Ladakh July 2010: Part 2 (Pangong and Nubra)

In Part 1, I described the first 2 days of our trip – in and around Leh. In part 2, I describe the trips to Pangong and Nubra – 2 days each.

By the way, check out some more snaps here. And don't miss the Travel Tips at the end of this post.

Day 3: Mon, 19^th Jul – Leh-Pangong.

Trashi was bang on time and at 7 he cranked the engine. We had got breakfast packed by our hosts (Ladakhi bread with butter and jam). The route took us in the valley for the first hour or so. We had to stop to show our permits at Karu. The climb started after Sakti, and it continued for over an hour. It seemed never-ending but the scenery more than made up for the bad roads. At one point, we saw a herd of yaks and stopped to take snaps.

Eventually, we reached Chang-La, the third highest pass in the world. We stopped here to play in the snow and click snaps. We met a couple of army jawans from Karnataka, and they were very happy to find Kannada-speaking people. One of them told us about the conditions there, and also showed us some snaps of Siachen. We cannot even begin to imagine how being a military man must be!

After a 20-minute chat we continued, downhill this time. At one point we had run out of drinking water, and asked Trashi to stop at the next shop. He did better. He stopped at the next stream instead, where we collected water in our bottles. Trust me when I say that water doesn't get purer than this. And it is plentiful in Ladakh! Who needs mineral water.

We were now getting into Tangtse valley. We started getting glimpses of the wildlife here – wild ass, horses and ibex. The landscape started showing hints of sand in addition to the normal streams and mountains. We even saw a small frozen lake.

We rolled into Pangong by noon (well, not literally). I almost lost my senses when I saw the beauty of the place. I didn't know whether to take snaps or take in the scenery or to shout out aloud with sheer exhilaration of seeing this unimaginably scenic place. There was a half hour photo session here when the cameras must have been breathless, poor things.

Most tourists make a day trip to Pangong. After a few hours by the lake, at the “main area” (I don't know what else to call it), they return back to Leh. Not us. We had booked ourselves at the Water Camp which is a 20 minute ride further down the lake shore. On our way there, we helped a Tata Safari that was stuck in the sand to break free. Our good deed for the day done, we arrived at the camp around 1, just in time for lunch. Our accommodation consisted of a single tent with attached bathroom – a luxury I say!

Lunch and a short rest later, we set out for a long walk along the lake. It was the most amazing experience – taking in the multiple shades of blue and green that the lake assumed, the absolutely bare mountains on the other side, the cotton-white clouds hovering just above, the breeze. What I loved most about it was the isolation. Not a soul in sight, no fixed “destination” to walk to. Just three friends in the lap of mother nature.

It turned out to be quite a long walk. We returned to camp only around 6:30. The light was still strong. But about an hour later as the sun started going down, it started getting really chilly. The wind was picking up by now and that only sent the mercury further down. We got into our warm clothes and were enjoying the serenity when dinner was ready. The dinner tent was surprisingly warm on the inside. There's nothing like a bowl of steaming hot soup in these conditions, I tell you.

We wanted to mingle with the others in the camp but were too tired. In what would be a “trend” for most of the trip, we turned in pretty early and by 10 we were fast asleep.

Day 4: Tue, 20^th July – Pangong-Leh

In what would be yet another trend for most of the remainder, we woke up pretty early too. By 5 to be exact. We wanted to catch the sunrise which supposedly cast a magic glow over the lake and surrounding mountains. Alas! The clouds had other plans for us. We did get good views but none of the actual sunrise itself. It was a disappointed trio that munched on cereal for breakfast that morning. At 7 we bid good-bye to the camp. But we still wanted to have one last quick photo session at the “main area”. This time the we had the place entirely to ourselves, unlike the previous day when it was brimming with cars and tourists. So we clicked a few snaps and were on our way back to Leh.

Back in the Tangtse valley, we had an encounter with what we thought was a beaver-like creature (but what we later realized is called a Himalayan Marmot and belongs to the squirrel family). These were shy creatures who would scurry into their burrows when we got near. But there was one of them – an old female (who must have been used to the human adulation). She accepted biscuits and carrots and posed for quite a few snaps. Boy did she enjoy the attention we showered on her!

So yes, we continued to Leh, this time we did not stop at Chang La. There was a half-hour delay because the road was broken by a stream at one point, and drivers were placing large stones to pave a way. I must mention here that drivers cooperate with each other very well. They must – else they would never be able to drive on these narrow roads.

We were in town by half past noon. We took bath (remember – the camp had only cold water – impossible to bathe in at that early hour) , lunch and some rest. In the evening we again went to town but this time on foot. We had a leisurely stroll through the main city and were back by 7:30, our stomachs full of snacks. Needless to say, dinner was very light. And, since we had to hit the road early the next morning for Nubra valley, we went to bed pretty early too.

Day 5: Wed, 21^st July – Leh-Nubra Valley

Trashi was waiting for us by 6:45, and at 7 we were on our way, this time to Nubra valley. The Dalai Lama was visiting Nubra at this time and hence there was very heavy traffic headed in the same direction as us. There was a 20-minute delay due to a traffic jam at a check point.

We reached Khardung-La pass – what India claims is the highest motorable road in the world – by 9 am. But because of the delay we did not stop here. We reserved that for the return trip. The road condition here is much worse than the Pangong route. It was almost 10:30 when we hit the Nubra valley. Boy, is the valley vast or what (at least that's how it looks). For a change, we saw signs of civilization – villages, schools, flat roads – even a 3-road T junction (a rarity in these parts of the world).

We went straight to Sumoor where there is a grand Gompa. This place was very crowded in anticipation of the Dalai Lama's visit. People were dressed in traditional Ladakhi attire. We wanted to visit the temple but due to security reasons we weren't allowed in. We tried to find out about the timing of Dalai Lama's visit but couldn't get much information. Finally, at 12:45, we decided there was no point in just waiting. We decided to leave Sumoor.

We wanted to go to check out the hot water springs at Panamik – but came to know that there was waterlogging at one point and hence the road was closed. So we went to Diskit instead. We reached Diskit by 1:30. Quite a big chunk of the way consists of flat, long straights on the valley floor. We checked in to the Hotel Olthang. The guy who allotted us our room was a very strange guy – he was very polite to us, he even carried the bags of one foreigner; but he was very rude to our driver. Wonder why this attitude. He wasn't a local for sure – you don't find thins kind of behaviour among Ladakhis.

Anyway, we had lunch and some rest, after which we went to Hunder for the camel rides. Hunder is just 20 minutes from Diskit. You see some proper sand dunes on the way here. You might think you are in Rajasthan – only when you look up and see the mountains are you reminded of where exactly you are. There was a big crowd at the camel ride. To add to it, we did not like the way the camels were being treated. It appeared that they were not taken care of. We did not ride them. Later, we came to know by talking to people that these double-humped camels, which are unique to Ladakh and Gobi desert in Mongolia, are actually seen in the wild here. During the tourist season, these “trainers” bring them in for rides, and during winters, they just leave the camels in the wild – without feeding them properly. This made us really sad. I don't know whether to believe this – but it looks like there is some amount of truth there.

So – we did not ride the camels but spent some time on the dunes. After that, we returned to Diskit and headed to the Gompa there. The Gompa is situated high on a mountain overlooking the valley. The views from this Gompa were the best ones of the Nubra valley. The valley floor is really wide (like 5-6 kms wide), and the Gompa offered a panorama of it all. To add to it, there were the clouds hovering over the peaks nearby giving the impression of icing on the cake!

There is a brand new 80-ft tall statue of Lord Buddha here. We were impressed by the place. We spent quite some time, braving the winds which were getting stronger. After returning to hotel, we again set out for a leisurely walk through the village. A very long dinner later, we had this urge to take a post-dinner walk. We did start off on one, but it started drizzling and it was so dark that our torches were hopelessly inadequate. So we returned after just 15 minutes and called it a day.

Day 6: Thurs, 22^nd July - Nubra-Leh

For a change we had a leisurely departure. We left Diskit by 8:30. This is because we weren't expecting Khardung-La pass to be open for Leh-bound traffic until noon. However, to our surprise, we found it open. We reached KhardungLa top by 11. We purchased souvenirs here, did some bit of snow-fighting, clicked the mandatory snaps and in half an hour we were on our way. It's a good thing we left soon since the weather had begun to deteriorate and it even looked like it'd snow.

We reached Leh by 1 pm, went out for lunch and then walked to the main town to withdraw money from the ATM. After lunch, we rested a bit and headed to our favourite spot in Leh – our stream. We would be leaving Leh the next morning and wanted to spend as much time here as possible. Sandy sang a few songs while Santhu sat and wrote some poetry. This is as close as it gets to heaven!

What then? We had another stroll in the city and were back to the Guest House. We clicked snaps of the host family. After that we had dinner and went to sleep.

Stay tuned for Part 3 :)

Travel Tips

• Keep a dozen xerox copies of you permits ready. You don't get photocopy machines anywhere other than Leh.
• For Pangong, it is best to have a wide angle lens for your camera. You can get amazing results with one.
• Pack in extra set of batteries – you never know how long the power will be available for charging.
• It could get real cold up at the passes (Chang La, Khardung La). It is advisable to keep the jackets handy when you are getting out of the vehicle there
• When the car is climbing up the pass, it is best to keep the windows up. Else, you feel heavy-headed due to the lack of oxygen, and as Trashi told us, you could faint as soon as you step out at the top.
• Day trips are possible to both Pangong and Nubra. But if you have the time and budget, then I suggest camping at Pangong. I guarantee you it will be unlike any experience you've ever had.
• Remember you will not get hot water at the camps. It is either cold water bath or no bath!
• In Nubra, stay options are available at Diskit, Sumoor and Hunder.
• You do get BSNL network in Nubra valley – but no Airtel. Pangong is way out of reach of any mobile network. So do call up your folks on your way out of Leh and let them know you won't be within reach for the next so-and-so days.
• Pack in eatables, biscuits, fruit, dry-fruits when you leave Leh. Drinking water is not necessary though. You can collect water from any of the zillion streams. And rest assured – they are purer than any “mineral water” that money can buy.

Ladakh July 2010: Part 1 (Updated with travel tips)

In Ladakhi language, “La” means pass and “Dakh” means land. Ladakh, thus, means land of passes. It is easy to see why. There's hardly any 2 places in Ladakh that don't have a pass between them! But Ladakh is much more than just that.

Ladakh is a land of seemingly never-ending valleys, punctuated with streams and rivers, and the patches of greenery they bring about.

Ladakh is a land of snow-capped mountain peaks, mountains which are often completely barren.

Ladakh is a land of yaks and ibex, wild asses and horses, marmots and double humped camels, of migratory birds.

Ladakh is a land of lakes that seem to change colour and shade according to their mood.

Ladakh is a land of deserts and pastures, of nomads and tourists, of Gompas and monks.

Ladakh is the ultimate get-away destination, a magical land sure to linger in your psyche long after you've returned to your normal life.

After obsessing myself over Ladakh for over 5 years now, I finally visited this dream destination, with 2 of my college buddies. Here is an account of the trip. Since it was a long trip, I split the travelog into parts.

The Itinerary

It was a 12-day trip (Bangalore to Bangalore), during the second half of July 2010. We did Delhi-Leh by flight on the onward leg and by road on the return.

Day 0: Fly Bangalore-Delhi

Day 1: Fly Delhi-Leh. Acclimatize.

Day 2: Leh local sight seeing.

Day 3,4: Trip to Pangong lake and back to Leh, including stay overnight at a camp on the shores of Pangong.

Day 5,6: Trip to Nubra valley and back to Leh, including stay at Diskit.

Day 7: Leh-TsoMoriri lake. Camp overnight

Day 8: TsoKar lake. Camp overnight

Day 9,10: Drive to Manali (halt on the way at Keylong)

Day 11,12: Overnight bus from Manali to Delhi; Flight back to Bangalore.

Day 0: Fri, 16^th July 2010 – Bangalore-Delhi

It was late afternoon on this Friday that three over-enthusiastic friends embarked on this journey with mile-wide smiles on their faces, excitement oozing out of every expression. There was lot of shouting and merry-making during the hour-plus long taxi ride to Bangalore International Airport. The flight to Delhi was on time but as usual, congestion over IGI ensured our landing was delayed. To add to it, we taxied for like half an hour before finally arriving at our parking bay.

We weren't complaining though. You see, we had an entire night to kill at Delhi airport. Our Delhi-Leh flight was at 6 the following morning and it dint make sense to exit the airport and check into a hotel just for a few hours. So yes, we huddled into Terminal 1D close to midnight, and slept in the waiting area, checked in (and completed security check) somewhere around 2 am and then again went to sleep.

Day 1: Sat, 17^th July 2010 – Leh

Delhi-Leh takes an hour and a half. When you begin the descent into Leh airport, you start seeing mind-blowing scenery down below. You see the snow-capped Himalayas from a height and that sets you in “I don't believe this view” mode – a mode which you will be in for the remainder of the trip.

Leh airport is a small one – only 2-3 baggage belts and it took some time for our luggage to come by. It was past 8 am when we exited the airport. To say it was sunny was an understatement. The temperature was already closing in on 30 Celsius! Our ride was waiting outside the airport.

Within 15 minutes, we were at our Guest House – a brand new one right below Shanti Stupa. Our cameras had been slotted into overdrive already – clicking the view from, of, around and above the Guest House. After freshening up, we ventured out for some sight seeing on foot.

We could hear water flowing somewhere nearby and sure enough, found a stream flowing within a 5 minute walk from our guest house. We spent a good half hour there before we returned to our guest house and took some rest. Lunch was at the guest house.

This was supposed to be a “rest” day, for us to acclimatize. Yeah right. As if we were going to “waste” an entire day resting. By 4, we had decided we'd climb up to Shanti Stupa. We took the steps. What seems like a relatively easy climb turned out to be .. err .. gruelling, with us puffing and catching our breath every now and then. That's when we started realizing that altitude sickness is for real. We took our time clicking snaps, checking out the panoramic view of Leh from the Stupa, sipping tea and finally back down via the steps. We again went to the stream. By now the snow that had melted during the afternoon had turned the stream into a gushing muddy flow.

It was close to half past 7 when we walked into our guest house, but the light would make you believe it was just half past 5! My body protested about the lack of oxygen at this altitude by threatening me with a nauseating sensation for the rest of the evening. This ensured I had a very light dinner and turned in early for the night.

Day 2: Sunday 18^th July – Local monastery tour

We left leisurely for the local tour. From today, we would be joined by our guide and driver – Trashi. Like most Ladakhis, he is an extremely polite and helpful fellow. You'll be reading a lot more about him in the rest of the travelog :-)

So yes, we sat in the comforts of the Toyota Innova and headed off for the monastery circuit. We had Ladakhi bread on the way. We first stopped ate Shay palace which was the capital of ancient Ladakh. There's not much to see here – it is a place of historical importance – that's all.

From Shay, a short 10 minute drive took us to Thiksay Gompa. Here, we got to know what a monk's life is like. We saw their study rooms, their dining halls, libraries and the like. The landscape seen from up above (both at Shay and Thiksay) was intriguing. You could see the road divide the “green” area from the “dry” area. We spent quite some time at Thiksay, clicking snaps and then headed to Hemis.

This is more than a half hour drive from Thiksay. Hemis is the largest of the monasteries. There is also a museum here. Like many monasteries, Hemis is set into a mountain wall. The color of the monastery, the blue sky with the odd cloud, the green fields with mustard patches below the monastery, the mountains with snowed out peaks – it was quite a colour riot I tell you.

We were done by 1 pm and returned to Leh by 2. We had lunch in the town, got back to guest house, took some rest and then ventured out for souvenir shopping. Souvenirs are pretty expensive here. Since majority of the tourists here are foreigners, there's nothing you can do about it. Bargaining is limited.

What else then? After shopping and eating at a rooftop restaurant with breath-taking views, we were back at our guest house. We were brimming with anticipation regarding the trip to Pangong the next day. To know how that went, you'll have to wait for Part 2 of the travelog.

Travel Tips

• Leh is the only sizeable town in Ladakh. It is an hour and a half by flight from New Delhi. At 12 thousand plus feet, the air is noticeably thinner. Leh was hot during the daytime (~30 deg Celsius) but would get pretty cool at night. The wind adds to the chill once the sun goes down.
• There are plenty of options to stay at Leh – hotels, guest houses. And the options suit every type of budget. Our guest house was very reasonably priced.
• There's lots of eating joints all over the place too – with all types of cuisines available. All kinds of amenities (ATM's, banks, medical shops, electronics etc) are in Leh.
• Souvenir shopping is pretty expensive in Leh – but you don't have a choice.
• Altitude sickness is for real and I would strongly advise against ignoring it. If you travel to Leh by road from Manali, you'd have got adjusted, but if you fly in, a good day's rest is advised. No strenuous activity like climbing on the first day.
• Do pack in sunscreen, moisturisers and lip balms.
• Getting around is pretty easy too. You don't have to have booked transport in advance. You can just drop in at any of the hazaar tours and travels and see if any “share rides” are available to wherever you are going. Getting permits to the popular places is also pretty easy at these tours and travels.

Europe 2009 Part 1 - Salzburg (Austria)

I start off this travelog by stating that my 2-week trip to Europe was simple an unforgettable one. Once-in-a-lifetime, if I may! Photos here.

Ok, to begin at the beginning; I spent three (and-a-half) days in Salzburg (Austria), five in Switzerland, and two (and-a-half) days in Javea, Spain .. an oh, an entire night at Frankfurt airport too! The three days in Salzburg were for an official conference. The rest was vacation.

This first installment is about the Salzburg leg of the trip.

Salzburg: (Oct 25-28)

I flew Bangalore-Frankfurt-Salzburg. Frankfurt airport is huge, expensive and full of Indians :) No free wi-fi, no free water either. The Airtel calling card that I had purchased in Bangalore did not work at Frankfurt airport; and I was even unable to use my credit card to make the calls from the pay phones there. The Frankfurt-Salzburg flight takes hardly any time. Before you can say hulalala .. the descent starts.

Salzburg is the most adorable little town. Impeccable cleanliness. Beautiful, cold (between 0 and 10 degrees Centigrade), colorful, and very very slight drizzles every now and then. The Salzch river flows through town and kind of dissects the town. My hotel and conference were in the “new town”. Across the bridge is the old town.

Salzburg is a small town, most of the places are within walking distance of each other. Yet, the city bus service seems to be excellent. There are way too many of those electricity-powered buses in the town. I, of course, did not need them. The only transport I used here was the taxi ride from the airport to my hotel. The town is best explored by foot.

On my last day here, I visited the castle. A 20-minute walk on a sunny morning took me there – but it wasn't open yet. So I had to while away some time at one of the several huge “platz”s or squares before it opened. I walked up and purchased the ticket for EUR7.40; which entitles me to a lot many things - entry, museums, "terror chamber", trolley ride down. It was sunny and not really cold - but I don't know why my hands (palms in particular) were freezing and numb. I wore gloves and it was tedious to remove the gloves every time I wanted to take a photo.

The view from the castle is just too good. You can see the airport and the Alps beyond that on one side. On the other side, you see the Salzburg city and you just fall in love with the sight. Its a pity I dint have much time. I spent less than half an hour there - did not take see any of the stuff that my ticket entitled me to - just took the funicular ride back down. I walked back through town and took a different route to reach my hotel.

I left Salzburg on the night of 28^th Oct and took the train to Zurich. I walked the 10 minutes from hotel to the station, at midnight, lugging my 20-kg suitcase; and my laptop bag too. But it was perfectly safe. I saw several people, including women, travelling alone at this time of the night.

I'd like to finish off this “Part 1” of the series with an interesting anecdote: On the last day of the conference, just as everyone had about wrapped up, an Indian approached me. He was in the hotel uniform. He was a bit hesitant at first. He introduced himself as an Indian(from Punjab). I was overjoyed to meet him. We chatted for almost half an hour. He has been in Salzburg for 12 years; and he works at the hotel. He told me a little bit about the life and the culture there. He does miss home, his people, Indian weather, food; but he has got used to life there. He liked the fact that there is no dignity-of-labour there. People do not look down upon him because he is “just a worker”.

He then told me something which made me disappointed in us Desis. Apparently, a quite a few Indians visit the place for conferences every year. And my new-found friend makes it a point to talk to them when they are not busy. It feels good for him to meet an Indian after a long time. But, some Indians do not wish to talk to him. He's “just a worker” you see. I just cannot believe that people would allow their false notion of “status” to discourage themselves from speaking to their compatriots in a far-away land. How absurd and completely uncalled-for it seemed to me. We urgently need to change our attitude in such matters.

Anyway, I arrived in Zurich on the morning of Thursday, 29^th October. Coming soon – the travelog for the 5-day Switzerland leg of the tour. Stay tuned!

Malaysia Part 3 - Genting

Photos

Sunday 3^rd September. I had spent 2 days of my 3-day weekend doing nothing worthwhile. So I decided to go to Genting on Sunday. Genting is a sort of hill station about 50 kms from Kuala Lumpur. In local parlance, hill stations are called “Highlands”. It was confusing in the beginning – I always used to think people are referring to Genting Islands, whereas is fact it is Highlands! So things are now clear – Genting, Cameron are Highlands; and Langkawi, Penang are Islands.

The Journey:

I had booked both my onward and return journeys the previous day. The fare for the bus ride is 3.50 RM and the skyway costs 5 RM one-way. I boarded the 1 pm bus from KL Sentral. The buses for even such short journeys are really comfortable. This particular bus even had seat belts for passengers! Needless to say, it was an A/C bus (the term aircon is used here for A/C).

The first half hour of the journey was along the “plains”. I recognized the route as the one we had taken to Batu caves. This suspicion was confirmed when we actually passed right in front of Batu caves :). After some time, the climb started. I realized just how hilly this area was. The roads were good – divided 4/6 lane throughout. Because of some real steep climbs, some proper hairpin curves, and the omnipresent rain; by the time we reached the base station (Gohtong Jaya), it was an hour.

The Skyway:

The bus dropped us at the bus station at Gohtong Jaya. You have to take the lift to the top of the same building to catch the skyway. The skyway was a one-of-a-kind experience.

Each cable car (called a Gondola), can seat a maximum of 8 persons. The skyway takes you from a height of 900 odd metres to 1700 odd metres. The total length is 3.5 kms and takes like 12 minutes. The skyway “flies” you over the lush tropical rainforests of Malaysia. I almost felt like I was in a helicopter shooting for NGC or Discovery :D. However, the rain and mist were taking a toll on the visibility. At first, I was disappointed that there was nothing that was “photographable” – thanks to the wall-like mist and the rain. But then I thought – to hell with photographs – I’l capture this particular experience in my memories :D. After all, I dint want to spoil the ethereal experience just because I couldnt capture it in pics.

The skyway system is computerized and there is no “driver” at all. During our ascent, the Gondolas all stopped when we were about 2 minutes from the destination. The voice announcement told us not to panic; and that this was perfectly normal. The computers apparently “pause” the Gondolas in order to make adjustments because of changes in weather and other external conditions.

Genting – the city of Entertainment:

From the moment you alight from the Gondola at Genting, you realize this place is entertainment unlimited. There’s all kinds of shopping, restaurants etc. But nothing had prepared me for the next once-in-a-lifetime experience – the Casino. This place has a special gaming license. Gambling is legal here. Genting is sometimes referred to as the Las Vegas of Malaysia!

Cameras are not allowed inside the casino; and I had to deposit mine in a locker outside – which is a good thing because had this not been the case, I fear I would have spent the rest of the day just clicking away at the casino

When I entered the huge casino, it was like entering another planet. I have never felt so hopelessly lost before. There were thousands of people gambling here. But I could hardly make sense of even one of the hundreds of games here. I did see the wheel of fortune; but again couldn’t quite figure out how people place bets or whatever for this game as well.

Anyways, since I had come here; I made up my mind to try my mind at gambling. I mentally set aside a budget of 35-50 RM for the same. After all, gambling is all about luck, I told myself. As long as I gamble responsibly (now that’s an oxymoron isn’t it?); and know when to quit, I would be OK, I convinced myself. This self-persuasion however lasted only so long. Reason?

Try as I might, I couldn’t make head-or-tail of even one of the hundreds of games here. Shame on me. Disappointment turned into desperation – but none of it was any help. After spending more than 2 hours at the casino, I still had absolutely no idea about any of the games.

Dejected, I left the casino by around 4:30. But not before I had made a curious observation – the number of ladies almost equalled that of gentlemen here at the casino (of course I am not talking about the pretty assistants – but the real gamblers ;). Lots of Chinese ladies were trying their luck at the slot machines.

Other observations included the ads showing the winners of the jackpots. And jackpots they were I tell you! People won everything from cars to millions of Ringgit. There was also a kind of stage show going on where a really cute Chinese woman was singing (seemingly) popular songs. And she was singing really well I must say (or was it just me??; ;)

Anyways, as I mentioned, I moved ahead in search of greener pastures (Ok that was a bad joke)

Theme parks:

There’s more to Genting than the casino. It provides a complete “family day out” experience too. There are 2 theme parks – an outdoor theme park and an indoor one. The outdoor park has some scary rides like the roller-coaster and “parachute ride” and as such caters to adults. The indoor theme park is for children primarily. There are all kinds of water and train rides here. This indoor park is also integrated into a mall; where you can do all kinds of shopping. I dint take any of the rides; but just soaked in all the sights and the crowds. That was entertaining in itself.

Weather:

When I arrived at Genting at about 2:30 pm, I happened to step outside the comfy environs of the main hotel complex. And the mist hit me like anything. The wind and mist made the weather really chilly. This was in striking contrast to the sweltering heat in KL – just an hour away. Who would have thought you could face temperatures of sub 10 degrees Celcius at 2:30 pm at a place which is right next door to (if not right on) the equator!

Return journey:

I had booked my return bus journey from Gohtong jaya at 8:30 pm. This is because I wanted to experience the skyway at night. Unfortunately for me, it was raining when I got into the Gondola at around 7:30 pm. That dint dampen my spirits though. The sights at twilight are just too good to be true. The forest below are so dense, the huge powerful floodlights which illuminate the way for the skyway could hardly scratch the surface. I am told that even the sun cannot penetrate this forest canopy!

Anyways, I reached the base station and took the bus back to KL Sentral.

I ended this trip with almost no photos; but tons of memories. Who would have imagined that a one-day (no – a half-day) trip would provide two unforgettable experiences!!!

Malaysia Part 2 - Batu Caves

Photos Here

Batu caves is a Hindu shrine about 12-15 kms outside KL. I’ve been there twice – the reason being first time I had gone there, I had missed the most important feature of Batu, i.e., the Dark Caves.

The First Visit:

Saturday 25^th August. I left from my hotel after lunch, alone, in the hot sun. The taxi drive to Batu caves, which should have taken 20 minutes, took more than half an hour because of a traffic jam. It turned out there had been a minor accident in the opposite lane, and hence the jam in our lane!

Anyways reached Batu around 2:30 pm. The most dominating feature of the spot is the mammoth statue of Lord Murugan. Right behind the statue one can see about 270 steps leading up to the caves. The sun was now relentlessly beating down on me, and climbing the 270 steps took some effort. The fact that the stairs are very steep did little to help. The steps are also narrow (not the stairway itself, but each step). This makes it difficult to get a firm foothold before proceeding to the next step. Adding to all the misery are the monkeys here. I have no idea how they recognize any packet containing eatables or drinks of any kind; but the monkeys just pounce upon anyone who has any eatables in their hands; and disappear with their loot. Curiously enough, they don’t inspect the bags, cameras etc.. the monkeys of the digital age seem to have evolved to learn that cameras are not eatables :D

The Batu caves are the location where the annual Hindu Thaipusam festival terminates. Thousands of devotees throng the place; and many of them undertake the climb with a whole lot of body piercings. The pictures of these piercings are really unsettling.

Upon reaching the top, you are greeted by an enormous cave; whose ceilings are over a 100 metres high. The light inside this cave is not all that bad because its mouth is very wide. All along the circumference of this cave, you see idols of Hindu gods. The diameter of this cave is like 40 meters approx. When you exit it, you ascend a short flight of steps to reach the main temple atop the hill.

However, there’s not much to do here. I just spent some time trying to get some snaps and videos; and then started my descent :)

When I was descending the stairs, I noticed one branch leading towards another cave. I went there and found a board at the entrance saying “No Admission”. So I just turned around and returned to the base. I had my food here, and then took a bus to KL.

The Second Visit:

When I reached back to the hotel and spoke to my friend who had already visited the caves, I was in for a shock – the “No Admission” cave was in fact the main attraction at Batu! This cluster of caves is known as the “Dark caves”.

There was one more guy in our group who had not been to Batu. So we decided to go there the next day.

This time too the timing was more or less the same as the previous day. We reached Batu around 2 pm. We first finished a quick tour of the temple complex, and then proceeded to the Dark Caves.

The Dark Caves:

Entry to the caves is only with an entry ticket of 35 RM per head. It is a guided tour; our guide was a Tamilian lady. This tour of the Dark caves was an experience in itsef!

The entire tour is about 2.2 km. The guide had warned us not to take photographs inside the caves, and not to touch any of the geological formations inside. We were given helmets fitted with flashlights to wear.

The first short stretch was nothing much. There was “Guano” all around – that’s bat shit. Our guide told us that the caves are full of three kinds of bats – insect-eating, nectar-eating and fruit-eating. When the cave was discovered late in the 19^th Century, the Guano was dug out and sold as manure. Even today, one can see the level to which the cave had once been filled with Guano; as the marks are clearly visible on the walls. The Guano also acts as breeding ground for lots of insects, particularly cockroaches. You can see tens of thousands of them on the floor of the cave. It’s a good thing we stuck to the passage constructed for us!

Next came the various kinds of formations – stalactites (conical rock formations formed by water depositing minerals on the ground), stalagmites (upside-down conical formations formed by dripping water depositing minerals on the roof), pillars (when stalactites meet stalagmites); and a 4^th type of formation whose name I forgot. I think its called a wall rock or something like that. Here, the structure emerges sideways from the wall – not from roof or floor. We were absolutely fascinated at these structures, and marveled at the way Mother Nature works for millions of years to form one such structure!

We saw various kinds of deposits around the cave – each being a different mineral. For example, the white material was calcite. I don’t remember the colours of the other minerals, but there was magnesium, sulphur, iron, copper. Some of the structures looked real powdery, while others appeared to be real smooth. It’s a pity we were not allowed to touch the formations; but I guess it is necessary to keep it that way for sake of preservation.

Our guide told us that the caves had been opened for the public a few decades back, but people drew drawings on the walls, touched and scrubbed the mineral deposits; and in general disfigured the surroundings. So, the caves were closed down until a few years back when they were again thrown open to the public.

We were shown around some more, and by then we had reached the end of the tour. We were told that trekking was permitted inside the cave but it required us to take special permissions. There is supposed to be a Communist’s kitchen somewhere deeper inside – The Communists had stayed inside the cave probably during some war period.

Pitch Black:

Well, we turned back; but on the way back was an unforgettable experience. When we reached a particular spot, our guide told us to close our eyes. The she told us to switch off our helmet lights. Then she switched off hers too and finally the big flashlight that she was carrying. And she told us “This is how the cave really looks. Open your eyes slowly”. We opened our eyes and saw …. Nothing. We were speechless. It was so damn dark, you could see nothing – as in absolutely nothing. Now I know what darkness really means. Every time I remember the experience, I get the goosebumps! Imagine being in a place where there’s not even one tiny miniscule ray of light. Normally when you close your eyes, there’s still some sort of light that you see. But here, there was nothing like that. It was almost as if having your eyes open was darker than having your eyes closed! I can rave on and on about this, so I guess I’l stop and move ahead with the rest of my life; so that you people can go ahead with the rest of yours’ :D

Well, what else? After this totally mind-boggling experience, we exited from the cave, took a taxi and headed back to our hotel!