blogs days 10 to 13

Day 10

We woke up to the shouting of the sherpas.  We then had breakfast at 7.30am etc. 

We set off walking at 9am heading down hill nearly all the way, it was pretty easy.  We crossed many rivers knee high.

When we arrived at camp we spent our time playing cards until tea.

Lots and lots and lots of loverly love from Toby and Harry xxxxxxxxxxx

Day 11

Today we had a varied day starting with a 3 hour trek through the most breathtaking valley…. It was a very strange sight with the scenery looking more like something from an American western movie… big dramatic canyon style rock faces and the going was extremely good… it wasn’t long before we saw a couple of Marmots playing in the early morning sunshine… what a treat! We also crossed a couple of rivers on the route… a great chance to cool off! After the short trek, we arrived at the road head and said goodbye to the donkeys and horses (we had already tipped the horsemen earlier in the morning) and packed up our gear to start the long drive to Puga…. Not before saying our goodbyes to some of the team of Sherpas. The car journey was spectacular although many people took the time to get some well earned rest!! We followed the Indus river for approx 150 KM reaching a height of over 4600 meters at one point….. stopping only for a crazy JCB driver who was “tidying” the top of the cliff top and knocking it over onto the pass…. Blocking it completely for about half an hour! Oh and we did stop and support the local economy by purchasing copious amounts of chocolate and pop! We arrived eventually at our campsite just short of the Puga school at about 7pm…. It was cold, the scenery was baron and we had to quickly set up camp….. very excited at what tomorrow will bring… wild dogs don’t sound too happy!!!!!!!

Gaz, Danny, Dafydd

Day 12 (school)

Day 12 started like any other trek day; bed tea, bleary eyes and breakfast. Fuelled on porridge and eggs, we made our way to the river to meet a group of Nomadic children from the Puga residential school who were being shown the ins and outs of brushing their teeth under the enthusiastic guidance of several Austrian volunteers who by coincidence were visiting the school and the same time. Teeth well cleaned and hands well washed, we split into groups to run a number of workshops/sessions with the children of the school, ranging from music to sports to arts and crafts. We were treated to a hearty welcome once inside, tea and biscuits all round! After an address from the head teacher of the school, we watched a short video, documenting the history of the school and demonstrating how necessary the school was in helping the children of Nomadic families enjoy some consistency away from the challenging and dangerous times during the winter months. The day was a huge success, with the entire contingent enjoying the sessions with the young people as much as the children enjoyed them themselves! We returned to camp in the afternoon buzzing with the excitement of the day, to have a bit of down time and dinner before returning to the school for a huge celebration. Both the school and our contingent helped entertain one another, combining two very different cultures and finding common ground through music, dance, drama and laughter.

Shattered from the celebrations but still on a high from the events of the day, we returned to camp – a crowd of smiles and torch light traipsing the short distance through the dark of the Ladakhian night to bed down and think over the amazing day we’d just had.

Sam Harris

Day 13 (return to leh)

We woke up at 5 a.m to pack up our kit for the long journey back to Leh. 6 o’clock was breakfast time – the usual grub to see us through till lunch. 7 a.m was time to leave so we packed up the 4x4’s and the truck and said a fond farewell to the Sherpas who had made our trek so delightful. Goodbyes finished, we piled in to the 4x4’s and set off on the long road to civilization. During our eventful journey back a few things stood out among the rest such as… James Walker suffered some slight travel sickness which led to a hasty evacuation of a vehicle. The sky darkened, in the distance a lone wolf cries; the hallowing accompaniment to the tragedy unfolding on the road ahead. The convey rounded a corner, scouts were dramatically diving from their moving vehicles hitting the tarmac at at least 50mph, dodging the 5 finger spread erupting from the grotesque maw that was James Walker. After assessing the damage, we felt it was safe to move on, the convey progressed on its perilous journey along death road. Seconds turned to minutes, the minutes turned to hours and the cursed 4x4 was struck again with the terrible misfortune of the damned. One minute, silence – the next, the world was filled with the haunting cries of oblivion as the back right tyre exploded in a cacophony of melting rubber and shattered dreams.

When we arrived back at Snowland, shaken from the journey, a text message awaited Dave T. Lampton took him to one side, the eager hoard of the contigent watched on in anticipation. Silence fell. We searched dave’s face for a reaction – he stood emotionless, his face, statue like in the midday sun. the stone features of his face began to crack, the corners of his mouth began to curl upwards – a smile? A grimace? How were we to know?! He finally offered us an insight in to the news with three words – “It’s a Boy” announced the new Uncle Dave.

We all went shopping in Leh to buy last minute gifts and souvenirs while things were cheap, relinquishing the money burning holes in our collective pocket. Shopping finished, we met for a meal out at The Tibetan Kitchen restaurant and enjoyed a hearty meal with good friends and good food. After a long day, we retreated to our bedrooms to pack for the imminent flight in just a few hours time.

Goodnight.

Dave T, James S and Sam H

Day 14 (Return to Delhi and Scouts)

The alarms were set for 4AM to give us all enough time to finish packing and get downstairs for the five o’clock meeting time.  We left the Snowland Hotel in Leh shortly after five. We travelled to the airport in small offroad contract carriages (Taxis). After going through the police check at the gate and multiple security checks in the military airport, we all got on a mini bus to take us a short journey to the Boeing 737 that would take us to Delhi.  The flight was short but breathtaking for the first part due to the spectacular snow dusted landscape, but heavy clouds blocked the view for the final section of the flight. We landed without any problems on a wet runway as it had just rained very heavily. After getting our bags we piled onto two busses and headed for Gandhi memorial, however due to the extremely heavy rain, bad traffic and poor driving conditions we changed route and went straight to the New Delhi YMCA Hostel. After a short amount of time to have lunch and get changed into our slightly crinkled uniforms, we re-boarded the busses and headed for what we thought would be a casual meet up with some local scouts, the KVS state Bharat scout and guide group which was based in, and linked with, the local school. Upon arrival we were amazed and overwhelmed by the magnificent welcome they gave us. We were met by a full scout and guide band, a red carpet, and everyone wearing immaculate uniforms as well as a camera from DD news. As we walked through the entrance into the school, we were welcomed and invested into their group with a scout handshake, a formal salute, and a dot of yellow paste and a piece of rice on our forehead to bless us. We were then escorted into a cool air-conditioned room where we were met by a group of their scout masters, scouts and guides. In this room we happened to notice a large board with all sorts of information and photos about west Yorkshire scouts and our trip, of which most had been taken off of this blog and the West Yorkshire scout website. After talking to the scouts and guides, and getting to know a bit about what they do in their scout group, as well as the similarities and differences between us, we went outside into the courtyard for the flag break ceremony. The ceremony was very formal and very well carried out. After the flag break their scouts and guides performed a couple of very well practiced dances and shows. These dances were designed to represent the amazing culture and diversity in India. After this we received a trophy of the world as a gift to commemorate our visit and the 50^th anniversary of their scout and guide group, unfortunately due to us having travelled for fourteen days already we had nothing but a single Necker to give in return. Once gifts were exchanged we were asked to perform a song or dance. We performed the BP spirit song, and “Oh A’leila” (Simon’s song). Following this the flag was lowered in an equally impressive ceremony. After a quick tour around the school and the grounds, this included a swimming pool and a few indoor squash courts. We then spoke to the school’s principal about the experiences  we had had already. After this we headed back to the New Delhi YMCA for dinner and bed as we had to be up early the next day to set off for Agra. We all had a great day and would like to once again thank the KVS state Bharat scout and guide group. Not long till we get home now.

Callum DS and Will S