Hey everybody, Nat here... well i'm alive and doing well. I've survived my very first trek... in the Himalayas!! It has been a very exciting past 22 days in India. We left Manali about 3 weeks ago and headed to Leh (capital of Ladakh). It took us four days to cover 475 km. The roads are winding and on the mountain ranges (scary to look down). We had a luxurious ride compared to India standards(hired our own taxi driver and had our own car. We had to pass Rotang pass 4000metres (let's just say altitude sickness hit me, feeling dizzy and as if someone was crushing my brain).
We stayed in Lahaul for two days, with Sarju's friends, beautiful huge house way up in the mountains! We did a aclimatization hike....way up to 35oo metres. Eventhough, you are so tired from hiking, you see the local villagers who are carrying up to 100 pounds of hay for their cows. The rural people work so hard, harvesting for the winter... peas, potatoes, and other crops including grass for the cows to live off of for the winter. They work from sunrise to sunset even into the darkness.
We headed to Leh, where we stayed in a small village (Spituk)in an old traditional Ladakh home. No running water(taking a shower with a bucket of cold water, you learn how to conserve water).
We managed to catch the last day of the Ladakh festival. The costumes are amazing and there was singing and dancing. The Ladakh people are very different culturally and in their looks from other parts of India. They are a mixture of Mongolian, Tibetan and Chinese and their food and way of life is different and they are mostly Buddhist religion. Got to meet a Monk in a monestary in Spituk. This was interesting as I found out the first born male is usually sent to a Monestary at around 9 years old. I even got to witness monks saying their mantras in a temple. Talk about a neat experience, drinking chai (tea) with them.
Then after two days in Leh we headed for Kargil (mostly Islamic community. We had the longest ride of our lifes, the roads are so long and bumpy (max 20 km an hour).
It took us two days (driving 10-12 hours) each day to get to our trekking start Padum.
Unfortunately, many of us suffered from car sickness, and took turns on different days!
As for the trek, well what an experience!! I quickly realized I would not be able to carry my 20 kg bag... myself and Julie (only other female) decided to hire a 'horseman" he took our bags and we were able to buy more food and put them on the horses.
What can I say, it was a definite challenge walking between 8-20km a day at high altitudes on a trail that is 2 feet wide and often on the edge of a cliff.
One thing I learned was not to look up to far, or else you get discouraged. I was definitely the slowest inthe group, but I took my time and enjoyed the scenery. We mostly stayed in villages, very remote communities...completely cut off from the rest of the world. The local food is sampa(grounded up barley), they make flat breads with this, and you mix it with tea to make is type of porridge mix...also tasted butter tea, tea, milk, salt and butter) weird combo, but definitely glad to have it after a long day.
We ended up also camping (surrounded by yaks, very curious about my tent) and finally made it to the Shing-go-la pass (5ooo metres). I sort of cheated and got a ride the last 500 metres with horse man, who I guess felt bad for me (having blisters on both feet and lagging behind the rest of the group).
The Himalayan mountains are amazing, I felt a sense of being so tiny and insignificant... a very humbling experience.... at sometimes I was in awe of the mountains and the people who live there so simply and remotely. The children I met have so very little, mixed matches shoes with holes, dirty hair and faces and no toys..just rocks and dirt. It makes you really appreciate the luxurious that we have back home (hot water- freely running, heat in our houses, grocery stores where you can buy everything and not do any manual labour).
They say you come to India and return a different person. I have seen so much in such few days and am totally greatful for all that I have. Good friends, health, happiness and many luxurious, way more than many of the people I met on my trek!
Take care and I'll keep you posted on my adventures.
