Oxford University Scout and Guide Group

HIMALAYAS Trip, 1994

Introduction

This report described our visit to the Indian Himalaya from the 10th to 31st July 1994. During this time our group visited the mountainous region of northern Himachal Pradesh bordering on Ladakh. We completed a long distance walk of 11 days duration through the remote area of the Chandra valley ascending from an altitude of 2000 metres in the Kulu valley to 4800 metres at the Baralacha Pass.

Photos

Click here for some photos of the Himalaya trip.

Participants

University members:

Helen Ardron: Linacre College
Peter Chew: Jesus College
John Condliffe: Pembroke College
Alex Goulding: Somerville College
Lisa Hobden: St. John's College
Simon Pargeter: Corpus Christi College
Adrian Pilz: Linacre College
Graham Pipe: Jesus College
Ian Scott: University College
Matthew Wait: St. Catherine's College

Ex University members:

Gareth Owen: ex Lady Margaret Hall
Ian Wright: ex Brasenose College

Outline of route undertaken

Days 1-3
Depart Manali. A gradual ascent to allow acclimatization camping at Sethen, Chikha and Balu Ghera.
Day 4
Crossing the Hampta Pass 4330m.
Days 5-6
Walk from Chatru to Batal along the Chandra valley.
Day 7
Walk from Batal to Chandratal lake 4200m.
Day 8
Rest day at Chandratal.
Day 9
Walk to Tokping Yongma crossing river via snow bridge.
Day 10
Walk to Tokping Gogma again crossing river via snow bridge.
Day 11
Ascent to the Baralacha Pass 4800m.

Our journey began in the lush Alpine Kulu valley from where we ascended through pine forests and flower carpeted meadows. After crossing the Hampta Pass we entered a barren wilderness region where trees were a rare sight and the only people we met were the occasional Gaddi shepherds. We followed the course of the Chandra river upwards towards its source near the Baralacha. The Chandra flows west until it meets the Bhaga river where it becomes the Chandrabhaga, the largest river in Pakistan.

The original plan for the trip had been to visit Ladakh in northern India. We were unable to get seats on the heavily booked flights to Leh and so were forced to reconsider our itinerary to make use of overland transport. Manali may be easily reached from Delhi by bus and is a popular starting point for exploration of the surrounding mountains. Taking advantage of these factors we were able to undertake an 11 day walk of an equal, and perhaps greater,. level of difficulty than had been planned for Ladakh. As is usual at high altitudes we were accompanied by a local guide, cook, ponies and the relevant helpers. These were hired in Manali the day before we set out walking.

Helen Ardron

Monday 11th July

OUSGG's Indian adventure began in the early hours of Monday morning when 3 of us (Ian W., Matt and Alex) arrived on the Air Canada flight. Unfortunately India was not quite ready for us as we spent half an hour waiting on the runway of Delhi airport. We "deplaned" into temperatures of 32 degrees and cleared the Indian bureaucracy, signing forms for every step we took. Then it was a taxi ride to the hotel, during which the driver tried desperately to persuade us that he knew of a much better and cheaper hotel. It turned out that he may have been right. We finally got into bed at 4.30 only for the traffic in the main street to start up an hour later. What a good nights sleep we had.

At 10.00 it was time to meet the rest of the group who were flying Aeroflot but there was no one in sight at Nirula's cafe. It wasn't until 13.00 that John, Simon, Adrian and Graham arrived. Their flight had been interesting, stopping off at various out of the way Russian airports.

The afternoon was spent on one or more of the following activities: exploring Delhi, booking the bus for the next day, changing plane flights, changing hotels or just sleeping. About 17.00 we all piled into taxis for a drive to the outskirts of Delhi to see the Qutab Minar complex. It was rush hour and there was a downpour of rain that made for an interesting journey. The taxis required various forms of screwdrivers to keep the windows shut and the windscreen wipers were the driver's hands.

The complex itself contained the remains of the first mosque built in India. Construction had begun in 1193. There was also a tower 73m high to celebrate the defeat of the last Hindu kingdom in Delhi (1193).

Our first full day in Delhi was rounded off in the Chinese room of Nirula's cafe.

Tuesday 12th July

An early start was delayed by the failure of the hotel breakfast to arrive and then the failure of our 12 seater bus to have 12 seats in it. We crammed ourselves and all our kit into the 8 and a bit seater vehicle and drove to the bus station to try to find a larger vehicle. An hour later a 12 seater bus was located and the driver woken to take us on the 250km trip to Kalka.

Once free of the heat and traffic in Delhi, we bumped merrily along the open road for several hours. We stopped only for the driver to persuade us he had no money for petrol. It didn't work and it didn't seem to prevent our purchasing the fuel either.

At Kalka we swapped into a fleet of 3 taxis for the 4 hour trip up the mountains to Shimla, the capital of the Himachal Pradesh region. The taxi drivers were intent on going as fast as possible round sharp corners, seeing who could overtake on the blindest bend with the least amount of tread on the tyres. I think the taxi containing John, Alex, Ian W and Graham won, because despite stopping to change a wheel and stopping again to get the puncture repaired we still arrived at the same time as everyone else.

Despite the taxi experience, Shimla was a very pleasant town at 2130m, set on the side of a hillside. The hotel Bridge View was reasonable, and Matt and Simon had the honour (although Matt didn't appreciate it at the time) of sleeping in a round bed.

Wednesday 13th July

More taxis today, for the 8 hour journey to Manali. The roads were again narrow with sharp turns and steep drops. One taxi with Helen, Ian W, John and Adrian inside was making a strange banging noise at first. When eventually the driver decided to investigate he discovered the taxi had a loose wheel. But this experience was nothing compared to Ian S, Lisa, Gareth and Alex who had the Nigel Mansell of the taxi driving world. Peter had to be called in to translate "please slow down or we might die" into Hindi. But luck was with us, helped by the prayer stop the drivers made at a Buddist shrine.

Thursday 14th July

This was a relaxing day spent in Manali, shopping and sightseeing. Helen, Lisa and Graham were our nominated negotiating team charged with finding the best walk at the lowest price. By lunch time they had narrowed it down to 3 agencies with varying prices. The rest of us meanwhile were enjoying a spot of fun called cashing a travellers cheque in an Indian bank. This idyllic way of passing a morning should not be rushed. Allow at least an hour to get the most out of it and savour the random order in which people get served. By 16.00 guides, a cook and ponies had been arranged. So we went to visit the Hadimba temple that was built in 1553 in honour of the Hindu goddess who surprisingly was called Hadimba.

That evening we ate at the Mona Lisa restaurant, a friendly place with an intriguing smile, especially from the waiter when asked where the toilet was. Gareth does not recommend the rice pudding.

Ian Wright

Friday 15th July

The walk was fixed up the day before we left, something that took up most of the day, a tiring but satisfying experience once the negotiations had been completed. Helen, Lisa and I set to getting quotes on the walk we wished to complete from several agencies. As you would expect, there was an expensive but rather more `upmarket' option and a cheaper one. OUSGG was split over the decision between the two, Peter Chew and his supporters favoured the latter, while Ian W. was set on luxury. Luxury prevailed, but on the proviso that we got a better price. This is where Helen and her unwaveringly determined character excelled, bargaining with more nerve than the locals probably would! In the end we reduced the price from 22 per person per day to 13.60.

The walk started from Manali, a pleasant small town lying at around 2,000 metres near the head of the Kullu valley. It had become a popular centre for European and Indian tourists, and also appears to be home to a significant population of middle aged female German `traveller' types.

Awakened by a single fly that was using my nose for take off and landing practice and the suffocating sweet smell of saffron, I got up and started messing with my stuff to avoid going down to breakfast while there was still a danger of no one being there. Oh yuk! Matt didn't like sharing breakfast with as many flies as the zoo department could possibly use teaching prelim biologists genetics in a year. After thoroughly confusing the waiter with our order, some of us, particularly those with characters remotely similar to that of Peter Chew's, began to catch the flies under glasses in much the same way as we had done the day before. We were to meet our guides at our hotel at 11, but luckily only a modest amount of chaos had to occur before that time, and all including a rather hesitant Gareth, who was ill, were ready on time.

We were driven back to the office of Himalayan Journeys, our agency, to sign our lives away before setting out to the starting point of the walk a few kilometres down the valley. We were left to fain a head start while the ponies were collected and loaded up, so with Amar, our first guide and Neggay our 2nd guide, we set off in warm, but rather grey and manky weather. It soon got hotter as we walked up through old farms populated by lots of smiley happy kids. At the lunch stop, a certain member of the expedition committed the first of his many heinous acts of silliness, even of in complete innocence. He did this by relieving himself beside large stone which turned out to be a sacred site!

Gareth was struggling at this stage, and decided to opt for pony transport for a while. By this time it was hot and the ground quite steep, and we wondered about Gareth's comfort you'll have to ask him. The views down the Kullu valley became increasingly attractive as we walked up through light cedar forest. The cedar gave way to douglas fir forest higher on the slopes, with a nice undercover of anemones and arum lilies. Amongst this cool forest, at about 2,600 metres, we stopped at a tea shop in Hampta village where we drank lots of tea and played lots of `games' while waiting for the ponies. They were a long time coming, and it became apparent that we would have to make camp earlier than intended. The ponies arrived with Gareth and our stuff just about intact, although Matt's pack steamed off into the gathering dusk on a rather keen horse, which was later retrieved by one of the gaggle of pony men we were also dragging around the hills. As it was now dusk, we hurriedly set up camp on a rather steep slope under the trees. When I went to face the toilet tent, I was delighted to see that the men had decided to include a rather fine specimen of Arum korolkowii within the toilet, making it look more fetching and maybe even providing a good fly catching service. Soon we were called to the dining tent, a well used ridge tent in which we barely fitted. They had brought up a set of minute folding chairs not much more than a foot high, which were nice for a few minutes before my back started to complain. Chandra, our Nepalese cook, then began to deliver food, which was far better than any we had had beforehand in the hotels. I can't remember what we had the first night but it was sufficient to fill me up and more to the point, Simon.

After some card playing we all retired, looking forward to tomorrow and I dreamt of the bears smugly enjoying all my mars bars in private somewhere.

Graham Pipe

Saturday 16th July

The mess that was our campsite revealed its full glory in the morning light. The previously enchanting forest glade transformed into a pigsty. After breakfast we packed our own kit, left it in a pile and walked off. I hope that Chandra and the donkey men restored the site to its original beauty.

As we walked through the valley, I wondered if we'd come to the Swiss Alps rather than India. We passed our previous nights intended campsite and sat down for the lunch Chandra had packed for us. Just before we finished we were passed by 3 herders and what looked like 3000 sheep and goats. Simon reiterated his claim that OUSGG actually stood for the Oxford University Sheep and Goat Group, but no one agreed or availed themselves of the passing opportunities.

We reached the river. We were going to attempt a roped crossing, but decided to have a look further up. About 1 mile further up we found a small camp of bridge builders and an almost finished bridge. After some negotiation we crossed the bridge for 500Rs for all of us. Apparently these bridge builders, build a bridge then stay a week or so and charge users exorbitant rates to quickly cover their costs and then move on to build a new bridge elsewhere. Whilst waiting at the bridge we met two walkers from the Fenland Poly. They were taking a similar route to us and we met them a couple of times later through the trip. Amar heard from the builders that another large group was headed for the same campsite as us, so we hurried along the last flat part of the day's walk to grab the best site. We arrived about an hour before the donkeys; something that was to prove very annoying later in the week. The beautiful, if rather boggy, site had a nice view which was quickly obscured by mist. A water fall provided a relaxing back drop as we pitched out tents. Dinner that night showed us the range of Chandra's cooking and most of us ate our fill. The odd food was starting to have an effect on some, however. A quick game of cards and the day ended.

Ian Scott

Sunday 17th July

The day dawned damp and cloudy, and views were only ever briefly glimpsed. The walking was not expected to be terribly strenuous, since we were trying to acclimatise to the altitude. Following breakfast and the desperate attempt to drink gallons of liquid in the form of tea and coffee rather than hideously iodised water we set off, at exactly the same time as the Dutch group who were camped the other side of the stream. Showing our physical superiority we soon overtook them, and from then on it was a gentle trudge up a path which followed the course of the river, climbing towards the next campsite at 3500m. The most memorable moments were when we met a shepherd type carrying a disgusting lump of badly wrapped raw meat on his back, and our arrival at the campsite about three hours after we had started walking, having to sit around in the cold and wet for ages until the horses arrived with all our gear. The afternoon was spent playing cards, apart from a brief period when the cloud cleared and we could see the snow covered mountains we would be heading for the next day. The toilet still loomed large and often for most people, and this was the campsite where the toilet pit ended as a mound, and the mound of earth ended as a pit. Don't you just love being in control.

Matt Wait

Monday 18th July

Overnight, the mist and low cloud of the previous day lifted. Once the skies had cleared, moonlight imparted a new, strange aspect to the surrounding mountains. Crevices and depressions, shaded from the light appeared as yawning holes. The Milky Way would have been clearly visible but for the fact that the moon's bright haze dominated the sky. Clouds had returned by the morning, and when we set off it was overcast, but the drizzle of the previous day had stopped. All the same I couldn't help thinking that it would be a relief to cross over the Hamtahjot Pass. In this region of the Himalayas, the ridges and the valleys all run from the northwest to the southeast. Each ridge casts a rain shadow over the valley to the northeast, so that as one travels northeast (against the grain of the mountains) the amount of precipitation decreases in more or less discrete steps, each valley being drier than the last. (Incidentally, most of the year's precipitation falls in July, the time when we made our journey.) Crossing the Hamtahjot Pass in fact represented one of these transitions: we were leaving the valley of the Beas River, which flows through Manali, for the drier valley of the Chandra River. The ascent to Hamtahjot Pass was easy at first, but became increasingly hard work. There were several reasons for this. First, the relatively flat valley floor gave way to steeper and steeper slopes, at points as steep as 45 degrees. The difficulty was by the terrain: rocks at first, then snow. The altitude (4270 metres at Hamtahjot Pass, higher than we had yet been) presented a further handicap: as we neared the top of the pass, several members of the group began to complain of mild headaches, and everyone felt sluggish to some degree. We had lunch at the top of the pass in the midst of thick fog! We did not have to walk far down into the next valley, however, before we were once again in burning sunlight. Up came John and Ian's umbrellas again... Those umbrellas, bought in Delhi for 50 rupees each, became quite a feature of our trip, proving popular as protection against the sun (and, at times, the rain). It was just a pity we didn't all have the foresight to do as John and Ian had done! Our descent into the Chandra Valley involved following of the tributaries of the Chandra. We took a path on the left of the stream while our horses took an easier path on the right hand side. When we reached the Chandra River, our planned route involved turning left and walking a couple of kilometres downstream to a bridge, the only means of crossing the Chandra. The Chandra flows through northern India and Pakistan; indeed, it is one of the major rivers of Pakistan. Even this high up, it flows fast and fierce, and can only be crossed by bridge. In fact we discovered when we reached the Chandra that its tributary which now divided us from our horses was, by this time of day, also impossible to cross. (During the day, the sun causes snow to melt higher up, which means that the volume of water on the stream is always greater in the evening than the morning.) We were, fortunately, already on the right side, but our horses were not, and the horses were carrying all the equipment needed to make camp! Our guides therefore embarked on a complex operation, hoisting the equipment (and each other, when necessary!) across the stream on ropes; the horses would have to remain on the far side overnight and cross next morning when we hoped the stream would have subsided. This all took some time and we were forced to make camp where we were, not further on as had been planned. Everyone was tired it had been our longest and most demanding day so far and the site was not ideal for making camp: rocky and not very level. And although we had the stream nearby, we discovered that the water was unpleasant to drink, as it had a fine silt in it fine particles of sand churned up by the current. I slept well that night!

Peter Chew

Tuesday 19th July

Waking early we waited at the camping site for the ponies to be `encouraged' across the river. Having almost strangled one pony in the process we then started our day's walking. The geep track we were to follow looked deceptively close to the campsite and having traversed the flood plain of the river we then crossed the main river and stopped for a short break and to fill up water bottles. Unfortunately Graham soon informed us that the red worms in the stream indicated the presence of sewage and so the shop selling bottled water was a great relief. Having reassured ourselves that we would no longer die from drinking our day's water we then set off. The day's walking although fairly straight was still as taxing since it was higher than we had walked so far. We arrived at the campsite ahead of the ponies and were accommodated in a tea shop just above our campsite. With the arrival of the ponies the tents were pitched, dinner was cooked and sleep commenced at 8.30pm.

Alex Goulding

Wednesday 20th July

Woke up and it was raining, and it didn't stop all day. Breakfast included some delicious `potato chops'. We waited in the teahouse to see if the could improve, or a bus would come, but neither happened, so we set off. After about 6km we heard a beep and the bus came round the corner. We piled in amongst the locals and their bags of food until we reached Batal, our campsite for the night. The teahouse we spent the afternoon in had blankets which we gratefully used to keep warm whilst waiting for the ponies to arrive. Instead of the dining and cooking tents, tonight we used an empty building, and ate in the presence of a dying sheep.

Thursday 21st July

Headed along the road to Spiti and then followed a shepherd's track to Chandratal. The weather was varied, rain one moment and sun the next. Fairly easy walking until we neared the lake and we started to go up. As we approached the campsite at the far end of this amazing blue green lake the ponies arrived too, the first time we didn't have to wait around. It was quite windy in this valley, but the surrounding mountains were quite beautiful.

Lisa Hobden

Friday 22nd July

The day dawned bright and sunny for what was to be out rest day. We were camped by a wonderfully clear lake, called Chandratal. Having made a start on the days liquid consumption and had breakfast we split into two groups. Five of us set off up the side of the valley to admire the view of the valley from on high while the rest wandered the other way to admire the valley from the middle of it. As we got higher the view got better until eventually we stopped before coming down again. Lunch was consumed before washing of both clothes and bodies commenced. Three brave and fearless souls were to be seen rushing into the lake for a swim before emerging triumphant after what seemed but a few brief moments swimming but was in fact much less than that. Eating, resting and drinking water then filled the rest of the day. It came to pass that it was Helen's birthday which proved a rather good excuse to get Chandra to demonstrate his cake making skills once more.

Simon Pargeter

Saturday 23rd July

After a very pleasant and restful day camping next to the picturesque Chandratal lake, we continued the journey towards Baralacha la. The 9th day involved a long walk, following the Chandra river for about 12 miles upstream. By this stage the altitude was beginning to tell, turning what at normal heights would have been a pleasant stroll through heavily glaciated and dramatic scenery to a hard trudge. A number of the party was feeling the first symptoms of altitude sickness and dehydration. Most of the day's walk was fairly straightforward, with a couple of small river crossings, but just before camp was reached we were confronted by a 30 feet wide raging stream, which our guides thought we could cross. However, we didn't relish the prospect of an early bath, so after much deliberation we took a lengthy detour of about 2 miles to cross this side stream using a snow bridge which was a pleasant alternative to an icy ducking! Camp was set up by the guides and after a healthy meal and a few hands of `black lady' we retired to bed, ready to face another day.

John Condliffe

Sunday 24th July

"Turned out nice again". Following the strenuous walk of the previous day I wasn't especially looking forward to another 20km stretch, and it was clear from the variety of speeds at which people were walking that the altitude was starting to take its toll on some. Graham was looking particularly the worse for wear, having been up more than a few times during the night. Helen started commenting on feeling light headed and at the second rest point took some iron tablets, thinking that was the problem. Adrian galloped off ahead, as usual, though a few of us were almost keeping up. The walking was a lot less strenuous due to there being fewer ascents and descents of river valleys. We passed some unusual pillars of rock, had an interesting time finding a place to cross a fast flowing stream, and then headed over a mainly flat area until we reached the next river valley. From the top we could see the area of the next campsite, but getting across the river was going to be a problem. Though we bragged it was going to be `assan' (easy) it was clear that from its width and the amount of white water that it was fast and deep. We walked down to the river's edge and then started walking up river until we could find a place to cross. Having walked a fair way upstream we came across a cairn at a point evidently used for crossing, and there was much debate about attempting to traverse the river at that point. However, the idea of getting completely soaked, along with the force of the water and the weary state of some of the group put us off the idea. What most swung our view was seeing some tiny figures in the distance on the opposite bank, presumably Adrian and co., showing that they had been able to cross without a rope further upstream on a snowbridge. So we set off again, and were walking past where an old snowbridge had been when we saw those who had already crossed on the bank opposite us, indicating we should cross where we had previously considered doing so. However, we decided not to and headed for the snowbridge. The had no such trouble and, tied by their tails, crossed the river with ease. This is where the altitude problems really started to take effect. To get to the snowbridge we had to climb a couple of hundred metres in a short period of time, up a steep and scree covered mountainside. This was to take us above a cliff in order to get down to the snowbridge safely. We stopped for lunch on the way up the slope, and Helen popped a Diamox pill to deal with her altitude problems. We then climbed even higher and over some loose rocks and scree and had a rest in sight of the snow bridge. Some people were going very slowly, and Graham was having a problem with his balance. We must have been at 4900m at that point. We clambered down and over the snow bridge, at which point Alex took a Diamox. From there it was a fairly steady walk along sheeptracks over grassy terrain to our campsite at 4700m or so, with superb mountain views in all directions.

Matt Wait

Monday 25th July

On waking at around 06:30 o'clock, we had our breakfast at around 07:30 such that we were ready to depart at around 08:00 o'clock. We could notice that the snow level and existence of small glacial rivers were higher than for some of our previous days. As planned this was to be the last day of active mountaineering before reaching the Bara-la-Cha Pass. We walked over rough terrain made of sharp gravel and frequently had to cross areas filled with boulders. Most of the route was to some degree level with only a small ascent. Although we did cross numerous glacial rivers that formed V-shaped reliefs in the landscape. Considering that this last day did only encompass approximately 10km before reaching the Pass, all members of the group and indeed the Guides themselves felt he effect of this high altitude, which at this stage approached the 5000 metre mark. Around 14:30 to 15:00 we could see the Bara-la-Cha Pass, having covered the majority of the route. It was the sight of the Dirt road that gave us the sign that we did indeed arrive, (this road is supposed to be one of the highest public roads in the world). The only sign of civilisation was the presence of a small Military barracks at the pass. As the expected Bus from Manali did not arrive to pick us up, we made camp at around 18:00 o'clock on perhaps the roughest terrain of sharp gravel than on any other camp that we have been to. The atmosphere of the group was great as members knew that we completed what we wanted to, although some people were greatly weakened by the thin air at this altitude. We finished the day by having diner at around 19:30 o'clock, after which we retired to our tents.

Adrian Pilz

Tuesday 26th July

After packing up we sat down by the side of the road to await our transport back to Manali. Cards were produced and we all `chased the lady' for a few hours. Eventually we gave up and caught a public bus only to meet our bus after a few minutes. The luggage was duly swapped and we were back in Manali by midnight.

Simon Pargeter

Wednesday 27th July

We decided to take an overnight coach from Manali to Delhi and do the journey in one night rather than wasting several days travelling. This allowed us to spend more time in Manali at a higher and more comfortable altitude.

Thursday 28th July

We stocked up in Manali with lots of food and water for the trip ahead of us. At first sight the coach appeared to be reasonably comfortable. It was a real coach with nice seats and a distinct absence of locals hanging from the roof or crammed into every space available. However, as soon as we set off we made a terrible discovery, the coach apparently had no suspension, we travelled along roads that were not in the best condition, bouncing over every bump and bumping over every bounce. The night was relatively uneventful. There is, frankly, not that much that can happen to you on an overnight coach journey. While there was light the scenery was impressive. The scenery was probably still impressive without the light, but we couldn't see it. So we slept, ate, drank and stared at the seat in front of us for a good long time.

Friday 29th July

However, the coach arrived in Delhi several hours early. I must admit that this came as a surprise. We all piled into motor rickshaws and headed for the Hans Plaza hotel. The driver of the motor rickshaw I travelled in had to ask for directions, so I suspect they don't do the Knowledge in Delhi. Delhi was hot, wet and dirty, so no changes there. The Hotel was still air-conditioned though and quite pleasant. It was the last day for some of us, so we headed out to do some serious souvenir shopping. We went to the central cottage industries emporium, kind of like a rural crafts' superstore, and air-conditioned too. There were all sorts of things on sale there, all of which were produced by cottage industries (strangely enough) and all at fixed prices, no haggling needed. They had silks, leather goods, carved wooden objects, silverware and all sorts of things. I headed out into the streets in search of a tripod for my camera and stumbled into an amazing underground market. It was under a large roundabout and contained lots of small shops selling all sorts of stuff. The man who directed me to it said you could buy anything there, and I think he may have been right, in a very loose sort of way. It was filled with bustling people, neon lights and shops selling almost anything you might want. For that matter they sold almost anything you might not want. I found a tripod, no problem. It was the last night that we'd all be together, so we went out for a meal at the Imperial Hotel. The Imperial is as elegant and classy as its name suggests, the height of luxury in Delhi. The meal was a buffet of all sorts of different foods, with soup to start and a selection of desserts. It was quite rich compared to what we had been eating and I suspect this may have caused problems later. We retired to the Hans Plaza after dinner where Helen was presented with her gifts for organising such a brilliant holiday. The next day saw Helen, Peter, Graham and myself heading for home with Aeroflot. The views of Asia were fabulous as we flew across a mountainous desert. Moscow airport was as disappointing as ever. There's an Irish Bar and a Reebok shop there, so much for local culture. Heathrow was a welcome sight. We said our final good-byes and all headed off for home in different directions. It was a really good holiday, which left us all with lots of good memories and plenty to think about.

Gareth Owen

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