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WE KEEP YOU OUTDOORS
Sawyer is the perfect companion no matter what the journey....
For 30 years, Sawyer Products has been dedicated to offering more effective and reliable products for outdoor protection. Using science and rigorous testing, we’ve developed the most advanced and easy to use solutions in water treatment, insect repellent, sunscreen, and first aid. Learn more about how we’re driving innovation to keep you safer.
Water Filtration
Insect Repellents
Sunscreens
First Aid
Lightweight and long-lasting, Sawyer’s Hollow Fiber Membrane filters not only changed the personal water filtration industry but are actively changing lives around the world.For your clothing and gear, or for your skin, we’ve got you covered. Our advanced Insect Repellent technologies will change the way you think about bugs in the backcountry or in the backyard.Our Stay-Put Sunscreen will keep you comfortable and protected. Our Breathable Matrix Formula spreads the application into all layers of your skin, uniquely penetrating where other sunscreens simply can’t go.Sawyer First Aid Kits and our variety of trusted first aid solutions are uniquely designed for any outdoor experience. Our kits are full of recommended contents approved by a panel of wilderness medical experts.Water Filtration Products
Our proprietary hollow fiber membrane filters are small, portable, easy-to-use, reliable, inexpensive, and can last a decade without needing to be replaced.
Our filters are certified for ABSOLUTE microns making it impossible for harmful bacteria, protozoa, or cysts like E. coli, Giardia, Vibrio cholerae and Salmonella typhi (which cause Cholera and Typhoid) to pass through.
Just drink: no pumping, no chemicals, no waiting, no worries! Incredibly fast flow rate, simple to use, and each filter can be backwashed to extend its life.
Sawyer MINI Water Filter
“A lifetime of water at hand.”
Our most popular filter just got smaller and lighter. The Sawyer MINI Water Filter is rated to 0.1 micron absolute, weighs only 2 ounces, and filters up to 100,000 gallons! This award winning system is reliable and easy to use.
The MINI can be attached to the included collapsible drinking pouch, inline on a hydration pack, on a standard soda bottle, or simply use the included drinking straw to drink directly from the water source. How is that for versatility? Like all Sawyer filters, a proper backwashing can restore up to 98.5% of the filter’s flow rate. That means no expensive cartridges to replace, ever.
Sawyer Personal Water Bottle with Filter
At just 5.5 ounces in weight, this durable BPA FREE water bottle can deliver clean water as fast as you can drink it. Use the included filter with the bottle, on a hydration pack, or as an ultra light filter option.
Sawyer Squeeze™ Filter System
The 3.5 ounce Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration System is the most technologically advanced and durable, yet incredibly simple to use water filtration solution on the market.
Winner of BACKPACKER Magazine’s highly sought after Editors’ Choice Award in 2012.
Don’t ever pop a pill, pump a filter, or wait for filtered water again. With a lifetime warranty, the Sawyer Squeeze filter is truly award winning filter in the palm of your hand.
Sawyer 2 Liter Water Filtration System
One of Sawyer’s time-tested favorites, the Sawyer 2 Liter water filter system will simplify your backcountry to-do list. Simply set it up, and let gravity do the dirty work. No tedious pumping, just set it and forget it. In the time it takes you to turn around and unload your pack, you’ll have clean, fresh water waiting.
Insect Repellents Products
For your clothing and gear or for your skin, we’ve got you covered. Our advanced Insect Repellent technologies will change the way you think about bugs in the backcountry or in the backyard.
Developed in cooperation with the U.S. Military, government agencies, universities, and medical experts, Sawyer insect repellents offer superior protection from disease-carrying biting insects.
All of our repellents are non-toxic to humans, and are registered for use by the U.S. EPA.
Permethrin Premium Insect Repellent
For use on clothing, tents, and other gear, Sawyer Permethrin not only repels insects, they actually kill ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers, mites, and more than 55 other kinds of insects on contact. The active ingredient Permethrin is a synthetic molecule similar to pyrethrum which is taken from the Chrysanthemum flower.
Permethrin is odorless after drying and will not stain or damage clothing, fabrics, plastics, finished surfaces, or any of your outdoor gear. A single application lasts 6 washings or 42 days of sun exposure.
Picaridin Insect Repellent
Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent has a similar effect to DEET, yet it won’t harm gear and equipment. Picaridin repels mosquitoes and ticks like DEET but it also repels biting flies, stable flies, black flies, gnat, chiggers, and sand flies. At 20% active ingredient Picaridin; this long lasting topical insect repellent is effective up to 14 hours (lotion) and 12 hours (spray) against mosquitoes and ticks, and up to 8 hours against biting flies, gnats, chiggers, and sand flies.
MAXI-DEET® 100% DEET
For areas of extreme bug density, you can rely on this 100% DEET spray for application to skin, clothing, and mosquito or head nets. Sawyer’s exclusive low-odor DEET formula protects exposed skin areas against mosquitoes, chiggers, fleas, gnats and ticks and the diseases they carry.
Ultra 30™ Liposome Controlled Release
This Liposome-based repellent is the newest advancement in insect repellent technology. Similar to the earlier generation of polymer-based controlled release systems, the Liposome envelops the active ingredient, DEET, and slowly time-releases it as needed, thereby extending the effectiveness of the repellent. Unlike polymers, however, liposomes are a natural compound which is more comfortable to the skin and easier to wear. Comfortable, trusted protection, in the backcountry or in the backyard.
Sunscreens Products
Sawyer Stay-Put sunscreen will keep you comfortable and protected. We’ve engineered our Breathable Matrix Formula to spread the application into all layers of your skin, uniquely penetrating where other sunblocks simply can’t go.
Through our experience as the primary supplier of sunscreen to the troops in the Gulf War, we learned just how important it is to hold a sunscreen in place even in extreme conditions. In our research, we were able to identify how the skin accepts, rejects, or processes sunscreens. With that knowledge we have developed revolutionary techniques for keeping our sunscreen formulas in place. Check out how Sawyer Sunscreen is Simply, Better.
Stay-Put® Sunscreen – SPF 30
The Sawyer Stay-Put® sunscreens use a unique “Breathable Matrix” formula that gives you the best and most comfortable protection you have ever experienced. While most sunscreens hold the lotions in the top two layers of skin, ours “bonds” with the sun ray absorbing agents deeper in the skin, getting better protection for even longer, with one application.
Stay-Put® Sunscreen – SPF 50
Stay-Put® System 2 is a formula engineered with a special two-layer protection. One layer penetrates deeper into the skin, and the other layer bonds closer to the skin’s surface. Which means, even if the top layer is wiped off, the underlying layer of protection is still effective. System 2 works well even when applied to thin areas of skin that is then exposed to high heat or humidity – making UV rays a non-issue – even in the most extreme conditions.
First Aid Products
Sawyer First Aid Kits are uniquely designed for your outdoor experiences with contents recommended and approved by a panel of wilderness medical experts. A good first-aid kit is one of the Ten Essentials of outdoor exploration and a must-have for home disaster and emergency preparedness. Never be caught unprepared without first-aid supplies, for any adventure, short or long.
Our preassembled first aid kits are full of trusted materials, conveniently packed, and some are even tailored to specific outdoor activities. They are packaged in compact, organized, and water-resistant pouches that can be easily refilled. Being prepared with one of our first aid kits will most definitely be more economical than building a kit on your own.
Our bite and sting solutions are time-tested and backcountry approved. Combine them with our superior insect repellent solutions for protection system that is engineered to eliminate the worry of bugs altogether, before or after they bite.
Safety in a Pouch First Aid Kit – Step 2
America’s Favorite First Aid Pouch is suitable for 1-4 People for 1-7 Days. It also includes Doctor Forgey’s comprehensive First Aid Manual – a must-have for handling even the most severe situation – and Children’s First Aid Flash Cards to keep your kids thinking safely.
Hunting & Fishing First Aid Kit – Bright Orange
This first aid kit features materials and instructions that specifically address the first aid requirements unique to hunting and fishing experiences. We’ve colored it bright orange to make it field ready, and included a comprehensive First Aid Field Manual in addition to a First Aid Manual specifically for hunting and fishing. But don’t worry, the kit is amply stocked to meet the needs of any other outdoor activities you may enjoy.
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The Single Speed Btwin ‘MyBike’: Thrill on a Budget
A few months ago, I was presented with an opportunity to own a brand new bike without paying a dime! Naturally, being a cyclist, whatever the bike is, a new bike is still a new bike. So I grabbed the opportunity and got to keep a spanking brand new bike for almost a month.
Now what actually happened is that a close friend, inspired by my pictures on Facebook and listening to the awesome ride stories, took the plunge and ordered a Btwin MyBike. The buying decision is an altogether another story worth making a Bollywood potboiler so I really won’t get into the details.
Well, now this friend was eagerly expecting to have the bike delivered to him but 2 days before the delivery was due, he was forced to leave town to go to work at a Client’s site for one whole month. And of course he had no option but to sorrowfully ask me to take the delivery of the bike, set it up for him and even do a few test rides, while I was at it. I just could not believe my good luck, since… a new bike is still a new bike.
Finally, the MyBike arrived neatly packed in a carton and I took out the parts carefully and got the bike setup. The bike comes almost complete with only the pedals and the handlebar left to attach and put the wheels on.
I need to mention here for the benefit of the readers, that I have previously owned a Btwin Rockrider 5.0 for almost a year and 2000 kms and hence could instantly relate to the MyBike, which has, though not identical, but similar geometry and ride quality. Having said that, the first ride I took on the MyBike was an absolute pleasure to ride after my heavy Rockrider 5.3 Mountain Bike. I could feel the joy of the riding a much lighter bike with semi slick wheels and have to admit the MyBike was a sheer joy to ride at an amazing price of INR 5999/-.
Let me quickly highlight the important aspects of the Btwin MyBike before we discuss the good and the bad. The MyBike is marketed by Decathlon India, is a rigid fork steel frame bike and is officially sold under the MTB tag, whereas the true worth of the bike can be felt on the bad city roads. The Hi-ten Steel frame and steel fork along with an aluminum steerer and aluminum wheels gives the rider very good stability and a right body posture while riding at the same time promising rust free performance. The Steel frame is powder coated with anti rust paint to make riding in Indian Rainy season, a worry-free experience. The MyBike comes with semi-slick tires that make it comfortable and perfectly suited to riding on tarmac. The front crank chain guard is helpful to keep off dirt and lubricant. I personally found the V- Brake system of the MyBike, the two finger type, very simple and easy to operate with really good braking power.
The Btwin MyBike stayed with me for nearly a month and during the time I had almost given up on riding my Fat and Big mountain bike. During that period, I fell in love with the fact that I was getting the pleasure of a Single Speed bike (no front or rear gears) with the comfort of a hybrid. Meaning I could ride the bike to get a thorough workout on the flat roads with the single crank and no gears and at the same time I could choose to ride to it small trails, gravel paths and country roads with equal ease. This was the first ride impression I got with the MyBike.
The first ride I planned was on the beautiful and lovely Palm Beach Road. At a round trip distance of almost 15 kms with wide open and flat roads, the Palm Beach offers a thrilling experience to cyclists with a Road Bike or a Hybrid and after years of trying to get some speed on my MTB, I felt like I was flying with the MyBike. It was almost to the point where I felt that my speed was almost 2-3 times more than what is was on my other MTB.
The ride quality on the MyBike is quite smooth by city standards due to the semi-slick 26 x 2.0 tires riding on 36 hole aluminum rims. I believe the semi slick has been used thinking of the sad condition of a majority of Indian roads. However, if this was my own bike, I would change the tires to road or slick tires maybe from Schwalbe or Ralson, for a smoother ride. The MyBike offers the simple pleasures of cycling and yet have your legs exercised fully. Contrary to what people might think, riding a single speed bike, maybe once a week with ensure fitter legs and thighs. (Ladies - are you listening)
The other highlight of the MyBike has got to be the Steel Frame. Made up of Hi-Ten steel (Google Hi-Ten Steel…please!) the frame is comfortable to absorb all the shocks and bumps the Indian roads have to offer. This is the special quality of steel and that is why Steel bike frames do not require shock absorbers. I am glad that the Decathlon designers decided to go with a steel frame and in the process making the bike sturdier and in consequence being able to offer a Lifetime Warranty on the Frame. Yes, you read that right, it’s a lifetime warranty (T & C apply). Just like the Rockrider 5.0, the steel frame means that the bike can be used for overland bike touring for multiday trips not exceeding 3-4 days. For longer month long tours etc, bikes with better components etc are recommended. The Steel frame of the MyBike will ensure that tourers can fit racks behind using the eyelets provided and carry loads of up to 10—12 kgs excluding rider weight.
The other components of the MyBike also deserve a mention as the designers have ensured that only universally accepted and recognized parts are used and that will help in reducing the average wear and tear and ensure easy replace ability. The Brakes used are the V-Brake type ensuring very good braking power with just 2 fingers and during my ride I had no problem in stopping in traffic. The Riser handlebars provide a comfortable riding stance for the rider and the Pedals are the Flat type offering a good grip. The handlebars are also made of steel and this allows for added shock absorption. (Tip: It is a good idea to wear half finger cycling cloves with good padding to reduce the stress on the palms while riding longer than 5 kms.) The saddle though not the best in class offers a comfortable ride and is not a pain in the **tt. Although newer rider might want to start riding with a GEL Seat Cover for some time till they get used to the saddle. (Note: ALL Saddles of new age bikes may seem smaller, because they are designed to be so. The saddle pain, if any, for new riders will go away in due time once they start riding regularly)
Finally, here’s the last word on the MyBike. It’s an awesome bike to ride within the city as well as on light trails. The Single Speed factor ensures a decent speed and a complete workout of the legs while riding or commuting on flat roads. The Mountain Bike Hard-tail-ish geometry and semi slick tires ensure that the MyBike can also be used on light trails and country roads with ease. All I recommend changing are the tires to slicker type if you wish to ride more on city roads. The Bike comes backed by the unfailing warranty and superb build quality and after sales service support of Decathlon. The MyBike is highly recommended for those looking to start cycling on a budget with the pleasure of pure cycling on a Single Speed.
(After about a month of riding the MyBike, my friend returned and asked me back for the bike. I told him that the bike was tested, though I omitted to mention that I had ridden it close to a 100 kms. That would break his heart. I sometimes still borrow the MyBike and ride it when we are out riding together.)
[About the Author: The Author is an avid cyclist and rides on an average 100 - 150 kms per week. The Author has not owned the MyBike mentioned in the review and the review is written purely from the joy and wonderful experience derived from riding the MyBike for a month. He owns a Btwin Rockrider 5.3 MTB and looking to buy a Single Speed Bike like the MyBike purely for the exercise and joy of pure cycling.]
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Awesome Weekend Rides: Gadheshwar Lake & Dam Panvel
One upon a time someone remarked, ‘You can’t buy happiness but you can buy a bicycle”. How could that be possible, I asked myself? What kind of happiness can someone derive out of pedaling furiously on the smoke filled and the back-breaking roads of our city? The answer to this, I thought needs to be found out first hand. And after a few weeks I was the owner of an awesome looking and equally awesome to ride modern day two wheeled geared wonder to ride bicycle. And after my first ride I realized why riders or cyclists referred to them as Bikes instead of Bicycles, given the amount of technology that went into these ‘Bikes’.
TO cut a long story short I have been riding almost for two years now. Even changed or upgraded, as they call it, my Mountain Bike (MTB) to a higher end model. I am now in my mid thirties, and having ridden for about 6,000 kms in these two years, I have to admit, I loved every minute of it. I am one of those who have been called ‘Weekend Warriors’ or MAMIL or short for Middle Aged Men in Lycra. See a seasoned cyclist in his riding attire and you’ll know why, the term MAMIL.
These two years of riding have been very eventful. I usually ride alone or solo and rarely do group rides with the few Bicycling clubs that are existent in the city. Living in Navi Mumbai, where I shifted to 2 years ago, after almost 25 years in the suburbs of Mumbai, I discovered a Cycling Heaven given the easy access to open highways and wide expanse of space in the upcoming suburbs of navi Mumbai. The areas around Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Uran, JNPT, Khopoli, Karjat, and Karnala are a part of the Raigad district in Maharashtra and the places are abundant with small hills, lakes, Dams, villages, hiking and biking trails. Naturally this meant that I ride more cross country than on the city roads. Often when I ride on the Mumbai pune highway and odd driver or a biker will stop and ask me about my Bike and if it’s safe to ride on the Highways with zooming cars, speeding Volvos and reckless ST and Truck drivers. I tell them that its much safer than the drivers in Mumbai, one given the fact that drivers on Highway rarely do drink and drive, second, the drivers on the highway I have encountered usually respect the fact that a cyclist is on the road, miles from the city pedaling his heart out to reach some God for saken place. And thirdly, I always ride with safety gear, meaning Helmet, Rear Blinkers, and Front Blinkers, safety or a yellow reflective jersey that ensures that I am always visible to other drivers on the road. Of course I am also prepared for any eventuality so I also carry spare tubes, a small frame mounted pump, puncture repair kit and most important, identification that I may require in case of emergency. Readers should believe me; it’s much safer outside the city than within it.
The past two years I have been to a lot of places riding on my own. I usually plan the whole week for the ride with the kind assistance of Google Maps and ride out on Saturday. The planning is very important as an extra half hour taken during the ride can mean the strong Indian Sun beating you down. The rides usually begin at 6.00 am in the morning, sometime even earlier. (Call us crazy)
Among one of my rides, the most memorable one that I have and also the place where I have done multiple rides (almost 5 times till date) is a place known as Gadheshwar, near Panvel. This is a small village about 22 kms from Panvel station or the Mumbai Pune Highway. Gadheshwar is located quite close to Navi Mumbai and from Belapur one needs to keep going straight beyond the Kalamboli circle towards Panvel. One has to be careful not to get on to the Expressway. In Panvel keep going straight crossing the Khanda Colony Signal and then cross a small bridge over the railways tracks to come near Garden Restaurant. From here on keep riding straight and then turning left will bring us on the New Panvel road and further on to the road leading to Gadheshwar. This road is incidentally called the Panvel Matheran Road because further on from Gadheshwar the road leads to a village called Maldunge which is the base for a Trek to Matheran, from the other side of Neral. That of course is another Blog Post altogether.
Well, after taking a left turn at Panvel, continue riding on the Panvel Matheran. The roads at that time are almost empty being a Saturday and you might catch a few village kids walking to school and if you wave to them you might catch them smiling back at you. The road is a two lane road without any dividers in the middle and caution is advised considering the bikers and rickshaws sometimes drive at breakneck speeds. But keeping to the left is a good idea always.
The ride itself is awesome in the early morning warm sunshine and after crossing the village of Koproli the road takes a sharp left on Nere village. From here on the road is beautiful with fields and small houses dotting the landscape. The road down to Gadheshwar is a little bit of rolling terrain but all in all mostly flat and can be attempted by even novice riders.
Riding along the route you will cross the Gadheshwar Temple. Now, Gadheshwar is another name for Lord Shiva and the temple although small yet beautifully constructed like the older temples and is starkly empty. We stopped at the temple on our return ride though. Moving along further you catch the first glimpse of the Dam channel. The lake also has a Dam surrounding it that supplies water to the villages in the vicinity. Soon after a few small climbs and amazing drops you can see the first glimpse of the Gadheshwar Lake glistening in the sunlight.
The entrance or the mud trail leading from the road to the Dam is built in such a way so as to prevent cars and motorbikes to be go there. The Water Works Dept. that also maintains the Dam and surrounding areas have literally dug a trench before the path begins and we had to get down and life our bikes over. Of course it’s not too big a trench or more like a ditch to cross but quite thoughtful. Having crossed the ditch and walked down the path we suddenly came to the most beautiful sight and suddenly the tired legs feel springy again. The Lake was there before us gleaming in the morning sun and you can gaze upon it till eternity. There is a small hut where the security guy and maintenance guy sit and laze around the whole day (I would). Tip: It’s always a good idea to befriend these men and show them some respect and trust me they’ll welcome you into their lives telling you all sorts of stories and the history of the place. We, me and my riding partner that day, spend close to an hour at the lake not wanting to pull ourselves away. We usually pack biscuits on longer rides so we sat there sipping water and eating biscuits and just gazing at the lake while the trees over head swayed and gave us the much needed shade. After spending an amazing hour we decided to head back to Navi Mumbai and bid adieu to the security guys promising to return again. The return rides are also equally good if you can live with the traffic that increases while you were out towards your destination. The total ride was around 48 kms to and fro and we started at 6.30 am in the morning and returned back to Kharghar at around 10.00 am with just two stops en route both ways. The route is easy to medium grade and can be done on MTB, Hybrids as well as Road Bikes although the former two are recommended.
The equipment I use: • Btwin Rockrider 5.3 MTB from Decathlon India • Btwin Urban Helmet • Scott half finger gloves • Cateye Nima rear blinker • Quechua Hydration Backpack 1 L • Sigma wired bike compute or cyclocomp • Btwin dri fit cycling jersey • Btwin XC MTB shorts • Btwin Padded cycling tights • Btwin Schrader valve spare tube • Park Tools Puncture kit • Btwin Multitool • Btwin Saddlebag 0.4 l • Btwin Mini frame pump • Respra anti pollution mask (for the return ride) • Lumia 730 with 6.7 mpix Zeiss Lens
About the Author:
Partha is in his mid-thirties and works as a Credit Manager with a leading NBFC working five days a week in Mumbai. Other than cycling he also enjoys hiking, trekking, nature walks and active sports. And when he is not doing any of these you can find him hooked on to his Kindle or listening to Progressive trance or simply shooting random pics on his Lumia 730. A Greenpeace follower and a staunch Save-the-Earth activist, Partha loves connecting with people.
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The Great Bangalore-Paris Road Expedition
20.05.2015 - China:
Its been tough to share updates for last couple weeks, especially with fb and google and gmail heavily restricted here in China and to top it, limited Internet connectivity. There is lots to share and fill on but will have to save our China experiences for a future release.
The Team and Family is doing good, learning and experiencing a lot! We are excited for whats coming up next week!
19.05.2015 - China:
17.05.2015 - China:
16.05.2015 - Dunhuang,China:
Gigantic Sand Dunes at Dunhuang! The kids climbed till the top. You can see the miniatures of the people in backdrop on the top!
14.05.2015 - China:
10.05.2015 - China:
08.05.2015 - China:
Life through the lens during our "eventful" and "beautiful" self-drive from Nepal through China. Due to lack of time and limited Internet, the descriptions to these pictures are limited. As and when we get time, will add in more details.
06.05.2015 - Kathmandu:
Quick shout out and trumps to Punita. A trip this sort requires both mental and physical grit. Its bound that each of the team members be negatively susceptible to both these time to time. It continues to be a challenge for all of us every once in a while.
Punita bore the brunt during the gruellingly long Gorakhpur-Kathmandu stretch with multiple health issues. She also understood the importance of reaching Kathmandu on time for the Chinese Visa. She braved it through very strongly and not only that, graced it with the application formalities as well, as I was completely juiced out with the drive.
To add to her credit, it was her commitment to drive us through as much as possible in India. It stands that she drove over 65% of the journey from Bangalore to Nepal.
She is often referred to as the backbone of Team LIFE within the circles. Salut Woman!
19.04.15 - Good clean shower:
Decided to give the Jet a good clean shower. We contacted Life Automobiles in Kathmandu and it turned out that they were having free check up camp. Good timing. Here is the Jet in before and after condition.
Quick word about the Jet - it has performed phenomenally well, despite being fully loaded and the treacherous road conditions it has been through since the start of the trip. Also glad that Michelin tyres are performing well so far.
thanks to Life Automobiles for the health check in Kathmandu.
Must add that the road conditions in Kathmandu are so bad that 5 minutes after the wash and on the main road the Jet looked like it desperately needed a shower again.
17.04.2015 - Nepal side via Sanauli Border:
17th April, we crossed into the Nepal side via Sanauli Border. We had to rush to Kathmandu for our China group visa, which meant that we had to skip a visit to Lumbini (birthplace of Buddha) and exploring landscapes of Pokhara for our next trip. The border formalities took up unexpectedly long time. About 2 to 3 hours of running around between the Nepal immigration and the Indian customs offices. Part of the reason was also because it was our first international crossing and we wanted to be sure that things were in order. It was a pleasant and nice contrast in terms of the road conditions compared to the Indian side.
Enroute in Nepal towards Kathmandu, we were suddenly taken by complete surprise with very heavy hailstorm. It felt like someone was having fun with a Gatling-gun (Arnold Terminator type). Else, a pleasant and scenic drive.
We reached Kathmandu around 6:30 p.m. and took us about 45 minutes to locate the travel agents office who was going to arrange for our chinese visa. Incidentally his office is located in Thamel area, which is notorious for narrow by-lanes. The TJet got its first international kiss here. Thankfully nothing too bad.
After driving for over 14 hours straight, I started to have double vision when filling up the chinese application form and so goofed up in one of the forms as well. The agent duly obliged to fill the form for me, understandbly so. Punita on other hand filled hers and the kids just fine.
It had been a long day and we decided to call it a day and parked at a hotel right next door the agents office.
Enroute in Nepal towards Kathmandu, we were suddenly taken by complete surprise with very heavy hailstorm. It felt like someone was having fun with a Gatling-gun (Arnold Terminator type). Else, a pleasant and scenic drive.
16.04.2015 - Gorakhpur:
We dashed off to Gorakhpur from Varanasi. Pooja Lohia (my school friend) gave us bottle of ganga-jal (water from the Ganges), achaar and sweets. Once again, was wonderful meeting her and Punita has a new friend in her as well.
It was about 8.30pm ish when we reached Gorakhpur, our last city-town in India. Our cousin Vikas Hirawat called us midway for location status and he was furious we were still driving post sunset (A deal our dad made us sign). He sensed it would be trouble some to look for hotels (we don't plan to book hotels in this trip, as we prefer to keep things open ended). He quickly made a few phone calls and shared the number of Anubhav Verma, an architect based in Gorakhpur. He asked us to co-ordinate with Anubhav looking for Hotel. We called Anubhav on the way to Gorakhpur and he asked us to meet him at his office once we reached the city. The first impression of Anubhav came out as a fun-loving, friendly and cheerful guy. He refused to share details about hotel and simply asked us to follow him in his car. Soon we realised he is taking us to his home and there we met up with his wife, Parul and two wonderful kids. She had prepared dinner for us and they even arranged for our night stay at their place. Anubhav helped us with route information from gorakhpur to kathmandu via the Sanauli border. We decided for early morning start as it was going to be a long drive from gorakhpur to kathmandu. We woke up at 430 and were ready to leave by 530 am. Parul even prepared breakfast for kids. Such a wonderful couple and lovely kids. We look forward to meeting them up in bangalore sometime soon.
There is also an hdfc card incident but that is worth mentioning only in the book once the trip is complete. One quick note about the city of Gorakhpur is that it is not as shaded as it is often been portrayed. We were pretty impressed in some ways.
Picture with Anubhav, Parul and Team LIFE before our takeoff to Kathmandu.
14.04.2015 - Varanasi:
Happy Birthday to the back-bone of Team L.I.F.E - Punita. Beautiful day today with darshans to the Ganga, witnessing the soul-soothing aarthi and doing the holy-dip at the Ganga. The rickshaw ride to the ghat is an experience in itself.
Dinner was chat at the Kaashi's by the lanes. Their 'tamatar-chaat' is a must try. During the day - had a wonderfully pleasant surprise. The room phone rang and on the other end was Pooja Agarwal Lohia. A class-mate from my 8-9th grade from a shcool in Chennai. She happened to see the car parked in the Bhawan from her house that was right next to it. She recognized it from our fb posts. We caught up with her and she suggested things to do while here in Varanasi.
Sharing few pictures from the Nepal earthquake experience. While these pictures describe very little of what the Team actually experienced, this is at best what we could capture with no power supply for 6 days and limited battery life. Big shout out to Chinese Army for taking care of us in bestest ways posible. They are real heroes of the entire episode along with Yash and Dhriti.
'The Socks Family' as labelled and shot by Rochelle Kilgariff from www.overlanddiaries.com
This was taken during the days when we were caught between cold weather and quakes at the border. We had no warmers and used all our socks to warm ourselves up. Kalenji from Decathlon will be proud of this endorsement. Lovely fun click! Tks Rochelle! smile emoticon!
13.04.2015 - Katni-Varanasi:
Wait for a day when you can undo your route decision. The worst stretch ever driven. Non-existent roads an understatement. Days like this you only wish you had an intervention. 13 hours of putting the Jet to some serious tests. Through it all, it did great and got us home well. We stopped at Rewa for lunch at Hotel Maharaja. Good food and got some good break from the maddening drive. We reached Kanhaiyalal Gupta Smriti Bhavan late night. Very nice bhawan, good clean beds and fantastic air-conditioning and food. Dinner and drop-dead-bed.
12.04.2015 - Nagpur - Katni:
A quick note about the drivers in Nagpur - most of them need some serious lessons in road manners. They simply love to honk for no real reason. You maybe at a stand-still bumper-bumper scenario, but who cares - have horn, will honk!
To sum it up Day 4 - long arduous journey today. Good scenic-view country drive. Not much to say about road conditions. Of the 13 hour drive, Punita drove a good half-length. Google map durations are so deceiving. The second half of the drive, roads were in terrible condition. Dropped the avg. down to 45 kmph. Nonetheless, some nice moments that were captured. We had lunch at The Arihant Palace in Jabalpur. Good food again. We bought some sun-shades for the window here and moved ahead.
11.04.2015 - Nagpur:
By late last night, the sting in Yash's arm had deteriorated quite a bit. The sting-venom affected a good patch of his upper arm and he had a swelling. Though in some pain, Yash remained in high spirits, especially showing-off the swelling in arm to Dhriti as newly built muscles.
We stay put in Nagpur today as advised by the doc. Yash and I decided to drive to town to buy few essentials for the car like phone holder, chargers, power bank etc. While we were at once such store, a biker stopped-by and shared he read about us in the papers. He took pictures with us.
Being shown the 'thumbs up' sign while on-the-move has been a standard since we left home from Bangalore - as news about our travel spread pretty fast, courtesy the media and the wonderful supporters on-board.
Yash and I lunched at the Haldirams while the ladies took care of the re-packing and other arrangements to leave for next day. We visited a relative for dinner and they were curios about our travel plans.
On our back to the hotel, we stopped by to visit the 'zero miles' in Nagpur. A biker stopped by looking at the car and shared the interesting story about how an English governor let four-horsemen in 4 directions to measure distances in India. Makes for an interesting wiki read. Not sure why it isn't maintained like a monumental spot. Pic of the zero-mile location.
10.04.2015 - Hyderabad:
What a fun way to start the morning when you get to meet the 'muffin man' at the Marriott. Kaavya from the hotel helped arrange a behind the scenes at the confectionery and it was lot of fun to have a 'hands on' experience.
Soon after breakfast, just as we were all set to leave for Nagpur, a good friend and ex-colleague Vijay Bhasker stopped by to meet us. He even gave us a solar-powered torch and a hand-receiver that can be connected to the mobile phones that cuts down radiation. A couple weeks ago, Vijay had also helped in the process of the Iranian Visa. We also received help from our Uncle and Aunt and a good friend Srikanth Bhogi from Hyderabad for the same Visa - as a lot of co-ordination was required.
Something that we missed mentioning on Day 1 of our trip when we reached Hyderabad was a visit from our uncle Vikas Baid and his son, Mudit who came down from Vijayawada just to meet and wish us. Due to our delayed start from Bangalore we reached Hyderabad late and unfortunately could only meet them for a short time as they had to head back.
On Day 2, we had our aunt and uncle visit us who even packed home-food for our journey next day to Nagpur. Love, help gestures and good luck wishes has always come in many ways from various sources all through conceiving the journey plans. Very humbling experiences. he Hyderabad-Nagpur Journey was mostly uneventful. The only thing worth mentioning are the mostly decent road conditions with very lovely flowers planted on the highway-median when exiting Hyderabad. Couple of hours before entering Nagpur, the road conditions were in very bad condition and only improved 100 kms before Nagpur. Punita did most of the driving today, including the run from Blr-Hyd.
Yash noticed he had been stung in his arm by an insect. It looked like a bee-sting to all of us and we were still couple of hours away from reaching Nagpur. The weather had cooled down quite a bit as has been the case in most parts of India, with rains pleasantly surprising all in the month of April. Nagpur greeted us with mild showers.
We showed Yash to the Doc at the Orange City Hospital and he immediately suggested we get a blood test done. When we told him of our plans travel to Varansi the next day, he decided against it and suggested we stay put in Nagpur as there are no big hospitals enroute. We did not want to take a chance. We parked in the The Pride Hotel, just outside the Airport. An old-fashioned hotel with very good staff and food. End of a long day.
09.04.2015 - Hyderabad:
A much self-deserved break from everything we had been doing for the last two weeks. We lay put in the hotel to get some much needed rest. Lunch was at Chutneys Himayatnagar. Good food and very friendly serving staff. Highly recommended.
08.04.2015 - Bangalore:
Big Day. Big Moment. After 7 months of planning and over 2000+ email exchanges to put the logistics together - the day had come to finally begin the journey. The last few days had quite a few press coverages and interviews - none of which was anticipated / expected. Feels great to be finally on-the-move. Posing with family outside our home. We had a 9am start and within 15 mins the odo read 18k for the Jet.
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The Paths I walked on... Everest Base Camp Trek
Hello friends! I am Prabhaker, and you can always read a lot more about me on my profile. This is my first time on this forum and hope to write some decent posts here.
I have been fond of trekking and a bit of mountaineering since I was a kid in the early 70s, and have managed to cover some decent miles over the years in many locations in the Himalayas. I would have certainly loved to share the pictures of all those moments here, but alas, I don't have pictorial records of all my treks.
Though I have been doing photography for an equal number of years and do own some very good equipment "Nikon F90X, but owing to weight constraints I refused to carry them with me. Also, since the world has moved from analog to digital, analog equipments like mine have become outdated and not advisable anymore. A couple of years ago I acquired a nice and tough "Point and Shoot" camera "Olympus uTough" and that has been a constant companion on such occasions.
I want to start my interaction with you by showing you the pictures from my "Everest Base Camp" trek that I did in April 2011. I have arranged the pictures in the manner I experienced things and will give you some idea about the paths I walked on. It's not only about rushing to the EBC, but also the beautiful moments shared with my companions and my self.
I hope you will enjoy them and let me know of your reactions.
Note: Though I visited Bhaktpur much later in the day, I have used some pictures much earlier in the presentation to add some interest in the story.
Please do not be offended by any of my words. No intention to hurt any sensibilities is present here. It's just that it is what "makes sense to me" as I write.
Also, please don't be intimidated by my serious looks in my photos. I am actually a reasonably fun person to be around. But none of the the photographers who took my photos ever said the magic words "Say Cheese". So how do you expect me to smile.
TREK 1: EVEREST BASE CAMP
DAY 1: APRIL 4, 2011 > We Indians believe that everything in life should be started with the blessings of Ganesha. So why shouldn't the EBCT be done in a similar manner.
Shree Ganeshaay Namh!
003 > KATHMANDU, HERE I COME!
View of Kathmandu city from the aircraft window.
004 > KATHMANDU! KATHMANDU! KATHMANDU!
And lots of it...
005 > WELCOMED BY GARURA!
The vahan of Lord Vishnu, Garura sits on top of a tall pillar in Durbar Square, Bhaktpur, Nepal.
006 > THAT'S ME! Posing in front of Narayanhiti Darbar Museum on the famous Durbar Marg in Kathmandu.
007 > TIBETAN PRAYER FLAGS!
Anywhere, Everywhere! Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all pervading space.
The five colors symbolize the elements: blue = air; green = water; red = fire; white = space; yellow = earth.
008 > BUDDHAM SHARNAM GACHHAMI! (I take refuge in the Buddha)
The famous "Bodhnath Stupa" is considered to be "the holiest" outside of Tibet. To me Buddha appears to be keeping a constant watch over all his disciples from here... and as if the pigeon flies right into the arms of Buddha.
009 > I TAKE REFUGE IN THE BUDDHA.
010 > SWAYMBHUNATH STUPA
Swayambhunath means "Self-created" and is believed to have been founded over 2000 years ago. Today it is considered to be "the holiest Bhuddhist Shrine" in Kathmandu.
011 > LOCKED!
Looking at the locked grills of this enclosure, and the animated gesture of the gentleman in the frame, it appeared to me as if he was asking - Why do the Gods need to be put under lock and key? How will they protect us?
The occupant of this enclosure is present in the next frame...
012 > TRI-NETRA (Three Eyed)
I could not find the name of this deity who occupies the enclosure shown in the earlier pic so I decided to call him "Tri-netra - Three Eyes". This deity may be Lord Shiva who is also known as Tri-netra.
Personally, I feel proud of this photo as I shot it thru the small space in the grill with my hand-held compact camera, and that too without using a flash.
013 > CHAINED!!!???
My overactive brain asked me a question - Have we actually put our gods behind the locks and chains or is it us who have got so used to these chains and locks that we are no more aware of them, both on our feet and mind?
014 > COMPLETE BUDDHIST MANTRA
A plaque displays the complete Buddhist Mantra at Swayambhunath in Sanskrit.
Normally we hear Tibetan Buddhists reciting only "Om Mani Padme Hoom" known as Mani Mantra, but the complete mantra actually carries three distinct portions as displayed on the plaque.
015 > MANI STONE The stones with Buddhist mantra written on them are called "Mani Stones".We came across such stones of different sizes throughout the trek to EBC.
016 > PRAYER WHEELS
Just like the Prayer Flags, the Prayer Wheels of all shapes, sizes and material are visible everywhere.
017 > PRAYER WHEELS AT WORK
According to the Tibetan Buddhist belief, spinning a prayer wheel has much the same meritorious effect as orally reciting the prayers.
018 > OM MANI PADME HOOM!
Praying is a way of life, whether at work, or play.
019 > COLOR THERAPY
Colors certainly make the rosary and other stuffs like key rings and bracelets come alive.And they also help feed the families of the craftsmen.
020 > I WANT THEM ALL!
Beautiful stuff does attract beautiful customers to the shop for sure. Of course, being my wife, she wanted to buy the whole shop, here, there and everywhere. Poor me!
021 > A BUDDHA FOR EVERYONE!
A Buddha for you and a Buddha for me.
022 > AND A ROSARY FOR EVERYONE TOO!
Looking at the avalanche of products on sale for the tourists, it felt as if everything today has been hijacked completely by the marketers and that religion is more of a commodity rather than a part of an individual's belief system.
023 > OFFERINGS - Bowls of water at Bodhnath Stupa.
In ancient India, it was a custom for devoted Buddhists to make offerings to Buddha and his monks, as they traveled. They were offered clean water for drinking and bathing, flowers, incense, light or a lamp, perfume and music. These offerings eventually came to be known as the 8 Auspicious Offerings and symbolize the coming forth of the Buddha’s precious teachings into the world. Similar offerings are used today on Tibetan Buddhist altars as a way to express gratitude and respect for the Buddha.
024 > HIDDEN MEANINGS?
Looking at these masks I thought, Does it have some hidden meaning for me?" Did they reflect my unconscious stress before I began my EBC trek, and the water jugs a solution to avoid that?
I recall that staying hydrated en route by drinking lots of water can help avoid AMS and the resulting stress too.
025> LIFE'S COOL
Children having fun at Durbar Square, Bhaktpur
026 > BALANCING ACT
Bhaktpur learns to balance between the old and the new.
027 > PALACE GUARDS
These ferocious gatekeepers continue to protect the palace.
028 > SCULPTURES
The beautiful wood carvings and sculptures of the Bhaktpur Palace.
029 > ALL IN THE FAMILY
Goddess Parvati disguised as Goddess Durga with her sons Ganesh and Kartikeya.
DAY 2: APRIL 5, 2011
030 > AT TREK PERMIT OFFICE
Without the trekking permit our treks cannot begin. From right to left are one of my teammates Raj Gopal, Sunil, our guide and I.
031 > LAST MINUTE PURCHASE AT THAMEL MARKET
Thamel, a typical tourists hang-out zone, is the Mecca for tourists in Kathmandu for all mountaineering or trek related purchases. It also boasts of multi-cuisine restaurants and eateries of all shapes and sizes. Like most trekkers we too decide to go for a gear-check and lunch here before our departure to Lukla the next day. The gentleman in the pic is Mr. Shiv Rana, another teammate.
DAY 3: APRIL 6, 2011 > KATHMANDU > LUKLA > PHAKDING
At check-in counter of Kathmandu Domestic airport for flight to Lukla. From L > R are Raj Gopal, Prabhaker, Shiva and Ajay. Our fifth friend and trek Guide Sunil shoots our photo. It is very difficult to describe the experiences at the domestic airport, one can only experience it.
032 > AT LUKLA AIRPORT CHECHK-IN
033 > WHAT HAVE I GOT INTO?
Ajay seems to be having second thoughts about his commitment for the trek, or do the words "Rum Pum" above his head indicate something else, subtly ;) After Raj, Shiv and I, Ajay is the fourth teammate.
034 > ARE WE GOING TO LUKLA?
After the long-long delays, Raj seems to be asking me the question, "Seriously, are we going to take off for Lukkla now?"
035 > EXTENDED TEA BREAK
While our bags get loaded in a leisurely fashion, the air hostess chooses to have an extended tea-break. Of course, there is no hurry as the weather conditions at Lukla still need to improve.
036 > OPEN TO ALL!
As I entered the airplane, I was pleasantly surprised to see the pilot in an open cockpit getting ready to take-off ASAP, in case the weather conditions again changed at Lukla. Except for a a bus and a diesel engine driver in the past, I had never seen a Pilot in action so closely.
037 > FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED!
As I had entered the plane before everyone else, taking advantage of the situation, I chose the first seat on the left, right behind the Pilots so that I could watch them in action, and enjoy my flying experience to Lukla to the fullest. Of course other than the Pilot, you get to see me too :)
038 > EXCITED? NO, OVER EXCITED!
Just don't think that being an Indian I was behaving like a village bum. In fact, all 14 passengers of the flight were equally excited after seeing the open cockpit of the air-plane and tried to capture as much as they could with their cameras. These gentlemen were from Bulgaria and the youngest member was just 66 and the oldest 69 years. Talking of age, we Indians become old by the time we are 45. So I hardly came across another Indian en route EBC :(
039 > TAKE-OFF! Lukla, here we come!
040 > THE FIRST LOOK!
The first view of the Himalayan peaks in the distance.
041 > TURBULENT MOMENTS!
It is not that I was not able to take a good shot but as we got closer to Lukla, the weather condition turned rough. The tiny airplane began to bounce like an Indian roadways bus that travels on an uneven country road. I turned around to check on my fellow passengers and found most with white faces holding the arm-rests as tight as possible.
042 > ATTENTION 100%
The only people who appeared the calmest amongst us were the two Pilots of this small airplane and their focus was absolute 100%. Watching them and the instrument panels closely but unable to understand anything that was on display on the GPS and other instruments, and also noticing the Pilots discussing matters in hushed tones, the situation actually appeared bleak to most of us.
043 > LUKLA VILLAGE, THE FIRST GLIMPSE
044 > AND THE LUKLA AIRPORT
045 > THE 3 Ps OF LUKLA - PRAY, PUKE & PEE?
Everybody hurries to get out of the airplane after a safe landing. Whether to pray, puke or pee, only each individual passenger or the almighty knows. I settled for thanking the Gods from the bottom of my heart.
046 > TENZING-HILLARY AIRPORT
In 2008, Lukla airport was rechristened in honor of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay adn is now known as Tenzing-Hillary Airport.
047 > WAIT n WATCH!
Now we begin to play the waiting game for our luggage to be released. The porters watching from above wait even more patiently in a hope to get hired.
048 > TAKE-OFF!
As we wait, flights continue to take-off and land one after another without any delays, owing to the unpredictable weather condition of the region that can turn bad without any notice. The amount of time we spent at the airport during our return journey, I calculated that on an average each flight took off within four-and-a-half minutes of its landing.
049 > And... I was there too :)
050 > OFF TO THE PIT STOP
Having collected our baggage, we rush out of the airport to reach our first pit-stop for a little rest and refueling.
051 > THE LUKLA MALL
052 > TPIT STOP - Sunny Garden
While our luggage is rearranged by our porters, I again go for a smileless "I was there!" shot :)
053 > MEET THE TOUGH ONES
By "tough ones" I mean the two Sherpa boys - Phurba and Pasang - who pose along with the two "not-so-tough" ones.
054 > GREAT MANAGEMENT SKILLS
Ajay shows his management skills. While he takes a break, Shiv is busy repacking the day-sack. A great example of camaraderie, or is it delegation of work?
055 > THE LAUGHING BUDDHA
Shiv doesn't seem to mind doing the job and just gives a warm smile. I personally feel that he can easily play the role of the "Laughing Buddha". What do you say?
056 > COMPETITION FROM ABOVE
"Our Buddha" had competition from the Buddha watching from above. This small shrine is right above on the hill behind Sunny Garden. One can trek to this place with some effort if desired.
057 > MANI (PRAYER) STONE
After our tea-break, we mentally say a small prayer and begin our trek. Mani Stones like these through out the route never let you forget the importance of a small prayer.
058 > THE TREK BEGINS
Shiv leads the way. And we follow him. In case you are wondering, the two porters on his either side are not not carrying our stuff. All my stuff was packed in a 60L rucksack, along with a 40L daysack, while Raj had maximum amount of luggage packed in a huge holdall.
059 > TREKKERS EVERYWHERE!
Owing to the weather condition improving, many flights had arrived and there was a avalanche of Western trekkers suddenly.
060 > AMUSED
Locals are amused to watch the over-dressed and over-prepared trekkers but are happy to get photographed.
061 > ROUTINE
Our EBC trek may be a novelty for us, but life continues to be a routine for all others. Most of the locals, like the three here, choose to ignore us completely.
062 > BUSY MAN
Sunil, being our guide and trek leader, gets busy making further arrangements through his mobile.
063 > CHECKPOINT 01
The first checkpoint just outside the Lukla village as we proceed to EBC.
064 > PATIENCE PAYS
Sunil waits for his turn with our papers ready in his hands.
065 > FIRST CLOSE VIEW
That's my first close view of snow-clad peaks of the region.
066 > LUKLA EXIT POINT
Just after the checkpoint, I pose in front of Pasang Lahmu Sherpa Memorial gate as we leave Lukla and the trek formally begins.
067 > ANGRY YOUNG MAN
As I take back my camera from Sunil after posing, I notice this this young Sherpa playing with him mobile. As I click him he gives me the "angry young man" look.
068 > BEYOND THE GATE
I am happy getting out of the gate and begin walking downhill on this beautiful semi-paved path.
069 > CHERRY BLOSSOMS
I see "Cherry Blossoms" for the first time in my life.
070 > NAMASTE! NAMASTE! NAMASTE!
Even though I am an Indian and the words "Namaste!" is a part of my life, still it becomes a bit difficult to get used to it coming out from the mouths of most westerners as you walk. However, within a few hundred meters of trek, I too develop this habit and wish them back... Namaste!
071 > YAK?
No, it's not a Yak. It's not even a Cow. I was told that it is a cross between the two, and are known as Dzopkyos (or Dschok-Pa). And I am absolutely confused as what to call them.
072 > NEED... THE MOTHER OF INVENTION!
Had I not seen it with my own I eyes, I would have never believed why these porters carry the "T" shaped wooden staff with them. Of course to use it as a support for their heavy weights, where there are none available. With all that load on the back, I even saw one of the guys peeing standing like that.
073 > IN HIS ELEMENTS
Raj appears to be in his elements, full of energy and walks with lots of zest.
074 > MATCHING PACE
Shiv and Ajay try to match pace with Raj vanishing in the distance, while I move up and down clicking the action around me.
075 > OM MANE PADME HUM
Our first intro with a huge Prayer Wheel besides Mane Stones.
076 > EXCITED!
Raj is excited seeing us reach there. Sunil clicks us Raj draws attention to himself. Yes Raj, you are there in the frame! :)
077 > USEFUL WHEN ALIVE!
078 > USEFUL WHEN DEAD!
A Yak skull over the entrance of the restaurant makes a strange sight to our untrained eyes. But Tibetans believe that a Yak skull over the entrance wards off evil spirits. I wondered, "What helps Yaks ward off the evil that comes near them.
079 > SILENCE & PEACE Almost hidden from the eyes of travelers.
Unless a trekker is actually conscious of his surroundings, he may miss noticing it completely
080 > UNADULTERATED NATURE... 100% WILD
There is beauty all around us.
081 > BODHISATTVAS!
When we hatch we want to serve Buddha! Of course not real eggs, but created out of carving rocks. To me it seems to be an interesting way to remember Buddha :)
082 > HIDE & SEEK!
More of nature peeping from every nook and cranny.
083 > ONION PLANTS BEFORE THEY BLOOM
084 > RHODODENDRON... In full bloom!
085 > WALL OF (FIRE)WOOD
086 > PRAYER WHEELS! Lots of them... and larger than me in size too.
087 > ANOTHER SUN
One Sun is above in the sky and the second one down below on the ground.
088 > ANOTHER MOUNTAINEER IN THE MAKING
Looking at this kid's cautious expression as he steps down the stairs, I felt that he would one day become a fine mountaineer. Mountaineering is not only about climbing, but returning home safely, which I am sure he will do for himself and the teams he leads.
089 > AND THE PATHS HE WALKS ON... EVERYDAY!
090 > THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
091 > BREAK TIME
Sunil wants us to have a break.
092 > TIRED TREKKERS
And what a break it turns out to be...
093 > AN UNPLANNED SHOW
With an unplanned show thrown in for our amusement, it's fun to watch this kid...
094 > MAGICAL MOMENTS
095 > A TREAT
A treat for the eyes...
096 > A RARE ONE FOR SURE
097 > NOT AN EASY ONE TO FORGET
The water from the tap was freezing cold, but this kid was enjoying it as if he was playing with a toy.
098 > SMILE!
Even Ajay gives a refreshing smile...
099 > SHOW OVER!
Discussing the show for a few more minutes, it's time to move on.
100 > AS ALWAYS... Shiv leads the way
101 > AND WE FOLLOW
102 > FOLLOWERS??
Not exactly!
103 > HANGING BRIDGE
Of course that was the first hanging bridge that we came across that day, and I did not leave a chance to get clicked besides it.
104 > PRAYER FLAGS ON THE BRIDGE
I am not a religiously inclined person, but f you ask me, looking at the flags tied to bridge I thought it was the power of prayer that was holding the bridge together in place.
105 > BLOSSOM BLOSSOM... CHERRY BLOSSOM
106 > WELCOME!
Raj is greeted with some flowers by some kids as we enter a small village on the way.
107 > CLOSE UP
I don't lose a moment for a close-up shot of the kids.
108 > FOR THE RECORDS
Sunil and I too go for a "for the records" shot. Raj is the photographer this time.
109 > A NEW LEADER EMERGES
After the photo shoot, Sunil chooses to lead the way. Ahead of him is a huge Mani Stone. We have also been promised "lunch" soon by him.
110 > HYPNOTIZED
The word "lunch" had a hypnotizing effect on all of us and we follow him like the mice who followed the "Pied Piper".
111 > THE SHERPA KITCHEN
This was an interesting place to have lunch in the open under the Sun... really a beautiful setting for enjoying our first real meal of the day.
112 > HOLY LUNCH!
I have never been so excited to see food ever in my life. My favorite and wholesome - Daal, Bhaat, Tarkaari and some Papad too.
113 > NO FRIENDSHIP HERE!
Food comes between tow close friends. No more talking.
114 > INTENSE CONCENTRATION... AND NO TIME TO REMOVE SHADES
I wish I had concentrated so well when I was a student. I would have topped in everything I did :)
115 > AAAAAHH...
The pleasures of food having entered a hungry tummy.
116 > SATIATED
Five satisfied souls choose to thank the "Annporna", the cook/owner of the restaurant from the bottom of our filled tummies. Sunil is of course the fifth one behind the camera.
117 > POST LUNCH
An uphill trek begins immediately. We didn't know at that time but almost everyday, thanks to our tormentor Sunil, the hardest part of the trek started after lunch. No matter what but we couldn't convince Sunil to choose a restaurant a a loction when the climb was over.
Kuchh to gadbad hai!!! :confused:
118 > TO CLIMB OR NOT TO CLIMB!
It was OK with Sunil, but how do you expect city-slickers like Ajay to do hard climb in a rare atmosphere just after lunch? I discussed killing Sunil that day with my mates but everybody chose to give him some more chance. In any case we couldn't kill him as we had paid money in advance :p
119 > FLOATING SPOTS IN FRONT OF THE EYES
Now you can make out how tired we were. There were numerous spots floating and dancing in front of our eyes. Just joking friends, but these are some wild flowers growing abundantly in outside one of the tea-houses. Natural beauty is what helped our tired muscles rejuvenate, always.
120 > COLORS OF LIFE
Of course there were other colors present there too...
121 > ENGROSSED
After the Pilots who flew us to Lukla, this was the only guy we came across who demonstrated the kind of concentration that is needed to complete any task.
122 > Prayers and Prayer Wheels are as common as the stones found on the way.
123 > And so are the prayer flags.
124 > MANI STONES! MANI STONES! MANI STONES!
And lots of them everywhere.
125 > AND "I"
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FISHING: A Perfect Hobby
There is no losing in fishing. You can either catch or you can learn. Both the ways, they are better than work. Thus, fishing is one of the best activity, on which you can spend your holiday. And adding to that, you can always enjoy the peace and quiet water.
Why fishing is considered as a fabulous Hobby? Fishing gives a chance to go out where there is no noise at all. You can spend time in peace, with the silent water and beautiful nature, far from busy and noisy life. Thus fishing is really a relaxing hobby. Fishing really helps to de-stress and relax.
Another most important reason why fishing is awesome because it is less expensive. You need not have to spend lots of money in order to do fishing. All you need is a fishing rod. That’s it. And you are ready for fishing.
There is also one more reason why fishing is fantabulous. You need not possess an extra-ordinary skill or you need not take any kind of training. Fishing is self-explanatory. All you must have is a patience.
So this is the perfect hobby to those who are living stressful life and staying in noisy environment, as it helps you to reduce your stress, takes you to the place where you can enjoy the peace and beauty of the nature. Also, you need not spend much money.
So guys.. what are you waiting for? Come to our site. Shop for your awesomely fabulous hobby. And enjoy Fishing..
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Riding a Horse is riding the sky
Feeling down?? Then Saddle Up Guys… And once you climb up the saddle, be ready for an awesome ride. Because when you ride, all you feel is free.
For horse riding, all you need is a courage. So gather the courage and get ready for whole new experience in the world.
Horse riding is also known as Equestrianism. It refers to the skill of riding, driving the horse. Thus, to take horse riding as your hobby, you need to learn the skill of riding the horse.
While horse riding, you should choose your outfit properly. You must wear jeans and boots. This is the must while riding the horse.
Tips to keep you safe in the saddle:
1. Riding is about the balance on the move: Sit squarely on the saddle and move your body along with the horse. You should keep your body movements in accordance with the movements of horse.
2. Hold your reins evenly: How you hold the reins will vary whether you are riding English or Western. Western riders hold their reins in one hand. English riders hold their reins in both the hands.
3. Look forward: You should always look up that where are you going. Horses are intuitive so they will change the path even with the smallest intuition.
4. Your feet should be in the right position: The broadest part of your feet should be on the stirrup. Always, you have to point your toes towards the sky while riding.
5. The most important thing- Don’t forget to breathe while riding.
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Get ready for natural showers
Happy Rainy days.. So are you ready Gurlzz for rains?? Not yet?? Then come at us and enjoy monsoon shopping.
The weather in monsoon is pleasant and so our outfit should be. So Gurlzz.. We need to select perfect outfit for this weather.
You can wear T-shirts or tops and shorts with dynamic colors. And you can wear a smart shrug or jacket on T-shirt, as weather in monsoon will be little cold too.
You can wear Tops with some light colours like white, sky blue, pink etc. Also you can choose some floral print’s Tops.
Also you have an option of selecting dresses with knee length or shift dresses. In monsoon, the bright colors will look good for dresses.
In dresses also, you can choose floral print dresses or paisley designed dresses.
In monsoon, you have to be careful about your footwear too. Try to avoid the heels in monsoon so that you can walk in rains properly. You can always go for flats, as they safe in monsoon. Also you have the choice of flip-flops or floaters.
Also on dresses, you can wear bellies shoes or sandals. Bellies shoes will always look cute with shift dresses.
Any flip flops or flats will look good on shorts or capris you wear.
So Gurlzz.. Enjoy rains… enjoy shopping, because shopping is awesome as rains are… !
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FATHER’S DAY SPECIAL
Dad… The daughter’s first love & the son’s hero. He gives his everything just to make his children happy. So folks… take the opportunity of FATHER’S DAY and let him know how special he is. And we are here to help you on this great occasion.
As you know, even a smallest gift from you will make your dad happy, but we have the wide range of products which you can gift your daddy. And they will also be useful to him.
You can gift your dad sunglasses to make him look cool, or you can even gift him a watch which will be always with him. So guys hurry up and do shopping for your dad.
Ray-Ban Sunglasses: -
Ray-Ban is the global leader in the sunglasses premium market. They manufacture high quality of sunglasses with wide range of variety.
Sunglasses will make your dad look cool and different. He will get a new look all along. So you can gift your dad the sunglasses which will suit his face shape.
Watches: -
Watch is one of the best option to gift your dad. The watch will always remain with him and make him remember you always.
You can gift him a Timex watch which will look trendy.
Or you can gift him a titan watch, which will look classy.
You can also gift him a Fastrack watch, which will look cool.
So guys.. hurry up… take a look on our collections of sunglasses and watches. Choose the one for your dad and make him astonished on FATHER’s DAY. He will definitely love it.
Pens: -
Pens witness most of the important decisions. Thus it can be one of the gifts for your dad from you. The pen given by you will always be close to his heart as you are. So, we have many options for you to choose.
You can choose Parker Pens which will give a trendy look. Parker pens always help to look your personality sophisticated.
You can even go for waterman pens, which are famous for their vintage models. So this will also be the best gift for your dad.
Shirts: -
Shirts also can be one of the options. Formal Shirts will definitely be useful to your dad. And by wearing your shirt he can feel you close to his heart. So, light shaded, sober colour shirt can also be the option.
Deos and Perfumes: -
Perfumes and Deos also can be the option. As fragrances make people happy. They can please your dad too. So you can gift him deos and perfumes.
So guys.. hurry up… take a look on our collections of sunglasses and watches. Choose the one for your dad and make him astonished on FATHER’s DAY. He will definitely love it.
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Leh & Ladakh: Natural Beauty
The people who love trekking, the time has come. So guys, pack your bags and get ready for trekking in Ladakh, one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The meaning of word “Ladakh” is “land of high passes”. It is situated in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is between the Karakoram mountain range to the north and the Himalayas to the south. The Indian Part of Ladakh consists of Leh & Kargil districts.
TREKING: -
Ladakh is the most favourite place for trekking. It is like a heaven for trek lovers, as it is surrounded with the world’s most beautiful mountains the Himalaya and the Karakoram and other two, the Ladakh range and the Zangskar range. It has high passes of lands thus it gives the beautiful scenes of colourful mountains and landscapes.
Best Time to Trek: -
The best time to trek in Ladakh is between June end to mid-October.
Famous Treks: -
The treks from Spituk to the Markha valley, Lamayuru gompa to Chiling village alongside the Zanskar River and Likir to Temisgam are the famous treks in Ladakh.
Treks According to ease levels: -
EASY TREKS: - Indus Valley trek of 13 days, Spituk Trek of 6 days, Sham trek of 7 days and Sham and Indus Valley trek of 14 days.
MODERATE TREKS: - Manali Ladakh Trekking of 23 Days, Markha Valley Trek of 11 Days, Spiti To Ladakh of 24 Days, Sangla to Leh Trek of 13 Days, The Nubra Valley Trek of 10 Days, Tsomoiri Lake Trek of 23 Days, Trekking in Zanskar of 18 Days, Lamayuru Alchi Trek of 09 Days, Lamayuru Martselang Trekking of 9 Day, Lamayuru Chilling via Dung-Dung La of 12 Days, Ladakh Monastery Trek of 17 Days, Wild Ladakh Trekking of 23 Days.
DIFFICULT TREKS: - Hemis Rupsu Darcha Trekking of 21 Days, Stok Kangri Trekking of18 Days, Remote Zanskar Trekking of 18 Days, Darcha Lamayuru Trek of 18 Days, Frozen River Trek of 23 Days, Journey To Southern Zanskar of 26 Days, Ladakh, Zanskar Trek of 18 Days, Lamayuru Padum Trek of 19 Days, Stok Kangri Climb-Markha Trekking of 22 Days, Trans, The Rupshu Trek of 23 Days.
Tourist Places:-
Some of the places where the tourists interest lies are Leh, Drass valley, Suru valley, Kargil, Zangskar, Zangla, Rangdum, Padum, Phukthal, Sani Monastery, Stongdey, Shayok Valley, Sankoo, Salt Valley.
SOME MUST VISIT PLACES IN LADAKH:-
Leh Palace: - situated behind the main market. It has 8 stories. It is similar to Potala palace (Lhasa).
Chamba Temple: - It has a huge icon of the Maitreya, Buddha. It is one roomed shrine.
Jama Masjid: - It is situated in the bazaar, at the top of the street. It is of green and white colour.
Sankar Gompa: - It is situated within the city. It is one of the oldest structures of Ladakh. The monks in this monastery are very helpful. They always offer a yak butter tea to the visitors.
Thikse Monastery: - It is the largest structure here in Ladakh. It is famous for its statue of the Maitreya, Buddha.