My Rendezvous with the Frozen Himalayas: CHADAR TREK 2020 – Journey of Life

Often we imagine that we will work hard, arrive at some distant goal & then we will be happy. 

This is a DELUSION. HAPPINESS is the result of a lived with purpose. 

Happiness is not an objective. It is a movement of Life itself, a process, an activity.

The Chadar Trek or the Frozen Zanskar River trek is known to be one of the most difficult treks of the great Himalayan range of mountains. When I decided to try this out, I wasn’t sure that this journey will turn out to be a life changing experience for him.

So what is this Chadar trek?

During winters the temperature in Ladakh drops as low as minus 35 degree Celsius. A lot of villages get cut off as the roads get blocked due to snow, Zanskar valley being one of them. Zanskar village is connected with Leh by the wild rumbling river Zanskar which freezes during winters with its top layer transforming into a blanket of ice and that’s how it came to be called “Chadar”. The locals have been using this route….that is walking 70+ kms across the risky Chadar to Leh for centuries for trade and transportation during the winters….but in recent years this route has gained popularity among adventure enthusiasts as one of the wildest extreme treks in the world and perhaps the only one where you walk on a frozen river. The entire trek takes you through steep canyons as you walk your way on the frozen river, opening up vistas like never seen before , overwhelming you with the beauty, enormity and power of nature around you.

This trek certainly needs you to be physically fit to withstand the extreme conditions….but more importantly this is a trek which is extremely demanding mentally.  Mental strength, tenacity, grit and readiness to face all odds without giving up………you just can’t think of walking the Mighty Chadar with a deficiency in any of these.

Here is the detailed story of my glorious journey..

I just happened to return back to work on 6^th Jan 2020 after my Year end solo trip to Chakrata, Uttarakhand. On 8^th Jan a colleague of mine walks up to me while having my lunch in the Office Pantry and say’s where had you been , I saw your photos  in Facebook and they were just amazing & then happened to say that he along with another colleague from office have registered & planned for the Chadar Trek in Leh on 25^th Jan 2020. I had heard a lot about the Chadar trek and have seen documentaries on Nat Geo where studies have shown that due to the increase in global warming and other activities, the river won’t last for more than 4 years and the authorities are planning to stop the trek from 2020.

So at the spur of the moment I asked him to get me the contacts through which they have planned this and I would also join them on this adventure. My friend immediately gave a call to the Adventure Nation guy & told him about my interest in joining and gave me the details of the Flight & date & time to book my tickets from Bangalore to Delhi to Leh & back along with a list of what all to carry/buy for the 9 day trek, & also what all trekking gears can be rented out via Sharepal for the trek.

I get a call at 3 pm from Adventure nation and they tell me they have confirmed my booking and I have to immediately pay online for confirmation on the link which they have mailed me. I make the payments and also book all my air tickets to and fro and place an order for my trekking gears, bag and Voila am ready for the trek of my life. Though everyone plans well in advance, mine was a sudden plan. That’s how things started with me on this trip! Though I have never been in a trek in my life, I badly wanted to do this!

The next most important thing was to apply for a 5 days vacation again at the immediate start of the year from the 2020 leaves quota J, which had to be approved from my sweet cute manager who is more like a friend to me than a manager J…(Now do not think a lot on who this is .……Ha-ha…)

The next 2 weekends were spent on shopping for the essentials from Decathlon, Medical store & Supermarket and was then eagerly waiting for 24^th Jan to board my flight to Delhi from Bangalore.

Finally the Journey of life begins on 24^th Jan’20. Boarded the Indigo flight from Bangalore to Delhi on a moon lit midnight & land at 3 am in Delhi. A Stop-over at Delhi for 4 hrs (lucky that the Terminal was the same & no change required) with a connecting flight early morning  on 25^th Jan’20 at 7:30 am from Delhi to Leh , the Goair flight was on time amidst the early morning fog in Delhi and got airlifted and taken into the subzero temperatures of Leh whilst experiencing some turbulence's mid air which gave jolts to the stomach .A great feeling to see the whole Ladakh valley up from the flight window seeing the snow capped dreamland with huge mountains and valleys white-washed with snow and frozen rivers cutting through them and finally landed at the Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe Airport at Leh  at 9 am at 3,256 m (10,682 ft) above mean sea level to begin the journey in the cold valley. As the flight landed, the flight attendant announced the outside temperature is minus 10 deg Celsius. Had never experienced sub zero temperatures till date and thus was quite excited as well as anxious to know how it would feel as I was only wearing 1 layer jeans and Down Jacket & Hand gloves. It was chilling and I could feel the fresh chill oxygen.

I inaugurated my first slip just outside the airport on the ice which was just like a marble sheet and someone from the group out there was like “ We all will have some slips on the Chadar” when we start our trek.

After waiting there for 30 minutes the trek representative appear and take us to the taxis in the Leh Airport parking space. The first word uttered to us in Leh was “Juleh”. Juleh is a magic word”, “You can say Juleh when you want to say hello, goodbye, thank you, how are you, nice to meet you and you’re welcome”.

We get our baggages on the taxi overhead and proceed towards the Hotel – Shakspo House. In the first two days, we had to get relaxed and get our body acclimatized to our surroundings as we had Medical check on Day 3 which had to be cleared to start the trek on Day 4.

Day 1 was spent relaxing in the hotel after have breakfast, lunch, dinner and a short trip to Leh Market and a walk down the lane where we were put up. In sub zero temperatures in Leh you definitely cannot have shower all you can do is brush up & you know what else J. So the next 9 days we have to live without shower. The Hotel provided 2 buckets of hot water per person everyday so we had to manage with it. As we were 3 of us together in the room we were comfortable from the water aspect. No room heaters as we had to get our body acclimatized to the temperatures of Leh. 

The group had a de-briefing in the hotel by the trek organizers in the evening on the do’s and don’ts, the essential trek gears, Update on medicals, the itenary for the next 8 days and also an update that this group also could not probably go to the most anticipated campsite of the trek which is Naerak as mid January 100 odd trekkers were rescued by IAF & Army after water flooded over the ice that the trekkers have to traverse through which led to temporary shutdown of the trek to Naerak. So we were all aghast and dejected what if we do not make it to the 3^rd and final campsite as this is the place where we will see Naerak's gorgeous frozen waterfall. The beautiful route on the Chadar with deep gorges and cliffs & Naerak Pull or Bridge between 2 gorges! But the unpredictability of the terrain is what makes Chadar exciting, so we couldn’t complain & decided whatever will happen.

Day 2 was a acclimatization walk of 2.5km from Shakspo House to Shanti Stupa & then another 3.3 km to Leh Market. The group of 40 was split into 3 different groups on Day 2 and we had a choice to make our group and this remains the way it is till the last day of the trek.

The Shanti Stupa in Leh was constructed in 1991 by Japanese Buddhist, Bhikshu Gyomyo Nakamura. It is a magnificent white-domed Buddhist monument located atop a steep hilltop at a dizzying height of 11,841 feet. It is a religious place for the Buddhists as it holds the relics of Buddha, consecrated by the 14th Dalai Lama. It offers a sweeping view of Leh and the nearby Changspa village. You need to climb 500 steps to reach the Shanti Stupa, and this is the recommended route where you can explore and soak in the beautiful surroundings of this monument. 

After spending a good 1 hour at the Shanti Stupa and taking some pics we disembark down the steps and walk another 3.3 kms to Leh Market for Lunch and shopping.

In the Market the groups got split and by that time we had made friends and we were in our own small groups. We decided to go and have a local cuisine and try Thukpa and Momos. After having a sumptuous lunch we decided to do some shopping & I decided to walk through the market and picked up a Pashmina Shawl for Mom & also few grams of Kashmiri Saffron. By the time we finished out shopping it was 3:30 pm and we decide to walk back another 2.5 km to Shakspo House instead of taking a taxi.  The walk back was on a steep road and we were walking at our own pace by taking pics and talking. We encountered a few dogs who were a little furious and we were told that the Stray Dogs in Leh are notorious and they have a reputation of attacking anyone, even locals. So never to harm or pet them or run away and always be in groups and walk slow. So we encountered few moments of anxiety on the way till we reached Shakspo House by 4.30 pm and relaxed for the day.

Day 3 was an early morning walk of 2.5 km to the Medical center by 9 am in Leh Market. There was a huge rush here as there were many groups who were going for the Chadar trek. Our batch of 13 of us was called in around 12 noon and we had our medical checkups done. Basically your oxygen levels and Blood Pressure levels and they give the go ahead then and there. My Oxygen initially showed up 94 and the doctor was surprised and said there is something wrong with the instrument and laughed out. The second time it showed 90 and the green signal was given that I have cleared my medicals. By 1 pm we all had completed our medicals and we proceed towards the Chadar registration office to get our Insurance cards after submitting our Medical Fitness certificate. 

Then the day is ours and we decided to go to a Halwai who made some lip-smacking Chole Bathura and Samosas and yummy sweets. This was the only Halwai shop in the whole of Ladakh market. I had 2 hot Samosas and a plate of Gulab Jamoon and Coconut Ladoo and Milk Peda. This was our Lunch for the day.

 We then proceed to buy Gumboots, Woolen Socks and Balaclava from the Army Shop in Leh market. After shopping some of us decided to visit Two Monasteries & Ice Stupa. We hired a Omni taxi and 5 of us embarked on a sightseeing.

First we went to Thiksay monastery which is a gompa of Tibetan Buddhism religion. It is located on the top of the hill. This monastery is famous for pilgrim activities, architectural elements, sightseeing and exploration. 

Second we proceed towards Matho Monastery which is one of the attractive monasteries in the lap of Himalaya. This monastery shares a distance of 26 km from Leh and is located in the south-east direction. This monastery was constructed by Lama Tugpa Dorjay in the 16th century.  This Gompa is the one and only reprehensive of the Sakyapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism in the district of Ladakh.

Finally the famous Ice Stupa an artificial glacier made by piping mountain architected by Sonam Wangchuk and returned back to Shakspo House by 6:30pm.

Day 4 is when we begin our trek from Leh. We wake up early morning and get ready by 7 am.

This is the day where our trekking gears are out on our body.  5 upper layers to keep yourself warm – Thermal t-shirt, Cotton collar T-Shirt, Merino wool long sleeves fleece & Down jacket & Snow jacket (one which could withstand minus 10 deg & another minus 20) & 3 down layers – Thermal trouser, Trekking trouser &  warm and water resistant pant , 1 synthetic & 1 woolen socks, , trekking shoes, Hand gloves, Woolen cap & Neck Gaiter , a versatile cloth to cover the face , Sun glasses & the trekking pole.

After breakfast, by 7:30 am the 3 groups boarded their respective Tempo travelers early morning from the Shakspo House to proceed to Shingra Koma, the starting point of the trek along with the porters, Trek guides, kitchen staff. There was an equal no of porters, kitchen staff as per the group size. The porters loaded our Backpacks along with all the ration and equipment needed for the trek. It’s a 4 hour drive and we had our first stop at the check point and each group along with the Trek Guide had to complete our formalities and give our personal details to the Army check point and then continued our journey to Shingra Koma. The drive was the most scenic drives which lets you witness some of the top spots in Ladakh like Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, Magnetic Hill and the confluence of the Zanskar and Indus rivers. 

We had a pit stop for clicking pictures at the confluence of the rivers and continued further.

The drive till Chilling was fast, smooth and beautiful.

 

After that, the drive became challenging, treacherous and scarier yet amazing and the breath taking drive on the Hills with bumpy roads and hairpin bends. The road was wide enough for a tempo traveler to pass through with its tires just inside the road and part of the body overlooking the deep gorges. The adrenaline rush was building in by just seeing the road and the frozen white Zanskar River beneath. 

By noon, we reached the starting point of the trek which is Shingra Koma. This is where the road ends.

We deboarded from the vehicle and walked down a steep slope down the hill to the river bed where the winter expedition starts. There were many groups out there who had come to being their expedition and also there were some IAF and Army base camps set up.

We had some interactions with them and had some group pics and solo pics clicked. Later we had a quick tasty hot soupy Maggie Noodles made by our kitchen staff along with hot Kahwa tea and biscuits. Next to where we were having lunch was the IAF camp and the civilians were making some nice hot Egg Burji and just imagine you standing next to their tent and having Maggie. The aroma of the Burji was just mesmerizing and the me in me was restless, all I had to say was “ Yaar kaash we also had Burji along with Maggie” and our Papaaji friend from IAF base camp heard this and guess what he invited us and offered us Egg Burji along with bread J. This was aatmatrupt and lipsmacking J

Well after a stupendous lunch it was time to pack and push towards the first campsite to Tsomo Paldar. It was a walk of around 3 hours and by 4:30 pm we reached the campsite.

For me, it was love at first sight, the picturesque snow-clad mountains and the vivid turquoise color waters of the Indus & Zanskar Rivers were straight out of a travel catalogue! I walked at my own pace enjoying the mesmerizing landscape, stopping and clicking pics. 

The sky was clear and the sun was shining bright on us adding some shine to the magnificent, white Chadar. 

There was this perpetual silence which made the entire location feel isolated and lifeless and yet there was life. 

There was life in the formation of Chadar, in the sound of feet and in the icy breeze. 

Some parts of the river were like Marble ice and had to walk like a penguin..I call it penguin stepsJ . 

As the saying goes “Nazar Hati Toh Durghatna Ghati “, I just had pulled out my Phone to click the Marble like ice pic and walk and make a video that was when a smooth slip & fall on the ice with a sound BAM ! On the head! The cap and the woolen Fur cap was a cushion for the bare head, but the feeling was amazing…Nirvana J J...I could hear the sound of the BAM !! My first fall on the Chadar & second in the trip (the earlier was just outside Leh airport on the ice).

The temperature in the Zanskar valley during day hovered between minus 10 to 20 deg Celsius and you could feel the chill breeze while walking . I had used the services of a porter to carry my Backpack so it was not much of a issue for me to walk through the frozen river.  By the time we reached our campsite the tents were ready for us to check in and rest. The porters are the lifeline of Chadar; they walk fast and carry 20 to 30 kgs of baggage while walking on the mountain gorges or use the sledge while walking on the ice.

We got settled in our sharing tent accommodation and around 5:30 pm we were served hot Kahwa tea and bread pakoda as soon as we reached the campsite. At 8 pm we were served hot soup and at 8:30 pm dinner which consisted of Rice, Dal & Sabji. We also had Thepla as we had a Rajasthani in our group who had got it for all of us. The hospitality and the food taste were just awesome. We used to get hot water to drink and we used to fill our thermos flask with hot water from the Zanskar River. 

The temperature here drops dramatically after the sunset and the temperature further dips to minus 25 to minus 30 deg Celsius. We all went to sleep by around 9:30 pm. It was pretty cozy inside the tent compared to the harsh bone-chilling cold outside. Inside the tents, the sleeping bags helped us survive. The sleeping bags were double layered and somewhat comfortable. 

They were similar to the ones used by Indian army at the Siachen glacier. It was a task to get inside the sleeping bag so that you cover yourself from head to toe, but apna height ka punga and I could not completely fit inside the sleeping bag and was covered till the neck.  

The space was less for 2 of us to get accommodated as we had our backpacks kept next to us inside the tent but nevertheless an experience and managed to snore and sleep well. 

Middle of the night it snowed and there was some amount of snow which creeps inside the tent and the chillness was felt on my face & that’s when I realized it was snowing. Well I had carried a thick “Solapur Chaddar” and that was helpful which helped me cover my face and it also acted as a pillow for me J.  

Early morning of the trek, we used to wake up with some snow accumulated on the backpacks & sleeping bags.

Day 5 - We get our Bed tea in the tent at 7:30 am and breakfast was served in the Dining tent at 8 am and by 9 am we start the trek towards Tibb Cave. It was bread butter & Cornflakes with Milk on Day 5 for breakfast. Well as you know sub zero temperatures, you cannot brush so all you can do is wash your face with warm water and gargle. And the most important thing, where do you go to relieve yourself. A vertical tent toilet where they dig up a hole and put flat rocks on the side for keeping your feet or you can go amidst Nature in the mountains behind huge rocks with Toilet paper. That’s the day when I remembered Mumbai Railway line tracks J J J…You cannot go in the same Vertical tent when multiple trekkers go as it gets unhygienic and stinks, so no other option rather than Open air….Haha.. An experience of a different kind though!!

So after all the morning chores we started our journey towards Tibb Cave which is 15 km walk for 8 hrs. It was a long icy walk & at times on the cliffs with the mighty river flowing just next to you .The walk takes you through narrow, steep, ravines.  During the walk there are huge sections where the entire river was frozen. 

On the trail we witnessed high mountains and pug-marks on the snow clad Zanskar river which could be of snow leopards or ibex. This trek route has some of the most attention-grabbing frozen waterfalls that one can encounter. Midway we stopped for lunch break with some yummy Kichidi & hot Kahwa tea. 

The landscape was so mesmerizing that sometimes we forgot that we were ice walking over a frozen raging river and water is still flowing beneath at Godspeed. A small mistake can be fatal here. Some paths were quite slippery and the occasional falls on the slippery ice is fun. I witnessed a few of them slipping and I had 2 slips on the ice. 

Finally we reached our campsite at Tibb around 4:30 pm. 

There was an Army base also set up on the opposite side of the Gorge and we got to know that we could not proceed further to Naerak which is the final campsite due the Chadar being broken and water on top of the ice. So Tibb was the final campsite and the trek gets shortened by a day and an extra day in Leh. Disheartened, but the unpredictability of the terrain is what makes Chadar exciting, so I couldn’t complain.

 We settled in our tents after having hot Kahwa tea and biscuits and later at night around 7 pm we had small campfire & as I was carrying Brandy we had good local songs singing moments by the porters with brandy & hot water. This place was much colder than the previous one around minus 30 to 35 degree Celsius at night. 

After a hot and delicious dinner which consisted of Chapati, Rice, Dal  & Rasogulla at night we settled down for day in our tents.

Middle of the night it snowed and there was some amount of snow which creeped inside the tent and the chillness was felt on my face that’s when I realized it was snowing. 

We had one of our team mates who was unwell and which made it tough for all of us to sleep as he was coughing badly and became unwell.

On Day 6, I woke up at 7:30 am in FREEZING cold of minus 30 degrees Celsius for a bed tea & little brittle snow was accumulated on the backpacks & sleeping bags.

I ventured out without my hand gloves and washed my face with warm water and to fill some hot drinking water in flask walked towards the Vertical tent kitchen and for a minute I was drowsy and dizzy and almost went blank due to the chillness and hands became damn cold which made me rush towards my tent and lay down leaving the flask out there. The porter got the water flask and to my tent and made me drink water and after about 10 mins I woke up & was much better.

After all the morning chores at Tibb we embarked on the journey back to Tsomo Paldar. The step outside the campsite  just takes you aback as you witness the overnight transformation of the Chadar….the cold ensured all our movements were slow. 

When we were into the next 30 minutes of trek, we found the river is partly broken and water on top of the frozen ice. We had knee deep water and broken pieces of ice all over! It was scary as hell to walk over it and Our Gumboots were out and as we had carried cellophane tapes we put those around from the middle of the gumboots till the knees so that water does not enter the gumboots and we walked knee deep on the chilled water. The first step in the water, felt as if water just entered one of the gumboots, every step created cracks and noise on the ice and felt as if the ice will break.

Usually, we have the top layer with ice and middle with water and at last a thin layer of ice and then completely water underneath. We were walking on the thin layer of ice holding our nerves. The route was again in a bad shape and we had to sneak through shrunken ice paths. 

As you walk on the ice sheets you experience a variety of sounds…………The cracking sound of ice under your feet………….the rumbling sound of the river………..the sound of ice sheets cracking …………..the sound of small broken ice sheets rubbing and scratching under the ice sheet you are walking on….. and exchange of “Julleys” the universal greeting in Ladakh, as you cross other trekkers and porters . 

These are the only sounds you listen to over the days spent on Chadar as you would not see any other form of life here. We would have walked a good 2 km wading through knee deep water & broken ice and also super adventurous cliff climbs on the gorges between 90 to 140 degree angles  and the river just on your extreme right. 

The cliff was steep on some spots and getting down the cliff was even more challenging………….in fact it was impossible to do this task without the support of the rocks and our guides & porters who would put their lives at risk to safeguard us. 

The climb and descend was scary but once we descended the whole experience seemed very exciting as well. The guide kept helping us in finding a better Chadar to walk as the Chadar was not uniform on our walk back to Tsomo Paldar. 

After walking for quite a few hours now around noon we had a stopover for lunch and hot Kahwa tea.

As the Chadar was fine now I decided to remove my gumboots and get back to my trekking shoes. Was lucky that not much water had entered the gumboots and it was just a little on the right gumboot which I felt initially when I put my foot in the water after wearing my gumboots. So after changing the woolen socks and wearing the trekking shoes we start the journey towards the campsite. 

By 5 pm we reached Tsomo Paldar and checked in our tents after a Hot cup of Kahwa tea and Bread Pakodas. 

The evening followed up with Samba Rum which we got in one of the army camps which was near our campsite along with Papad and lipsmacking dinner with a political debate competition between 3 individuals and the rest of us having hearty laughs along with a recording session by one trekker to capture the moments. 

The Guide was pissed off with us as we consumed Rum which ideally is not allowed during treks and I had to tell our Papaji Lawyer friend who we had in our group to sort the issue out and clam our guide. 

The night was chill, a bon fire lit on the opposite hill side of our campsite and the locals singing .As the air was calm we could hear the songs clearly. 

The sky was bright with stars shining. It was like Jannat that day & around 10 pm we all headed back to our tents, which was our last day in the campsite.

Finally Day 7, its business as usual like the previous days, wake up for Bed tea and then breakfast and we head towards Shingra Koma by 9 am. By 11:30 am, we reached the starting point of the trek which is Shingra Koma.

A feeling of contentment and accomplishment and relief is what you get after completing the first Winter Himalayan trek across the Frozen Zanskar river after all the challenges and hurdles faced in the 36 km trek in 4 days from Shingra Koma to Tsomo Paldar to Tibb and back to base camp as Narek was not feasible to trek due to water being on top of the ice. With the temperature hovering around minus 10 to minus 35 degree Celsius and snow at night which makes it more chilly. Slippery ice and having the occasional falls, walking on the edge of the Gorges at times as walking on Chadar was next to impossible and a fall could land you on the broken ice and river. Chadar kept changing its course within hours from thick ice and blanket of snow on top to breaking down to knee deep water overnight...but at the end it's a moment to cherish with Sai Baba's blessings as he was the guiding power all these days.

My walk on Chadar has truly been a cathartic life time experience. At a personal level one realization which really made its way to my heart…Don’t keep waiting for the right time…..life is too unpredictable to plan such things! This is a trek for those who along with being physically fit are mentally ready to face challenges coz no trekker who walks on Chadar returns without facing tough challenges….. Although each person would face his/her own unique set of challenges.

One by one all the trekkers reached and we took group photos together with the complete group of trekkers and porters, Kitchen staff , guides and gave the head guide a token of Thanks in the form of cash which we all trekkers had pooled in for them for making our trip and stay a memorable one for years to come.

We all had the last Hot Khawa tea with biscuits followed by lunch which was soup and Kichidi together and finally bid aideu to the Chadar to get back to civilization .

The tempo travelers were ready waiting for us. We walk back on a steep mountain to reach the road from where the vehicles start. The drive back to the hotel was 4 hrs on the picturesque road with snow capped mountains on both sides. 

We had a pit stop at Gurudwara Pathar Sahib and few of us went to the Gurudwara for offering our Thanks .My first visit to the Gurudwara in my life and it was bliss supreme . The Gurudwara is maintained and run by the Indian Army .We had tea and sweet boondi and Khara sev in the langar hall and were there for like 20 minutes.

We reached the hotel by 5 pm, unload our bags and check in to the hotel. This was another hotel which they had arranged for us now and as we had come a day earlier we had to pay for the stay for Day 7.

 After tea and snacks we check in to our rooms and a few decide to head out to Leh market for dinner and drinks. Around 7:00 pm we hired a taxi and headed to the Leh market. By this time all the shops were closed .Leh market shuts down by 6 pm and its almost deserted by 7ish…We could not find restaurants open and we decide to buy some rum bottles in the wine shop and some non veg and veg starters and  head back to the hotel. Luckily we find a restaurant on the same building on the 2^nd floor which was owned by Lateef Bhai .The restaurant was to be opened the next day and he was kind enough to invite us and we were his first customers .He allowed us to get our drinks and food and we had also told him to make dinner for us some butter nans, chicken starters, chicken gravy, rice and dal and a sweet kheer made of rice. We spent a good 2 hrs in his restaurant and then called our taxi guy to pick us up from the restaurant to the hotel at 10:00 pm.

Day 8 the buffer day at Leh. Few of the trekkers decide to hire a cab and go to Khardung La Pass, the highest motorable road in India however I decide to sleep J.I wake up around 11ish and have some tea and venture out to the lawn to take some bright sunlight and warmth. 

Three of us in our trek group decided to stay back so we decided to have a late lunch in Leh market and took a taxi around 2 pm and headed up to a Pizza joint and then to our sweet shop and decided to spend some time in the market. 

Around 5 pm we took our taxi back to the hotel and in the evening the trek organizer had some briefing and certificate distribution around 7:30 pm and dinner at 8:30 pm & we slept off for the day by 10 pm as we had to wake up early and leave by 5 am on Day 9 to catch our early morning flight back to Delhi. 

Finally, an amazing memorable nine days came to an end of 2^nd Feb, 2020. 

All the trekkers had their return planned on Day 9. Three of us were in the first spice jet flight to Delhi at 8:15 am.

I had my connecting flight from Delhi to Bangalore at 12 noon and had to go from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 and very less time. 

Landed in Delhi at 9:45 am and it took some time for the baggage to come and luckily that the connecting flight was delayed by 30 minutes. As soon as I got my baggage, rushed towards the information desk to get to know the route to T3 and it took a good 30 minutes for the Inter connectivity airport bus to come. 

The first bus, I could not get in as it was jam packed also another 10 mins for the next bus which was almost empty and reached around 11:45 at T3.

Took the help of the Spice jet porter there and told him about my flight time and he escorted me thru a special security check and led me till the Gate with a short 10 mins stop in one of the washrooms for me to change back to T-shirt and Jeans . T3 is a long walk…Had I been standing in the security check the normal way, I would have missed my connecting flight. On dot 15 mins before boarding I was there and ready to board the flight to Bangalore….and land around 3:30 pm in Bangalore.

After that it’s been only memories with pics posting in on social media in a snail pace J and planning for the next Himalayan trek…….

It’s been 4 months since I have returned from the trek and finally complete this Blog in phases.

When I look back upon the 9 days spent on this trek, the memories are still fresh in my mind and I realize I have lived a lifetime in a capsule.

Like the Dynamic Chadar….life is also a journey of discovery – there are moments on Mountain tops and moments in deep valleys of despair. But it is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light…..

Himalayas are calling and I think I must go again………..

~ Vignesh