decision !!!). And here I was in the place 13000 feet above sea level !!!

Welcome to the Journey through the Paradise on Earth