Travel Time

The Theory of Relativity couldn't have been explained better than this.

Get this.

You may think - a road is a road and distance is distance and that it takes the same time to cover the same distance - no matter which road you're on. But I'll have you reconsider your theory shortly. Let me show you how.

Let's look at some of the popular roads of India:
1. Bandra-Worli Sea Link Road - a bypass through the sea.
2. Khardong La Road - one of the highest motorable roads in the world.
3. Stilwell Road - once the most expensive road in the world.
4. Grand Trunk Road - one of the oldest roads in the world.
5. Magnetic Hill in Ladakh - one of the strangest roads in the world.
6. Hyderabad-Bangalore Highway - one of the easiest roads in the world.
7. Rohtang Tunnel Road - the longest tunnel-road in India at 10,200 feet elevation.

Geography. Landscape. Weather conditions. Speed limit. Magnetic forces. Unforeseen and uncontrollable forces.  And the driver's disposition towards driving. All contribute to the variation in driving speed and experience.

Now picture this....
1. Bandra-Worli Sea Link is an 8-lane cable-stayed bridge road which is 5.6 kms long and serves as a bypass to the Mahim Causeway, through the sea and is built to reduce travel time by 20 minutes between Bandra and Worli. Though the road may facilitate 60-km drive-speed, the traffic-congestion still brings the vehicles to a grinding halt for more than 15 minutes at both ends. It is one of the best roads in the world and still can't expect to reach on time.

2. Khardong La Road is perched atop a 17,600-feet high mountain in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir. Speed is secondary on this road - safety comes first. With all the perennial snow and ice mountains, finding a road beneath the sheets of snow is top priority.

3. Stilwell Road - also called the Ledo Road, was named after U.S. Army General Stilwell and was built during the World War II as an alternative to the Burma Road which was cut by the Japanese Army. In terms of construction costs, this road was once the highest in the world! It's the zigzag that will make you dizzy if you attempt speed on this road.

 





4. Grand Trunk Road - one of the oldest and longest roads in the world which connects Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. This route was first initiated during the Mauryan Empire  and was renovated and extended during the 16th Century by Sher Shah Suri of the Muslim Sur Empire who took control of the Mughal Empire in 1540. Now this road would be ideal for high-speeds in most parts of its entire length.

 

 

5. Magnetic Hill in Ladakh - thousands of curious tourists visit this area to check this strange behaviour of this mountain/hill which is 27 kms west of Leh in Jammu & Kashmir. Tourists who visited this place at 11,000 feet altitude, have reported that this hilly area has magnetic properties which are strong enough to pull vehicles uphill. If this theory is fake, then why do aircrafts increase their altitude while flying over this area? As it is this hilly landscape is not speed-friendly and then this magnetic force which has a mind of its own?

 

 

 
6. Hyderabad-Bangalore Highway - they say you can drive on this road with your eyes closed. There is some reality to that - though should be attempted literally! This is almost a straight road that runs north to south without any deviations. During the day, you would barely see any traffic on the road. And the highway is 4-track road. You can easily cover this 570-km drive in 7.5 hours during the day in a car as opposed to the 12-hour drive in the night. Well.....I did!

7. Rohtang Tunnel Road - the current longest road tunnel of India which is at 10,200 feet altitude under the Rohtang Mountain Pass in the Pir-Panjal Range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway. The tunnel is 8.8 kms in length and is supposed to reduce driving distance of 60 kms between Manali and Keylong.

 

By this theory, you ought to know better than to apply the same formula of distance, time and speed to all geographies alike!

Pix courtesy: Wikipedia, Placeforholidays, Tinsukia.gov.in, team-bhp, walkthroughindia.

Hemis Festival in June 2012.

The largest Buddhist Institution in Ladakh – located in the highland town of Hemis at 11,000 feet altitude, 40 kms from Leh – the Hemis Monastery celebrates the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava in a grand and elaborate annual 2-day festival held in the Hemis Monastery on 29^th & 30^th of June this year.

The high-point of the Hemis Festival is the performance in the Monastery courtyard by the Lamas of the Monastery – a Mask Dance which depicts the victory of good over evil. The brightly coloured costumes and large multi-coloured masks constitute the performers’ attire during the Hemis Festival Dances performances which stretch for two days. The over-sized and grotesque masks are the main aspects of the slow and graceful dance. Few other Lamas provide the music for the Hemis Festival with percussion instruments such as the drums, cymbals and long trumpets.

Guru Padmasambhava is also known as Guru Rinpoche and is regarded as the second Buddha by the followers of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism since the 8^th Century. Guru Padmasambhava is the first one to have introduced ‘Tantric Buddhism’ to people.

During the 2-day pageant, a 30-foot high painting of Guru Padmasambhava is displayed centre-stage. Several other performances, religious ceremonies and discourses and exhibition of Buddhist relics are a part of the Hemis Festival which is not only attended by the Buddhists from all over Jammu & Kashmir, it is also attended by the non-Buddhist locals of Hemis and Leh.

Tourism & Tour operators design tours of Leh which include a visit to the Hemis Monastery and its adjoining Hemis National Park (India’s largest National Park) during the Hemis Festival as this is the best time of the year to see Hemis. You will also find the media and photographers from all over the world witnessing to cover this event. Visitors of Hemis stay at Leh which is at 40 kms and do a day trip to Hemis.

In the backdrop of the Ladakh Mountains that overlook the Hemis town, the Hemis Monastery with its multi-coloured splendour gives a fascinating appearance and experience.

Pix courtesy: James Gritz, Baiyu, vkiran_2000 @ flickr, wikipedia & ABOUT.

13 Reasons to holiday in Jammu & Kashmir this summer....

Planning your summer vacation?

I'll give you 13 reasons to holiday in Kashmir this year.

1. The roadblock such as political unrest and militancy in Kashmir has fizzled down which is evident in the upsurge of tourism figures of Kashmir in 2011 which state that in the last 20 years, the year 2011 saw the highest number of tourists visiting Kashmir – more than 10 lakh tourists apart from the 1 crore-plus pilgrims who visited Mata Vaishnodevi’s Shrine and the 7 lakh pilgrims who took the Amarnath Yatra. This boost in tourism in Kashmir has revved up the Government’s plan for better tourist trails and trip packages and amenities this year to keep the momentum going and for a strong hold on the long-awaited triumph of Kashmir Tourism.

2. Winter is over and the snowy mountains are friendlier now for adventure snow sports such as snow-strolling, snow-rolling, snow-skiing, snowboarding, sledding and snow-shoeing or just mountain-scaling. Or how about you just hover over the snowy mountains in one of theworld’s highest gondola cable cars? And if you are trained and have nerves of steel, how about you try helicopter skiing at 12,000 feet?

3. The Himalayan rivers and springs run again in Kashmir after a dormant freeze-period making it a happening place for adventure water sports such as river-rafting, kayaking, canoeing,boating and not to mention trout-fishing and fishing in general.

4. The Lakes of Kashmir – Mountain-lakes as well as the lakes at the glaciers have thawed and add splendour to the landscape and provide excellent boating, camping and picnic spots.

5. The Mughal Gardens have turned bright plush green and present to you ‘Royal Walks’ in the centuries-old gardens with ponds, waterfalls and fountains. The dense Cedar Woods are waiting to woo you.

6. Multi-coloured flowers are in full bloom for miles together in mountain valleys as well as in the plains. The Tulip Garden in April is like Holland in spring. World’s most expensive spice –Saffron is in full purple-bloom for hundreds of acres. The Rose Gardens add ornamental value to these landscapes with their beautiful multi-coloured presence.

7. The wildlife in these high-altitude National Parks, Sanctuaries and Biospheres is out to soak up the sun and to let you see them and photograph them.

8. The high altitude trekking trails through mountains, valleys and meadows and grasslands are ready to take you places you have never been before. And camp in the most gorgeous never-even-considered-sites of the country.

9. The chill air has cleared up and has made the skies more paragliding-friendly.

10. World’s highest motorable pass – Khardung La has gone a little easy on the snow and is waiting to challenge the foreign and domestic dexterous bikers.

11. World’s 7^th highest golf course – among the other golf courses in Kashmir, is waiting to play it rough and tough with you at 9000 feet altitude.

12. And shopping!!!!!!!!!! Tibetan handicrafts and Kashmiri handicrafts especially the precious stones-studded silver jewelry and woollen carpets and other wooden and silver handicrafts just keep taking newer and more attractive dimensions to suit global markets. Need I entice you more?

13. And of course, Shri Amarnathji and Goddess Vaishnodevi and Lord Buddha beckon you for an annual visit to their abode on earth!

And when winter sets in again....get set for the world famous and much awaited Chader Trek on the frozen River Zanksar !!

Yak Do Teen- ‘The Yak Effect’…

Ever wondered why Yaks are seldom given due importance by visitors in their trips and why do they end up just being a part of your trip album? Well, they could be many reasons for it as they are not found easily in the lower line areas but only in the snow capped mountains, just like camels in the desert. But believe you me, be it Leh, Kufri, Rohtang, Nathula or Tawang, all Yaks are the same. They are misunderstood by many as they look ferocious and dangerous by their appearances.

As we know, Yaks are good for carrying loads and transport tourists for a short distance in a snowy tourist spot and to take a pic or two with it (and trainer of course) for the album. The Yak helps you through slippery snow melting roads provided you have the patience to have your heart in the mouth if you are a first timer.


A Yak ride is better than a horse ride; a safe roller coaster ride, at least it doesn’t throw you off its back. There are many researches one can do on Yaks before getting to know what they are all about. To understand Yaks all you have to do is sleep a couple of nights with them (no ideas plz!!!), they are harmless and full of fun except for the smell…they stink horrible but they do have the “Yak Effect” as I discovered this during one of my visits to Nathula Pass in Sikkim, where I along with my friends had to spend a night in the shed with the Yaks. Couldn’t help as it snowed heavily due an avalanche that night and all rooms were booked except the shed, so we ‘shed’ all inhibitions (no ideas plz…again) and shivered (because of the cold) the whole night as none of us had seen so many Yaks… so close. The way they mooed we felt we were not welcomed sharing space with them, later we were told that it was one of the female Yaks who expressed her excitement seeing the 4 of us.

I’ve travelled on a few Yaks at various snow-hill mountains and got to gather some tips to bear in mind while travelling on a Yak….

1. Make sure you know a bit of horse riding as it would be easy to handle a Yak or recover from a fall.
2. Never use a body-deo or spray before mounting on it, remember Yaks hate good smell. So at least make sure to miss your bath that day, for a safe trip.
3. If still you can bear it, cover your nose with a surgical mask as some Yaks smell ‘Yuck’.
4. Never try to cuddle or pat it as it could be the last thing you did in your life.
5. If you are nervous dare not sing, carry an i-pod instead.
6. Keep your mobile in silent mode, never take or make a call, you may distract it.
7. All questions about it should be directed to its master.
8. Never dismount in a hurry, give an impression as if you enjoyed it.
9. Once you dismount, thank its trainer whole- heartedly instead of the Yak. You’ve reached safely, remember.
10. And, finally, never bargain on the charges; remember, you may have travel on it again.