High Altitude - Danger!

Despite the incredible landscapes, culture, sunshine and people of Ladakh, it is the effects of high altitude on the human body that will live longest in my memory.  Thankfully Phil, Charlie and I all returned from Ladakh in full health, but it was a bumpy ride along the way.

In the UK, we don't have to deal with high altitude and the effects of a lack of oxygen.  We might find life on the top of Ben Nevis a little chilly, but 1344m above sea level is a mere nobble relative to the soaring peaks of the Himalayas.  Phil and I currently live at sea level (Mumbai) having moved from just above sea level (Cambridge) so expected that we would need some time to acclimatise in Leh before attempting any serious exercise.

 

A prophetic sign of which we should have taken a little more notice

Saying that, Phil ran a half marathon within 24 hours of arriving in Leh but thankfully he was fine, and proud to be the first foreigner to finish.  I'm not sure if I have a much more extreme example of ignoring medical advice!

The typical signs of altitude sickness are bad headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping and shortness of breath which we all suffered to some extent when arriving in Leh (3500m) although the effects wore off within a couple of days.  Even when acclimitised though, the air feels thin and walking up what would usually be an easy slope feels like a significant effort.

Charlie had been a little unwell with the old Delhi Belly before arriving in Leh but seemed to be picking up when we set out on our trip to Pangong Lake.  Unfortunately, we soon found out that 4400m was too high for Charlie as he became progressive unwell throughout the night.  His symptoms though were not those listed above.  Instead, he started garbling nonsense and slowly became unable to coordinate his arm and leg movements and was fairly immobile by the time the sun came up.

This was very scary and we all dashed off to the nearest army base at first light, which had rudimentary medical facilities.  It was clear to Stan, our guide, that he needed oxygen and the quicker the better.  The rather relaxed army team (who had clearly seen this many times before) hooked Charlie up to an oxygen canister and measured his oxygen blood content.

The healthy range for blood oxygen is between 90 and 100, although you might expect it to be a little lower at Pangong, as we'd just arrived.  Phil's was 91, Stan (our guide) was 90, I was 85 and Charlie was......54!  This was serious, but easily rectified by getting as much oxygen into Charlie as possible.  He stayed on the machine for a while and had an injection of an altitude sickness drug which gave him enough stability for a fast ride back to Leh.

Charlie was not particularly alert at this point.  We'd spent a lot of the night trying to keep him warm as the freezing temperatures didn't help the situation.  The army chap was friendly, and we had a good chat about life in Mumbai.

In Leh, we took Charlie straight to the hospital where Stan did a sterling job of pushing to the front of a queue of 20 Indians waiting to see the doctor, and getting him settled in the tourist ward, hooked up to an oxygen canister.  The tourist ward was fairly quiet and seemed to exist solely for oxygen-related issues judging by the number of canisters lying around.  Charlie's canister was opened using a spanner hit with a rock by a nurse, and he settled down for the next day and a half to get his oxygen levels back to normal.

Hooked up to the canister.  This ran out in the afternoon and it was a little while before Charlie could persuade the nurses to replace it.

A much cheerier Charlie by the evening.  We took a packed dinner and Charlie managed to drink a litre of juice to get 9 of his 5-a-day according to the carton. 

On the mend. 

Charlie was much happier once he got an oxygen tube rather than a mask, which was apparently a bit sweaty.

Charlie was also prescribed a cocktail of drugs, including one which looked curiously like viagra! We checked later online to confirm our suspicions...I guess it was used to get the blood flowing.

Charlie's magic pills

It was very clear at this point that Charlie couldn't go on the trek as suffering similar effects at 5000m in the middle of nowhere would have been very dangerous.  We were reticent about going on the trek without him, but Stan had already put all the arrangements in place, including 6 horses and a horseman who had walked for two days to meet us at the starting point. Further, Stan had arranged for the hotel manager to take personal care of Charlie and looked after him for four days of recuperation in a relaxing environment.  Charlie needed some rest to recover and encouraged us to go on the walk, which all worked out fine in the end as the hotel was excellent and Charlie was in top form by the end of our trek.

Thankfully, Charlie made a full recovery to our great relief, and I've learned that carrying an oxygen canister on any future trips would be a good move.  We first knew that Charlie was on the mend in the hospital when he started to complain about the length of the bed and the quality of the service provided by the nurses!  An Indian Government hospital isn't quite at the level of the NHS...

In and around Leh - Palaces, Buddhism and Pangong Lake

We spent the first four days of our Himalayan trip sightseeing in and around Leh.  This was partly to acclimatise to the high altitude environment before starting the trek, and this allowed us to learn about the history and culture of the region and experience the beauty of the local area.

Our sightseeing centered around monasteries which were typically living, working establishments with anything between one and 1000 resident Buddhist monks.  With the exception of the caves at Ajanta, our trip to Leh was our first exposure to Buddhist culture which has prevailed in the region for at least the last 1000 years.  Buddhism seems complicated, with many versions of the Buddha and different Buddhist sects, but very peaceful and welcoming to non-Buddhists. Travelling in India is a great religious education lesson in itself; I've learned more about Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and even Christianity in the last year than I was ever taught in RE lessons at school!

Anyway, we visited lots of monasteries and various palaces that once housed the Ladakhi royal family, as shown in the pictures below.

Leh Palace - A 9 storey structure overlooking the town 

Buddhist prayer books.  There are hundreds of these which are read out loud by the monks. 

Inside a monastery.  Statues of various forms of Buddha, offering and a big drum are commonplace. 

Prayer flags are everywhere in Ladakh and look very colourful fluttering in the wind 

We were told that offerings of water are made because water is something that can be given "with the whole heart" unlike money (where the giver might inwardly feel sad to have given it) 

A big Buddha statue.  Note the hand position which is a Buddhist meditation gesture.  Some of these statues were covered in real gold.

Prayer flags stretched from peak to peak in Leh 

The Shanti Stupor.  A modern Japanese built religious structure on a hill overlooking Leh, and the start point for Phil's half marathon. 

Monks preparing momos (dumplings) at the Spituk monastery. 

The main courtyard of the Spituk monastery 

The confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers which we passed whilst travelling between different sights.  The blue is the Zanskar and the brown is the Indus.  For much of the year, the Zanskar river is frozen and the local walk down the ice for miles to commute from their homes to Leh. 

The outside of the ancient Alchi monastery.  This was constructed from carved wood. It's amazing that it's still standing! 

An original old Buddhist wall painting.  Lots of the paintings had been "restored" but sadly this seems to mean painting over them rather than repairing the originals. 

The biggest monastery that we visited, with over 1000 monks and a museum. 

 Scary picture

Thiksay monastery - Another big one.  Monasteries are usually built on hills to ensure that they are quiet and away from the noise of the village below. 

A very big Buddha.  I think this one is the "Future Buddha" who it is predicted will come to Earth in 2500 years from now.

The stupor at Shay Palace.  There is a solid gold ball on the top of the structure. 

Shay Palace from below 

A beautifully situated monastery on the route from Leh to Pangong.

In addition to our cultural excursions, we spent a night at Pangong Lake which is situated at 4400m above sea level, spanning the India / Tibet border.  It was a six hour drive from Leh which involved crossing a 5300m pass (the Chang La pass), one of the highest motorable roads in the world, and breathtaking views across the valley as you weave up the mountain to the pass.  I get a little travel sick in the back of cars which wasn't great, but it was well worth it.  We spent a night at a fixed camp next to the lake given the length of the journey and I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone visiting Ladakh.  The natural beauty of the lake and car journey is astonishing.

Looking back over the verdant valley as we drove up the mountain 

Getting higher... 

...and higher... 

...until we reached the pass!  The air was pretty thin and there are lots of army camps in the area owing to the proximity to China / Tibet. 

Posing at the trig point.  It was a bit nippy and Phil wasn't dressed for the conditions. 

There was a gang of Himalayan marmots on route which were both tame and cute.  Phil got this shot after a long photography session. 

Pangong Lake.  It is apparently very deep, and I can confirm that the water is freezing. 

My Bob hat came out for the first time on this trip - crocheted by my cousin Will who set up a hat business with his girlfriend earlier this year.  This was my first opportunity to wear a thick woolly hat in India. 

Prayer flags adding a human touch to the stark landscape 

The 3 Idiots....is a popular Bollywood film that ended with a scene shot on this spot at Pangong Lake.

 Phil's rock photography.

Snowy peaks 

Our camp for the night.  The running water and western toilets and bathrooms at the back of each tent were a big bonus!

Trekking in Ladakh

First, I apologise for the long hiatus since my last blog post but I do, at least, have a good excuse. Charlie Isitt has been visiting for the last three weeks so we took the opportunity to travel to Ladakh, a mountainous region in the far north of India.

Ladakh is in the state of Jammu & Kashmir which is famed for its beauty but also, sadly, its conflict owing to the ongoing border disputes between India and Pakistan.  Ladakh is far enough east to avoid most of the India / Pakistan trouble; it instead lies close to the Tibetan border for some India / China tension instead.  Although Ladakh is part of India, it was a separate kingdom (with its own monarchy) prior to independence and feels culturally very different from the rest of India.  The native people are Buddhists and the high altitude of the region (Leh, the main town, is at 3500m) and mountainous landscape results in a region much more similar to neighbouring Tibet.

We booked a 10 night stay in Ladakh through a tour guide, Stanzin, who had been recommended to us by a British friend currently living in India.  The plan was to relax in and around Leh, seeing local sites, for four days before embarking on a six day trek through the mountains (part of the Himalayas). Our trip was therefore full of a range of incredible and memorable experiences so I'm going for a multi blog post approach for our holiday. Here, I'll focus on the trek itself, and a report on the rest of our activities in Ladakh, and on the extreme effects of altitude on the human body, are yet to come...

Leh is famous for its outdoor and adventure activities and we wanted to do something brave and memorable, so a six day hike through areas with no road access climbing up to over 5000m seemed perfect.  We wanted a real adventure but, equally, did not want to underestimate the seriousness of walking in remote areas at high (and sometimes dangerous altitude) and wanted to make our lives are comfortable as we reasonably could.  We therefore enlisted Stan, our guide, and his team of one helper, one cook, one horseman and six horses.  Although we would be camping, our bags and equipment would be carried by the horses and the team did all the catering, leaving us with very little to plan or worry about other than enjoying the experience.

For reasons to be explained in the "High Altitude - Danger" blog post, Charlie could not come on the trek and had a few quiet days in Leh instead.  This was sad for us all, but the trek team were ready to go so Phil and I set out to the starting point of our walk through the Markha Valley, close to the village of Chilling.  We passed the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers on the way to the start point - a beautiful sight.  We also saw lots of keen white water rafters, another popular activity in the Indus Valley in Ladakh.

Our trip was a five day walk up the Markha river, a tributary of the Zanskar river, starting at the valley floor at 3000m and crossing the 5200m pass on the final day before a steep descent back down to 3700m and to the road back to Leh.  The longest day was around 20km which was fairly flat, with shorter days at the end of the trek where we climbed steeply at punishingly high altitudes.  The trek route was fairly well known and we saw (and chatted with) several other walkers at the camp sites, but we were usually the only humans in sight and it felt remote.  We did see others doing the route without a guide but I wouldn't recommend it.  It's not hard to navigate, but hard to get out or get help if anything goes wrong.

Day 1- Chilling to Sku

Our bags, tents and provisions waiting to be loaded onto our team of horses 

First team shot (Stan took a lot of team photos...) close to the river and start point 

Despite the very low rainfull in the region, the land is lush near the river owing to irrigation.  It was harvest time in Ladakh, much of which is done by hand, to bring in the main barley crop before winter. 

Meeting another team of fully laden horses as we walked through the valley 

Stupas (kind of Buddhist shrines containing relics which you should walk around in the clockwise direction) 

Relaxing at our camp at Sku after an easy first day with mint tea, biscuits and cake.  At this point, we realised that the catering was going to be good...

Our second pre-dinner snack was noodles in a fresh vegetable broth 

Our brightly coloured accommodation for the next five nights.  Roasting in the day when the sun was out.  Freezing as soon as the sun went down. 

We always camped close to the river, our washing facilities for the trek. 

The crew had a bigger tent and managed to cook a feast each evening on only three gas hobs.  We started with Indian food but they managed soup, pasta, potato wedges, dumplings, chinese food and even cake over the course of the trip.  We did not go hungry.

The only panic of the first day for me was an apparent infestation of wasps which buzzed around everywhere in the valley.  This was not good news for someone scared of wasps.  After a good half an hour of flapping, our crew convinced me that they were wasp shaped hoverflies that don't bite or sting.  Phew!  They didn't attack me so I was happy after that.

Day 2 - Sku to Markha

My British Airways First Class pyjamas saw me through the night in a tent.  Cold mornings were helped by tea arriving at the tent door at 7am and a good hot breakfast. 

On our way.  The landscape on day 2 was fairly rocky with large crags rising up on both sides of the valley. 

Phil is looking a bit ghost like owing to the large amount of suncream that we both wore throughout.  The sun is very strong and there was no cloud cover. 

Our man Stan, who did an exemplary job of looking after us. 

Some greenery lining the river. 

We removed our shoes to cross the river shortly before Markha.  This was freezing but wonderfully refreshing after a long walk.  The river level rises a lot during the day as the water that flows down is melted snow from the mountains.  It is very clear, with a wide spectrum of colourful rocks (this area is a geologists dream). 

A pack of horses making the river crossing look a lot easier than I did. 

Relaxing at our camp.  The building in the background is a homestay, the alternative to camping along the route.

Day 3 - Markha to Thachungste

Even more spectacular rocks 

There were "tea tents" every few kilometres run by local people living in the valley.  Their homes are very remote and cut off entirely for months during the winter.  This little boy was very curious and enjoyed having visitors. 

The Kang Yaze peak (I or II, I'm not sure) appears on the horizon.  Kang Yaze 1 is 6400m and Kang Yaze II is 6170m.  To compare, Ben Nevis is 1344m and Everest is 8848m.

The peak in all its glory. We would get much closer on the next day. 

Another tea tent location.  This time guarded, curiously, by a yaks head.  We had lots of stops for tea which was required as walking at high altitude is very tiring.

A Dzo - a cross between a cow and a yak- which seemed to be a popular combo in these parts. 

After three days with no washing facilities, my hair had turned to straw and I was desperate to wash it.  The river was the only option.  The water was freezing but the sun very warm so it was great overall just not very private for full body washing.  I thoroughly enjoyed my shower at the end of the trek after five increasingly smelly days without one.

We didn't have any toilet facilities for five days either which was problematic but a popular conversation topic for Philip. The less said about that the better...

At the end of day 3, we stopped at a quiet campsite at 4000m, at the start of the big ascent...

Day 4 - Thachungste to Nimaling

Although the walk was relatively short at 2.5 hours, we climbed from 4000m to 4900m, then back down to 4700m where we camped.  Walking uphill at this altitude was very hard and I found it difficult to catch my breath, even when trudging along very slowly.  Frequent rests were required. 

 Evidence of the presence of other walkers.  This was a particularly awesome viewpoint.

At 4900m next to a lake reflecting the Kang Yaze II peak. 

There were regular piles of stones including ancient Tibetan carvings.  The language of Ladakh is Ladakhi which is very similar to Tibetan. 

 Our horses overtook us for the first time.  Evidence that we were walking particularly slowly!

 

Our campsite, a huge plateau, with a friendly baby dzo. 

The best sheep ever.  He was very cute and very fluffy! 

Life at 4700m was cold, to say the least.  After a warming dinner, I slept in five layers of clothes plus a woolly hat, a sleeping bag and a thick blanket, which just about kept me warm enough. 

Day 5 - Over the pass

The long climb from our camp to the Gongmaru pass at 5130m 

I found this extremely physically draining.  I was walking painfully slowly and needed to rest every minute or two.  Stan said that we were quicker than average though which makes me feel a bit better. 

Made it! Although I was feeling very rough at the tough. My body wanted to get to lower ground and a more oxygen rich environment as soon as possible. 

Stan the man.  Apparently not tired at all. 

Group hug before the descent. 

 It was really quite snowy and cold at the top, another reason to get down quickly.

The incredible descent which helped to restore my oxygen equilibrium.  Unfortunately, the photos don't do justice to the colours.  Much of the rock was bright green - it made me think of a cross between the Wizard of Oz and The Lord of the Rings.

A rock gate 

Going down... 

Close to our final camp and feeling very happy that we'd made it through in one piece!

Final camp and end of the trek

Phil's 10 year old walking boots were a little worse for wear.  We left them in Leh. 

 Charlie joined us for the final night camping so had a taste of the trekking experience.  Here is our crew from L to R - the horse man, Phil,me, Stan, Charlie, our cook and our helper.

Amazingly, the team managed to bake a cake for us for breakfast.  We were impressed. 

Our final trekking breakfast 

With our cook, driver and helper before returning to Leh