All About Ladakh

                                                                 


WHY LEH LADAKH?

1)Leh Ladakh cauz of its no fuss travel,broad roads,lovely people and beautiful landscapes.

2)Leh Ladakh cauz of there are some places on earth you would love to just visit for no reason.Take for example,New Zealand.

3)Leh Ladakh cauz of military,any place which is forbidden or once was ,suddenly becomes an area of interest...specially when it shares border with two most interesting countries Pak and China.

4)Leh Ladakh cauz of bacterian camels.

5)Leh Ladakh cauz of 3 IDIOTS.

6)Leh Ladakh cauz I like the name "SIACHEN",the craziest reason to visit leh ever.



WHY LEH-ED THRICE?

I would love to introduce myself as a Leh lover.Been thrice summers winters autumn and every time Leh offered me a different view a different perspective.Not many places in India can be visited twice or thrice,but this place is just so serene that it could be the best thing ever happened to you, at least in India.

I know It all might sound a little exaggerated,but Leh is one place that offers a different ariel view,snow capped mountains and the bare mountains.Rivers all blue.And its so amazing that each time we went Leh,it was never that I slept in the plane,and the same for most of the passengers.People regret not taking a window seat here,taking a nap is just out of question.

TIP 01 FOR LEH-LADAKH


DON'T FORGET THE WINDOW SEAT,IT'S WORTH IT





LEH-LADAKH FROM THE PLANE

The planes which go to Leh,either fly at a lower height or the mountains are tall making it,just so nearby and so clearly visible.The first glance and you say "wow" is this where are you going..

And then..the announcement:

For those who travel from Delhi-Leh in March-April pls note that the winters in Delhi is summers compared to winters in Leh.The temperature goes in minus,and woollens and jackets can be the first thing to save you from the chill.

VIDEO ON LEH LADAKH





MY EXPERIENCE LEH-LADAKH: WINTERS 2009
,
I consider myself real lucky that I dun feel much cold anywhere,not in Delhi atleast.And since It was my first time Leh,I checked all the possible "accu temperature on net" which said the temperature in Leh could be anywhere 7-8 degrees.Rubbish,the announcement in the plane was -3 degrees temperature outside.

Now with the fashionista I am,I had my sleeveless on,no jackets no sweaters..and the moment I stepped out it was cold chill,more so the cold breeze.Luckily I didn't fall ill,but the jacket was the first thing I got from the Leh market.

TIP 02 FOR LEH-LADAKH


THE TEMPERATURE IN LEH VARIES EVERY DAY.YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU CAN WITNESS A SNOWFALL..EVEN IN SUMMERS,SO CARRY APPROPRIATE WOOLENS!







ACCLIMATIZATION IN LEH-LADAKH:AN UNHEARD FEAR OR IT IS SERIOUS

Acclimatization in Leh-Ladakh in late winters(mar-april) : It's bad,real bad.With trees covered with snow and Leh already being at 11000 feet,the lack of oxygen is the first thing you notice in winters.Not to worry,take a half a day rest or maximum a day rest.And then move on,first to lower altitudes then to higher ones.There could be a slight breathing difficulty if your plan is too packed up.

Acclimatization in Leh-Ladakh in summers(may-october) : Strangely for people who complain of acclimatization in Leh in summers,have no idea how winters could be.Take a half a day rest then explore Leh,the market,shanti stupa etc etc.

Depends, the trip to Leh with my parents was tricky.Somehow acclimatization for my mom wasn't proper due to hurried plans,and love the army meds out there,she was fine.Then again,you never know.

TIP 03 FOR LEH-LADAKH


AMS IS SERIOUS..Contact your nearest medical camp if you feel discomfort even after two days rest.Most people don't feel sick,so do not panic with just the name of AMS


REACHING LEH LADAKH

In Summers by road
Manali-Leh
Srinagar-Leh

In Summers by plane
Delhi-Leh

In Winters by plane
Delhi-Leh


The road trip from Manali to Leh is adventurous and Srinagar-Leh is scenic.I have been from Srinagar to Leh by road and from Delhi-Leh by plane.I am yet to explore the Manali route.If some one here has,please share your experiences.

Image Source: Google Images


Next Skydiving Camp: 14-16th September 2012

For details on previous camps and success skydives in India
Skydiving In India Rates And Dates




WHAT DOES SKYDIVING MEAN?

Skydiving in India

If you are an adventure junkie,you needn't pack your bags and take a flight out of India.Represent your company or come as an individual,you are sure to have an experience of a lifetime.Enroll for tandem,static and free fall courses.

Skydiving instructors are...

Instructors are highly experienced instructors and expert jumpers who have trained hundreds of parachute jumpers in the past. The experience level varies from 500 jumps to over 5000 jumps. IPF also understands and distinguishes between an experienced jumper and an instructor, they are two different things which a lay man gets mixed up with. All training is planned by instructors. Selection of instructors has been made on merit.All IPF instructors have been former instructors at Paratroopers Training School of the Indian Air Force at Agra for a decade or more.

SKYDIVING IN INDIA..COMMON QUESTIONS FOLKS ASK..






Dates for skydiving india

Successful completion of camp in Dhana  from 16th August-22nd August.Previous Skydiving Camps

The 6 batches of Sky Diving Camps were conducted in Dhana (M.P.) between October 2011 and January 2012. The camps were a grand success.
Skydiving in Baramati 6th-8th April 2012: Completed
Skydiving in Pondicherry 28th-30th April 2012: Completed
Skydiving in Dhana 20th-22nd April 2012: Completed
Skydiving in Dhana 6th-8th June 2012: Completed
Skydiving in Pondicherry: 29th June-8th July 2012! Completed
Skydiving in Dhana:16th -22nd August 2012! Completed
Skydiving in Dhana:14th-16th September! Running Full
Skydiving in Mysore:28th Sept-7th October! Scheduled
Cockpit Flying in Mangalore:27th-29th September! Scheduled

Sno	Type of jump	Charges	Remarks
1	Static jump course with one jump	25000/-	Includes jump cost, training, log book, certificate
2	Static jump course with two jump	40000/-	Includes jump cost, training, log book, certificate
3	Static jump course with three jumps	52,500/-	Includes jump cost, training, log book, certificate
4	Static jump course with five  jumps	75,000/-	Includes jump cost, training, log book, certificate
5	Tandem	35000/-	Includes jump cost, training, log book, certificate
6	Cock pit flying cost	(fly aircraft yourself)	These rates are subject to availability of three persons in one sortie, that means if persons are less the cost of vacant seat has t be borne by the rest.
	20 mins slot cockpit flier/per person	7,500/-
	Sight seeing/joy ride /per person	3500/-
	40 min cockpit/per person	14000/-
	40 min sight seeing and joy ride/per person	6500/-
	60 mins circuit cockpit flying / per person	20000/-
	60 Mins sight seeing Circuit No 3	9,500/-
	Sun set sorties for 20 mins	7000 per person

Sno	Date	Type of jump	Venue
1	27th sep	1.Demo jumps at beach 2.Cock pit flying 3.Sight seeing	Mangalore
2	28th sep	1.Cock pit flying 2.Sight seeing	Mangalore
3	29th sep	1.Cock pit flying 2.Sight seeing	Mangalore

Sno	Date	Static line jump course	Tandem Jumps	Venue
1	28th sep Friday	Static camp 1 0900 h: All students Arrive Mysore airport, for registration  1000h – 1300h : Introduction to sky diving, Training for static line jumpers 1300 h: working lunch 1345 – 1745h: training continues	TANDUM JUMPERS CAN COME ANY DAY MORNING AND LEAVE SAME DAY IF THEY DESIRE. 0700 – 1630 tandem jumps	Mysore airport
2	29th sep saturday	Training/Refresher /doubt clearing session followed by exam	0700 – 1630 tandem jumps	Mysore airport
3	30th sep Sunday	Jumps	0700 – 1630 tandem jumps	Mysore airport
4	1st oct Monday	Jumps	0700 – 1630 tandem jumps	Mysore airport
5	2nd oct tuesday	Jumps	0700 – 1630 tandem jumps	Mysore airport
6	3rd oct Wed	1.Cock pit flying 2.Sight seeing	0700 – 1630 tandem jumps	Mysore airport
7	4th oct Thurs	1.Cock pit flying 2.Sight seeing	0700 – 1630 tandem jumps	Mysore airport
8	5th oct Friday	Static camp 2 0900 h: All students Arrive Mysore airport, for registration  1000h – 1300h : Introduction to sky diving, Training for static line jumpers 1300 h: working lunch 1345 – 1745h: training continues	TANDUM JUMPERS CAN COME ANY DAY MORNING AND LEAVE SAME DAY IF THEY DESIRE. 0700 – 1630 tandem jumps	Mysore airport
2	6th oct Sat	0700 – 1200h: Refresher /doubt clearing session followed by exam Followed by jumps if time permits	0700 – 1630 tandem jumps	Mysore airport
3	7th oct Sunday	Jumps	0700 – 1630 tandem jumps	Mysore airport

THE AMAZING PEOPLE WITH THE MOTIVE TO CLEAN INDIA,JOIN THEM


THE UGLY INDIAN


The Ugly Indian, an uncategorizable Bangalore-based community organization, has been on my radar for more than a year. They have a fresh approach towards solving the problem of urban cleanliness; an approach that starts with acknowledging that we ("us Indians") have abysmal standards of public hygiene; an internalization that "WE Ugly Indians are part of the problem and only WE can fix it.


To know more about Ugly Indians,check the webpage:


http://www.techsangam.com/2011/10/19/the-ugly-indians-gift-to-bangalore-on-the-occasion-of-namma-metro-launch/

To join their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ugly-Indian/123459791046618

An amazing blog which contains all the videos and places on what "The Ugly Indian" so far has achieved,

http://theuglyindianfan.blogspot.in/


CLEAN INDIA INITIATIVE PART 2





ECOFREAKS






Ecofreaks is a non-profit and is primarily driven by volunteers who share similar passion to see their localities, cities and country, a cleaner and more salubrious place to live in. We don't charge a penny form anyone as no one asks for rewards for cleaning one's own HOME.

Their mission is to clean. Be it streets littered with garbage or dump yards, be it ugly posters on the walls or people urinating along the roadside. No blaming the government or preaching to people. If you are fed up with the garbage dump in your locality or the dirty abandoned corner near your place, just drop a mail to us and we will help you clean it, completely FREE OF COST.

To join their facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/ecofreaks0


Come,Clean India

Come, Clean India is a national movement to make, and keep, public spaces clean in India. The movement is generating a national will and action among the people, parliamentarians, and government of India to solve the problem of cleanliness.

To regsiter for their activities to clean india:

http://comecleanindiawith.me/



"KEEP ROHTANG PASS CLEAN" by Youth Hostels India



Rohtang Pass (el. 13,051 ft (3,978 m)) 51 KM from Manali, is a high mountain pass that connects the Kullu Valley with the Lahaul and Spiti valleys of Himachal Pradesh. India. We had organized our first Trekking Programme in Manali area of Himachal Pradesh in 1970. Since then, we had never looked back and have been organizing programmes in Kullu-Manali regularly. During all these years, we have seen Rohtang Pass getting dirtier and polluted as thousands of tourists visit Rohtang Pass every day in the tourist season. They use their own cars, taxis and other vehicles to go to this Pass to enjoy snow and allied sports. Due to our long association with this region, we feel concerned about the deteriorating environment and pollution at such an important pass.


During MAY 2009, MAY 2010 and MAY, 2011 we have successfully completed the programme wherein our volunteers gave their services which was highly appreciated by the tourists and local administration. Once again as part of the strategy to continue the programme it was decided to organize this year also during the month of MAY 2012.

Planning a trip to Haryana?Here are some important festival dates/events which might help you in planning your trip to Haryana:



1)Baisakhi At Pinjore,April in Haryana

Baisakhi festival in Pinjore, Haryana is celebrated to mark the start of the wheat harvest season. The festival falls on 13th April every year and is also observed as the first day of the New Year as per the traditional Vikrami calendar in India. Baisakhi is celebrated to welcome the arrival of that time of the year when the farmers prepare for the harvesting of wheat.

Pinjore Gardens, also known by the name of Yadavindra Gardens, are located in the town of Pinjore, Haryana, around 20 km from the capital city of Chandigarh in Punjab. The lush green gardens serve as a perfect excursion site from Chandigarh and sprawl over an area of about 100 acres

2)Pinjore Heritage Festival,October in Haryana



Pinjore Heritage Festival proudly exhibits the culture and tradition of Haryana. The event is largely a cultural flux, wherein artists from all over India gather to exhibit their art and make the event successful.

The Festival is so well planned by the Tourism Department that throughout the event all activities pack the schedule engages the visitors. Many attractions such as Garba dance, Folk Dances, Musical concerts, Rock bands, Classical Music, Shopping and food Bazaar provide a wide spectrum to all participants and viewers.

The Yadavindra gardens are so beautifully decorated that the complete ambience reflects back to Vedic times and Mughal times. The lighting, decoration, music, dance all culminates to make this a memorable event.


3)Kurukshetra Festival,November/December in Haryana

During the Kurukshetra Festival in Haryana, the pilgrims all gather to take a holy dip in the Brahma Sarovar and the Sannehit Sarovar, the waters of which are considered sacred.

There are religious men telling stories from the Bhagwad Gita, the holy book of the Hindus, recital of religious shlokas as well as other celebrations such as dance and drama performances and the ‘Deep Daan’ at the Brahma Sarovar which are all a part of the religious festivities of the Kurukshetra Festival. There are also free medical camps, exhibition of books and classical Bhajan and recital programs are organized

4)Mango Festival,June/July in Haryana


Summers can never be complete without a good feast on delicious mangoes. The people of Haryana know it well and the Mango Festival in Haryana is a testimony to that. It takes place at the Yadavindra Gardens in Pinjore. This place is about 20 kilometers from Chandigarh.


 The visitors at the Mango Festival get the chance to taste all the different and traditional varieties of these summer fruits during this festival in Haryana. Along with the mangoes, there are also the latest hybrid fruits from the different agricultural universities.

5)Mahabharata Festival,December in Haryana


 A number of theatre groups also participate in the festival to add more zeal to the Mahabharata Festival at the Kurukshetra. There are also other cultural events such as Bhajan recitals, the ‘beautiful ‘Aarti’. And the ‘Deep Dan’ that happens at the Brahma Sarovar holy water tank at Haryana. All of these events are memorable and a poignant experience for all participants.

The Mahabharata Festival in Haryana is thus essentially a cultural festival. There are striking classical and folk dances as well as troupes who come from all over the country and give brilliant performances based on the theme of the epic Mahabharata.

6)Sohna Car Rally in Haryana

The best part about the Sohna Car Rally is that it gives one the rare opportunity to see so many motoring glories of the past. All these old cars which stormed the roads at one point of time now vie with each other for the coveted honors. There is strong competition in every field right from restoration to maintenance to performance. Many trophies are kept to be distributed.

7)SurajKund Crafts Mela,Feb in Haryana


Surajkund Crafts Mela is an annual event that is organized on a large scale by Haryana Tourism from 1st to 15th February. The fair is aimed at bringing to light the enormous talent of artisans and craftsmen in India who display their exquisite handlooms and handicrafts before a large audience at the fair. Every product is artistically produced after much painstaking effort and is truly a masterpiece.

At the Haryana Surajkund Crafts Fair, several small thatched roof platforms are specially provided to create an authentic rustic ambience. Under these thatched roofs, a large number of master craftsmen arriving from all parts of India gather to display their unique talent

Every time I try to break up with the idea of uncertainty that travelling the world puts me in,I find my life more organised with every place.Every place in the world is different and dating each is like gaining lessons through experiences and fun that nothing else can ever teach me.As geeky as It may sound,I don't travel the world for lessons,I travel the world because lessons are such a tiny part of the magnanimous experiences I have.I travel the world simply because I like travelling the world.And who doesn't?




Few years back,confined in my place,I had never thought that within 3.5 years,I would be in 18 countries.And these countries are just not the number.

When most folks ask me which is my favorite,I stumble upon how can favorites be decided when each was a part of me at some point or another.These questions often become unanswered when you know that every part of the world has a story to tell and these stories make every place dear to my heart.In fact,I haven't yet been to any place which lacks culture or is hesitant to celebrate.The world is largely connected.We may never think it that way,but when you join the dots,each of them make a whole circle we call 'globe'.

I try to connect these dots by presenting myself in my self-created travel videos on each place,pictures that are live,adventure sports that are prevalent and stories that are my own personal experiences.I am thankful to all those countries/brand which supported me to present the 'world' to the 'world' and to all those countries 'who never knew I was there' but 'I backpacked it nevertheless'.The idea is to outgrow the notion of difficult travel.Travel is your choice.How you do it is your choice too.And when you open your heart,the world is more than happy to make 'you' their baby.

Watch me as I take you through my self-created travel videos series



My madness for Travel and Adventure for the last 3.5 years has made me cycle on the Commonwealth Track in Scotland,Skydive in India,Heli Ride over Niagara,Yodel in Switzerland,Cooking and Boxing in Thailand,Seaplanes in Scotland,Backpacking in Maldives and many others...

You can read about my World Experiences Here

How can you contribute?

The world is huge and only,you as readers can speed up the process of spreading your sweet words about each place through my blog or through yours.I,at,Ankionthemove always encourage the vision of collective blogging.

I am open to your ideas,your guest posts about your place,your travel videos,your brave initiatives that is making a difference,your new adventure you would want to talk about.Feel free to fill in the form with your ideas and watch it go live if they are worth it :) If you are a blogger,you could include your link.If you are not a blogger,well you are still a storyteller on my blog.Your names would be published.If you wish to attach an image of a place or your self-created videos,write to me at ankionthemove@gmail.com.


To submit your blogpost/collaboration request,you can either fill the form below or write to me at ankionthemove@gmail.com

..And if you wish to give feedback or scope of improvements , I'd love to hear too :)

How can you collaborate/contribute as an organisation?  

Please feel free to write to me at ankionthemove@gmail.com for guest posts/giveaways/freebies/FAMS/Press Trips/Brand collaborations/Ads/Travel Host Opportunities/Feature.

Have you ever heard of keukenhof festival in holland,or wine festival in spain or wine and beer fest in czehk republic?How amazing it is to plan your trip during the festive season.The whole city brightens up.

I would always walk in the US, and wonder why so many products from the big brands of upholstery and embroidery are sold as Made in India. I knew we had massive talent hidden back in India, which sometimes comes up in fairs or events or even some random lady wearing a sari that is so beautiful that we all go awww and ask her where did you get it from, when she would say 'Ye to Baranas se hai'. Banarasi Saree is very well known to give to brides in her weddings.

So this April, I decided to do a trip to India for 15 days in the hope that if my written articles could throw some light on the emerging artists, their techniques and evolution. I was surprised on how much the hidden pockets of India has. Only if we all market it well, only if we all collectively support them, that would be wonderful else they too are looking for their alternative jobs for their survival.

When I was in Patna Bihar, I thought of heading to Madhubani, home to Mithila Art. Legend says this art was since the age of Ramayana and was painted on the walls during the wedding of Sita. Ever since tradition by tradition people make such art in their homes. Then I went to weavers of Bananas, Lucknow marketplace, NID of Ahmedabad and various villages of Kutch. Just to know understand the lifestyle of artisans and what is trending with them.

My hand was constantly itching to buy a lot of stuff and I bought a very few. Hope you like my new series that uncovers the artisans and weavers of India and shines their talent through. Hope you all write a little bit about them whenever you visit such place so that the world gets to know.Thanks :)

http://www.ankionthemove.com/search/label/fashiontrailofindia

Tell me, why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam




India is untamed adventure.We have complex minds but wholesome hearts.4 years back India was all I had.No bruised passports to claim for.And still India was a happy place as is today.India is changing with the times stunning everyone as what it was is no longer what today is.The funny part is 'India was always a great place to be at' and we often look back at the paradox with our degrees of non-acceptance.Many of us compare it to media reports.The remains of yesterday is today's poetry and what is today is yesterday's unbelievable.India thrive on live cultures,ready for the future and celebrating the past.The best part about travelling in India is it would never burn a hole in your pocket and there are some irresistible places out here and it's as rustic it can get.We have the Himalayas,the lush rain forests,the islands and the sand dunes.Besides India is more than the places that we go,its about the culture that we get you in,almost like a family - warm and welcoming.With the zeal in our hearts and love in our blogs,the best time to visit India is now.

You would ask what has that to do with my blog?

Ankionthemove started as a personal initiative to show the world that India is immensely diverse.India is perfectly do-able on road trips as the distances between places are not so long and the ruggedness that some parts of India has and the freshness it still retains can give many folks a trip of a lifetime.In fact our all India Road Trip was a life changer.

Follow me on the link as highlighted in green below as I take you to many aspects of India through blogposts and videos

India On The Move With Ankionthemove

With the awareness of growing adventure sports,the best festivals,the best cultures and convenience of amicable stays,we as Indians are proud to be an Indian. Ankionthemove tries to  capture that essence of people,places,culture and adventure into self-made and narrated travel videos,interactive blogposts,experiences and interviews.I ain't a photographer.Neither a videographer..I shiver at the very thought that I haven't had been to each place in India in the detail I wished I had.And then I realized it would possibly take a lifetime to be at every nook and corner of India.But someday that will be.

How can you contribute?

India is huge and only,you as readers can speed up the process of spreading your sweet words about each place through my blog or through yours.I,at,Ankionthemove always encourage the vision of collective blogging.

I am open to your ideas,your guest posts about your place,your travel videos,your brave initiatives that is making a difference,your new adventure you would want to talk about.Feel free to fill in the form with your ideas and watch it go live if they are worth it :) If you are a blogger,you could include your link.If you are not a blogger,well you are still a storyteller on my blog.Your names would be published with the blog post and promoted on #indiatravelling.If you wish to attach an image of a place or your self-created videos,write to me at ankionthemove@gmail.com.

..And if you wish to give feedback or scope of improvements , I'd love to hear too :)



How can you contribute as an organisation?  

Please feel free to write to me at ankionthemove@gmail.com for collaborations,guest posts/giveaways/freebies on travel brands,organizations and adventure firms.