Photo Corner: Nyalam - Saga

Freshly laid out all-weather metalled roads from Nyalam












The first sun rays kissing the mountain tops.














Nature's handiwork. Jagged rocks at the top lend immense beauty to the plain mountains.

A small hamlet nestled in the foothills at peace with itself.

Mountains tower in the background. I appear a bit off balance due to the high altitude.

Up at the Lalung-la pass (5100 mtrs) braving biting cold winds howling past us.

A sample of the desolate landscape and endless plateaus.

Tibetan kids wanting to be photographed. This was after eating chocolates, dry fruits and biscuits.

The cozy little dining room near Lake Peigutso.













Note the vibrant colours and elaborate designs.













One more....












Lake Peigutso.














Some reflections.......













literally speaking.......

Is this an Tibetan owl?......my attempt to get some unique snaps.

Nyalam - Saga

Nyalam to Saga is part of a fascinating journey of over 800 kms across the Great Tibetan Plateau till our final destination. You traverse across flat land (even an aircraft can land here) ringed by bald mountains. Not a single tree is visible till the horizon and you have the landscape painted in myriad colours.

We set off from Nyalam early just before sunrise. We had a queasy feeling as it was around 7.30 am and it was funny to see a pre-dawn like atmosphere at that time. (All thanks to setting the clocks ahead by 2h-15m).

We had some excellent highways from Nyalam onwards but soon had to switch over to "Kachcha" roads as these highways were still under construction. Hundreds of trucks, dumpers, excavators and other equipment were furiously at work as if there was no tomorrow, a sharp contrast to an almost leisurely pace back in India.

The road to Saga was through the La-lungla pass at a height of around 5100 mtrs (16,800 ft above MSL). We halted at the very top to experience our highest altitude so far. It was cold with a howling gale blowing there. All mountains around were behind a thick cover of clouds. Tibetan prayer flags adorned the place as is normal at every peak or pass. It was not entirely unpleasant and I felt good to look around and walk around a bit.

We soon descended onto yet another plateau before crossing another pass and onto the next plateau. Luch was near the Diamond Lake of Lake Peigu-tso (co-ord: 28deg-46' N and 85deg-35' E and seen very prominently on Google Earth) in a small dining house - a cozy place elaborately adorned with paintings depicting local folklore. Just behind this towered the massive Mt. Shishpangama (Ht-8020 mtrs - 26,500 ft).

The lake is pretty big with placid and clear waters. There are mountains on the northern shores. Glaciers on the Shishpangama and the ridge mountains feed the lake with water through a multitude of surface and subterranean channels.

After a leisurely lunch (remember eating fast is an effort enough to get exhausted) we skirted the southern and western shores of Lake Peigu-tso as we made our way to Saga.

Saga is a small town on the banks of the river Yarling-Tsangpo. This river originates from Mt Kailash - Mansarovar, drains the Himalayan ranges and moves eastwards to become a huge and mighty river and enters India as the Brahmaputra. Read more about this river in this Wiki article.

Saga is predominantly an Army town with a huge army camp. The Saga Hotel adjacent to this camp and we were warned not to photograph anything from the rooms. I believe this hotel is run by the Army authorities. Imagine, Indian pilgrims contributing to the Chinese Army commercial ventures......a "Breaking News" topic for all our English News channels.

This was a regular hotel with running hot shower and we all had long baths. It was a welcome relief after a gap of two days. Well the Army camp would play Chinese martial music and that was good "entertainment" and the soldiers doing their drill was another spectacle. We slept like logs and were relaxed as we would not have to rush for our morning chores from the dorms.

Photo Corner: Nyalam

From the terrace of our guest house, this hill with ribbon like clouds towered above us.

That is Nyalam and its only street. It is a slow morning where signs of life are just about visible.

Bird's eye view of this small town. Much is occupied by the Chinese Army.

On the trek...my Mumbai co-yatris with our sherpas Neema and Autar. Celebrating before reaching the top.

Yours truly - some well deserved rest on the way up.

Up above the sky so high.....A small victory of sorts and it was celebration time. Out came all the goodies.

Hill tops or peaks are characterised by stone pyramids known as "chortens" and prayer flags tied to many posts covering a large area.

Fickle weather and we were soon swamped by clouds.

That's me....Lord and master of all I survey.












A sample of some ankle high flora.












Mahjong...the favourite passtime.

Our guest house at Nyalam bordering a China Telecom building.

Rest and Acclimatising at Nyalam

I never knew that latest Hindi film songs and re-mixes had a lullaby effect on tired limbs and I soon trailed off into dream world full of colourful dragons and chinese kites......

Woke up at about 6.30 am and found it was still dark. Sunrise was nearer to 8am and sunset well past 8 pm. Took a while to understand that though we were within India co-ordinates, our watches were set to Beijing time. It seems China also has a single time standard for the whole country, even though the size warrants more.

We were to go on an acclimatising trek today. We were told that the outing would last about three hours and the trek would be a fairly easy one.

Packed our back packs and we were out by 9.30 am. A short walk and we were at the base of the hill we supposed to climb up. This walk, about a kilometre and half was the first strenuous effort we put in at high altitude. It seemed a great effort and some of us seemed a little out of breath. As we started climbing the effects became more pronounced. Two of them gave up and I was the last.

I was the laggard and falling further back. Sherpa Autar was with me gave me a few tips. I decided that I would not give up and I would successfully complete the trek. I slowly kept increasing the number of steps I took a break and this worked. Huffing and puffing, I finally reached the top.

The backpack, camera and jacket seemed a big burden and just slowed down my progress. However, as I reached the top, there was a cold wind blowing and the down jacket was just what the doctor ordered.

It was a magnificent view - stark and desolate. After spending about half an hour there, we descended. It was not so much an effort this time around and I took my time just soaking in the serenity and beauty of the place.

The rest of the day was free but there was precious little one could do apart from walking up and down the main and only street in town. Many shops selling trekking gear, foodstuffs, groceries, bottled water, fresh fruits and vegetables and ofcourse every shop was stacked with cartons of "Lhasa Beer" and cigarettes. Every local and the Chinese soldier seems addicted to Lhasa Beer and cigarettes out there.

Bathing facilities are absent or very primitive. Taking this opportunity, a few shops have modern bathrooms with shower facilities which are rented out at 15 - 20CY on a single use basis. You are advised to remember the cardinal rule: Bargaining is permitted and if you are lucky, the price may lowered a bit.

Soon it was time for dinner and "tuck-in" as the next morning we would commence our journey of over 750 kms across the Great Tibetan Plateau or quite literally "Roof of the World"

Photo Corner: Kodari - Zhangmu - Nyalam

That is Nepal seen from a distance in Tibet.















Driving on the "other side" with parked trucks blocking half the road.













Zhangmu town - looks like a typical hill station.














Ahangmu - Another view.














Night Club...?? has one co-yatri grining widely.












Clouds threatening even more rain.












The place where we got our "adrak-chai".














That's me.












Stuck in traffic jam for almost an hour. Oncoming traffic squeezed through the gap you see between the trucks on one side and our jeeps on the other.












Another view of the traffic jam.

Crossover - Zhangmu - Nyalam

There was some time for the jeeps to start, so I started looking around. This is the first time I have crossed a land border. I wondered what the scene would be at Wagah/Attari. We had a lot of Tibetan girls offering to exchange INR into CY at better rates than the Kodari money changer. Alas...we were full up with CY and every one felt miserable at being taken for a ride...hahaha...I guess it is the same everywhere.

There were many shops manned by the Chinese selling electronics, stuffed toys, household goods, clothes, chocolates and other food-stuffs. These smart business men would quote in INR and indicate the amount on a calculator and bargaining was the accepted norm. If the quote was INR 500, you started at INR250 if you were an average bargainer and INR150 if you were an ace bargainer and so the game went on. A couple of our co-yatris tried to bargain but then it was "No-Deal".

Our night halt was at Nyalam about 35 - 40 kms away from the border. One has to pass Zhangmu (also known as Khasa by the Nepalis) to reach Nyalam. I had read that there is an additional passport check at Zhangmu. We were resigned to yet another ordeal (or so we thought). Border to Zhangmu is a breeze on freshly laid out concrete roads. Intermittently, you see our good'ol TATA trucks lined on one side of the road.

We reached Zhangmu in about twenty minutes and we just walked through an imposing gate and an equally imposing building. There were no passport check as we thought earlier. That was the proceedure earlier but with the new building off the Friendship Bridge, this has been discontinued. That was a big relief.

We now had to wait for a couple of hours at Zhagnmu. The Zhangmu - Nyalam highway is under construction and the Chinese Army imposes a curfew between 8am - 8pm. All vehicular movement comes to a halt during this time and as our guide said..."We cannot argue with the Chinese Army."

Zhangmu is a typical tourist-border town. Shops offering "original" coral necklaces for 25CY and "original" pearl necklaces at just 20CY...., "latest" iPhone for 400 CY and many other "fantastic bargains" were scattered around. The whole thing looked very very tacky and fake. We also dared not try any of the many restaurants for any snack as we just could not trust the stuff out there.

Finally, we reached Sherpa Hotel where a couple of Nepalis were manning that place. We spent the next two hours waiting there over some welcome "adrak chai"and "bread-butter toast". INR, NR or CY were welcome.

Our guide decided to resume our journey at about 7.30 pm so that we reach Nyalam by about 10 pm. Soon we found ourselves in the middle of a massive traffic snarl that took over an hour to clear. As we ascended winding thru the streets we passed hundreds of TATA trucks parked on one side of the road (all to return back to Nepal). At a point there were about twenty trucks and an equal number of private cars descending towards the border. It was chaos reigning supreme till we backed off a little and were literally hanging at the very edge and the oncoming traffic crawled by us.

This delay of an hour was further worsened by very heavy rain and poor visibility. The "ghat" section roads are just being built and only small patches are ready. That was one hell of a journey alternating between smooth concrete roads and rough patches. We had our hearts in our mouths and a prayer on our lips as we were making our way through. Our cheerful group guide - Sonam Tsering was in our jeep and played some Tibetan music. Very hummable I must say....

We finally reached Nyalam at 11.30 pm and had to sleep in a dorm meant for nine people. Couples shared separate "couples dorm". Soon Autar Singh Tamang, our sherpa team leader entered and announced that our supply truck had not kept pace with and was left far behind. Dinner was cancelled and we would have had to sleep with a growling belly. Thankfully, high altitude problems had started setting in and we actually had no appetite.

We were tired and crashed out only to wake up a few hours later to some Hindi film songs belting out from some where down the street. Wow....surprises just do not end....do they????

Kathmandu to Kodari and the Crossover

The next day dawned overcast with slight rain. I happened to wake up a bit early. I always wonder how getting up early on vacation is so effortless and in Mumbai such a drag. I enjoyed a leisurely shower, knowing well that our next chance could be many days later.

We were to leave after a cup of tea with some packed breakfast to be had on the way. The vehicle was a decent bus - 24 seater for the twelve of us and a group of five sherpas who would be with us throughout the trip. It was time for introductions with our co-yatris. Our group comprised a British couple, two Russians, a South African couple (of Indian origin) and six from India, three from Trichy and three from amchi Mumbai. Unfortunately, a group of four from Ahmedabad landed at Kathmandu but two of them fell sick and had to drop out. Guess, as Vinod said earlier something about "bulawa....".

So our small cozy group made its way towards Kodari, the border town with Tibet on the Arniko Rajmarg.

It was early morning and roads were clear...and we were soon out of Kathmandu amidst some extra-ordinary beauty. I was completely captivated that many times I forgot to click snaps. After a quick breakfast on the way, we came across some treacherous terrain. Roads were narrow with deep gorges on one side and steep mountainside on the other. Things were made worse by recent landslides which were partially cleared. A very bumpy ride later we arrived at Kodari by about 11 am.

Kodari, incidentally, was the starting point of the trans-Himalayan Caravan route towards Lhasa and other towns on the Tibetan plateau. This was considered as important as the Silk route. Locals from Kodari act as porters and frequently move across borders with loads of goods. Trade is thriving as almost all food supplies come in from Nepal and other items come over from the Chinese side.

Crossing over had to wait. We were bundled off to a small eatery for lunch while one sherpa went to the Immigration Office to get a "Departure" stamp affixed on our passports. The enterprising owner of the eatery was also the money changer out there. We could exchange our INRs into Chinese Yuan at Rs. 8/- per CY. He magnanimously offered to buy back unutilised CY at Rs 7.50 thus making a neat spread from every traveller. Fortunately, we had purchased CY in Mumbai itself at a much lower rate.

There was news that the Chinese were screening every visitor, and, if their machines indicated above normal temperature, the visitor was detained or still worse asked to return. This was not in the original script but the ingenious Indian mind found a way around this too. We all had to pop a Crocin or two after lunch so that that blasted machine would never flash the red light.

We now had to walk in the sweltering heat towards the border post. There is a river acting as the natural border and the Chinese have constructed a bridge called the "Friendship Bridge". We have to pass through the Nepalese customs and cross this bridge. This is manned by Chinese soldiers (young men actually trying to look mean and unsmiling) armed with machine guns. A couple of them in civvies make sure that nobody takes any photographs on the bridge. They make you delete the snaps and actually say "Thank You" (probably the only English word they have learnt). I understand that the Chinese Army has a camp just right there and they hate being photographed.

Our group visa was checked and guess what...we had to stand in the exact order as in the visa and walk in a single file....hahaha..that was something.

We crossed over and then began what we call a..."test of patience". First our duffel bags were fumigated. They were then taken into the Immigration cell whilst we waited outside in the heat. An hour later, a smiling cherubic face comes out saying he is our Tibetan guide and we can now enter to complete our immigration formalities. Hey it was not done yet...our back packs were scanned and literally emptied on the table. Every single item including the toilet paper was checked . We had to drink water from our bottles to prove that that was not poison or some liquid explosive.

You are a dead duck if you are carrying any book. One co-yatri was carrying a "Lonely Planet guide to Tibet". They went through every page of that book and returned it only after some grim faced senior officer grunted his approval. Probably they were worried about us sneaking in the Dalai Lama's photograph or some explosive literature. The South African had got CDs and they were confiscated straight away. Probably an i-pod will escape the scrutiny.

Please remember when you plan next year....do not annoy the Chinese border guards...They hate the Dalai Lama, all books, literature, cassetes, CDs/VCDs/DVDs.

That was one hell of a reception. I guess it is their job and they try to do it efficiently. We were finally in Tibet or should we say China. A hundred metre across the Friendship Bridge was like a time machine. We had to adjust our watches to Chinese time which is 2hrs-15mins ahead of Nepal time. (They go by Beijing time).

We were directed to our Toyota - Land Cruisers and I just plonked in a comfortable seat. I badly needed a cup of tea by now but had to wait for Zhangmu and you my friends will have to wait for my next post. Cheers!!! In case you have missed, please go through photographs uploaded last night.

Photographs - Kodari Crossover..........

The bus we travelled in upto Kodari. Very comfortable bus but the ride was bumpy.

A way side "Bhojanalaya" where we pecked at our packed breakfast. Please note Pepsi has made inroads in this remote hamlet - of Dhulikhel district.

A river meandering through with high hills acting as embankments. The highway was on these slopes hugging the hills.

A road recently cleared of debris lying on the side.














Kodari town is just a small strip. The hill with thick vegetation on the right is Tibet.














We only hoped and prayed that we never need to call any of these numbers.














Our group waiting for the final "Let us go" signal.

This is the gushing body of water that forms the natural border between Nepal and Tibet.

That is the Nepalese truck depot as seen from a higher level in Tibet.













Another view of Kodari from Tibet.












This is that famous "Friendship Bridge" linking Tibet to Nepal.













TATA trucks making their way into Nepal.

Our Toyota Land Cruiser - a sturdy 4500 cc 4 wheel drive vehicle.

Phujhu...our new found friend and an expert pilot of the powerful beast that took us around.

A glimpse of Kodari as we zipped across to Zhangmu and got stuck in a massive traffic snarl.

Kathmandu in Pictures

There are no security guards in view nor are there any signs prohibiting photography. A welcome change from our security obsessed establishment.

Aha...that's me. Happy that I finally made it to the Himalayan Kingdom (I still exist in the old world)....sorry Himalayan Nation.. and am still recovering from the shock of a "no-security" airport.

The "dreaded" swine flu had reached here. Some young doctor placed a gun like contraption on my forehead and then let me pass. I had to fill a screening card and was questioned about my health.

I survived the inquisition and walked out of the Tribhuvan International Airport.

This magnificent structure was our place of stay. Imposing and very well maintained - Hotel Shanker. Situated in the Lazimpat area of the capital, this hotel is very near the erstwhile Royal Palace.








Well manicured lawns and a pleasing arrangement gives a soothing feeling.











Some exquisite work on metal and wood as part of the hotel annexe.











A peek indoors....down the corridor.












Those eyes.....they keep following you...












The ceiling in my room. Looks like some Michaelangelo was at work here...

Kathmandu our base.

I now commence with a travelogue on my trip to Kailash- Mansarovar.

We were to report at Kathmandu on 31st July but had to postpone this by a day. Our departure for Tibet was scheduled for 2nd August. In retrospect this was a bad decision as this denied us rest and hurried the process of our acclimatising causing us some additional discomfort. Mind you Kathmandu is at 1300 mtrs (4300 ft) above sea level. Our next stop was at 3750 mtrs (12400 ft) above sea level.


We reached Kathmandu on 1st August at about 9.30 am (15 minutes ahead of IST). The airport seems a very relaxed place with almost no security there. Photography is permitted and one could click away even on the tarmac. That was a culture shock to me. Well, swine flu panic had set in and we were screened on arrival. The airport building by itself is very unremarkable and in the main arrival hall, tubelights were'nt switched on were not replaced. (surely some Indian sheds masquerading as airports must be like this)


We were met by a representative of Richa Tours, reputed to be one of the best organiser on the Kailash-Mansarovar circuit. After a short drive through the chaotic streets we reached our place of stay - Hotel Shanker near the Royal Palace..(The Royal Palace is now converted to a museum). Hotel Shanker is a magnificent structure and was once the abode of some long forgotten "royal".

We did not have much to do except walk through the streets nearby. Our leisurely walk was interrupted by a heavy shower and we had to scurry back to our hotel. We had to pack all our stuff in a massive duffel bag made available by the tour organisers. No suitcases are allowed on the tour....so if you are planning to go next year...please remember this. You will have to leave behind the suitcases.

We were also given a "Down Jacket" (on a returnable basis) for the yatra. The rustic that I was till then, this term flumoxed me. I could not imagine what is "down" in this jacket. Some one equally ignorant felt it is so called because it is long and extends to one's knees. The joke was on us when we saw those jackets. This thick jacket meant I had to leave some warm clothing back at Kathmandu.

We then had to be ready for our briefing for the trip and precautions that we had to take for easy and early acclimatising.

The most scary part, atleast till then, was the high altitude problem. We were anxious to understand as to how we could overcome this problem. High Altitude problems can hit anyone at any time. Typically one would feel disoriented, tired at slightest effort or movement, breathlessness, blurred vision, headaches, loss of appetite and in some cases tummy upsets.

We were advised to

1. Rest, rest and rest. Lying down helps reduce symptoms and also recover faster,
2. Drink plenty of fluids. The sherpas ensured that we had atleast 3 - 4 litres of water every day,
3. Take Diamox tablets for the first four days....(helps in acclimatising)
4. Keep head, ears and our neck covered...prevents headaches and catching colds

(You may want to look up this article or Wikipedia on this). After this briefing, HAS did not seem so scary. It just required some common sense precaution to be taken. Our sherpas told us later that many just laugh at this and ignore this advice only to face serious problems later.

It was time to tuck in and await the next morning before we could embark on our most awaited and exciting journey.