Our Himalayan Adventure
With only 3
weeks under our belts here in New Delhi we decided to take the plunge as a
family and begin our exploration of India! It was a very productive
three weeks for us getting adjusted to our new home and climate,
in-processing at the embassy, hiring staff, acquiring and outfitting a
vehicle, and preparing for university enrollment and our household goods.
We realized we had a brief window before these next events would happen, so
we took the advice of our driver to see the northern Indian Himalayas of
Himachal Pradesh while the weather and crowd conditions were favorable.
As it turns out Indian school kids start the year in early July, so hotels
wouldn't be booked. The monsoons hadn't yet hit in force, and the high
mountain passes would be clear of snow for just a few months. So we
didn't even make hotel reservations - we just packed our bags, strapped them
to the roof of our little SUV, said a prayer, and hit the trail!
Follow the
links below regarding this trip’s highlights:
Well, we made it through day one of our Himalayan
Adventure and its Himalayas 1, McIllece’s 0! Talk about
a rough day! We got out of Delhi by 0530, and were
making great time through Haryana (even saw our first
elephant…on the road!) when we arrived in the town of
Panchkula. This was a short leg of our route through
Punjab, and we were mysteriously stopped at a police
checkpoint. This is very unusual as we have a
blue-license-plated vehicle denoting that we are an
embassy-registered vehicle, which should never be
stopped just to ask for papers. What we quickly learned
is that they were trolling for money (in Hindi this is
called Brusht…corruption for bribes)! They hassled my
driver Baldev, who they made get out of the car and
climb up on the roof rack to fish out one of his driving
permits from our luggage. I started to called the
embassy as I got out and headed into the main police
office. Here’s where my nascent Hindi skills paid off,
because as soon as they heard me say I was an officer
attached to the US Embassy, and showed my Diplomatic ID,
the big Sikh Police Chief shook my hand and said I could
go - now! Still, his croneys outside were hassling
Baldev, who was climbing down off our car, so I
emphasized this is MY car and he is MY personal driver…
Well, the higher ups from inside came out and started
shutting up the street-beat-bribe-squad, and we were off
in a jiffy. After calling back to the embassy to verify
we didn’t need to do anything else, we continued the
trip…but were stopped 5 minutes later! They wore the
same uniforms, and were from the same precinct of
graft-grabbers, and this time we were much more
assertive that we would not disembark or pay
anything…with this and the ID they got the message.
Seems to me like that town’s law enforcement needs some
lye soap and a wire brush, and a refresher about what a
blue license plate means. We’ll file a report when we
get back…
We soon forgot all about our crooked-cop-caper as we
stopped for brunch at the Pinjaur Garden near the
Haryana - Himachal Pradesh border. This was not all we
hoped it would be, but it was pretty and relaxed and we
got some half-decent food. We are still building our
menu-experience, so a couple items were a bit “un-breakfasty,”
but it did the trick. After Dan threw up again (just
outside the men’s room…which was outdoors so there was
no need to call for clean up – it just blended into the
rest of the filth!) we found some tourist-trappy but
just-perfect-for-us Camel rides near our car. All but
Dad got a ride, but I snapped some great pics of some
happy kids.
After brunch and camels, we traded “trouble with the
law” for trouble with the laws of physics. The road left
Punjab and Haryana for Himachal Pradesh, and we entered
the beautiful Himalayan foothills. But the switchbacks
were murder and our expert driver Baldev hit them all at
maximum (safe) speed. You can guess our state after 4
hours of swerving and near-miss-head-on-collisions! Mom
lost her cookies, but did it with such poise and self
control as to make it indiscernible to me a couple of
feet away. A started to get queasy, and then D filled a
bag. Mom popped some Dramamine, and I traded seats so
she could sit in front and watch the road (like that
helps!). We seemed to stabilize as Mom got some sleep,
but then a little voice from the back said with sudden
urgency, “I need a bag!” Too late. D did his best to
hold it in with his hands but it literally exploded from
between his fingers all over me, B, himself, and the
car. But I am proud of my little trooper – he never
cried or fussed, calmly apologizing for not being able
to hold it! I cleaned him up and distracted him by
telling how I threw up the first time I flew in an F-16.
I never realized he hadn’t heard that story, told on so
many occasions, and he thought that was cool! Daddy
threw up just like me!...and he smiled and laughed. I
suddenly realized how grateful I was to be suffering
through this adventure with my little family. I
sometimes wonder why I dragged them to the far side of
the world, but as I see us become a little bit stronger
each day, a little smarter, and a little more
understanding, I see that it is all is really a great
blessing. And these times will follow us for the rest of
our lives – experiences we will never forget,
collectively or individually.
Arriving in Shimla was a dizzying experience, as I
did not expect to see so many people living on the high
slopes of the mountains. I mean, this is India, but come
on! I was ready to see a little less of humanity and a
little more of creation! We were also drained from the
trip, so our hotel headaches were exceptionally
challenging. Still, we stopped first at Baldev’s Uncle’s
hotel. This was our “reservation” and we were assured of
a great rate, but I inspected and found no showers or
toilet paper. They were humble and small, and if we were
a little more Indian-ized (we’ve only been here 3
weeks!), I’d have taken it. Without subjecting Ange to
the shock of seeing these rooms, I told Baldev we needed
to check some other hotels in town. Lonely Planet to the
rescue – that book is a great resource. We headed
straight for the highest end hotel in town to check
availability and price. It came in at a pricey but
acceptable 6500 Rupees per night. I said thanks and
headed out to tell Ange. Then I was schmoozed by a
smooth talking “tout,” one of the hundreds of young men
luring tourists to hotels for the kickbacks it earns
them. It turns out he read me well, as the place we went
to was just what I wanted, albeit at about 5000 Rs a
night. After returning to Baldev and A, we decided to
keep going it a lone and find a room for less. We
stopped at a place on our way to the White Hotel, and it
was OK, but the White was just what we wanted. Not as
nice as the high enders, but spacious and equipped with
the all-important toilet and a shower. At about 3200 Rs
for two adjoining rooms, it was just what we wanted and
we took it. We paid their hotel “coolie” 60 Rs to haul
all three of our bags up the hill (no car access, too
steep), and crashed in our comfortable yet homey rooms.
The view was actually awe-inspiring, as we had a balcony
with a horizon-to-horizon view North into the Himalayas.
The cloud-shrouded peaks in the distance, contrasted
with the lush green of the foothills below us, helped
the hassles of the day fade a little more.
As we strolled up to “the ridge” (really the town
square up on a ridge) we were met with a small-town
semi-tourist-trappy carnival scene. As middle-class
Indian kids took pony rides around us we admired the old
Christ Church (second oldest church in North India), the
statues to Gandhi and Indiria Gandhi, and the awesome
views at sunset. We had a great Indian meal at a little
restaurant below the plaza, which had a view from our
table rivaling that from our hotel. The day ended well
with a brief shopping stroll through Lakkar Bazaar in
the cool evening mountain air. Ange found a couple gifts
and, more importantly, some more Dramamine! Tomorrow it
is off to Manali – higher in altitude and hopefully less
crowded!
(Day 1 pictures)
Today started a little late as Ange’s stomach still
hadn’t settled, so we delayed our departure a couple of
hours. This morning view from the Hotel White was
nothing but…well, white! We were literally in the clouds
all morning, which was very peaceful and beautiful in
its own way. Our journey got underway after I visited
the local market with the kids to get a few snacks for
our breakfast on the go. We headed out of Shimla and, to
my surprise, down in altitude. Our direction was
essentially Northwest, then turned North, all the while
descending into lush and fertile valleys. Thankfully our
stomachs did much better, and the ride was a bit
smoother. We did encounter construction delays a few
times, all being completed in austere and dangerous
conditions. We literally drove along the cliff’s edge
for hundreds of kilometers, sometimes dodging huge
boulders that had rolled onto the poorly paved road, or
scooting past work crews struggling to repair or
reinforce what little road was there.
On a high note, as we approached the Kullu Valley,
D brightly announced he had lost his other front
tooth! He was thrilled to hold it in his hand after
jiggling and loosening it for a week or so. That kid is
growing up too fast!
The mountain scenes just keep getting more
spectacular, truly taking our breath away as we round
the next bend. The Kullu Valley was thrilling with its
sheer drops covered with lush greenery. The Beas River,
loaded with brown sediment from its glacier sources,
filled the bottom of the canyon, littered with massive
boulders cut and smoothed by the flowing water. The
soaring heights above us were littered with tiny
buildings and towns (gauns), and each looked like they
would require at least a three hour walk over
precipitous paths to see their narrow streets.
Manali was much more relaxed and picturesque with its
massive pine trees and alpine beauty. The town itself
still buzzed with activity, but the whole feel of the
place was less crowded and less overrun. We scouted a
couple hotels before choosing the …Mayflower. We got a
great rate, but could’ve gone cheaper. After the long
hours driving we splurged just a bit and got some nicer
surroundings for rest.
Baldev took us to see Hadimba Temple, legendary for
Hindus as the hiding place of the Pandva Brothers in the
epic story of the Mahabarata. The tour books say it was
actually built in 1553, but whatever the age, the temple
and surroundings were stunning. We met (like we often do
in public places) a friendly group of locals of who lit
up when I began to address them in Hindi. We exchanged
pleasantries about where we are all from, where I
learned Hindi, and that they have a relative living in
America, too! It ended with an all-inclusive extended
family photo, a favorite request of all Indians who see
our blond hair or American clothes. We happily oblige
this harmless and sometimes hilarious request with grins
for our temporary adopters.
We were too tired to hit the market in town so we ate
at the hotel…a fair choice but adequate for our
timeline. We had to hit the sack early as our big day to
head toward Keylong was starting at 0600 in the morning!
We have been in some pretty amazing foothills, gradually
ascending on average to higher ground for each night’s
stay. Tomorrow has promise of seeing some of the
snow-capped peaks that form the “rooftop of the world!”
(Day 2 pictures)
Now we know why we made this trip…the real reason. To
start with, Manali continues to live up to my first
impression as a much more relaxed, scenic, and
easier-going town. We awoke early to hit the road before
it became crowded, but ended up delaying for the same
reason as yesterday. Ange’s stomach just can’t get a
break as she wakes up feeling queasy. We delayed about
an hour past the planned departure, but still made good
time getting on the road. The climb up the north end of
the Kullu Valley to Rohtang La was both arduous and
spectacular. I thought I had seen beautiful sights over
the last few days, but this was beyond words.
First, about the road: This one-lane, sometimes paved
road is a very strategic route for the Indians to Jammu
and Kashmir. The Indian Army struggles year round to
keep it passable, and we were constantly coming upon
land slides, wash-outs, and construction crews as we
wove up the mountain. They used the most rudimentary
tools and techniques to accomplish this almost
impossible task, in many cases using only hammers,
shovels, and their bare hands. The road was even more
narrow and precipitous than anything we had seen yet,
which elevated our fear to the occasional terror or
panic attack as we dodged vehicles head on a mere foot
or two from certain death!
What kept us from staring at the thousand-foot cliffs
just outside the door was the five and ten thousand foot
sweeping vertical views all around us. The climb started
at about 6,000 ft altitude in Manali, which is a
beautiful alpine scene of pine trees, high valleys, and
a glacier-fed river. The morning was crowned with fluffy
white clouds that covered the peaks of the nearby
mountains, seemingly hiding nothing else. Then I bent my
head down to look above the clouds (like I would if
searching for an airplane passing overhead), and there
were mountain peaks above the clouds also! It was
dizzying to see such high peaks so close to us, and they
were also covered in green, meaning there were higher,
snow capped peaks somewhere above them! As the slow
climb continued, the clouds gradually began to dissipate
in the morning sun, and spectacular waterfalls emerged
against the lush green, almost vertical slopes. Some of
these falls tumbled hundreds of feet into thin air, the
mountainside was so steep. Above them we started to make
out other falls, and then still others on top, and
finally we spotted the small glaciers that fed these
vertical streams.
Besides dodging the huge fuel and cargo trucks that
miraculously shared the road with us, we also were
engulfed by the occasional herd of mountain goats and
sheep. Mixed into these was the ubiquitous Indian cow –
the one constant in every scene no matter how remote. We
passed through a handful of tent-towns on the climb up,
catering to truck drivers and offering only basic
foodstuffs and maybe film or sunglasses. As we neared
the top of the pass, we became almost blind in a cloud
bank that had suddenly blown in. This made the drive
quite eerie and much more stressful as the lack of
scenery and fogged-out visibility had us thinking much
more about the cliff just outside our doors. But just as
quickly as it came, the cloud bank was gone, and it was
more ooh-ing and aah-ing.
We happened upon a small glacier near the top, what
seemed to be a bottleneck for all the vehicles, mountain
goats, and food stands nearby. Although we kept moving
on the way up, we stopped there on the way down and got
some great family glacier pictures. When we reached the
near side of Rohtang La pass, we entered an entirely
different tent city, much larger and smellier. Filled
with horses, mountain mules, and yaks (yes, Himalayan
Yaks!), this was the commercial staging grounds for
mountain trekking and hiking parties, some advertised
for weeks in duration through the Himalaya. It was a
stinky, noisy din, but just a half-mile beyond it we
found…this:
My novice skills with a camera, and the fact that the
scene filled our field of view nearly 360 degrees from
below our feet to far overhead make the pictures quite
inadequate to convey the majesty before us. We sat on a
rocky outcropping at approximately 13,000 feet, and
could look down into the Chandra River valley perhaps
4,000 feet below us. In front of us were the snow and
glacier-capped peaks of the Lahaul region. They were
probably 20 to 22 thousand feet in height, but that’s
pretty average for the area, and we didn’t know their
names (if they had names!). To our left the pass
descended and led on for 2 days to Leh, the Indian
gateway to Eastern J&K (Jammu and Kashmir). To the right
along the Chandra River, the Lahaul Valley led to
Eastern Himachal and the China-Tibet border.
We all were exhausted from the climb and the thin air
(Zac and Allison were affected the most and had to
retire to the car for the last hour), so we meandered
across the wide, sloping meadow below the road and sat
near the cliff that marked its end. We were surrounded
by small but lush mountain grass sprinkled with purple,
yellow, and orange wild flowers. We were mesmerized by
the fluffy clouds that constantly blew in through the
pass behind us and cast huge shadows on the slopes of
both sides of our valley. The high-altitude winds were
much slower, but they slowly pushed the puffy cumulus
around the surrounding peaks, affording us fleeting
glimpses of their high glacier-cut valleys and jagged
tops.
This was an afternoon none of us will ever forget,
and we thought all our difficulties in getting there
were a very small price to pay. We spoke to our children
about the unique and precious opportunity it was to be
there and see what relatively few people on earth have
seen. What’s more it was a very important experience to
have as we attempt to understand the complexities of
India. The vital sources of water that these
high-mountain glaciers and rivers provide are critical
to the masses in the plains below them. The religious
significance of these mountains to many of the faiths of
India and Asia is evident by the temples and monuments
that dot the peaks and fill the valleys. I am very
grateful we made the journey and added these images to
the collage of India we are framing in our minds.
On the descent, we experienced the same awes as on
the ascent. We were truly exhausted by the time we
arrived back in Manali, where we briefly walked the
streets to find dinner, then did some brief shopping for
shawls and Kullu-caps. We enjoyed another night at
Negi’s Hotel Mayflower, which we highly recommend to any
Manali visitor.
(Day 3 pictures)
We decided the exhausting nature of our trek thus
far, combined with the unpleasant stomach troubles some
of us were having would cause us to cut our 10 day
itinerary short. We mulled over a direct return to
Delhi, but thought that it would take at least 2 days,
so why not ease our way out of Himachal. After
discussing the hotel options with Baldev, and hearing
from him that the
Taragarh Palace was all we could hope for in a
hotel, we agreed to take that route and then go home to
Delhi through Chandigarh.
We arose early but had to deal with the same upset
stomachs, so we took our time and ate breakfast at the
Mayflower. The morning rains came on lightly, so we sat
outside on the covered restaurant porch and enjoyed the
sight of pine-covered mountains in the morning mist. The
rain let up so we packed, paid our bill, and left with a
chorus of Namastes and thank-yous.
On the way back down the Kullu valley, we stopped in
the town of Naggar and briefly toured the Naggar Castle.
It is an impressive work of layered stone and wood,
prominently overlooking the Kullu valley and Beas River.
Purportedly built by Raja Sidhi Singh in the early 16th
Century, it served as the royal seat of Kullu state and
a summer palace for hundreds of years, until the English
took over in 1846 and British Army Major "bought it for
a gun". Yeah right he did - I wonder who was holding the
gun during that deal! When we arrived it was under
renovation to add rooms and become a lodge as well as a
historical site. The views from its balconies were
sweeping and breathtaking – a good find for future
travel to Manali!
As we wound down the roads of the Kullu valley we
happened upon a very simple but joyous event. A
traditional wedding procession was happily making its
way up the road, complete with drums, flutes, trumpets,
bride, and groom. We stopped and took some
pictures as they passed us, offering our congratulations
and chatting with the kids what lingered as the party
kept on by. It was a happy picture of the simple
life so many Indians enjoy in their mountain villages.
All seemed happy to see us, and we reciprocated if only
for the few minutes our paths crossed.
We continued a long afternoon of winding roads back
to Mandi, then northwest toward Dharmsala (a place we
will try to visit in another trip someday). We
eventually made it to Baldev’s hometown area, and the
Taragarh Palace. Formerly known as Alhilal (land
of the crescent moon), Taragarh Palace was built in the
early 1930s as a summer resort. It was bought by
the royal family of Jammu & Kashmir in 1951, and it is
now run as a hotel by the present royal family.
The current patriarch of that royal lineage is
Dr.
Karan Singh, the man who was next in line to become
Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir until India's independence
displaced his father (Maharaja Hari Singh) and made the
would-be prince Regent and then Governor of Jammu and
Kashmir instead. Dr Singh was also a federal
politician in Indira Gandhi's government, Ambassador to
the US (from 1967 to 1980), a lawmaker in both the Lok
and Rajya Sabha (Indian parliamentary version of House
and Senate), and Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru
University (among other schools). It is also
speculated he may be a candidate for the next president
of India (largely figurehead position akin to the
British King or Queen), but that is yet to be seen.
He is now well into his eighties but is among the great
men of modern Indian history, and it was fascinating to
stay in his hotel and learn something of his and his
family's legacy.
While at the hotel that evening we took advantage of
its amenities as one of apparently very few guests at
that time of year. The kids enjoyed their first
horse back rides on the hotel's polo grounds - a great
introduction to the equestrian world for a bunch of Air
Force kids! Ange and I took turns getting
authentic Aruvedic massages and the kids also took a dip
in the hotel pool (quite a rare luxury for an Indian
hotel!). The rooms were very luxurious, and we
almost stayed in the original "heritage" wing where the
furniture and much of the artifacts of the royal family
comprise the decor. We decided that our children
might not fully afford these items the respect they
require, so we stayed in the more modern "palace wing."
This was not the luxury we sought when planning our
trip, but after roughing it (by our standards) on our
first "out in India" trip, we splurged for just one day!
(Day 4 pictures)
Our last day in Himachal started very well thanks to
the luxurious surroundings at Taragarh. Breakfast
was simple but pleasant, and while the porters took our
bags and helped Baldev load them, we managed to wander
through the historic "heritage" wing of the hotel and
snap some pictures. We took a few family shots
with our Kullu caps on, all smiles from the pampering
and the thoughts of returning back home.
The drive from Taragarh took us through Baldev's home
town of Palampur. The weather was wet and rainy,
and we had a long road ahead, else we would have stopped
to meet them. We plan to get the chance later as
Baldev normally brings them to Delhi once a year.
Our route led us just south of Dharmshala (the home of
the Dalai Lama - a place we hope to visit in the future)
through Kangra, Mubarakpur, Amb, and Una, along the
banks of the Soan river. Although not as
mountainous, this part of Himachal was very pastoral,
lush, and full of "chota-gaon" (small town) charm.
The rain made things a bit slick, and we drove past two
car accidents, both head-on crashes, but none with
apparent injuries.
At the town of Nangal, we crossed back into Punjab,
which was evident from a drastic change in signage.
I had taken on the habit on our trip of reading the
street and shop signs in Hindi to try and become a
faster reader, but now about 95% of the signs were in
Punjabi. It was evident that both character
systems have common Sanskrit roots, but they have marked
differences in both print and speech. Baldev spoke
Punjabi a few times during this leg of the drive, but it
was obvious to me Punjabi and Hindi are different
languages, not mere dialects.
We continued through Punjab to Chandigarh, where we
stopped for dinner. Chandigarh, the joint capital
of both Haryana and Punjab, was notably different from
other cities we have seen in India, in that it was
planned and laid out in a grid system (by the famous
architect Le Corbusier in 1950s, under commission by the
Indian Government). It was much easier to find the
main market and get a bite to eat, something we really
appreciated during our marathon trip back home!
Although we could have stayed to see more of the city
(Punjab University supposedly has a decent Poly-Sci and
International Relations program according to Dr Sahni at
JNU...a possible destination for future Olmsted
Scholars), we had to press ahead to make it to Delhi by
bedtime.
After leaving Chandigarh, we passed through the very
same checkpoint in Panchkula where we had grief
earlier...and were stopped again! It was the same
"paper check"-bribe-gig, and as soon as they walked away
with Baldev's license, I popped out of the car and
headed to the guard shack. The street goons tried
to talk to me saying "Sir, sir!", but I replied with "Opka
malik kahaa hain?" - "where is your boss?" As soon
as the big Sikh Police chief saw me (again), he took
Baldev's license from his underling, gave it me me
(again), and with a wave of his hand and a smile
signaled that we were free to go...again! I wasted
no time and wanted no trouble - we just departed
forthwith.
The rest of the drive home on "NH-1" (national
highway one?) was smooth and efficient at times,
agonizingly slowed by construction hang-ups and traffic
snarls at others. It was apparent that the effort
to build a national highway system was getting a large
amount of material and manpower (by Indian standards),
but the project seemed to be moving at an elephant's
pace - very slow but very large and in your face.
It appeared to be an ambitious project to put in four
lane freeways between these big cities, especially since
the solution to getting through every town along the way
was to elevate all four lanes on huge cement pilings and
towers. We drove through the traffic morass this
caused for over five hours and 200 kilometers - all with
only 2 or 3 work crews visibly active along our route.
Combine that with the 200 km/hr closing-speed,
night-time, "oh $#!%@ that's a truck...no it's two
motorcycles" splitting for a bomb-burst head-on pass on
both sides of our car, terror-thrill ride of our
lives...and it was 100% authentic India.
(Day 5 pictures)
