LADAKH

So here I was, after a long-long time a destination at last and trust you me some destination it is.

Like every other story , this has to have a beginning, some sort of continuance in the middle and then an apt conclusion. But somehow it seems, that when in Ladakh, the beginning and the end get lost in some wierd cosmic tryst of time and all that you are left with is the middle - a never ending (never born) continuance of a phenomenon which has always been there, which will always be there, never to be lost and as I may arguably predict, never to be TRULY found.

Such has been my experience (or shall I say my understanding) of Ladakh, a majestic terrain which sets itself apart from every other hillstation in each and every aspect it entails. A terrain which never fails to surprise anyone whoever has the fortune to cross its paths, each and every panoramic view presenting a challenge to the most equipped of humans like daring them to capture its essence once and for all, a never ending trail of questions so clandestine, like where this may lead to, like what are we about to witness next.

Ahhh ladakh - it's so fucking god-damn easy to love it...or even hate it as some of us might say.

So here I was, on Day 1 when our journey began, at the Jammu airport - humble in its outline is among one of the nicest things you can say about that place

And before I knew it, WE, a group of 5 friends, were in Leh, the largest town in this region, on one of its higher hills - along side Shanti-Stupa and some majestic scenery. 'Grandeur' was the word which came naturally to our lips -

Ahh..enuff of the blabber (blogger), its time for some pics and revel in the marvel that is Ladakh.

A high altitude colossol desert like no other coz HINDUKUSH cast themselves as a rainshadow denying entry to the monsoons (a shadow which has forever to stay as one might suggest).

With minimal acclematization to a region so unknown and challenging, the day 1 of our journey had come to its eventual dusk, as we all know it would, and all that was left to do now was to take this final click and have dinner, in peace and quiet, which was condusive in making new friends and rejoining some old ones.

 

It seemed as if the entire night had passed in a blink of an eye. So much emphasis is placed on the process of acclimatization when in Leh and to the overconfident it may seem like a far fetched idea but make no mistakes - IT IS A MUST. Learning from self and others' experiences are two very different practises...it's such a pity we had to learn the hard way. :)

Having said that, we all have some days when you wake up and out of nothing (may be pure instinct) realize that today is gonna be one gem-of-a-day, that you can run a mile without shedding a sweat, when sun shines like directly upon you showering all its warmth and you realize that SO MUCH can be achieved today, that today you are REALLY HAPPY... Well, I don't know about my friends, but that's exactly how I was feeling about that glorious day.

So before any one of us could even think of making any sort of plans, we were on our (supposed) way - TREKKING 15 KMS. The roadmap which we had to follow went something like this  (with high mountains, terrific scenery, waterfalls and rivers left, right and centre ) -

The experience was - in one word - incredible. It was HERE that the uniqueness and vastness of Ladakh, its out-standing grandeur dawned on me like an absolute truth. All those majestic peaks (which are all surely amongst the earth's highest mountain points), all that barren land without a single tree , looking into those vast horizons and NOT a man in sight, all were like providing a really fast crash course about everything that is LADAKH.

Well, its really hard to resist the urge of sharing what I know you must witness too, so here it goes -

 

 

KL - Part 2, Nov 6, 2010

With Batu Caves crossed off the list, I was back to the base, changed my gear and hopped on to one of the KL's Hop-On Hop-Off Double Decker buses. Make no mistakes, no matter where you are from, or how short your stay in KL,  1 day on this bus and you'll know more about KL than most locals. I am not saying that - the locals are ;)

It's an ingineous idea - these buses go around the length and breadth of the city, to popular tourist destinations, you can hop-off at any of these spots, explore your brains out and then catch the next bus which will take you to the next stop. All buses follow the same route with city's history on offer to anyone who cares to listen.

So here I was - on that bus hopping around from one destination to the other - whether it was around the quiet dwellings of KL's bureaucratic ways -

or the roadside attractions which are more often than not taken for granted,

The thing is - you don't always remember the most obvious of places, but the minute details of the streets you roamed, pavements you walked on and the roads you crossed which have left a firm imprint on your mind and made you truly believe that you WERE INDEED there.

This was just the beginning of the day - I was like funnily possessed to visit as many sites as I could in the little time that I had - it was like going thru emails (you look at the title and if anything interests you, you care to browse thru it - otherwise you just move on..  )

On the way came a bird park which offered some lovely opportunities for some fine photography

The KL planetarium

KL in a Glance: Nov 6, 2010

I had planned a lot of activities for today and was determined to make it count. So I woke up early and with the help of little research I had done the previous day, I was soon ridining in a bus heading to "Royal Selangor Visitor Centre", which is considered one of the world's foremost names in producing quality pewter (a malleable metal alloy which among many uses is also used to make F1 trophies, thus the attraction). 

As anyone could have guessed, it was a very informative trip, in all kindness. Despite all the modern techno available, there is still a lot of handicraft involved which is really impressive.

Only now I am realizing 1 of my many dreams - 1st place in Grand Prix 2010 ;)

The next stop was, well eagerly awaited, 'Batu Caves' (a series of caves and cave temples said to be around 400 million years old). Located approx 13 kms north of KL, this was endearing.

I met Kimmy here, a Korean girl, who was too scared to climb up to the caves, because she had to catch a flight, which was still like 4-5 hrs away as I remember (Anyone in his / her right mind would find that very amusing and so did I). Nevertheless, she was a great company, in the little amount of time she had.

The immediate prospect of climbing 272 very steep stairs, in that hot and humid weather wasn't very appealing, even more so considering I was wearing denim (coz I was 'smart' enough to believe that it'll be cold inside the caves - It So Wasn't), but I took it in good stride and was on my way the next mo.

I should have timed my ascent, but nevertheless, sweat rarely felt sweeter.
I had traveled far and wide in India, been to the most majestic of temples, seen the holiest of lands for Hindus, but this was the first time I was being acquainted to a temple fully carved inside a mountain and I felt really elated and blessed to be there. It was a great and humble feeling.

It was almost 1 pm and had been a lovely day so far but now it was time to return and start the 2nd session - that of tour around the KL city 
(btw - Malays call it - just KL, if u say Kuala Lumpur, they'll know u are a foreigner).

Malaysia - Arrival in KL, Nov 5 2010.

It's Nov 5, 2010 and it's Deepawali, the Festival of Lights (biggest festival for the world's 1 billion Hindus that also marks the Hindu New Year). This also happened to be the 1st time when I was all alone in my celebrations ( and I mean - less any family members). This simple fact alone had transpired that it was going to be a very unique celebration.
So I departed from Singapore to Malaysia in the afternoon at around 1300 hrs in an ultra-comfy 'Transtar' Coach which boasted of 'Massage Seat Recliners', and only 16 of them, with Widescreens for each seat and cable channels for each screen.

I know, I know, I thought that too, that this has gone against the very spirit of backpacking which I so highly speak of, that backpacking must be synonymous to "budget travels" and "living rough" and I have betrayed that ideology - but hey I didn't took a flight did I!! 


That these bus companies are now able to provide an entire "in-flight entertainment" inside a coach for less than 60 SGD is a totally different thing. Anways, the trip took a good 5-6 hrs and by the time I had reached KL, it was almost 7 pm. 
Was it bcoz it was late evening on a Friday or for the fact that it was a public holiday, but the bus-stop in KL was completely deserted. I was also promised that upon arrival, I 'll get the chance to convert my money, but to my mild shock & surprise the only shop I could find there was already closed. There were also 2 taxis standing, but none of them looked even mildly interested in picking up any passengers.
So, with backpack tugged on, I start walking on this road which I could only guess would lead me to some form of public transport, when one of the taxis catches up to me. Fortunately I had 15 Malaysian Ringgit (AUD$ 5) in my wallet (thanks to an Airport transit via KL nearly 7 years back), which he reluctantly accepted (his initial offer was RM 25) and dropped me in Chinatown or as the Malays call it "Petaling Street".

I had finally reached "Backpacker's Travellers Inn" where only a night before I had booked a room for 2 nights at RM 54 (AUD $18) per night. Located smack-down in the middle of Chinatown in KL, with their own travel center and a roof top terrace and bar seemed like the perfect place to be.

With my backpack stacked away, I head to the rooftop bar and met this lovely couple from Ireland who had been travelling for a good 6 months across all of Asia. I remember them bcoz they were lots of fun and we chatted until midnight (although I am guessing our drinks would have something to do with it), until the barman called out his last. AND THEN, not a second may have passed after 12, when a horde of firecrackers went up in the air, all together, and I knew that some people had indeed gotten scared.


It was left unto me to explain that this formed an integral part of Diwali and that this in essence is a reckoning for the same. Alas, the atmosphere was all festive and here I was in the middle of KL, underneath a clear starry sky, on my very first day celebrating a Diwali which I knew all too well.

Singapore: Santosa Oct 31, 2010

On all my previous trips to Singapore, not once had I been to Santosa Island and Resorts, unarguably the most popular tourist destination in Singapore, thus I had made it a point this time to devote an entire day for this playground.


It didn't disappoint me in the sense that it proved to be what I had been expecting - an entertainment hub for all - having said that it DID fail to surprise me (or may be I was expecting too much, depending which way u wanna look at it).

So, amidst all the excitement here I was, late in the morning, at the Santosa World.

Tons of places to roam around - and I am naming only the ones which I checked out myself, such as the path to nature discovery, a beautiful (as well as creepy) tour of the butterfly park and the insect kingdom, a walk-through about Singapore's history and culture and some 4D movie magic.



As I have said earlier, it did keep me entertained, but it wasn't like, nature at it's exotic best or culture in its unique singularity.



Apart from that, Santosa does provide it's share of thrills, whether it be MegaZip, the flying trapeze, ParaZump or the luge ride (I tried all of them btw). 
But again, if you have done sky diving, bungy jumping, mountain climbing etc. this might be not be enough to lift your spirits :)

The trainer did ask me, whether or not it was my first time on MegaZip - I told him it was. Then he asked me how I was feeling - I told him I had done Sky diving and bungy before so it should be OK. He agreed.


It was here, I met one Columbian guy, Zack, and we decided to exchange our cameras - my idea of-course.

IT WAS FUN NEVERTHELESS

This ride took me to Siloso beach & it was almost evening by now & so I decided to watch the glorious sunset, which undoubtedly proved to be one of the most memorable parts of the trip.

Having gulped a few beers - while lying alongside the beach - with some rocking beats in the background - and watching the sunset in all its glory does put you in a different mood altogether, trust me on that.
Later in the night, I joined one of the star attractions of Santosa (or so I have been told) "Songs of the Sea". It was a really entertaining show with a live cast, full of special effects and pyrotechnics.

Add to that synchronized fireworks (and lots of it), laser shows and scintillating music and it was definitely a night which won't be easy to forget.

It was almost 10 pm by the time it was curtains and my "planned" activities for the day had all been completed. YAY. I knew I hadn't touched certain aspects of Santosa, Underwater World and Universal Studios to name a few. 
I always knew I won't be able to cover all of it, Santosa was always going to be too big for a day, but by the end, I was really content and satisfied - Alas, I had been to Santosa and it had been entertaining all along. PERIOD.


All that was left, was for me to say good-bye to Zack, find a cab and then my bed.