5 Aug 2012

5. A journey into Tibet – Rest day at Nyalam Mu

by | posted in: Asia, China, Tibet | 20
July 2012
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Nyalam Mu town

 

It would be an easy day. We will be resting at Nyalam Mu for acclimatization. The rest day was necessary as the trip can be ruined if people are not acclimatized. People from another group who had arrived with us were leaving. They cannot afford acclimatization due to their tight schedule. They had come to Kathmandu earlier than us and were delayed due to the permit issue. Since the return flight from Kathmandu was already booked resulting in a tight schedule. They were even thinking of just visiting Manasa Sarovar and drop Kailash Parikrama. That was bad considering the amount they had already spent and the distance they had travelled to reach there.
Other group ready to leave
Two developments had occurred during the night. One was about a person in our group who had developed some urine complications. As medical facilities in Nyalam Mu were inadequate/non-existent, he was taken down to Zhang Mu for further tests. Another update was about heavy rains during the night. Water had got into some rooms on the ground floor. People in the affected rooms were relocated to the ones vacated by the other group. The bad part was that water had crept into their luggage.
After breakfast, we set out for a walk on the outskirts of Nyalam Mu. We were already in Tibet, where the green mountains had given way to brown ones. We just walked on both sides of the highway, enjoying the scenery. Some people believed that China was building these good roads for pilgrims from India. That was a foolish thought. This road would connect Lhasa in Tibet to another sensitive province of Xinjiang, passing along the borders of Nepal and India. The road goes though Aksai Chin (Chinese controlled Kashmir) the construction of which had triggered 1962 India-China war. The upgraded road would definitely help in quick mobilization of troops when required.
It was very cold and windy.. and hence this attire!!
The only snow covered peak that we saw in Nyalam Mu.
I got down to a view point where the river flowing down the valley could be seen.
At 12,000 ft, we could feel the lack of oxygen. Walking for an hour in Nyalam Mu was refreshing. But then the weather started to become windy, and I decided to return to the room.
In the evening we came to know that the unwell person has to return. Good luck and bad luck for him, I would say. Bad luck because he will miss out on this trip, and good luck that he fell ill during the start of the journey. Evacuation becomes difficult as we go deeper into Tibet.
The only close up shot in Tibet!!
Nyalam Mu had the internet and international call facility. A call to India would cost about 4.6 Yuan per minute. Tibet has extensive mobile coverage. A person can be ‘connected’ always with an international roaming SIM card. But charges are prohibitively expensive (Incoming call at Rs 100/- minute). For status updates, ISD booths are sufficient!!

 

The weather at Nyalam Mu was worrisome. It rained a lot. I hoped things would get better in the coming days.

20 Responses

  1. Srikanth Manjunath
    | Reply

    The narration is becoming even juice as you are reaching the altitude..craving for more..

    Very neat, and superb narration..the photos provide the right support for the narration..

    Way to go buddy..waiting for the next episode..:-D

  3. Santosh bs
    | Reply

    The mountains dotting the landscape looks ravaged!
    It may be a good thing for the pilgrims that the roads are good, but quite scary as far as security issue is concerned.

  6. Aravind GJ
    | Reply

    Srikanth, Rajesh, Vineeta, Niranjan,
    Thanks for your comments!!

    Santosh,
    The mountains there have that look!! And security issues is a concern.

    • kamala kailash
      | Reply

      wow- what inspiring detail of your Mt. Kailaish/Mansarovar YATRA!!! I am hoping to go this September 2013 and your blog posts were the final push of motivation to make the difficult and financial burdensome journey! also- your photography is breathtaking—- I do see that you responded to the camera model inquiry in another comment—- yet I'd love to know what lens you used for such awe-inspiring captures?? what exact focal length- zoom or prime lenses, etc? Please keep writing and sharing your wonderful experiences— surely greatly appreciated by all who have stumbled upon your gem of a travelogue!!

  13. Ankita Sen
    | Reply

    Kashmir tour – Kashmir is a part of northernmost Indian state Jammu & Kashmir. Most often, a Kashmir trip begins from Srinagar – the summer capital of the state, and we also chose the same. Srinagar is well connected to Delhi by roads, railways and flights.

  16. Aravind GJ
    | Reply

    Kamala,
    Thanks for your comments.

    I have two lenses.
    1. AF-S DX NIKKOR 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED
    2. Tamron 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 Di II

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