Day 21: Return to Bangalore

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
- Mark Twain

Mark Twain can't be wrong, I wondered. It was this quote that laid the foundation for this trip. Maybe I will get a chance to visit all these places in the future. But if I don't, I will for sure be disappointed. I could have easily stayed at home, saved my strength and the money that I am spending now. But twenty years later, when I look back at my life, I will regret that I did not do it when I could. Even if I get the time and the money for a such a trip twenty years from now, for sure, I will not have the strength to do such a survival style journey. Dreams, unachieved, will haunt you throughout your life. That is why I decided to live my dream.
I got up early in the morning. I had to catch my flight back to Bangalore. I got to the airport on time to take my flight. I took off and there I was on my way back after a mammoth journey across India. There is no words to describe my feelings. The feeling of having accomplished what I wanted to do. The Kashmir trip was planned as early as 2005 and the Darjeeling trip in 2007, the journey around India in 2008. To do all this together in just 3weeks was really a great acheivement. The days went on so fast. The plan went right on, flawlessly. If ever there was a change in plan, it was for the better. It couldn't have been any better than this, I thought. There were back up plans in place but I never had to use any. The plan of using some key places as 'strategic location' for the case of a missed train. There was even a back up for the worst case scenario in which I am stranded in some part of India without my backpack, handbag, purse and mobile. I would still have the 1500rs cellotaped to my belt that would get me home. 750-800rs for a sleeper class tatkal ticket from anywhere in India to home. The other 700-750rs for means to get to nearest railway station and for food. But with nothing going wrong, I never had to use any of these.
After a stopover in Ahmedabad, I landed at the Bangalore International Airport at 11am. I have now covered more than 10,000kms around in India through plains, mountains, valleys, rivers and air. I have been in 17cities across 14states in India in just 21days.
Today being a sunday, I wanted to go to church. I had a lot of things to thank god for. Though I had a stock of all common medicines, against fever, cold, headache, indigestion, etc, not a single tablet of any kind had to be used in the entire course of the trip. Not a single thing that belonged to me was lost/stolen/misplaced during the trip. I visited all the destinations I intended to and even more. Been to two extreme places on earth in cherrapunjee and khardung la. From the scorching heat of Bhubaneswar, to the biting cold at Rohtang. From the marine drive at Puri, to the highest road in Khardung La. From the rainiest place in Cherrapunjee, to the cold desert in Ladakh. It was truly a journey from extreme to extreme. But was a wonderful experience altogether. Visiting new places, meeting new people, tasting new recipes and learning from other cultures. This was a perfect break I wanted.
And as for the obvious question, what next?, well, I don't reveal my plan in advance. Two years for my masters in business at TAPMI, Manipal. That is where I am heading to. Hope you have enjoyed my travelogues. Thanks for the encouragement and prayers. Do keep in touch.

berT
14.06.2009
Location: Bangalore

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day21BackToBangalore?feat=directlink

Day 20: In the national capital, Delhi

"Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey."
- Pat Conroy

I arrived in Delhi a full day ahead of schedule, early in the morning. Delhi being my final strategic location, I did not want to make any goof ups here. I had a lot of things to be done for my other side of life, regarding admissions. So I decided to get here a day early.
I got down at the old Delhi station. I was now walking literally through the streets of 'delhi-6'. I got to the bus stand and got to a bus to gey to my cousin's house here. This being my fourth visit to the national capital, there was hardly any important place here left to visit. So I decided to take some rest and then do some window shopping. I went out for shopping in the afternoon. Delhi, with one and a half crore people in it, almost half the population of entire Kerala, had wonderful shopping centres. A wide variety of goods were available at competent prices. But I was hardly in the mood for shopping. I came back and took good rest.
Overall, Delhi is a wonderful place and there is a lot of historical monuments here to see. The transportation system here is quite visitor friendly and don't forget to try the Delhi metro.

berT
13.06.2009
Location: New Delhi

track the full story at www.onestepcloser2freedom.blogspot.com

Day 19: Escape to Jammu

After having a beautiful night's sleep at the houseboat, I got up early in the morning. From my interaction with some Kashmiri students yesterday in the bus, I had come to know that there was a possibility of a shutdown or protest in the city today. So I decided to leave as early as possible. I got ready and from my houseboat, I could see some vehicles and people out for jogging on the road. So I was sure that it wasn't a curfew. I moved out. On the road, I met a few security personal who asked the same old questions, where I was from and what I was here for, but in a very friendly manner. I told them that I wanted to go to Jammu today. They showed me a shared taxi to Jammu and asked me to make it fast.

I bought a local Kashmiri newspaper. I saw that it was having a strong anti India bias, but found interesting to read on the other side of the story. I read that there was a protest march from here to south Kashmir and the authorities were planning to impose section 144 restrictions in the vicinity of the march. And to make things worse for me, I had to go through south Kashmir. I saw that there were no restrictions in the Jammu stand. Soon the taxi got filled in and we were moving. We reached the city entry point. It looked like a battlefield with an array of military police, riot police, J&K police, CRPF personal with their armoured vehicles. The barbed wires were spread all around the place. They flagged down our taxi. I pulled down the window. As soon as I put my hand inside my jacket to switch off my iPod, I could see an officer staring at me, looking what I was upto. I just smiled back and showed him that it was just an iPod. We were cleared to proceed ahead. We moved on through the barricades. It was only a matter of hours before the section 144 restrictions were to come in force. They were making sure that the protesters won't be allowed to reach south kashmir. We moved on. The southern entry to the kashmir valley was spectacular with straight roads and beautiful trees on the side and the mountains a little far. This would look really good during autumn, I thought. Because of the army presence, I did not take photos here. We moved on to reach the longest road tunnel in India, the Jawahar Tunnel, which is also the entry point to Kashmir. It went on for 2.5km. Just after the tunnel, I could see a huge queue of traffic which was probably blocked from entering the valley. The vehicle queue went to almost 3-4kms. Such is the uncertainity here. There cannot be a fixed plan to visit Kashmir. You have to be lucky. And very lucky I was, to get one day without a strike and that day I was in there to see the places. Now I was out of kashmir. It was a feeling of accomplishment that was running through my mind as I came out of the Jawahar tunnel. This was a visit that I wanted to do since 2005. I knew about the risks. But still, it was like a dream for me. And now, I have done it.

It took me about 10hrs to reach Jammu. After many days of having to use winter clothing, it was a change for me as it was a very hot day in Jammu. Here in the railway station, I had to pass my bag through xray scanners, the only one such railway station I have seen in the country. Also there will be a routine check by the sniffer dogs on your bag. I then got into the train to move to my next destination.

berT
12.06.2009
Location: Jammu

track the full story at www.onestepcloser2freedom.blogspot.com

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day19EscapeToJammu?feat=directlink

Day 18: In the paradise on earth, Kashmir

"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving."
- Lao Tzu

I woke up on the Zojilla pass. The heart on mouth situation was even worse now with narrow roads and deeper gorges. There is space for a sumo/scorpio, but hardly for a bus to move on. Adding to the narrow roads was the fact that there were quite a lot of lugguage on the top which made the bus oscillate as it went over potholes. I was so relieved when we somehow got down the pass. I swore that I will never in my life take this route on a bus. If there is a second time, it has to be by an SUV or flight.
As we got down the Zojilla pass, we were now on the kind of places whose photos we see on a calender. It was Sonamarg. It had beautiful pine trees on the mountain side and a river flowing through the centre. The river was Sindh and the road goes parallel to the river almost throughout from here on. I had heard in Ladakh itself that the home minister was to visit the state today and I expected a shutdown here. So there were no fixed plans for the day. But still I decided to take this route so that I will atleast be able to see Kashmir, which I wanted to see for quite some time now. So I started making backup plans in case it was a shutdown in the valley. Then, I could see trucks coming from Srinagar which was a good sign of normalcy. There were vehicles of the military, police, administration, running on this route. I also saw some shops opening up, which again was a positive signal. We soon entered Srinagar. I could see the beautiful Dal lake. It looked quite normal in the city with roads and streets full of people and traffic and the shops were open.
I got down and since the valley had seen a complete shutdown just until a couple of days back, the houseboats were being given at throw away prices. I managed to get one for 500rs. Though I was not planning for a houseboat accomodation, I decided to have the experience as well. It was a very comfortable houseboat double bed room. Getting this for 500rs was a real loot.
I got fresh and moved out. The city looked almost like one that was just taken over by force. There were so many bunkers around the city. Apart from that, there were security personal all around. The city was quite big and so was the Dal lake. There were lots of houseboats and Shikaras on it. I had a look around and also went to the Mughal Gardens. It was a beautiful garden and I took lots of photos here. I also went around the market and walked quite a lot through the city. Later, I came back to my houseboat and took rest.
Overall, to be frank, I was disappointed. It maybe because I over expected. Or maybe because I have seen so many beautiful places in India or maybe because it is not a place to come alone. But I will say that it is surely a wonderful place to be. But I wouldn't suggest you to come here after visiting the places that I have been. Do the reverse instead. There is a bit of Ladakh in terms of the terrain, there is a bit of Nainital in terms of the lake, there is a bit of Manali in terms of the snow capped mountains, there is a bit of Darjeeling in terms of the greenery. And maybe that is why it is called the heaven on earth. But... Don't come here after visiting the places I mentioned above. It won't be worth the risk you take.

berT
11.06.2009
Location: Srinagar

track the full story at www.onestepcloser2freedom.blogspot.com

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day18InTheParadiseOnEarthKashmir?feat=directlink

Day 17: Through the battlefield where we won a decade back, Kargil

I woke up late in the morning. After having my Ladakhi breakfast, I went to the Bazaar to do some last minute shopping. On my way, I bumped into the 3 European tourists whom I met on the way here. Today, I am leaving Ladakh to go to my next destination. I had to walk about 2km to the bus stand with my 20kg backpack. What a difference from the day I came here. I could hardly take my own weight then. I got into my bus which I had already booked. Though it was a deluxe bus, I could not see anything deluxe about it. It was a 30seater. Everyone had to climb to the roof and put their heavy lugguage on the top themselves. So I also had to do the same. In the bus, there were a few tourists, locals and a mallu couple. It was quite sometime that I had heard malayalam directly. He was in the army.
The bus moved on. I could see that almost half of Ladakh was a military base. It was such a beautiful place. As we moved on, I could see many more army bases. These bases did not look like the ones we usually find in our part of the country. These were forward bases and looked more like the ones we see in the video games. One thing I can't help mentioning here are the roads. It is a single lane mountain road. Literally. If a vehicle comes from the other direction, the way out is to move it off the road, right at the edge of the cliff. Try this, get into a bus on this route, take a window seat, and trust me, you will surely know the exact meaning of the phrase, 'heart in your mouth'. It was, for me, most of the time as I was having a window seat. The way down will be a superfast 300ft plunge.
Soon we entered a town called Lamayuru. Like its meaning, it looks exactly like the moon. The colour of the soil is light and it is full of dust. At around 9:00pm, we were on a pass. Now, it started to snow. Wow. We are now in the Fotula pass, the highest in the Leh-Srinagar route at 4100m above MSL. Though it is common to see snow on these passes all the time, its quite rare to see a snowfall at this time of the year. The window pane in my seat wouldn't close properly. So I put my thermometer here. It showed -2°c. Wow again. Another first time experience, negative temperature. I was feeling the cold in my hands and feet, but was manageable.
It was night and we were now passing through the area which was a battlefield 10yrs ago. We were nearing Kargil. The Kargil town was quite big and resembles an average Indian town with shops and other business establishments. It is the ultimate sacrifice of those brave men, which enables me to use this road 10yrs later. There were a lot of signboards related to the Kargil war heros. It should have been very difficult to win in this terrain. They braved the cold and fought on to win. With a prayer in my heart, I moved on. I was now feeling quite cold in the bus. And rightly so, as we were now passing through the second coldest inhabited place on earth, Drass. In 1997, the temperature here plumetted to -40 degrees. But still people live here. I could also see a signboard, 'You are now under enemy observation'. We were moving so close to the line of control.
It is very late in the night, and I need to get some sleep. Remembering the war heroes and with a prayer, I slowly closed my eyes to get some rest.

berT
10.06.2009
Location: Leh/Kargil/Drass

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day17ThroughTheBattlefieldWhereWeWonADecadeBackKargil?feat=directlink

Day 16: Biking on the highest road in the world, Khardung La

I got up today morning quite early. I was looking forward to this day for quite some time. I put on three layers of protective clothing in anticipation of the cold place that I am heading to. I wanted to go to Khardung La, a pass which is the highest motorable road in the world. I enquired with the host here and they knew a person who conducts such biking trips around here. It is only 40km from here, at an altitude of 18,380 feet or 5600m above MSL. For any biker, it is the ultimate place to ride. There is no road higher than this on earth. And again, I still won't be taking the Diamox.

But first, I need to get the innerline permits. Since most places around Ladakh are close to the international border, it requires an inner line permit to visit. So I went to the Deputy Commissioner's office and wrote an application to the District Magistrate requesting him to grant me permits to visit Khardung La. For just 10rs, which will be donated to the Red Cross, I got my permits issued in half an hour. However, it is always advisable to take the permit as soon as you get here so that you don't run the risk of the permit issue getting delayed if the Magistrate is out of office. Now that I got my permits, I can start on my way to Khardung la. There were many bikers, mostly on bullets, most of them foriegners, who all want to take the ultimate route. We started off. The road was quite good and was not so steep unlike what I expected. It was not at all difficult to ride on. Just with a prior experience of riding on ghat roads, going slow, honking on the curves, is all that you need to do. As I climbed on, the chill factor came in. Though I was wearing a biking gloves, I still felt cold in my hands. But that was manageable. At a check point in South Pullu, I was asked to produce my inner line permits. There were breath taking views from the road that I was riding on. But, it was difficult for me to stop the bike, take off my gloves, pull out the camera and shoot. So I decided to enjoy it myself. It was now just 10km to the top of the pass. From now on, the roads are not surfaced properly. But still, it is very much motorable. There were patches of snow by the side of the road. But now, snow was such an ordinary sight for me. I moved on and after close to a 2hr ride, I reached the top. Took a lot of photos. It was indeed a place to be. 5600m above MSL, much higher than the passes I have been through, but still I never felt tired or affected by the altitude. It was the 36hr stay at Ladakh that made the difference. My body was now quite adapted to these altitudes. Since I was not feeling tired, I decided to try out something new. There was a stupa a little above the pass which was covered with snow. Also the way to reach there was also covered in snow. I thought of trying to get there. I asked the army men if I could climb and they answered in the affirmative. I decided to try out a technique that I had seen in the Discovery channel to climb through snow. The idea was to first kick on the snow and harden it enough and after making sure that it can take your weight, climb and repeat for next step. I tried it and it worked easily. I was able to climb through the snow. Atop, I again took some photos. I felt that coming down was a little more difficult even though I had the compacted snow footsteps that I made.

The Khardung La pass had a small army presence and had a canteen. Though it might not have been the tastiest tea that I have ever had, it was certainly the most refreshing one. I met a couple of army men, Bijoy Deora and Imran Khan. They asked me where I was from and how my journey was so far, etc. As expected, they were very surprised at the journey I had so far. They advised me not to stay there for long as it is a very high altitude. Also they told me not to take a bath immediately as it can cause complications. I don't know the science behind it though. We wished eachother good luck and parted. I then moved down slowly. There is a trend here to salute each rider you cross enroute. I also joined in that and found it quite good in building the biking spirit. After coming back to Leh, I had my lunch and went to see the Ladakh Shanti Stupa. From there, you also get a full view of the beautiful Ladakh town. I then returned my bike and came back to my room with wonderful memories of visiting yet another extreme place on earth in my trip.

berT
09.06.2009
Location: Ladakh

track the full story at www.onestepcloser2freedom.blogspot.com

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day16BikingOnTheHighestRoadInTheWorldKhardungLa?feat=directlink

Day 15: Getting used to the 'rarified' air of Ladakh

It was 9:00am when I got up. After five back to back nights of incomplete rest, I finally got to sleep the whole night. I felt a lot better. The tourism department here, has a travel advisory which asks for Ladakh tourists to take atleast 24hr rest if arrived by road or 48hr rest if arrived by air. This time, I decided to listen.
After having my ladakhi breakfast, I went out to the town centre. I made some slow walk to get used to the altitude. I went to the main bus stand to enquire about my future travel plans and just roamed around the beautiful town, clicking photos. Ladakh was a small town with very few people. I could see a lot of foreign tourists though. These people come here mostly for trekking or social service. In one shop, I met another Israeli guy. Wonder what the whole of Israel is doing here. I told him that I met many people from Israel enroute. He replied, 'we love India'. What about us?, I wondered. I could see a lot of army vehicles around. The people were fluent in English, but if you speak in English, you will get everything at a foreigner's price. So better speak in Hindi and get at an Indian price. The only word I learnt in the local language was, 'jhuley' which means, hello/hi. The locals were very helpful as they rely a lot on tourism. Ladakh is cut off from the rest of the country for most time of the year. There are two roadways to reach Ladakh. One from the Manali side and the other from the Srinagar side. The Srinagar-Leh road opens from May to November, while the Manali-Leh road opens from June-September. For the rest of the year, the snow that accumulates on the passes renders it unmotorable. But the survey for an all weather tunnel to get to Ladakh is going on and a road is expected by 2015. That means, the route which I have been through, can't be done for long.
After the walk, I came back and took rest. In the evening, I went out again to do some shopping. This time, I could walk faster and was feeling more comfortable. I was happy that my body was getting used to the conditions here. Here, the nightfall happens only by 8:00pm. So I had a lot of time to roam around. I came back and settled to my bed after a wonderful Ladakhi dinner of soup, roti, butter and veggies along with sweet porridge of broken wheat and papaya like fruit.

berT
08.06.2009
Location: Ladakh

track the full story at www.onestepcloser2freedom.blogspot.com

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day15GettingUsedToTheRarifiedAirOfLadakh?feat=directlink