The mighty Himalayas

Geologists believe that about 225 million years ago, India was a large island situated off the Australian coast. The Tethys Sea separated India from the Asian continent. Then, around 200 million years ago, the Pangaea broke apart and India began its epic forge northward.

80 million years ago, India was located roughly 6,400 km south of the Asian continent and was still moving northward at a rate of about 9 m a century. When India rammed into Asia about 40 to 50 million years ago, its northward advance slowed down by about half. The collision and associated decrease in the rate of plate movement have been interpreted to mark the beginning of the rapid skyward uplift of the mighty Himalayas.

This immense mountain range, formed by tectonic forces and sculpted by an unceasing denudation processes of weathering and erosion, is virtually the water tower of Asia. It supplies freshwater to more than one-fifth of the world population, and accounts for a quarter of the global sedimentary budget. The Kailash sacred landscape contains the source of four of Asia’s great rivers. The Indus, Brahmaputra, Karnali, and the Sutlej are lifelines for large parts of Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

It is here, amidst these jagged mountain ranges, that the grand Mt. Kailash stands tall in an exuberance of divinity. A towering meta sedimentary roof pendent supported by massive granite. Even the most agnostic heart will skip a beat at the first sight of this spectacle. An occasional tear will quell in the eye, before quickly bowing down to the elements. Knees will give way to gravity and arms will stretch in rich abandon, all to the chorus of the chant,"Hara-hara Mahadev...shambho...Shankara...Om Namah Shivaaya

Yatris into the yonder

When my wife and I ideated on embarking on the Kailash Manasarovar yatra, we were humbled by the oodles of information, videos, blogs and personal advice that was just a click or a call away. Modern superhighways of information can stream hours of footage on what to wear, what to pack, how to plan, what to eat, the meds we need for altitude sickness, the tour operator to choose, the mode of the voyage and so much more. But now, from the comfort of my couch, when I look back at our sojourn, I have no doubt in my mind that there is nothing as certain as uncertainty on this yatra.

No stretch of imagination can prepare you for the last minute changes in the Tibetan permit regulations, which apparently is more common than flight cancellations due to adverse weather conditions. We even took detours and ended up driving for more than 17 hours on ravenous roads. Airline cancellations due to fatal accidents seemed lie a norm out there. On one instance, an entire day of flights were cancelled due to non availability of fire engines!

On the other end of extremity, you certainly cannot prep yourself to wriggle out of a melee of desperate villagers yelling in anger and protesting against the airline operator’s apathy towards ferrying locals.

Trust me, we witnesses all of this and more!

Insurmountable Expectations

While it is true that most journeys can have a fair share of delays and desperation, The Kailash Manasarovar yatra is unique at many levels.

Paramount on the list is expectation. If you were to take religiosity for instance, the Hindus believe that the perfect pyramid of this 22,028 foot peak is where lord Shiva sits in meditation. The mountain is also a holy abode for Buddhists, Jains and the ancient Bon Po religion of Tibet.

While the mountain itself is forbidden, traversing 32 miles around it, called Kora Prikrama, is an sacred ritual. All of these religious significance mean that Mt. Kailash draws thousands of pilgrims across several faiths to seek its powerful good grace. It’s also a first-class Himalayan trek encompassing meditation sites at waterfalls, the sacred cave of Zuthul Puk, and the 18,600-foot Dolma-La Pass. Naturally, there is boundless expectation on this yatra.

Pilgrims also take a holy dip in the tranquil sublimity of the Manasarovar lake. At 15,060 feet, with its near alkaline water, it is one of the highest fresh water lakes in the world. According to the Hindus, the waters purify the soul here to complete the Kailash experience.

The Mt. Kailash parikrama begins at the outskirts of Darchen as you usher through the Yama dhwar. This is a small portal and it is widely believed that a passage through its dark doorway signifies your re-birth into a pure life form. The parikrama is indeed revered at uncommon levels of piousness across many faiths and religions. With this rich tapestry of beliefs and expectations, each yatri treads frivolously across the rugged terrain bound by an infermity of experience and clinging on to a hope of enlightenment.

The daily chronicle

As a brief record of events, I have put together a collection of my experience which follows my itinerary.

25th May 2017, Day 1: Kathmandu. 1900m 32°C

Welcome shawls and smiles for all incoming yatris at Hotel Royal Singi. Evening aarti at Sri. Pasupathinath temple. Had the opportunity to see the temple’s high priest who is from Udupi. Shopped for Rudraksh at the Thirupati Agarwal Rudraksh store across the temple.

In the morning, we had strolled the streets of Thamel in Kathmandu. Fantastic place for all sorts of gear. Many shops like Marmot and The North Face had a sale going on. These stores employ qualified tour guides to help you with the latest in gear technology.

26th May 2017,Day 2: Kathmandu. 1900m 28°C

Checkout and drive to Jal Narayan and Boudhanath Buddha Stupa. Post Lunch, we left for the Kathmandu Tribhuvan airport. Heavy rains led to flight cancellations. Anxious moments spend in anticipation of Sunil, our coordinator, who had gone to collect Passports from the Permit authorities in the unabating downpour. Reclaimed checked in baggage and return back to the Hotel.

27th May 2017,Day 3: Kathmandu to Nepalgunj. 2800m 40°C

Post lunch, we embarked on a perilous bus journey to Nepalgunj which took us 17.5 hours!! Excellent dinner at Chitwan. Very desolate roads but our skilled driver made it memorable.

28th May 2017,Day 4: Nepalgunj. 2800m 40°C

At 6:30 am, we checked-in at the Cygnett Krishna. An ultra-modern hotel with running hot water, shower, air conditioning and Wi-Fi. Truly a paradise for the urban junkies.

Some airlines like Goma were grounded due to a fatal plane crash. This was followed by major cancellations due to a local fire mishap in Nepalgunj. The airport fire engine was pressed into service and that led to more cancellations.

All yatris returned disgruntled to the Hotel. Another day lost!

29th May 2017,Day 5: Nepalgunj – Simikot – Hilsa – Taklakot (Tibet) 3900m 8°C

A day of remarkable action.

Woke up at 4:00 am. Had a great breakfast and drove to the Nepalgunj airport.

The airport is really a one room affair. Pretty archaic check in formality and everything seems in a disarray. Everyone on our tour team carried a Shivalaya Tours and Travels duffel bag with bold printed id numbers and this bag was checked in. One backpack with gloves, fleece jacket and down jacket was carry-on, Water and snack food on hand to go.

Sita airlines interestingly issues boarding passes hand written in different ink. The first flight was Sita black. The next was Sita blue. It is simple but works.

The Dornier airplane was fun to fly. It was a 15 seater turboprop. Earplugs are highly recommended on these loud carriers. The gorges and valleys that we flew over were stunning. The plane skimmed over mountains and usually only continues when the visibility and headwinds are manageable. This is indeed a very high risk route.

Simikot (2950m) is an air-locked village perched on top of a small mountain. There are no roads to this hamlet. Everything from food to tools and fuel needs to be airlifted. In fact, the only truck in this vicinity was supposedly airlifted by an Army helicopter. Evidently, The only economic activity here is when passengers get stranded due to flight delays or cancellations and stay in the local hotels and resorts.

Usually, yatris don’t get to exit the Airport. The Helipads are right next to the airstrip. I counted 8 helicopters on a half acre flat bed!! Five passengers with their duffel bags, each weighing roughly 10 kilos, board the choppers and take off from Simikot to the Nepal-China border town of Hilsa (3600m).

The chopper ride was extremely exhilarating. The sheer dexterity of the pilots and their breathtaking maneuvers over canopies so high in the mountains is no mean fete. The landing at Hilsa threw up a dust storm of sorts. We had to duck below the loud swirling blades and hang on to our dear hats.

We then crossed the ‘friendship bridge’ which is a swaying, grunting metal hanging bridge over the rivulet Karnali. Crossing this took us to the Nepalese outpost on the Chinese border. Customs checks were minimal but the Chinese border security folk went on a rather long lunch break. We were told they would be back only by 4:00 pm and so, we scrambled back across bridge and had some hot lunch at a mud house.

The Chinese Immigration was a thorough job with multiple checks. Many Duffel bags were examined. One rather overt observation was the emphasis on checking smart phones. As a precaution, many of us had cleaned up unwanted posts from our phone apps. The Chinese boarder security and military police can spend a whole lot of time browsing through each of the photographs on any of the yatri’s smartphones and check for any objectionable photographs.

I have to admit, if there is one aspect that I would really like for the Chinese to reconsider, it would clearly be the adequacy of the restroom facilities. That aspect can do with some serious consideration for the pilgrims. I say this not just at the immigration centers. The entire Tibetan region can have an overhaul of toilet facilities. The ones they have are unusable and the only other alternative is not very civilized.

Our trip to Taklakot (3772m) was very comfortable. The busses that port us were very well appointed. Taklakot itself was pretty cold at around 8 degrees. I understand that the town has had a major face-lift in recent years. Hotel Himalaya, where we stayed, is rather new and had decent amenities. Water was sporadic at best. Our Sherpa team had made great arrangements for tea and dinner. Sherpas were also our translators and that was quintessential. We went into a nearby market place to buy trekking poles and gloves. Red bull energy drink with a passion fruit flavor was pretty popular with the tourists.

The night was biting cold as the rooms did not have any heating but the anticipation of getting closer to our destination kept us engaged in a light banter late into the night.

30th May 2017,Day 6: Manasarovar, 4575m 3°C

After a hot breakfast, we headed towards Manasarovar. We reached Lake Rakshas Tal en-route. The blue water was like a brush stroke across the canvas with an arid plain before you and the snow peaked mountains in the background. There was no sign of any wildlife or human dwelling near the lake.

The water from Rakshas Thal is taboo and hence left untouched. Maybe this is a surviving salt water lake from the bygone eras. Whatever the explanation, there was a mystery around the lake and you could only ogle at the eerie yet stunning landscape.

We continued to drive towards Manasarovar and suddenly the weather turned to almost a blizzard. The whole landscape was bathed in a sea of white snow. It was a miracle to see the place clear up quickly around the time when we had the first glimpse of lake Manasarovar.

None of us could deny the majestic appeal of the deep blue lake. Tiny waves lapping on the pebbled shores. Lake Manasarovar is among the world’s highest fresh-water lakes. At an elevation of 4583 meters, the lake covers 412 square kilometers. With the northern part broader than the southern end, the deepest point of the lake is over 70 meters. Located in the Burang County, 20 km southeast of Mount Kailash, the lake has remarkably clear water.

We had come prepared for the holy dip and in a matter of minutes, one by one, each of us went into lake for an ablution of a lifetime. We could clearly sight the rocks under the water where our feet met the ice cold water. The first dip was a life changing experience. Every cell on my body was alive and singing in unison. Adrenaline spiked in response to the freezing numbness like a thousand blades under my skin. For many, the toils of the journey just absolved that very instance. The experience was complete and was so in the now.

We bid our gratitude to the Lake and moved on to Chiu Gompa (4575m) .

And here, we had our first darshan of the holy Mount Kailash!

The south face of the majestic mountain was suddenly without any cloud cover and was resplendent in the evening sun. Everyone who got off the eco busses broke into a silent moment of great reverence. Many chanted mantras. Some prayed with their eyes closed. Others just watched in deep admiration. We could see the crown of the mountain with nothing around for miles. A sight of singularity. A sight to behold forever.

That night was difficult. It started snowing after midnight. The lac of restrooms made things even worse. A quick blood oxygen level showed my SpO2 was hovering around a low 64%. This was considered dangerous for taking up the Manasarovar Kora the next day. The temperature fell below freezing and was a night to forget.

31st May 2017, Day 7: Darchen 4750m 2°C

After a quick breakfast in the morning, we drove to Yama Dhwar, a simple portal with massive significance for everyone on the path to circumambulation of Mount Kailash.

Hindu beliefs expect only those with pure souls to proceed towards the Kailash parikrama. A passage through the Yama Dhwar signifies the abandonment of our sin ridden life and a symbolic re-birth into the Kailash kshetra, in a pure form. The gompa itself has displays of many prayer flags, animal pelts and bells. A confluence of cultures, in one doorway.

Our tour group was split into two. Those who continued towards Dhira Phug went forward towards a spot where Pony riders and porters were paired with the pilgrims. The rest went back to Darchen’s Hotel Himalaya. I was one of them.

The Parikrama, I am told was scalding hot at some places and biting cold on other stretches.

All yatris on the Parikrama were told of a recent blizzard that made the day 2 and 3 impossible to trek. So everyone had to stay over at Dhira Phug and not go to Zuthul Phug, which is reachable after a descend from Dorma La pass, the highest point on the parikrama at 5660m.

That night was probably our worst. Temperatures fell anywhere between -3°C and -10°C. Guests at the Himalaya hotel in Darchen also suffered from altitude sickness and severe cold. Although we were in plush hotel rooms, the lac of any heating and low oxygen levels made many of us dizzy. Things were harder for the yatris who had trekked up to Dhira Pukh.

1st June 2017, Day 8: Darchen 4750m 2°C – Taklakot

By mid morning, everyone had reached back at the Hotel. We heard of the extreme conditions and hardships encountered on the trek. But what we got back as memories through pictures were stunning.

The early rays of the sun had bathed Mount Kailash in a rich golden hue. The cold blue landscape stood out in testimony of this celestial spectacle. This one moment met every expectation tally completely.

We then started our journey back into civilization. Our first stop was Taklakot and we spent the night there. It was a welcome change from the extremes of Darchen.

2nd June 2017, Day 9: Simikot

We started around 8:30 from Taklakot and got back our Passports. We then drove through immigration points to Hilsa. Few of us took the early bird helicopters and reached Simikot, while the rest, including our dear tour lead Rathnakar Bhat of Nirmala Travels, got stranded in Hilsa as it was late and the service had stopped.

In the absence of any direction, we teamed up in Simikot and decided to stay back in a nearby hotel as flights were all cancelled for the day. Action and adventure were always shadowing us. We suffered a false start, where a siren from the Airport got us all jogging down to the airport, where we were told that an incoming flight was sent back to Nepalgunj due to bad weather. The angry passengers had to trek back to the Sun Valley resort cursing at the sheet lack of information.

Luckily, the resort was very well maintained and clean. That night, everyone chanted Shiva stotras and feasted on fresh kichdi at the resort. It was interesting to see how a well fed and rested set of people changed conversations. All talk around the return journey and its uncertainties had slowly switched over to choosing the next President of India!!

3rd June 2017, Day 10: Simikot – Nepalgunj – Kathmandu

A day of unparalleled unpredictability!

We were told of a 6:30 am siren that will signal the arrival of incoming planes. However, that never seemed to happen. Following that we were to trek down the cobbled village path to the Airport. A battalion of fully armed Nepal Military slowly marched in a single file into the airport. Upon enquiry, we were told of an ensuing unrest between the Airport authorities and the locals. Pema, our cool caretaker asked us to make it to the Airport and so we hastily walked to the Airport.

The Airport gate was closed and we were told that only Boarding pass holders will be allowed. By then we had given our passports to our Sherpa and he went inside. We were about five of us at the gate and the rest were on their way down. Few porters were transporting our duffel bags too. Then, everything turned topsy turvy in our little paradise. The Locals came to the Airport gate in a mob and took to the megaphone to chant slogans of protest against the authorities. The Nepal police and Military police were very considerate and reserved. We were sandwiched between the closed gate and the mob! Thanks to a friendly Nepali Policeman, who had share an apple with us that we were quickly frisked away and made to take shelter in a tea shop adjoining the Airport gate. After a while, all the noise died down and we took a quick peek at the scene. To our shock, one of the local political leaders had padlocked the Airport gate from the outside and everyone had left the scene!

Upon enquiry, we were told that the locals were very agitated at the Airline operators for not letting any locals fly into Simikot from Nepalgunj. This, after couple of days of flight cancellations, had become a big worry for them and demanded that at least three locals are booked with their luggage to get back to Simikot. The wait was very tense with no sense of normalcy at sight. Around noon, we saw a guy take a load of currency into the Airport and in less than 15 minutes, the gates were opened and a mad rush to get Boarding passes ensued. Few of us had boarding passes from the previous day and we pleases with the guards to let us use the same and in the confusion, they actually let us do that!! All they did was change the dates on their register!

Few of us on the flight to Nepalgunj had Boarding Passes that read Sita air, but ended up boarding Simrik air! Our luggage arrived on Goma air!! Well, there is no easy way to describe the disarray that ensued but somehow, as broken as it may sound, the Nepalese have a great track record of making things work. We landed in Nepalgunj and it was simmering in heat. After a long drive to a nearby town for lunch, we were told that many of us got tickets to fly back to Kathmandu the same day. The flight to Kathmandu was just awesome. A bed of clouds suddenly revealed some of the tallest mountains in the world and it was surreal.

We stayed at the Royal Singi that night and the hot shower was a gift!

4th June 2017, Day 11: Kathmandu – Delhi – Bangalore

Our last day of the Yatra.Jet airways was very courteous on the flight back. A huge delay and confusion on our luggage made us miss our connecting flight and were bumped into the last flight of the day. The staff at Delhi airport were super helpful. We reached home around 2:30am in the morning. I am short of words to describe this whole trip as the experience was so compelling. I must sincerely thank Nirmala Travels for their fantastic arrangements. Rathnakar Bhat is a walking encyclopedia on tours. Mohan was every accommodating and helping in our bookings from Mangalore. Gautam from Shivalaya Tours and Travels for some exemplary bravado and foresight in arranging travel documents to hotels to travel tickets. I have never seen him without his iPhone glued to his ear. Their team of Sherpas were some of the best. Dawa, Uttar, Lakpa and many more were every helpful. I owe my gratitude to them all as this yatra would have been impossible without them.