Asia Travel Blogs - Kettik.

The Tsomoriri Trip.. A troubled trip that couldn't have gone any better..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:48:05 +0000

It was a trip where Murphy's law was in full force. Everything that could go wrong did, and some. I drove around in circles trying to find fuel for my motorbike, got lost in the dark on the shores of the Tsomoriri lake, camped out in the wild, got bike's tires punctured and was rescued by the unlikeliest folks possible.. the Changpa nomads living high up in the mountains around the Tsomoriri lake. Needless to say, this was one of my best trips in Ladakh and i thoroughly enjoyed every minute of i

Read on to hear the story of my Tsomoriri trip..

Cycling the long high road to Leh..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 06:46:13 +0000

Ladakh was the reason why i decided to take my bicycle with me to the Himalayas. The lure of cycling in the mountains with its crisp blue skies and snow capped peaks was too enticing to ignore. I had traveled Ladakh by motorcycle back in 2008, but this time i decided that a bicycle would be a better option. Going by cycle meant going slowly.. a 200km trip from, say, Leh to Pangong lake which can be done in a single day on a motor cycle would take 3 to 4 days on a bicycle. Which means stops in the smaller villages, seeing more sunrises & sunsets, more photo opportunities and more interaction with the local people. I had the one thing which i did not have in my other trips, the luxury of time.

Then i thought that if i was going to be cycling in Ladakh then i might as well cycle TO Ladakh. I knew that i was in no shape to tackle the road but i had a get fit plan. It was brilliant. First spend a month in Rishikesh learning yoga, then spend the next month slowly making my way to Manali on my bicycle by which time i hoped to be fit enough to tackle the Manali-Leh road in early september.

Backpacking through Rajasthan..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:57:42 +0000

This was my first ever backpacking trip in India. I had traveled alone in China and Thailand before this but still i was a little nervous about traveling in my home country. Turns out all that nervousness was unwarranted and i ended up having a wonderful time. Here are some stories from that trip.

Thailand Traveltales

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:53:15 +0000

On my way back to India (after a 6 month stay in Beijing), i decided to have a stopover in Thailand and have a 15 day break. I would've preferred to have stayed longer, but the only visa i could get to Thailand on a short notice was a transit visa and it was limited to 15 days only. Never much of a beach person i went to Thailand with mixed expectations and came out refreshing and raring to be back.

CNY HuangShan Trip 2009

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:59:03 +0000

For the Chinese New year holidays i decided to go to HuangShan. I was looking forward for a change of scenery from the usual tibetian mountains that im drawn to. And what better place than HuangShan to get a perfect taste of the Chinese mountain scenery. The Chinese people, and poets alike, never seem to tire of coming up with new ways to praise the HuangShan scenery. And all the photo's i've seen of the place seem to backup their claim. I was a bit circumspect about going there during winter but after a bit of research i found that the winter scenery is supposed to be the best with clear blue skies and the trees and mountains covered by snow. One day before i was due to leave it was snowing in Huangshan... I was excited...

My first visit to Ladakh...

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:47:20 +0000

Ever since i was bitten by the travel bug, Ladakh was one place that i always wanted to go. The pictures i've been seeing from friends on Flickr were all stunning and it looked as if it was almost impossible to take a bad picture in Ladakh. So with all these high hopes i finally got a chance to travel to Ladakh for a couple of weeks during October 2008. And it didn't disappoint.

Pictures from my Travels..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:07:48 +0000

A select collection of pictures from Travels over these past few years. Just everyday moments that appear extraordinary when you travel.

Its funny, i normally hesitate taking pictures of people but when i look back most of my memorable pictures are the ones with people in them. Any favorite subject, landscapes feature very less in this collection. I guess there's a lesson to be learnt here..

Soul of the Mountain “ A travelogue across Almora , Jageshwar , Binsar “

Himadri@kettik.com (Himadri Sen) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 10:10:07 +0000

Prologue:

Monsoon is probably not the right season to travel the mountains. It will probably be raining all the time, there will be no views and there is the risk of land slides , which happens often.

So there were dozens of naysayers who tried to dissuade me not to make such a trip. But I badly needed a break, so I thought of going for a short trip of 3 days.

I did not have a fixed itinerary. Not to have a fixed route is liberating actually, relives you of undue pressure of making a route plan and then stick to it. I was on a shoe string budget, I thought I will just hop in the bus without worrying about the next destination. “I felt I am a traveler not a tourist, I don’t have to reach anywhere , the journey is more important than the destination”. This might sound too vague, yes I had a tentative plan in mind . It would either be 1) Haldwani – Almora-Jageshwar – BinsarPark –Almora- Haldwani Or 2) Haldwani – Almora- Jageshwar- Kausani- Almora- Haldwani.

Trekkers guide to the Yuksom - Dzongri - Gochela trek

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 10:33:11 +0000

The Yuksom - GoeCha La trek in Western Sikkim takes you right under the shadow of the mighty Kanchendzonga, the 3'rd highest mountain in the world. This 7-8 day trek, is one of the more remote and stunning treks in India, taking one through forests of Rhododendron and valleys covered withÂ lichenÂ and moss, offering numerous birdingÂ opportunitiesÂ and encounters with herds of Bharal or Blue mountain sheep and not to mention the stunning vistas of some of the highest mountains in the world.

Kanwar yatra : The march of a million faithful..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 10:30:52 +0000

Every year, during the monsoon months of July and August, the roads and highways of North India will be bathed in saffron by millions of pilgrims undertaking the Kanwar Yatra. This is a story of the Yatra, the Yatris and of me hiking, cycling and walking in their midst.

palace under renovation, not much to see inside but great views of the valley

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:23:20 +0000

The Shey palace is pretty impossible to miss when you are driving on the road out of Leh (towards Manali).

For me personally, the best part about visiting Shey is the expanded view of the valley and its villages. From one of the vantage points (a little up the hill above the palace) you can spot the Thiksey, Stakna, Matho and Spituk monasteries. Goes to show how important this vantage point is and it is no wonder that the ancient kings of Ladakh built their capital there.

a memorable visit to Hemis during the Angchock festival.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 09:50:00 +0000

The Hemis monastery may not look as pretty or spectacular as some of the other monasteries (Thiksey, Chemre, Spituk etc) in Ladakh. But i love it for its simple and practical design which makes it easily accessible by the visitors.

For starters one does not have to climb a plethora of steps to enter the monastery. It is easily accessible by foot. The entrance opens up to a vast courtyard where the annual mask dance festival takes place. The monastery's main building is on the right side, facing the courtyard and a beautiful two-tired viewing arcade lines the other three sides of the courtyard. The walls of the arcade facing the main building are adorned with beautiful stone slab paintings.

Overall you get an overwhelming sense of openness and space here when compared to any other monastery in Ladakh.

My home in Leh on and off for a month..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 05:13:38 +0000

With a plethora of guest houses and hotels in Leh it can sometimes be hard to pick one. I have a feeling that you can walk into any guesthouse and more often than not the place would be warm and welcoming. Atleast thats how i stumbled upon the Kurja garden guest house.

I arrived in Leh, mid-October, after cycling the Manali-Leh highway. After the long, hard journey i wanted to indulge myself in a little bit of luxury. Luxury for me would be to have a nice large room to sleep in, preferably with an attached bathroom with running water and hot showers.Â I also wanted to avoid the commercial looking establishments (like the ones close to the Leh market are) and find a more homely place to stay in. My wanderings led me to the Karzoo pond and there i was greeted with numerous signs advertising various guest houses.

Jackpot !!. The guest houses around Karzoo were all farmhouses, extended with a fee rooms in the upper floors to accomodate guests. They definitely had the homely feel i was looking for. And i picked the house with the smallest sign and walked in. The family was nice and friendly, they asked me to help myself to the apples collected from their orchard and then showed me the rooms. The rooms were all bright and roomy with spotless attached bathrooms. Some rooms even came with small working kitchens.

Since it was the end of the season, i was able to negotiate good rates for the rooms. 200Rs for the basic one and 250Rs for the one with the attached kitchen. Even though i was not planning on cooking much, i took the room with the kitchen as it would save me from the long walks to the market area on the days i was feeling lazy. And it definitely came in handy.

The room had a large double bed, kitchen and a sitting area by the window with a small couch and a traditional center table. The big ladakhi sun widows opened up to a gorgeous view of the Stok Kangri peak to the south. Every day i woke up to the sight of the morning light climbing across the Stok mountains and i never grew tired of it.

I used the guest house as my base for the next month or so. I'll stay there for a few days of rest and relaxation, and then ride out to explore a different part of Ladakh (Pangong, Nubra, the monastery circuits etc), come back stay in the guest house for a few days and venture out again.

For the first couple of weeks the weather was nice and we had running water in the bathrooms, but once the first snow fell the running water was cut off and we were left with getting hot water in buckets. This is a common issue in all of the guest houses in Ladakh as they are worried about the pipes cracking with frozen water. Only the more expensive hotels seem to have running water even in winter.

The family was nice as well. Tashi, the owner, speaks good English, so does his wife. Everyone else speaks good Hindi, so communication was never a problem. The'd always help me with the travel information for visiting different parts of Ladakh. And once in a while they'd invite me to have tea with the family and on days i arrived late from somewhere far they'd invite me to share their dinner as well.Â

if you buy only ONE book to get to know Ladakh, let it be this one..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:44:36 +0000

This book provides a wonderful introduction for anyone looking to learn more about Ladakh. Its author, Janet Rizvi, lived in Ladakh for a few years during the late 1970's. In a few hundred pages she provides a wealth of information derived from her own experience of the place and from her research on Buddhist literature and from various accounts of early travelers and traders who passed through this region.

I found the entire book to be lucid and rather enjoyable to read. I read this book after having been to Ladakh a couple of times and spending over 2 months traveling across the region. The book was last edited in 1996 but i could still see the similarities in the lifestyle of the people as described in the book and what is there today.

The book's description of the geography of the region finally gave me a handle on the various mountain ranges that i encountered during my travels. Before reading the book, i could never say for sure where the Ladakh range was, where the Zanskar range was and what the mountains surrounding the Pangong Lake were called. Now i know..

The other bits of information from the book i found fascinating were...

Â Â - The description of the ancient trade routes which passed through Ladakh and how it shaped the history and culture of the place to this date.Â

Â Â - TheÂ description of the local'sÂ ingenuity in coping with the challenges posed by the extreme environment they live in and the limited resources they have to work with. Even practices likeÂ polyandry were designed to minimize theÂ stress on the resources posed by the threat of over population.

Â Â - And about the peaceful coexistence of both Muslims and Buddhists living together in this region for close to a thousand years. Even though wars were frequently fought, the book's claim that conversions were generally peaceful and voluntary was incredible to believe.

a collection of few interesting articles about the Tsomoriri Lake.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:04:31 +0000

A few other articles about the Tsomoriri lake that you might be interested in.

- Travelogue :Â The Tsomoriri Trip.. A troubled trip that couldn't have gone any better..

- Myth/Folktale :Â The story of how the Tsomoriri lake got its name.

- Myth/Folktale :Â The story of how the Tsokar lake lost its waters and how the Tso Kiagar lake was born.