Sar pass Trek (May-June 2014) (National Himalayan Trekking Expedition organized by YHAI)

Sar pass Trek (May-June 2014)

(National Himalayan Trekking Expedition organized by YHAI)

                                                                                                                [YouTube Vlog of this Trek]

The Himalayas were again beckoning me as it was quite a long time since I trekked in Himalayas. The grandeur of Himalayas is always a fascination for me.

So, in 1^st week of April 2014, I booked online, at YHAI website, for the SAR PASS trek for me and my friend Amit Burman (@ Rs.4247/- per person) and we managed to get booking for reporting date of 26^th May 2014 (the online status of bookings was all full). Later, my wife’s sister’s son Aman Beriwal and Amit’s friend Pankaj Jain also joined. I had earlier done Sar Pass Trek in 1991 and 1998.

About a month before the departure, I made my morning walks more regular and I also joined the Gym, so as to maintain the stamina for the trek.

Two three days before departure, I purchased the necessary things and set rolling for the D-day.

Day 0 : 25^th May Sunday : Delhi to YHAI Base camp at Kasol (Himachal Pradesh)

At 4.30 pm in the evening, I and Aman started from my home in Punjabi Bagh, Delhi. We met Amit Burman there. We boarded Volvo bus 2x2 near Ambedkar Bhawan, opp Videocon tower, Jhandewalan, Delhi. I had booked Volvo bus tickets of Aashiana Travels in advance on 21.5.2014 through the website travelyaari.com @ Rs.1100/- per person for journey from Delhi to Kullu. The scheduled departure time was 5.30 pm and arrival time in Kullu was 4.30 am next day.

At 6 pm, the Volvo Bus started from Ambedkar bhawan. It halted at Majnu Ka Tila for 5 min. to pick up other passengers. The chairs in the bus were reclining, with thigh support. It was semi-sleeper Volvo.

As we crossed Murthal, at about 7.40 pm, it started raining heavily. At 8.40 pm, the bus halted for 45 min at Karnal for dinner at Punjabi Deluxe dhaba. At 11.45 pm, the bus picked 8 passengers from Chandigarh. We thereafter reached Kiritpur, and then the Himachal Pradesh border. From here, the ascent starts. The new driver took over from this point. The road position was bad for few km in starting from here. We slept in the bus.

Day 1 : 26^th May 2014 Monday : Kasol

At 6 am in the morning, our Volvo bus crossed Mandi (place in Himachal Pradesh).

After moving about 12 km from Mandi, at 6.30 am, our bus halted at Beas View Guest house n Bhojnalaya, which is 5 km short of Pandoh. We freshen up and took tea and biscuits here. Bhuntar was still 45 km and Manali was 100 km from here.

At 8.30 am, we got down at Bhuntar. It seemed that the early morning cold air of the mountains had got into my head, which made me temporarily unwell leading to vomiting when we got down at Bhuntar. I rested for about half an hour at Bhuntar, so that I stabilize, before starting onward journey to base camp at Kasol.

At 9.30 am, we boarded local bus from Bhuntar bus stand to Kasol (@ Rs.45/- per head), which ply almost every half hour. Bhuntar to Kasol is about 30 km and it takes about 1 to 1 ½ hours by bus.

At 10.45 am, we got down at YHAI base camp at Kasol (the bus was going further to Manikaran which is 4 km further from Kasol).

It was the same camp where I stayed during my last Sar Pass trek in 1998. It was several feet below the road level. The temporary stairs made of stone slabs led us to the reception of the base camp. Mohini, a young girl, was managing the reception. We filled check in forms. We met Pankaj jain who had reached 10 min back. We all four shifted to the group SP-25 (instead of SP-26). I took bath. There are constructed toilets and bathrooms at base camp, separate for girls and boys. There was a big tented area near the reception which was used for orientation meetings, camp fire etc. Further down, there were rows of tents on both sides. The participants live in these tents during their stay at base camp. They are provided two blankets each. Further down, is the house of the owner of this land (in which base camp tents are erected every year). A portion of his house is used as cloak room for storing the extra luggage of the participants.

At 12.30 pm, we four (I, Aman, Amit and Pankaj) went to the market in Kasol, which is 5 min walk. There were lots of foreigners, mainly Israelis. Kasol has changed over the years. Last time when I was here in 1998, there used to be only one or two small shops selling basic necessity goods. Now, so many shops and hotels and guest houses have come up here. It is a huge market now. Infact, as I discovered later during my stay here, Kasol is on the way of becoming another hill station in Himachal Pradesh, after Manali. We took Chinese food in an open eatery (Namaste Cafe). At 2 pm, we returned to the base camp. We sat in our allotted tent (Tent No.4) and gossiped with other participants.

At the entrance, near the reception, there was a temporary platform made of wooden plank on which electricity connection with some multi-plugs was provided. The participants were charging their devices (camera, mobiles etc.) here.

At 3 pm, there was orientation lecture for the SP-25 group by the Field Director Shri P.K.Savani (Adv from Gujarat) and Co-Field Director Shri Mool Singh Rathore (Govt teacher from Rajasthan, 09461501754). It is Mr. Savani’s last trek as Field Director. Mr. Mool Singh Rathore was camp leader, perhaps in last camp, during my Jaiselmer Trek in November 2007. They were assisted by camp leaders at base camp including  M.B.Balaji (Mob no. 08902364480, 08961436348) (affectionately called ‘Dada’) from Calcutta who is generally a camp leader in Sandakphu trek. Mr. Savani is leaving tomorrow, leaving the command to Mr. Mool Singh Rathore.

They gave us useful tips about the whole trek : what to wear, what to take up with us in our rucksack in the trek, what are the obstacles and difficulties we may face during trek and how to overcome them, etc.

After the orientation, we strolled in the market. At 5 pm, we returned to the base camp as we were being issued the rucksack, two blankets and one inner sheet.

At 8 pm, camp fire was organized (without any fire !) under the big tent, which was attended by participants of group SP-24, SP-25 and SP-26. Our group SP-25 was the organizer (Master of Ceremonies was Ananth 08657350847 ananth02@gmail.com from our group).

Since we were initially booked for SP-26 but changed to SP-25, we missed acclimatization walk of SP-25 which was in the morning today. Mr. Shoban (from Bangalore, 09845901968) was chosen as the Group Leader of SP-25 during the same. He has his business of Service Apartments in Bangalore.

At 9.30 pm, the bournvita was served and the camp fire came to an end. At 10 pm, lights off. We gossiped with other participants in the tent. In our tent, few participants of SP-26 were also staying. We were 8 persons in one tent.

Day 2 : 27^th May 2014 Tuesday : Kasol

The morning tea was served at 5 am. All participants of SP-25 and SP-26 assembled in the campus area of base camp at 5.30 am and walked about 1 km to a huge ground adjoining a hotel. The morning exercises were conducted here by the instructors Mr. Lakshmi (with long hairs), Mr. Banu Bhandari (09816144221) and Mr. Manoj. (These guys also organize private treks).

At 7.30 am, we returned to the base camp. At 8.15 am, participants of SP-25 and SP-26 lined up to see off and cheer members of SP-24 group who were leaving base camp and going to higher camps.

At 9 am, we members of SP-25 walked about 1 ½ km through the market to nearby jungle. The same three persons/instructors who conducted exercise in the morning, conducted rock climbing session. Mr. Lakshmi explained us the importance of rock climbing and rappling devices like carabiner, harness (rope), descender, helmet. Almost all members did rock climbing. In this, one would use the tips of his fingers and toes to climb up through the minute crevices in the rock. To ensure that he does not get injured if he falls, he is tied by a rope harness and carabiner whose control is with the instructor sitting at top of the rock.

At about 1 pm, we all returned to the base camp and had lunch.

After lunch, at about 2 pm, we again went to the same spot, this time for Rappling. Rappling is an exercise by which a person descends down a rock using rope and devices. The same three instructors conducted this session.

After the rappling session was over, at about 4.30 pm, we all roamed in the market. Few bought rain coat as it was to become very handy during rains while trekking to higher camps. I, amit and Pankaj went to Manikaran (4 km, 10 min bus journey from Kasol) and I bought new shoes as my liberty trekking shoe’s (gliders)sole had broken in the morning.

At 5.30 pm, we returned to the base camp. We stuffed essential items and clothings in the rucksack provided by YHAI and deposited the remaining/extra luggage in the cloak room of base camp. The camp leaders at base camp checked everyone’s rucksack and advised to further reduce the weight by removing unwanted articles like shaving kits, cosmetics, food articles etc. While trekking at height, the weight of the stuff in the rucksack becomes very important : the more the weight, the more the strain and unease during trekking.

Dinner was served at 8 pm. After that, I, Amit and Pankaj, after taking permission of the field Director, went to the market and booked return Volvo tickets from Bhuntar to Delhi for 4^th June (Rs.1100/- each). After that, we returned to the base camp where camp fire was going on. At 10.30 pm, lights out. We all were thrilled and excited at the thought of moving to higher camps tomorrow.

Day 3 : 28^th May 2014 Wednesday : Kasol base camp to Grahan

We all woke up at 6 am in the base camp and deposited the blankets and sleeping bag. Took bath and freshen up. Then we all took breakfast.

At 8 am, we members of SP-25 assembled in the campus area. We were total 43 participants in SP-25 (31 boys, 12 girls). Mr. Shoban was the Group leader. I happened to be the most experienced person in the group, having done almost all the treks of YHAI and having done this trek twice in the past.

At 8.30 am, the members of SP-26 and SP-27 alongwith camp leaders and Field director at base camp cheered us while we walked out in line to go to the higher camps. Each member was given YHAI cap and a packet containing frooti, biscuit packet and toffees. It has become sort of customary for the members to devise a slogan for their respective groups. Our group members had devised the slogan “UP UP IN THE SKY, SP TWENTY FIVE”. One thing remarkable about our group was that almost all were youngsters and more than 80% were first time trekkers. Infact, I happened to the 2^nd oldest member of the group after Pankaj Jain ! Aman was the youngest member of the group.

The guide who accompanied us for today’s trek from Kasol to Grahan was Mr. Jaichand (09816473518). He is resident of Kasol. He also organises private treks.

We walked though the Kasol market and then took a detour from the market into the jungle. It was an up and down journey from Kasol to Grahan. We rested at few points. After crossing two wooden bridges, we rested for about 45 minutes at a point and played antakshri. The guide advised that we are not supposed to enter the next camp before 3 pm and that we can therefore go leisurely.

At about 1 pm, we all sat at a point and took lunch. I do not relish the packed lunch provided by the YHAI and thus I do not take the pack lunch and instead eat the stuff sold by some enterprising village persons on the way. There was a make-a-shift stall put up by the village lady alongwith her son Dinesh. Her husband Ram Lal (who is accredited with the famous folk song of Grahan : meri sridevia katthe chali tu) has gone with a private group to Mantalai trek. Dinesh has cleared 12^th class exams this year and he wants to do course in tourism. They were selling egg, omlette, Maggie and packed foods like chips, frootie, cold drinks etc. We took 6 boiled eggs (@ Rs.15/- per egg) and two egg bhurji (@ Rs.30/- per egg).

At about 2 pm, we again started walking. From here, the guide was one Mr. Maniram of Grahan village. He informed that this year, the snow in Hinachal Pradesh is unprecedented and has broken all records. He told that he is 50 years old and he has not seen this much snow in his village in his entire life (this year, 6 ft snow in village Grahan in December-January compared to about 3 ft usually). He further told that there is huge snow this year at Sar Pass.

After walking for about 1 km from lunch point, we had to climb up the mountain through the jungle. The climb became steeper and steeper in the last about two km stretch before reaching Grahan village. The climb took us to Village Grahan. We passed through the village and took some snaps. The village had totally transformed over the years. There were now so many Home Stays / guest houses in the village, which I was told, were frequented by the adventurous foreigners.

Our camp was pitched about a km walk away from the village. The camp was visible from the village. 

At 4.30 pm, we reached the Grahan camp which was at an altitude of 7700 ft. We were welcomed by the camp leaders Mr. Anand (from Karnataka, retired from Wipro in 2012) (ananda_hm1@yahoo.co.in, facebook : ananda-bangalore) and Mr. Dinesh Kumar Singh (working in PWD, Lucknow). They gave us the necessary instructions about the timings for soup, dinner, camp fire, morning tea, breakfast, packed lunch and departure next morning. They also informed about the separate toilet areas for boys and girls. Three toilets for boys and one toilet for girls, were pitched nearby on temporary basis by erecting enclosure with cloth sheet with zipper (Indian toilet sheet embedded into ground over a septic tank). The water for washing as well as drinking was provided through pipe, drawn from a stream. The cook was a handsome jolly boy from Delhi, named Ramnath Paswan.

The Bicchu leaves plants are in abundance in this region. These leaves have tiny stings at their periphery. If a person get stung by it, it causes irritation for few hours. The cure for this is the Bicchu buti which grows in its vicinity, which are dark green colored leaves. For finding out more about the Medicinal and aromatic plants of Himachal Pradesh, you may log on to http://books.google.co.in/books?id=gAQnTAU-3lcC&pg=PA560&lpg=PA560&dq=bichhu+leaves+in+himachal&source=bl&ots=pbGfw227be&sig=LVvmn-mfUyARlPsDoKyrR5LRK4o&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cWWQU5fyHIyTuATI94GwBA&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=bichhu%20leaves%20in%20himachal&f=false )

On arrival in the camp, we were offered litchi juice as welcome drink. Then after half an hour, we were offered tea and biscuits. We were served with delicious tomoto soup at 6.30 pm. The dinner was served at 7 pm, which comprised Bhindi, dal, roti, papad and suji halwa. Then, the camp leader provided one sleeping bag and one blanket to each member. Three tents were allotted to boys and one tent was allotted to girls.

The local villager offered to sell the local snacks / cuisine called Siddu. It is made up of atta (whole wheat flour) with stuffing as per liking like potato, walnut etc. It looks like Momos in appearance.

At 8 pm, members sat out in open and sang songs. Bournvita was served at 9 pm. I sat with co-member Chandan (email : ckiitkgp@gmail.com) and was amazed at his knowledge about spiritualism and God. He informed that he hails from Patna and is a IIT-Kharagpur graduate and now works with TCS, Bangalore. He has done Mining Engineering. I had good discussion with him on spirituality.

The sky was very clear and was full of stars. It was a beautify view.

At 11 pm, we went to sleep. We 12 persons slept in one tent.

There was electricity in the village but there was no electricity in our camp. There was no mobile signal here. 

Day 4 : 29^th May 2014 Thursday : Grahan to Padri

We got up at 6 am. From 6.30 to 7.15 am, I did pranayam in the lap of nature away from the hustle bustle of the camp. I felt so much at peace and it sort of rejuvenated me.

At 8 am, the breakfast was served which comprised of aloo subzi, puri, sevian and tea. In packed lunch, chana and roti was provided. We returned back the sleeping bag and blankets.

At 9 am, we all assembled, thanked the camp leaders and cooking staff and at 9.15 am, we all moved for the next higher camp. Our guide for today was the same Mr. Maniram (resident of Grahan village).

For about 1 ½ km, we had to go down till the water stream / nallah. From here, it was up and up. The  climb / ascent was quite steep (though not as steep as was yesterday on way to Grahan). We rested at one place.

At 12 pm, we reached lunch point. A make-a-shift stall was put up by a Grahan villager here. We took 6 boiled eggs @ Rs.20/- per egg. All took packed lunch there. (15 minutes before the Lunch point, there was a water stream from where all filled up their bottles). We rested at lunch point.

At 1.30 pm, we started from Lunch point. A 20 minute walk upwards from lunch point and lo and behold we were at a dusty glacier ! Everyone was so excited to see the glacier of snow, particularly the first timers (most in our group were first timers, almost half members were from Bangalore). After crossing the glacier, it was about half an hour easy walk when we spotted the YHAI banner of Padri camp in the jungle. After walking 5 min from the banner, we could see the camp site.

At 2.45 pm, we reached the Padri Camp, which is at an altitude of 9300 ft. It is a very beautiful camp site. It felt out of this world. Five-Six tents were pitched in a huge plain / meadow. The imposing mountains covered with snow acted as perfect backdrop. The snow clad mountain peaks were so clear and appeared so near. It gave a feeling as if we were sitting in a 5-D auditorium like I-Max and the mountains were like a big screen / painting on the entire stage. A stream of water was passing by the side of our tents, which added to the beauty of the view around. The herds of sheaps and cows were grazing in the field.

On arrival, we were welcomed by the camp leaders Mr. Subhash Chander Arora (businessman from Ghaziabad) (subashchander9@gmail.com, 09717008644) and Mr. Shibu Dass (Keralite, working in Central Secretariat in Delhi for last 22 years) (sd8999@yahoo.co.in, 09871927076, 01123013360). We all lined up and counting was done, as usual. All got busy in clicking photographs. The weather was sunny and good. I brushed teeth and washed face in the running stream, which itself was a wonderful experience away from the maddening crowd of the city. We were served with tea and peanuts. All got involved in different activities. Some played gilli danda. Some played Frisbee. At 5.10 pm, tomato soup was served. Most of us played the game ‘Dumb charades’. The camp leader informed that Bear occasionally come in this area and that a cow was killed by a bear nearby and cow’s mutilated body is lying about 500 mtr away. Amit ventured to that spot and took photographs.

At 7 pm, dinner was served which comprised dal, loki subzi, rice, roti, papad and kheer. The sleeping bag and blanket were issued. Some rested in tents while others sang songs. It was a starry night and we could very clearly see the stars light up the sky. Such a view is not possible in cities.

There was no electricity and no mobile signal at Padri camp.

At 11 pm, we went to sleep.

Day 5 : 30^th May 2014 Friday : Padri to Ming Thatch

We got up at 5.30 am. We answered nature’s call in the open in the woods nearby. There were temporary toilets put up but the same were smelling. So most preferred to go out in the open, since it was a large jungle area. The running stream of water helped a lot.

As we were getting ready to pack our bags and leave the camp, it started raining at about 6.30 am, coupled with ole. We experienced the first rains in our trek. This is going to make today’s trek difficult and riskier because today our route is steep climb. Rains stopped after about 40 minutes. We all came out of our tents and took breakfast which comprised poha and daliya. At 7.45 am, packed lunch was provided which comprised aloo (dry) subzi and roti. Our guides for today were Tashi (young boy from Darjeeling) and Ishwar Singh (of Grahan village). I took a stick (@ Rs.20/-) being sold by the locals there, courtesy Ishwar Singh. I, as others, wore the rain suits.

At 8.10 am, we started from the Padri camp. As we moved, the drizzle gradually turned into rains. We went down and down upto the water stream/nallah.  The path had become extremely slippery. We then again trekked up and then again down. The path had become slippery. The climb was steep. We crossed over many nallahs on the way.

At 1.15 pm, we stopped at a place where Praveen (?) Rathore, a local boy was selling cold drinks, biscuits, chips etc. I bought frootie bottle @ Rs.50/- and some salted snacks and chocolate.

At 2 pm, we reached lunch point. It started raining. We all took shelter under the tent put up by the chaiwala. We took omlette @ Rs.50/- and tea @ Rs.30/-. After the rain stopped, we clicked photographs. My pant of the rain coat had got totally torn due to continuous up and down movement on the path.

At 3.30 pm, we started from the lunch point. Tashi guide went back from here. Rathore, the young boy who was selling eatables, took his place, alongwith Ishwar Singh.

There was a huge ground and valley after that. From here, we could spot the banner of YHAI Ming thatch at the top of the hillock which we had now to climb. We were elated.

We climbed the hillock. It was fairly steep. Today’s trek was the toughest and lengthiest. 

At 5 pm, we reached the Ming thatch camp, which is at an altitude of 11,200 ft. We were welcomed by the Camp Leader Mr. Moon Singh Rathore (physical education teacher in Jalore, Rajasthan( (09414895206). We put our wet clothes under the sun.

At 5.15 pm, we were served with hot tea and two aloo bonda each. It was such a delight. It was a good camp site. We watched the sunset from here. The kitchen and water point (water by pipe from glacier) were downstairs. At 6 pm, tomato soup was served. At 7 pm, dinner was served. At 8 pm, bournvita was served. We gazed at the stars in the sky which was so clear. We were able to see constellations like saptarishi, scorpio, dhanur etc. very clearly. The milky way was also partially visible.

At 10 pm, we went to sleep.

There is no electricity here but the mobile signal was partially catching on going a little up from the camp site.

Day 6 : 31^st May 2014 Saturday : Ming Thatch to Nagaru

We woke up at 7 am. The temporary toilets were smelly and hence almost all went out in the open in the topsy turvy jungle for answering nature’s call. Going out and then coming back to the tents was itself a mini trek ! The breakfast was served at 8.30 am which comprised poori, aloo subzi, sevian, tea and thereafter packed lunch was provided. I washed my face after the sun rays kissed our camp.

At 10.15 am, we started from the Ming thatch camp. Our guides for today were Gopi, Praveen and Devi singh. There is no water after Ming Thatch camp till Biskeri (At Nagaru, water is taken out from glacier and it is very very cold) and hence all filled up their water bottles fully.

Our route today was climb up but not too steep like what we experienced from Padri to Ming Thatch. We passed through snow patches at several points on the way. Today, we all moved in a queue and the three guides helped us in making way by their footsteps in the snow patches. Most of the time during climb, we had very beautiful view of the snow clad mountains all around.

At 12 pm, we reached the lunch point. It was a good sunny day. I listened to songs on my Sony MP3, sitting leisurely on a rock.

Soon, it started drizzling and at about 1.15 pm, we all started from the lunch point. Ultimately, a large patch of snow, on which we trekked, took us to our tents in Nagaru camp.

At 3 pm, we reached Nagaru camp, which is at an altitude of 12,300 ft. This camp was actually on a glacier. It was too windy here, coupled with a mild hailstorm. We were welcomed by the Camp leader Mr. Akshay Dange (from Maharashtra). Three tents were provided for the boys. Thick sleeping bags were provided here, alongwith blanket. The facilities are scarce here because of the inclement weather and strong winds all the time, being on top of the hill. We found the behavior and tone of the camp leader and cooking staff a little rude, which we ignored, as anyone living at such height and under such harsh circumstances and adverse conditions for so long would become rude. The wind was at its furriest and it looked as if the wind would blow away our tents. We immediately changed our clothes (as these were wet due to sweat) in our tents. After some time, it became sunny and we all came out, though wind continued. We sat here and there on whatever little grassy patch was available and clicked photographs. Some sang songs and some danced. We were surprised to get mobile signal here, though there was no electricity. Most spoke to their relatives back home on their mobiles.

At 3.45 pm, we were served with coffee and peanuts. At 4.30 pm, tomato soup was served. Slowly and gradually, the sun went behind the clouds and it became too cold. All went back into the tents and put on thermals and other clothes to save from the cold and wind. One unique thing here was that there was no facility for toilet. Though they tried to put up temporary toilets and even brought toilet sheets, but the wind blew away the toilet tent. So, anyone desirous of answering nature’s call has to do so on the snow itself a little away from the camp with no place for hiding, in such chilling environment ! So, almost everyone decided to skip this activity here and most skipped the dinner.

The wind was very strong and the members hold on to the structure of the tents lest the tent blow away by the gust of the wind.

At 6 pm, we all went to the sleep.

Day 7 : 1^st June 2014 Sunday : Nagaru to Sar Pass to Biskeri

Today was the longest part of our trek, running into 14 km and most of the trek was through snow.

We woke up at 2.30 am. The bad weather was awaiting us. The drizzle soon turned into snowfall which changed to rainfall. We waited in our tents for rain to abate. We had planned to start for next camp at 4 am but the rain spoiled our plans. We got ready in our tents but the rain and strong chilly winds prevented us from coming out of our tents. In a brief 15 min period when the rain stopped, we returned the sleeping bags and blankets.

At 5.45 am, when the rain stopped partially, we started for the next camp through Sar Pass. We were helped by four guides – Nihal Singh, Ram Prakash, Shyam Lal and bhikam Ram. They were to guide us upto Biskeri Top in the snow. They all are from Grahan village.

We walked and climbed on snow clad mountains. The entire journey was on snow. The Nagaru camp itself was on snow, made by cutting the snow. We climbed for about 1 ½ hours continuously, in one queue, by following the footsteps prepared by the guide in front. It rained and snow fall on the way intermittently.

After three hours of climbing, walking and climbing, at about 8.45 am, we reached Sar Pass, which is at an altitude of 13800 ft. We faced blizzard here. The snow was flowing at furious speed with the wind. I had to put on the goggles even in such dark, to protect the eyes from blizzard. The snow fall was continuing since morning. It was too windy here. Our rain suits were turning out to be ineffective and most of us were getting wet. Surprisingly, at this altitude and under such bad weather and at such freezing temperature, one person under a small tent under the snow crevice was making and selling tea ! This was really amazing. Few sipped tea in such freezing temperature. From there, we walked on snow mountain for about half hour. Thereafter, the journey was up and down on snow, crossing the snow clad mountains. It was all white everywhere. Some of us were tired of walking and climbing on snow. Frequently, our foot went down under the snow upto knee.

After several hours, we reached a point which is called Biskeri top. This is the highest point after Sar Pass. It is at a height of 13500 ft. The last 50 ft before reaching Biskeri top were climbed by us by holding on to the rope already installed there. From here, new guides took over  : Om Prakash (08894000812, 09418432012, omprakash.adventure@gmail.com), Rajesh (09805285588, 08988288154), Ram Kishan @ Ramu (09805601570). Rajesh is from Mandi while Ramu is from Grahan. Om Prakash was their leader and he organizes private treks also.

From Biskeri top, there was a long slide down the hill in snow. We sat down on top with our rucksack on our shoulder and then started sliding down. Aman lost his mobile phone during sliding. Thereafter, we walked down on snow and again there was a slide, followed by long walk down on the snow. We reached lunch point which was a make-a-shift tent put up by a villager on the snow. He was selling maggi, omlete, tea etc. It was continuously raining since morning. I was completely drenched, so were few others. Due to this, the weight of clothes and belongings had become heavier. I, Amit and Aman took omlette, magi and tea, shivering under the tent while our rucksacks were out in the open under the rainfall. After lunch point, there were two long slides, which gave us the feeling of a roller coaster. Thereafter, we walked down on the muddy slippery path. I was delighted to see the green trees and vegetation. I felt as if we were in white snow for many days and as if we were seeing the greenery after several days. Under the rains, we reached the Biskeri camp. Many members slipped on the way.

At 1.15 pm, we reached Biskeri camp, which is at an altitude of 11000 ft. The camp leader Mr. Aditya (09505746991, fb: aditya tibrewal) came half a km up to receive and welcome us and to boost our morale. It was a nice gesture on his part. He is from Bhagalpur (Bihar) and is studying Computer Science in BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus.

I was totally drenched. It was continuously raining. We immediately occupied our allotted tents. To my surprise, when I opened my rucksack, I discovered that all my extra clothing and everything in the rucksack had got wet due to snow, hailstorm and rains ! Though the YHAI rucksack was supposed to be waterproof, but the snow and rainwater had peeped into the rucksack, making everything wet. Fortunately, the undergarments which were kept in a separate polythene bags in the rucksack were spared from this ordeal. I changed the clothes and wore a semi wet pyjama and borrowed a shirt from Pankaj jain. This was the only clothing I was left with. I was shivering and was having severe headache as I had not eaten any food for last several hours due to lack of toilet facilities. The camp leader promptly issued me a sleeping bag, and later a blanket also, at my request. It made me feel cozy, which was a great relief. I did not step out of the tent as it was cold and windy outside and with these clothes, I was bound to get sick and get wet the only dry clothes left with me if stepped out. At 4 pm, tea and Pakora were served. At 5 pm, tomato soup was served but I was sleeping in my sleeping bag and recovering. At 6 pm, dinner was served. Pankaj and tent-mates helped me in bringing the dinner for me in my tent, which comprised of Loki subzi, roti, papad and guess what ! Gulab Jamun ! The cook was Shiva from Delhi (works with Seven Seas caterers in Delhi). Amit and Aman skipped the dinner, they were also shivering. We were 9 persons in our tent. Each member was given one sleeping bag but no blanket. At my request, the camp leader gave one blanket for me and one for Aman, as our condition was not good.

We slept with the thought that if weather remain this harsh tomorrow also, then we will skip the next camp and go directly to Barseni which is about 3 hour trek from here and from there take a bus to the base camp Kasol which is one hour bus journey from Barseni. 

Day 8 : 2^nd June 2014 Monday : Biskeri to Bandak thatch

At 6.15 am, I woke up by the rays of the sun kissing our tent. Everybody got elated on seeing the bright sunshine after bracing bad weather yesterday. It eventually turned out to be a bright sunny day ! Few members who had decided to end the trek and go directly to Kasol, like us, changed their mind on seeing bright sun. We all took out our wet clothes and belongings and spread out on the grass and on the tents for drying under the sun. It presented the view of a relief camp.

The sun, in literal sense, changed all of us. I realized the importance and power of sunshine. Many answered nature’s call after two days, in the open near to snow patch behind bushes and trees. The mobile signal was available here but no electricity, as usual. The dinner, which I unwillingly took in the night, did wonder. My headache was gone and I felt rejuvenated again in the sun. I freshen up, washed face and took some snaps. I and Amit sat with yesterday’s guides Om Prakash etc who were going to leave shortly for Biskeri Top to fetch the next group.

At 8.30 am, the breakfast was served which comprised of poori, aloo subzi, sevian and tea. There was a water stream nearby. Two pipes from nearby glacier piece catered to  washing etc. It was a good camp site with wonderful close view of snow clad mountains with tall trees surrounding the camp. 

At 10.45 am, after sufficiently drying our clothes and belongings, we started from the Biskeri camp. Our guides were Tara Mani and Tulsi Ram (both from village Pulga). It was a steep descent all the way for 2 hours upto the lunch point. After some time, we climbed down through terrace stepping in the fields. We spotted pink colored flowers called Fshanter on small trees / jhad, which were prominent in this area. We crossed a deserted dera on the way. We crossed water stream / nallah at  various places. Mr. Moon singh Rathore (camp leader at Ming Thatch) was also accompanying us from Ming thatch. This region has Tosh and Kayal trees in abundance. These look like Devdar tree. Kayal tree produces oil which is used for burning.

At about 1 pm, at the lowest point on this route, we came down by rappling for about 40 ft between the rocks using a rope tied there by YHAI. After rappling, we landed at the foot of a big nallah, which we crossed by a temporary bridge made of 3 wooden logs tied together across the nallah. Then we climbed up where the local villager Krishna and her son Brij Lal from Pulga village had put up a temporary stall. I and Amit relished sweet curd lassi here, made locally out of fresh cow milk. It was so refreshing. We sipped five glass each. She charged Rs.10/- per glass. This was our lunch point.

At 2 pm, we started from the lunch point. The up and down journey took us through the jungle trail which was obstructed by fallen tree trunks at few places. We crossed over fallen trees. After about 45 min from lunch point, we came across a steep inclined trail almost about 50 degrees running about 60 mtr in length. We then passed through a long dusty frozen glacier, beneath which water stream was flowing.

Last 40 minutes were a steep ascent of about 45 degrees which was really strenuous, after so many hours of descent.

At 4.15 pm, we reached the next camp Bandak Thatch, which is at an altitude of 9000 ft. It turned out to be the most beautiful camp site. It is sometimes also called the Switzerland of India. It is a very large meadow spread over hundreds of acres in the mountains, totally lush green, surrounded by snow mountains on all sides. The tents, pitched in lush green grounds, presented a beautiful view. Cows, buffalos, sheaps and goats were grazing in the ground. Many water streams, in parallel, were passing through the meadow.  Some members played gilli danda, some played Frisbee. Some just sit and relaxed. All enjoyed the sunshine. The cow dung was littered everywhere in green fields. At about 6.45 pm, the sun went down and it suddenly became cold.

At 7 pm, the tomato soup was served, which as usual worked as tonic. At 7.30 pm, we were issued the sleeping bag and blanket and then the dinner was served. There was no camp leader at this camp and hence Subhash (cook from Delhi) substituted for the camp leader. We were getting mobile signal here but no electricity. At 8 pm, several members sang songs in the big tent made available by subhash as it was cold outside. I, Amit and Pankaj gossiped in tent and went to sleep. In the night at about 2 pm, I and Pankaj saw starry sky and could even spot milky way partially.

Day 9 : 3^rd June 2014 Tuesday : Bandak thatch to Barseni to Kasol

We woke up at 7 am. The sun rays had already kissed our campus area by then. Members answered nature’s call downward in the woods after crossing the open ground. At 7.15 am, the breakfast was served which comprised parantha, pickle and tea. No packed lunch was given today.

At 8.30 am, we all started from the Bandak thatch camp. Subhash led the way for us for about half km. There is no guide today and we have to reach our next destination following the arrow marks on trees and rocks. We climbed down the distance which we had climbed up during last lag yesterday.  It was all down and down. The descent was very steep. Mukesh Parmar ji (from Rajasthan, 09414206388) who enthralled us with beautiful rendition of songs during the entire trek, was feeling pain in his left knee while climbing down.

We passed through village Tulka. There are three villages here : Pulga, Kalga and Tulka. The foreigners frequent the village Pulga where many guest houses have come up over the years (15 years back, the YHAI camp used to be at Pulga). On the way, a Hydel power project and dam by NHPC was under construction by a contractor Patel Engineering.  Just after crossing the village and project site, was Barseni village.

At 12 pm, we reached Barseni bus stand. I and Amit took lassi. The bus started at 12.10 pm (the bus comes generally every hour). We 27 members boarded the bus, the remaining had not yet reached the bus stand and they will catch the next bus. Barseni to Manikaran is 16 km and bus ticket cost Rs.25/- per person.

At 1 pm, we reached Manikaran. Three members got down here to take hot water spring bath. After waiting for passengers, the bus started again at 1.30 pm for Bhuntar via Kasol. Manikaran to Kasol is 4 km and bus ticket cost Rs.5/- per person.

At 2 pm, we got down at Kasol base camp. We 24 members entered the basecamp amidst chanting of our group slogan. We were welcomed by Mr. Mool singh Rathore, Moon Singh Rathore, Balaji and other camp leaders at base camp. We were allotted tents. I took refund of Rs.800/- from Diwanji as I had paid for the bus tickets for all the members.

I, amit and aman went to the market and searched for a good hotel. Though we could stay in the tents in basecamp tonight, but we were fed up of staying in tents and wanted to roam about in Kasol like a tourist and see its night life, which was not possible had we stayed in basecamp. At 3 pm, we returned to basecamp. The rest of the members including our group leader Shoban had not yet returned and so our luggage which was buried under their luggage in the cloak room could not be taken out. They came at about 5 pm. We collected our luggage from the cloak room and returned the YHAI rucksack and sleeping sheet. All filled in the check out form and feedback form and collected the Trek completion certificate. Madhav, young boy who knows French and doing course in Tourism, working as camp leader at basecamp, helped us in this entire process. I stuffed all my belongings in my rucksack. Few members of our group bid good bye and left for their respective abodes.

At 7 pm, I, Amit and aman shifted to Purnima Guest House (Pankaj jain stayed in basecamp), which was next to the basecamp. Infact, from back side of camp, one can just cross through the barbed wire and enter the Guest house. It had fairly good spacious rooms having attached bathroom and toilet with geyser. We took one room (Room no.103 on Gr flr) with one extra bedding/mattress, for Rs.700/-. I put on my mobile after 9 days and put the camera battery for charging. I took bath after so many days and felt refreshing.

I, aman and Amit strolled in the market to find out a place to relax and unwind. Aman went to a cyber café to do some pending works. I, amit took food in Evergreen Restaurant, which is one of the best restaurants here in Kasol. The Food in Kasol is comparatively cheaper. The food for two of us, which comprised 1 malai kofta, 1 garlic naan and 2 tandoori roti, costed only Rs.180/- ! Then we walked back towards our guest house, to Yerpa Restaurant and Bar. The interior was superb and it could beat any ‘A’ rated restaurant and pub of Delhi. We took 60 ml pegs of smirinoff vodka, masala papad and cheese onion mushroom pizza. It remains open till 12.30 am. So many foreigners could be seen in the restaurant.

At about 11 pm, we returned to the Guest house. To our pleasant surprise, 21 members of our group were sitting in the lawn of the guest house and were having food, snacks and drinks. Aman was also with them. We joined them. Some of them were staying in the same guest house and some were staying in nearby guest house. We dispersed at 2 am in the night. It was one of the unforgettable night. We enjoyed the songs by Mukesh ji.

At 2.30 am, we went to sleep.

Day 10 : 4^th June 2014 Wednesday : Kasol to Delhi

We got up at 9 am in the Purnima Guest house. I shaved after 10 days and took bath. At 12 pm, we checked out of the Guest house and kept our luggage at the reception thereof. I, amit and aman went to Little Italy restaurant which is a famous food joint here. One can have a view of the main market and road of Kasol from here. We took pizza, burger, grilled cheese sandwich, strawberry lassi here. The food was delicious.

Pankaj jain came there. With him, we went to YHAI basecamp and said good bye to shri Mool singh Rathore, Moon singh rathore, Bala, Madahv and other camp leaders.

At 3 pm, we stood outside the basecamp on the main road to catch the bus to Bhuntar. At 3.25 pm, we waived hands and boarded bus outside Yhai. At 3.45 pm, our bus reached Jari. At 4.40 pm, our bus reached Bhuntar bus stand. We got down here. We walked to office of Swagatam tours, opp Bhuntar Post office. We confirmed our Delhi tickets here. He informed that bus has already started from Manali and may reach about 6.15 pm here. We walked past fruit shops. We sat in a eatery and took cold drink and chips. We watched movie in the office of tour operator. At 6.40 pm, the Volvo bus (Anmol Travels/bus no. 3431) arrived.

At 6.45 pm, the Volvo bus started.

At 9.30 pm, it halted for 45 min at a dhaba at Sundrnagar for dinner.

Day 11 : 5^th June 2014 Thursday : Delhi

At 6.30 am, the Volvo bus reached ISBT, Delhi. We all got down. Aman’s father picked us in his car.

At 7 am, I reached home.

Another good trek came to an end.

Important points and tips :

# During the entire trek, my Sony Walkman MP3 came very handy. Wherever we rested or halted for a long time, I listened to my favorite songs on it which instantly transported me to an altogether different world in conjunction with the beautiful view around me.

# Though almost everyone in our group was a singer in his or her own right, I would like to make a special mention about two girls – Rini and Mridula. These two bubbly girls were the ‘FM Radio’ of our group and never got tired of singing songs continuously during trek and kept us all enthralled by their rendition of beautiful songs throughout the trek.

# As we climb higher and higher, the prices of food items go on increasing, which is quite understandable.

# As told by the camp leader M.B. Bala, one of the way to protect from cold in mountains is to take 1 spoon of honey everyday after dinner there and so purchase 250 gm of honey. If feeling hungry, then take 2 pcs of Threptin biscuits, they will substitute for the food. Similar function is performed by Horlicks tablets.

# There is no electricity in any of the camps on Sar Pass route. The first two camps have no mobile signal while the next 4 camps have mobile signal.

# When moving to higher camps, put all clothings and articles in separate polythene bags and then put these bags in the rucksack, to prevent them from getting wet.

# While walking in snow and while climbing, ensure that you have a stick with you. While sliding in snow, keep all belongings secured under the rucksack under zip as these may get lost in snow during sliding.

# For protection from rain and snowfall, take a proper and effective rain coat / poncho.

# Keep weight of the articles in your rucksack to the minimum. After all, you have to carry this weight. The lesser the weight, the more the comfort.

# I have given the contact numbers and email addresses of various camp leaders and guides, wherever possible. More information about a particular camp or route can be requested from them.

Mobile App for all your questions and queries related to Indian law

Dear friends,

Here is the link to the Mobile app developed out of my book COURTS POLICE AUTHORITIES AND COMMON MAN, which answers all your basic queries about Indian law and Legal system in very user-friendly manner. This app is called 'Indian Law' and is available on google play store for download. You can also download it at following link :


https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sgsolicitors.indianlaw

Sunil Goel advocate B.Sc. L.Lb L.Lm

Travelogue : My Leh Ladakh Journey in July-August 2013

Leh Ladakh tour (July-August 2013)

For a long time, I was feeling the urge to go back to ladakh region once again (after my first visit to the region in September 2006) and soak in the same air and view the remarkable and breathtaking scenery. Also, on last occasion, I had taken photographs with my Nokia mobile which were not very good and I wanted to take better photographs (using my Sony digital camera having higher resolution). There was one more incentive…guess what ! One participant Mr. Rohit Agarwal (an advocate by profession like me) is a regular traveller to said area and has travelled on his bike every inch of Ladakh region in about 18-19 excursions and was thus well aware of the terrain and all the do’s and dont’s for this strenuous and once-in-a-lifetime journey.

We 7 persons, thus got together, and decided in May 2013 to set sailing for the trip on 27^th July 2013. We seven were Sunil Goel (myself), Amit Burman, Rohit Agarwal, Vanita, Maithili, Gita, Harshdeep.

We hired two vehicles – one Toyota Innova and one Mahindra Xylo car. Since the terrain in Leh Ladhakh area is rough and tough, it is advisable to take comparatively new car and not old model. Only few cars like Innova, Xylo, Scorpio are able to withstand the jerks of the uncertain terrain of that region. It is also advisable to take vehicle which does not have taxi number and instead has a private registration number as the locals, I was told, create problems for the taxis of other States and insist on taking their taxi.

Two three days before starting our journey, Vanita and Maithili purchased some food articles like biscuits, toffees, snacks, etc. which were to be used by us over the next 10 days.

27^th July 2013 Saturday : Delhi to Dalhousie

Vanita and Maithili, in Innova with driver Kaalu, from Gurgaon, reached my home at dawn at about 5.30 am. By 6 am, we were at the Mukarba chowk bypass where we waited for the other car to join us. Rohit, Amit and Gita were in that car (Xylo, driven by Vipin). They reached at around 6.45 am. It started drizzling. We started our journey on the National Highway No.1 (GT Road). Our destination for today was Dalhousie.

We passed through Sonepat, Panipat, had breakfast at Karnal at 9 am, Ambala, Gobindgarh, Ludhiana, Phagwara, Jalandhar, Pathankot. We reached Pathankot at 4.20 pm. After Pathankot, we passed through zig zag hilly area which had lots of boarding schools. We crossed Dhar, Banikhet and then reached Dalhousie at 6.45 pm. The xylo picked up Harshdeep (Lt. col. in army) on the way near Pathankot.

In Dalhousie, we stayed at Mehar’s Hotel (near Gandhi Chowk), which is owned by the family of the famous painter late Mr. Manjeet Singh Bawa and his brother Mr. Surjit Singh Bawa (who is a known trekker and still active at the age of 80 years) now runs the same. It is a heritage property. It was a simple hotel but a spacious one, being one of the oldest hotels of Dalhousie. Its telephone numbers are 01899-242179, 240524 and website is www.meharhotel.com. The mobile numbers of Mr. Sukhdev S.Bawa are 9736083706, and Delhi number is 9871031274.

We took three rooms (Rs.1075/- for Double Bedroom, Rs.1815/- for Family Suit), walked to the market nearby and in the night, we had dinner in the open with introduction of each other and socializing.
At 10.30 pm, we went to sleep.

28^th July 2012 Sunday : Dalhousie to Bairagarh

I got up at 6 am. Took morning tea and enjoyed the pleasant weather of Dalhousie listening songs on my sony MP3 and walked the mall road.  

At 10 am, we started from the hotel. Crossed Lakadmandi. We went upto Dainakund, which has army checkpost beyond which it is prohibited for civilians to go. It has Asia’s largest communication tower put up by the army.

We reached Khajjiar at about 11.40 am. We took photographs, enjoyed the scenery and after half hour, we started again for our destination.

At 5.30 pm, we reached Bairagarh (Tehsil Churah, District Chamba, Himachal Pradesh). It was a hilly ride after Khajjiar upto Bairagarh, passing through some really mesmerizing sceneries.

Normally, the two routes followed by people to go to Leh are  : Manali-Keylong-Jispa-Leh and Srinagar-Leh. We took the third route which is non-conventional and comparatively tougher route i.e. Dalhousie-Khajjiar-Bairagarh-Sach Pass-Keylong-Jispa-Leh.

In Bairagarh, we stayed at Mannat Home Stay owned by one Rakesh Kumar (Mobile no. : 09459063244, 09857793744). It had 5 rooms. We hired 3 rooms for Rs.600/- each. It’s a small village having 2-3 home stays (Guest house) and also a PWD rest house. We met there Mr. Surjit Singh Bawa, owner of hotel Mehar. We walked to a shiv mandir nearby and sat there overlooking the valley.  As it started getting darker, we walked back to our guest house and took snacks etc with art of living at the terrace of the house and then the dinner at 8.30 pm. The dinner was simple – rice, dal and subzi. The non-veg participants had a field day. The vegetarian people like me have to compromise on food in this region. It was a little cooler here at night. It was calm and quiet and a good place to stay for those who love nature. At 10 pm, we went to sleep.

29^th July 2013 Monday : Bairagarh to Sach Pass to Shour village
Our planned destination today was Keylong and today was going to be a hectic day. We prayed to God that let there be no rains because the route is totally uphill and dusty for most of the part and if it rains, it will become muddy which will make the vehicle to slip, which apart from escalating danger, will also take much more time to cover the route.

At 5 am in the morning, we got up. Took tea. At 6.15 am, we started from the Mannat Guest house. On the way, the view was simply mesmerizing, with fountains and water falls dotting the entire route.

After about 3 hour of uphill journey, we reached Sach Pass at 9 am which is at an altitude of 14,500 ft. It was 31 km from Bairagarh. It was very cold here and snow was spread everywhere.

At every pass, there is a small structure in the form of a tiny mandir housing photo of Lord Shiva. We paid our homage there and then proceeded ahead. We descended. We saw 8-9 feet high walls of snow on both sides of the route at 2-3 places. It looked as if we are passing through tunnel of snow.

                                           

It was a dusty path, with lots of dust being blown due to the movement of vehicles. We had to constantly roll our vehicle’s windows up and down. There were not many vehicles on this route as it is non-conventional route and mostly locals use this route. Unfortunately, a nut of the shocker of Xylo car fell somewhere.  Due to this, we had to drive the xylo at lower speed, this wasted a lot of time today.

At 11.15 am, we reached plain area. Took cuppa noodle, bhurji etc at a camp there. It was getting too hot here.

At 3.30 pm, we reached village Kilad in Pangi valley district. Took lunch at a dhaba here. At 5 pm, we reached Finduri Seri village by travelling by the side of Chandrabhaga river. The xylo shocker was got repaired here and at 5.40 pm, we again started.

We had already lost a lot of time due to slow speed of the vehicle and it became clear that we would not be able to reach Keylong today. So we decided to go as far as we can to a place worth staying.

After crossing village Cherry (Division Kilad, Sub-division Sach) and village Purti at 7 pm, we reached Village Shour at 7.25 pm. It was getting dark and it was not possible to travel further in dark on this dangerous route. So, we decided to stay here. We spotted Forest Rest house. We met the caretaker Mr. Tulsiram and explained our requirement. But he told that he can not allow us to stay unless we have prior booking ! After a lot of persuasion, he agreed. However, there was no water for cooking food or for freshening up. Some of us went to the village and brought water in buckets. We had to sleep without having any dinner.

30^th July 2013 Tuesday : Village Shour to Keylong to Jispa

We got up at 5 am. Could not sleep properly the previous night. There was no arrangement for water, so could not use toilets and could not get food. It was a very small village and we could not spot any dhaba here. Moreover, it was early morning. We managed by eating bananas and snacks stored in our cars. We waited for about 1 ½ hours for starting our onward journey as we were told that some blasting was going on on the route after about 2-3 km for road widening. I switched to sitting in Xylo today.

At about 7.15 am, we reached a bridge over a nalla dividing Pang valley and Lahaul valley. Now, we were entering from Pangi valley to Lahaul valley. We noticed that the Innova car could not be seen anywhere at the back. Infact, there was no one else on this route. After waiting for them for sometime, we went backwards by about 1 ½ km when we found them. They told that Innova’s tyre had punctured and they had to fix it. 

It was a very beautiful view all around. There were some many small and large waterfalls emerging from nowhere in the mountains. Not only this, there were so many fountains (jharna and nalla) on the way. At some places, the nalla was crossing the road / route and our car had to drive through water. The road was swept away by the nalla at some places. At about 10.15 am, we reached a spot where a big nalla was crossing the road. We managed to drive through it and sat at this spot for ½ hour and enjoyed the scenery. We were told that earlier, there were two dangerous nala on this route but now the same have been diverted to some extent and therefore their impact is not felt much while travelling on this route.

At about 11.15 am, we reached a village (called Udaipur !) and had breakfast there. After travelling about 10 km from here, we reached a point where there was a road going to Trilokinath Dham Temple which was 6 km from the said point. We decided to visit this temple. We reached there after 20 minutes drive. It was a unique temple in that here Lord Shiva is present and is worshipped in Buddhist style ! The temple had huge prayer wheel and many such small wheels and colourful prayer flags.

These all are peculiar to Buddhist temples and monastries. It signified that we were now entering the Ladakh region.  A board on a Health Centre outside the temple showed that we were in Lahaul Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.  After spending 15 min there, we started from the temple at about 1.15 pm.

At about 3.30 pm, we reached Tandi. We deviated a bit from the route (instead of going straight to keylong) to get filled fuel in our vehicles. You may be surprised to know that there is only one petrol pump in this entire region and that is in Tandi. It is run by Indian Oil Corporation. The next petrol pump is 365 km away, in Leh !    I took photograph in front of the board at the petrol pump certifying this bizarre fact. Tandi is 46 km from Udaipur, 22 km from Sissu, 37 km from Koksar, 57 km from Rohtang top, 74 km from Marhi, 108 km from Manali, 437 km from Chandigarh and 685 km from Delhi. Tandi is also the junction point of blue waters of Chandra river and green water of Bhaga river, resulting in Chandrabhaga river which later becomes Chenab river.  From Tandi, Keylong is 7 km, Stingri is 13 km, Jispa is 30 km, Darcha is 37 km, Zingzingbar is 67 km, Baralacha La is 82 km, Kilingsarai is 94 km, Sarchu is 116 km and Leh is 372 km. 

At Tandi, we got our car fuel tanks filled to the full as well as got filled extra diesel in four 20 litre cans for emergency and continued with our onward journey.  We reached Keylong in half an hour. We tried to search for some dhaba to eat food but it was already about 4.30 pm and all dhabas had closed. Luckily, we managed to get some rice, roti and subzi in one dhaba. Three of us got head massage at a barber shop here.

At about 6.45 pm, we reached Jispa and searched for accommodation. There are only two options for accommodation here – one is Ibex hotel and other is PWD run Guest house. Though Ibex was a little costly but it had better rooms, toilets, even TVs in the rooms and we ultimately finalized it.  Village Jispa is the last village in Lahaul & Spiti District of Himachal Pradesh. Thereafter, Ladakh region starts.  The hotel is located in picturesque location, with river flowing nearby against the backdrop of mountains. This Hotel Ibex (Phone : 01900-233203, Mobile : 9418625414) is in Village Jispa, P.O. Gemur, Tehsil Keylong, District Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.

We took three rooms in the Ibex hotel (@ Rs.1200/- each). We took showers.  In the evening, at about 8 pm, we took dinner in the hotel. It was a little cold here. We went to sleep at about 10 pm as tomorrow was again going to be a hectic (but wonderful) journey. 

31^st July 2013 Wednesday : Jispa to Leh

At about 6 am in the morning, we started from Ibex Hotel, Jispa. After about half hour journey, we reached a small lake. It was a beautiful view to see reflection of mountains and rising sun in the lake. There was a small motorized boat chained there but we could not spot anyone as it was too early in the morning. But we could not resist clicking ourselves in front of the lake.

We continued with our onward journey. We bypassed Patsio. The view around us dramatically started changing. The views started becoming more and more beautiful. We passed by Army checkpost at about 7 am. The mountains and scant greenery on mountains, with black tar road in serpentine cutting across mountains in zig-jag manner, presented a collage of colours. At about 7.30 pm, We passed through Surajtal which is a small lake. We reached highest point on the mountain. There was huge snow by the side of the road. Snow patches could also be seen all around on distant mountains. Ironically, the sun was getting hotter but the wind was cooler. I was feeling as if some movie was being played in 4-D around me and I was watching it from my moving car. It was difficulty to find any private vehicle on the route, though we had to pass by trucks quite often.

At about 9.15, the view again started changing. We could notice the sand formations (in the shape of damru and human faces) all over at a distance from the road, between the dried river and the plain grounds at the bottom of the mountains.

We crossed over a bridge. Thereafter, the jurisdiction of Himank started. We took meals at a small restaurant called T. Dolma restaurant. This place is called Sarchu. Leh was still 251 km from here.

We moved on. The journey became more uphill and the oxygen level in the air also started coming down. I would like to caution here that in mountains, people generally suffer from Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Giddiness and vomiting are two main symptoms thereof. This is because of depletion of oxygen level in our body due to scant vegetation and low level of oxygen in this region. To avoid the same, one must drink lots of fluids (water, juices) at regular intervals. Avoid drinking cold drinks as the same are carbonated and increases carbon dioxide level in the body. One must also avoid taking larger quantity of alcohol in these high altitude regions as the same reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of lungs. The views all around were mesmerizing and awesome. One has to be there to feel it, it can not be explained in words. At about 11.45 am, we crossed Brandy bridge, which is under the maintenance by BRO (Border Roads Organisation). At about 12.25 pm, we reached Gata loops. This is a wide angle point from where one can see the road downwards in the form of several loops. In all, there are 21 loops. This is at an altitude of 15302 Feet  (4667 Mtrs).

As we moved on, we noticed certain bikers zipping past from opposite side one by one. It gave a very thrilling feeling to me to watch them against the backdrop of imposing hills and mountains presenting a picturesque view. I also noticed a couple from a foreign country riding on independent bicycles with their rucksacks and belongings. This route i.e. Keylong/Jispa to Leh is most saught after route in the world and is heaven for those who love to drive, particularly bikes. The roads are so good (at most of the places) that one can not resist the temptation of driving. The other car (Innova) which was carrying Vanita, Maithili and Amit was way behind and we had not seen them for a long time now. (Later, we found that Vanita had serious breathing problem due to high altitude and they borrowed oxygen cylinder from an army camp on the way).

At 1 pm, we reached Nakeela Pass. It is at an altitude of 15547 Feet. A pass is the highest point on any mountain. Thereafter, we started the descent to reach the plain area and then to again start ascent on next mountain.

At 1.40 pm, we reached La-Chulungla pass (‘La’ means Pass in Ladakhi language).  It is at an altitude of 16616 feet. The rock formations, in different shapes (including like human faces), became more pre-dominant on the mountains at a distance from the road. We noticed bikers at several places.

At about 4.30 pm, we reached a plain area which seemed to be out of this world. There was valley on one side, with different hues, shades and colours. From here, was starting black tar road which seemed to be ending nowhere, with plains and mountains on both sides. The road was very good. At about 6.10 pm, after driving through this beautiful road journey, we reached TaglangLa pass. It is at an altitude of 17582 feet. Each pass is characterized by a small temple and different colored flags tied on ropes, which are very common in Leh Ladakh region.

At about 8 pm in the night, we reached Leh which is at an altitude of 3470 mtrs. Rohit knew of a guest house where he has stayed in the past. It is called Paul Guest house (Phone : 01982-252650, 9906990211, 9906997104). It was in a lane in the main market.

The other car also came after some time. Vanitaji was really very sick. Seeing her condition, we decided to rest in Leh tomorrow for her to recover. We took food and went to sleep. 

1^st August 2013 Thursday : sightseeing in Leh

We got up at 7.30 am in the morning. After a sound sleep, we all were feeling refreshed after yesterday’s arduous journey.  We took bath. At 11.30 am, we reached office of Deputy Commissioner-cum-Chief Executive Officer LAHDC (Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council), Leh which issue the permits for going to other places (Khaltsi / Nubra / Changthang) in Leh-Ladakh region (cost : Rs.3060/- for permit for 7 persons). We got issued the permits for Nubra valley. We got prepared several photocopies of permits as well as our photo Identity –cards outside from a shop. It is very important, as you will not find at photocopier facility once you go out of Leh. You will have to submit photocopies of permits at various check posts on the way. In the application form for the issuance of permit, do not forget to mention names of all the places which you intend to visit and the period of your visit to such places. Thereafter, we took brunch in Lamayuru restaurant in the Leh market (Bill : Rs.1250/- for 7 persons). Returned to hotel at 1.30 pm.  Thereafter, we strolled in the market.

At 4 pm, we started in our car on Leh-Srinagar highway NH-1. We reached Magnetic hills (Project Vijayak of BRO) which is  29 km from leh. It was a surprise point. It is said that the mountains here have magnetic power. If you turn off the engine of your vehicle and keep it in neutral mode, even then it starts moving by the magnetic force of the mountains around. I personally tried this and found it to be true ! Then on return, we went to Gurudwara Pathar Sahib which is just 2 km away from this spot. This emergence of this Gurudwara is connected with an incident of Guru Nanak Dev ji.

While returning towards Leh, at about 6.30 pm, we reached Pethub / Spithub Gompa of Spituk monastry. There was a Kali mata mandir on top of the gompa. We had a beautiful view of the airport strip from here. At 7 pm, we started from there. We got the fuel tank of our Xylo car topped up on the way (as the petrol pumps in Leh town are always overcrowded, which consume more time). At 7.15 pm, we reached Hall of Fame but it was closed at 7 pm.

At 7.45 pm, we reached Shanti stupa which is situated on a hill. There were flood lights here, which facilitated us to view this place even in night. From here, one can have the view of the entire Leh town.  Leh is at an altitude of 3470 mtr. The highest petrol pump here is at a height of 10500 ft.  People here spend 4 months in Leh, 4 months in Goa and rest of the time of the year at their hometown.

At 8.30 pm, we returned to our hotel.

At 9 pm, we went to Leh View Restaurant which is on the terrace of a building in the market. We took bear, snacks and dinner. It was last day of Vanitaji here as she had not recovered and she had decided to go back home. She is boarding 7 am flight tomorrow morning to Delhi.

At 10.30 pm, we reached back hotel. We gossiped and socialized.

At 12.30 am, we went to sleep.

2^nd August 2013 Friday : Leh to Khardungla to Hunder

At 5.30 am in the morning, Amit dropped Vanita ji at the airport.

After taking bath, we checked out (cost : Rs.4200/- for three rooms for one night)  and started from the hotel at 8 am in the morning. We took tea, samoae and pakode at a dhaba in the market and started for Khardungla at 8.30 pm. Khardungla is 39 km from leh. We purchased some khubani  (fruit) from the market.

At 9.30 am, we reached South pullu. There is a Traffic control post here which is at an altitude of 15300 ft. It is said that wherever you start feeling AMS in the mountains due to altitude, start smelling camphor (kapur, used in puja). It gives you refreshing feeling and maintain the oxygen level. I myself tried and found it really effective ! Many bikers passed by us on the way.

At a point about 1 km before khardungla pass, the road was blocked due to huge boulders on road due to blasting for road widening which were being cleared by a road cleaning tractor machine. Long queue of vehicles piled up on both the sides. It wasted about 3 hrs. I started feeling giddiness. We started again at 12 pm.

At 12.30 pm, we reached Khardungla top. It is at an altitude of 18380 ft ( 5602 Mtr). There was a huge rush of vehicles, army trucks, bikes  and people had gathered. It was looking like a colony. We clicked pictures here. This is world’s highest motorable road. From here, North Pullu is 14 km, Khalsar is 56 km, Nubra Sand Dunes are 86 km and Siachen  Base camp is 164 km. We took the famous tea in the canteen here run by army. It was cold here and we could see traces of snow on the mountains around. 

After spending about an hour, at 1.40 pm, we started our descent from Khardungla top.  At 2.20 pm, we reached North Pullu which is 14 km from Khardungla top. At 2.45 pm, we reached Khardung village. We took some food (Bhurji) here. At 3.25 pm, we again started. At 4.15 pm, we passed by vill Khalsar. After just few minutes (7 km), we reached a point from where two routes were emerging. From here, one route is going to Sumur (20 km), Panamik (48 km), Sasoma (63 km) and Siachen Base camp (110 km). The other route is going to Diskit (15 km), Hunder (22 km), Pratappur (27 km), Thoise (35 km) and Turtuk (95 km).

We took the route to Diskit and Hunder. After some time, the scene started changing from rocky mountain to green fields. As we were approaching Diskit, we saw a monastery atop a hill. We then came across a sand desert on our right side visible from our car. For a moment, it appeared as if we were in Rajasthan. The sand looked like that of Rajasthan’s desert. There was a sandstorm, peculiar to that of Rajasthan. We had to roll up the windows of our cars. The desert signified that we are about to reach Diskit.

At 5 pm, we reached Diskit. We took tea in a roadside stall. The reflection of the mountains and the little greenery in the small water bodies looked very fascinating.

At 6 pm, we reached Hunder (situated in Nubra Valley). It is a nice place. It is basically green plains surrounded by rocky mountains. We searched for some decent guesthouse. Eventually, we finalised a farmhouse type house being run by local couple. It is called Olgok Homestay Guest house. It is at an altitude of 3070 mtrs. The owner’s name is Zahoor Ahmed (Mobile : 9469177357, Phone : 01980-221092). Its address is Hunder, Nubra – 194401, Leh Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir. The concept of Homestay (like paying guest) is popular in ladakh. We bargained for 3 rooms for a total of Rs. 3000 per day. We performed Art of living in the open amidst wind. It was a good view all around. There were Poplar(i.e. safeda) trees in the complex. These are in abundance in this area.

At 9 pm, we took dinner : dal, rice, sabzi and salad. At 11 pm, we went to sleep. I felt uneasiness while sleeping, partly because of snoring by Amit and partly due to my low oxygen level, I guess.

3^rd August 2013 Saturday : Hunder to Turtuk to Hunder

We got up at 7 am in the morning. Took breakfast : milk, toast, butter and jam. The Guest house owner was a thorough gentleman and was very cooperative and hospitable.

At 9 am, we started from the guest house. We enjoyed Double hump Camel ride at the designated spot nearby (cost : Rs.180 per person for 15 min). The view was awesome and picturesque. Thoise, which is the route to Siachin, is 15 km from here and Turtuk is 77 km from here.

At 10.30 am, we started for Turtuk. At 11.45 am, we passed by vill Changmar. We took photos on the way. At 11.55 am, we crossed Durga bridge. We crossed dusty river. At 12.15 pm, we reached police check post. We submitted one copy of permit here. We crossed Bogdang village. There was a school called Army Goodwill School here. At 12.45 pm, we crossed another bridge : Tejasavi Teen. We gave permit copy to TCP (Transit Camp Post) here. All these bridges are weak. Only one vehicle is allowed to pass at a time. 

At 1.30 pm, we reached Turtuk. It is a beautiful picturesque village. It is the last civilian village in the Indian territory.  After Turtuk, the territory of Pakistan starts. We headed to Rinchen Dwar which is the last army post in Next vilage Tyakshi. No public is allowed beyond this point.  The Army personnel here turned out to be very helpful. We went in the army camp and met Major, 2nd Lt. and Captain. The CO Col. Pendse came.  He was kind enough to offer us tea and cold drink. We six in army jeep went by zero road to OP1 i.e. army post bunker which is 5 km away. The actual line of control was just 10 ft from us !

At 3.15 pm, we started from the army camp and reached village Turtuk at 3.25 pm. We took lunch in a dhaba (cost :Rs.1500). We walked to the village and explored. There was a Masjid here. The Khubani (apricot) tree were everywhere. We could see panormic views of village houses and lushgreen fields against background of mountains valley and Shyok river. The entire view was simply out of this world. I can challenge that such a view has not yet been captured in any of the movies either by our Bollywood or even in any foreign movie.

At 5.25 pm, we started from vill Turtuk. At 7.20 pm, we passed by Thoise. There is a big army establishment incl air strip here. It is 15 km from Hounder.

At 7.45 pm, we returned to our Guest house in Hounder. We took bath and Art of living. At 9.30 pm, we took dinner cooked by the owner, his wife and daughter.  In most places, for vegetarians, the main and mostly only option is dal, chawal and omlette. I took a walk after dinner. We sat in open and gossiped. At 12, we went to sleep. Today also, I felt uneasiness in sleeping.

4^th August 2013 Sunday : Hunder to Leh

At 2.30 am, I got up as I could not sleep properly. I was feeling breathlessness. I walked inside the room. I passed time by arranging my rucksack for today. At 5 am, I did pranayam. I walked for about 25 min. Then I took bath.

At 8 am, we started from Olgok Guest House Hunder for Tangste via Leh. Leh is about 127 km from Hunder. At 8.50 am, we passed Khalsar. At 9.40 am, we crossed Khardung village. By the time we reached North Pallu, my condition worsened. I took oxygen for 5 minutes at army camp en-route. I was administered 4 lit oxygen per minute. I felt better. The person who attended on me that my oxygen level was perfectly normal ! One of the best thing in Leh Ladakh is that there are so many army posts on the way and they are always there to help you in case of medical or any other emergency.

At 11.25 am, we reached Khardungla top. After taking tea and pakodas here, we immediately started from there. At 1 pm, we reached leh. We straight went to Govt. Civil hospital (S.N.M. Hospital) to get myself checked up. I went to the OPD and met the doctor who checked me and prescribed medicine called Diamox (I had heard that though this medicine is best for AMS, but it also causes shortage of water in the body). However, by this time, I had started feeling better, probably because we had come down from the high altitude.

We took lunch at lamayuru restaurant in Leh. Then I, Amit and Mythili checked in at Paul Guest House and took two rooms. The other 3 members, who were in separate car, had not stayed at Leh and had gone further towards Changla and stayed at Tangste whereas we decided to stay at Leh so that we do not exert ourselves and I could stabilize overnight so as to take up further journey which was equally harsh.

I took rest and slept in the guest house till 6 pm. Then we went to Shanti stupa. Thereafter, we sat by the side of river Indus and enjoyed the evening fading into darkness. We came back to the guest house. We bought fruits on the way. At 9.30 pm, we took dinner at Happy World restaurant. There were too many foreigners all around. The weather was pleasant. The atmosphere made us feel as if we were sitting in some restaurant in Europe.

At 10.30, we walked to our guest house and went to sleep.

5^th August 2013 Monday : Leh to Changla Pass to Pangong Lake to Leh

I could not sleep properly today also. It seems I had lost the sleep. 
At 6 am, we started from Leh hotel. We got fuel tank of our Toyota Innova car topped up. We reached Karu in 25 min which is 40 km from Leh. We took tea and biscuits at Karu. Changla is 41 km from here. The weather cold and cloudy today. It rained in mountains. At 8 am, we passed Jingral check post.

At 8.30 am, we reached Changla pass top. It is at an altitude of 17586 feet (5360 Mtr). We were served complimentary tea by Indian army. We took photos. Spent half an hour here. The snow was littered all around. It was a little slippery as it was drizzling.

Then we descended the mountain and drove through rough terrain. At 10.35 am, we reached Tangste. Here we took omlate breakfast at a roadside eating point. Spent 15 min here.

At 11.30 am, we reached Pangong  Tso (‘Tso’ means lake). Here, we met our other three friends who had already reached here about one hour back. They were going to Chushul (which is comparatively harsh terrain)whereas we had decided to go back to Leh, particularly since we had our luggage lying in guest house at Leh.

It was a panormic view at Pangong. The view was beautiful and mesmerizing. Pangong lake is at an altitude of 14300 ft and is 154 km from Leh. The end of the famous hindi movie ‘3 Idiots’ was shot here three years back. We went ahead in car about 8-9 km to Spagmik village. Then we returned to Pangong and visited the Souvnier shop. There was nothing much to buy.

From Pangong, Leh is 154 km, Karu is 119 km, Srinagar is 589 km, Manali is 629 km and Delhi is 1200 km.

At 2.20 pm, we started from Pangong lake. At 4.35 pm, we crossed Changla pass top. At 5.40 pm, we reached Karu where our driver took tea. At about 6 pm, we entered Leh and sat by the side of Indus river. Our driver utilized time to wash the car with the river water.

At 7 pm, we reached Paul Guest house in Leh and took shower. We walked in the market and took dinner at Lamayuru restaurant. At 9.30 pm, we went to sleep. Today, I decided to sleep alone in room (Amit slept in separate room, with his snoring). It worked wonders to my sleep ! I got sound sleep after 3 days. I also took Alprax 0.25 tablet, just to make sure that I get sleep.

6^th August 2013 Tuesday : Leh to Kargil to Drass

We got up at 5.30 am and freshen up. At  7 am, we started from the guest house. We took breakfast at Punjab sweet house. Got filled diesel in the car.

We took Leh-Srinagar highway NH-1. Srinagar is about 440 km from Leh. Some film shooting was going on near Magnetic Hill. At 8.25 am, we crossed village Nimmu. At 8.55 am, we crossed Saspol. The River rafting (7 km)was  being done at a spot after that.

At 9.30 am, we crossed village Nurla. There were2-3 hotels here, one was named ‘Apricot Tree’. At one point, white water river stream meeting into muddy water river. Most of journey was alongside River Indus on our left side. At several places during entire expedition, I noticed Bihar Jharkhand labour force doing road clearing constructing and widening work. At 9.45 am, we crossed village Khaltsi. BRO's project Vijayank. 3 4 km after Khaltsi, there is diversion -  one way going to Kargil and the other to Batalik.

At 10.10 am, we reached a spot called Moonland. Here, the appearance of mountain is like moon surface -  yellow hue with rugged surface.

At 10.35 am, we crossed Lamayuru. There is a big monastry here. Its altitude is 11680 feet.

At 11 am, we crossed Fotula Pass. At an altitude of 13479 ft, it is the highest point on Leh-Srinagar highway. From here, Kargil is 105 km and Srinagar is 295 km.

At 11.30 am, we crossed Hanskot. At 11.50 am, we crossed Village Khangral at altitude of 11866 ft. We then crossed Namika La at an altitude of 12198 ft. At 12.36 pm, we crossed village Mulbek. At 1 pm, we crossed Darket village. At 1.30 pm, we crossed village pashkum Kargil.

At 1.50 pm, we reached Kargil. We took lunch at restaurant of Kargil Tourism Facilitation Centre. At 3 pm, we started from Kargil. But traffic route was blocked and jammed just outside kargil on highway as cloud burst had taken place here 3-4 days back and road was damaged. The labour were clearing debris from road. The road laying work was also going on. Our half hour was wasted.

At 4 pm, we crossed  vill. Chanigund. At 4.15 pm, we crossed  village Kharboo Drass. Now, the terrain started becoming greener. The naked mountains start becoming greener. As we inched closer to Drass, the cool breeze welcomed us. At 4.45 Pm, we reached village Bhimbhat. We walked to a tourist point and saw a stone which, by a legend, is believed to be Bhim’s body (one of the Pandava in Mahabharata) which is 1 km walk off the highway. At 5.15 pm, we reached War Memorial after 1 km on highway. At 5.55 pm, we started from War Memorial. We reached JK Tourism Tourist Bunglow Rest House in Drass which is 5 km away. We took 2 double  rooms @400 each (Caretaker : Saeed Ahmad). Drass is second coldest inhabited place in the world (in winters).

At 7 pm, we reached back War Memorial for dinner : dosa, vada, papdi chaat etc as only dal rajma chawal was available in Drass and we are tired of eating these. Dosa was not good. Kashmiri Kahwa (a type of tea) was good @Rs.15. At 8.30 pm, we reached back Tourist bunglow in Drass. At 10 pm, we went to sleep.

7^th August 2013 Wednesday : Drass to Zozila Pass to Sonmarg to Srinagar

At 1 am in night, I woke up and could not sleep thereafter.  At 7.30 am, we took breakfast in Ali restaurant opp our JK Tourism bunglow. At 8 am, we started from Drass for Srinagar. From Drass, Sonmarg is about 60 km and Srinagar is about 147 km.

At 8.20 am, we crossed Pandras village. At 8.40 am, we crossed Matiyan. At 8.45 am, we cleared Minamarg police post. At 9.05 am, we reached Zozila War Memorial at Gumiri. We spent 15 min here. We then crossed Gumiri. We started feeling chill as we were approaching Zozila pass which is at an altitude of 11649 ft. We crossed Zozila pass at 9.25 am. We did not realise when we crossed zozila pass. Only a overhead big green hoarding of BRO tells you that you are at zozila pass. The road condition was not very good after pass, though Road tiled at some stretches. Dusty bumpy ride for about 40 minutes. The camps of BalTal (Base for Amarnath yatra) down in valley was visible from the top.

At 10.16 am, we crossed TCP Baltal.

At 10.25 am, we reached Sonmarg. The Thajwas glacier is 6 km from highway. We took 3 horses (@Rs.500/- per horse). At 11 am, we three on horses travelled to a point near Glacier. Then walked 100 mtr upto Thajwas glacier. At the Glacier, we took photos. We started coming down after 20 min. It started raining. We took shelter in a tent of khanabadosh at 1 pm. We took tea there. Our horsewalah was waiting there. We waited for rain to stop.

At 1 pm we started back on horses. We reached point on highway where they dropped us at 2.15 pm. We paid them Rs. 1500. It was worth a ride.

We went to the restaurant in Hotel Sonmarg Palace nearby which also serve jain food ! No guest here but he agreed to make food for us. We chose to wait. We took lunch ( Rs.230).

At 2.45 pm, we started from Sonmarg. Srinagar is 83 km from Sonmarg. At 3.15 pm, we crossed Gund. At 3.45 pm, we crossed Kangan town. At 4.10 pm, we crossed Gunderbal.

At 4.30 pm, we reached Dal lake in Srinagar. At Ghat no.15 of the Dal Lake complex, we met Hamid. We were interested in houseboat not on roadside but deep inside in dal lake. He took us in shikara to show us houseboat called ‘Good Faith’. We liked it. The environment here was calm and serene. It wa almost the last houseboat. We reached gthere after 15 min ride after crossing streets of houseboats shops in dal lake. We negotiated rate to Rs.5400/- for full houseboat (having 3 bedrooms)for one night (including dinner, breakfast, shikara ride). The name of the owner of the ‘Good Faith’ houseboat was Gulam Mohmad Shoda. His Son’s name was Hamid. This houseboat’s address is Lotus Dal-Lake, Behind Nehru Park, PO Box No.49, Srinagar – 190001. Their telephone numbers are 0194-2453782, 2141137 and mobile number is 9419001401.

At 6 pm, we came back to Ghat no 15 by shikara. Met Rohit, Harshdeep and Geeta there who came via Nioma and Tso-moriri. We 6, in our cars, went to a place for Hot air balloon ride but it was not being flown. Only up down. We then went to Pari Mahal. We saw Chief Minister Omar Abdullah taking walk there. We viewed sunset from there.

At 8 pm, we returned to Ghat no. 15 of dal lake. We took shikara (3 passengers per shikara) and reached our Houseboat in 15 min. Art of living in houseboat. Then we took dinner at 10 pm, cooked by the owner’s family. At 11 pm, we went to sleep.

At 12.30 am in night, the power went off and fans stopped. We felt suffocation in the absence of fan. The houseboat owner, in the dead of night, went in a small boat and brought diesel for running generator and ultimately the fans of our rooms started. It was suffocating- Little chill but no air.

8^th August 2013 Thursday : Srinagar to Patnitop to Udhampur to Jalandhar to Delhi

At 4.50 am, I woke up in Good Faith House Boat. At 5.15 am, we six friends in 2 shikaras went to floating vegetable market. It is 2^nd such market in world, after Thailand. We took snaps.

At 7.15 am, we returned to the Houseboat and freshen up. We took breakfast : butter, jam, toast, paneer, tea.

At 8.45 am, Rohit, Harsh and Geeta left. Geeta wass extending her stay and going on 5 day trek of seven lakes with IndiaHikes from Sonmarg.

At 9.30, we three (me, amit, Mythili) started from the Houseboat. The shikara was brought by by ‘Dil ka Raja’. His shikara also carried this name. He was interesting character. He gave garland made out of lotus flower plant ! We reached the ghat. Rohit etc were still there.

At 10.10 am, we started from Ghat no. 15 of Dal Lake Srinagar. Our Innova car had completed journey of 2713 km upto here. It was too hot in srinagar. Today, we put on AC of car after 12 days.

At 10.45 am, we crossed Pampora : place where kesar flower is grown and cultivated. At 11 am, we crossed Avantipur ruins. At 11.15 am, we crosed Sangam. At 11.34 am, we crossed Bijbehera. At 11.39 am, we crossed  Batengoo Anantnag Kashmir. We took right turn at roundabout at Anantnag (The straight road was going to Pahalgam which was abt 60 km). From this turn, patnitop is 132 km, Katra is 232 km and Jammu is 242 km. We took Anantnag-Jammu Road. Anantnag is a district of Kashmir.

At 12.05 pm, we reached Qazigund. We purchased akhrot, badam, aam papad, jute jackets here. At 12.40 pm, we started again. The route was inclined up from here. At 1.15 pm, we crossed 2543 mtr long Jawahar Tunnel. Project Beacon. At 1.35 pm, we crossed Banihal, Distt Ramban. At 2.45 pm, we  stopped for lunch at Prem Punjabi Vaishno Dhaba at Siri (Rs.250). Ramban is 2 km from here. Udhampur is 86 km from here.

From Siri, we started again at 3.15 pm. At 3.50 pm, we crossed Batote. At 4.15 pm, we passed by Patnitop. It was pleasantly cool here - Fog and mist. At 4.27 pm, we crossed Kud. At 4.45 pm, we crossed Chaneni. At 5.30 pm, we passed Udhampur. I could not meet Vishwanand (teacher who lives in Udhampur and who met me 2 years back in Udhampur Trek) as driver took other road. Vishwanand was waiting for me at his house and had got made tea etc. I felt sorry for this.

From Udhampur, we took Samba Bypass instead of going to Jammu. It took us to Manrag, Mansa. We fed atta to fishes in Mansar lake.

At 7 pm, we started from mansar lake. At 7.35 pm, we touched Highway at Samba. At 8.25 pm, we crossed  Lakhanpur toll. At 9.15 pm, we stopped at Khubsurat Vaishno dhaba at a place in HP 7 km from pathankot. At 10 pm, we started.

I noticed that our driver Kaalu was feeling sleepy and was dozing off. Our car was going at speed of about 100 km per hour. Seeing this, I decided not to take risk, though he said he is fine and can continue driving to Delhi non-stop without sleeping. We thus break our journey and at 11.45 pm, we checked in at Hotel Majestic Grand, Jalandhar.

9^th August 2013 Friday : Delhi

After taking sleep for about 4 hours, we got up at 4.30 am. Without taking bath, we got ready, checked out from hotel and continued with our journey to Delhi. On the way, we took breakfast at some dhaba. After passing through Panipat, we reached Delhi at about 11 am in the morning. I got down at my house at Punjabi Bagh and the driver went ahead to drop Amit and Mythili.

Thus, another memorable, enchanting, fascinating, wonderful and mesmerizing trip came to an end. 

The Ladakhi religious structures in ascending order are Chorten, Gompa and Monastry. The flags of different colors- Blue, red, green, yellow and white – can be seen everywhere in Ladakh region. Prayers are written on these. It is believed that when these flags flutter,  prayers reach God. Ladakh is bikers paradise. Ladakh is also called desert in the sky. 

More photographs of this trip can be seen at : https://www.facebook.com/sunilgoel71/media_set?set=a.3339085972137.1073741828.1718287029&type=3

Travelogue of my 2011 Udhampur Trek  at :

http://sunilgoel.blogspot.in/2011_06_01_archive.html

Travelogue of my 2012 Mizoram, Nagaland Trip at :

http://sunilgoel.blogspot.in/2012/06/journey-to-nagaland-assam-and-mizoram.html

Sunil Goel advocate B.Sc. L.Lb L.Lm
New Delhi
sunilgoel@rediffmail.com
9810215488

Cow Slaughter continues despite Constitution Bench judgment of Supreme Court of India

Dear Friends, The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India (Constitution Bench of 7 Judges) way back on 26^th October 2005 in a detailed judgment in the case of State of Gujarat vs Mirzapur Moti Kureshi Kassab Jamat and Ors. had banned the cow slaughter.

Are you aware that Articles 48 and 48-A of the Constitution of India lays down directive principles for the State to save the cows. These read as under :

"48. Organisation of agriculture and animal husbandry.--The State shall endeavor to organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and shall, in particular, take steps for preserving and improving the breeds, and prohibiting the slaughter, of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle.

48-A. Protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests and wild life.--The State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country.

Similarly, Article 51A of the Constitution of India lays down fundamental duty for every citizen of India to have compassion for living creatures. This article reads as under:

51-A. Fundamental duties.--It shall be the duty of every citizen of India--

(g) to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures;"

However, sadly, the slaughter of our mother cow is still rampant in India. Cow is worshiped by many in India and it hurt our sentiments when the cow is slaughtered. Those who want to eat non-veg food have alternatives. Secularism and respect for other religions does not mean that Hindu values can be ignored or suppressed. The biggest problem is that people do not understand the meaning of the term "SECULAR" country. Secular exactly means a country which allows all the religions to be flourished without hurting sentiments of each other.

Every single State in India should ban cow slaughter.  Some State Governments have made laws to prevent cow slaughter but these are not being implemented. The remedy is that Central Government should make a central law for preventing cow slaughter which would be applicable throughout India and then to strictly implement and enforce this law.

In these ensuing Lok Sabha elections, let us impress upon and persuade our candidates to take a vow for passing a central legislation on prevention of cow slaughter.

The Constitution Bench judgment of Supreme Court can be accessed at following link :

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qwbisfkwt7xuqq6/State%20of%20Gujarat%20vs%20Mirzapur%20Moti%20Kureshi%20Kassab%20Jamat-SC-7Judges-26.10.2005-qureshi%20judgment%20on%20cow%20slaughter%20overruled.doc

Kindly circulate this post far and wide. 

Let us save our mother cow.

Sunil Goel advocate B.Sc. L.Lb L.Lm