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