In Vegas, everybody's gotta watch everybody else. Since the players are looking to beat the casino, the dealers are watching the players. The box men are watching the dealers. The floor men are watching the box men. The pit bosses are watching the floor men. The shift bosses are watching the pit bosses. The casino manager is watching the shift bosses. I'm watching the casino manager. And the eye-in-the-sky is watching us all. - Ace Rothstein (Robert De Niro in Casino 1995).
The first thing that hits you when you first see the macau skyline after a smooth and fast 55 minute ferry ride from Hong Kong are the big casinos and the long winding bridges connecting the other islands with the main island. and they don't get any bigger than the ones in taipa - a short 15 minute ride away from the macau ferry terminal. the venetian modelled loosely on its european city namesake is big and as a friend of mine puts it succintly "one big monstrosity". complete with gondola rides, the who's who of luxury brands, buzzing casinos, gigantic food courts and an artificial soft skyscape which makes you forget whether it is daylight or nightime outside, the first time visitor can be forgiven for getting lost inside. small wonder, they hand out maps when you enter the complex.the casino tables are buzzing with activity and even if you are in the rare minority who don't gamble, you would be dazed with the sight of the many tables with animated chinese (they are the overwhelming majority here with the rare few indians or westerners making up the rest of the 0.5 percent of the crowd) who are gambling away. the action doesn't heat up at least well into the late hours of the night when the big rollers with stacks of currency and an entourage of admired onlookers wheel in.after a lot of searching and believe me, its the equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack, yours truly found a blackjack table where the stakes were the rock bottom equivalent to a 100 HK quid and which was inhabited by a poker faced chinese and an indian (who else!!) and after a nervous start yours truly managed to double the money and therafter making a hasty exit to the accompaniment of a sardonic grin from the dealer. And is it addictive or what. old pensioners, young rakes, honey mooning couples, bored businessmen.. they were all there for the pot of gold at the end of the croupier. small wonder that gaming revenues contribute about two thirds of the GDP here and prices of property have gone up fivefold to about 2500 patacas (roughly 1 HKD) in the last five years. and venetian is not the only one. there are hordes of them coming up at a feverish pace around taipa all built with money from the blazing IPO market here. the pace of construction and the speed of development is truly breathtaking and we were reliably informed in a colorful brochure that a 38 km long highway connecting macau, HK and the mainland would be up and running by 2015 cutting the journey time sharply so as to allow more time to be spent at the tables.i am not a gambler and this is my first trip to a casino but the psychological mind games it plays on you is a wonderful study. the lighting is carefully done so as it disorient the player in forgetting the time, you can't see any clocks around the place, the most expensive tables are near the entrance and near the stairs with the cheaper ones tucked away at the corner of the room, waiters with glasses flit around the big tables, etc etc.still,if you are a first time visitor to macau, do the historical places in the daytime, sample the local cuisine in the daytime, pick up trinkets at the flea markets but do visit the casinos in the night. and of course, gamble a bit.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
first week anniversary in HK
sitting in my service apptment on a sleepy sunday morning and i am thinking of how easily and quickly i have made the transition from being in mumbai to hong kong within a week. it would be too much and too condescending to both the great cities, one where i have spent my whole life and the other which is going to be my home for the next few years to start writing and comparing them. but yes, this much is true, infrastructure plays a big difference. in a 7 odd million population squeezed in a land mass which is roughly equivalent to mumbai (around 1000 sq miles) and its suburbs and less than half of the population in mumbai, the underground trains, the trams, the buses and the ferries are what keeps this city bustling, ticking and more importantly safe. i have been looking for appartments to rent in the past two days and teh choices and the variety, though the sizes are smaller than back home, are really varied. what i was struck by is ppl dont ask questions to property brokers like: is it a safe neighborhood? what about hidden charges? everything is above board and in your face. what you see is what you get. in one day i have gotten a telephone connection, rail passes, bank accts, a temporary identity card. i guess the only way to sum up is what a former bureau chief once told me on HK: "things work"
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Goa to Bangalore
19th September 2009
Day 1 - Goa to Gokarna
Day 1 - Goa to Gokarna
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| On the road to Gokarna |
After a short flight to Goa from Mumbai during which I tried to watch for the umpteenth time an interesting Hindi movie called 99 (Soha Ali Khan, Cyrus Broacha, Kunal Khemu) unsuccessfully, thanks to the irritating interruptions by a masculine voice belonging to air hostess, we land at Dabolim airport where being a long weekend, it was crawling with out of towners.
In the land of sun and shine, everybody is here to have a good time and the scenes outside the airport are reminiscent of peak rush hour traffic in Bombay. After 20-25 mins of jostling and being jostled we are on our way to the famous Om beach at Gokarna in northern karnataka and a distance of 160 kms from Goa.
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| Om Beach |
Much of the road passes through the beautiful countryside including Karwar, though a lot of the areas near Karwar has been cordoned off by the navy. TIP: If you are planning to hire a car from Goa to Gokarna, please hire a taxi at Gokarna and ask him to pick you up at the airport rather than hiring a cab at Goa as taxis can be quiet outrageously priced.
After a quick pitstop for lunch somewhere on the highway between Goa and Gokarna where we devoured on Goan surmai fish curry, rice and buckets of King beer where we almost changed our mind to stay back in Goa, we were on our way.
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| Gokarna Town |
Om beach is so called because of the Om shape of the beach and is a wonderful beach town and much less crowded and as a result much less commercialised than its Goan counterparts . Apart from 4-5 shacks which will rustle up everything from dal rice to pizzas and pastas, and a couple of places catering to the "gora" crowd, the beach is quite clean and rocky in places. The main town is a few kms away from the beach and is dotted with temples and quite small with restaurants and ancillary tourist services such as guesthouses, car services being the main business.
Despite it being a weekend, we found a place a bit away from the teeming masses quite easily. Slightly rustic but in an almost jungle-like setting we were too kicked about the first day of our trip which will take us across some of the most beautiful temples in the southern state of Karnataka over the next few days.
A picturesque sunset, a long languid dinner with our close friends and listening to the sound of the waves calling out to us was enough to knock us out after what had been a long day on the road. Tomorrow we will begin our temple crusades.
Goa to Bangalore
Day 6: The Tour de Hampi
25th September 2009
25th September 2009
The fun part of any trip to some old temple town is to see the place after you have been taken the rounds by the customary guide is to do it again on bicycles and to our great joy (not so much for our rusty bones) it is great fun.
The bazaar offers bicycles for 40 rupees for the whole day and after a day of strenuous cycling you can chill out at Mango Tree (a beautiful rock cut restaurant situated in the middle of a banana plantation facing the Tungabhadra river) or at any of the rooftop cafes.
For our money, Durga café was the best with its quite good food and very friendly host. Kishkinda, the ancient name for Hampi in olden times is treated as the birth place of Hanumana and the hill top where he is supposed to be born is situated across the river at a place called Anegudi. This was our last day at Hampi before taking the night train to Bangalore.
Goa to Bangalore
Day 6: The Hampi Chronicles
September 24th 2009
September 24th 2009
With more than 500 world heritage sites dotting the ruins, it is very difficult to see all of them in a span of 3 days of even a week, so for half a day we hired a rickshaw guy to show us the main sites across the place (600 rupees). Don’t do that. Much of the fun in seeing these ancient monuments is to know a bit about their history.
Ask some of the ASI guides to show you around the place and they usually divide the tour into two parts, the temples in the first half of the day and the Royal enclaves in the second half. (HS Krishna Kumar 08394 – 241411, 9449981479). The Virupaksha temple complex inside the Hampi bazaar is the only live temple and daily pujas are offered here and one of the shrines here can be rented our for marriages. Lakshmi, the resident elephant, blesses each one and an underground temple, the only one of its kind in the country, has both the statues of Vishnu and the linga.
The main temples here have impressive wall carvings and beautiful ceiling paintings depicting various avatars of the Hindu gods and ancient tales. The Vitthala temple complex to the north of the hampi has beautiful carvings, musical pillars, remnants of huge ancient gold bazaars and the Kings’ balance – a stone weighing scale for the king to sit on and weighed against gold and precious gems. The Vijaynagar empire which flourished under the reign of Krishnadevraya was also famous for its sewage and water connection works and a visit to the stepped tanks, monolithic platform offer the visitor a peep into its wonderful past.
Goa to Bangalore
Day 5 - Marching into Hampi
23rd September 2009
Hampi is about 200 kilometres from Badami and covered in about 4-4.5 hours (1600 rupees for a drop) and is about 12 kms from the nearest town of Hospet Pampa , the old name for the Tungabhadra river which flows through the town is the world’s second biggest heritage site after Rome
Representing the height of the Vijaynagara empires in the 16th century, the temples and the sculptures here have a lot in common with the ones found in Aihole and Pattadakalu. November to March is the peak season with the Hampi festival taking place in January. Inside Hampi town or the bazaar as it is popularly known is a tiny lane with some shops selling curios, cold drinks and trinkets and has some rooftop cafes and guest houses. No vehicles are allowed inside the bazaar, except for dropping and picking up tourists and Hampi is quite well connected with Hospet by bus services which leave every half hour or by local rickshaw (150-500 rupees depending upon your wits). Much of the visiting population in Hampi are foreigners as it is also the bouldering capital of the country with huge boulders strewn around the place and a cursory glance on the menu cards of the main cafes can give you an eerie feeling of reading the same stuff across establishments.
Please book well in advance if you are traveling in the main season or you will have to shack up with some kind soul inside the bazaar for 100-300 rupees a night depending upon the demand (just bedding) or hoof it up from Hospet which has some decent establishments as well as the high end. The Shanthi Guest house (Paul: 9448678729) has some very clean rooms with 200 rupees for the ones without a loo and 350 for the ones with clean bathrooms. Mosquitoes are very liberal from Om Beach to Hampi and please carry generous doses of Odomos along with medicine supplies as Hampi does not have chemist shops.
Goa to Bangalore
Day 4: Ahoy Aihole. Hi Pattadakallu
22nd September 2009
22nd September 2009
Locals say” Aihole was a primary school, Badami the high school and Pattadakallu was a college” when it came to temple architecture. The name Aihole has an interesting history and is associated with the fiery sage Parshuraman who having destroyed the entire Kshatriya race comes to the Malaprabha river which flows through Aihole and washes his bloodstained axe which sends the women screaming in fright “Ai hole” or ( O river). This was an earlier capital of the Chalukya kings and is situated 36 kilometers from Badami. About 125 temples can be found in Aihole most of them strewn around the neighboring villages with only a handful concentrated in some places. An entire day can be spent here and the temples here represent a vast canvas of temple structures that can be found across the country.
The Parliament Building in New Delhi North India , are not pushy, quite well educated and trained by the ASI. For some sumptuous local fare, please visit Anand Bhuvan opposite the main temple complex rather than the joint recommended by your tourist bus guides.
Pattadakalu is a World Heritage site and belong to the era of Vikramaditya who ruled in the 8th century is situated about 22 kilometres from Badami. This was the second capital of the Chalukya kings and the main coronation ceremonies were held here. Each of the temples here are beautifully built and even with the local population living inside the temple complex as recently as 50 years ago, the sculptures are breathtaking.
Of particular note are the Virupaksha temple, which is a living temple and faced by a huge black Nandi and the Mallikarjuna temple which sports carvings narrating tales from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Panchatantra tales. Badami, Aihole and Pattadakalu can be easily covered over 2 days and apart from these places, there are a few temple tanks, some old temples around Badami of some interest. Alcohol is freely available with numerous wine shops dotting the main street though the food is largely vegetarian with few joints offering non-vegetarian fare.
Goa to Bangalore
21st September 2009
Day 3: On the road to Badami
Day 3: On the road to Badami
From Om Beach to Badami is roughly 260 kilometres and passes through some very lush countryside with all kinds of vegetables and grains being cultivated on some very fertile land and animals looking very healthy. You can fix up a cab at any of the small lunch homes or cafes in Gokarn and the journey in an air-conditioned car should cost you 11 rupees.
On the way: stop at Hotel Sapna (08388-231979) for some delicious Southern breakfast washed down by cups of steaming hot filter coffee. Badami town itself is a one-street town with its main bus station, all hotels, main shops and establishments lining the road. Of all the hotels featured in websites and guidebooks, we found Hotel New Satkar (08357-220417, 09901542194, 09448776317), the cleanest and among the most economical. (rooms available for 300 a night with basic amenities and can go up to a 1000 for AC and TV) Badami gets its name from the ancient name of Vatapi, an old legend and has some of the most beautiful rock carvings in the country. The highlight are the four caves, each of it dedicated to Shiva, two to Vishnu and one to Jainism, the carvings which date back to the 6th century and built by the Chalukya Kings and highlight the sheer talent of the sculptors in that period.
Of particular note are the 18 armed Nataraja, the beautiful carvings of the 5 incarnations of Vishnu dotting the caves, Harihara, Ardh Narishwar, elephants and bulls and the Maha Vishnu carvings in the 3rd cave. Take guides when visiting the caves (200 rupees) and the caves overlook the beautiful tank with the bhootnath temple on one side (made famous in Mani Ratnam’s Guru). On the opposite side of the caves complex is the remnants of Badami fort with a few watchtowers surviving to this day and a museum at the base of the fort. The entire complex can be covered within 4 hours and all the hotels are situated within 1.5 kilometres of the cave complex.
Goa to Bangalore
20th September 2009
Day 2 - Om Beach
Day 2 - Om Beach
Om beach (in shape of the Hindu symbol) is situated 6 kilometers from Gokarna (literally: cow’s ears), a temple town, which in turn is 60 kilometers from Karwar in Northern Karnataka on NH- 17. The most famous of the four beaches which straddles Gokarn and has some creative names such as Half Moon (because it is so shaped), Paradise and Kudle Beach and can be reached easily by trekking across some rocky hills.
The length of the beach itself is not very big with about 1 – 1.2 kilometers end to end and sloping towards the sea. Most visitors here are locals from the state and on weekdays the largely empty beach reminds one of Goa in its more idyllic days. Foreigners too flock the beach in droves and their popularity can be gauged from the pastas, sizzlers dished up at the 10-15 odd cafes (in peak season) along the beach front. If you like your tipple though, please carry it from Gokarn which has a couple of bars or you will have to make do with some not so chilled beer the cafes or a auto ride (150 rupees one way, half hour) to the town before sundown. Namaste Café (Raju – 9880459559), by its dint of being featured in the Lonely Planet, is the most buzzing with activity and you literally fall into it as you step into the rocky beach.
A bit too teeming with boisterous drunken parties to our taste, quieter ones can be found further down the beach. A better one which we liked was Ganesh café near the far end of the beach and astride Nirvana where visitors can get rooms for 400 rupees a night (ask for the ones with the porch and not with rooms as they are relatively spider free). William at the Ganesh café is extremely friendly and, the service a bit slow normally, is well worth the wait. Carry a couple of torches, some old bedsheets and you have all the necessary ingredients for an awesome picnic on the beach in pitch darkness.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Srinagar- Leh
24th
The drive to Sonmarg is at a distance of around 90 kms from Srinagar, it passes through the Sindh valley, a very picturesque part and this was the first place where we actually began to see snow clad peaks quite frequently, a one-street town dotted with the ubiquitous hotel and shops, it is also the site of the national river rafting competition held at Sindh river in August. Ponies could be hired for 200-300 rupees for a four hour to and fro ride to the nearest glacier and traffic was heavy through this place due to the yatris and frequent army trucks.
After crossing baltal, 15 kms from sommarg where the yatri traffic ends, we began our climb to zojila pass chomping away enthusiastically on energy bars and swigging water. Here the landscape begins to change dramatically. Earlier the outskirts of the valley are a carpet of green, dotted with chinar other trees with lakes but now it was pure lunar landscapes. Barren landscapes dotted with the ubiquitious biker and cars returning from leh to srinagar. We slowly start nearing the border areas. Tiger Hill, Tololing Range, Drass, etc. Preparations were afoot to celebrate the 10th year anniversary of the Kargil war and we briefly stopped at the Drass War memorial. The sheer biting cold even at this time of the year hits us hard and we wonder how they must have coped when the Pak intruders occupied the peaks during winter.
According to one soldier, the Army sent up waves of Gorkhas (due to their mountain climbing skills) in World War 2 style to overwhelm the intruders due to which casualties were very high during the initial phase of the war. Heroic stuff!! We reach kargil town by evening, a distance of 220 kms from Srinagar and the mid point between Srinagar-Leh. A largely nondescript border town, dotted with hotels for overnight travelers. Checked into a hotel called Siachen heights and crashed early but not before some among us have the energy to shop for dry fruits.
25th
Kargil to Srinagar is another 205 kms and we start early by 7 in the morning and we make better time than yesterday. Lunar landscapes continue but it is really intriguing to see the mountain ranges, each in different colours as if a superior power wanted to infuse some variety in the landscapes. Dusty roads and at a couple of places we encountered minor landslides which army JCB's were clearing up. The army is everywhere and the Border Road Organisation do a great job in maintaining the roads in such trying conditions. A measure of it is can be understood from the fact that it takes two people to collect gravel in big trowels: one to use the spade to bring it on the heap and the other to pull it by a rope attached to the spade to the trowel. About 4-5 hours later, Futila Top: the highest point on the Srinagar-Leh highway. And from this point, the roads are black tops and sitting in a car becomes actually comfortable after being bumped around for 1.5 days. After Lamayuru monastery, we pick up two hitchhikers who get off at Alchi and we continue our way up to Nimmi where we stop for lunch 30 kms from Leh. After crossing Magnetic Hill (where stationary cars start moving on their own due to the presence of big magnetic deposits), we finally enter Leh. Our search for a hotel starts and Ashok comes to the rescue and we check into Lharimo hotel, a very nice place. Dinner is steaming thukpas and momos but not before a couple of drinks and we call it an early day.
26th
Quietness and silence. Even though we have spent two days on the road climbing up gradually, at a height of 3500 meters of sea level, the breathlessness hits you and we spent the entire day walking gently around the city. Temperatures in Leh varies between - 30 C to +28 C and the majority of the population is Buddhist. As Harish said our trip started with the Hindu part of the state, then to the Muslim part and we end with the Buddhist part. Leh is a smallish town with 2 parallel streets housing the main commercial establishments and restaurants of the city in the backdrop of the ruined royal Palace. A long beery lunch and a nice afternoon siesta nicely recharged our batteries. Some more walking around the city centre and spending some time at German bakeries (there are tons of them around), peering into curio shops, and standing in endless queues to withdraw money from ATM's. A word of caution: if you are visiting Leh, please be sure to carry some cash with you, as there are only 3 ATM's in the city and at no point in time more than 1 is working (SBI is the most reliable).
27th
Monastery time and after a hearty breakfast we leave for Alchi which is around 70 kms from leh city on the banks of the Indus river. Alchi houses some of the oldest monasteries and the paintings and the wood carvings there are breath taking. On the other side of the monastery is a steep drop to the river Zanskar and both the rivers meet 10-15 kms from Nimmu. Alchi village itself has an experiential place where tourists can come and stay in a village. We next move on to the Likir monastery which was built in the 14th century and has a massive statue of the Buddha in a seating position covered with gold water. Likir has a small museum too which houses some ancient tankhas, scrolls and weapons on the upper reaches of the monastery. we meet foreigners who come and stay in the monastery for months at a stretch to meditate. Beautiful stuff. The last one is Thiksey which is situated inside the ruins of a very old fort. The conditions are extremely windy and the climb up the fort which leaves us breathless. A striking thing of the Buddhist statues inside the monasteries is that every Buddhist statue have their head bumping above the wooden ceiling to signify his greatness. The colors used are animal pigments and even today they are so vibrant and extensive restoration work is being carried out in alchi.
28th
We start our journey to Pangong Tso (lake) after securing our inner line permit passes as the lake straddles Indo-China and on the way we stop at Hemis Monastery where preparations are afoot to celebrate the 3-day Hemis festival with monks putting up festoons and making delicacies. After a brief stopover we continue onwards to the lake. The lake with two thirds of the 134 km lake in China and the rest of it in India and is 5-6 kms wide at its widest point and the water is the most serene shade of blue you can imagine. The lake which is 40 kms from the border and tourists can go only up 10 kms further and has a army check post with a cute signpost requesting tourists not to ask them for a trip on the lake on the only speed post it has. The 150 km journey takes around 5 hours and passes through 3 army checkpoints and Changla Pass, the third highest pass in the world where army checkpoint and warm tea and biscuits greet you.
After passing through ice clad peaks and some very rugged landscapes with clouds casting shadows on mountain tops (yep, that's how high it is), we suddenly encounter ELECTRIC BLUEEE!!! A shade of color that I haven't seen on any water yet and extremely clear. According to villagers, the border area is quite live and there is frequent movement of troops on both the sides. Standing on the lake, you can actually see the Chinese part of the border and the nail biting winds eat into your warm clothes. The ladies were a bit disappointed as we missed Aamir Khan by a day who was shooting on the lake and we encountered a group of bikers from Vizag who had biked it all the way from Delhi and were staying on the lake for a night before starting on their return journey. The army allows only a couple of local villagers to set up tents here for tourists and they keep a close watch on them. For me, who has never stayed in a tent before, the experience is beautiful especially as it is on the lake and the colors change dramatically
29th
BRIGHT SUNLIGHT!!. That’s what greets you at 6 in the morning. Come to think of it. That’s what the state is even at 4 in the morning. The sunlight is bright but it not at all hot and we go for long walks around the lake. The waters are extremely clear and a lot of geese are flying around the place, but being a salt water lake, there are no fishes in it. After a brisk 3-4 kms walk, we are ready for hot steaming Maggi ( can't remember the last time I enjoyed it so much) and then we are ready for our return journey but not before we pick up some souvenirs from a nearby army shop where they sell it at rates that would make Bombay shopkeepers jealous. We start around 10 and after a couple of brief stops to run across fields of ice and cuddle some pashmina sheep we arrive at the Dalai Lama's summer residence on the outskirts of Leh city. One of the monks showed us around the place which is very tastefully decorated and we reach Leh back by evening.
30th
With Jaydeep and Ashima leaving the next day, this was the last day we were all together but we still had not got our fill of adventures and we were looking forward to one last fling. So, there it was RIVER RAFTING down the zanskar river. A 15 kms stretch up river from Nimmu and ending half a km after the confluence of zanskar and Indus, through some very scenic landscapes and rock formations. Though the rafting itself wasn’t difficult with some grade 2 rapids at best and minor whirlpools, the water was bone chilling. So 7 of us set out on one raft accompanied by two other groups and we beat them by a comfortable margin but not without some lusty singing at the top of our voices and Harish and jay deep jumping off the raft into the brown river. By the time we ended back to the hotel, we could feel nerves where we thought none existed before (extremely clichéd line, isn't it). Some rest and we were all ready for our last night together of partying to celebrate the conclusion of a great trip.
JULY
1st
The last day of our trip for the rest of us and we went around the town picking up some souvenirs, yak cheese (pretty strong stuff!!) and of course dutifully standing for more than an hour outside an ATM. A nice long lunch at a German bakery and we decided to renew our expedition to climbing the ruined Leh fort which we abandoned the day we got to the city. So, with Sham leading the way, we took a steep climb up to the fort for nearly three-fourths of a kilometer with fierce winds and biting cold. the ruined leh palace was built in the 17th century and was now a multitude of ruins but with a panoramic view of the town below with mountain ranges hemming it in from all sides.
Footnote:
on the morning of the 2nd we flew back to Delhi and at the airport I met a army fellow who was at the Chang la pass and was going on furlough for a couple of weeks and we chatted up like old friends for 10-15 mins and promised to keep in touch.
The drive to Sonmarg is at a distance of around 90 kms from Srinagar, it passes through the Sindh valley, a very picturesque part and this was the first place where we actually began to see snow clad peaks quite frequently, a one-street town dotted with the ubiquitous hotel and shops, it is also the site of the national river rafting competition held at Sindh river in August. Ponies could be hired for 200-300 rupees for a four hour to and fro ride to the nearest glacier and traffic was heavy through this place due to the yatris and frequent army trucks.
After crossing baltal, 15 kms from sommarg where the yatri traffic ends, we began our climb to zojila pass chomping away enthusiastically on energy bars and swigging water. Here the landscape begins to change dramatically. Earlier the outskirts of the valley are a carpet of green, dotted with chinar other trees with lakes but now it was pure lunar landscapes. Barren landscapes dotted with the ubiquitious biker and cars returning from leh to srinagar. We slowly start nearing the border areas. Tiger Hill, Tololing Range, Drass, etc. Preparations were afoot to celebrate the 10th year anniversary of the Kargil war and we briefly stopped at the Drass War memorial. The sheer biting cold even at this time of the year hits us hard and we wonder how they must have coped when the Pak intruders occupied the peaks during winter.
According to one soldier, the Army sent up waves of Gorkhas (due to their mountain climbing skills) in World War 2 style to overwhelm the intruders due to which casualties were very high during the initial phase of the war. Heroic stuff!! We reach kargil town by evening, a distance of 220 kms from Srinagar and the mid point between Srinagar-Leh. A largely nondescript border town, dotted with hotels for overnight travelers. Checked into a hotel called Siachen heights and crashed early but not before some among us have the energy to shop for dry fruits.
25th
Kargil to Srinagar is another 205 kms and we start early by 7 in the morning and we make better time than yesterday. Lunar landscapes continue but it is really intriguing to see the mountain ranges, each in different colours as if a superior power wanted to infuse some variety in the landscapes. Dusty roads and at a couple of places we encountered minor landslides which army JCB's were clearing up. The army is everywhere and the Border Road Organisation do a great job in maintaining the roads in such trying conditions. A measure of it is can be understood from the fact that it takes two people to collect gravel in big trowels: one to use the spade to bring it on the heap and the other to pull it by a rope attached to the spade to the trowel. About 4-5 hours later, Futila Top: the highest point on the Srinagar-Leh highway. And from this point, the roads are black tops and sitting in a car becomes actually comfortable after being bumped around for 1.5 days. After Lamayuru monastery, we pick up two hitchhikers who get off at Alchi and we continue our way up to Nimmi where we stop for lunch 30 kms from Leh. After crossing Magnetic Hill (where stationary cars start moving on their own due to the presence of big magnetic deposits), we finally enter Leh. Our search for a hotel starts and Ashok comes to the rescue and we check into Lharimo hotel, a very nice place. Dinner is steaming thukpas and momos but not before a couple of drinks and we call it an early day.
26th
Quietness and silence. Even though we have spent two days on the road climbing up gradually, at a height of 3500 meters of sea level, the breathlessness hits you and we spent the entire day walking gently around the city. Temperatures in Leh varies between - 30 C to +28 C and the majority of the population is Buddhist. As Harish said our trip started with the Hindu part of the state, then to the Muslim part and we end with the Buddhist part. Leh is a smallish town with 2 parallel streets housing the main commercial establishments and restaurants of the city in the backdrop of the ruined royal Palace. A long beery lunch and a nice afternoon siesta nicely recharged our batteries. Some more walking around the city centre and spending some time at German bakeries (there are tons of them around), peering into curio shops, and standing in endless queues to withdraw money from ATM's. A word of caution: if you are visiting Leh, please be sure to carry some cash with you, as there are only 3 ATM's in the city and at no point in time more than 1 is working (SBI is the most reliable).
27th
Monastery time and after a hearty breakfast we leave for Alchi which is around 70 kms from leh city on the banks of the Indus river. Alchi houses some of the oldest monasteries and the paintings and the wood carvings there are breath taking. On the other side of the monastery is a steep drop to the river Zanskar and both the rivers meet 10-15 kms from Nimmu. Alchi village itself has an experiential place where tourists can come and stay in a village. We next move on to the Likir monastery which was built in the 14th century and has a massive statue of the Buddha in a seating position covered with gold water. Likir has a small museum too which houses some ancient tankhas, scrolls and weapons on the upper reaches of the monastery. we meet foreigners who come and stay in the monastery for months at a stretch to meditate. Beautiful stuff. The last one is Thiksey which is situated inside the ruins of a very old fort. The conditions are extremely windy and the climb up the fort which leaves us breathless. A striking thing of the Buddhist statues inside the monasteries is that every Buddhist statue have their head bumping above the wooden ceiling to signify his greatness. The colors used are animal pigments and even today they are so vibrant and extensive restoration work is being carried out in alchi.
28th
We start our journey to Pangong Tso (lake) after securing our inner line permit passes as the lake straddles Indo-China and on the way we stop at Hemis Monastery where preparations are afoot to celebrate the 3-day Hemis festival with monks putting up festoons and making delicacies. After a brief stopover we continue onwards to the lake. The lake with two thirds of the 134 km lake in China and the rest of it in India and is 5-6 kms wide at its widest point and the water is the most serene shade of blue you can imagine. The lake which is 40 kms from the border and tourists can go only up 10 kms further and has a army check post with a cute signpost requesting tourists not to ask them for a trip on the lake on the only speed post it has. The 150 km journey takes around 5 hours and passes through 3 army checkpoints and Changla Pass, the third highest pass in the world where army checkpoint and warm tea and biscuits greet you.
After passing through ice clad peaks and some very rugged landscapes with clouds casting shadows on mountain tops (yep, that's how high it is), we suddenly encounter ELECTRIC BLUEEE!!! A shade of color that I haven't seen on any water yet and extremely clear. According to villagers, the border area is quite live and there is frequent movement of troops on both the sides. Standing on the lake, you can actually see the Chinese part of the border and the nail biting winds eat into your warm clothes. The ladies were a bit disappointed as we missed Aamir Khan by a day who was shooting on the lake and we encountered a group of bikers from Vizag who had biked it all the way from Delhi and were staying on the lake for a night before starting on their return journey. The army allows only a couple of local villagers to set up tents here for tourists and they keep a close watch on them. For me, who has never stayed in a tent before, the experience is beautiful especially as it is on the lake and the colors change dramatically
29th
BRIGHT SUNLIGHT!!. That’s what greets you at 6 in the morning. Come to think of it. That’s what the state is even at 4 in the morning. The sunlight is bright but it not at all hot and we go for long walks around the lake. The waters are extremely clear and a lot of geese are flying around the place, but being a salt water lake, there are no fishes in it. After a brisk 3-4 kms walk, we are ready for hot steaming Maggi ( can't remember the last time I enjoyed it so much) and then we are ready for our return journey but not before we pick up some souvenirs from a nearby army shop where they sell it at rates that would make Bombay shopkeepers jealous. We start around 10 and after a couple of brief stops to run across fields of ice and cuddle some pashmina sheep we arrive at the Dalai Lama's summer residence on the outskirts of Leh city. One of the monks showed us around the place which is very tastefully decorated and we reach Leh back by evening.
30th
With Jaydeep and Ashima leaving the next day, this was the last day we were all together but we still had not got our fill of adventures and we were looking forward to one last fling. So, there it was RIVER RAFTING down the zanskar river. A 15 kms stretch up river from Nimmu and ending half a km after the confluence of zanskar and Indus, through some very scenic landscapes and rock formations. Though the rafting itself wasn’t difficult with some grade 2 rapids at best and minor whirlpools, the water was bone chilling. So 7 of us set out on one raft accompanied by two other groups and we beat them by a comfortable margin but not without some lusty singing at the top of our voices and Harish and jay deep jumping off the raft into the brown river. By the time we ended back to the hotel, we could feel nerves where we thought none existed before (extremely clichéd line, isn't it). Some rest and we were all ready for our last night together of partying to celebrate the conclusion of a great trip.
JULY
1st
The last day of our trip for the rest of us and we went around the town picking up some souvenirs, yak cheese (pretty strong stuff!!) and of course dutifully standing for more than an hour outside an ATM. A nice long lunch at a German bakery and we decided to renew our expedition to climbing the ruined Leh fort which we abandoned the day we got to the city. So, with Sham leading the way, we took a steep climb up to the fort for nearly three-fourths of a kilometer with fierce winds and biting cold. the ruined leh palace was built in the 17th century and was now a multitude of ruins but with a panoramic view of the town below with mountain ranges hemming it in from all sides.
Footnote:
on the morning of the 2nd we flew back to Delhi and at the airport I met a army fellow who was at the Chang la pass and was going on furlough for a couple of weeks and we chatted up like old friends for 10-15 mins and promised to keep in touch.
Jammu to Srinagar
Scene: A 3500 kilometer journey from Mumbai to Jammu (by train), Jammu to Srinagar (road), Srinagar to Leh (by road) and around leh (road). Cast: Harish, Jaydeep, Saikat, Ashima, Madhuri and Rupali. Duration: 2 Weeks.
JUNE 2009
20th
The best thing about traveling in long distance trains in this beautiful country is that you get a flavor of the country and a huge nostalgia trip unmatched by any other mode of transport, and of course, not to mention a brief sampling of the various kinds of foods that each region or state is unique for. Our journey from Mumbai to Jammu, crossing six states over a period of nearly 36 hours was just that. From khaman dhoklas at Surat to chhole Puris at (Punjab station) to batter-coated chili fries at MP, you get the entire treatment. Of course, not to mention that you need to have a very high threshold of fortitude as the train loos is a mean test.
Other benefits which I discovered are learning new card games, catching up with your reading and meeting with new people (from Army jawans going home for a two week furlough to devotees who are traveling on a shoe string budget and an even shorter time budget to pay obeisance to Gods across the length and breadth of this country.)
As for us, we reach the local Dak Bungalow in Jammu, which is anything but a bungalow and more a five-star hotel, going by the number of rooms (350, according to a waiter) and used as the temporary residence for many government officials during the time the administration moves to Jammu.
As for me, I am more than happy to sleep in a stationary bed after tucking in part of the famous Kashmiri wazwan feast. (But more on that later)
21st
The 300 kilometer long Jammu-Srinagar is one of the most strategic roads in this country and is used for ferrying supplies to the Kashmir Valleys. Trucks form a major part of the vehicular traffic here followed by tourist buses and cars. The road, though prone to landslides, passes through some very beautiful landscapes and takes about 10 hours to travel. It boasts of the Jawahar tunnel, a 2.5 kilometer long narrow tunnel and also some very good dhabas on the way whose sole specialty is Rajma Chawal: A plate of rice, some spicy rajma (English translation) and a huge dollop of desi ghee. Heaven is something closer to this. There have often been proposals to widen this road to a four lane highway for many years, but all of them have remained on paper and the road is bad in patches and for a long stretch runs parallel to the Jhelum River. Closer to the valley, we begin to see the chinar trees which become an incandescent red and yellow in winter and rows and rows of rice and saffron fields and a strong buildup in military presence.
A small detour: Visitors to the Vaishnodevi shrine ply on this highway for the first 60 kilometers to Katra and take a detour. You can either chose to walk to the shrine which is a good 10 hour walk back and forth (recommended starting to climb at dusk) or take a chopper to the shrine and back.
22nd
Wazwan is a traditional Kashmiri meal and is largely meat based and it is highly recommended to fast for a day before sitting down for this wonderful repast. According to a local friend, typical wazwan food served at weddings can go up to as many as 52 courses costing 3-4 lakh rupees and have been known to lead to bankruptcy for the hosts. One such meal, where we went to a restaurant in main Srinagar served 8 rounds beginning with earthen pots and plates containing rice and meth maaz after which a procession of dishes followed including tabak maaz, rogan josh, rista and finally rounded off by gostaba which is a mutton preparation with curds. Of course, all this has to be washed down with kawa, a sweetish typical kashmiri tea which aids digestion and is warm water flavored with almond shards, saffron and some other dry fruits. For a brief description of the wazwan, please see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmiri_cuisine
Another kind of tea which is consumed a lot in Kashmir is the namkeen chai which is tea with salt and served along with sattu but unfortunately for us we were still recovering from the wazwan and could not eat much of it. One thing about the Kashmiris: despite the violence which has left each and every citizen of this beautiful Valley scarred, they are an extremely hospitable and kind race and who open up their homes and hearths.
The Jamia Masjid in Kashmir is situated in the old city quarters of Nowhatta, a slightly tense area of the city and is one of the most beautiful places of worship to visit. The mosque can house 3,33,333 people and the inner sanctum has the 99 names of the prophet inscribed in black marble. There are 370 deodhar tree columns inside the shrine and there is a garden inside the shrine and we spent a lot of time absorbing in the intricate carvings and the solitude of the place.
23rd
Pahalgam (Village of Shepherds) is nearly 100 kilometres from Srinagar and passes through some of the beautiful countryside including snow-capped mountains, frothing rivers and lovely vistas. Lots of apricot and chinal trees on the way with the river Lidder flowing past us. Located in the Anantnag district, it is also one of the entry points for the Amarnath Yatra, but due to heavy snowfall due to which the Yatri traffic was being diverted to Baltal. A couple of streets lined with shops selling everything from dry fruits to carpets, army camps, some hotels, schools and a sprawling park cum zoo filled with couples and hordes of school kids along with the ubiquitous cheetah and a couple of bored bears is pretty much it. But there are a lot of small treks being organized there and we went for a mini river rafting experience. (2 kilometres, no paddles for you as two professionals do the heavy lifting and a river which at best gurgles, 125 rupees per head and you can get your photograph taken with all the paddling paraphernalia to show your friends back home). Highly recommended for couples and family! Fun minus the adventure!
Dal lake:
the scene of many a Hindi movie in the 60s and the 70s, is quite breathtaking if you approach it from the main Residency road. After braving some very bad traffic (if you think Mumbai and Pune are lawless, the valley is the capital of lawlessness), you suddenly stumble upon a narrow strip of road on which one side is flanked by hotels and the other side THE LAKE. An entire economy thrives on the lake and according to one breathless estimate about 10000 shikaras, houseboats etc can be found on the lake at any time.
The lake itself which was once 24 kms has now dwindled to around 10 kms and is in real danger of dying out thanks mainly to pollution and the people who live on the lake and the government said in June it has set aside 20 billion rupees for cleansing it. Apparently, to clear final level examinations in 10th standard kids must swim across the lake, a distance of 10 kms. It is quite difficult to believe sitting on the porch of the houseboat watching the far lights of the Sankaracharya temple on top of the hills on the other side of the lake with the water gently sloshing the boat and the sun dropping away, the troubles in this beautiful valley.
One of the must see things in the early morning is the vegetable market which runs for an hour every morning between 5 and 6 on the lake. It is a beautiful spectacle with small canoes milling around each other filled with vegetables and vendors swapping them in the backdrop of the lake with water herons, kites and eagles for company.
JUNE 2009
20th
The best thing about traveling in long distance trains in this beautiful country is that you get a flavor of the country and a huge nostalgia trip unmatched by any other mode of transport, and of course, not to mention a brief sampling of the various kinds of foods that each region or state is unique for. Our journey from Mumbai to Jammu, crossing six states over a period of nearly 36 hours was just that. From khaman dhoklas at Surat to chhole Puris at (Punjab station) to batter-coated chili fries at MP, you get the entire treatment. Of course, not to mention that you need to have a very high threshold of fortitude as the train loos is a mean test.
Other benefits which I discovered are learning new card games, catching up with your reading and meeting with new people (from Army jawans going home for a two week furlough to devotees who are traveling on a shoe string budget and an even shorter time budget to pay obeisance to Gods across the length and breadth of this country.)
As for us, we reach the local Dak Bungalow in Jammu, which is anything but a bungalow and more a five-star hotel, going by the number of rooms (350, according to a waiter) and used as the temporary residence for many government officials during the time the administration moves to Jammu.
As for me, I am more than happy to sleep in a stationary bed after tucking in part of the famous Kashmiri wazwan feast. (But more on that later)
21st
The 300 kilometer long Jammu-Srinagar is one of the most strategic roads in this country and is used for ferrying supplies to the Kashmir Valleys. Trucks form a major part of the vehicular traffic here followed by tourist buses and cars. The road, though prone to landslides, passes through some very beautiful landscapes and takes about 10 hours to travel. It boasts of the Jawahar tunnel, a 2.5 kilometer long narrow tunnel and also some very good dhabas on the way whose sole specialty is Rajma Chawal: A plate of rice, some spicy rajma (English translation) and a huge dollop of desi ghee. Heaven is something closer to this. There have often been proposals to widen this road to a four lane highway for many years, but all of them have remained on paper and the road is bad in patches and for a long stretch runs parallel to the Jhelum River. Closer to the valley, we begin to see the chinar trees which become an incandescent red and yellow in winter and rows and rows of rice and saffron fields and a strong buildup in military presence.
A small detour: Visitors to the Vaishnodevi shrine ply on this highway for the first 60 kilometers to Katra and take a detour. You can either chose to walk to the shrine which is a good 10 hour walk back and forth (recommended starting to climb at dusk) or take a chopper to the shrine and back.
22nd
Wazwan is a traditional Kashmiri meal and is largely meat based and it is highly recommended to fast for a day before sitting down for this wonderful repast. According to a local friend, typical wazwan food served at weddings can go up to as many as 52 courses costing 3-4 lakh rupees and have been known to lead to bankruptcy for the hosts. One such meal, where we went to a restaurant in main Srinagar served 8 rounds beginning with earthen pots and plates containing rice and meth maaz after which a procession of dishes followed including tabak maaz, rogan josh, rista and finally rounded off by gostaba which is a mutton preparation with curds. Of course, all this has to be washed down with kawa, a sweetish typical kashmiri tea which aids digestion and is warm water flavored with almond shards, saffron and some other dry fruits. For a brief description of the wazwan, please see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmiri_cuisine
Another kind of tea which is consumed a lot in Kashmir is the namkeen chai which is tea with salt and served along with sattu but unfortunately for us we were still recovering from the wazwan and could not eat much of it. One thing about the Kashmiris: despite the violence which has left each and every citizen of this beautiful Valley scarred, they are an extremely hospitable and kind race and who open up their homes and hearths.
The Jamia Masjid in Kashmir is situated in the old city quarters of Nowhatta, a slightly tense area of the city and is one of the most beautiful places of worship to visit. The mosque can house 3,33,333 people and the inner sanctum has the 99 names of the prophet inscribed in black marble. There are 370 deodhar tree columns inside the shrine and there is a garden inside the shrine and we spent a lot of time absorbing in the intricate carvings and the solitude of the place.
23rd
Pahalgam (Village of Shepherds) is nearly 100 kilometres from Srinagar and passes through some of the beautiful countryside including snow-capped mountains, frothing rivers and lovely vistas. Lots of apricot and chinal trees on the way with the river Lidder flowing past us. Located in the Anantnag district, it is also one of the entry points for the Amarnath Yatra, but due to heavy snowfall due to which the Yatri traffic was being diverted to Baltal. A couple of streets lined with shops selling everything from dry fruits to carpets, army camps, some hotels, schools and a sprawling park cum zoo filled with couples and hordes of school kids along with the ubiquitous cheetah and a couple of bored bears is pretty much it. But there are a lot of small treks being organized there and we went for a mini river rafting experience. (2 kilometres, no paddles for you as two professionals do the heavy lifting and a river which at best gurgles, 125 rupees per head and you can get your photograph taken with all the paddling paraphernalia to show your friends back home). Highly recommended for couples and family! Fun minus the adventure!
Dal lake:
the scene of many a Hindi movie in the 60s and the 70s, is quite breathtaking if you approach it from the main Residency road. After braving some very bad traffic (if you think Mumbai and Pune are lawless, the valley is the capital of lawlessness), you suddenly stumble upon a narrow strip of road on which one side is flanked by hotels and the other side THE LAKE. An entire economy thrives on the lake and according to one breathless estimate about 10000 shikaras, houseboats etc can be found on the lake at any time.
The lake itself which was once 24 kms has now dwindled to around 10 kms and is in real danger of dying out thanks mainly to pollution and the people who live on the lake and the government said in June it has set aside 20 billion rupees for cleansing it. Apparently, to clear final level examinations in 10th standard kids must swim across the lake, a distance of 10 kms. It is quite difficult to believe sitting on the porch of the houseboat watching the far lights of the Sankaracharya temple on top of the hills on the other side of the lake with the water gently sloshing the boat and the sun dropping away, the troubles in this beautiful valley.
One of the must see things in the early morning is the vegetable market which runs for an hour every morning between 5 and 6 on the lake. It is a beautiful spectacle with small canoes milling around each other filled with vegetables and vendors swapping them in the backdrop of the lake with water herons, kites and eagles for company.
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