Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - Day 9 - Rajung Karu

After three tough days, an easier one today.

We saw signs that the Changpa nomads were about yesterday but today we got to meet them. The Changpa live on the Changtang plateau most of which is in Tibet. They are semi-nomadic moving their herds of sheep, goats and yak in rotation from one campsite to another, moving on when the grass runs out.  The permanent features of the regular campsites, stone animal enclosures and stone foundations on which a single room yurt is assembled, are scattered across the landscape and used each time the nomads visit.  Dilip says that they are up here in th high mountains all the year round including the 9 long winter when the temperatures get to minus 35.  He tells me that it's so cold in the winter that the nomads congregate in a single yurt and sleep around the fire huddled together in a kneeling position.  I must admit I wonder if this a Ladakh version of urban myth but Dilip definitely believes it.

Leaving the camp a passing an empty nomad settlement

Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - Day 8 - Riyul

This is one of the first group treks where I can remember everyone's names.  This might be because of the size of the group (just 11 people) or something to do with how friendly everyone is - either way it's definitely an easy group of people to be with.

The group consists of "Dr Nick" - who we met last year on the Annapurna who is the same age as me (58) and a strong walker; Ralph the German who lives in Paris, early forties and another strong walker; Pete again my age, from Lincolnshire (my home county), a strong walker and a veteran of numerous similar trips; Pauline a solicitor from Dublin who I guess is in her late forties; Amanda and Andrew (besides us the only other couple), who crack jokes all day and are the life and soul of the group; Sven from Sweden who at 34 is the baby of the group; Malcolm from Nottingham somewhere in his early 50s, a strong walker who I think models himself on Wainwright; and Helen Marie from Canada who looks much younger than she is (mid sixties I think).

Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - Day 7 - Tisaling

What a wonderful day's trekking.  We had slept well and for some reason the walk, which included crossing two passes each well in excess of 5,000 metres, turned out to be easier than anticipated.  We are on a roll.

Markha Mountains and ponies

Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - Day 6 - Kyamar

Dilip is a really nice guy.  He knocks on the tent at about six with the morning tea and asks how we are and whether or not we got a good night's sleep.  He was genuinely concerned, it's like having your mum with you on the trip.  Although Christine was still pretty rough, I was already on the mend.

The man with the drugs - Dr Nick

Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - Day 5 - Rumtse

I'm not well, nor is Christine, but my guts are just a bit more violent.

Despite churning insides I managed to survive the journey in one of three mini-buses from Leh to Rumtse.  Shared the bus with Christine, Ralf (a German but long time resident of France) and Sven from Sweden.  Ralf is a university lecturer in Paris, something to do with computers but with a massive interest in European History.  I had retired to an audible book (Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - brilliant) but Christine dragged me away and we were soon in a conversation with Ralf about the parallels and disjuntures between French and British history - the time and journey just flew by.

Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - Days 2-4 - Leh

Have had three nights in Leh, the capital of Ladakh, for acclimatisation before starting the trek proper.  I guess one of the downsides of this trip is that you have to hang about to get ready for the altitude - no opportunity for a gradual climb - and after three days in Leh (3,500 metres) it's a car journey to Rumtse (4,200 metres) after which you're quickly into 5,000 metre plus territory.  Theoretically the Leh stopover provides a chance to rest and recover from the journey but unfortunately that didn't work out for Christine and me.

Catching the early morning flight from Delhi to Leh required a 2 o'clock wake up call but with the air-conditioning in our bedroom on full blast and the ceiling fan set to maximum we were in any event wide awake.  If you're lucky you get to see K2 on the flight but today it was just too cloudy.  The landing however was spectacular with the plane spiralling down and almost touching the mountains in its descent to the airport.

Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - Day 1 - Delhi

The hottest London July in 10 years did little to prepare me for the heat and humidity of Delhi and the start of the Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse. After about 60 minutes of fitful sleep on the overnight flight from Heathrow all I wanted to do on arrival was hide in an air conditioned room and recover.  No money though so I had to venture out and find an ATM.

If you're foreign and look slightly vacant for more than a second in Delhi the tuk tuk drivers spot their chance.  Everyone here seems to be a hustler.  I told Billie, who was soon to be our best Sikh friend, that I didn't have any money but that didn't put him off and he insisted that I could pay him later.  He had a special affection for the British, London was his favorite city, and he had many friends in Southall.  He had only come back to India because his eyesight was failing and repatriating bodies would be a terrible expense for his relatives.