I had to return. I had a view of the mountains which would have been clearer if the weather cooperated. I could have had an even closer and clearer panoramic view. Anyway, it was a tough trek and in the end I am grateful that my ankles, knees, heart and energy supported me commendably.
Come 16th November, I will be out for for my next expedition. This time it will be a a trek to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) in Himalayas in Nepal which will last till 26 Nov 2018. The Annapurna region is regarded as one of the best trekking destinations on the planet.
Three years back, in end April 2015, I planned for this expedition. But just a week before I was to leave, there was a severe earthquake in Nepal, killing almost 10,000 people. All tourist activities were closed. Next 3 years kept me busy in other expeditions like Drive from Road to London, solo drives to Iceland, Yellowstones in USA and Candian Rockies. I am now attempting to trek ABC again. Like the trek to Mt Everest BC, again I will be trekking all alone, of course with a Sherpa as a guide.
I wish the various authorities consider the energy level as a criteria to assess the abilities of a person rather than the age. Some of the initial challenges I am facing are due to my age factor of 73+. I expect to resolve these issues in the next 2-3 days and be ready to commence my journey on time.
I hope to share my excitements and anxious moments with you as I keep moving.
In the meanwhile I certainly need your good wishes and blessings for smooth completion of my dream.
A memory of crossed by and I thought of sharing it with you.
“Mission Accomplished!” No, I am not referring to ‘Road to London’. This is a flashback after completing the tough Parikrama of precious snow mountain Kailash in 2004. It meant trekking at an altitude of over 20,000ft above sea level. It was a 3-day steep climb which my wife, 4 other devotees and I took up to Mt Kailash in Tibet.
3 Land Cruisers waited for us. 9 of us, including 3 trek staff with their stove, gas cylinder, utensils and food supplies. After a short drive, the vehicle, which was carrying our cooking material and tents, ran into some technical problem. We decided to adjust in the two other vehicles. We had to leave the camping and tent material behind because we were not expecting to need them till we reached Kathmandu. We moved all other materials for cooking to our vehicles.
Along the way, there were no teashops or restaurants, so dinner had to be cooked by the staff. At that stage, we realised that we had forgotten to move the gas cylinder! We had to satisfy our appetite with biscuits and dry snacks. We found a Tibetan teashop only the next afternoon. In its display, it had cooked rice with meat. Being vegetarians, we requested him to serve us the rice with curd. He obliged by removing the meat from the rice. We couldn’t bear the thought of touching the rice, let alone swallow it. We requested him to make just plain rice for us. He had already cooked all the rice he had with meat.
We made a meal out of snacks yet again. The stock of dry food was near exhaustion too. By evening, we were still looking for a place that would serve us anything vegetarian. It was getting colder; we were already at 10ºC. Heavy winds made it even colder. Thank God, we were inside a vehicle.
It started raining, taking the temperature further down. The route we were on, was completely isolated and was monitored by armed Chinese soldiers. We reached near a check post where a nominal toll had to be paid. Trying to save on that, our Chinese drivers took a ‘short cut’ – an unpaved, dirt road. We were completely unaware of the drivers’ decision because we didn’t understand their language.
When our vehicle made sounds but wasn’t moving, we figured something was wrong. What a wonderful scene to be stuck in – absolutely dark, deep mud, rains, heavy wind and very low temperature made extra special by a grumbling, hungry stomachs in tired bodies. Using sign language, the drivers assured us that we needn’t worry because the other vehicle would pull the stuck one out. Instead of bringing the second vehicle behind the first one to pull it out, drivers organised the other vehicle to drive to the left of the first one so that they could pull out the stuck vehicle from the front. Before we realised what was happening the second vehicle found itself stuck in mud – much deeper mud. Both vehicles were stuck with super-intelligent drivers and stupid passengers!
We all had to get down in the muck to push the vehicle behind. No more protection from the covered vehicle. This hardship was unnecessarily when they could have been driven on good roads for a nominal toll.
Now the car had to be pulled backwards by another vehicle. It would be a few hours or may be the entire night before another car passed by around that isolated area. We were told that we couldn’t sit inside the vehicle. The good thing is that be it good times or bad, they are never permanent. Our Sherpa set out on foot and came back within half an hour having found a structure, half a kilometer away. One of the drivers went there to check it out. He came back in 15 minutes with permission from the owner of the structure to stay there till we got help for our vehicles. Ha! At least we had some protection from the freezing night.
Since we had three women amongst us, I went ahead to check if the place was safe. As soon as I entered, there was a strong, sweet smell of alcohol. Hundreds of beer cans were scattered around. A large stock of liquor bottles and hundreds of used empty bottles were stacked on the side. I knew Pushpa would not be able to tolerate the smell. But then, we didn’t really have an option, did we? To make things a little comfortable for her, I kicked the empty cans aside. There were 3 benches with thin mattresses over them – good enough to lie down for a while. I could sit and share Pushpa’s bed.
There were 3 more chairs. My co-passengers could use two empty ones. The caretaker of the place already occupied one. He was an elderly face, full of wrinkles, large wide red eyes, long beard, a conical cap. It would be fine with us as long as he didn’t use the long gun in his hand. Pushpa tried to relax by lying on the bed. His chair was very close to Pushpa’s bed. He probably had weak eyes and time and again bowed down inches away from Pushpa’s face. That scared her. She asked me to tell him to look the other side. I told her, “I dare not say that as it was not a very bad situation as yet! After all he had gun in his hand!”
After an hour and half, we had our vehicles back and continued our journey by the proper road. At the check post, the army guy checked the vehicle, asked a few questions and allowed the vehicles to pass. There was no toll to be paid!
That was the occasion when we practically had to starve for cooked food for 3 days.
In continuation of earlier blog RTL # 7 – The Route Across India
It is not the first time that she influenced me to take on an adventure. She has supported all my crazy endeavours. She may not initiate the trips. But if I proposed one, she would be enthusiastic about the tour, even for the most complicated and risky ones. Pushpa, the wife, is not my better half, she is the first half!
In fact, she just might be better qualified to undertake adventure and risky trips. She takes over the gadgetry, which I have never understood. It is a family joke, particularly by Anand, that it is because of her I can handle my mobile.
She maintains her cool during testing times of the tours. She accepts that adventure trips have inbuilt calculated risks. There were times when we had no shelter, but she had no problems. No food, it hardly made a difference to her. She has understood and adjusted to the whatever the situation has demanded. There have been occasions in our trips together when we had no water to drink, but she didn’t complain. She prefers tap water to bottled, mineral water wherever she is. You and I fall ill, not her!
Once when we were in Tibet, our vehicle stalled in a murky place. It was the dark hour of midnight. There were no villages for 20 kilometers in any direction. The temperature was minus 10-15 degrees Celsius. And there was a slight drizzle. Every drop of rain felt like a needle piercing your skin. Boots were getting stuck in mud with every step. And here she was helping me push the vehicle out of the muck. Ultimately, we had to walk cold and wet for about a km, in complete darkness. We rested in a road side godown (if we could call it that!) where even a beast would be scared. The place had a strong stink. It was badly maintained alcohol den, full of beer and was scattered with used cans and bottles. She has never tasted onion or garlic, let alone alcohol. But she didn’t even wrinkle her nose when she had to lie down there for a couple of hours of much needed rest.
And oh! That place was owned by a man in his 80s or so. He looked like he was straight out of a western movie, a cowboy, only with horrible, excessive make-up. He had a spear in his left hand, instead of a gun. Long salt-and-pepper hair and beard – probably unwashed for a long time. He covered it with a cowboy hat. He was probably wearing new clothes, only that they were bought years ago. His face showed his age in wrinkles. He had extra skin hanging from his cheeks, large red eyes set just above them. Sharp long grey eye-brows. The place had no lights, it was almost all dark. Just a small dim lamp gave the scene a horror movie feel. I was outside, in that freezing rain with a driver-guide to see if the car could get on the road. When I returned, the face of the owner, with extra wide eyes, was almost a foot from Pushpa’s face. She was speechless. I dropped in and engaged our host in slow motion, sign language. Pushpa did not complain even about that day ever.
The moment I ask her opinion about a trip, she always has a positive answer. To the extent that some times I take her for granted and forget to even take her consent. Ghar ki murgi daal barabar!
Once in 2012, on a flight to London I mentioned to her that I wanted to drive one day from home to London. She just replied with a “hmmm”, that too forcibly, knowing that it was one of those improbable dreams. However, I knew it is not unachievable, particularly since she would be with me. She used to drive way back in the 80s when we lived in the Middle East.
A few months ago, she was travelling elsewhere, I called her, “we have a chance to drive to London. Are you interested?” Her reply was the as quickest as it can be “Grab it”. It is all through now to make the dream come true. She is not my better half, she my best half, Pushpa! I am really lucky to have such a lady as my companion for these exotic journeys. She would be my co-driver for “Road To London”!
In continuation of earlier blog RTL # 9 – My Brave Bachchus
Once I decided to go for this journey, I was reading through the experiences of people who had been through similar journeys, in the past.
There are a few who have driven from London to Delhi. There is also the story of three friends who started from London and got stuck in Afghanistan – they were sent back after a week’s experience in an Afghan prison. There are some who had to return halfway due to health or political problems.
Tushar Agarwal has a series of Guinness and Limca records for his driving achievements. Amongst several others, he drove from London to Delhi with his wife. He and his friend Sanjay Madan also have to their credit, a 70,000 kms self-driving trip through 51 countries in 6 continents! Whoa!
I wanted to make a record too! But it is absolutely difficult to beat their records. But I am heads up on one factor. Being senior in age has its advantages. I beat them hollow in age. While interacting with Tushar, he realised and hinted that I would be the senior most person to take up such a long self-driving trip. That aside, Pushpa and I could be the senior most couple to achieve this. That we could attempt to establish these new records added to our excitement. Yes, if I am fit and confident enough to do it and face the problem in the process of achieving it!
That would be another record for us!
When Nishi agreed to join the expedition, I realised that it would be an another record. She would be the youngest to take such a journey. We should be celebrating her 10th birthday on the way, if all goes well, in China.
Possibilities of setting these three new records – (a) senior-most individual (b) senior-most couple and (c) youngest individual boosted our spirits even further.
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In continuation of earlier blog RTL # 6 – Family consent
All the expedition participants have to assemble at the exit point from India, Imphal, Manipur. This is where we will leave India on 17th April, 2017.
This means, before crossing the Indian border, I have to drive across India from Mumbai which is on the west coast to almost the eastern end of India – crossing 10 Indian States. A straight drive from Mumbai to Imphal is about 3,300 kilometers and can be done in about 10-12 days. Google maps showed our initial route within India as:
I haven’t travelled to the North Eastern States popularly known as “Seven Sister States of India”. Or their brother, Sikkim. I haven’t been to Bhutan either. Since I have the luxury of a car while driving to those North Eastern states, we decided as well visit some interesting places like Darjeeling, Sikkim, Bhutan, Kaziranga National Park on our way to Imphal. Some of these places need an extra stay of at least one day each. This adds to 17 days and 4,000kms drive.
As we were finalizing the itinerary, Pushpa revealed that it was her childhood dream to visit Cherrapunjee, the wettest place in India. I would like to spend the rest of my life with her! A good husband that I am, I had no option but to add Cherrapunjee to the itinerary.
A few hours from Cherrapunjee is the cleanest village in Asia – Mawlynnong. There are many other interesting places around like unusual caves, various natural earth formations, double decker bridges naturally-formed out of tree stems and multi-stage waterfalls. The world famous Shillong also falls on this route. How can you be so close and miss all of that? Another 3 days and 400 kilometers.
Just to make sure that I do not miss any interesting places on the route, I collected tourist maps and literature of each of the states I would be passing through. I noticed that there are certain other important places on this route.
Deoghar in Jharkhand drew my special attention. There are twelve religiously auspicious Jyotirling locations in India. We had visited all of them except Baba Baidyanath at Deoghar, at the extreme east end of Jharkhand. We are not sure when we will visit that area again. We added Deoghar. This takes us very close to Varanasi on the Ganges, Gaya-Bodhgaya where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment, Sarnath where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon, Jalmahal, Pavapuri where Lord Mahavira attained salvation, Nalanda University claimed to be the first university in the world. You got it right. I could not ignore any of these places when they mean just 3-4 more days. By increasing our daily drive we should be able to squeeze in these places with 21 days to Imphal.
There are many more interesting places, but I froze it to 21 days. For now! The map at this staged looked like:
The decision was made. But, but, but…. Would the group be comfortable to take a 72-year old person on such a trip? After all, it is a 2-month long trip with lots of potential for things to go wrong. Each participant’s fitness is key to the success of the trip.
I realised the importance of this particularly when I organised the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in 2010. There were at least 4 people (out of 98) who had difficulty in adjusting to the high altitude. Emergency arrangements were required and two of them had to make an early exit. The other two took an additional day to acclimatise. But again separate arrangements had to be made for them to join the group.
When travelling in groups, transparency on health issues is extremely important. In the same trip, one of the participants was shy and did not mention his discomfort (health-related). This proved fatal. We lost him forever.
My co-travellers ought to know my age from the outset. I was determined that if people from the group had reservations about my age, I would organize the trip for the two of us, myself. My contingency plan was ready.
I called Tushar and Sanjay to tell them about my driving trip to Iceland last year and about the trekking expeditions I had made after 60 years of age. They appreciated my enthusiasm and said that I didn’t even sound like a senior citizen. They were happy to have me!
It is the spirit and fitness that matter and not age!
While both Pushpa and I have been lucky to enjoy good health, we do take special efforts to stay fit. Often fitness is a topic of conversation in many social and even business meetings. Every one has their own “funda” to maintain fitness. This includes diet, regular walks, playing proper sports, etc.
Normally 6 to 8 in the morning I keep busy with my yoga meditation. I don’t even take phone calls during these two hours. Art of Living needs special mention here in maintaining my health and boosting my spirits. Sri Sri Ravishankarji’s Sudarshan Kriya has been a part of my daily, morning routine for the last 9 years. Similarly, Pushpa does her own yoga and kriya routine.
As far as diet is concerned, we come across the popular quote, “”Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper!” However I have been following for the last few 40-50 years, “Apple a day for breakfast, two chapattis for lunch and a full for dinner. For any reason if I am awake till midnight, a midnight snack is not uncommon! This works for me!” Pushpa, on the other hand, has her own diet regime which includes fasts and carb-free days.
Never sleep immediately after lunch is the normal advise. I somehow got accustomed to a regular nap or relaxation of 10 to 15 minutes immediately after lunch. This keeps me fresh and fit the entire day.
Considering my lower back spondylitis, cervical and knee joint problems, 15 years ago, doctors advised me to discontinue playing sports that involve any sudden jerks. I got back home and sobed. I couldn’t imagine life without my regular dose of squash. After a week or two, I begun to feel sick. I restarted playing squash and recovered. Of course, I restricted it to 2 or 3 times a week.
Pushpa’s knees took a heavier toll so she had to stop trekking. However, she is extremely disciplined about her therapy exercises and does whatever walking/other yoga her knees permit.
That aside, both of us love our 2 to 6 km a day walk. This has gone a long way in keeping us fit.
We’ve maintained this routine for the last 40+ years, that it doesn’t feel special any more. We listen to all fitness advice and pick what we think suits us best. But whatever we did, we maintained regularity.
The main factor though I think is I try to follow timeliness as sincerely as is possible, be it is food, exercise, sleep or wake up time. This consistency is the secret to good health, according to me. Further, we give more importance to listening to our own bodies compared to external advice. We follow what suited us the best even if it meant exactly contradictory to norm. Stubborn as it may sound, it works!
Continued from Road to London # 12 – “Soham”, the Companion….
Right from the beginning, we knew that driving to London through the Western borders would mean going through Pakistan and Afghanistan, which might not be the safest route. The Himalayan mountain range on the North and oceans on the South rule out those routes. That left only the Eastern route through China. There are roads linking from Nepal and North-Eastern parts of the Indian border, but entry is restricted only for the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage. Thus we had to cross China, some parts of the old USSR, now countries like Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, certain European countries before we reach United Kingdom. This is a drive of about 45 days from the time we cross the Indian border. This itinerary was considered as almost final for the tour.
Pushpa & Badri Baldawa with Soham
Myanmar is a country I have been wanting to visit for long. I heard of it as Burmah where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose founded the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) to fight for independence. The ruling military junta changed its name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989.
However there was an update that though the entry point in Myanmar is safe, the exit point, Muse was not very peaceful. Therefore the route to China had to be changed. The best practical alternative was to drive to Thailand, cut across Laos and then enter China. This added two countries to the itinerary and increased the overseas travel from 45 to 47 days and the number of countries from 14 to 16.
We need to drive for a fortnight to cross the Chinese territory and reach Kyrgyzstan. I was very happy when I realised our next destination country was Uzbekistan. It would give us an opportunity to visit Tashkent where our former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri breathed his last. From there on to Kazhakstan before we touch the border of Russia.
As per the original plans we planned to enter Belarus through the Kurgan border from Moscow. It
From Mumbai – Road to London
was not possible to get vehicle permits for Belarus from Russia. In October 2016, the Belarus–Russia border was closed to foreigners. Therefore, the itinerary had to be re-routed again. Instead of entering through Belarus, we would now drive further north and enter European Union through Latvia and Lithuania. The onward drive thereafter is easy through Czechoslovakia, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France and finally to The United Kingdom. Once we enter UK at its South East, we would drive to London. This revision added two more days to the itinerary.
However this creat
ed another technical problem. If we left the Indian border as per original schedule on 16 April 2017, we reach the China border on a Sunday. The border is closed on Sundays. Hence the departure from India was postponed to 17 April 2017.
All these changes made the total countries visited from the original 15 to 18 (excluding Bhutan). The total number of overseas driving days increased from 45 to 49. Add to that the 23 days drive to reach the Indian border. The total duration of the tour now is at a total of 72 days!
The action begins in less than 10 days on 24th March 2017. We would love to see you all cheer us when we leave at a small flag-off event. Please do come!
To Be Continued ………….
In continuation of earlier blog RTL #5 Fitness Matters……...
I was worried that when I express my desire to do a Mumbai-London driving trip, I will have to go through a bout of medical exams.
Way back in 2008, I had proposed to trek Mt. Everest base camp. My wife is too good a lady and encourages me to do whatever I like! My daughters were excited and slightly hesitant respectively. But the son resisted, “Mt. Everest is not for senior citizens. It is considered very risky.” I appreciate my children for their love! I had to undergo a series of medical and stress tests as prescribed by my daughter, Seema and son-in-law, Nilesh, both doctors by profession, practicing in the UK. I passed these tests with flying colours!
On my trek to Mt Everest in 2008
I had lower spondylitis and syncope problems. They did not make that an issue. I did not highlight it to them either. But they probably did not know the details of four cervical slip discs and a misaligned toe. Except these, I did not hide anything from them! Other than these, I was physically fit. Even in academic examinations 40% is considered pass. So I thought I have passed my physical fitness exams.
It was only during this Mt Everest trek that I learned from the guide that it was vital that even the slightest of health problems like headache or lack of appetite or sleep ought to be revealed to the organisers. Thereafter, I have been more transparent about my health matters with my family.
I was 63 then. Now I am 72.
Their love continues to flow with even more intensity. My son, Anand probably loves me the most and hence is the most cautious. His was the first resistance I had to pass through for my Road To London adventure. It is a long trip with a lot of inbuilt risks.He was not in town when I had made the decision to go on this trip. Since, it was an impromptu decision, I could not wait for him to be back in 3-4 days. I sent Anand the details I had. This time too I did not hide anything from him except…….! I was anxiously waiting for his reaction.
“Enjoy the trip – it should be good fun” was Anand’s response. I was surprised by his support. But it was a conditional “yes”. I am a little carefree about trip gear, in general. I didn’t even carry trekking poles for the Mt. Everest trek! But Anand extra-cautious about any of our journeys, even the local ones, and rightly so. I wanted to drive the distance in my favourite Skoda Superb. Anand’s condition was that the vehicle I would use would be of his choice! He had traced what I was trying to hide.
No one else had any concerns. Everyone was thrilled at the thought of such a venture.
To be continued ….RTL # 7 – Route Across India………………….
“Pushpa, there is this road-trip, self-drive to London from India. It is about two and a half months long. Should we?” I called Pushpa within moments of getting an email to the effect on 20th May 2016. She was on a train from Rishikesh.
“Yes! Let’s do it!” she said without waiting even for a second. A green signal from my better half and I was confident of convincing other members of my family. Within a few minutes I gave our provisional confirmation to join the expedition – “Road to London”.
As I confirmed, I wondered if this was a hasty decision. My memories reeled me back.
Over fifty five years ago, near my native town Bellary, the Tungabhadra dam was inaugurated. Anyone who visited the site came back only with praises. I too wanted to visit the place. I was school-going child back then. My mother gave me Rs. 5 for the trip. Bus or train was unaffordable. I convinced some friends to pedal the total distance of 130 kilometers on rented bicycles. To make the trip affordable, we decided to ride “double seat”.
Since the load of two people would be difficult to take through, the person at the back had to help peddle along with the main rider – two legs pedalling on each side! If anyone was tired of pedalling or plays smart and say he was tired, he would have the comfort of sitting on the front pipe and get exemption from pedalling – a smart punishment we thought to have the bottom hurt by the pipe. It was two days full of fun! It was a thrilling to try to do the unexpected! It was a challenge! And I was crazy to accept and face the challenge!
Later in life, my wife and I wanted to watch the midnight Sun and fulfil my childhood dream. I figured that it could be best watched from Nordkapp (North Cape) in Norway. In 1983, I decided to reach Nordkapp on the midnight of 25 July. I reached Narvik from Oslo by a luxurious train. There was no regular public transport facility from Narvik to Nordkapp. But hey, I could enjoy driving that distance on an European road. By the standards of European roads, I could drive those 800km in say 8 or at the most 10 hours. I planned accordingly.
Those were the days when there were no internet or Google or GPS.
As I started driving from Narvik, I was surprised with the shocking road condition. It was all broken, narrow single, rugged, kutchha roads. It was inevitable, since most of the year those roads were covered with snow. I was determined to be punctual for my date with the midnight Sun. Not just that. I had my flight booking for my next flight from Oslo. I had to reach Nordkapp and return by the same road in time. I’d have to drive continuously for 46 hours without sleep or break. It was a thrill to reach on time to enjoy the best. It was a challenge! And I was crazy to accept and face the challenge!
A few years later, missing a train turned out for the best. We planned a Badrinath Char Dham Yatra. We were to travel by train upto Delhi and then engage a cab to complete the rest of the journey. Our shipment (business) was delayed by a day due to some objections raised by the Customs department. Despite having buffer time for contingencies, by the time the shipment was completed, we missed the train. It was difficult to get new reservations as this was peak travel season We decided to leave by car within the hour. Just five of us, Pushpa, our children and me. No driver. We drove right upto Badrinath temple via Rajasthan, a round trip of about 6,000 kilometers. We faced problems and we learnt how to resolve them.
On that journey, there was an incident that inspired me to start trekking. I will leave that incident for another time. After that trip, we started trekking to various places including Amarnath, Hemkund Saheb and Mt Kailash Parikrama. Meeting Peter Hillary, the son of Edmund Hillary inspired me to trek to Mt Everest.
Except Mt Everest, Pushpa and I trekked together. After 55, Pushpa developed a knee joint problem. It became difficult for her to undertake long and steep treks. Without her I did not feel like going for treks either. We switched over to driving expeditions instead of trekking. I had heard that driving in Iceland was extremely difficult and risky. We went for driving adventure with our granddaughter Nishi, Seema’s daughter in Iceland.
You see the pattern? Whenever I hear of a particularly difficult trip, I like to take up the challenge.
It is no surprise then, that the very idea of driving for over two months in unknown and diversified territories was something I’d want to do. Maybe that is why the impulse decision. I couldn’t control my excitement joined the “Drive to London” group, as if it would have slipped away if I had delayed confirmation for a few minutes!
As expected, I sorted out the travel insurance issues and found a Sherpa guide in time to leave for the much-awaited trek. The insurance company ultimately agreed to waive the age limit requirement for an extra premium. And I found a well-recommended sherpa to guide me through the ranges for a spectacular view of Annapurna range(ABC), Machhapuchhre (MBC), Hiunchuli, and the Dhaulagiri mountains on the Nepalese side of the Himalayas
. I was on my way to Annapurna early in the morning on 16 November.