SEP-C-1
THE DELAYED STUTTER START OF THE MULTI-VENUE
TRANS-WORLD TREK.
WITH A HUMBLE START IN FIRST CLASS OF A LUFTHANSA AIRBUS
- SEP-C-1 Index to the Sep-B-series
- Aboard the Airbus 340 Lufthansa #417 as a standby-when the last become
first-first class passage early to Frankfurt for "Passage to India"
- Arrival in India-a world away from the savagery of New York and Washington,
yet disconcertingly near the center of the anti-American fundamentalist foment,
while heading into the Buddhist pacific Himalayan Highlands.
- The trip from Simla to Manali: road trip number two in the increasing length
and difficulty as we go higher and steeper into the Himalaya with an unusual
rendezvous with an unusual joiner in Manali.
- A full day's drive over the heavy roads of the Himalayan Pir Punjal, from
Manali through the Rohtung Pass, into the Kullu and Lahoul Valleys, then through
the Kunzum-La Pass, into the spectacular Spiti Valley, and arrival at Kaza,
meeting teammates.
- My first clinic day in Kaza, Seeing lots of patients with APD, GERD, biliary,
arthritis, decline to do skull flap elevation and endoscopy, and see lepromatous
leprosy, and get to know the team better.
- Kaza clinic day two, with an excursion in afternoon to a near perfect monastery
visit in the culture of yellow-hatted Buddhism in Dankar.
- Pack up at Kaza, exercise pulse oximeter at the altitude of Kunzum-La Pass,
and then trek the Himalayan mountain ridges to Chandratal Lake for a cold
camp out on Lakeside.
- A cold lakeside morning followed by a sunny hike around Chandratal Lake
brings us back to camp in a snowstorm and panic sets in amid the unhappy campers
who want to bail out to avoid over-wintering: a spectacular ride through the
Pir Punjal over the Lahoul Valley surrounded by snow-capped peaks at sunset
followed by a night-time forced drive through the mountain passes in the rain
and dark to return to Manali.
- A rainy day in Manali starts with a hailstorm as I regroup and repack,
changing return flight plans and visiting Lady Willingdon Hospital, then operating
with Dr. Laji Varghese.
- My "Message from Manali" sent out of Lady Willingdon Hospital
after a day with Administrator Samson and Superintendent Dr. Laji Varghese.
- A full day in Manali at Lady Willilngdon Hospital also touring the Daystar
School, and an afternoon assisting an oral surgery operation on Ravi, before
a brief Manali shopping spree.
- The long day's drive to parting of the convoy at Mandi, then a further
trip through the Dhaulidar, and a visit to the Kandarvari Leprosy Hospital,
before arriving late at Hotel Bhagsu in McLeodGanj, Dharamsala-with my bag
and tickets, passport and vital essentials having gone on to Simla where they
have been trying to entice me to hang out for a few days.
- The full day n Dharamsala begins in the Kublatan Monastery to attend the
Dali Lama's own prayer session, with a day of wandering around Dharamsala
including the Norbulingka Institute for a re-visit.
- My "Message from McLeod Ganj" sent out from Dharamsala .
- A full day in transit precedes several more, as we get up at 3:45 AM for
4:00 AM departure by Mahindra Jeep for a breakneck ride to Chandragarh, to
catch the Express train to Delhi; there to "park" in the Park Hotel
while we try to unravel missing luggage and re-ticketing passages.
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