India opens remote trekking and mountaineering routes

by Kraig Becker on

Adventure travelers were given even more incentive to travel to India recently when it was announced that the government would begin allowing access to previously restricted areas in the remote Jammu and Kashmir provinces. The move has both economic and political motivations that officials hope will provide benefits for the country in years to come, but trekkers and mountaineers will begin receiving benefits of their own beginning this summer.

In all, 104 new mountain peaks have been removed from the restricted list, and opened up to climbers for the first time. Most fall in the Leh and Ladakh regions, along India’s border with both China and Pakistan. Because of their close proximity to the disputed Kashmir region, only ten previous mountaineering expeditions, primarily made up of Indian climbers, have made their way into the region. This means that the vast majority of those mountains have not yet been climbed. Climbers looking to claim a first ascent will find plenty of altitude to challenge them. Many of the peaks top out above 22,000 feet, including Saser Kangri I, II, and III, which stand 24,327 feet, 24,649 feet, and 24,590 feet respectively.

Backpackers will find plenty to love in this remote and stunningly beautiful region as well. High altitude passes and trails that have previously been off limits are now open to foreign travelers, including a route that leads to the village of Turtuk in the Nubra Valley. The village played a historically important role in the region in centuries past when caravans traveling the Silk Road passed through the high altitude settlement, ferrying goods from East to West.

This move by the Indian government comes following a recommendation from the Ministry of Defense. The region has been a source of conflict for years between India and Pakistan, but tensions have now eased in the area, and this will signal a return to normalcy. The influx of climbers, trekkers, and other adventure travelers is likely to help the local economy as well.

Classic Treks: Tiger Leaping Gorge, China

by Kraig Becker on

China isn’t usually the first place that comes to mind when adventure travelers are considering their next challenging, trek. But the country has plenty of remote, wild places that can offer backpackers an amazing hiking experience. Perhaps the best of those is a trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge, a deep canyon located along the Yangtze River in the southwest portion of the country.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is an excellent hike for independent trekkers looking to escape the hustle and bustle, not to mention the pollution, of China’s busy cities. Located about 40 miles north of Lijiang City in Yunnan Province, the trail first rose to prominence in the 1980’s, when western backpackers began to explore the area. At that time, there were actually two distinct routes, consisting of the easier and flatter “Low Trail” and the much more challenging and dangerous “High Road”. The Low Trail has recently been paved over and made into a highway and while it is still an option, the High Road is a far superior option.

That trail is a mere 15 miles in length and requires just two days to hike end to end, but it is a long and difficult trek thanks to the steep trails and dramatic changes in altitude. The mountains that flank the trail are both well over 16,000 feet in height, and the sheer cliff faces fall away sharply. More than 6500 feet below, the Yangtze River can be seen rushing by, making a thunderous noise as it passes. Scenic vistas dominate the region, giving you plenty to gawk at throughout the journey.
The first day of the trek generally takes hikers up more than 3000 feet, but rewards their efforts with a stay in a local tea house, which are found frequently along the route. The tea houses are great places to get food and drinks, while taking a break from the trail, and they offer cramped, but comfortable accommodations for the night when you’ve decided to put up your feet by the fire.

The second day of the trek is not any easier than the first, although the trail does turn down out of the mountains, eventually depositing hikers on the banks of the Yangtze, the very river they’ve been watching from above for the past two days. The narrow trail can be difficult to navigate at times, but the views are worth the effort, as you’ll find that the altitude isn’t the only thing that takes your breath away.

There are few reliable maps for the region, but fortunately the trail is well marked and easy to follow. You can choose to hike it with a guide, but it is also very easy to do independently as well. Simply hop a bus from Lijiang for about $4 and then pay the entrance fee to the Gorgel, which is about another $8. From there, you simply follow the designated route, going at your own pace, and choosing to stop at a tea house when ever you desire.

While not as long as some of the other major trekking trails in the world, Tiger Leaping Gorge still has plenty to offer, and is an excellent escape from modern, metropolitan China, which can provide sensory overload at times. For a little peace and quite, and fresh air, add this trek to your itinerary, and you’ll get to experience a piece of rural China that few outsiders experience.

World’s fastest train delayed, perp gets away

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The world’s fastest train may be able to top 200 miles per hour, but it can be stopped with a barrier not even three inches long. A rider who opted to disregard the rules lit up a cigarette on the train as it ran from Guangzhou to Wuhan in China, causing a delay of two and a half hours. To put the inconvenience in perspective, that’s about how long it takes the train to complete its journey of more than 700 miles (1,100 kilometers).

The irritated passengers were unable to see justice served, as the smoker eluded capture – he fled the scene when the alarm that stopped the train went off. Reuters notes a Xinhua news agency report in which a spokesman for the Guangzhou Railway Group Corporate says, “Smoking is strictly forbidden on the Wuhan–Guangzhou high-speed train, even in the toilet.” He continued, “It could trigger the alarm and even cause equipment failures.”

It could also lead to a delay, he didn’t need to explain, that could cost the passengers all the efficiency they purchased.

China discusses naval base to fight pirates

by Sean McLachlan on

A Rear Admiral of the Chinese navy has suggested the best way to fight Somali pirates attacking travelers and shipping would be for China to have a permanent naval base in the Gulf of Aden.

The Chinese navy has been patrolling the area for several months now but has no foreign naval bases. Pirates captured a Chinese cargo ship recently and released the crew on Monday amid rumors that a $4 million ransom was paid.

While the suggestion was only posted on the defense ministry’s website and does not reflect an official plan of action, it will probably been seen with suspicion by other superpowers.

The U.S. and France both have naval bases in Djibouti and several nations patrol the pirate-ridden waters. All these forces have had limited success in fighting the pirates.

Worst travel mistakes of the 2000s: Eating the grapes

by Catherine Bodry on

We all have food poisoning stories from the road, I’m sure. I have a new one every week here in China. But was there ever a time when you willingly, knowingly, ate something that was bound to make you sick? So sick that you end up delirious in Panjim, India, trying to hitchhike to the hospital at three in the morning? So sick that your hotel owner and random new travel buddy have to arrange transport to said hospital, which has flickering lights and bloody cotton balls lying around?

It was because of the grapes.

A month earlier, just after I arrived in Delhi, I saw a man pushing a large handcart full of wet, dirty grapes. They glistened in the morning sunlight, and looked absolutely like something that would make you sick. I clearly recall turning to my friend Jen and saying, “Do not let me eat grapes while in India.”

Flash forward a month later. I’m by myself in Gokarna, a beach town south of Goa. There’s a nice hike to some isolated beaches, and I set out alone. On the way, I meet a nice middle-aged Indian man. We leap-frog each other several times over the course of the hike, and make casual conversation. After spending a couple of hours on the beach, I run into him again on the hike back. He is sitting beneath a tree, eating grapes. I am hot and tired and hungry, and he has been very friendly in a non-menacing way throughout my afternoon. He offers me grapes, and out of politeness I don’t feel I can refuse. The scene changes to slow motion as he hands a small bunch to me, and I pop them in my mouth, one bacteria-ridden bite at a time.Fast-forward again, this time about 10 hours. I am writhing around in my bed, sweating. I recall getting up at one point and walking around town, shouting up to a bunch of guys playing cards in an upstairs apartment. I tell them I need a ride to the hospital. They appear concerned but aren’t keen to prop me up on the back of one of their motorbikes. I wander back to my hotel and wake up a Canadian girl I’ve only just met. She wakes up the hotel owner, who helps her coordinate a ride to the hospital. Once there, they test me for malaria but ultimately announce that I have a simple case of food poisoning. I am sent home with a packet of antibiotics and some re-hydrating drink mix.

The ride home involved some hitchhiking on the part of my wonderful companion, who refused to ride a motorbike. I woke up the next morning feeling much better.

But still. It was dangerous and stupid to eat the grapes. Just as a month earlier it was stupid to drink chai from a hovel where a woman wiped the glasses clean with her soaking, dirty sari.