Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Trip to Baralacha and Keylong- Himachal Pradesh.Suvrat Thatte reports

Suraj Taal

The trip had to be short as we had only 4 days from the 25^th to the 28^th of July for our trip. So initially having contemplated Chopta in Uttarakhand, we finally zeroed in on Keylong and Baralacha pass in Himachal Pradesh. As many would have travelled to Leh via Manali would have passed Baralacha and I can only attempt to describe its beauty, which undoubtedly, I will fall short of words to express.

We started off from Delhi at 7.30 pm bus to Manali and reached Manali at around 10.00 am the next morning. Without wasting any time, we took the bus to go to Keylong. The journey took about 6 hours, needless to say peppered with a lot of breaks, which I guess are also required to give the bus driver some respite from the rather demanding roads and terrains.

We reached Keylong at about 5pm and decided to rest for the evening. Keylong is a beautiful small place with a lot of places to stay to suit every pocket. The facilities in most places are basic and Keylong is used by many campers and travellers as an overnight base point for their further travel to Leh. However we used Keylong as our base camp and travelled from there.

zinzibar

On way to Baralacha pass, we decided to get down at a place called Zinzinbar, which is a short distance from Baralacha Pass and decided to walk till Baralacha. Of course birding being my passion, I had a chance to photograph some Himalayan winged beauties.

Next day morning we left for Baralacha pass. Baralacha pass is on the Manali-Leh highway. The journey is beautiful and picturesque. The snow on the mountains has melted partially and it is beautiful to watch these mountains half in brown by the colour of the rocks and soil and half in snow.

Near Baralacha pass, there is the beautiful Suraj Taal lake, the third highest lake in India. The lake is the starting point of the Bhaga river (which forms part of the Chandrabhaga or Chenab river upon confluence with Chandra river). Set between snow clad mountains the lake is beautiful and serene and the very setting is mesmerizing. The colour of the water is a rather dark turquoise blue. (Unfortunately cant explain it better, I am not very good with colours unless its on birds!!) The lake is at a height of 4883 metres (about 16,000 plus feet) and is worth a visit.

The drive back from Baralacha pass and Suraj Taal back to Keylong is very beautiful. The Himalayas gives us a glimpse of mountains with so many colours and different landscapes, it is simply breathtaking. On the way back, we also passed the beautiful town/village of Jispa. A very scenic serene place
Upon return to Keylong, we rested for the night.

Baralacha Pass

The next day morning, we started for Stasur Monastery near Keylong. The monastery is located on a mountain and the climb there was moderate but with the sun bearing down on your back, it can get a little tiring.  The setting of the monastery is very beautiful overlooking Keylong on one side and the mountains on the other. The Buddhist monks at the monastery were very kind and offered us tea and biscuits, which we needed most after a rather tough climb for a city dweller. The mountain and vegetation also offered many birding opportunities for me which was satisfying, seeing many birds for the first time in my life.

The next day we started back from Keylong to Manali early in the morning. After crossing Rohtang pass, we got off at a place called Gulaba, where one gets to see vultures both perched and flying at eye level. Unfortunately it was very foggy and after walking for a couple of kilometres and including a lengthy wait for one hour under a tree on which a vulture was perched, and with a hope of getting a good pic, we realised that luck wasn’t on our side on that particular day. Fortunately within minutes we saw a HPTDC bus going to Manali and hopped onto it to proceed to Manali.

But from experience I would suggest that anyone planning a visit to a place in the mountains should take a day off to acclimatise as the terrains and weather can be very demanding. This was my first visit to that part of the country and though short left me with beautiful memories.

Kailash Mansarover trip- a travelers first hand insight

A trip to Kailash Mansarover is probably a dream destination for all adventure lovers and religious tourists.
PashaTuks deviates from their signature tune of "lets go ahead and see whats beyond and yonder-no planning required" mode to sharing some very valuable tips that a friend shared recently of his trip to Kailash Mansarover.

Our friend is a healthy 60 plus young gentleman with a slim physique.We mention the physique bit, as a heavier built person in the same age bracket or younger would find it difficult to reach the destination.
In his opinion acclimatization is of paramount importance and he says that the Indian Government directive of spending 3 nights at 9000 feet and 2 nights each at 12,000 and 15,000 feet should be adhered to for the general tourist

  Individuals with the slightest medical history of any kind of chronic or lifestyle illnesses should avoid taking this journey as in the high altitude, low oxygenated areas the body reactions can sometimes be fatal.He said that the few people who needed to be evacuated from the trip had to spend anything between 2000 to 6000 USD, depending upon which part of the journey they needed the evacuation from.

 A locale like this and one feels like a tipple. Our friend tells us that alcohol is to be strictly avoided in these altitudes as it depresses breathing.
He himself faced acute difficulties in sleeping, suffered from lack of appetite, dizzy spells.
Jeans as an outfit is not recommended by him, as in the high altitudes every additional gram matters, specially in inclement weather conditions. A wet pair of jeans could slow down all the travelers. A Kailash Mansarover journey is always in groups, maybe due to the high risk conditions.It is never a solo journey.

This journey is by no means a cheap journey. If one takes the short cut route of going via Nepal(this way the trip can be completed in a weeks time), it cost our friend nearly INR 2,00,000.We are told that the trips conducted by Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam cost around INR 1,00,000 but take more than 3 weeks.
Infrastructure is very basic and one has to be mentally very flexible to adjust to any kind situations that may arise
The journey is not easy, but once completed gives a sense of  self achievement that no other upper in life can offer. Pashatuks will definitely take this journey - when they are ready .physiologically, mentally and physically.When the call comes from the abode of Shiva- Parvati.

The Golden Journey of my parents- by Debyani Dasan

In my opinion two people who have traveled together through the journey of life for 50 years definitely deserve to be acknowledged as travelers par excellence.
I present proudly two of the greatest travelers I  am blessed to know- my parents.
On their Golden Jubilee in 2009- I tried to put in some fanfare as I recreated some of what goes on in an actual Hindu wedding .I feel very fortunate that I was able to bring back the blushes with the smiles for the people who have brought me into this world and I am who I am because of them.

Jakholi- district Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand- a quiet getaway for an extended weekend

We happened to stumble upon Jakholi, an absolutely 10 hut hamlet hidden away in the interiors of Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, around 400 odd kilometers from Delhi.

We left in the wee hours of the morning and were there at the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam GMVN run sole guest house, perched atop a hill a liitle post lunch. Since we had gone during the monsoons, we had large sections of bad roads, specially post Rudraprayag to the Tilwara  junction where we turned left and traveled for around 35 kms with absolutely breathtaking vistas all along the way.
The GMVN rest house has a dilapidated exterior and looks as if it has seen grander days, but once inside, its spotlessly clean and the service impeccible.

 The room rent for a super deluxe room was around  INR 660 two years back
What struck us as spectacular was the 360 degree view of the snow capped mountains, the thundering silence broken occasionally by the melodious tweet of some unknown Himalayan bird - the noise of the laptop keys clicking was hurting the senses in that silence. To break the silence one can actually try playing the filmy echo games. On an exploratory trail of the hamlet , we found that there is absolutely no scope for any shopping, unless one wanted to purchase cow bells in different shapes and sizes.

 Not many people know of the place, so we had the free run of the place as we were the only guests. The hotel is pet friendly. Our man Friday there was a local smiling hill boy, who took us to someones house to procure live barn fowl. The trussed up fowl was then dumped in the boot of the car and we partied that night on an extremely spicy fowl curry and local brew- the name of which no one was able to tell. For a place this sleepy and tranquil, we were surprised to find top class vet services- infact the vet out there, proudly explained to us that they were producing cattle through artificial insemination   with the help of cyrogenic- whatever that meant. The locals are very friendly and curious to know about the outside world and they readily welcome you to their houses and hearts should you be so inclined to mingle.

 Quaint british style lifestyle in this small hamlet,there is a dining hall and even a lounge to sit and enjoy steaming cups of Tea

The balcony which was all ours

Jakholi is a place that we would never forget as this was the first time we witnessed the fury of nature and the sheer helplessness of the highest animal (MAN)  in the face  of a cloud burst. It seemed that the lightening bolts were hitting us  from all sides and we would all be eletrocuted any minute.the eerie wail of the thunder, rattling of the windows,  and loud lightening made us realise how insignificant we all are in front of divine creations. No wonder people living in these terrains worship the forces of nature, rather than the standard religious creations by human beings.
The next morning a very subdued group tried to look brave as we walked to the level below where the car was parked, hoping that it didn't get washed away in the roaring Mandakini down below. 

The route we took to reach Jakholi from Delhi was via Rishikesh and Rudrarayag. We learnt that the road was washed away at different points - so we had to take a much longer route via Tehri. The journey was longer as we got stuck in an avalanche and the route was almost 150 kilometers longer.
Hills in the monsoon are probably at their pristine best, but definitely not for the weak livered and people who have reservations about flexibility. The entire Himalayas are green and lush, the clear skies offer spectacular snow views post the rainfall.Its as if the hills aquire an indentity of their own- sensual and raw and immensely dangerous. The thrill lies in conquering the unconquered and PashaTuks definitely recommends this place for all travellers who want to explore the untapped terrain.

Raahgiri at Connaught Place, New Delhi

PashaTuks applauds- RAAHGIRI in New Delhi

Not always the media screws up- there are times when they do take an initiative and work towards betterment of the place they live in.

Raahgiri is one such initiative. A leading media house of Delhi in association with a leading fitness company joined hands with the city's administration to create a traffic free area in the heart of Delhi- Connaught Place.Every Sunday for a couple of hours from 6 am to around 930-10 am, all traffic is blocked out of the inner circle and the radial roads of Connaught place and the place is opened to the common man to indulge in a plethora of healthy activities, which are also very entertaining and  pleasurable.
We had been reading about the event in newspapers and decided to check out for ourselves. We decided not to use our own transport, as obviously there would be parking issues. We took the city metro  and got off at the Rajiv Chowk Station,the hub of the city metro services. Getting out of the underground station, we were amazed to find people passing us by on bicycles, roller skates, heads thrown back in happiness- in general very vibrant and alive.
Mothers with little babies in their strollers, daddies strutting their well exercised muscles, uncles and matronly aunties huffing and puffing away  in their track suits or salwar kameezs,or even shorts, tourists clicking away ,all formed a part of the great Sunday event. It was not restricted to just the chronologically young. The spirit of every individual there was young.

The loud blare of music drew us to the first activity station where the visiting ladies in all shapes and ages were dancing away, competing to be the most innovative dancer. No inhibitions anywhere there- We kept walking and came across people playing football in the middle of the road which is normally so heavy on traffic, that it takes a long time for a pedestrian to cross.Gleeful shrieks coming in from the cyclists, or a goal shot into the tiny makeshift goal posts.We walked some more ahead and found a couple of middle-aged people sporting some sort of uniform and playing cricket - we  realised that anyone who signs up to play gets a white T shirt, sponsored by some company, whose name we cant recollect.Cycles could be taken from the organisers at various points  - some form of identification had to be given at the time of collecting the machines. This is all free of cost..

And there were different activity stations at the radial roads, each with a different activity-if one had  live zumba classes , the other had aerobics or yoga or even street painting.Typically the activities which were high on energy were the ones with maximum participation-the crowd was not the typical Delhi crowd ,painted and dressed to kill- but an absolutely genuine- fun loving one. Pashatuks decided to throw decorum out of the window and give into the  urge to sit in the middle of the road. The warm tarmac of the road did feel very nice and warm initially, but would probably be more suited to colder climes-no one batted an eyelid when people broke out into crazy dancing for no rhyme or reason.

There was some activity or the other for every individual.Why, even the elderly could sit on the side and reminiscence of an era gone by, when this downtown area was actually congestion free and smile.
This concept of traffic free zones is fairly common worldwide, but in India this is new, and the emerging Indian citizen has happily embraced the initiative.
For a more detailed description of this event you could could always check our video upload on youtube.

Song of the Hills

Pan Asian Highlights- Kuala Lumpur the cultural meltpot

New Delhi Airport- the T3  T3 was a revelation in itself- for the first time in my life  I can define the word swank-plush corridors with luxurious carpets in earthy colours laid out. Automated walkways that one sees in films or on visits to the developed countries. Beach recliners to rest in and truly international. The mind was dizzy -and the heart swells with pride- proud to be an Indian. Efficient smiling immigration- feet sink into the rich carpets- altogether a WOW experience.

Air Asia.com- the low cost airline redefines what low cost is all about. A single bottle of water costs 3 ringitt or 50 rupees. When cold in the night and i asked for a blanket- i was told 35 ringitts before anything else. Our local low cost  carriers cabin crew could take a lesson or two in what detached, unsmiling, robotic efficiency is all about. The girls in the cabin crew looked like Malaysian barbies- silicone injected and so very plastic.

However the flight took off 20 minutes before the scheduled departure and landed 45 minutes ahead of ETA,both ways.

Rangoli in malaysia?

The culture 

We were scheduled to go to the brides house to give the wedding saree. Totally, unlike the conservative malayalee, I was thrilled to note that despite having to remove our  footwear at the gate and walk barefoot, the proceedings for the day was a happy mix of different cultures- mehendi, sangeet, dancing to bhangra music, malay food, alcohol- you name it it was there.Culture curry in the fullest sense of the word and very very tasty.

We went to a place called Klang. The roads of KL are wide, like Delhi, but the traffic is extremely well regulated. One would not find people jumping in the middle of the road. The driving speed within the city limits is 80 Kmph and the cars are of different origins.Its fairly common to see BMWs or Mercs zipping across alongside the home grown models.  We managed to see something called Icity- which is actually a large tract of land converted to something akin a carnival flooded with lights.

Kl by the night is very different from Kl by the day.Youngsters in brightly coloured two wheelers zip across the roads. We were told that there is a lot of illegal racing and betting happening and lot of youngsters lose their lives due to the recklessness and rash driving.

 The Wedding 

The Malaysian wedding left us a little stunned. It was an amalgamation of tamil, kerala wedding with a lot of vedic rites thrown in.

This was our first wedding where a wedding planner has been in action. The theme was autumn - the colours used were cream and gold. Lots of  Chrysanthemums and gerberas dotted the flower pots placed strategically inside the hall like an aisle of a christian wedding.Like European weddings we all had our designated places to sit.

At the end of the wedding they had the food presentation ceremony where two men came with fire torches and then put them in a cris cross fashion.The maitre de then came with the rice plate and then under the fire arc presented it to the table where the groom and bride were seated.

Malaysian tailors are far superior to our desi counterparts. The blouses that that the Indian women were wearing were deliciously naughty and yet stitched to perfection. Low backed blouse- the word took an entirely different meaning.

Post wedding- we all trooped home and welcomed the bride.Like many contemporary urban weddings, the bride and the groom then left to stay at a pre designated destination as they wanted to be left undisturbed.

The City through the eyes of a tourist 

Post breakfast the whole family left in two mini buses for the Batu caves- the locals warned us of the 200 plus steps that needed to be traversed to reach these limestone caves  having stalactites.

The road leading to the caves reminded me of Chennai with bright flower garlands adorning flower stalls.

The elders decided not to take the risk, and were rather discouraging when the not so young gentry in their 40s took the decision to make the trip.At the end of the stairs- none of us were really worse the wear. The steps were easy and the weather was just right. Enough has been written about the caves on the net- but the limestone formations were impressive.

After Batu we stopped at the kings palace- where I learnt of democracy in monarchy. In Malaysia the king is changed every 5 years.

Change of guards at the royal palace

Our smiling driver cum guide of the mercedes van.

 The selection happens from different Sultans spread across the country. Impressive idea- royalty with the ordinary ideas. At the palace gates we saw the change of guards. A legacy from the Britishers I guess.

Then we went to the freedom monument- something akin to our India gate in Delhi- its a memorial for people who laid down their lives in pursuit of peace.

Well manicured lawns,  rock steps,shining marble and beautiful fountains made a pretty picture there.

From there we moved to the freedom square-Medeka square- something akin to our Redfort- but with major improvements in terms of technology and cleanliness.

Then it was China town time- all china towns are the same but this one was marked with a difference. There are Bangladeshi hawkers peddling their wares with the Chinese,Indonesian and Malays. We had an authentic Chinese meal comprising of Mee Goreng a type of fried noodles wrapped in egg, Keuwtheow goreng a tossed up chicken dish in Chinese sauces, boiled Chinese veggies, Udang-tiger prawns in sweet and sour sauce. the entire meal was washed down with chinese tea- hot and cold- take your pick.

China town in Kual Lumpur

 The shopping experience was a disaster- we were converting to rupees and finding the same stuff available in Delhi a cheaper option.

Dont miss the  bengali food joint

 So off we went ot catch the Petronas towers where we shopped some at the KLCC- Kuala lumpur Convention Centre. All malls are same only brands are different. It was fun browing through Prada stores, Cartier, Gucci were just some of the stores i looked around- tested a lot of perfumes- JLo, Dior, Estee Lauder to name a few.

The mall boasts of a concert hall where performing artists of the world come in to play.

Finally it was home time and we all trooped in exhausted. the senior citizens were not too happy, but I had a blast.

Our local hero who showed us around

Poshness redefined  Cyberjeya and Putrajaya- the industrial and the administrative portions of the malaysian government was actually an exmple of what a city where the system works looks like.

University at Cyberjeya

Prime Ministers residence at Putrajeya

Medeka square

Freedom fighters memorial

The people of Malaysia are polite, the administration has managed to make sure that the poverty and ugliness that is typical of any asian country is hidden from the eyes of the traveller who brings in forex.I saw KL not just as a tourist but also as a local and there was none of the squallor, dirt or poverty that one usually associates with a developing economy.

I was a little unhappy because people dont walk - the roads are so beautiful that one gets a natural urge to walk, but no one walks. Apparently there is a lot of crime, and we were warned not to walk. 

The traffic police are equipped with powerful motorbikes and they very happily posed for us

Drinking water is expensive  and scarce- one can guzzle as much beer as possible. The malays love to eat and food is plentiful, tasty and affordable. Like us. Like us again they use water and not toilet paper. Must admit that this was a serious concern with us before we left for the journey.

We have come back with some lovely memories and happy thoughts. Next time around we intend to do Langkawi and Genting Highlands- but for a starter this trip more than whetted our appetites

The standard food fare