Rohtang Pass

The drive up to the top of this pass was amazing. The road was pretty much awful because of continual landslides so there were crews of men doing work to try to make it two lanes again.
The traffic was also amazingly busy. I think that a lot of touring companies in Manali shuttle people up to the top.

The mountains here are unlike any mountain range that I have ever seen. They seem really immature and you can see places were the topsoil has fallen off the rock that it has been clinging too for so long. Evidence of landslides are everywhere. The grand scale and the abrupt way that these mountains project into the sky is something else. On the way down the other side the traffic was almost completely gone...there is not much reason for tourists to go over to this side.

On the way to the top we passed through this glacier that had been chopped in half to let cars through. This was on place of congestion as you can see. Surprisingly there was little to no snow at the top of the pass. I guess it is the middle of the summer though. The elevation of the pass was about 13,500 ft. Definitely enough to give me a little headache and dizziness.

Into the Mountains

Gangs of Manali

We were warned not to go out at night because gangs roamed around and were most active at night. When caught in the middle of a gang fight it could be very dangerous. These gangs that Ravi was talking about were actually packs of dogs, like the ones seen in this photo. At night these dogs have territorial fights that can get quite nasty apparently. Ravi told us a story about he had been caught between two approaching gangs and climbed over an 8 ft wall to escape being a causualty of there fight. Last night there was a lot of barking which I assume was gang related.

Manali

The UNC group outside of the hotel in Manali. Later today we would be leaving Jeep to go over Rohtang Pass and to our first campsite in the Greater Himalayan Mountains.

Manali is definitely a tourist town. There are advertisements for camping, treks, and rafting everywhere. Also it has been the first place that we have really been harassed by people trying to get us to buy things. Me, Josh, Geraint, and Anuj hiked up to see the temple Hadimb. This was a very old temple that looked somewhat Chinese. It has also been interesting that there has been a gradual but obvious change in how people look. Asian features have begun to predominate over the darker skin and Indian facial features.

After dinner at the hotel a group of us went out to a local pub and had a beer. The popular beer here is Kingfisher, like the bird. It tastes kind of like a Heineken. I will have more time to explore Manali on the way back through. That's all for now!

The Himalayans

So the drive from Bilaspur to Manali today took about 5 hours. The most interesting part of the drive was entering the Himalayans. We are in a part of the Himalayans called the Inner Himalayans after driving through the Outer Himalayans. The Outer Himalayans are basically the foothills. Tomorow we drive into the Greater Himalayans and over the Rohtang Pass. Ravi, the group leader and organizer told us that Rohtang means corpse. It has this name because for 4-7 months of the year this pass is not passable. Everyone on the other side is completely isolated from supplies, medicines, etc. People trying to get across during the winter season would die and there body's would literally accumulate during the winter. Once the pass defrosted body's would be seen all along the journey. This is also funny because the popular brand of bottled water around here is called Rohtang... I wonder if they know what it means?

It is about 10:30 here and I am getting ready for bed. I have tried to give you guys a call but I haven't had much luck figuring it out. Apparently I can't buy a calling card here and I don't know the correct number so dial to make things work. If I am able to figure that out I will try to give you a call before leaving civilization.

Bilaspur for the night

This morning we meet with the rest of our group. The group seemed larger than I had anticipated, but we were quickly split up into smaller groups of 6 for our travel on the train which would would ride for about 3 hrs, until reaching Chagardah (or something like that). The train ride out of Delhi was unlike anything I have every experienced and I can only describe it as complete and utter filth. Pills of trash spilled out of walkways and homes and pools of murky water surrounded everything. Pigs and stray dogs roamed through trash piles looking for scraps of food and cows did whatever they pleased. The cows alone are a story in and of its self. It took me a while to realize that all the people I saw squatting were defecating. To estimate, I probably saw around 300 Indian bottoms. They would squat in fields of shrubs, off of brick walls in stagnant water, and within 20 ft of the train (I guess it caught them by surprise) After getting outside of Delhi the scenary made a drastic change, but the pooping continued. Field after field of rice patties went on for the entire 3 hour journey. It was unbelievable.

Once getting off the train we piled into about 5 all terrain vehicles which would take us to Bilaspur for the night. This car ride was one of the most fun and terrifying I have been in. It even rivalled New Delhi traffic (we actually left some paint on a few things on the way to the train station this morning). Pot holes, washed out bridges, cows in the road, and continuous games of chicken with strangely decorated trucks was the norm. I especially liked entering the mountains. The mountains here are not what I had expected at all. I had expected something like the rockies but larger, but the mountains are obviously younger. You can still see the topsoil spilling off the steeping hillsides. A recent rain had brough much of this down onto the road that we were driving on. It looks like we are in for about 4 more hours of similar driving conditions tomorrow to get to Manali. One last thing, Indian food is delicious!

Delhi Night Sky

4:00 am...View from the top Hotel Singh in New Delhi. This town does not sleep, and I can't either.

New Delhi Arrival

Wow it is humid here!
We have arrived with no problems with flights or baggage or anything! Amazing! Our contact was waiting for us as planned and we meet several other members of the crew while waiting at the airport. Besides the four of us from UNC there were five other girls, all rising second year medical students. From the airport we had a very special ride to our hotel. Having ridden in Jaimaca and Bolivia I had some idea of what to expect, but nevertheless, it was an exciting ride. Lots of honking, near misses, and a general disregard for whatever traffic rules might exist. The three of us guys were in one small taxi and we took off away from the rest of the group and travelled on pretty good, but crazy roads. We arrived at a hotel that was not the one mentioned to us in the itinerary and were rushed inside with all kinds of people trying to carry our luggage. We were asked for our passports which we reluctantly handed over to a man that spoke fragmented English. He then had me sign a booklet with my address and signature and ushered us to our room. No sign of any of the rest of our group...
Once in the room three guys bascially hung out with us pretending to do small things around the room until we finally realized that they were not going to leave until we gave them some money. Luckily Nate had some small change to give to them, because all I had was big bills having just gotten my money changed over in the airport. After kicking them out of the room we had a small panick session where we wondered why in the world had we let these people take our passports and where they heck was the rest of our group. So I went downstairs a little while later and found the guy who had picked us up from the airport (relief!) and he got us our passports back. We then found the rest of the girls in the group who were all savely in rooms on a different floor.
Depature time for the morning: 6:30 am... Doesn't look like I will be getting any sleep.

Day of Depature

When I woke up this morning I looked over at my packed suite case and thought to myself, wow, I am really leaving for India today. I think that this is the first time that it has truly set in. Nate, Anna, Josh and I will be leaving on an American Airlines flight at 6:05 pm tonight and flying to London, then New Delhi. We are to arrive in New Delhi at 11:00 pm... in the future. (9.5 hr time difference and roughly 19.5 hr travel time)

It is hard to predict what my trip will be like once I am there, but I have a pretty good idea of what is in store for me for the next couple days. Sleeplessness, discomfort, and naive excitement. With a total air time of about 16 hrs I know that this is going to be a rough ride. I hope to sleep as much as possible on the airplane, but it is wishful thinking to believe that the sleep will be anything other than a cramped, restless nap. Once in New Delhi we will meet Mr. Raymond Peter with the HHE and he will take us to Hotel Grand Godwin where will we either crash with exhaustion, or be so wide awake with time confusion and excitement that we might be unable to sleep. Either way, at 7:30 am the next morning we will begin another long journey to Manali. Another 7 hours of travel switching back and forth between rail and buses.

My next posting will hopefully be in New Delhi, or maybe Manali. Here we go...

Itinerary and Map

View Larger Map

Dates: June 26 –July 16

Day 1: June 26	Depart from various international gateways.
Day 2: June 27	Lose a day traveling east.
Day 3: June 28	Arrive in New Delhi in the early morning hours. Take the morning train to Chandigarh and then a 5 hour road journey to Bilaspur located in the foothills of the Himalayas. Overnight hotel.
Day 4: June 29	Early morning leave for Manali. The ski resort town of Manali ( 6,600 ft ) is popular with trekkers, campers, hikers and other adventure travelers. Reach Manali by mid-day and check into Hotel. Evening, meet for orientation.
Day 5: June 30	Scenic drive to our first clinic site at Udaipur (8700 feet) located in the Pangi Valley. We drive from Manali and cross the Inner Himalayan Range over Rotang Pass (13, 200 Ft). The drive is approximately 7 hours long with breath taking views of Himalayan Peaks. Overnight tents.
Days 6 & 7: July 1 & July 2	Medical camp at Trilokinath village (9050 feet)
Day 8: July 3	Drive 12 miles to Tindi Village (8700 feet), and set up medical camp. Follow Daily Clinic Schedule
Day 9: July 4	Clinic at Tindi. Follow Daily Clinic Schedule
Day 10: July 5	We gain an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet as the 15- mile drive takes us further into the Himalayas. Enter Miyad valley and set-up clinic at village Tingriti altitude 9,700 feet. Tingriti has a population of approximately 1,500 people. Expect a busier clinic day. Follow Daily Clinic Schedule.
Day 11: July 6	Clinic at Tingriti. Follow Daily Clinic Schedule
Day 12: July 7	Begin return journey, drive 8 miles and stop at Karpat. Set-up clinic. Follow clinic schedule.
Day 13: July 8	After Breakfast, begin a 5-hour return drive to Jispa 10,000 feet. On the way we pass through Keylong, capital of Lahual district. Arrive Jispa at 3 pm. Overnight guesthouse/hotel. Rest.
Day 14: July 9	Free day for a day-trek
Day 15: July 10	A short 2-mile drive takes us to our last and final clinic site at Ghemur village. Set-up pharmacy and begin clinic work. Follow daily clinic schedule.
Day 16: July 11	Clinic at Ghemur. Follow Daily Clinic Schedule
Day 17: July 12	Return to Manali and check into hotel
Day 18: July 13	Rest in Manali. Shop and sightsee
Day 19: July 14	Take overnight bus to New Delhi
Day 20: July 15	Arrive New Delhi around 10 am and rest for the day. Upon arrival in New Delhi, you will have the day on your own to shop and/or sightsee. Day rooms will be provided.
Day 21-28: July 16 – July 22	The HHE portion of the trip is over so the current plan is that Nate, Anna, Josh and Damon will travel within India going to places like Jaipur and Agra to see tourist type stuff.
Day 29: July 23	Nate and Anna return home on flight leaving from New Delhi
Day 30-36: July 24 – July 30	Damon and Josh will continue exploring India and possibly Nepal, hopefully doing some trekking.
Day 37: July 31	Damon and Josh return home from a flight leaving from New Delhi

Introduction

This blog has been created to chronicle the events of my upcoming trip to India where I will be traveling with the Himalayan Health Exchange to provide medical care to rural villages in northern India in the Himachal Pradesh. The group consists of medical students, residents, and attending physicians from all over the world.

I will be leaving from Chapel Hill on June 26, 2008 with 3 fellow rising second year UNC medical students: Anna Berry, Joshua Gant, and Nathan Montgomery. Our flight will leave from RDU in Raleigh and we will fly to London and then to New Delhi where we will meet a member of the HHE team who will escort us to our hotel for the night.

More information about the trip will be provided in subsequent posts. I hope to include crew bios, personal thoughts, and letters home. During the trip I will not have internet access so most of my postings will be retrospective and pieced together from handwritten notes.