Monday, March 26, 2007

INFINITE WONDERS OF THE HIMALAYAS


Having spent 400+ days of my life in the Himalayas, I would like to highlight in this blog some of my experiences. Focus would be on :

  1. The amazing biodiversity that one encounters in the Himalayas
  2. Some unknown , not so well-travelled trekking routes.
  3. Some encounters with some denizens of the forests, be it a harmless beetle or a yawning leopard.
  4. Meditation in the wilderness of the Himalayas.
  5. Stories about the simple hill folks, their culture.
  6. Information about accommodation, routes & facilities in case you want to visit some places.
  7. Ghost stories
  8. Conservation strategies for the flora and fauna

& much more…..

One lifetime is not enough to experience the wonders of the Himalayas. The more time you spend traversing its wilderness, the more you realize there is more to discover.

Let me give you a glimpse of point 1…biodiversity itself.

Just start climbing from the Terai (1000 feet) to about 12,000 feet…..nowhere in this world will you find such biodiversity.

The Terai is an arc of subtropical forests…..you have the mighty Bengal Tigers roaming through it, the slinking leopard in the branches, the kraits & the king cobras beneath the boulders. The forests are dense…you have sals, shishams, figs, kusum, semal, janglichameli.

Then you have the stretches of Bhabbar….covered with tall elephant grass. ???what lurks behind is anybody’s imagination

Now, climb just a bit higher to about 2000-3000 feet….you will encounter thorny shrubs, dazzling flowers, gorses,, and dense Himalayan bamboo growths. Gigantic lizards scurry through the undergrowth….and kingfishers stay perched over the babbling brooks.

Then climb to about 4000-6000 feet…..you find dense forests of oak, rhododendron, chir pines. These are the noble trees…..there are probably 10+ sub-species of oaks….banj oak, kharsu oak, silver oak, etc…Then there are the rhododendrons….fiery red in spring time. These forests harbour langours, woodpeckers, jungle cats, the mysterious leopard of the night, the red-monkeys, the wolves, the Himalayan black bear & countless species.

Climb further up to about 8000….you see stunted rhododendrons and pines, junipers, firs. And the majestic deodars.

Climb to 10,000….you see short creepers, alpine forest…..mountain-goats jumping across the steepest slopes, the Himalayan bears, yaks….

12,000……you see the bugyals, grasslands , shrubs…..the domain of the snow leopard starts from here.

Climb beyond….14,000 +….who knows what may be there lying as yet undiscovered , besides the secrets of the yeti (the abominable snowman) ??

It is possible to encounter such biodiversity within a trek of 40 kilometeres itself…though the climb is arduous.