New Blog for ongoing adventures....

The adventure continues! We are now here http://karlandkaranotantarctica.blogspot.ca/

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Ladakh Trek

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Ladakh Trek: Lamayuru to Chilling. So we set out (somewhat tentatively) on our first trek. Just the two of us setting off for a simple walk in the valleys. With our guide. And our cook. And our horseman. And six horses. We were sitting enjoying a final beer in the village where we were starting the trek and saw a horse wander by with a bell around its neck going “dingly dingly dingly”, then another horse, and another etc. etc. dingly dingly dingly in the middle of a very small and quiet village. The major event of the day I'd say. Then we noticed that they were all led into our campsite. That's when it dawned on us that they were our horses. Ah the embarrassment of the white, colonial, ruling classes setting off on some crazy expedition. And to make it worse we were drinking outrageously overpriced beer stamped with “Possession by other than defence personnel is punishable”. Travelling light Fabulous trek. Five days walking, six nights in a tent, wonde
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Delhi. Not that bad!

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Everything I expected it to be - crowded, noisy, hot, chaotic - but not terrible, and I actually enjoyed myself. Learnt the driving rules in the taxi from the airport. Adapted from Fast & Furious or something similar I imagine. He who dares wins irrespective of size, bonus points for extensive use of horn, points lost for length of time spent with your vehicle completely within a lane, points gained for length of time driving in monsoon rains without windscreen wipers and instant forfeit if you decide to defog your windscreen to allow you to see out (cheating). Hotel was on a road taxis don't like to go down (narrow and chaotic even by Delhi standards) so he brought us to a rickshaw stand but we (proud backbackers!) decided to walk. In the monsoon, in the mud, amidst the chaos, getting slightly damp and looking great as the doorman let us into the shiny, marbly hotel lobby. And in the great country of contrasts that is India we found ourselves in an ultra-modern James Bo
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Tilicho Lake (Annapurna cont.)

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Manang had wonderful home comforts but was also a bit of a circus as regards volumes of tourists. We had a sobering lecture on altitude sickness from the volunteers at the Himalayan Rescue Centre which provides consultations to foreigners at a $40 charge and thus enables them to provide health care to locals at an affordable 50 rupees (roughly, can't remember exactly). Volunteers work for three months and this season were from the US (Mass General ED physician), the UK and Canada. 2% of people who attempt the 5400m Thorung La suffer from significant altitude sickness. In the weeks before we arrived one lone hiker started to show symptoms and was put on a horse by his porter so he could continue to ascend. He died. Another lone hiker started to show symptoms, she was carried by her porter on a 24 hour trip down to the medical centre and survived. The moral of the story? - don't hike alone or choose your porter/guide well. After the luxury of Manang we set out for another
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