This is superb news — As many as 101 out-of-bounds mountains in the frontier region of Ladakh are about to be opened for trekking.

Right now, trekking — even travelling for that matter — in Ladakh is a terrible experience. You have to get a permit — sometimes more than one — for every direction that you travel from Leh. Still worse, the permits take more than a day to process unless you go through agents who ‘get the work done’ in a day. It is worse for foreign tourists, who aren’t even allowed as near the border as Indian nationals.

This is a pity because Ladakh is one of those rare places that you’ll remember for a lifetime; it’s a wonderful experience everyone must have. With these trekking destinations opening up and the access limitations being relaxed, it will help the local tourism, hotel and adventure sports industry — and mountain lovers like me.

So if you’re planning to go to Ladakh anytime soon, do look up the newly opened destinations. At the very least, your Facebook uploads won’t look the same as everyone else who visited Ladakh. That line always get people going.

Pangong Lake is shared by China and Indian Occupied Ladakh. This is the site of Indo-Chinese tensions

NEW DELHI: After Chinese objections to construction of a road in a forward area of south-eastern Ladakh, India today claimed that the incident could be a result of different perception of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). New Delhi is said to be ‘concerned’ about the fresh dispute in the area, where Chinese troops have reportedly been painting the rocks and writing messages in Mandarin.

Ladakh map Pangong Lake Karakorums. Pangong lake is the only body of water shared by Bharat and China. This lake in the Muslim majority area of Ladakh is a source of tension between China and India. The boundry was never demarcated between Delhi and Beijing and there exists a Cease Fire Line renamed "Actual Line of Control"

Pallam Raju, Minister of State for Defence, said the matter is being inquired. “We will inquire into the matter. The whole problem arises in the different perception of the actual border. That is why it has possibly been stopped,” he said.

Work on the road to link the Demchok village, located 300 kilometers south-east of Leh, beyond India’s last post in the Ladakh region was stopped in October after objections by China.

The road was being constructed under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to connect two remote villages, Demchok being the last settlement on the Indian side.

Ladakh (Indian Occupied Kashmir) map showing Pangong Lake: This is a site of recent tensions between "India" and China. Bharat has been unable to settle its border disputes with any of its neighbors. While Pakistan successfully resolved its border with China, Bharat has been unable to do with Nepal, Mayanmar, Pakistan, Lanka, Bangladesh and China. This is a continueing source of Sino-Indian relations

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has also drawn the Centre’s attention to the incident. The government is planning to take up the matter through diplomatic channels with Beijing, sources said.

Officials claim that the construction of road was well within the Indian territory. The 3.8 kilometer stretch was almost complete when Chinese army personnel intervened and stopped further construction.

The Chinese army had also raised the issue in a flag meeting with their Indian counterpart.

The People’s Liberation Army troops have adopted aggressive tactics and there have been several reports of violation of the LAC. The ministry of external affairs is likely to intervene and take up the matter with the Chinese foreign office through diplomatic channels.Express News ServiceFirst Published : 01 Dec 2009 05:04:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 01 Dec 2009 08:10:58 AM IST. China objects, India obliges

For several years now, numerous travelers have embedded their footmarks on the land that carries an age-old heritage and diverse cultural panorama, India. The country is not just the land of sand dunes or mere colorful people, as it was believed, but encapsulates much more than this. This is the only reason, that several travelers and modern-day nomads flock the country in masses and are left completely spellbound with the features of the places that are manifold. One such destination is Ladakh, a place that is reckoned for its truly amazing beauty and a whole lot of fascinating routes that voyages you across the hypnotic world of adventure.

Ladakh scales mesmerizing altitudes that ranges from about 9,000 feet (2,750 m) at Kargil to 25,170 feet (7,672 m) at Saser Kangri in the Karakoram. Owing to such heights, the temperature in summers rarely exceeds about 27°C in the shade, while in winter they may plunge to minus 20°C; even in Leh. What more can a traveler desire? Chilling gush of air that mightily faces the brawny mountains standing tall in the lap of Ladakh altogether makes a perfect option for adventure enthusiasts, who have penchant to exceed every possible limit and putting everything at risk.

Ladakh boasts of a couple of mountain ranges that are appreciated for their amazing heights. Some of them are the Greater Himalaya and the Karakoram, along with two others, the Ladakh range and the Zangskar range. These burly structures proffers terrains and steep routes that seems quiet luring and manages to attract huge number of fun-lovers for trekking and other adventure activities. Ladakh also has High Mountain passes that comes on the adventurous routes giving you chance to get a glimpse of colorful mountains and amazing landscape.  Amidst several audacious trek paths, Spituk to Markha Valley, Zanskar Valley, Nubra Valley, Changthang Valley, Rupsu Valley, Stok Kangri, Darcha – Padum, Frozen River, Kanji Trek, Junglam Trek, Lamayuru Gompa – Chilling and Likir to Temisgam are some of the popular treks that one can take.

When it comes to offering fun-filed trekking routes, Ladakh has much more. Some of the fascinating trekking routes for travelers are:

Markha Valley

Markha Valley is popular for its age-old history and beautiful paintings that are spellbinding and represents true Indian workmanship. Some of the places of interest are Leh – Shey – Thiksey – Hemis, Zinchen – Yurutse (3900 M) Via Rumbak, Thochuntse – Nimaling (4700 M), Nimaling – Kongmaru La (5150 M) – Sumdo, Sumdo – Hemis (4 Hrs Trek) – Leh and many more.

Lamayuru

A mirror image of true essence of Ladakh, Lamayuru links two of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh at its either end. The trail passes through desert mountain scape with vivid verdant villages tucked away into the hillsides. Along this fascinating trekking routes, one can peek into the world of Gompas at Lamayuru, Wanla, the Sumdochoon valley, which is inhabited by descendants of Nepalese , craftsmen brought by the king of Ladakh in the 18th century. Other trekking routes are Lamayuru Martselang Trekking, Lamayuru Chilling Trek.

Trans Zanskar

Trans Zanskar is one of the massively flocked regions in Ladakh, which proffers travelers an apt choice for expedition and other adventure activities. The starting point of the region is Lamayuru gompa, the most ancient monastic site in Ladakh and the travelers cross 4 high passes to reach Zanskar’s capitol of Padum.

Nubra Valley

Reckoned as the “Orchard of Ladakh”, Nubra Valley is a tributary of the Shyok River that flows parallel to the Indus on the northern side of the Ladakh range. Mild climate, scenic beauty and rich vegetation & flora take you on a pleasant journey. Some of the places of interest are Sabu Village – Digar La Pass, Digar Village – Agyam Village, Khalsar Village – Diskit, Diskit – Leh and many more.

Rupshu Valley

Situated between the Zanskar and the Tibetan border to the east, Rupshu is the highest and least known part of Ladakh. The region is a part of the Chang Tang plains that extend eastwards from Rupshu for almost 1000 kilometers across the land of Tibet. Boasting of a association of high valleys, estranged by impressive ridges, coupled with snow – capped peaks with altitude 6000 meters, Rupshu is a rugged land apt for adventure activities. Some of the palces of interest are Latza Gongmaru-Kongmaru La (5030m) – Langtang Chu (4250m), Langtang Chu – Yakrupal (4700m), Sorra – Dat (4200m) and many more.

Stok Kangri

The sturdy peak of Stok Kangri (20075ft.) is prominent on the southern skyline and contributes in offering travelers, a true trekking experience. Colorful monasteries at Shey, Thikse and Hemis and top of all, lovely trek through the Markha Valley are some of the highlighting features of the region. Some of the places of interest are picturesque villages to the high Nimaling Plain below the imposing peak of Kang Yatze, Kang Yatze, a 6400 metre high peak that has a subsidiary summit at around 6100 meter, which is flocked heavily for trekking and many more.

If you really want to have a glimpse of a destination that personifies natural marvel and experience the true adventure jerks, Ladakh is the right option. The only place in the northern arena that wraps up the picturesque sceneries and steep roads to proffer you the most exciting as well as intriguing trekking routes

Return of Migrants : Kashmir is under the control of India………………… Daya Sagar Sharma

A Look Through the Mist

The upper reaches of areas of Doda, {Bhaderwa/ Kishtwar/ Ramban } Rajouri, Poonch, Udhampur, Kathua too are affected by militancy as are areas like Baramulla, Kupwara , Anantnag, The muslim population in these areas too is reasonable large. The people are poor and good number is Hindu in these areas. So far the official data as is available does not indicate appreciable displacement / migration from areas outside Kashmir valley though there have been many brutal killing and rape cases there. Under the circumstances all Kashmiri { Valley }Muslims are being misunderstood by the other world as being fully involved in pushing out Kashmiri Hindus from valley. Where as the truth is not so. Delay is causing a great damage to the good will of Kashmiri Muslims as well as the ties between Hindu & Muslim could weaken more out of ignorance. Though the number of Kashmiri Migrant families that actually migrated from 1989 to 1991 { majority being Kashmiri Hindu …Pundits } from Kashmir valley is not known , the Kashmiri Pundit families who have got them selves registered as Kashmiri migrants { some also call their self as internally displaced } may be over 50000. The number of muslims / Sikhs / non Kashmiri speaking Hindu may be hardly 2 to 3 percent of this number. So when we refer to the return of Kashmir Migrants to Kashmir valley , it is taken as with reference to return of Kashmiri Hindu to Kashmir Valley { that too particularly Kashmiri pundits }. Local Hindu from Kashmir Valley is out for over 20 years. It makes the out side world think convincingly that India has some serious problem in J&K. The question that more disturbs is that when 500000 to 600000 Indian tourists { nearly 90 percent non muslims } can visit Kashmir Valley for leisure and vacations { including honeymooning } every year over a period of 4 months , why can not the safe return of Kashmiri migrants be made possible ?. In case some one contests that since the majority community { muslims } of Kashmir is not for India the Kashmiri Pundits so are not safe in valley. In case for argument sake it is accepted then the another question that rises is that how are 500000 to 600000 Indian tourists { nearly over 90 percent non muslims } are visiting Kashmir Valley for leisure and vacations { including honeymooning } every year over a period of 4 months ? Some KP migrants do argue that the tourist Indians visit Kashmir forgetting their identity ? This way one would even conclude that 100 crore “Indians are migrants” as regards Kashmir Valley . This is not a convincing plea. Rather it more questions the seriousness of New Delhi in cooling down the turmoil in JK. The foreign countries under the circumstances are getting the impressions that {i} it is only Kashmir valley that is disturbed and Kashmiri majority { muslims } had not accepted 1947 accession {ii} it is only Kashmiri Hindu { Pundits } who express rights over the land of Kashmir valley and oppose the separatist movement {iii}Jammu and Kashmir State { Particularly Kashmir region }is under the influence of separatist and externally sponsored terrorist activities {iv} the GOI has no control worth providing socio economic security to the Kashmiri Hindu or those who dare profess Indian nationality in Kashmir. Where as the facts are surely not like this. Yes one could say that New Delhi has not so far set the return of Kashmiri Hindu to valley as its first priority. No doubt as regards the economic and social support to Kashmiri Migrants Government of India has been reasonably considerate in sensing the miseries of those Kashmiri Pandits who had to run away from Kashmir Province in 1989/1990. Some of them still staying in the tents and one room tentaments provided by the J&K Government at Nagrota, Muthi, Mishriwala and Roopnagar near Jammu. POJK is under the control of Pakistan but Kashmir is under the control of India. POJK Displaced persons were displaced in 1947 from Pakistan Controlled parts of Kashmir { Jammu and Kashmir }.Sensitizing the conditions for socio economic return of POK Displaced Persons does have international compulsion . But Kashmiri migrants are away from their own homes in Indian controlled territories of the day. Government of India proposed { 2004/2005 } to add one more pacca room to the one room accommodation already provided to migrants and laying foundations of multi storey pucca apartments in 2007 for Kashmiri Migrants outside Valley have surely been wrong signals { indirectly strengthening terrorist / separatist cause signaling that GOI is not hopeful for ensuring the safe return of Kashmiri Hindu to the Valley even after 20 years } to the World community. Kashmiri kids who were in primary class in 1989 are now { 2009 } the thinking youth force of Kashmir valley. The way time has been lost has made many of them to start thinking of some dispute regarding their Nationality. Non Hindu Kashmiri is regularly so mis informed after 1989 about the intentions of Bharat Sarkar that they do not much believe in confidence building efforts of the government officials as well as the security forces . They doubt the trueness of government loyalists. The local Kashmiries are getting more and more confused ; more and more misinformed. Those who are staying back in Kashmir valley and are in teens / twenties this day have very less positive information about Kashmir being India. Enough rearing grounds have emerged for anti India forces ( Pakistan, foreign mercenaries and local insurgent/ Pakistan loyalists) to win confidence/ sympathies against India. The socio political environment in J&K is deteriorating. Any more delay for return of Hindu migrants would dismantle the communal matrix beyond normal reconstruction. The Kashmiri Hindu migrant kids of 1989/90 too are the youth of the day. They too carry horrifying memories of 1989/1990 when their parents had to run away carrying what ever they could pick. All these years it is the Kashmiri Pundit who has conducted more of the seminars, workshops, conventions on the subject of Migration from Kashmir valley . Surely Pundits were forced by the circumstances to paint the secularism of Kashmiri muslims that rough {may be were under compulsions to speak not good about the secular credentials Kashmiri Muslims }. Under the present circumstances they will not find it easy to live with the post 1990 Muslim Community. Unless assured of ultimate social security and economic benefits .Some migrant leadership may not feel the prevailing security conditions worth taking risk of losing the benefits in education, business , jobs and sympathies they are presently getting as migrants. The response the Prime Ministers package for the Kashmiri Migrants has got could make some to even infer that the Kashmiri Migrants too do not appear to be that much interested for return to Kashmir. Migration has not taken place due to economic reasons and hence government of India should not hope possible return in economic packages only. There fore some hard decision will have to be taken. Government of India must set return of migrants to Kashmir Valley as priority number one. Delay in their return is causing more and more damage to the people of Jammu and Kashmir as a whole..

 ( * Daya Sagar is a social activist and senior coloumnist on Kashmir affairs dayasagr at yahoo.co.uk }

Kanthaswamy movie result sent Vikram to rethink his plans. He did more than two movies every year before Anniyan. But after Anniyan he did mostly a movie at a time. His fans disappointed with this. Much awaited movie Kanthaswamy failed to live upto the expectations in Telugu it was an utter flop.

Now Vikram changed his plans and doing two movies at a time. 24 is one of his movie ready to hit the sets by the end of December and on the other hand Selva Raghavan’s movie is already going in Ladakh. Swathi is going to appear along with Vikram.

According to the Kollywood circels information. He is in story discussions with other star directors like K.S.Ravi Kumar and Linguswamy.

It is a unique way to explore the arid deserts. The idea of a veritable camel safari is attractive for exciting ventures and nature loversYou will be amidst the most traversed deserts of India. These spots are the kingdoms in the huge ranges of deserts. . Camel Safari in India offers major hotspots including Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner in Rajasthan. A tour of camel safari also includes night halts at villages in camps within desert scrub. Camel safari is also performed in the barren deserts of Ladakh in many regions, which is quite surprising for many people. It is a major transportation in deserts of Ladakh and Rajasthan. It is the best way to explore the culture of Rajasthan and Ladakh. Camels are the lifeline of deserts and known as ship of desert. It will let you experience illuminating glances of India’s harshest but prettiest regions!
Destination – Ladakh: Camel safari in Ladakh is enjoyed in the month of July, August and September. You will traverse through rutted mountain terrains on camels. The cold deserts of Ladakh offer beautiful sights of colorful landscapes and remote villages. Spend your nights under the studded sky. Camel safari imparts exciting views of glorious vales, Buddhist Gompas. You can explore pretty settlements such as Nubra and its valley, a fantastic place.
From Leh, you travel to Hunder, and take a camel ride through the sand dunes and picturesque valleys to Diskit. Take a short ride to Tegger village for another fascinating camel ride with the river to Pinchimic. Ladakh is well known for its nonpareil beauty, which can be treasured with two-humped camel ride. Destination – Rajasthan: Camel Safari in Jaisalmer A town of cobbled streets, desert, medieval architecture, Jaisalmer is bounded by golden sand dunes. It is the place where camel ride commands supremely will take you to the Badabagh, worth exploring. Badanagh is the place where tombs of Bhatti Rajput Kings are located. Visit a village called Baisakhi where you will find a temple. Trail to the village of Roopsi on the back of camel. A typical camel safari traverses to the architectural ruins of Lodurva set in the vicinity of Jaisalmer. Take halt at Baisakhi and move your camel ride towards Ramkunds, famous for its Hindu temples.
Bikaner is 333 km north-east of Jaisalmer. It is renowned for its interesting camel safaris, sweets, rugs and savoury snacks. Camel safari starts from Bikaner itself, in which the magnificent view of old Junagarh fort can be sighted. The lovely fort of Leh Palace is second to none! Camel safari will take you to south, where you trails through the villages of Baru, kansar, Naukh and other small towns like, Tadana Mohangarh. Thereafter, ride on camel towards Dungri and then to Jaisalmer.
Mandawa: Mandawa can be reached in just a few hours’ drive from Delhi. The ancient Havelis of Mandawa are decorated with colourful frescos, which is worth exploring. Camel safaris halt at the small villages nearby, mainly in the hamlet of Dhakas. Thar is one of the famous deserts of Rajasthan. Next place for your respite is Khotia. It set within the dunes of Thar and its settlements.
Pushkar: The camel fair at Pushkar is another added attraction if the riders want to witness a camel dance in its entire exquisite aura. You can view Aravalli Range, sandy fields, small dunes, pleasant hills and bewitching Sunrises and sunsets. The sights are exceptionally enticing!
Things to carry: Camel safari is done during winters, so carry woolen clothes, socks, mufflers. Take along plenty of warm sweaters and jackets when you are on a camel safari. Bedding- a warm sleeping bag, extra blanket . Carry a first aid kit as well as any other essentials. You can carry an extra blanket to envelop the wooden saddle Precautions/advice: Keep in mind about the arrangements, accommodation, food and drink etc. Be careful while riding on camel, you may turn dried up. Drink plenty of water – 2, 4 liters per day. Apply cream on your body to prevent from heat. Wear sun glasses, sun hat . Rajasthan is quite un-spoilt region, so do not spoil the places around and deserts.
Do not harm the ecology and the culture of any region in which you do camel safari.

After spending a sleepless night in half a sleeping bag each, I think we were all too pooped to even wake up in the morning. But we had to…kyon ki…Mission was incomplete. Early morning dew combined with some rain made it a cold and wet morning. We pulled ourselves out of the tent and starting packing up to leave for our next leg of the journey which was also supposed to be our last leg. We had 160Km to go, out of which the toughest leg was supposed to be crossing the Lachulang La Pass at 16,466 Ft above sea level. Before hitting Lachulang La Pass we had to traverse Nakeela at 15,550 Ft. But since we had already done Baralacha La at around the same level we weren’t too worried. Now, as we were packing up, someone looked up at the sky and spotted the spoiler for the day….big dark clouds far away..almost on top of the passes. Damn..this kinda messed up our heads and didn’t do any good to our morale. Sleepy, tired, hungry with 2 potentially unwell riders, groping with wet weather which threatened to get worse – this was gonna be some ride.

Finally, after some effort of kick starting the bikes, we started on the last 160 KM of our journey hoping to make it to Leh before evening. As we started up the hill again, the landscape changed from being dry, and beautiful to wet and dark. We were riding into the rains and it got worse with the water hitting our faces and making it quite cold. Before we started, we decided we don’t really need to eat anything because there was supposed to be a small village right across that mountain, where we were very confident of getting some good breakfast. As we rode into the bad weather, with our stomachs growling, me and Aj started getting a bit worried. With our previous horrible experience of bad weather screwing up things, we were very worried of a repeat this time. We kept talking on how to counter this bad weather, and what is our backup plan if it gets worse. We decided that we will have to cross Lachulang La in any case, since the weather is likely to get better the other side. But what we forgot, was that Nakeela Pass had to be crossed before Lachulang La. The road to Nakeela was winding and beautiful. Had the weather not played spoil sport, we would have stopped for a lot of pictures. Crossing Nakeela seemed more difficult and for a while we thought this was actually Lachulang La. Later, we were disappointed to see the sign board saying we were on top of Nakeela and not Lachulang La, with no hotels/dhabba or even a tea stall in sight. Here in our tired state, we met a young lad who was riding alone. He seemed very happy and cheerful and we helped him click a few pictures.

We wanted to descend Lachalung La before the weather got worse. So we quickly left Nakeela and started descending to get across the next mountain. Between these 2 mountains are 2 small valleys called Brandy and Whiskey Nulla. I wonder how these valleys got their names, cos these valleys didn’t really live up to their names!!Whiskey apart, there was not even a decent tea stall there. As we were getting down Nakeela, Barad’s bike behaved funny. It stopped suddenly. We got off and tried to fix it. Suddenly, the young lad who we had met at Nakeela was passing by and he decided to help us with it. But then we managed to fix it on our own. Continuing on our journey, we realized this path through Whiskey Valley had a lot of heavy vehicles traffic. The road was also quite bad with a lot of gravel etc. on it. On one of the turnings uphill, Chavan’s bike skidded and he lost his balance and fell down. Luckily Aj and me were right behind him, and we helped him up. He didn’t seem to have any injuries and that was another good thing. Up further ahead, Barad’s bike had stopped again. We tried everything in the book (our book had just a few pages of bullet know how ) but still we couldn’t manage to fix it on our own. Enter man Friday…the lad from Nakeela. This time around we found out his name..he was Anand. He was from Coimbatore and was glad to know that I come from Chennai. Anand seemed to have done a PhD in bullets and knew exactly what the problem was. Since we were on a higher altitude the setting on the air, fuel combustible mixture had to be changed, cos the air up there was quite thin. So that’s what we did and there…Barad’s bike started peacefully. From this point on, Anand a lone rider was not alone any more. He decided to ride with us, he got company, and we got a reliable guy who could help us fix the bikes. The partnership was indeed memorable, read along and you will know why 

Anand was cast in a different mould. This guy knew everything about bikes, was always cheerful, and extremely helpful with everything. The best thing is…he carried garam chai in his flask which he was more than willing to share with us. Getting up and beyond Lachalung La was getting tougher and tougher especially with the weather being stubborn and stormy. But we overcame it. We beat the stubborn weather and got past the mountain. Down the other side, as we were beginning to celebrate the good weather, we realized that the clouds didn’t give up on us. They chased us across the mountain and continued to be with us for quite sometime. There again, we had to stop because of bike problems. This time it was a really long break because the fuel was leaking from the mouth of the tube and it took sometime to get it fixed. Chavan was really tired and unwell and slept on the road, occasionally giving way to trucks and bikes. Soon it was afternoon and we realized we hadn’t eaten anything since morning and still had to go another 100 Kms to Leh. Suddenly, the bike related problems, the hunger, the exhaustion and ill health cast a gloomy shadow on the whole idea of making it to Leh that day. All we wanted to do was get to Pang (a small village settlement before Moree Plains) and have something to eat. So there, we fixed our bikes and decided we wont stop now till we hit Pang. The weather was playing good cop bad cop with us. But there was this patch of bright sunshine on the way down from Lachalung La. There was a frozen water body in a valley surrounded by mountains. It almost looked like a huge skating rink. We decided to get down and test it out ourselves. Barad demonstrated his long flying jump skate stunt, but all he could do was land with a thud and get stuck in the ice. We spent some good 15 mins playing in the ice before getting back on the road again. Finally we managed to reach Pang. We got into a small tent and were glad to have some hot roti, dal, aloo and rice. As soon as Chavan parked his bike, he rushed into the tent and hit the sack. He didn’t wake up till that night!

As we finished our lunch, we had another casualty in Barad. With 2 of us down, 4 hrs of sunlight remaining and a good 80kms of ride to go which included crossing another 16000 ft pass, we were not sure how the rest of the day was gonna shape up. While most of us wanted to chill out, take it easy and were not in a hurry to get there, the thin air up there screwed up my mind. Like I said before, getting to Leh was more of mission to me than anything else. Suddenly I lost sight of a lot of things and the only thing playing on my mind was that we are not going to make it to Leh today. This upset me a lot. I started getting demoralized and wanted to literally force everyone to get back on the road. I was afraid we might not make it to Leh at all…I was afraid, the weather might again get the better of us and we will be forced to return without getting to Leh. I was afraid we would come this close to Leh and not get there. There was too much playing on my mind. I must confess that I pretty much screwed up everyone’s mood that evening by brooding about it. Poor Aj got the worst of me. I must apologize to everyone for my eccentric behavior.

Soon, I pulled myself up. We spent the rest of the evening, chatting up with our tentman, Dorjee. He came from a village on the Indo China border and was telling us stories of those times, when things were better. Old Monk, an upset soul, some good food, chatty Dorjee and my friends next to me…this is how I fell asleep on the 3rd most eventful night of the trip.

I spent the better part of three days – November 4,5, and 6 – at the annual festival at Thiksey Monastery. The festival proper started on the 5^th, but I went a day early to watch rehearsals and preparations. Similar to my experience in Pushkar, the preparations were as interesting and as much fun as the festival itself.

As you can see from the photograph below, the festival was an “up close and personal” experience. The monastery courtyard provided an intimate venue for the masked dances and other activities. Photographically, it could also be wickedly complicated. During the afternoon, when most of the dances occurred, the lighting was harsh and contrasty between the full light and shadows.  It was also crowded, and while it was possible to get close to the action, out of deference to the local audience members and the fact that the festival is fundamentally a sacred event, the ability to move around during the dances was somewhat limited. The small pod of non-local attendees with cameras conveniently huddled in one corner, in part so we wouldn’t end up in each other’s photographs. Unlike many of the festivals in Bhutan, which even when I visited in 2001 had large numbers of tourists, the audience in Thiksey was overwhelmingly local with Ladakhi women dressed in their finest traditional attire and everyone having a good time.

A first edit of photographs that try to capture the mood and activities is posted here.

November 8 – Last night as I walked into town for dinner – my hotel is a 10 to 15 minute walk from “downtown” Leh – the Muslim call to prayer rang out from the town mosque. While Ladakh is overwhelmingly Buddhist, there’s a sizeable Kashmeri Muslim population.  The call to prayer is a reminder to the connection between Istanbul, where this journey began, through Central Asia to the Indian Subcontinent. For hundreds of years, if not longer, Leh has been a way station on the trade routes used to transport goods to and from the Istanbul in the west and China in the east.  The call to prayer represents one terminus of that route; while on my morning walk through the villages and hills just above Leh, one could hear readings from the Tibetan Book of the Dead form the Buddhist center in the center of Leh, representing the other terminus of the old silk road. The mixing of cultures, peoples, and religions has been a thread that runs through all of the places I’ve visited on this trip. I’ve always found places at the crossroads intriguing and Ladakh, while tucked away in a corner of the Himalayas is no exception.

November 7 – I left early this morning for Lamayuru, an 11^th century monastery perched in the midst of other worldly rock formations. I’d originally hoped to spend two to three days exploring the villages and monasteries along the Indus Valley west of Leh.  Unfortunately, some preliminary research suggested that all of the guesthouses in the area had closed for the season and while home stays are an option, without a good sleeping bag, it would have made for a rather chilly night. So I made the trip up and back in a day, certainly doable, but the area begs for additional exploration.

You get to Lamayuru from Leh on the main road that continues onward to Srinagar, so there’s considerable truck and military traffic. The last stretch of the new road before Lamayuru was closed due to construction, so we – the driver and I – took the old road, which is definitely not for the faint of heart.  The old road is narrow and switchbacks up 1,500 feet or so of elevation gain. The road climbs through breathtaking rock formations to what feels like the top of the world with equally breathtaking sheer drop offs of easily thousands of feet on the passenger side of the road. The view was stupendous, but vertigo inducing. While the Lhasa to Kathmandu road climbs higher and drops further, the old road to Lamayuru is easily its match for scenery and thrills. By the time we turned around and headed back down the valley, the new road had reopened, although we saw several road crews at work. As an engineering feat, it is quite impressive. And CalTrans workers should give thanks that they aren’t expected to sleep in crude tents at 12,000 feet and cook their meals over an open fire at roadside.

Rumors were adrift in Kollywood that Ajith had replaced Cheeyan in the next Vikram Kumar (Yaavarum Nalam fame) directed flick. But all buzz died down when reports started flowing in that Cheeyan Vikram, who is presently camping in Ladakh for director Selvaraghavan’s film, will fly down to Chennai in a couple of days and begin shooting for the Vikram Kumar venture in December.

Reports from Kollywood suggest that Cheeyan Vikram will work in both these projects simultaneously. The Yaavarum Nalam fame director, Vikram Kumar, has tentatively named his project as 24, we hear.

Ladakh in northern India, is a cold desert. It is also a major tourist destination. People of Ladakh depend on glacial melt water for irrigation and domestic use. However, glaciers have been receding at an alarming pace in recent years leading to severe water shortages. It is in this context that Chewang Norphel’s initiative gains significance. In a pioneering effort, he has made embankments on mountainsides to collect water which freezes during the winter months into an artificial glacier. During summer the ice melts providing water to nearby villages. It is a venture astounding in its simplicity and practicality, well adapted to the necessities of the region. Such conservation methods are infinitely more preferable to digging bore wells which deplete ground water resources.

Ladakh have been experiencing higher average temperatures, unusual rainfall patterns, reduced snow cover and other associated fallouts apart from deterioration of glaciers in the past few years. Despite experiencing these problems firsthand and understanding the antecedent causes, attitude and behaviour have remained unchanged. It is business as usual. Vehicular pollution is still relatively high and littering continues to be problem. It looks like we find it easy to relegate long term effects of climate change to the background in favour of the immediate occupation of survival and comfort.

The Copenhagen summit to frame legally binding treaties to address climate change issues have already hit a road block. US, the world’s biggest cumulative greenhouse gas emitter has declined to submit to emission cut targets and timetables. Developing nations are not willing to jeopardize their economic agenda by subscribing to restrictive environmental regulations. When the world at large is engaged in acrimonious debate over such a critical issue, it is a relief to find that a few have chosen to act instead. My heart goes out to Chewang Norphel.

Inspired by: Op-Ed article in The Hindu by Meena Menon, 7-Nov-09

PART ONE: THE SLEEK SUMMER MAXI

Ladakh is a mountainous region in North-West India. This area known as the Trans-Himalaya. It’s slightly smaller and the settled population live between 2700 m and 4500 m. It’s the largest and the least populated region of Jammu and Kashmir. Ladakh people are a mixture of Buddhist and Muslim. You will find Buddhists people majority in the east and a slight majority overall while Muslims have the majority in the west. Travellers are likely to see more of the Buddhists as the majority of the tourist attractions are in the east and directly related to Buddhism. Ladakh is a very cold desert such as situated high in the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges. Ladakh today has wonderful and magical place. Therefore, it become a goal of sort for every adventure tourist, who would like nothing more than to visit The Land of the Lamas.
The Capital of Ladakh is Leh. The most popular tourist destinations of India is ‘the last Shangri La’ which is situated in the Jammu and Kashmir. So, You can Browse through our website for more information on tourism, across the world.

For more information and details for better tourist destinations across the India are available here. Ladakh offers you a beautiful hill station, spectacular region of higher altitude. Ladakh having snow-covered beauty, landscapes, enchanting silence and many more. So, you will find all charms in the physical world. It stands a class apart from other places in India. A wonderful way to enjoy the Ladakh adventure sports enthusiasts, offering unique adventures in trekking, mountaineering and white water rafting. Rafting are available on both Indus and Zanskar rivers, the Zanskar course is more difficult and exciting. We are providing you various choices of travelers also we have equipment with all inclusive information for various kinds of tours and their destinations.

I was lucky to have traveled with Shahana to Leh, Ladakh in late August ‘09. Shahana is a gifted artist. She sketches what she sees around her and they are simply beautiful – while conveying the essence of that moment. She has been kind enough to allow me to post her sketches on my Blog. Enjoy!

One's soul will rest in the place he/she stacks 7 pebbles..

The Leh View Restaurant offers amazing views of Leh!

Fresh vegetable (grown in season) vendors line up the Leh Market in summer

Local woman in Leh - in pigtails

Our ride to Pangong took us up to 17,500 feet! and then came down..

All 7 of us took Diamox enroute Pangong to deal with altitude sickness - some got real scratchy - Be warned!

Simple food - never fails to warm travelers in high altitudes

The reason we got to Ladakh - The Ladakh Confluence '09

Jayanth had the best seat in the house during the Ladakh Confluence '09

By: Daily.Pk

Kashmiris have passed through the longest suffering and ordeal in the history and faced repression, death and destruction, which had started even before the partition. The British had played an ignominious role in bringing Kashmiris to the present pass for having sold Kashmir to Gulab Singh, former governor of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, for 7.5 million rupees.

Once again at the time of partition when people of Kashmir had dreamt of freedom from oppression, India accepted Lord Mountbaten as the first Governor General of India with a view to implementing its insidious plan of annexing Kashmir, which was contrived and implemented by Lord Mountbaten and Nehru. Raja Hari Singh was coerced into signing the controversial document on 26th July 1947 and it was on the basis of this document that Indian forces entered the Valley on 27th October 1947, and endless dark night for Kashmiris started.

It is too well known the cardinal principal for the partition of India was that majority Muslim regions would become part of Pakistan and majority Hindu regions become part of India. But a different formula was contrived for the princely states to benefit India. The Kashmiris had rejected the formula for the states insisting that there should be one standard for entire India and the princely states. In fact, the representative body of Muslims of Kashmir – Muslim Conference – had held a convention on 19th July 1947 and passed a resolution to merge Kashmir with Pakistan, which stated: “This convention of Muslim Conference has reached the conclusion that geographical conditions, 80 per cent Muslim population, important rivers of Punjab passing through the state, language, cultural, ethnic and economic relations and contiguity of the state with Pakistan make it imperative to merge with Pakistan”.

Anyhow, since 27th October 1947, the day is observed by Kashmiris as black day and Muslims all over the world to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir. The suffering and misery of the Kashmiri people continue, every day a peaceful resolution is deferred, and international community is not at all moved by the plight of the Kashmiris. Nevertheless, the resolution of Kashmir dispute lies in tripartite negotiations between India, Pakistan and the accredited leadership of the people of Jammu & Kashmir from both sides of the Cease-fire Line. Disappointed and disillusioned by protracted bilateral negotiations between India and Pakistan that did not prove fructuous, Kashmiri youth had taken up arms in 1989. About one hundred thousand Kashmiris have been martyred during the last ten years.

Before 9/11, almost all Muslim countries supported the struggle and the right of self-determination of Kashmiris in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions. But after 9/11, those waging struggle for independence have been dubbed by the US and the West as terrorists. And now even Muslim countries suggest that India and Pakistan should resolve their disputes through negotiations, not realizing that many rounds of talks have been held during the last six decades but no progress could be made on the core issue of Kashmir. Had Muslim countries gone beyond condemnation and criticism of India and made trade relations conditional to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan, India would have been obliged to resolve the Kashmir dispute. India’s illegal occupation of Kashmir is indeed a dark chapter in the history of human rights. However, continued to deny the right of self-determination to the Kashmiri people is morally unacceptable, economically unsustainable and politically inadmissible with regard to any scheme aimed at ensuring global and regional peace, stability and security. The repression, oppression and atrocities by Indian forces have turned Kashmir into a hell that would stretch Dante’s imagination reflected in his famous poem Divine Comedy. However, these acts could not break the will of Kashmiris. The heroic struggle waged by the people of Kashmir is unparalleled in the history who are committed to continue their struggle till their objective is achieved. It has to be said that no solution can be found without the participation and consensus of the people of Kashmir.

In June 2008, Kashmiri Muslims had protested against allotment of land to Delhi-based Amarnath Shrine Trust, which was violation of the law. Later, there was strike in Muslims’ areas of Indian Held Kashmir against anti-Muslim riots, vandalism, looting of Muslim properties, economic blockade of the Valley and inter-regional ex-communication by the Hindu fanatics and extremists of occupied Jammu region. In fact, Congress-led government had earlier allotted a piece of land near the shrine apparently to facilitate Hindu pilgrims that throng the shrine in hundreds of thousands, but Kashmiris were suspicious of the government’s intentions, as efforts were being made to encourage migration of Hindus to the state with a view to diluting Kashmiri Muslims’ 98 per cent majority in IHK.

Anyhow, all assessments of India have been proven wrong by last year’s struggle of the people of Kashmir. This is the first time that there are voices in India as well in Europe demanding that Kashmir issue should be resolved. In case, India continues to balk at resolving the Kashmir dispute, and does not reciprocate with Pakistan to reach a solution acceptable to India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir, the only way out for Pakistan would be to invoke the UN Security Council resolutions. The international community has to understand that Tashkant and Simla agreements were signed by Pakistan under duress. Article 103 of Chapter XVI of the UN Charter clearly states: “In the event of a conflict between the obligations of the members of the United Nations under the present Charter and any other international agreement, their obligation under the present charter shall prevail”.

The composite dialogue that started in 2004 has not so far resolved any of the festering issues like Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek. However, confidence building measures with regard to people to people contact across the Line of Control had given a faint hope that this could prove to be a stepping stone towards resolution of the core issue of Kashmir. In 2007, addressing a public gathering in the holy Sikh city of Amritsar, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had reminded voters in the Indian state of Punjab that their welfare and development was linked to improved relations with Pakistan. This showed that economic considerations could outweigh the considerations of false ego and other factors. But India used terrorists’ attack in Mumbai on 3rd November 2008 to stall the dialogue.

Nevertheless, the threat of war between two nuclear states also works as an incentive for peace between the belligerent countries. In May 1999, after about a year when India and Pakistan had come out of the nuclear closet, “The Economist” in its survey/analysis of India and Pakistan had rightly stated: “Neither country has a big enough conventional edge over the other to win a reasonably short war.

There is, therefore, little temptation for Pakistan to make a grab for Kashmir, or India to invade Pakistan. The fear of nuclear attack makes adventurism less appealing.” In this backdrop, war does not seem to be an option any more for both the countries. And of course maintaining the status quo will not make this region a safe place to live in.

Located in the Ladakh division of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, the Hemis national park is world famous for Buddhist Gompa that is situated here. The National Park is situated at the bank of river Indus.

The Hemis national park was named after Hemi Gompa a Buddhist monastery. Hemis national park came up in 1981 and has amazing blend of flaura and fauna. The blue waters of the river and the white lime stone hills gives out thr real picturesque of mystifying scenery.

Some herbaceous flora that can be found here is the Junipers, Salix, poplar trees, birch, Myricaria, Taraxacum, etc. The snow leopard is a highly endangered member of the cat family. In addition to it other animals found here are wolf dog, Tibetan wild Ass, small animals like the wooly hare, Bharal is uniformly spread here.

Beautiful birds most commonly found in this national park are the Great Nose Finch and Red Mantled Rose Finch. Other migratiory birds found in winters are the Black Throated Thruh, Robin Accentor, Great Grey shrike, Spotted flycatcher Red Flanked Blue Tail, Migratory Teal etc.

Best time to visit this national park in summers is between May to September. At this time of the year the weather is cold but pleasant unlike winters. You can reach to this national park via Leh because Leh is the nearest town. Private transport is widely used. The most popular route to reach the place is Markeha – Shang – Rambath valley, which gives a preview of the park.

Jigmet Dadul, best snow leopard tracker in Ladakh. Photo kind permission of Snow Leopard Conservancy.

In 1997 I trekked in Hemis National Park, in Ladakh, in the northern Indian Himalayas. Along with 8 other volunteers and two snow leopard researchers (Dr Joe Fox and Dr Som Ale) we searched for scrapes, scat and any markings that told us that snow leopards still survived here in these awesome mountains after decades of being hunted for fur and body parts. We found a few signs but never saw the elusive cat. Not surprising as until recently even researchers working for decades in the wild seldom spotted these cats.
At that time the local villagers felt snow leopards were the enemy – the cats often killed domestic livestock if they weren’t able to get wild prey. Trekkers passing through these mountains had no idea that an animal called the snow leopard even existed let alone that this was one of its native habitats. There was huge uncertainty about their future. Could the beautiful snow leopard ever gain a claw hold for survival in these spectacular mountains?

But next February, in 2010 I’ll be there again…this time 12 years older, a bit rounder in the middle and in the dead of winter…yikes…

Cafe stop high on the trek. Parachute Cafe. Photo by kind permission of KarmaQuest.

12 years later so much has changed. Thanks to the Snow Leopard Conservancy (SLC) and other conservation groups the villagers today supplement their agricultural-based livelihoods by helping keep the snow leopard alive. They have home stay businesses where trekkers use traditional accommodation, eat local food and learn about the Ladakh way of life. Village women also have businesses tending parachute cafes for thirsty trekkers on high mountain trails. *

KarmaQuest Ecotourism and Adventure Travel, a US-based company has been running winter snow leopard tracking trips with one of the world’s most renowned snow leopard researchers, Dr Rodney Jackson, Director of the Snow Leopard Conservancy to this part of the world since 2005. And why go in winter? Well winter is the time snow leopards come down to lower altitude and offers the best chance of seeing these rare and endangered cats in the wild.

The other trip members and I will join the SLC-India staff on their winter monitoring activities, studying the snow leopard when it descends from the snowy mountaintops in search of food, studying prey species and the snow leopard’s habitat.

Solar cooking technology. Indian Himalayas. Photo by kind permission of Snow Leopard Conservancy.

No doubt we’ll all be thinking about the 2007 winter group that was lucky enough to observe a snow leopard eating its kill for more than an hour. Thus far KarmaQuest group members have seen a snow leopard every year! Considering that less than 100 Westerners had seen a snow leopard in the wild before 2005, this is a phenomenal rate of success!  And all thanks to the years of study, tracking and conservation efforts by Dr. Jackson and his Ladakhi team, of which Jigmet Dadul – reputed to be the ‘best snow leopard tracker in Ladakh’– will be there to help us beat the odds.

There are still trip places available for this fantastic opportunity. Check out the website from the folks over at KarmaQuest  and talk to Wendy Lama, an Ecotourism Specialist who has been travelling and working in this part of the world for many years. This is the trek of a lifetime, it would be wonderful if I saw you there too. The deadline for signing up is November 30, 2009.
*Parachute cafes – my other half wondered “are they cafes where adventure parachutists drop in to for a tea or latte?” No….they portable cafés made out of – you guessed it – parachute material.

Scarborough Beach Road is the place to be if you are keen for a good deal this weekend.

Then after that head to the Designer Clearance Sale at Mt Hawthorn Community Lesser Hall, 197 Scarb Beach Rd (cnr The Boulevard) on the same day 10.00am – 5.00pm. More awesome brands to be found here such as Empire Rose, Tu, Varga Girl, Miin, Mink Pink and Joveeba. Too easy.

Hemis monastery is one of most important and beautiful monasteries in India. It is located 45 km south of Ladakh. It was built on 1630 after the king of Ladakh, Sengye Namgyal invited Stagsang Raspa Nawang Gyatso the head priest of Drupka order. The king also accepted him as his principal guru. There are hundreds of lamas in the monastery along with the monks of Ka-gyu-pa or the Red Hat sect. the monastery is huge and beautiful with courtyard and hall. The Rimpoche’s throne is placed in the main assembly hall. The walls are filled with beautiful Buddhist paintings. Of all the monasteries in Leh, Hemis stands high. The hemis festival is one of the main attractions in the monastery. It is celebrated annually on the tenth and eleventh day of the fifth month of Tibetan calendar. The beautiful masked dance is the specialty that attracts tourists during the festival.

Leh has an airport which has flights from Delhi, Chandigarh and Srinagar. Leh is just 45 km away from Hemis monastery and can be accessible by cabs and buses can take tourists to the monastery. There are several hotels and resorts in Leh for tourists to stay.