Day 14: Taking the high road to Leh, Ladakh

"it doesn't matter for how long we are stuck in a sense of our limitations.
The moment you decide to break free, nothing will stop you."

It was early morning at 1:30 when I woke up. The Diamox tablets that I bought yesterday was on my table. If it has to give me any effect, it had to be taken now. The tablets are to help me cope with the Acute Mountain Sickness or AMS in short. The AMS is a kind of sickness that can strike you when your body doesn't adjust when you get yourself to very high altitudes. The trip to Ladakh always makes the road users sick. Finally, I decided not to take the tablets so as to get a full feel of the mountain sickness. I decided to take the AMS head on. The tempo traveller I booked for my journey to Ladakh came to pick me up from the hotel. The mercury read 14°c on my thermometer. I was all set in my full winter suit with thermals and my jacket. At the bus stand, I could see many more such vehicles tying up the lugguage and getting ready for the long journey to Ladakh. It is indeed the ultimate road trip in the world with many high altitude passes to cross across the rugged terrain. Our vehicle was full of foriegners, with I being the lone Indian apart from the driver. That means, we will be pulled up at all the checkposts. But anyways it will be a wonderful experience, I thought. The first pass enroute was the Rohtang. I was now on those snow covered mountains that I saw yesterday. There were patches of snow on the side of the road. I somehow managed to stick out the thermometer. It showed 8°c. Further up, more snow, 4°c. 5:00am, 0°c, top of the Rohtang pass, over 3900m above MSL, I got what I was praying for. Its a traffic block! I jumped out of my vehicle, clenched the snow in my fist. Wow. Natural snow in my hand for the first time. I quickly took some photos. The pass looked fantastic with snow completely covering the entire area. The block got cleared very soon and we were on our way. As the sun showed over the mountains, it was a very beautiful sight with the mountains bathed in golden colour. The vehicle was swaying from side to side around the corner and I found it extremely difficult to get a good shot. I understood that with the time and effort that I need to take just a single photo here, I could register a thousand in my mind. After all, there is no camera as good as the human eye. What a breath taking sight it was! We moved down and soon we reached a small village, Koksar, where we had our breakfast. Again, we moved on and now we were now passing through exceptionally beautiful places. Took a lot of photos. By 10am, we had our second stop for food and snacks. I got to know my co passengers. There were 7 tourists from Israel and 1 each from Belgium, Sweden and Germany. But unlike the Israelis, the Europeans were a lot friendlier. The one from Belgium was Aude, who is here in India from January for social work. The one from Sweden was Peter and he was not here for long and the one from Germany was Feli. Together, we made quite a gang here sharing our food and our experiences here in the country. Since they knew quite a bit about India, they were astonished to hear the places I have been in the last two weeks. I could see that were more of foriegn tourists than domestic ones who were taking this route. There is so much to see with an Indian passport and yet my countrymen use it only to travel out of India and not to see the beautiful country they were in, I wondered.
We then moved on. The next high altitude pass was the Barlacha la. It was over 4800m above MSL. As we were climbing, I got my first symptoms of altitude sickness with a mild headache. Most of the other passengers were already on Diamox tablets and those who didn't take it till now, were taking it. But I was still stubborn to test my body limits. The Israelis on board were taking turns to lie down on the floor. And to make matters worse, there was a lorry breakdown at the highest point of the pass which created a roadblock. We had to cut ice to make a route through its side. Because of the low oxygen content in the atmosphere at these altitudes, I had to take an occasional deep breath. But till now, I was adjusting quite well to the tough conditions here. As we moved down the pass, things got better as we lost altitude. We stopped for our lunch at Sarchu. From here on, it was Jammu & Kashmir. It was an ordinary meals with just rice, dal and a potato curry but I was quite happy to have it. We then moved on. It is from here that the most difficult part of the journey starts. The feature of the other two passes that I have crossed till now is that, once we cross the pass, the road gets to quite manageable altitudes. So the hard points are only near the highest point. But from now on, the road goes through a plain that is already at an altitude of around 4000m - 4500m. That means, it will be around 3hrs drive in these altitudes. It is this stretch that takes the strength out of you. Since it was my first time on these roads, I did not know what was coming. I was tired. So I had a short nap. By the time I woke up, I was already in the high altitude plains. I was feeling extremely tired as if there was no more energy in me. Even taking out the water bottle from my bag became a task. Since I was sleeping, I could not understand that my body was loosing energy because of the low oxygen content in the air. After taking repeated doses of glucose and water along with some deep breaths, I got back my energy. But I had to continue the glucose intake atleast once in an hour. With chocolates requiring a lot of oxygen to breakdown, better rely on glucose. The next pass was the highest in the route, Tanglang La. It was a 5300m pass. Though it was very much higher than the Rohtang, the temperature was above zero probably because of the daytime unlike in Rohtang. The mild headache continued. To be honest I was really tired. It was a 485km route through a road which you can hardly make out. As this route has been opened just 2weeks back, the surfacing of the roads had only started. The 3 high altitude passes and the high altitude plain. The low temperature and low oxygen atmosphere. All these are reason enough to make you tired. Also, my sincere advice, do not go in this route with your friends/spouses who have this habit of getting frustuated or start complaining enroute. Because once you start it, you have to complete it. There is no going back. I will compare this to a roller coaster ride. When you do the first couple of loops in a coaster, you will feel like asking the operator to stop it. But that is just for a few minutes. This takes hours. Also, make sure that you take Diamox tablets. That should atleast keep out the headache. However, if you want to try it the hard way like me, go ahead.
After a 19hr gruelling road journey, I reached Ladakh at around 9:15 in the night. Ladakh is a safe town but the shops get closed very soon. I got to my room that I had already booked here and for 150rs, it was a very comfortable home stay. Though late, they also prepared food for me. I was very tired and quickly settled to my bed.
Regarding the coverage, I think BSNL and airtel provides the coverage here. Make your that your airtel connection is postpaid, otherwise, you don't get roaming. And even if you have a postpaid connection like I had, you will have difficulties in getting the call connected. Also there are no gprs/edge networks available. So I have to use the cafe to send and receive mails which is slow and expensive. So do not expect my mails till I get back to civilization. Will be drafting all the details in my mobile though and will send them together.

berT
07.06.2009
Location: Ladakh

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

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Day 13: Amidst the snow capped mountains in Manali

It was my fourth back to back nights without proper sleep. This time, I was in the bus from Simla to Manali. It was an overnight journey which took just 257rs in the HRTC bus. The journey was quite comfortable with reasonably good roads. As the day broke, I was in Kullu and I could see the beautiful snow covered mountains that seem quite near. We passed on through a beautiful river, called Beas. Manali was an exceptionally beautiful place to be with pine trees around and the mountains at a distance. It was a perfect holiday spot. The temperature here was quite fine and I was surprised to feel comfortable just in my half sleeved T-shirt. As I got here, the first thing that I needed to do was to find an accomodation. Though an expensive place to get an accomodation, I had to take proper rest before I continue on my journey. Also the rest here will help my body in getting acclimatised to the high altitudes. After a tiring search, again, with no single rooms available, I got a double room for 400rs, a little away from the city centre. After keeping my lugguage and getting fresh, I went out to have my breakfast. The shops were just opening up in the morning. I also enquired with regard to my future travel plans, bought a few tickets and came back. Then I had my rest which I badly needed.
I got up in the afternoon and had food from a tibetan restaurant. It was the best chicken biriyani that I have ever had in my life, even better than the hyderabadi biriyani. I then went out to shop for dry fruits and nuts. I decided not to venture out further as I had a challenging journey coming up. A slight rain started and that brought down the temperatures here further. Soon, I had to pack my things up and be prepared for the big day that was ahead.
I was now in my third strategic location of the trip in Manali. I have covered 6678km through 13 cities across 12 states in 13days till now. It may sound wierd that the trip was planned with the intention of going to the places that I am to go from here on. All the other destinations were planned so that the trip would still be worth, if I need to cancel the journey ahead. Its sure a special feeling. I was waiting for this day for so many years. I am now at the doorstep of achieving it.

berT
06.06.2009
Location: Manali

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Day 12: A true beauty in the himalayas, Simla

"life is like a book; and those who don't travel, read just a page of it"

It was yet another night of getting into a connecting train and so, another night of interrupted rest. I got down at Ambala Cant station at 2am to get into my train to Kalka. This time, I got the train. After a quick nap, I got down at Kalka station at 4:30am. I got fresh and had a nice tea served in a matka (earthen cup). Since I had time till noon in Kalka, I decided to get to Chandigarh, just to roam around the city. I have heard quite a lot about this city. So I wanted to check it out myself. Again, there was a passenger train to Chandigarh at 7:15am for just 6rs. Enroute Chandigarh, I was lucky enough to spot a couple of peacocks in the open with their beautiful feathers spread out. Maybe it will rain in the afternoon, I thought. After half an hour, I reached Chandigarh station. Though the station looked quite ordinary, but from the outside, it looked like an airport terminal with carefully laid out parking and bus bays. I just wanted to get to the city centre and I found a bus at the bay that will go to the market in sector 17. It was an air conditioned bus and charged only 10rs to get me to the market. The roads looked as if they were first designed on drawing boards and then replicated on ground. From the route taken by the bus, I could make out that the traffic route was decided in such a way as to minimise the traffic signals. The city intersections looked more like expressway intersections. What a planned city, I wondered. I got into a restaurant and had a couple of aloo parathas. With the limited time that I got to spend here, I had to soon return back to the railway station to get back to Kalka.
On reaching Kalka, I could see my beautiful Himalayan Queen train all ready to take me to the beauty of the himalayas, Simla. After having a quick lunch, I got onto the train and took my seat. One more tip guys, never book an AC chair car ticket on this train. Its just a chair car and there isn't any AC. Book in first class instead. The booking starts exactly one month in advance. Anyways, I was happy with my window seat. I was now on a train that was added to the UNESCO world heritage site list this year. The train moved through sharp corners, tunnels, bridges and provided wonderful view throughout the journey. But still, if Simla alone is your destination, I think, its better to come here after the rains, maybe in the month of Sep/Oct. As we were climbing higher and higher, it was getting cooler and cooler. The train stops at many small stations in between. We can buy some snacks or water here. As we get closer to Simla, the view outside also gets better and better. There was a slight drizzle outside which was strengthening to a rain. That will not only bring discomfort to my travel plans, but also bring down the temperatures dramatically. But surely, the view outside was now fantastic. And as the rain stopped, a beautiful rainbow in the sky made it picture perfect. But suddenly the rain strengthened again and now there was heavy hail storm outside. Everyone was trying to catch the hail stones and I too joined. Wow. What more could I ask for in Simla. What a trip this is turning out to be. After almost 6hrs of travel, I reached Simla. It was surely worth the effort. The weather cleared and was pleasant.
Simla, being known as a hill station did not require a stay for my kind of travel. Also, I was very eager to get to my next destination. With no more trains beyond Simla, I have to travel by bus tonight. With the rain clouds looming in the sky, the night fall, the dropping temperatures and the anticipation of a colder destination, were all reason enough to put in my thermals. But since the waiting room was closed, I will not even have that luxury. The bus stand is just 1km from the station and in this weather, I would be happy to walk the distance. I got the ticket and am now waiting for my bus to my next destination. I have to adjust to the low temperatures and high altitudes fast.

berT
05.06.2009
Location: Simla

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Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day12ATrueBeautyInTheHimalayasSimla?feat=directlink

Day 11: In the summer town of Mussourie

"The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see."
- G.K. Chesterton

It was again a pre-dawn arrival at the station as I got down in Dehradun at 4am. The destination for the day was Mussourie, a famous summer destination in these parts of the country.
Since I did not find a good restaurant in the station, I had butter cake, chocolates and tea for breakfast. I then went out in search of a bus to Mussourie. Here, we need to take the ticket from the counter before getting into the bus. I took one, and we started on our journey. The road to Mussourie was good and so was the view. But again, not to be compared to the other hill roads I have been on. After a 1.5hr ride, I got to Mussourie. The weather was warmer than what I had expected. The town centre looked busy with a lot of tourists trying to get to various attractions in and around Mussourie. I was hungry, and so I got into a hotel and had paneer paratha. But this one was quite tastier compared to what we get back in Bangalore. I moved on in search of a bus or shared taxi to Kempty falls. After a brief search, I got a shared taxi that would take me there and back for 100rs. Soon I got to Kempty falls. It was just a small one but seemed a favourite with the tourists. There was also a ropeway which took a 45° uphill and downhill ride for 70rs. I tried it and found it quite ordinary but was surely worth a first experience on a sloped ropeway. After taking some photos at the falls, as usual, I did some small shopping and souvenir hunting. By then, it was time for me to get back to the taxi to get to Mussourie. I had a wonderful lunch and took some rest at the viewpoint. Overall, it was a good hill station in the lines of Nainital. Soon I got back to the bus stand and got into the bus to get back to the Dehradun Station. And with this, all the destinations in the trip with temperate climate has been covered and I will now enter the colder ones. And for that, here I am, yet again waiting at the railway station to get to my next destination.

berT
04.06.2009
Location: Mussourie

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Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day11InTheSummerTownOfMussourie?feat=directlink

Day 10: A lake above the clouds, Nainital

I woke up in the wee hours today as I had to get down at Moradabad station (For your information, Moradabad is the constituency of the former Indian cricket captian, Mohd. Azharuddin) from where I had to take a train to Kathgodam which is the nearest station to Nainital. I had planned for a waiting time of more than 2hrs but since my train was more than 3hrs late, I was sure to miss the other train. I fished out my train timetable from the backpack and tried to find out whether there were any other trains to Kathgodam. I found that the next train was only at 12 noon. I hoped that there would be some passenger train from Moradabad. However, a closer observation of the railway map gave me a wierd idea. If I were to get down at the station before Moradabad, I would stand a chance to get into my train to Kathgodam. But finally, I decided against the idea as getting down at some unknown small station before daybreak was any day not a better option than to miss a train at a big station. So, I got down at Moradabad at 4:30 and as expected, I missed the train. On enquiry, I came to know that there was another passenger train starting from here to Kathgodam at 6:30. So I was relieved and decided to go by that train which would get me there for just 20rs.
I got into the train and found that there were only local people travelling by the train and no tourists like me. But that did not matter me much as I would always be fine with the great Indian passenger train ride. I just wondered, coming here in an AC coach and now on a passenger train with the local people. What an exceptional journey I was having! I was truly enjoying it. The train moved on. I could see beautiful mud houses with a coir bed in its front which resembled the typical north Indian countryside scene through the window. I would have missed all these had I got the other train to Kathgodam. When I opened my mineral water bottle, an old lady sitting next to me asked how much it costs. She was surprised when I told that it costs me 12rs. She advised me on not to waste money and to drink water from the pipe instead. 12rs might have been too much for her to spend on plain water and would probably have been the cost of her entire journey, if she has bought one. This trip is proving to be a wonderful learning experience for me. I put up a small conversation as the train was getting late. My army camouflage cargo pants and half sleeved T-shirt made them think that I was going back to my regiment in Kathgodam. It was the umpteenth time in the trip so far that I was asked whether I was in the army. Lone person, looking into his own business, travelling to far flung places should be from the army in this area. After a station named Haldwani, I was the lone person in the entire coach. I had planned this route just because I found from the railway book that Nainital was 35km from Kathgodam. That is all I knew. The train moved on mostly through the plains. I even wondered if there was any other place named Kathgodam. But soon I was able to spot the Himalayas. That brought the hope that I should heading in the right direction. I reached the Kathgodam station which was right at the foot of the hills. After I put my backpack at the cloak room, I went in search of a bus to Nainital. There is a stop right in front of the station but the buses were full and had only standing accomodation. So I decided to go to the bus stand. I got a shared auto that would get me there for 8rs. It was then that I found that, though Kathgodam was the nearest station, it was better to get down at Haldwani as the buses start from there. I got into a bus that would take me to Nainital for 35rs. It was pretty hot downhill but as we moved up, it got cooler and cooler. The road that leads to Nainital was beautiful, but the view was not so breathtaking if I would compare it with the places that I have been. The temperature was just about cool at the top, not hot and not too cool either. It took me 1.5hrs to get to the lake in Nainital. The lake looked beautiful with boating options available. I had a long walk around, taking photos and had a small shopping at the stalls around the lake. However, my sincere advice is that, do not expect too much at Nainital. It is a good place, but don't expect a Gangtok or Cherrapunji in there as I did. Also to note that the route upto Nainital is very steep and there is a high chance of you feeling sick. Many in my bus had fallen sick and vommitted enroute. So it is definitely not for those who find it difficult to travel by road. For rating, I would place Nainital a couple of notches up of Ootacamund. Thats all you should expect.
After spending 2hrs by the lakeside, I took a bus back to the Kathgodam station. Its 7:45pm, but still there is traces of daylight left here. Strange place. With memories of yet another place in India, here I am on the train to get to my next destination.

berT
03.06.2009
Location: Nainital

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Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day10ALakeAboveTheCloudsInNainital?feat=directlink

Day 9: On a 36hr "travelling break"

After about a week's travel, today, I woke up at my own time. No need for any hurry. No need to plan my day's travel destinations. Just sit back, listen to my ipod, look at the world outside through the window, occasionally check or send mails. What more could I ask for. This was my kind of a break. I can enjoy all this for the 36hrs as I will be in the cool confines of the train, travelling through parts of west bengal, bihar and uttar pradesh.
It is indeed a welcome break for me. It was a hectic trip so far with a lot of timed challenges. Everything had to happen in a limited time window. But I really enjoyed these challenges. My trip is still not even half way through. I have a long road ahead. In the second half, I will have to face adaptability challenges along with timed ones. But today is surely not a day to think about all those. I will be online most of the day. All your mails are welcome and will be replied to at the earliest.

berT
02.06.2009
Location: on train from Guwahati

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Day 8: Out of the clouds to Guwahati

"To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world." - Freya Stark

I experienced what Freya Stark said. It is indeed true. I woke up today morning far far away from my home, alone in this strange place called Shillong. It was a pleasant morning here. I got fresh and had my breakfast. I had to take leave of this abode of clouds to Guwahati. It was truly a wonderful experience here. I had a drive through the best hill road that I have been on so far, stood on the rainiest place on earth, saw a part of Bangladesh, saw people so far away from my home, tasted the local food, and the list is endless.
I went straight to the shared taxi stand and got into one that would take me back to Guwahati. Shillong city was an army area and there are various checkpoints. I produced my driving license and told that I was a tourist from Kerala, now going back to Guwahati. The only trouble comes when they ask what I do for a living. I could neither prove my employment as I had already resigned, nor could I produce my student ID as I have still not joined. But that did not matter to them much as all they wanted to know was whether I was a legal citizen of India and my purpose of visit. We moved on from the beautiful Meghalaya. After a 3hr drive, I reached the Guwahati railway station to move to my next destination just 15min to departure of the train because of the city traffic.
Getting to Guwahati station was another milestone in my journey as it was my second strategic location (explained its significance in the Kolkata post). So it was the kind of phase-2 complete feeling. Also to be happy about is the fact that now that I have crossed Guwahati, my chances of getting monsooned is minimal. The monsoon should arrive only by the end of the month in the upcoming destinations and is expected to arrive here any day from today. I had now covered 3904km so far in my trip to cover 8 cities across 7 states in India in the past 8 days.
And now, here I am, back at the station to start what will be my longest leg of the journey.

berT
01.06.2009
Location: Guwahati

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