The Grand Himalayan Exile | Gear list

My trip to the Canadian arctic two years ago (Video blog here) helped get the right gear for long trips like this one. You can find my arctic gear list here.

Here is the complete list for this 3 month Himalayan extravaganza:

Backpack, Sleeping bag and tent

Gregory Palisade 80 --> I took it to the Canadian arctic. Very comfortable on long trips. Make sure you purchase a rain cover (with a drain hole, if possible).

Summit Bag --> Gregory Miniwok 18L ( Nice little summit bag that is hydration compatible)

Sleeping bag --> The North Face Cat's Meow (-7 Deg C). Tried and tested on many hikes - my favorite sleeping bag.

Tent --> No tent. I would be hiking on Tea house trails where accommodation is available at the end of the day. This is possible only in Nepal - not possible in North America.

Kitchen

No Kitchen gear --> Tea House treks are easy on your back.

Food

--> No cooking material - Only snacks.
--> Lots of Powerbar gels,bars,Nuts & Chocolate.
--> Electrolyte tablets that can be dissolved in water (Nice replacement for Gatorade- lightweight and less bulky)


Clothing

Base Layer --> Polartek base layer from MEC (2) - lovely fit and very effective.

 

Mid Layer --> Arcteryx Fleece - Simple, elegant, made of Polartek material

Outer Layer --> The North Face 800 fill down jacket (Super light - packs into its own pocket), Arcteryx rain shell (Made of Goretex Paclite - ligthweight, waterproof)

 

2 Half sleeve 100% polyester T shirts (cotton is not advisable for cold conditions as it soaks in moisture)

 

1 full sleeve Polyester T shirt

 

2 Hiking shorts

 

1 North Face convertible hiking pant

 

Glove liners, Woolen Kanuk Tuque

 

Try to segregate night clothes from hiking clothes. You can easily do this with a dry sack. Good sleep is very crucial on long trips.

 

Footwear

Timberland Earthkeepers shoes - Vibram/goretex mid hiking shoes - (Don't recollect name of the model. Light weight, comfortable and breathable+waterproof, good ankle support)

 

Timberland radler camp shoe --> 'Zip and fold' - Superlight shoe for walking on light trails and around the camp

Emergency

High altitude sickness - Dexamethasone (4X4 mg), Nifedifine (4 tablets)
Blister protection bandaids

Emergency survival blanket for 2 - for hypothermia

Adventure medical kit - ultralight 5

Sewing kit & adhesive

Duct tape - for backpack/sleeping bag etc

Goretex patches - waterproof patches for outer layer repair.

Spare laces

Insect repellent

Mosquito net for head/neck

Everything else

Mobile phone

Hydration pack 2L Camelbak

Nalgene 1L bottle (2)

Gaiters

Straps+cords etc.

Sony RX 100 camera - light and compact digital camera that is as good as a DSLR. Ideal for long trips like this one. It is expensive though. I am leaving my Nikon D90 home.

 

I hope all this would help me sail through the Himalayan landscape !! 

Related posts:
The Grand Himalayan Exile
 



The Grand Himalayan Exile !

Ten days from now, I would embark on the grandest trip of my life - a 3 month exile in the Himalayas. I would be traversing the Annapurna circuit (~300kms) in Nepal, hiking in Tibet and finally exploring Himalayas in Bhutan.

Hiking is certainly one of the key activities of this trip - However, the driving force is something else. It is more to answer some larger questions in life (yeah !) with an extended period of isolation from day to day life.

Ever since I shared this news with colleagues and friends, there have been so many people who came up to me and said that they have always wanted to attempt something like this in their lives. Somehow, due to various reasons, they have not been able to attempt a journey like this one. This makes me wonder - why are we complicating our lives with these so called "must haves"? Be it job security, owning a home or securing the future of your family...

Anyways, I am totally geared up and excited about the coming days.

I'll try to push updates as and when possible.

Enjoy and try to break free !

 

Exquisite Japan ! - PART II - Tokyo

After a wonderful time in Hokkaido (Part I here), I was all set for Tokyo. I was looking forward to the energy of Tokyo.

Right when I landed at the airport, I realized that Tokyo is going to be completely different from what I had just seen at Hokkaido. This was going to a tech savvy metro - a city that is more high tech than any other city on this planet. This is a city that is crazy about fashion too.

Here are just a few examples of the tech savviness of this city.

There is a real time traffic display at the airport - so that you can plan your route accordingly!!

Real time traffic display at Airport

And then as you roam through the city, you have display messages like this one. This one was displaying the height of the location with respect to sea level with a single decimal accuracy !

The Japanese take this too seriously !

And, the Japanese brought technology into toilets as well. One can never imagine that toilets can he high tech too. The picture below is the side panel on the wall. However, I must say, i did have a good time  - heated toilet seats, heated sprays - all this is luxury in sub zero temperatures. You just need to make sure you press the right button, else you might have sprays pointed to all wrong places !!

Technology in toilets !

Back to my trip.

I arrived in Tokyo on a bright sunny afternoon, checked in at Sakura Hotel, Jimbocho (Tripadvisor review here). I got a bed in the dormitory at the basement. There were people from as many countries as there were beds. There were backpackers from France to Switzerland to US to Germany - And, amongst them an Indian too !

Guillaume, a French guy, was staying on the bed adjacent to mine. He offered to take me to Shibuya for dinner. Shibuya, the local hangout spot for Japanese, is the Times Square of Tokyo. In fact, Shibuya Square is easily the place where you can find these many Japanese together !

Shibuya Square

If you didn't have Sake, your Japanese trip is incomplete !

Shibuya square

With Guillaume at Shibuya

We walked around Shibuya and had a couple of Sakes with dinner. If you want to witness fashion, Shibuya is the place - you have people from all walks of life dressing to the best of their abilities.
And of course, by the time it is mid night, you will start seeing signs of individuals who are "Sake'd"...

Later in the night we were joined by Ben, the American who was also staying at the same place. It was well past midnight when we were searching for a place to drink in Jimbocho. Finally, we landed at an Irish Pub. So here it was: A French guy, an American and an Indian in an Irish Pub in Japan !!

Guillaume left the next day. Ben and I walked around the whole day in Asakusa and explored the place thoroughly. Asakusa is called the old town and for obvious reasons. It is much more traditional that the other parts of Tokyo.

We visited the Sensoji shrine and all the museums in and around Asakusa.

Sensoji Shrine

Sensoji Shrine

 The Sensoji Shrine is of very high religious importance to Japanese. It is the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo.

Ben and I at the Drum museum

We were looking at the information brochure that we found at the information center. There were a couple of museums in the region. Ben, being a musician, was very keen on this drum museum. It was indeed a wonderful display of instruments. The key differentiator of this museum is that fact that you are allowed play most of the displayed items.

And then came the bags museum. This is not a popular spot and most of the tourists would not find this place. We just happened to glance it in the brochure and decided to give it a try. It had an exhaustive collection of bags from across the world. It also had a

Bags Museum

Bags from all regions !

 It was close to sunset and we wanted to try out the Tokyo Sky Tree tower. We had some good views of it as we were nearing it.

We were taken aback when we saw the queue. It would have taken us at least 2 hours to get tickets and reach up. We didn't think it was worth it. Instead, we found the "World Beer museum" in the complex adjacent to the tower. It was a wise decision !

Ben and I at the Beer Museum

And then we parted and i went ahead to Shinjuku. Shinjuku is the gaming and electronics center of Tokyo. Shinjuku metro is the busiest metro station in Tokyo.

Shinjuku

Tenzan Onsen, Hakone

The next day i planned a day trip to Hakone Onsen. I had become a fan of Onsens right since my first visit in Hokkaido. Hakone is about 100Km from Tokyo. I had to change 2 trains and then a shuttle bus to reach the Onsen. I must say, it was worth every bit of trouble I undertook to reach there. This Onsen was quite different from the one at Hokkaido. There were many small Onsens with varying temperatures of water. And, amongst those was one with cold water - I took a dip in that one too !

Hakone Onsen

Hakone is like Ooty (in India) -  a small hillside town, a weekend retreat for Tokyo dwellers. It has a stream running right through and offers some good views of hills surrounding the area.

 

 

 

This trip also gave me an opportunity to try the bullet train, Shinkansen. It was a short ride but the experience was exhilarating.

The next day, I went out with Simon, the Swiss guys who was on a long Asia trip. I took him around city in my style - no map - no list of destinations - just walk the whole day. He was taken aback when I told him this when we visited the Imperial palace.

Simon and I at the Imperial palace

Imperial Palace

Visitors are not allowed to enter the palace except for one day, 23rd Dec. We continued walking...

 

Ginja

Ueno Market

We walked the whole day and by the evening we had reached Ueno. Ueno market reminded me of TulsiBaug market in Pune. We had a tasty Lebanese wrap here - Lebanese cuisine is something that I cannot resist !

We deserved a treat for the long walk all through the day. We partied at Roppongi, which is just like Shibuya - just that this is the hangout for whites ! Simon being with me did help in getting entry into places where my skin color would not have granted me entry. We had a great time hopping bars all through out Roppongi. It was 230 AM by the time we finished - Now, we had to reach the hotel. Simon suggested taking a taxi - I convinced him for another walk. So, here we were, in Tokyo, without any map and without knowing the local language. We stopped at every police station on the way to ask for directions - it was not my idea ! My beard has landed me in trouble at many immigration checks.. Luckily for us, there were these police check posts every km or so. We walked back 7-8 kms to the hotel in the middle of the night - another superb way to experience the city !

I had my flight the next day - I was really happy with the way I have been able to see Japan. I did miss Kyoto/Nagasaki/Hiroshima but I am perfectly fine leaving them for the next trip.

One more beautiful trip comes to an end !

Up next: The Grand 3 month Himalayan exile beginning March 2013.
 

Exquisite Japan ! - PART I - Skiing in Hokkaido

This is Part I of a 2 part series on my recent trip to Japan..

I have been planning this trip for quite some time.. Almost everyone who has gone to Japan has come back spellbound with its beauty. I was thinking of doing a  backpacking trip - but then, there is nothing called backpacking in Japan. You end up spending a fortune irrespective of the way you travel...

Winter was just a few months away and i had already missed a season of skiing.. That was reason enough to plan my trip during Christmas.

As with every trip this one too had its challenges.. I wanted to spend as little as possible (definition of 'little' expense in Japan is not little in any sense for anybody living anywhere). Japan is expensive and I had to find the least expensive way of skiing and traveling through Japan.

Here was the itinerary:
A - Singapore
B - Tokyo
C - Hokkaido (Northern Japan)

One night at Haneda airport!

Backpacking means compromises. But, they dont seem like compromises when you get used to them - I am getting there, but not there yet!
I booked the cheapest set of flights from Singapore to Japan and then the cheapest domestic flight to Hokkaido. Now, this combination meant that i had a 12 hr overnight layover at Haneda airport. I decided against booking a hotel - just slept at the airport. It was indeed cosy...

 The next morning, I took a flight to New Chitose airport in Hokkaido. The view from the flight reassured me of good times in Hokkaido. There was abundant snow...

Just before landing in Hokkaido

As i boarded the bus from New Chitose airport to Niseko, I was completely sure that Hokkaido was going to be fun. The route was as white as Hershey's milk chocolate...

Mid way break in the 3 hr journey between Chitose and Niseko

On the way to Hokkaido



By the time i reached Niseko, it was dark. However, the bright lights illuminated the slopes beautifully.

Lovely powder!

Looking at the amount of snow around, I immediately realized that the next few days were going to be good fun. After checking in at Owashi Lodge (Tripadvisor review here), I went straight to get my ski gear rental. I was all set for good times !!

I spent the next couple of days on the slopes. The snow was just too good. So soft that you feel like you are skiing on Talcum powder. The view from top of the mountain was awesome !

The Onsen

Owashi lodge (Tripadvisor review here) organized a trip to an Onsen on one of the evenings. An Onsen is a natural volcanic hotspring which is supposed to have healing powers. We went to Niseko Grand hotel Onsen and i must say that is was awesome. This was my first experience of an Onsen and I coudnt have asked for more. The temperature was easily between -5 and -10 deg C and there was heavy snow. We were sitting in this outdoor Onsen completely naked (of course, under water!) in heavy snow. My hair was getting spiked up every ten mins due to the snow ! It was an awesome combination - we were in naturally heated water of about 40 deg C or so and out in the cold and in heavy snow. When we got thirsty, we ate snow ! We spent atleast two hours there - I could have never imagined spending that much time outside (in Japanese winter) without a single pice of cloth on my body.

One of the good things about these Onsens is that it removes all inhibitions one has about himself/herself - you are out there in nature with none of your belongings. I think that is what gives it spiritual significance.

If i were to point out one experience that tops everything on this trip, it would be this one.

Kutchan

After couple of days of skiing, i thought it would be wise to explore the region. I head out one morning exploring the village of Niseko and then onto Kutchan town. Niseko village has few more resports apart from Grand Hirafu and i took the shuttle that connects all of them. Went to Hilton, checked out deer sledging but that was fully booked for the day. Nevertheless, i was atleast allowed a picture with reindeers.

Kutchan is a peaceful little town that reminds me of suburbs of Montreal in winter. It was a very cold day (less than -15 deg C) and i couldn't bear the cold for more than 2 hours. Went around Kutchan to get a feel of the life of locals living there. In this part of the country, English is not an option and all you can rely on is human sign langauge. The sign language is something that has worked for me everywhere !! The restuarant did not have english menus but lickily for me they did have pictures !

Bar nights !

I spent almost every night at local bars spending time with tourists, and locals alike. I met a very nice family on one of those trips. Peter is an Australian who has settled down in Japan with his wife Taeko. They have a very cute little daughter called Leila. In fact, it is from him that i got to know that Sachin Tendulkar has retired from One day cricket !! We had very good discussions on cricket, as it used to be in golden days and on doing what one likes to do.. He runs a School in Japan, a hobby turned into a commercial enterprise. There are not many people in this world who are able to do that. Thankfully, he and his family did consent to posing for my blog.

 It was sad that this leg of my trip was coming to an end but then what kept me excited was the energy of Tokyo, which was the next leg of my trip.

Part II (Tokyo) coming soon...
 

Life of PI (3D) - Beautifully Crafted !!

After a long time, here is a movie that is really simple in its storyline and yet has a powerful impact because of the style of narration and visual effects. I would strongly recommend you to watch it for those light moments which are so simple yet really deep.

Here are some of the wonderfuin moments:

Pondicherry
Pondicherry has been described exactly the way it is. Anybody who has spent a reasonable amount of time in Pondicherry would be able to relate to the description of "Southern France" on one side and "the Indian Pondicherry" on the other...

Piscine Molitor Patel
The idea of an Indian being named on a French swimming pool itself is reason enough for a good laugh ! Adding on to the humor is the resemblance of the name with 'Pissing'. The moments in school are wonderfully shot.

'Piscine Molitor Patel' to 'Pi Patel'
The humiliaiton from his name drives 'Piscine' to rename himself as 'Pi'. He links his name to the mathematic number for 22/7 (~3.14). He introduces himself in as creative a fashion as he could have in each of the classes. The maths class introduction surely deserves a mention - he wins the hearts of his fellow classmates when he writes the entire sequence of decimals that follow '14' in Pi (3.14).

Catholic Hindu !
Pi's encounters with religion throw some very important questions.. Is religion the only way to God and if so, which religion is right?. Adding to that complexity is 33 million Gods in Hinduism. His introductions with Krishna, Jesus and Allah are nicely captured in simple moments.

Introduction of Richard Parker
The movie would not have been complete without the character of Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger. Be it the first encounter with Pi or the ensuing battle of survival in the pacific, the bengal tiger adds a new dimension to the whole story. And the description of how he got his name is funny too.

Fully lit pacific
This is one of the scenes in the film that would linger in your minds for a long time. It is one of those long nights on the ocean and the midnight ocean is as calm as a new born baby. The oceanic creatures illuminate the bed of the ocean just like billboards in 'Times square' in NY. This moment is exceptionally captured and you are left with the feeling of wanting to be there.

There are many more exquisite moments which leave an impression on you and also make you think long after you leave the theater.. Whether you watch it in 3D or 2D (i've watched both!!), this movie is certainly not to be missed.

Actors: Suraj Sharma (Pi), Irfan Khan (Adult Pi), Tabu (Pi's mother), Rafe Spall

 

Strings and Indian Ocean @ Esplanade, Singapore - Live Concert

This was my first concert in Esplanade Concert Hall. And i must say that the moment you enter the auditorium, you are spellbound by the architecture. It pumps up the adrenaline even before the show begins... I did attend the 'Sufi Gospel Project' in the open air theatre. That was an awesome performance too.

All these events were part of 'KalaaUtsavam - Indian Festival of Arts' - A wonderful compilation of Indian music and art. I attended only 2 events ('Sufi Gospel Project' and Strings/Indian Ocean) and both of them were outstanding.

Back to the live concert of Strings and Indian Ocean.

My room mate had booked tickets right in the center on the ground floor - it was possibly the best place to sit in the whole auditorium. The atmosphere was electrifying. I was reminded of the Yanni concert at Bell Center, Montreal.

I have been listening to Indian Ocean for more than ten years now and it has been a dream to attend one of their live concerts. Today was the day of fulfillment.

Rahul Ram (Guitar and Vocals) first arrives with his famous 'sadhu like' beard and introduces the band. He makes good fun of Amit Kilam (Drums and Vocals). Susmit Sen, the Guitar maestro is the calm and composed lead guitarist.
Asheem Chakravarty's death in 2009 indeed gave a blow to the band as they had lost their lead vocalist. The depth in his vocals in Kandisa can never be re-created. In the concert, his vocals were done by Himanshu Joshi and Tabla by Tuheen Chakravarty.

And then, they started.. Ma Rewa, Kandisa and the instrumentals by Amit Kilam stunned the audience. Although Joshi tried to do his best, he could not match Asheem's vocals in Kandisa. 

Even those who were listening to them for the first time were amazed at the mix of folk and rock. We had hardly heard five songs when they gave way to Strings, the rock band from Pakistan.

Both these are so distinct in their genre. Indian Ocean is more of a folk-rock, sufism based band whereas Strings is a traditional pop band.

Strings too played some of the audiences' favorite like Dur and others. The ones in the front row were on their toes most of the time..

The grand finale was a joint performance by both Strings and Indian Ocean. This was the first public performance of the song. It is about India-Pakistan and the sentiments of 'aam Janta' on either side of the border.

I am thoroughly satisfied with the performance of Indian Ocean, although i would have liked them to play more.. But, i guess, that feeling would have persisted irrespective of the length of the concert.

I really cannot wait until their next performance !!!
 

The curious case of security checks !!

Ever since i have started traveling, there has always been this unique underlying theme to all my trips - Security checks. Irrespective of what country i am in, i have been questioned more than the average traveler (The comparison is with fellow travelers from the Indian subcontinent - The comparison with whites does not make sense at all !!)

All this while I have been trying to figure out the reasons for this.. I knew that my color was certainly a contributing factor. So was my passport. But then, there were many travelers with the same color (both of skin as well as of the passport !) and yet, I have been sidelined more often.. Maybe, it is just an issue of perception. But, whatever the reason may be, I am now very comfortable with any of the security checks across the globe..

I am used to the immigration/security related questions whenever i enter a country. I understand the reason for it and always co-operate with the authorities.

But, what pushed me to write this piece is that I am now being stopped at local train stations too !!!

This made me think... Then i realized that each time i enter a country with this famous beard of mine, the probability of questioning increases many-fold.. I looked back at the cases when i have been questioned more than usual and i realized that there is a strong co-relation between between the length of the beard and the length of questioning at security checkpoints. I have had smooth entries with a clean shave...

I know there are pre-conceived notions about bearded men. And, that seems to be the very reason why all this is happening to me.

Now, that leads us to an important question. Are we living with a fake sense of security?

I would leave it here for you to think !!

A Pan Nalin weekend | Valley of Flowers (2006)

You may want to read PART I of this article before proceeding - It is not mandatory though. There are no detailed references to my previous article. This is a good standalone read too.

Samsara which came out fiver years before 'Valley of Flowers' set the bar a bit too high. Even though it was almost impossible, I have tried my best to review this movie without any reference to Samsara..

Set in the beautiful Himalayas, Valley of Flowers, is a movie on love and reincarnation. The theme tries to capture some ancient rare practices performed by by Yogis. These are the same mysterious lot of people who seem to know the secret of immortality.

Jalan (Played by Milind Soman), like his gang members, is an outlaw who lives a life of pride in the Himalayas. His gang loots caravans passing through the valley. On one such loot, he meets his love, Ushna (Played by Mylene Jampanoi) who was actually looking for him. The plot doesn't reveal how she comes to know of him..

The mysterious Ushna changes the dynamics within the gang and that results in some dramatic shifts to the plot.. 

The beauty of the Himalayas, again, does not fail to entice you - it has been wonderfully caught on frame. Jalan's loots of the caravans passing through the valley has been captured realistically. Although some moments seem a little bollywoodish but the overall scheme of operation of his gang has been portrayed very well. One of the moments that sticks on to you even after the movie is Jalan walking across generations (literally). It is crafted with an artistic touch. 

There are a couple of areas which i felt could have been better:

Firstly, the capture of Sadhus in the valley could have been a lot better. They were shown more like magicians churning out lotions of immortality. The whole theme rests on immortality and there should have been a stronger presence of that part. This portrayal dilutes the plot to some extent by losing credibility with the whole concept of immortality.

And, the sequence of events in Japan, again, were a little lacklustre. For example, the suicide case of a CEO could have easily been captured better. 

Overall, it is a good watch though i would not rate it as high as Samsara...

Actors: Milind Soman, Naseeruddin Shah, Mylene Jampanoi, Eri

A Pan Nalin weekend | Samsara (2001)

I have been wanting to watch Pan Nalin's movies for quite some time. I watched a couple of his films this weekend and i must say that both of them were outstanding..

Samsara (2001)

The story of a monk (Tashi, played by Shawn Ku) who, like quite a few of us, tries to answer some 'larger than life' questions. It tries to answer the question - 'What is the path to enlightenment? - is it renunciation of worldly desires or pure love even if it means being wound by a family'. The movies leaves you thinking even after it ends... That is the beauty of it.

 The movie is beautifully shot in picturesque Laddakh region of Indian Himalayas. The story is so well executed that you can understand the theme of the movie even without subtitles. In fact, I watched the first half without subtitles and still could understand most of it..

The story line is made of some exquisite moments which are really crucial to the central theme. It is because of these moments that one cannot stop himself/herself from being drawn into the movie. I would not reveal the entire plot but would certainly like to highlight a few of those exquisite moments:

Tashi taken back to the Monastery

Tashi completes his 3 year, 3 month, 3 day exile in a remote cave and is being taken back by fellow monks. It takes a while for Tashi to get back to being himself - But then, it is this exile that makes him question the path followed by monks. The author starts with this theme to set the context right at the beginning itself.

Tashi is sent for a lesson on physical relations

Tashi is sent to a remote cave where an old monk shows him pictures of various positions of intercourse. The same images when seen under a flame turn the individuals into a skeleton.. This gives the message without a single word being spoken..

Tashi quits monk life

Tashi is not focused on his return from exile. He often gives in to his senses and even gets erections a couple of times. These are moments which raise important questions about the life of monks. Tashi cites an event from Buddha's life that throws up a very important question - he talks about Prince Siddhartha renouncing his worldly desires after getting married to a beautiful lady and after having a son. Should one experience this worldly life first before renouncing it is a question that must be on the minds of almost every monk...

Tashi commits adultery

Despite having a beautiful wife (played by Christy Chung) and a very happy family life, Tashi is lured into having an affair. That is precisely the moment when he gets a letter from old monk Apo throwing up the same old questions again.

The rock with a quote

There is a rock with a quote (translated) "How can one prevent a drop from drying up?"  - This rock features a couple of times during the movie. It is only at the end that Tashi turns the rock around and to his surprise, finds the answer there.. "By throwing it into the sea"  !!! Makes you think...

A classy story excellently executed - there are not many movies like this one...

Actors: Shawn Ku, Christy Chung and Neelesha BaVora

Review of 'Valley of flowers' (2006) follows soon.

Camping at Pulau Ubin

This is the longest stretch i have been in Singapore in the last year or so - six consecutive weekends !! There was a pumping desire to get out and Pulau Ubin seemed a very good prospect for a weekend getaway.

Pulau Ubin is a small island on the border of Singapore and Malaysia and is part of Singapore. It is 'unspoilt' in the words of a Singaporean... You can rent bicycles at throwaway prices (<$10 per day - depending on the type of bike) and explore the entire island on a day trip from Singapore. The trails are neatly marked and well maintained.

My camping gear was lying idle for a long time and i wanted to put them to use. So, I decided to pitch up my tent at Ubin.

There are 3 camping sites on the island:

Jelutong Campsite: This campsite is the nearest to Ubin Jetty - less than 10 mins walk from the entrance. This was crowded when i reached. I presume that must be true irrespective of the day you go. But, I heard that the coastline is pretty long at this campsite and can accommodate quite a few tents.
<< Added Later: I went camping once more and found this campsite empty - Guess you can't predict >>

Noordin Campsite: 3+ Kms from the entrance. This is towards the farthest end of Ubin and gives a view of Johor straits. Not as busy - but then space is limited too because of the international border cutting through the coastline. The coast is not wide too so that adds on to the space constraint. I would say it can hold 10 tents max..

Maman Campsite: This is just less than 3 kms from the entrance. I did not have a chance to visit this. I would assume this is not as crowded as Jelutong.

It was 530 PM by the time i stepped in Ubin. Went straight to the Police check post to register - Registration is compulsory for all campers. You don't have to de-register - you give all the details just once. Day hikers/bikers need not register.

I went straight to Jelutong and found a bunch of tents pitched up. The last thing i wanted was a party night at Ubin. It was 545 PM and the sun was coming down. I had an hour or so before sunset. I knew i would not be able to check both Noordin and Maman without walking in the dark. I have had some bad experiences pitching up tents in the dark and hence wanted to avoid that. I decided that i would camp at Noordin irrespective of the state of the campsite.

Reached Noordin around 615 PM and found an extended family having a fishing weekend. I walked towards the end to find a spot that is a little peaceful. That's when I met Raman, the head of that family. He was a very nice guy - mix of Singapore/Malaysia (the name sounds Indian though!). Apparently, he was a regular visitor of Ubin. He warned me of the high tide that night. He recommended me to pitch my tent as far as possible from the shore - I did just that, pitched it right next to the railings beyond which there was a forest.

I finished my dinner and was sleeping when i was suddenly woken up by the sound of waves. It was close to midnight and the sea was swelling. At about 1245 AM, water was less than half a meter away from my tent. One big wave and my tent would have been under water. It was not life threatening but the thought of sleeping in a wet tent reminds me of that scary night at Colorado (The Colorado hike)

But then, Raman had pointed out precisely the area until which waves might reach - he was bang on. Because, i pitched my tent about a meter away from his 'line' and escaped the scare...

The next morning, i headed straight back to Singapore to get back to the Monday-Friday grind.

End of a really short and sweet weekend outing...

TRIP SPECIFICS:

Immigration/Customs:

• There is no immigration/customs as Ubin is a part of Singapore. Your bags are scanned on your return.
• Singapore citizens/Long term pass holders: You don't need your passport. Just your IC should suffice. 
• If you are a visitor to Singapore, it is advisable to carry your passport

How to get there?

By public transit

Reach Tanah Merah MRT (Singapore)
Take bus No 2 (Bus no 2 runs in both directions - make sure you take the bus that has the last stop as 'Changi Village bus terminal'
Get down at Changi Village bus terminal (last stop of bus no. 2)
Changi point ferry terminal is a couple of minutes walk from the bus terminal
Take the ferry to Pulau Ubin (S$2.5 per person flat fare unless you charter the whole boat for S$30)

By Car/Taxi
Make sure you reach the correct ferry terminal - there are 3 more ferry terminals in the same region. Mention Changi point ferry terminal or Changi village bus terminal to the taxi driver

Pics and Video blog

Changi point ferry terminal

Right at the entrance of Ubin

Chinese festival at Ubin

My MSR hubba hubba tent overlooking international border

Noordin Campsite

Raman shows me a Stingray

Video blog

The five day migration !!!

It is 7AM on one of those Mondays..

Ravi wakes up and realizes that it is just the beginning of another week... It depresses him but he still has to reach office on time. He gets ready in a matter of 30 mins without thinking about any of the activities done during this time. It is as if a permanent software code in his brain runs at 7AM every weekday. Those who are aware of unix (software) would link it to processing a batch file!

He reaches the train station and sees that he is not the only one running for office.
The scene at the train station resembles the migration of wildebeest in the Serengeti plains of Africa. Every year, millions of wildebeest migrate from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. On the way, they have to cross the Mara river where they are preyed by Crocodiles. There is an entire ecosystem that survives on this migration.

Ravi realizes that his run to the office daily is pretty much like the migration of Wildebeest, just that this one happens five days a week!

Just like he precisely knows which platform to board his train, the wildebeest know their annual route to the minutest detail. If he knows which bogie is closest to the staircase, the wildebeest know exactly where to get fresh water. And, the manner in which the wildebeest trample each other to cross the Mara river is exactly the way people compete in this never ending race of corporate life.

There is an ecosystem that survives on this 5 day migration of office going public. There are coffee shops (or the chai waalas), bakeries, restaurants that thrive just because of this migration. He thinks nature has so many similarities irrespective of the type of event...

By the time he finishes thinking about this underlying common essence of nature, he has already missed 2 trains. He is now late to office - he feels exactly the way a Wildebeest calf feels when it is left behind while crossing the Maara river in Kenya.  

Nevertheless, he pushes on, reaches office and opens his laptop. And, somewhere in the plains of Africa, a wildebeest calf struggles to free itself from the hold of a crocodile. It knows it cannot win, but there is this element of hope which makes it fight.

Ravi is at his desk now - it is time for the 9AM batch file run. Here is the code:

Int Main (VOID)
 /* There is a return value to every function in 'C' language. This 9AM batch run always returns void in life. */
{

Daily routine()
{
       Printf("Another day in office");
   
            For (i=0;until all mails are read;i=i+1)
               {
                Printf("Respond to emails");
                Scanf("%S",Mails)
                Printf("Flag the ones that are to be replied later");
                Scanf("%S",Flagged)
               }

     Printf("Time for a coffee");
     Meetings (ZERO)  /* Function called meetings cannot return anything other than ZERO */
 }

For(i=9AM;i<530pm i="i+1)</p">{
     Daily Routine ()  /* Runs automatically until 530 PM */

}

Return 0; -- This batch can never return anything meaningful !!

} /* End of Function Main - Another day lost... */

Some where between 9AM and 530PM, in the Serengeti plains of Africa, the wildebeest have entered the Maasai Mara game reserve where they will be hunted by carnivores. Those who manage to survive make their return journey back to Tanzania to complete this cycle.

Ravi realizes that everyday in his life is like the annual migration of wildebeest in Africa. Those who manage to return make this epic journey again the very next day !!

And the cycle of life continues, the wildebeest are back again the next year !!!




Author's comments:


1. If you are not comfortable with 'C' (the programming language), the points below might be helpful to understand the blog better:
   a.  /*   */ is for comments, they are not part of the code. These are supplementary comments for reader of the code to understand the author's thought process
   b. 'For' loop is a loop for running something over and over again until a specific condition is met. There is no better comparison to Ravi's daily life than this 'For' loop
   c. 'Printf' is a statement to print something on screen. In Ravi's context, it is a reminder in his brain to do certain activities
   d. 'Scanf' is used for inputs.


2. If you know 'C' and have found syntax errors in the code:
    Printf("Very Well Done !!");
    Printf("But it really does not matter!");
    Printf("It is time for you to think about your life NOW! ");

3. If you are interested in knowing about the wildebeest migration (the one that happens in Africa not the one in cities), then this link has a lot of information. I don't get paid for anything on this blog - so please feel free to click on any of the links i provide.

The curse of 256 Kbps !

Some things are never meant to be ! And, apparently that is precisely the case with my internet speed - wherever I go... Here is a brief chronological summary:

Phase I (1990s): No Computer, No Internet (0 Kbps)

Since I hail from a middle class Indian family, we could never afford a computer in my early childhood days. In those days (90s), owning a computer used to be a luxury that most of the Indians could not afford. But, Moore's law helped and the market saw better processors every 18 months or so.

Wikipedia defines Moore's law as follows:

Moore's law is the observation that over the history of computing hardware, the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years.

This meant that if you are not looking for the best in the market, you could easily find a model that is affordable.

Phase II (late 90s, early 2000): Dial-up internet (56 Kbps)

We did find a P4 that fit in our budget in the late 90s. Now, the next need was to connect to the world. Broadband (India's telecom department defined Broadband as 256 Kbps download) was expensive and we certainly could not justify the need for one. No one in our family had an obsession for computers - but, we all did learn to use it well though.

The only other option of connecting to the 'Cloud' was a dial-up connection. We got one and were finally able to connect. Checking emails at home was a luxury we did not have before. Forget streaming of videos - it used take forever to buffer. We never attempted after a while.

Phase III (Mid 2000s): Broadband finally (256 Kbps)

We kept moving across different parts of India as my dad had a transferable job. Everything changed with each move - People, practices, local languages, food. The only thing that never changed was the speed of Internet ! India never invested in setting up good infrastructure and it is beginning to show now. But, we will discuss India some other time - let us get back to my curse !

We finally got our first broadband connection. Everybody was thrilled that now we would have 'high speed' internet at home. Of course, what we didn't know was that 256 Kbps was the 'maximum' download speed !!! And, the curse continued in my life. We were just slightly better off than dial up - we used to get somewhere around 50 Kbps on an average and if the days were good, a speed of 100 Kbps !!

Phase IV (Late 2000s) : The era of Mobile internet (20 kbps)

I started working and moving places and there was no real need to own a personal laptop. We did have the USB stick for internet so as to be reachable wherever we are. 'Mobility' and 'availability' were the buzz words... And, of course, the curse continued...

Phase V (2009-2011): Montreal, Kanaada (also called 'Canada')

Despite majority of apartments having fiber connectivity, somehow, I landed up in one which had copper connectivity only. Apparently, they had plans to land optic fiber in that apartment but i guess they were waiting for my departure from that apartment !! People are usually surprised when you tell them that your internet connection in North America sucks - For me, it was just 'status quo' so i never bothered to think that much.
Obviously, almost all apartments had superb connectivity - my apartment was just an aberration.
But, the curse continued !

Phase VI (Late 2011 - Early 2012): Singapore Part I - The copper story continues

I moved to Singapore and found a beautiful place to live in. It was right in the center of the city - Life could not be better. Almost 75% of Singapore is Housing development board apartments, another 20% are condominiums and maybe about 5% are private landed apartments. Out of all the choices, somehow, I landed in a private landed apartment !

Singapore being the city it is, I never even thought i would go through the same trauma of internet connectivity. However, some things are never meant to be! My apartment had copper connectivity and internet speeds never went beyond 100Kbps. And, the story continued...


Phase VII (Early 2012 - Present): Singapore Part II - 16 Mbps at last !


After six months of staying in the heart of Singapore, I decided to move things around in my life. Of course, that was with the hope that I would find a peaceful place without the hustle bustle of tourists and shopping malls. I did manage to find a beautiful apartment.

With all my past experience and struggle, I was extremely cautious when choosing the type of internet connectivity. One of the operators offered me a 16 Mbps connection for a reasonable price. It was working well and I was so relieved that my struggle has finally come to an end. But, some things are never meant to be.

My wireless router, which was working as smooth as a whistle in my previous apartment, refused to co-operate. It had become moody and connected only when it desired.. And, the story continued.

As of today, the author has a new wireless router in place. However, now the high speed connection has become jittery !

The author is now at peace with himself and doesn't even attempt to do anything about it. I guess some things are never meant to be !!!!


Disclaimers:
1. Internet connectivity at Montreal and Singapore is super fast. My case is certainly an aberration.
2. I have not seen the progress of connectivity in India for almost three years now - So, my views maybe a little outdated. But, there is no doubt that Infrastructure is in a sad state in India. A detailed blog some other time.
3. Definition of broadband in India will be changed to 2 Mbps (download) from 2015 as per government guidelines

Triund Hike and McLeod Ganj (Himachal Pradesh, India)

This was one of those spontaneous trips with real short notice. Pooran, a friend of mine, was planning a casual  visit to McLeod Ganj ('McLeod') and invited me to join him. I was in India and there was clearly no reason to reject the offer !! I had to re-hash my India travel plan to include McLeod and i did that with considerable ease...

Pooran drafted a beautiful plan of Triund hike along with exploring McLeod, Dharamkot and Bhagsu. There was no way i could have asked for a better plan - The plan had a beautiful hike in the Dhauladhar mountain range !

The Dhauladhar range (lit. The White Range) is a southern branch of the main outer Himalayan chain of mountains - Wikipedia

I flew in to Dharamshala from Delhi due to lack of time and Pooran, who was already in Delhi, took the bus. In the flight, I met a nice Canadian lady called Alice. She knew more about India than me !! She practises Yoga regularly and has a Guru in McLeod. She shuttles between Canada and India most of the time. We discussed about our travels in India and Canada. As it turns out, I had seen more of North America than her ! One always tends to run away from home in search of 'exotic' places. We continued our discussion in the cab that we shared till McLeod.

Day 1 - McLeod Ganj 

The first day was spent roaming around McLeod. We were just getting a feel of the town and its people. Very nice people - most of them of Tibetan origin.
We had dinner at Gakyi restaurant. It is a very popular vegetarian Tibetan restaurant. The owner is just too good - she gave us the perfect menu item for our needs.

Right to left (Pooran, Owner of Gakyi & Me)

For reasons unknown, McLeod has a lot of variety in desserts ! We found it a bit unusual for a town at 6000 ft. Later, when we enquired about the origin of these desserts, we were told that desserts cater to the needs of western audience. Now, that made sense since we were looking like tourists in our own country - this area has a lot of Westerners for various reasons.
We tried the banana cake, carrot cake and host of other desserts. The ginger-lemon-honey tea too is a beauty - i have never tasted tea as good as this one... A must try if you ever happen to be in this place.

We struggled a bit to find a place to stay for the night. After enquiring at about 5-6 hotels, we finally found a place to stay - Hotel Green. This was another great decision which happened by chance. Hotel Green was really nice - great views, excellent service and lovely food. (My review of Hotel Green on Tripadvisor is HERE)

All three townships (McLeod, Dharamshala and Dharamkot) have a significant population of Tibetans. Most of them are second generation Tibetans. The theme of 'FREE TIBET' can be seen almost everywhere just like the internet cafe below.

Free Tibet !

Day 2 - Triund + Snowline hike

We started the hike at six. The trail to Triund (9300 ft) starts at Dharamkot and goes through Galu Devi temple.
The trail has absolutely no markings but it is easy to follow because there are almost no diversions. The first tea shop is rough an hour and half away from the trailhead. The trail is moderately sloped - reasonably easy till  Triund. Some points on the way do offer good views.

(Photo Courtesy of Pooran)

The summit of Triund offers excellent views of Moon's peak and other peaks of Dhauladhar Himalayan range.

Summit of  Triund overlooking Dhauladhar Range
(Photo Courtesy of Pooran)

Time for some rest !!
(Photo Courtesy of Pooran)

Our initial plan was to hike upto Triund and head back to McLeod. But, we reached Triund around 930 - after 3 hours of hiring. We had a full day in front of us - we decided to stretch ourselves to continue on to the base of Moon's peak, also called the snowline. This was an additional 2-2.5 hrs from Triund. We took a couple of hours of break at Triund and then went on to snowline.

Great views on the way to snowline
(Photo Courtesy of Pooran)

We couldn't believe that we were actually at the base of Moon's peak which seemed to be really distant from summit of Triund. There was a cafeteria just before snowline - this guy stays up there (@ 11000 ft) for 9 months in a year. He made excellent Dal rice for us - much better than the Dal Rice in any of the cities.

The cafeteria at 11000 ft !!

At Snowline (Glacier of Moon's peak)

We were indeed exhausted after 10hrs+ of hiking the whole day. We head back straight to our hotel to catch up with some sleep.

Day 3 - Bhagsu + Return to New Delhi

The realization that this was our last day in the region was hard to bear. We walked till Bhagsu (abt 2kms from McLeod) - had a look at the waterfall from a distance and returned back immediately. The difference was clearly visible - On one hand, there was solitude and peace at snowline and on the other hand, Bhagsu was a tourist spot with a huge crowd. We didn't want to spend any more time at Bhagsu.

All in all, a beautiful trip that included a wonderful hike, meeting some really nice people and exploring a new culture. Would certainly love to be back here in the mountains !!

VIDEO BLOG:

UP NEXT: Mt Kinabalu, Malaysia in August








TRIP SPECIFICS:

Travel: 

New Delhi to Dharamshala: 
1. Bus (Himachal road transport corporation Rs 1000++) - almost 12 hrs
2. Flight (Kingfisher has one flight that runs on select days of the week) 1.5 hrs - price varies as per demand.

Dharamshala to McLeod Ganj
Taxi - Flat fare - Rs 700 (Taxi union has set fixed fares for destinations)

McLeod Ganj to Dharamkot:
~2 kms - 30-45 min walk - Rs 60 by Auto

McLeod Ganj to Bhagsu~2 Kms - Less than 30 mins by walk

Triund Trail Guideline:
Dharamkot (Trailhead) to Galu Devi Temple - 45 mins - moderate slope - paved stone steps.
Galu Devi temple to Triund Summit - Gradual climb but not very steep - about 2.5 hrs uphill and <2 hrs downhill
Triund summit to snowline - 2 hrs uphill and <1 hr downhill

Food:


Gakyi Veg Tibetan Restaurant - Highly recommended. Try their 'Special Muesli' for breakfast.
Tibet Kitchen - Good food (non veg)
Ginger-lemon-honey tea at TCV village cafe or Green Hotel's restaurant
Mineral water refill at Green Hotel @ Rs 10/liter - GO GREEN !