Leh to Kargil; Kargil to Raru; Trekking Zanskar; Shingo La; the Road to Darcha and Manali

Julley Everyone!

"Julley" is Ladakhi for "hello, goodbye, thank you, and sorry" depending on the context of the situation! In this context it's obviously "hello". But we won't be using "julley" anymore because we're no longer in Ladakh. After two and half weeks of driving, trekking, and busing through the deserts of Ladakh and Zanskar we're finally back in Manali for some much needed r&r.

To get to our trek start point we had to loop along the northernmost road in J&K. In both Leh and all along the road there was heavy military presence and many (annoying) tourist checkpoints. Basically all that had to be done was fill out our names, passport #'s, visa #'s etc in a little book. But after so many, and knowing that they were in no way computerized, it just got really annoying.

The road to Kargil was like an expressway compared to the road from Manali to Leh. This is due to the strategic importance of Kargil as a connector city to Srinagar, the jewel of Indian controlled Kashmir. Anyways, Kargil was a SHADY city. Our original intent was to blow through Kargil and stay in the next town, because the road breaking off from Kargil into Zanskar is NOT as well maintained and was considerably longer than the one from Leh. But Félix turned a pasty white when we stopped in Kargil and wasn't looking like he could continue on.

So we decided to stay in Kargil. Sooooo shady. As soon as we stopped, people started crowding around the car inquisitively. But it wasn't friendly inquisitive, it was very agressive inquisitive - very threatening. In no other city, not even in Delhi, had we been accosted as such. And what made it even more threatening was that all of these people were young men with sour looks, hanging over our shoulders listening to our conversations. Sketchy. There was no incident, but still, it was very tense. Add to this and the fact that the downtown area where we were staying did not have any street lights, and it makes for a very disturbing combination.

Having said all that though, I met three groups of amazing people at the hotel. Two Muslim foresters (Kargil is in the predominantly Muslim area of J&K) who were headed to Zanskar to plant medicinal herbs; two Spanish girls, one a doctor, who had been travelling for almost a year; and wonderfully nice couple from Leh and their daughter. Separately we spoke of "salaam", travel, life, and origins. It really made me more at ease and toned down the high frequency squeal that the earlier evening seemed to emit.

That and I got to hear the morning prayers from the main mosque in Kargil. It was one of the most surreal, beautiful and haunting experiences. We woke up around 4:30am because we had such a long road ahead to Raru and that's around when it began. It started as a low humming, almost imperceptible, and then over the speakers outside the mosque, a male voice chanting the morning prayers echoed across the dark and sleeping city. I had to stop and listen until it was over.

So that was Kargil. And sorry, this is gonna be quite the entry I suppose. I'll try to keep the rest short and sweet.

Kargil to Raru was looooong, and the road was nothing more than a dirt road in the middle of the desert. There was so much dust that our nostrils were black by the end of it. It was so bumpy people were getting sick. Near the end we were quite the sorry lot, coughing, gagging, puking, picking, and every other sort of human excretia you can thing of, we were it.

Originally we had planned to start our trek from Padum to Darcha, but given that the road was extended to Raru we decided to start from there. Then we began our 8 day trek across Zanskar.

Zanskar is the most remote area of India, and to emphasize this, the only way to reach the intereior is by foot or horse. The road is being extended to Darcha though, and will be completed within the next 5 years or so - the dirt road that is. Anyway, Zanskar is one of the most spectacular areas I've seen. Picture the desert, closed in by gigantic and jagged mountain ranges, with aqua blue rivers running through deep valleys; picture trails that are scarcely wider than two feet, with sheer slopes on either side to the bottom of the valley and to the top of the mountain; picture snow capped peaks amongst these; picture rocks, of all sizes and shapes everywhere, kinda like the surface of Mars; now picture tiny villages nestled high above the river beds, surrounded by fields of barley and other hardy roots - and rickety (nervous) bridges connecting the trails and river banks.

We stayed with random families in the villages we stopped in, asking for food and a place to stay for whatever money we could offer them. We were always welcomed whole-heartedly and treated with utmost hospitality. We stayed in a monestary, Phuktal, which was literally built into the side of a mountain some 300 metres above a river. We camped underneath the stars of this area of the world and froze our asses off.

Our starting altitude was around 3500m at Raru, and we climbed steadily until reaching Shingo La at 5100m. Shingo La is the pass across the Great Himalayan Range that we had to achieve to reach Darcha. The whole trek builds up to it, then it's the relatively quick descent to Darcha. For five days we hike slowly up to the base of Shingo La, then the last two and a bit days are the ascent to Shingo La and the descent away from it along the glacial river born from her nearby peaks of over 6000m.

Reaching the pass at that altitude was quite the challenge physically. The air at that altitude is very thin, and we had even taken time to acclimatize. Our base camp was at about 4800m, so we had an ascent that morning of about 300m to the pass. As a side note: the base camp of Everest is around 5500m, one of the group members said! The top of the pass was impossibly cold with a wind that howled and bit at any exposed skin. Needless to say, we stayed for a few pictures, then made quick our leave.

Then we walked to Darcha, across the rugged landscape of Jankar Sumdo - the land where giants warred. In this place the trail was all but lost. Huge boulders littered the valley for kilometers, as if a whole mountain had been torn assunder and left there in ruins. Clambering over these was quite the task and the only way to know if we were going in the right direction was to follow the river heading down Darcha.

I'll never forget the stunning, stark beauty of Zanskar. It has truly touched me. There's so much more, so many things to tell. But not here.

Salaam everyone, and Julley until we talk next.

First Warm-Up Trek; Manali, the Rohtang Pass, and the Road to Rawaling; Second Trek Near Rape; The Road From Rawaling to Leh

We made it to Leh!

We arrived yesterday afternoon after an incredible drive through the semi-desert and desert ranges of this side of the Himalayas. We're actually staying about 7km from Leh in a town called Spituk which is right on the Indus River. Sarju's friend Spalgun (who we met briefly in Delhi) has family out here, so we're staying with them in a traditional Ladakhi home under the shadow of the Spituk monestary. The monestary itself is perched on top of a rock formation about 2-300 ft high. Quite a sight!

The landscape here is absolutely stunning. Spituk is a little oasis amidst the plains of the Indus Valley and the snow capped mountains that close it in. Tall poplar trees and willows are the only trees that can manage at this altitude and have been planted everywhere. Farmers fields also abound due to irrigation. It's really quite beautiful. All this at around 4,000m above sea level!

Today was the last day of the Ladakh Festival, which lasts from Sept.1-15. Ladahk is one of the three general regions in Jammu & Kashmir. What's the festival all about? It's a festival for tourists! It actually has no other purpose other than to attract us and our money during what is the "off season" of tourism in this part of India.

Still, it was really neat to partake in! The closing ceremony was today, with traditional dress, dancing and singing. For the last dance of the of ceremony, the tourists were encouraged by the locals to take part! And of coarse, I had to take part! ;) I was kinda nervous being watched by thousands of people and being one of a handful of tourists who had the courage to join in, but I had a blast! Near the end of the dance this camera guy was focusing on me and some of the other tourists that had followed my lead into the fray. When the dance was over he interviewed me, asking where I was from, how I liked the festival etc. So look out for my head on camera! I may be on some Indian tourism promo material sometime in the future!... if it ever makes its way to Canada. ;)

I can't summarize what the title of this entry indicates cause I've gotta meet up with peeps in about 5 minutes. However, in general, the title sums up the major events (in order of occurence) we've experienced during the past week or so.

One thing I'm having trouble getting used to: the toilets! As beautiful as our traditional Ladakhi lodging is, our bathrooom consists of a 1x3 foot rectangular hole in a room filled with dirt! The traditional style? Pull your pants down just above your knees, squat, eject, use your hand and a bucket of water to get rid of the chunks, use soap to wash, rinse, wash your hands, use shovel to put sand over your business in the hole! Insanity! And I haven't quite refined my skills to the point where it's really all that efficient, so sometimes a little wipe with some toilet paper after to finish the job helps.

Anyway, gotta go!

Much love everyone! Thinking about you all.

Delhi; the Road to Manali; Manali

Wow! How to explain the last 2 days? The past 2 days have felt like 2 weeks.

How to describe Delhi?... Chaos. The whole city is in various stages of decay and construction at the same time. Piles of rubble and garbage lay everywhere. People sleeping on makeshift cots in buildings that are more ruined than built. There are no distinguishing landmarks - at least not in the areas we were, which adds to the confusion. But the city is incredibly green. Almost every street is lined with thick and lush greenery, and tall trees. The streets are pure madness, with bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, buses and trucks all weaving and dancing around eachother to the sound of constant horn blowing. They use their horns because no one uses their mirrors, or pay attention to the lines on the road, so the horns are to let others no where you are and where you're going. Cars actually fold up their mirrors so they can have more room to squeeze inbetween traffic. Oh yeah, add to this cows, "the Queen of the Roads" as Sarju said they're called, that casually stroll down the highways, pedestrians, and kids trying to sell magazines to stopped cars.

We stayed at a guest house at Jawarlal Nehru University (JNU) our first night there. The campus is about 15 square km, most of which is dense tropical forest. It's walled off and guarded gates act as entry points to the campus. More on that later. More on Delhi later!!

The bus ride out of Delhi was the ride of a lifetime, as Nat put it. Think about gorgeous lush mountain scenery - bigger than any mountains you've ever seen - and buildings perched on those impossible ledges. Now think about a road that's barely wider than one lane, our bus barelling dowin it blaring Indian music and honking at slower moving truckes ahead. Now think of the cliffs that were always unnervingly close, oncoming traffic, cows, and people ont the bus throwing up from motion sickness. Insanity!

We arrived safely in Manali around 1pm today after 17 hrs on that bus. Really, it's a whole story in itself! Right now, I'm sitting in a tiny internet café in Vashisht, nestled on the side of a mountain, overlooking one of the most beautiful valleys. Our hotel is spectacular with an amazing view. The villagers are beautiful and friendly and children mill about in the square near where we are and where a temple and bath house are. I'm blown away. Completely and utterly blown away. I love this place!

I can't really describe it here. Think of every little crafts shop you've ever seen, cram it all onto a tiny road on the side of a mountain, and you've got an image of what this place looks like... but not really.

OK. Food calls. Now it's back down the mountain to our hotel. Oh yeah. Sarju is an amazing friend and guide! He's taken care of us and gone well above and beyond the call of duty. Without him this adventure would have been a different story so far entirely!

Day of Departure

Well, today's the day! In about 12 hrs I'll be heading out to the Toronto airport to meet up with Yvan and Félix, where we'll eventually be taking our flight out to Milan then to Delhi. All told our flight will be over 19 hrs, with connection, and by about 10pm on September 6th we will have flown 12, 764km... I would try to convey a little more enthusiasm in my prose, however, I'm a little tired right now and have to wake up in a few hours! ;)

So, yeah, my weekend so far has been pretty damn chill! Left Ottawa early Saturday afternoon, arrived in TO around 7:30ish. My man Chris D. met me up at the bus terminal and after dropping my gear off at his new place brought me to a couple of house parties. My last week at work and making final preparations being what it had been though, I was ultra tired, and by about 3am couldn't keep up with Chris' sustained party self. So I took off early and crashed on his floor with my new gear. I found out that, although my Thermarest is cushy, it's not exactly the most comfortable thing to sleep on... especially since my micro sleeping bag (see previous posts) is really thin.

Anyway, the next morning I took a bus over to Guelph to visit my father and his wife, who I only get to see about once or twice a year. And for the past couple of days I've just been lounging in Guelph, enjoying just relaxing and talking and watching TV. It's been quite the change from the last little while, and to be honest a couple more days of this before my trip would be nice!

Regardless, I'm still pumped for this trip, and in a little over a day I'm going to be experiencing some intense shit when we land in Delhi!! ;)

OK. That's it for now. If all goes well, next update will be from India!

That pic at the top is from www.wikipedia.org, thought it was kinda neat. If you look closely it shows Delhi on the ground and the Himalayas in the distance. It's either an oblique satellite shot, or a computer generated image, or a combination thereof. Since I've got an analogue manual SLR - the klunky, heavy yet beautiful Pentax K1000 - I won't be able to update ya'll on pics till I get back and develop them. So I'll have to satisfy you (and myself) with internet pics until then! ;)

Peace