Today its confirmed. The famed punctuality of the army and their being different is a big myth. The weather clears up quite unexpectedly and the expedition team is in a huddle. They have been caught napping literally as they didn’t expect the weather to clear.
Mar 01, 2010 | Categories: Kanchenjuna Expedition Diary 2004 | Tags: adventure in Himalayas, adventurous climb, alcohol, alcohol local, army expedition, asia, brew, climbers, climbing mountains, drining local alcohol, glaciers, Himalayan mountain photographs, himalayas, ice, ice cap, india, Indian army climbers, Indian army mountain expedition, Indian army mountaineers, Indian Himalayas, kanchendzonga, Kanchenjunga, Kanchenjunga mountain, local brew, mountain climbers, mountain expedition, mountaineering, mountaineers, mountains, nelapese brew, Nepal, nepal photographs, nepali sherpas, photographs of Kanchenjunga, receding glaciers, Sherpa mountaineers, sherpas, snow, south east asia, tapleyjung, third highest mountain, tomba brew in nepal | Leave A Comment »
Due to the protocol unique to the army all of these perishiables items had to be bought from Delhi which means they have been lying around for over a good 15 days.
Mar 01, 2010 | Categories: Kanchenjuna Expedition Diary 2004 | Tags: adventure in Himalayas, adventurous climb, army expedition, asia, chetak helicopter, climbers, climbing mountains, glaciers, helicopter, Himalayan mountain photographs, himalayas, ice, ice cap, india, Indian army climbers, Indian army mountain expedition, Indian army mountaineers, Indian Himalayas, kanchendzonga, Kanchenjunga, Kanchenjunga mountain, MI-17 transport helicopter, mountain climbers, mountain expedition, mountaineering, mountaineers, mountains, Nepal, nepal photographs, nepalese countryside, nepali sherpas, photographs of Kanchenjunga, receding glaciers, Sherpa mountaineers, sherpas, snow, south east asia, tapleyjung, third highest mountain | Leave A Comment »
Whenever the weather is clear we all pick up the racket and play. It is our favourite pastime.
Mar 01, 2010 | Categories: Kanchenjuna Expedition Diary 2004 | Tags: adventure in Himalayas, adventurous climb, army expedition, asia, climbers, climbing mountains, game of badminton, glaciers, Himalayan mountain photographs, himalayas, ice, ice cap, india, Indian army climbers, Indian army mountain expedition, Indian army mountaineers, Indian Himalayas, kanchendzonga, Kanchenjunga, Kanchenjunga mountain, mountain climbers, mountain expedition, mountaineering, mountaineers, mountains, Nepal, nepal photographs, nepali sherpas, photographs of Kanchenjunga, receding glaciers, Sherpa mountaineers, sherpas, snow, south east asia, tapleyjung, third highest mountain | 2 Comments »
They plan to go tomorrow and if the weather is good all five sorties would go. Major Amit is bewildered by all the english we speak amongst each other and tries to make fun of it all by his crude Haryanvi comments.
Mar 01, 2010 | Categories: Kanchenjuna Expedition Diary 2004 | Tags: adventure in Himalayas, adventurous climb, army expedition, asia, brew alcohol, climbers, climbing mountains, glaciers, helicopter landing, helicopter photographs, Himalayan mountain photographs, himalayas, ice, ice cap, india, Indian army climbers, Indian army mountain expedition, Indian army mountaineers, Indian Himalayas, kanchendzonga, Kanchenjunga, Kanchenjunga mountain, local brew, local market, mountain climbers, mountain expedition, mountaineering, mountaineers, mountains, Nepal, nepal people, nepali market, nepali sherpas, photographs from nepal, photographs of Kanchenjunga, receding glaciers, Sherpa mountaineers, sherpas, snow, south east asia, tapleyjung, third highest mountain, village fair | Leave A Comment »
Today is Rakhi-so perhaps the residents of Tapleyjung thought of no better way of commemorating the event that by organising a girl’s soccer tournament.
Mar 01, 2010 | Categories: Kanchenjuna Expedition Diary 2004 | Tags: adventure in Himalayas, adventurous climb, army expedition, asia, climbers, climbing mountains, female tournament, football tournament, game of football, glaciers, Himalayan mountain photographs, himalayas, ice, ice cap, india, Indian army climbers, Indian army mountain expedition, Indian army mountaineers, Indian Himalayas, kanchendzonga, Kanchenjunga, Kanchenjunga mountain, mountain climbers, mountain expedition, mountaineering, mountaineers, mountains, Nepal, nepali, nepali sherpas, nepali town, photographs of Kanchenjunga, photographs of nepal, play, receding glaciers, Sherpa mountaineers, sherpas, snow, south east asia, tapleyjung, third highest mountain, tournament | 1 Comment »
Actually with leeches it’s a bad idea to stop. They take no time to stick on shoes and them trepez onto your leg. The leeches here are slim and about a centimenter long. They stand on one end with the other end probing the air-perhaps for flesh to stick on.
Mar 01, 2010 | Categories: Kanchenjuna Expedition Diary 2004 | Tags: adventure in Himalayas, adventurous climb, army expedition, asia, climbers, climbing mountains, glaciers, Himalayan mountain photographs, himalayas, ice, ice cap, india, Indian army climbers, Indian army mountain expedition, Indian army mountaineers, Indian Himalayas, kanchendzonga, Kanchenjunga, Kanchenjunga mountain, leeches, mountain climbers, mountain expedition, mountaineering, mountaineers, mountains, Nepal, nepal travels, nepali sherpas, photographs of Kanchenjunga, photographs of nepal, receding glaciers, Sherpa mountaineers, sherpas, snow, south east asia, sukhetar, tapleyjung, third highest mountain, trek, trekking, trekking in nepal | 1 Comment »
The town is quite except for the occasional barking of dogs, the hoarse quacking of the ducks and the crowing of the cocks. A steady stream of low noises of hammering and sawing also emanate from a workshop nearby that makes furniture. I have seen some more shops in the bazaar that manufactures furniture. I wonder if it is the close proximity to the trees in the forests or whether Tapleyjung is the furniture mart of the near and far towns.
Mar 01, 2010 | Categories: Kanchenjuna Expedition Diary 2004 | Tags: adventure in Himalayas, adventurous climb, army expedition, asia, climbers, climbing mountains, glaciers, Himalayan mountain photographs, himalayas, ice, ice cap, india, Indian army climbers, Indian army mountain expedition, Indian army mountaineers, Indian Himalayas, kanchendzonga, Kanchenjunga, Kanchenjunga mountain, mountain climbers, mountain expedition, mountaineering, mountaineers, mountains, Nepal, nepali countryside, nepali sherpas, nepali town, photographs of Kanchenjunga, photographs of nepal, receding glaciers, Sherpa mountaineers, sherpas, snow, south east asia, tapleyjung nepal, third highest mountain | 1 Comment »
The rains had made the road soggy and the trucks and busses that ply on these roads left deep tunnels on either side of the roads. The bus wobbles from one end to the other and I sit with my heart in my mouth, thinking the bus would surely topple over and fall into the deep gorge below. This prevents any sleeping the entire journey.
Mar 01, 2010 | Categories: Kanchenjuna Expedition Diary 2004 | Tags: adventure in Himalayas, adventurous climb, army expedition, asia, bad roads, bus travel, climbers, climbing mountains, glaciers, harrowing journey, Himalayan mountain photographs, himalayas, ice, ice cap, india, Indian army climbers, Indian army mountain expedition, Indian army mountaineers, Indian Himalayas, kanchendzonga, Kanchenjunga, Kanchenjunga mountain, mountain climbers, mountain expedition, mountaineering, mountaineers, mountains, Nepal, nepali, nepali countryside, nepali roads, nepali sherpas, photographs of Kanchenjunga, receding glaciers, road journey, Sherpa mountaineers, sherpas, snow, south east asia, tapleyjung, third highest mountain, travel, travel by bus, worst road journeys | 2 Comments »
The Silk trade route may have closed but commerce like this still flourishes along the border. The light was good and I just pray the pics come out good. On the way back and up to the Nathu La the army jonga had to stop and report at each TCP station along the route. Amit says it’s the standard protocol for every army vehicle all over India.
Mar 01, 2010 | Categories: Kanchenjuna Expedition Diary 2004 | Tags: adventure in Himalayas, adventurous climb, ancient routes, ancient silk routes, ancient silkh routes, army expedition, asia, climbers, climbing mountains, glaciers, Himalayan mountain photographs, himalayas, ice, ice cap, india, india china routes, Indian army climbers, Indian army mountain expedition, Indian army mountaineers, Indian Himalayas, indian- chinese border, indo-chinese border, kanchendzonga, Kanchenjunga, Kanchenjunga mountain, mountain climbers, mountain expedition, mountaineering, mountaineers, mountains, Nathu La, Nepal, nepali sherpas, photographs of Kanchenjunga, receding glaciers, Sherpa mountaineers, sherpas, silk routes, snow, south east asia, third highest mountain | Leave A Comment »
Today listening to the grim stories of life at Base camp from Col Vijay, the Principal of Darjeeling Mountaineering Institute and Col Upadhaya I am a bit intimidated. They were discussing the ordeal of shitting on those heights. One has to shit in drums dug out into the ground by turns and wait for the sherpas to clear the cesspits. The shit they told me is a valued commodity to them (I don’t know why yet). For the campers shitting is never easy.
Feb 28, 2010 | Categories: Kanchenjuna Expedition Diary 2004 | Tags: adventure in Himalayas, adventurous climb, army expedition, asia, climbers, climbing mountains, glaciers, Himalayan mountain photographs, himalayas, ice, ice cap, india, Indian army climbers, Indian army mountain expedition, Indian army mountaineers, Indian Himalayas, kanchendzonga, Kanchenjunga, Kanchenjunga mountain, mountain climbers, mountain expedition, mountaineering, mountaineers, mountains, Nepal, nepali sherpas, photographs of Kanchenjunga, receding glaciers, Sherpa mountaineers, sherpas, snow, south east asia, third highest mountain | Leave A Comment »