Acclimatization- The Himalayas tests you!

Of course Roopa had warned us about High Altitude Sickness...if we had driven into Leh from Delhi our acclimatization would have been quicker. But since we had flown in it was stark. Roopa handed us raw garlic to chew on the minute we reached the hotel. For the first 2 days we all reeked of garlic, she'd even added garlic to the water we were to drink... gosh after a certain point we thought the garlic would make us puke!! :O But she was right..that was probably our only way to a speedy acclimatization! So the day we landed it was just the garlic, food and sleep. No exertion absolutely..not that we could exert as well!! A couple of steps out of the hotel and we were all huffing and puffing as if we'd run a marathon!! At such altitudes the air was really thin and our body was made acutely aware of any exertion we subjected it to!! We headed for lunch and dinner to a restaurant called Lamayuru- the staff became very good friends with us by the time we departed! Below is a pic of Giri taking our pic as we head to the restaurant and one of me on the way to the restaurant.

Even as we walked to the restaurant we spotted a Common Hoopoe and a Black Billed Magpie foraging thru some litter. So AJ's birding had begun :D

We slept all day and all night for we knew the next day was to be a hectic one- as Roopa called it 'The Himalayan Grind' would begin!! :DD Couldn't stop grinning in anticipation of the trips ahead!! We packed up for the trip to Pangong Lake via Chang La. Then we slept early- alarms set for 5 AM since the call was to leave at 6. Another pic inset below- 'The Gang' :D