We just got back from an amazing, exhausting trip to the Manali-Ladakh region - endured AMS of some form, Priya was diagnosed with COvid after we returned, and now getting out of it,. Manasi had AMS (Acute mountain sickness for sure).
The logistics - We thought we would gracefully ascend from Manali to Leh - 7000 to 11000 ft by road and be all set, but about 6 hrs of that journey was at 15000 to 17500 ft. Starkly beautiful - but enough to get you into AMS in-spite of the preventive medication and the 3 to 4 liters of water which each of us had - I was quite OK. But oxygen levels for family ranged from 73 to 83 at 16500 ft and that had an impact. We skipped other halts at 15000 feet and drove to Leh at 11400 ft and were all set.
The look and feel - compared to the early 2000's which was my first trip to Manali, one can clearly see signs of prosperity - tourism has had an impact But there is construction everywhere - roads 4 laned from Mandi to Manali, rocky faces blasted, tunnels bored, landslides as common as sink-holes in Bangalore - can't imagine this being done to Western Ghats - the protection lobby is too strong here. The microcosm which is India is still seen - a family in burkha enjoying dosas in a breakfast place near Chandigarh, a Gurudwara which is a universal halt, Hippies from Israel living a life of weed and austerity in Manali.. And the SUVs small and large that have colonized the mountains north of Manali - license plates from Kerala, karnataka, Tamil nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat.. Interesting indeed. Once one leaves Jispa - 11000 ft and continue to climb northwards - the traffic thins out - it is largely heavy duty Indian trucks - Leyland and Tata - multi-axled that manage 16 to 17000 feet braving the roads. The dhabas enroute are a place for decent food, tea, even beds to sleep in - the rugged hospitality is so evident. Indians seem to be enjoying India in a way that was not quite common a decade or two ago. The transition from Mandir to Monastery starts around Manali - by the time one reaches Lahaul and then on to Ladakh it is all Buddhism - a heritage which is lost to the vain unbridled commerce and uniformity in China.
Got a chance to visit many monasteries - masterpieces in terms of aesthetics, location, architecture and spiritual power perhaps. But is it like the most intricate of pieces in Carnatic music - grasped by only a few - nodded off as must be good by the masses? A Gurudwara that I visited surely has its mystic layers if one chooses to unpack it all - but in its form of practice it is so open and warm - interesting indeed to visit the patharwaala Gurudwara - a boulder that turned to sand when pushed towards Guru Nanak by a demon.
There is army everywhere once one enters the Ladakh valley - largely unobtrusive - no individual checks except for the RTOs. Among the sights and sounds - we visited the hall of fame museum in Leh - chronicling the various wars that the army had to fight - from 1947 to Kargil (2018-21 at Ladakh was yet to be featured). Plenty of pride for sure - for the jawans who were hosting some of the show and tells - such as the Kargil recap - the enemy is Pakistan. That there is a larger bear to the north has not quite sunk in. Which is unfortunate - from two counts - all wars are unfortunate, and if an enemy to the west is synonymous with a group of people within India it is a big problem. That said, defending the border in Himalayas is really arduous - and the conflicts over the last two decades are all too real. China is too cynical a country to wage peace. Pakistan and India will have an axe to grind for ever.. We are stuck with people from all parts of India defending these borders - the museum cafe was supposed to have Momos - there were Tamil soldiers who were manning the counters - sorry sir - Momos innum ready yaa illai - he replied, when I asked him in Tamil.
Ten minutes later we stop at a cute little restaurant. The owner took the order and asked me to sit down while I waited for the Momos to be packed. A group of young men and women were seated at the next table - a guitar being strummed while they sang. The door opened and a group of women - some with head-scarfs, others well dressed in western clothes - looked around and picked a table out in the open - my momos came. Got into the car, went past the army cantonment to our very cute hotel. Our taxi driver and friend Harnam was tipped handsomely - one of the best drivers I have seen - on road and off road - at the hotel a Mr. Abdul shook my hands and said he will drop us at the airport the next day.
A holiday was complete - In spite of our glorious treks - we had AMS. The sights and sounds of Himalayas are too magnificent to be put in words. A microcosm of India was enjoying the country and living in peace - while those protecting the borders do what they have to do to ensure that we remain this way.
Can we honour this in letter and spirit - respect and cherish what we have - and just live in peace.
I sign off with a quote from the Hall of Fame museum..
"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell." The message has a very deep meaning and conveys one of the most important lessons for mankind.
