On 13 July I landed in
My stay at the Country Resort was very brief. I enjoyed a cool shower in what I was told was non-drinking water. It made me think about how privileged we are in UK to have clean drinking water piped directly to us, and put into perspective trivial complaints about taste and chemicals in our tap water.
I then went on an internal flight
north to the region of Ladakh where the project work was going to take
place. The flight over the
By the time the team and I landed at Leh airport, fatigue had well and truly set in. We were met upon arrival by a group of Indian men who were to act as out guides, chefs, drivers and guardian angels really. I for one grew to love them and got to know them individually on personal levels. It’s amazing to think that we, the English students got on so well with the natives, overcoming barriers of language, race and creed - which are sadly used so often as excuses to breed hatred and discrimination.
The first couple of days were
spent acclimatising to the rarefied air conditions and high altitude of about
12 000ft above sea level. I slept a lot
in my tent during this period, surrounded by the staggering scenery. At times it felt very surreal. We based ourselves at the Choglamsar river
camp, which was basically an area of lush grass by a stream. During my stay at the river camp, the team
and I embarked on a trip to
We also visited the regional
capital of Leh, a lively place full of highly decorated mud brick stalls
selling anything and everything from hand-knitted hats to silver
jewellery. It was quite like a town
centre in
On Day 4 we began the trek itself
up the mountains towards the
We followed a winding, well-worn mud track through a valley, climbing gradually for an hour past fields of barley and a few apricot orchards, until we reached a large and untouched meadow, which was to act as the base camp for that evening. I didn’t find this early stage of the trek too strenuous, but I knew that the difficulties lied ahead…
Fuelled with a bowl of early-morning porridge, the tents were dismantled and the bags packed and loaded on horseback for the second stage of the trek. The sun shone brilliantly though the heat was not too intense as the team and I battled onward and upward at a steady pace, against a slight breeze and alongside a gushing river flowing in the opposite direction to our progress. About three hours into the day’s efforts we rested for lunch at a pleasant spot by the river, surrounded by willow that acted as an effective shelter from the sun’s augmenting intensity. After lunch the team and I faced a steeper incline. For the first time in the trek a team member fell ill, complaining of severe headaches and nausea – symptoms of altitude sickness. I felt worried about his welfare and also about his mindset, incase he felt he was letting the team down somewhat by slowing things up. However, this was definitely not the case. Through our optimism and determination we all pulled together up the mountainside, encouraging one another through gentle conversation.
Days 6 and 7 were largely spent
acclimatising to the new heights of 14 000ft.
I was also taken on a gentle walk (by Himalayan standards) up a
relatively small yet steep mountainside which overlooked our new base
camp. I remember the food that day
wasn’t particularly appetising. It was
lentils with fried aubergines with rock-solid dried apricots for dessert, but I
ate every scrap. I’d figured that the
The following morning I woke up
at
Illness soon plagued the team yet again however, with at least six members feeling the effects of high altitude and low air pressure early on in the gruelling trek. We all battled on, encouraged by Geordie chants which maintained optimism.
One team member reached the top of the mountain (16 000ft) on horseback in somewhat elegant style after having sustained a leg injury the night before. This outlined our determination and an attitude summarised in ‘no going back now.’
The descent, however, was surprisingly not as straightforward as the ascent: Another victim of the effects of high altitude fronted the descent down the mountainside and into Rumbak village on horseback and bravely battled through his illness, while a medical kit came tumbling down the barren and steep terrain, only to hit a horse head-on which galloped uncontrollably into the main fold of the team. In desperation I dived into the rocks of the mountain, picking up a leg injury. But it could have been a whole lot worse. Whimsical moans of bad headaches resonated across the hillside and hysteria increased with even our characteristically composed team leader somewhat shaken.
I thought to myself about why people were doing Fulcrum – something to set you apart on a redbrick university application? Something to tell friends about? And what about those we were so close to meeting with the village insight – fighting tooth and nail to provide their children with life’s most basic necessities? It’s a funny old world, I thought to myself. But undoubtedly some team members did have it bad. I just felt as though some complaints were a little out of key.
However, once we overcame the
steep mountainside and marched on to
I was particularly saddened by
the sacrilegious scrawls on the doors of the village
Project work began the very next day. Two teams were formulated, one which concentrated on the repainting of the monastery and the other focussing on the building of the polytunnel. I was involved in the polytunnel project, but before the work could begin, an old wall had to be teared down in the grounds of where the polytunel was to be built. I found this both physically and mentally exhausting, as work was carried out in the blistering heat of the morning and mid-afternoon. Sweat dripped from my head onto my long clothing, worn to prevent sunburn. However, in the midst of the strain of pick-axing walls down and then carrying slabs of bone-dry mud away from the site, I felt a great sense of well-being, direction and purpose. The demolition of the walls and levelling of the ground lasted well into Day 2 of the project work, after which the rather more intricate work began on erecting the metal framework of the polytunnel.
The sense of achievement not only I but the whole team felt after having completed the work come the afternoon of Day 5 of the project itself was incredible. It was moving to see the delight on the faces of the native villagers of Rumbak and we were given prayer scarves in gratitude from the villagers. We were also invited for a cup of traditional yet somewhat bitter and salty tea, which didn’t glide down my throat too easily, but was very much appreciated, though not so much refreshing.
I really feel as though I’ve given the people of Rumbak something beneficial as I know the polytunnel will be a great help to their livelihood through the growing of crops for their self-sufficiency. Work on the monastery was also brilliant as it has given the villagers a much more respectable place of worship and prayer.
My experiences in