We're back in Bangalore, breathing and sleeping easy. As promised, here is all of the content I've currently got on my camera - pictures and videos. Here we go.
Videos
Check out the rides up the mountain. They videos get progressively better, as we get higher. Try to check them out full screen if you can.
Merging of the Indus and Zanskar rivers
Pictures
Two full albums are now on Facebook, set I here and set II here. They're also available on Picassa (they may make you sign up to view plus you may have to add me as your google+ friend, not sure). Here are some of my favorites:
Summing up Ladakh
This leg of my India trip really made this the trip of a lifetime, for quite a number of reasons. First, obviously getting all the way to India for a big enough chunk of time is certainly easier said than done these days. But how about this? Lodging for eight days, transportation everywhere, hiking guides, mountain bike rentals, and probably more things that I've forgotten came out to about 9,000 rupees. Remembering the conversion rate of 45 rupees to 1 dollar, that's an astonishing $200 folks! All told, including the $1,200 spent on flights back and forth to the US, I am looking at a $2,000 month long vacation. You can't beat that.
The highlight of the Ladakh trip for me was the mountain bike ride down 5,000 feet from the 3rd highest navigable pass in the world to downtown Leh. I've talked about this already - the view almost literally to die for. Rafting would have been another highlight. The last day we got up very early to start the day with a hike up and around the Leh Valley rim and then down to a nearby village, which was very cool, then took our minibus to go rafting. Long story short, we were where we needed to be, watching an amazingly fast, turbid Zanskar River. I've only rafted on the very tame Delaware River, a much different story. But somewhere between our tour manager and the rafting company, something got screwed up and they never sent the boat. Sucks! No one took responsibility either, which drew the complete wrath of some of my Indian friends. The worst part is that we were there and got to see how cool it would be, on our last day. Oh well.
One thing I found very interesting is the complete and utter lack of legal oversight throughout. IE, we rented bikes and were racing down a single lane, only partially paved road with no railings. One would've thought that there'd be some sort of waiver involved, but no. We didn't even get any instructions. The bikes were sitting there when we got to the pass and the bike guys helped us put our helmets on. That's it. To add to this, I've noticed that there are very few traffic rules to speak of and the only time I saw traffic cops was on the way to the airport in Bangalore, running speed traps. And to be honest, I found this refreshing as hell. America has gone over the deep end when it comes to both legal liability and law enforcement. As I've mentioned, I've rafted in the very tame Delaware, which requires a full length waiver and release before doing so. And traffic cops in America? More and more it seems like they aren't adding so much value to society, just money into their departments coffers and pissing people off. A dorky-lawyer observation, maybe.
Another thing that was very apparent, and quite annoying when you were either waiting for the individual-room hot water heater for a shower, playing poker after dinner, or, once for me, sitting on the toilet, is the rolling blackouts that the city experienced every day or so. As I've mentioned before, the place must be brutal in the winter. I can't imagine trying to survive there without electricity.
This is getting a little long winded, so how about this, some quick hitters.
Things I can cross off the bucket list:
1. I've drank Yak milk tea and coffee, which is very nice. Sweet and light.
2. Seeing Ladakhi child care (2 year-olds chilling on the side of the highway while their parents work) and Ladakhi home security (broken glass embedded on the top of walls).
3. Trying to keep it PG (hi, mom!), I've err used a traditional Indian toilet in a time of need. It's a small hole in the floor and personally I've never had to aim my poop before. Not easy. Thank Lord Vishnu I brought my own TP.
4. I've lowed the bar in terms of restaurant hygienic-ity. Punjabi Breakfast was in some random village we stopped at on the way to PangongNubra Valley. I abstained, but really only because I was still sick from the minibus. "The restaurant" at Pangong Lake was a dirt floor tent.
* Congrats to Pepe (of Binghamton) - his (original) meatball sub hole-in-the-wall shithole just got knocked up a few pegs.*
5. I was the cream in an oreo cookie motorcycle threesome. Avi and I ordered a taxi to go shopping in Leh and our tour manager shows up with his motorcycle. Um, okay. Avi held me tight.
Videos
Check out the rides up the mountain. They videos get progressively better, as we get higher. Try to check them out full screen if you can.
This is way up there.
Merging of the Indus and Zanskar rivers
Close encounters of the Yak kind.
5 minutes into the "baby hike" trial. 7 days in, we still weren't used to the altitude (while our guide was running up and down the mountain like a chipmunk).
Our plane over the Himalayas. I was sleeping when Avi woke me up to this. Mind you, we're still at cruising altitude at this point, not descending or anything.
Two full albums are now on Facebook, set I here and set II here. They're also available on Picassa (they may make you sign up to view plus you may have to add me as your google+ friend, not sure). Here are some of my favorites:
Best pee ever
Thiksey Monastery
Bird's eye view of a Leh polo match from a monastery on the cliffs
Pangong Lake
A view of Leh I took while on a hike the last day
Another great pee
Check out the road we had to take to get to this point. You can even make it out in the distance.
Nubra Valley
What look like scratches in the mountain are actually the road
Summing up Ladakh
This leg of my India trip really made this the trip of a lifetime, for quite a number of reasons. First, obviously getting all the way to India for a big enough chunk of time is certainly easier said than done these days. But how about this? Lodging for eight days, transportation everywhere, hiking guides, mountain bike rentals, and probably more things that I've forgotten came out to about 9,000 rupees. Remembering the conversion rate of 45 rupees to 1 dollar, that's an astonishing $200 folks! All told, including the $1,200 spent on flights back and forth to the US, I am looking at a $2,000 month long vacation. You can't beat that.
The highlight of the Ladakh trip for me was the mountain bike ride down 5,000 feet from the 3rd highest navigable pass in the world to downtown Leh. I've talked about this already - the view almost literally to die for. Rafting would have been another highlight. The last day we got up very early to start the day with a hike up and around the Leh Valley rim and then down to a nearby village, which was very cool, then took our minibus to go rafting. Long story short, we were where we needed to be, watching an amazingly fast, turbid Zanskar River. I've only rafted on the very tame Delaware River, a much different story. But somewhere between our tour manager and the rafting company, something got screwed up and they never sent the boat. Sucks! No one took responsibility either, which drew the complete wrath of some of my Indian friends. The worst part is that we were there and got to see how cool it would be, on our last day. Oh well.
One thing I found very interesting is the complete and utter lack of legal oversight throughout. IE, we rented bikes and were racing down a single lane, only partially paved road with no railings. One would've thought that there'd be some sort of waiver involved, but no. We didn't even get any instructions. The bikes were sitting there when we got to the pass and the bike guys helped us put our helmets on. That's it. To add to this, I've noticed that there are very few traffic rules to speak of and the only time I saw traffic cops was on the way to the airport in Bangalore, running speed traps. And to be honest, I found this refreshing as hell. America has gone over the deep end when it comes to both legal liability and law enforcement. As I've mentioned, I've rafted in the very tame Delaware, which requires a full length waiver and release before doing so. And traffic cops in America? More and more it seems like they aren't adding so much value to society, just money into their departments coffers and pissing people off. A dorky-lawyer observation, maybe.
Another thing that was very apparent, and quite annoying when you were either waiting for the individual-room hot water heater for a shower, playing poker after dinner, or, once for me, sitting on the toilet, is the rolling blackouts that the city experienced every day or so. As I've mentioned before, the place must be brutal in the winter. I can't imagine trying to survive there without electricity.
This is getting a little long winded, so how about this, some quick hitters.
Things I can cross off the bucket list:
1. I've drank Yak milk tea and coffee, which is very nice. Sweet and light.
2. Seeing Ladakhi child care (2 year-olds chilling on the side of the highway while their parents work) and Ladakhi home security (broken glass embedded on the top of walls).
3. Trying to keep it PG (hi, mom!), I've err used a traditional Indian toilet in a time of need. It's a small hole in the floor and personally I've never had to aim my poop before. Not easy. Thank Lord Vishnu I brought my own TP.
4. I've lowed the bar in terms of restaurant hygienic-ity. Punjabi Breakfast was in some random village we stopped at on the way to PangongNubra Valley. I abstained, but really only because I was still sick from the minibus. "The restaurant" at Pangong Lake was a dirt floor tent.
* Congrats to Pepe (of Binghamton) - his (original) meatball sub hole-in-the-wall shithole just got knocked up a few pegs.*
5. I was the cream in an oreo cookie motorcycle threesome. Avi and I ordered a taxi to go shopping in Leh and our tour manager shows up with his motorcycle. Um, okay. Avi held me tight.
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