AND THEN SUDDENLY it is June of 2026 and the monsoon came naturally. Though we complained about the scorching sun of March Aprl and May it took about a week to accept that finally the rains were here. If two days of rain poured the roads had enough. All the creaks and crevices filled with dirty water emptying them directly to the roads through which the local and state transport buses fled along with countless number of bikes and scooters. autorickshaws did their best to squeeze themselves between people, buses and two wheelers. The new eco friendly types of autos required less space than their predecessors and were more lighter in appearance and also to maneuver through the melee of non stop chaos of the roads. All of these transports didnot reduce an ounce of speed come rain or shine. The pedestrians did their best too. The mobile phone which has become an appendage of human beings  were seen either on the left or right of human ears and rarely in pockets or hand bags. In between the buses , autos and two wheelers the pedestrians walked as though they were motorised machines. All were entitled to the road equally i guess. They didnot even look up to these motor vehecles or the riders. They just walked through all of them. I thought that each one of them had the feeling that any motor vehicle or rider will have to make space for humans even though there was no specific pedestrian crossings. The entire length and breadth of the road whether its a big one or small by lane , belonged first to people!!

And when there was heavy rain only the appearance changed. Some wore the rain coat and others were with an umbrella in the other hand which was not holding the mobile phone. Phone first and then the umbrella!! I often wondered what urgency would they be facing to talk continuously over the phone while heavy rain poured and while you are dodging buses and two wheelers!! The roads has its share of ditches and pits which were camouflaged with muddy rain water all over. You might even fall in one of them if you miss a step among the chaos. But everyone had amazing balance  honestly. That one hour in which i got stuck in my car, i watched and searched for anyone fumbling for a second, but couldnt find even one! God be with them!!!

BRIHADEESWARA TEMPLE

Thanjai Periya koil   BRIHADEESWARA TEMPLE - THANJAORE

Located on the south banks of Cauvery river is one of the biggest temple ever in history, called the Brihadwwswara temple. This world-famous temple is in Tanjaore, Tamil Nadu. As the name indicates(in sanskrit, Brihad=huge, eeswara=Lord, God) the temple  is very large with huge towering structures which has amazing sculpture all over on all sides.  It is  one of the biggest Shiva temples in the world. The large Nandi statue stands guarding over the temple. nandi is said to be a symbolic representation of time and is ever present attendant of lord Shiva. The temple is locally called as Periya koil which means big temple and is also known as Rajarajeswaram. This refers to the very famous Chola ruler RAJARAJA CHOLA who built this magnificent work of art. The temple construction was completed in 1010 AD. More than a thousand years old,  this temple was made by Rajaraja chola,  and his sister Kundavai who were ardent devotees of Lord Shiva. The Chola dynasty ruled over the greater Indian peninsula for more than 400 years and this temple was constructed at the peak of their reign.

It is said that the original name of the deity was Rajarajeswara and later the Maratha kings changed the name to Brihadeeswara, which meant the the Great God.!

We had the good fortune to visit the temple last week. As we entered the large compound we saw the huge statue of Nandi, which has been carved out of a single stone/rock. The smoothness of this work cannot be described in words. Each and every detail is done with such precision that one will surely wonder if this was really done by human beings! The whole structure of the temple is build in granite and about 130000 tons of granite is used for the making.

The exquisite carvings, statues and other works displayed in the temple are a feast to the eyes. Inscriptions in the temples show all the details used to plan and execute its construction. The chief architect, Rajaraja perunthachan is also portrayed here. His successors even now follow the traditional study of vastu shastra and architecture till today. Another interesting feature is the different hand gestures and movements mentioned in the Natya shastra, the text for dance and drama, is portrayed in such details that you will be amazed to see them etched over granite, for ever.! It must have taken several generations to plan and execute the construction of such a huge work of art and culture. The Chola frescos are all over the walls of temple and the earliest design plans dates back to 921 AD.!

 Historians and archeologists are surprised to know that there are no granite quarries anywhere near this huge temple. Then how could they bring it ? From where ? How? these puzzles are still remaining unsolved!

SRI RANGAM

The Temple of peace.  Sri Rangam

The sudden plan to visit Srirangam in Trichi was decided quickly. Four of us started to Trichi by train on a rainy day from Kerala. We reached there by 10 pm and straightaway checked into the hotel. The next day we were to visit the famous Sri ranganatha swamy temple. Before i start narrating the temple, i must add a note.

 There was a couple next to our seats and they were just minding their own business. The husband looked like an active person and the wife slept most of the time. Probably because of boredom, he suddenly started conversing with all of us. They were Tamil speaking people and he said he was also going to Trichi since its his native place. He added that he had come to Kerala for a wedding in the family since his wife's people lived here in kerala. He politely asked what we were doing in Trichi. We informed him that we wanted to visit the Ranganatha swamy temple and the Brihadeeswara temple at Tanjore.  We could see the interest in his eyes as he explained about the Sri rangam temple in detail.

 The Cholas were the most powerful dynasty of rulers in India(If not in the world). The Cholas ruled the greater India for more than four centuries which no other dynasty could do. There were a succession of many prominent and capable rulers among the Cholas who had even conquered the lands of malaysia, Thailand, Combodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Srilanka. And the Cholas were true pioneers of architectural marvels and they constucted a dam across the Cauvery river which has stood the test of time and stands tall even today.  It is the first dam ever built in the world across.!

 The Cholas were very interested in art and crafts. The temples and their featured architectural wonders will blow your mind! One such marvel is the Sri Ranganatha swamy temple at Trichi.

Our co traveller explained many stories related to this temple which aroused our curiosity to the maximum. And before leaving he offered his services to us and very politely said he would personally come and show us around. Though we were surprised, reluctant and apprehensive we agreed. he asked us to wait at the main entrance at sharp 7 am the next day and lo! he was there on the dot. parking his bike on the side he took us through the main gate. here starts the lessons he gave us.!!

The temple initially was built by the Chola king  Dharmavarma. Then later there was flood in the river Cauvery which destroyed the temple partially. Then slowly the rebuilding started and completed much later. There are four main gopurams or entrances to the large temple. The entire temple complex sprawled across an area of about 153 acres of land. The construction is in the dravidian way of architecture. It is considered as one of the most prominent of Vishnu temples across India. There are 108 vishnu temples of prominence and this one is the most important of all such temples. It has many names like the biggest temple, the abode of the lord on earth etc.

There are 81 shrines within the temple for various  other deities and other saintly people called alwars who initiated the bhakthi or devotion movements. From the third centuary BC onwards the temple attracts a lot of devotees, tourists and others in large numbers.

Lord Vishu of Srirangam is  a beautifully carved idol and this deity is about 18 feet long and is in the sleeping posture. He sleeps on the Adi shesha, the huge serpant and his consort sitting near by. Since the deity and the temple is mentioned in the epic Ramayana, its time dates back to 800 to 400 BCE. Archiologists say that its about 3000 years old.

We, along with our courteous guide entered the temple and was smoothly guided to all the different shrines in and around the temple compound. We were really bowled over by its magnificent structures, carvings and stone statues standing still for centuries. The construction of such a structure at a time when no mechanized help was available, was just too amazing for us to comprehend.

There was this mummified body of a saint, Sri. Ramanujacharya, at one of the shrines. The history says that he was a true devotee of the lord and revered by everybody. When he gave up his body, his lifeless body was kept there and still preserved perfectly in the sitting posture. We offered our salutations in front of this mummified saint and was so surprised to see his body in absolutely perfect shape. Since 1137 AD his body is kept there and is worshipped by all devotees. It is said that his body is preserved with natural herbs unlike Egyptian mummies which are treated and covered in many substances in sleeping position. Once or twice a year some herbs are applied to his body and for centuries it is kept with great care. he was a saint well versed in vedic texts, and was a social reformer and philosopher. he lived for about 120 years and was an elevated master.

It took us and our sincere guide, almost a day to complete the temple tour. We came out so happy and thrilled that we could see all the glory of this ancient piece of Indian history and profusely thanked our guide for his help.  It was a day well spent and we had a lot of contentment and returned to the hotel with gratitude and love.

 

 

 A journey worth a life time with Izzy!

A transcontinental journey that opened unknown vistas of my inner longing for new places..This took place in April of 2022.  I will  tell you from the beginning. okay so let us start the ride readers. Here you go fastening seat belts...

We are three people. Me, my son and his dog Izzy. Izzy is actually Isabelle but she will never acknowledge this full name. But when you address her as Izzy, she is all yours! My son was living in Los Angeles and then he changed his work place to Boston. He has to take his big dog and his car to Boston and he thought of this road trip. Enter me...the one who is bitten by the travel bug at least twice a year, was very eager to jump in the band wagon. So then began our journey from the west coast of US of America to its eastern coast. From California to Boston by road, to be exact.

California is called as the Golden state of USA. Along the Pacific coast, from the Mexican border lies famous state which has many terrains like valleys, mountains and deserts. The city of Los Angeles is the seat of Hollywood which hosts the entertainment division of the United States. San Francisco or the Bay area as it is called now, is the place of many technological companies. The Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco is a very famous land mark. The name Golden state was coined primarily because of the Gold rush in the year 1848, though the nick  name officially was introduced in 1968. The state capital is Sacramento  and the state population is 3.93 crores.  It is the third largest of all the US states. It has a wide variety of flora and fauna. Some of the animals are Black tailed deer, Black bears,Cougars,Elks, garter and rattle snakes etc. Oaks, Red woods, Sequoia etc are plenty in California.

We started our trip with Izzy in my son's Tesla. Now i must add a few sentences about Tesla which i found very interesting. Though it is an elecrically charged car, it has its own internet systems which gets automatically updated periodically. This helps the smooth functioning of the whole car. It has two boots on both sides since there are no engines in the car. The charging stations are in plenty and the system figures it out and prompts you to go to the nearest charge station when the battery power diminishes. It figures out the the route automatically and tell you and show you in its dash board, the easiest way to navigate. Tesla has cutting edge technology which help accelerate the world's emerging transition towards more sustainable energy solutions and there is no exhaust and pollution at all.

So on a crisp morning we loaded up the car with our essential stuff and Izzy and off we headed out. Every four hours or so we took a break to charge both the car and ourselves. The same applied to  with Izzy as well. We were not very sure how she will accomadate herself in the car for long hours but surprisingly and to our much relief she was fine and sometimes curled up in the back seat pillow when she got tired of watching through the window. The charging breaks were her break too to pee and poop.! She happily ran around for 15 or 20 minutes along with us and was ready to continue.

Our first stop was at Las Vegas. The place is world famous for its Casinos and lights. The city has a nick name called The sin city! Entertainment and crime buzzing around, caused this special nick name. Its widely popular for its ever buzzing casinos and lies in the state of Nevada. Even now the nick name stands out notoriously and is a bustling place especially in the evenings. Casinos are great business places and one will never know the time once you enter into one. Day and night stand still inside casinos. A great part of Mohave desert is in this state. We stopped at the" strip" the long road in which all the major casinos are built. Flamingo, Ceasar's  palace, Casino Royale etc are some among the most popular ones.

The history of Vegas is very interesting. The year is 1855. A group of Mormons from the state of nevada, came westwards in search of better lands and pastoral facilities. At that time there were no white people in Las Vegas. They reached this place,  safe and bandit-free area and started settling in like any other group of wanderes. Those were the times when pirots were in plenty. The Mormons wanted to get away from them and settle down in Vegas. The pitates were not receptive of this community. The Mormons found out that they could start mining lead which was an essential component of manufacturing bullets. During the period between the years 1858 to 1900 only a few isolated groups of Mormons were in Vegas, who had come from the city of Utah. A handful of ranches here and there and mining lead, it was still a very sleepy town until 1902. That was the year in which there came rail road connecting Vegas to  California. Then the business boomed at once and it was truely a wild wild west in that place with horses, ranches and not-legalised gambling in place in those areas.

1931. Gambling was legalized and at that time there was a huge influx of people coming this area to get a divorce. Here and only here, then, you could avail a divorce in 6 weeks. Each state had its own rule of governing and for those who wanted divorce fast, came here for that. Those who had money and power frequented Vegas and after the rail road construction the city buzzed with people with money. This was a great income to the state as well. Money and wine and women were the main attractions of this city. Gambling for huge sums of money was a regular thing and people needed place to stay and enjoy. The hotels thrived on this. 

 The new Normal.....

The last two years are game changer. The world was running at full throttle. And one day ..stop..take a step back. you have a new hurdle! Someone called kovid 19. This made people frightened to death, ..ehem..literally to death and it made people STOP and pause with whatever they were doing.

SUDDENLY people turned their attention towards their own immediate surroundings. Like home! started literally talking to each other. I mean verbally. Not texting. And it turned out to be interesting. The people at home are really nice people. They have good intensions unlike your office!They are cooking for you healthy food which was suddenly an important thing in the new life style. The word 'immunity' quickly became the most talked about word. Oh..then exercise..that's a must too. Since you are locked down at home because of the virus its better to find ways to do 'exercise' at home. Yes pick up that cleaning brush and cloth and do your window panes or hoover the floor or even dust all the cob webs and change the dusty curtains.  its exhausting work..but wait a minute..was this not done before by anyone? Guess somebody was at it..NEVER MIND..I SHOUD DO IT QUITE OFTEN. Well..its good for my immunity. Isnt it? Clean home, good food on the table, well wishers around etc etc.

It was a revelation. There is another kind of life which do you really good. So where was i headed till now? Thanks to the virus i must add. People really are not that bad. I do have smiling neighbours though they are just after the compound wall. They say 'good day ' and hi' etc and smile from a distance. Sometimes they clean your gate-front too. Such lovely human beings do exist. Where was i heading out?

Anyway the new normal is becoming very enjoyable. No extra expenses. getting to know more of my fellow home-people and getting to try new dishes freshly cooked three times a day. Isnt that a great life? I nget lots of time read and listen all you tube additions too

ഹംസാക്ക  വരുമ്പോൾ എല്ലാര്ക്കും സന്തോഷം ആണ് .എപ്പോളും ചിരിക്കുന്ന മുഖം ..ലോഗ്യം പറച്ചിൽ മൂപ്പരുടെ സ്വതസിദ്ധ മായ  ശൈലി ..ഹംസാക്കയുടെ പൊട്ടിപൊളിഞ്ഞ എന്നാൽ പ്രതാപിയായ അംബാസിഡർ കാർ  ഞങ്ങളുടെ ഫേവറിറ്റ് ആണ് .അതിന്റെ മുമ്പിലത്തെ വാതിൽ ഏകദേശം കയ്യിൽ ഊരി പിടിക്കാം അത്ര പുരാതനമായ സാധനം ആണ് അതു .പിന്നെ അതിന്റെ മുമ്പിലെ സീറ്റിൽ ഉള്ള ബെൽറ്റ് .അതും ഹംസാക്കയെ പോലെ പുരാവസ്തു ..വഴിയിൽ പോലീസിനെ കാണുമ്പോൾ ഹംസാക്ക പറയും .കുട്ട്യേ ..ആ കയറു ഒന്ന് മുന്നോട്ടു പിടിച്ചോളി ..ബെൽറ്റാണ് ഹംസാക്കയുടെ കയറു ..ഇങ്ങൾക്കു ഇത് ഒന്ന് നന്നാക്കിക്കൂടെ ..ഉടനെ മറുപടി ..ആ ..ന്നിട്ടുവേണം ൻറെ കായി വെർതേ കളയാന് ..ഇതോണ്ടൊന്നും ഒര് കാരിയോം ഇല്യ കുട്ട്യേ ..ഗെർമെൻഡ് പൈസ ണ്ടാക്ക്യ ..അതന്നെ ...ചിരി അടക്കി പിടിക്യ അത്രന്നെ ..എങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞു മനസ്സിലാക്കും ഹംസക്കെനെ ..
ഒരു യാത്ര പോയി വരുമ്പോളേക്കും ഹംസാക്ക ഒരു വിധം നാട്ടു വിശേഷങ്ങൾ ഒക്കെയും അപ്പ് ടു ഡേറ്റ്  ആക്കും .പ്രവാസികൾക്കു ഒരു വസ്തും അറിയില്ല എന്നതാണ് മൂപ്പരുടെ ഒരു കണ്ടുപിടുത്തം ..ഹംസക്കാ ..ഈ കാറിൽ ങ്ങൾ ഒരു എസി പിടിപ്പിച്ചൂടെ ..നല്ല ചൂട്‌ ..ഇപ്പോ എസി ഇല്ല്യാത്ത എതെകിലും വണ്ടി ഉണ്ടോ ...അതൊക്കെ നിക്ക് അറിയും പക്ഷേങ്കില് ങ്ങള് അര മണിക്കൂർ എസിയിൽ ഇരുന്നൊക്കി ..അപ്പൊ പിന്നെ ആസ്പത്രീല്യ്ക്കു ങ്ങക്ക് നേരെ പോവാം ...ഏഹ് ..ആസ്പത്രീലിക്കോ ..അതെങ്ങനെ ...വാതം ..അതന്നെ ഈ സാധനം ല്യേ എസി ..അതൊന്നും മ്മടെ ദേഹത്തിനു തീരെ നന്നല്ല ..വാതം പിടിച്ചു കിടക്കേണ്ടി വരും ..അതോണ്ടൻയാ വെക്കാത്തതു കുട്ട്യേ ..എനിക്കെയ് ..ങ്ങനെ എല്ലാരേം സൂക്കേടുകാരാക്കണ്ട ..അതന്നെ ...
.....തോറ്റു ....നമസ്‌കാരം ......

മരണ വീടുകളിൽ പോകാൻ എനിക്കു തീരെ താല്പര്യമില്ല .കാരണം മിക്കവാറും അവിടെ മറ്റു പല വർത്തമാനങ്ങൾ ആകും കേൾക്കുക . സാധാരണ ദുഃഖം അറിയിച്ച ശേഷം അവിടന്നു മുങ്ങുകയാണ് പതിവ് .എനിക്കു ജീവിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നവരെ കാണാനും ശുശ്രൂഷിക്കാനും ആണ് കൂടുതൽ താല്പര്യം . എന്നാൽ ഒരു ദിവസം ഒഴിവാകാൻ പറ്റാത്ത ഒരു സ്ഥലത്തു കുടുങ്ങി പോയി . മൃതദേഹത്തിന് അന്ത്യ ഉപചാരങ്ങൾ അർപ്പിച്ച ശേഷം പതുക്കെ മാറി ഒരു  റൂമിന്റെ ഉള്ളിൽ കയറി ഇരുന്നു.കയ്യിൽ ഫോൺ ഉള്ളത് രക്ഷയായി .ധാരാളം പരിചിത മുഖങ്ങൾ ...സ്ത്രീകൾ . എല്ലാവരോടും ഒന്നു മെല്ലെ ചിരിച്ചു  വേഗം ഫോൺ സ്‌ക്രീനിൽ നോക്കി ഇരുന്നു . അതുകൊണ്ടു എന്നെ അവർ സംസാരത്തിൽ ഉൾപ്പെടുത്തിയില്ല .ഞാൻ നിശബ്ദമായ കേൾവിക്കാരി ..അതു എനിക്കും നന്നായി ബോധിച്ചു .നിർവികാരത ഉപകാരപ്പെടും ഇങ്ങനെ  ചില സന്ദർഭങ്ങളിൽ ..കേൾക്കുകയാണ് പല തരം വിഷയങ്ങൾ . ഇന്ദിരമ്മായി ..കുട്ടീ അത് നമ്മടെ രാധാകൃഷ്ണൻ അല്ലെ ..ഇപ്പോ അമേരിക്കയിൽ ആണ് എന്ന് കേട്ടു .ഉടനെ എല്ലാ സ്ഥലത്തും ഒരേ സമയം പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെടുന്ന പദ്‌മിനി ഏടത്തി '.അതെയോ..അയാളുടെ മകൾ രണ്ടാമത് കല്യാണം കഴിച്ചത് ഒരു സായിപ്പിനെ അല്ലെ '"അങ്ങനെ കേട്ടൂല്ലോ "..ചിലപ്പോ അതൊക്കെ എങ്ങനെ ഉണ്ട് എന്ന് നോക്കാൻ പോയതാവും " ..അതെ  ശരിയാ ..ഈ  സായിപ്പന്മാർ ഒക്കെ എങ്ങിനെയാണോ  ആവൊ ' ഇയാൾ കഴിഞ ആഴ്ച വന്നതാവും .കാരണം മേലേടത്തെ കല്യാണത്തിന് ഇയാളെ കണ്ടില്ല്യല്ലോ '. പേരറിയാത്ത മറ്റൊരു വല്യമ്മ ഉടനെ ..."ആരു പറഞ്ഞു ..ഞാൻ കണ്ടൂല്ലോ ..തലേ ദിവസം രാത്രി വന്നു പോയി . ചിലപ്പോ ആൾക്കാരെ കാണാൻ മടി ണ്ടാവും ..അതോണ്ടായിരിക്കും എന്തൊക്കെ പറഞ്ഞാലും ഈ സായിപ്പമാർ തീരെ പോരാ ട്ടോ ..കുളിക്കും ഇല്യാത്രേ ..എങ്ങന്യാ ഈശ്വരാ .ഈ കുളിക്കാതേം ജപിക്കാതേം ജീവിക്കണേ ..ഇക്കറില്ല്യ ..ഇനീപ്പോ കുട്ടിയോള് ണ്ടായാൽ ..സായിപ്പൻയാവും ..ല്ലേ ..മലയാളോം പറയില്ല്യ ..യോഗ ഫലം അതന്യേ ..അയാളെ അയാൾടെ അമ്മേനെ ശരിക്കു കഷ്ടപെടുത്തി ന്നാ  തോന്നണേ ..അപ്പൊ അതിന്‌ കിട്ടീതാരിക്കും ..ഏതായാലും ഞാൻ ഒന്നു പോയി വർത്താനം പറയട്ടെ ..
പെട്ടെന്ന് അവരെ കാണാൻ ഇല്യ . ദൂരത്തു ആളെ തിരഞ്ഞു പിടിച്ചു സ്വയം പരിചയപ്പെടുത്തുന്നുണ്ടായിരുന്നു മരണ വീട്ടിലെ വലിയമ്മ മൂക സാക്ഷി.പക്ഷെ ഇടക്കിടക്ക് സംഭാഷണങ്ങൾ ശ്രദ്ധിക്കുന്നുണ്ട് ..തനിക്കു ഇതിൽ പങ്കു ചേരാൻ പറ്റീല്ലല്ലോ എന്ന് വിചാരിക്കുന്നുണ്ടാകും . എന്നാലും അവർക്കു കേൾക്കാമല്ലോ എല്ലാ നാട്ടു വർത്തനങ്ങളും . ചുറ്റുവട്ടത്തുള്ള ആരും രക്ഷപ്പെടില്ല ഓരോ വീടുകളായി പരിശോധനയാണ് .ഓരോ വീട്ടിലെയും അംഗങ്ങളുടെ കൃത്യമായ കണക്കുണ്ട് .ആര് എവിടെ പോയി എന്ന ഡേറ്റ സഹിതം .ഇവിടെ ആർട്ടിഫിഷ്യൽ ഇന്റലിജൻസ് പരാജയപ്പെടുന്ന തരം ഇന്റെൽ ശേഖരിക്കൽ ആണ്.നിരീക്ഷണ ക്യാമെറകൾ ..എവിടെ നോക്കിയാലും ..ഞാൻ മുപ്പത്തഞ്ചു വർഷത്തെ പ്രവാസം മതിയാക്കി വന്നതിനു ശേഷം കണ്ട ആദ്യ മരണ വീട് ..ഈശ്വര  ഇത് വളരെ അത്ഭുതം തന്നെ .ഇവിടെ എല്ലാവരും ഉണ്ട് എന്നാൽ വന്ന ഉദ്ദേശം എന്താണ് ..ശരീരം ദഹിപ്പിച്ചില്ല അതിനു മുന്നേ തന്നെ അവർ പതിനഞ്ചാം ദിവസത്തെ സദ്യക്ക് ഏറെ ഒക്കെ വിളിക്കണം എന്ന് കണക്കു കൂട്ടുന്നു .ജീവിതത്തിനു അർത്ഥമില്ലാത്ത നിമിഷങ്ങൾ ..അല്ല ..മരണത്തിന് ...

Beautiful Ladakh.....Travel diaries

Travel diaries......

Speaking pics..

A different perspective..

 Sometimes in the late November 2019 I was on my way back to India from Los Angeles California, I met an elderly American who happened to be next to my seat. He was vert tall and had blonde long hair which was tied in 3 knots

part 8

Part 8. Pangong Tso generally called as pangong lake is situated at a height of 4350 mts in the Himalayas,Ladakh This azure structure of water lies to an extent of 134 km between China and India.the striking colors of the water is a constant tourist attraction here.The breadth is about 5 km and is a favourite location too for many Bollywood movies.One of the largest brackish water lake, its vistas are breath-takingly beautiful. The temperature varies from minus 10 to 10 degrees. Roughly 150 km from leh, this is a must-see for all ladakh visitors.

Though our driver was constantly reminding us about the cold that is yet to experience at pangong we did nt pay much attention since we were busy absorbing the first sights of this beautiful water body. We reached near the lake and when we got out of the car we were just shocked to see the beauty of the lake. Then it struck that we were feeling very very cold. Putting on all the exxtra layering of clothes we were welcomed by a local girl padma for hot cups of coffee and snacks. Into our rooms. There were good wash rooms and beds with many blankets but the power supply was very low. They did not have much electricity and was running on a small generator. We, urbanites could not really digest that. No phones, no wifi and finally no electricity?/ Where on earth we have landed? Unpacking and taking out more woolen stuff we got ready to brave the cold and walk outside to view the lake. It was a wrong decision. We were shivering in those sub zero temperature after a time spa of 10 minutes. We had o us layers of warm clothing but it didnt help. By sunset we were iside our rooms playing cards and other games. We had to chaarge our phones and cameras in 2 hours since electricity would be cut off soon. The whole ight was so cold and we could hear the sounds of some wild animls howling in the night. The next day we came to know that the temperature was minus 7degrees!! We survived without a room heater or an electric light ..for tht matter…

part 7 ladakh

Part 7. The entire building of eco lodge was solar powered. No wifi. No phone signals. The girls went crazy in the beginning but when the dusk brought in all colours in the horizon like a painted canvas which bordered all the towering ranges, everyone forgot about the wifi signals. It was such a splendid sight. The next morning we found ourselves wandering in the front garden happily clicking pictures. Two local ladies were busy doing something at the nearby storage building. We went to meet them d ask around. They were Dolma and Diskit ( which is also a place there) and they were roasting wheat. They spoke Ladakhi language and some Hindi. They said they were getting ready for the severe winter that is about to settle in for another 6 months. By october 20th, all tourist activities will be suspended only to re start in the end of March because the entire place would be under snow. They informed us that they would cut up all remaining vegetables and fruits and sun-dry then to store in big hessian sacks. They would not dream of stepping out in the winter months and would use all these stored veggies and powdered whet etc for food. Also dried meat which will keep them warm in those months. I wondered at the variety of climate in different parts of India. Being from the southern side we had never come across such weather and I thought what would it be like to live in a snow-covered home for months. !! (Photos attached, of the two ladies)

After an elaborate breakfast we were to start for our last destination which was Pangong lake.

There were a few other families too in this place. A Very loud lady who was constantly screaming at her driver and her companions irritated us because of her behavior. She was just not bothered about her surroundings and other people. Continuously shouting at her poor ocal driver she thought she grabbed some attention. We were about to stop her reminding of other peoples’ presence but somehow stopped ourselves a confrontation.!!

Off to pangong lake with bags packed and it was a long drive but the sights and scenes were great. Tea breaks and maggie breaks in between and by afternoon..lo..we could see the blue color of the lake from a distance.

part 6

ere the locals stayed to help in cooking and caring for the tourists. It was a beautiful place surrounded by mountains ans with a huge vegetable garden in front. They grew all things for themselves. A perfect place for the wandering nomads like us. There were zuchini, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots,onions, turnips nd what not. The slightly bigger trees were full of green and red applePart 6. From the top of Khardung la pass to the drive to Nubra valley...We climbed down to our next stop which was the Eco lodge t Nubra valley. The roads were winding, rough and not very wide. We saw many military convoys carrying supplies to their different bases. When such a motorcade approaches the drivers on the opposite side had to wait in certain res where the road was more wider.Through out we could see groups of men at work on the roads clearing anything that was on the road. Many areas has snow fall, some areas were prone to stone shooting and sometimes huge boulders. !! Stone shooting can be caused by just one single boulder falling and carrying along many rocks along with it in its downward course. Or even mountain goats who rush and run sometimes on such altitude. Many places long the rod had soft and powdery snow on one side and the other side….deep valleys.

The moment we saw the fine snow we told our driver to stop for clicks again. He turned out to be more interested than us to roll down in the snow. The girls sreedevi, sunena and chinnus took pictures in all possible angles in that gleaming white background

Further down...and here were some sights which I forgot to mention. The wild life of ladakh mountains. We came across many species of birds, mules, mustangs yaks, donkeys and marmuts. This was my first encounter with this animal called marmut. They were five or six in numbers and we took out our cameras in haste. Group of other tourists too joined us on the roadside to see these beautiful animals. (Pictures attached) surprisingly they were ot at all shy of people and were actually posing for photos. Tea break stop and this time Sonaldi had herbal tea bags for us from her black bag. Mountain terrains continued. Roads were beautiful and we saw a camp for buggy riding at hunder valley which were ATV. All terrain vehicles. The girls had fun riding them and we moved on to reach the Eco lodge by in the evening.

The Eco lodge was nestled in the middle of three huge ranges, the karakoram, the ladakh and the Seltro range. It was a two storied building with an outhouse whs hanging down. Settled in for the day in such a picturesque surrounding and went to bed dreaming about the next day.

part 4 ladakh

re the river indus and The Zanskar river met. It was already evening and the sun was on the process of setting down. It was a great view to see the two separately colored rivers meeting to form one new and natural glow. The evening light set the perfect background in that valley and we will never forget that wonderful scene in our life time.(I will add the picture here) Angchuk stopped the car in such an elevated place so that we were able to take a lot of photos.The Zaskar is a north eastern river with tributaries like Doda and eventually joins Indus in Leh. Sangam valley was an unflappable and ostentatious sight in its own way.

Next stop...to our favourite area.. The leh. Ttibetan market..we looked for small give away things and local products happily wandering and of course clicking pics. There were many Tibetans and kashmiris with so many locally made products to sell. Everyone were busy getting things of interest for their dear ones back home. Back to the hotel for a hot bath and dinner. Tomorrow we will be going to the highest point in India. The anticipation was high and went to bed thinking about it.

Part 3 Ladakh

Part 3 Before talking about the black bag, a few words about our team. Sreedevika, the beautiful and young actress and director of random wekaram the popular malayalam web series is a very loving and lively girl. She has a special camera and lens which makes her images(of people) very thin and beautiful. The two young girls sunena and the youngest, chinnuz are very much in love with that lens and made full use of that aspect by clicking countless pictures of those beautiful scenes Both were beautiful models and looked even more beautiful in those picturesque atmosphere. .Me and su (suvarna nandakumar, the actress in the seriesRandom wekaram) were the curious ones bothering our driver with all kinds of questions on previous history of Ladakh and other interesting things. Any bit of information was properly assimilated.As we passed a river that was flowing silently we just casually asked the name. Angchuk said. ‘ That is Indus river”. !! Really? The Indus? From where it all began?. The Indus valley? Sidhu ? The Indus valley civilisation is known world wide! “ Oh..then I must touch those waters!! Insisted Su. to reaffirm our doubting minds, the board appeared on the way called ’Sindhu Ghat”. That is it.. We are stopping here to get down to the river..Su is high on history. The driver plus guide somehow pacified her informing that she will have her’ share of Indus exploration’ before leaving Ladakh. All of us pulled her leg through out and said we will dip her in some other river.just to annoy her..

Sonal di on the first day, we noticed that , was carrying a black shoulder bag other than her usual handbag. We thought that it must be some accessories to the biting cold temperature.. It was about two to three degrees in Leh. We never knew that her black bag (bb) would turn into a life saver for us in the following days.

So after the Thiksay monastery tour we were all hungry. When it is very cold, you naturally feel more hungry because the body needs more energy and burns the food faster. We walked into a near by restaurant called Chumba restaurant. Since it was the end of tourist season there were no much people except a few like us. We placed our orders for some familiar and some local dish called Thupka which was a combination of soup and noodles. The waiter said it would take some time to prepare and we had no choice but to wait. All the selfies and clicks stopped because of hunger pangs. Out comes the stuff from sonal di’s bag. We were astonished to see the big packets of Thepla( a spicy gujrati bread seasoned with herbs) and the accompanying garlic chutney which was spicy. She had taken the trouble of preparing so much of these things from Dubai, her home. Not only that..she had packed it in 5 different packets for each day separately. How thoughtful is that! We devoured the first batch before our orders came and everyone was back in action so to speak. From then on we would always remind her not to forget her bb whenever we went out.!!

Our next stop was the kargil museum in leh. Most of the parts of this place photography is not allowed because of its sensitive nature. It was a reminder of how brave our soldiers are and how they worked in those icy cold temperature to the extent of minus 50 degrees. Pictures of those who served the nation and died for us were elegantly displayed with all necessary informations. The machinery and ammo used by the defense were on display too.

Driving along the rugged mountains we continued our journey absorbing all the sights to a more deeper valley.

Day 2 Ladakh...

Day 2.

Rinchen Angchuk, our young and enthusiastic driver reached the hotel at sharp 9 AM . We were informed earlier and hence we were very much ready and excited to see the place. We had a full breakfast at the hotel before leaving. That day we would see the local tourists’ spots in Leh and around. Angchuk was our tour guide too. We saw him offering a small prayer looking towards the photograph of Lord Budha in his car. Off we started towards our first stop which was the Stok Palace. Ladakh, which is at the northern part of India has two districts. Leh and Kargil. These two are the two major cities as well.the population is roughly about 2.75 lakhs and is a very mountainous terrain. Wheat barley and vegetables are grown here.The crops vary according to the altitude and weather conditions. As we drove through the streets of ladakh towards the Stok place we saw many budhist prayer bells, schools, hospitals, shops and other structures and most of them backdropped by the mighty mountains.

This was built in the 14th century by Lama Lhawang Lotus and it was the home of the royals earlier. Photography was not allowed inside the building. It was kept like a museum displaying all the artifacts and items used by the then royal people of ladakh. The traditional dresses,jewellery and other articles were all laden and studded with coral and turquoise and pearls. Very beautiful they were. There were some very old paintings on display which were 1500 years old. They were still intact and when asked the person in charge told us that those colors survived because they were prepared by crushing those semi precious stones like corals, jade, turquoise and pearls and using some organic mixture to hold them together.!! We were amazed at their ancient techniques of art.! We were allowed to take pictures only from the out side of the Stok palace.

Our next stop was the Thiksay Monastery. It was a Gompa or a Tibetan styled monastery. A very huge , white and ancient building. It was situated on a hill and our car was parked at the gates. We had to walk for some time to reach the 100 steps that we were to climb to reach the main area of the monastery. The walking itself was task since we were on high altitude and then climbing those steps were hard and strenuous for us. Even if you are physically very fit, in these mountainous terrains and super high altitude you need to have your breath under control and take it slowly. Most of the people get very excited and run up to reach the top only to get very tired and out of breath. The tip is to do it slow and steady. We saw a very huge prayer wheel at the very beginning of the premises. And as we climbed up towards the long winding steps we reached into a beautifully decorated prayer hall. It was very silent and perfect for meditation. Flash lights were not allowed. There was an enormous statue of Lord Budha. It was huge and multi coloured with gleaming finish entirely. The colors enhanced his meditational posture with folded hands. You will be so humbled by the energy and vibrations prevailed over there that you will find yourself simply sitting there and closing your eye to absorb all that divine energy. All of us sat there silently for sometime only to get super energized to see the rest of the monastery. There were more stairways to climb to enter the worshiping place of other Gods like Tara. the entire monastery had wooden floors. Other major monasteries were hemis, Shey. lamayuru etc.In each such places the statues of Gods and Goddesses were exquisitely made with rich colours and other decorations. Looking at them one will definitely wonder about the craftsmanship of those ancient artisans and artists and will surely bow in their memory.!

Tea break...and here I must write about the black bag before continuing.

Ladakh Diaried....Part 1

Part 1. So here it is...our story of a great trip.. To the remotest part of india. We had this belief that Ladakh was a place for bikers and hence for youngsters or the adventurous people oly.. Well..most of us. But then again we had an advantage. We had Sonal didi who was an exceptionally well informed fellow traveler since she was a seasoned mountaineer and had conquered many big ones like mount Kilimanjaro etc. Our group consisted of six ladies( of ages from 23 to 60) We were very doubtful that the youngest one probably will feel left out because of the fact that she was too young. .. Some members flew down to Delhi from Dubai and two of us from india. All of us met at Delhi airport and our flight was on 28th early morning to Leh.

The excitement of meeting friends at the airport was too noisy that people started glaring at us..looking daggers..hmm..a task well begun i guess. A short flight from Delhi to Leh by Vistara airlines. It was a lovely flight, new aircraft, leather seats etc and very friendly crew. The flight was full of tourists like us.We were told by our agent in Ladakh that the tourist season was nearly ending and we were just on time before the frozen scenes set in.

Lo...we are already in Kushok bakula Rimpoche airport terminal. Our agent was waiting with a smile. The first impression which is normally the best, was one of a very endearing one. People seemed friendly and very polite. They had all our luggage safely mounted on the carrier of the car and off we went to our hotel which was about 2 km from the airport.

The Sangto Villa was a very beautiful place with all the necessary comforts including wifi.!! We were told earlier not to expect much network connection in leh. But the wifi surprised us and our wifi-craving team mates had a lot of action as soon as we checked in. posing and clicking and sending to dear ones back home ofcourse!!! Especailly when the place is so laden with multi colored flowers and gardens. There were apple trees fully laden with green and red apples which were a sight to us. Soon those apples were inside our alimentary canal and we devoured them happily. Then we saw the apricot tree showering us with their ripe fruits which were another thing to pursue further. We wanted to behave like a proper tourist paying a casual glance to everything but those fruit trees wont allow us to be so..So off we went running around plucking those ripe ones and finishing them in a span of seconds.!! Such super abundance we had never seen earlier..!!

Our agent Siddarth took us to the dining area for a very sumptous breakfast of Poha, Aloo paratha, Omlette coffee tea and fresh fruits. He gave us a small briefing about ladakh Leh, cargil, Drass etc and also about the tourist season and what kind of things and climate to expect in each region. That day there was no sight seeing and we had to get acclimatised for the entire day. So we spent the day clicking photos and enjoying the various dishes that were provided. The rest of the day we spent merrily walking around the resort and enjoying the sights of ostentatious folds of mountains that bordered the villa and the poplar trees that stood over the villa as if protecting them. We went to bed after a great dinner that was served in the hotel and also in anticipation of the next day. We were already in awe of the silently eloquent ladakh mountain ranges…..(To be continued)

Classic Hamsakka....veendum..

ഹംസാക്കയുടെ ടാക്സിയില്‍ എയര്‍പോര്‍ട്ടില്‍ നിന്ന് വീട്ടിലേക്കു പോകുമ്പോള്‍ ആണ് എല്ലാ നാട്ടു വര്‍ത്തമാനങ്ങളും വിശദമായി അറിയുന്നത്..

അര മണിക്കൂറില്‍ പുള്ളി പല ലോക കാര്യങ്ങളും ചര്‍ച്ച ചെയ്യും...ഒരു കൈക്കൂലി വാങ്ങിയ സര്‍ക്കാര്‍ ജീവനക്കാരനെ പറ്റി പറഞ്ഞപ്പോള്‍ ചോദിച്ചു..ഈ ഗവണ്മെന്റ് ജീവനക്കാര്‍ ഇങ്ങനെയായാല്‍ എന്ത് ചെയ്യും നമ്മള്‍?? (പ്രവാസിയുടെ രോഷം)!!

ഹംസാക്കയുടെ ഉത്തരം ഉടനെ വന്നു..ആ അല്ലാ കുട്ട്യേ..അതറിയില്ലേ.??ഗവണ്മെന്റ് പണി കിട്ടാന്‍ ബല്യ പണിയാ..പഷേണ്ടല്ലോ...കിട്ടിയാ പിന്നെ പണിയില്ല്യ 

Hamsakka...veendum...

ഹംസാക്ക കഥകള്‍.. തുടരുന്നു..

സ്ഥലം .കോഴിക്കോടെ എയര്‍പോര്‍ട്ട്.തലേ ദിവസം വിളിച്ചു പറഞ്ഞു എയര്‍പോര്‍ട്ടില്‍ വരാനുള്ള സമയവും ഫ്ലൈറ്റ് നമ്പരും ഒക്കെ.ആകെ രണ്ടു കന്വേയര്‍ ബെല്ട്ടുകള്‍ ആണ് കോഴിക്കോടെ എയര്‍പോര്‍ട്ടില്‍ ഉള്ളത്.കസ്ടോംസ് പരിപാടികള്‍ കഴിഞ്ഞു താഴേക്കു ഇറങ്ങിയപ്പോള്‍ ഹംസക്ക കൈ വീശുന്നു പുറത്തു നിന്ന്..ഞാന്‍ ബടെ ഇണ്ട്‌ ട്ടോ...എന്ന്..സമാധാനം ആയി..ഇനി പെട്ടി കൂടി വന്നാല്‍ പുറത്തു പോകാം..നോക്കിയപ്പോള്‍ ഒന്നാം നമ്പര്‍ ബെല്‍റ്റില്‍ ഫ്ലൈറ്റ് നമ്പര്‍ വന്നു..എല്ലാ യാത്രക്കാരും തിങ്ങി കൂടി..എങ്ങനെയെങ്ങിലും ഇടിച്ചു കയറാന്‍ ഞാന്‍.......,,...അപ്പൊ അതാ ഫോണ്‍......,... ഇത്?? അയ്യോ ഹംസാക്കയാണല്ലോ..എന്ത് പറ്റി?

കുട്ട്യേ..ആ രണ്ടാം നമ്പര്‍ ബെല്ടിലേക്ക് പൊക്കോ ട്ടോ..ഒന്നാം നമ്പര്‍ സാധനം കേടാ..(.... ചിരി അടക്കി ഓടുന്നതിന്നിടയില്‍ നോക്കിയപ്പോള്‍.. അതാ പെട്ടികള്‍ നിരയായി രണ്ടാം ബെല്‍റ്റില്‍.. !!!!!!! ,!!!!)

അതാണ്‌ ഹംസാക്ക...