Ladakh & Life Lessons - Part 4: Around Leh & Transportation

 16th July 2023, 5.00 PM - Leh

Recovering ourselves from the lack of sleep, we were woken up by the insistently ringing phone in our room. The restaurant was enquiring about our lunch. It so happens that most, if not all, guests who have acclimatised to Ladakh get out early and would return only for dinner. The restaurant therefore did not have a running lunch everyday. It had to be pre-ordered if you were planning to lunch in the hotel instead of going out. Obviously, we weren't going out so we ordered lunch and waited. Since everything is made fresh, on our orders, it is better to order early. After lunch and siesta we were ready to test ourselves in Ladakh's harsh conditions. 

It had been raining and there was a light drizzle when we stepped out. Tsewangji and his car was waiting for us at sharp 4.30 PM. It was parked a little further up the slope and I thought I was huffing and puffing my way. Maybe, I forgot the 'slow-motion' rule because of the drizzle, but I made it to the car without anything untoward happening. 

The first stop would be at Leh Palace. This 17th century palace was built by Sengge Namgyal and is supposed to be based on the design of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, seen in the photo below (Pic Courtesy: Tibettravelexpert.com), but somehow, I failed to see the resemblance. 

It appears to have a chequered history and fell to invaders, and was subsequently abandoned. The ASI have now renovated the palace and has a museum inside detailing its history. Like all old buildings and monasteries the palace is on a hill overlooking the town. There are nine stories which is not immediately apparent as the entrance is somewhere midway. As the building hugs the slope all the floors are not easily discernible.

Once inside, you have to watch the roof. There a good chance you will get a few knocks as you duck into doors or while traversing stairs. We didn't spend much time inside as climbing even short flights of stairs was leaving me a little breathless. I'm not sure if it was the devil of AMS sitting on my shoulder, I was extremely conscious of every breath I took. Not wanting to make things too complicated, we decided to move on. 

Our next stop was the Shanti Stupa, a relatively recent monument, that serves as a symbol of peace. Construction began in 1983 but was formally inaugurated by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1991. It is said to hold relics of Buddha at its base but it probably means relics related to Buddhism. Set on a hillock in Changspa just outside Leh and facing the Leh Palace across the town, it offers spectacular views of the surrounding areas. The best time to visit is said to be early in the morning or late evening. Unfortunately for us the plan of shooting the Milky Way from Shanti Stupa was washed out by rain and the overcast skies. 

The light drizzle that started was a signal for us to leave this peaceful place and descend to a more chaotic location, the Leh Market! Tsewangji dropped us off at the entrance to the market and said he would park further down the road. We were to call him once we were through. Unfortunately, none of our phones were working because of some peculiar features of the mobile network in Ladakh. (More about that in a separate post). So he gave us one of his connections to call him. 

The Leh Market is the centre of the town and is a place that is one of the places you can walk down to as most hotels are around this place. If you have acclimatized sufficiently a leisurely walk from your hotel will get you to this colourful place in 5 to 10 minutes, depending how far you hotel is. Most shops are targeted at tourists and sell handicrafts, dry fruits and the Pashmina wool products. Most of your ATMs and mobile stores are in and around this market. 

While walking, keep a watch for sleeping dogs. They are everywhere; cute fluffy ones sleeping on the pavements and outside shops. I am a dog friendly person but I was warned that the dogs here were not  the usual friendly types so I maintained a healthy distance.

 As Ladakh was a part of the erstwhile Kashmir state, most merchants seem to be Kashmiri. Hone up your bargaining skills if you are a shopaholic. It is out of bounds for traffic and you'll have to use your legs. Since traffic wasn't an issue the market was crowded with tourists and even we had to jostle for space on the pavements with hawkers. 

Days end late and it is quite bright even at half past seven. On the day we were in the market it was getting dark due to the clouds. An occasional drop of rain reminded us that it was monsoon spilling over into Ladakh. 

Even on the pavements you will find cheap Chinese toys, vegetables and dry fruits. Since this was our first day we only looked around. We weren't very keen to buy stuff and have to lug it around for the next six days. In any case, we'd be flying out of Leh so the shopping could be kept for the last day. 

As darkness set in, the Leh Palace that loomed over the town looked even more impressive. Few of the windows were lit up. Perhaps, living quarters of the present incumbent. 

We started back as a light drizzle was falling. It was almost 8.00 PM so it would make sense to eat dinner and turn in early. 

Transportation In Ladakh

When going to Ladakh, unless you are going in your own vehicle, it is better to keep in mind the following facts.

1. Public transport is minimum or non-existent. There are no auto-rickshaws or buses that service the town. Taxis are your only mode of transport. The rates are fixed by the Ladakh Taxi Union. (Click the link for the union site)
2. You can hire two-wheelers in Leh either for local day trips or for the entire duration of your stay. You can get a variety of two wheelers, but the most popular for long distance biking are the Enfield models. The scooters and sub 150 cc bikes are suitable for local running around. This blog will give you some information but you may have to check latest for rates.
3. Hiring a taxi can be an expensive affair. If you are only two persons, there are many places, especially restaurants, where people 'pin' their plans and offer to share the taxi. It works out less expensive that way. 
4. If you are hiring a taxi for your entire trip, ensure that the vehicle makes a provision for oxygen cylinder to be carried. You never know when it will come in handy.
5. Usually, the driver comes with his kit and will take care of himself, (even sleeps in the car), but there is no harm in asking him to join you for food. 
6. Bus transport is also few and hard to get. They don't run every day as a one way trip will take an entire day and the bus will return only the next day. If you have a lot of time in your hands, a bus trip can be interesting! Just be warned, the trip could be cancelled if sufficient passengers are not available. Devil On Wheels (Click this link for a comprehensive information on public transport in Ladakh)
7. If you are planning a self drive trip ensure that you are totally prepared. Roads are non-existent in many places so are petrol stations. If you are travelling by motorcycles it is better to travel in a group with a back up vehicle carrying a mechanic, spare parts, puncture kits, spare wheels, and your luggage. If you are in a car, similar preparation is needed. It will be better to be a part of a convoy going in the same direction. Most importantly, ensure that whichever vehicle you pick up is in peak condition. Since petrol pumps are very few and far in between, outside of Leh; and sometimes may not have stock, it is always better to carry extra fuel in you vehicle for emergencies.

I will tell you about the mobile networks in Ladakh in a subsequent post. 

The link to the previous post is  here

Ladakh & Life Lessons - Part 3: Acclimatisation & AMS

From here on, the posts that follow will take you through our travel through Ladakh. During your travel with us, I will try to give you some information about places we went to, routes taken and lessons we learnt about travel in such a remote place.   

July 16th 2023, 8.45 AM - Forenoon in Leh

We touched down in Kushok Bakula Rinpoche Airport at half past eight in the morning. For an airport with such a grand name, it is rather nondescript, In fact, one of the smallest I've seen. The terminal had seen better days and seemed to be desperate need of repair. I decided against using the toilets after seeing the expressions of people coming out after using the facility. 

The airport sits in a valley flanked by mountains on all sides and the Indus river on the south-western end, and is the highest commercial airport in India at an elevation of 3250 metres above MSL. It is in the midst of defence establishments and served as an exclusive defence airport before being opened for civilian use. The single runway, lying east-west makes the view from an approaching aircraft nothing short of spectacular. This is one airport that is bereft of greenery, as most of Ladakh is, which we discovered very soon. 

The old terminal is pretty ramshackle with a very small area for arriving passengers. The sole baggage conveyor belt looks like it would break down any minute. The airport has wooden pillars much like the ones in the monasteries. I wasn't keen on fishing out my phone to take a few photos after the experience with airport security in Delhi. The new terminal is coming up next to the old one and once finished should be a world class facility considering that Ladakh is now a hot tourist destination.

We picked up our bags from the creaking conveyor belt which seemed to sigh in relief as each heavy bag came off, and moved to the exit gate. Travel in Ladakh is entirely dependent of taxis, but more about that in a subsequent post. We were to rendezvous with  a Mr. Tsewang Gurmet, our taxi driver cum guide for the rest of our stay. Tsewangji was at the gate with my wife's name on a pink chart paper. The taxi's are not allowed to come to the entry or exit gates so they either drop you off or pick you up at the parking lot. If you don't want to damage your bag's wheels, load them onto an airport luggage trolley. Even if you leave it at the parking lot it will come back to the airport with passengers flying out of Leh! 

Tsewangji dropped us off a to our hotel, the Padma Ladakh, driving through some very narrow roads. Leh town is essentially a large village that has grown with time. Haphazard construction with no planning ensured that buildings jostled for space on either side of the narrow roads. There was hardly room for a car to pass another if it came from the opposite side. It is boom time in Ladakh after it was split from the state of Jammu & Kashmir. As a place dependent on tourist economy, every narrow gully seemed to have three or four hotels. Very few had their own parking spaces. In fact, even houses seemed to lack space for parking and many vehicles were just parked on the road. The only roads that were wide enough was the Srinagar -Leh highway and the Manali - Leh highway, both of which skirted the town. 

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama was in town and had prayer meetings every day from around 8.00 am to 10.00 AM. So the day started in earnest only after the meeting had concluded. Our room wasn't ready as we had arrived early, so I went for my breakfast in the restaurant. I was truly famished as I hadn't had anything on the flights. The hotel serves a very nice breakfast and I tucked into it. 

Once our room was ready and we were checked in the manager gave us 'strict instructions' to go to sleep. He told us that we were to move slowly, even going to the bathroom or getting off the bed. Since the oxygen levels were low at this altitude, it would leave us gasping for breathe and in the worst case scenario, would end up with Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). In any case all of us were exhausted after a sleepless night, we promptly settled down to rest. We had instructed Tsewangji to bring his car at half past four for a brief trip into town. 

Acclimatization

This would be a good place to introduce the word, 'acclimatization'. It is a word you will hear used very frequently when you travel to high altitude places, especially in the Himalayas and any place where the elevation is more than 2000 - 2500 metres. It is the process by which your body adjusts to the environmental conditions of the place you are in. In the Himalayas, you are at an elevation where the atmospheric is far lower than at sea level. The air is thinner, which means that the molecules of gases that make up the atmosphere is 'spread out' and so less oxygen is available for use by your body's organs. You will also have a tendency to get dehydrated faster. 

Your body compensates by increasing the heart and respiratory rate. You find that you breathe more rapidly that it appears you are gasping. Even little exertion can make you feel fatigued easily. This is the immediate effect of low oxygen air. Changes start happening in your blood too. Hemoglobin levels start going up slowly as your body starts producing more red blood cells to increase the oxygen carrying capacity of your blood. This change in your body doesn't happen overnight so you have to give it time to adjust itself. If you don't give your body time to get attuned to the new situation you will be inviting trouble.

At the lower end of the scale is Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), characterized by any or all of the following symptoms.

1. Nausea and giddiness
2. Headache
3. Breathlessness
4. Fatigue
5. Loss of appetite
6. Sleep disturbances

If you feel any of these symptoms, it is better not to exert yourself more and worsen your condition. Not everyone are built the same and each person's body reacts differently. Therefore, just because you run 5 kilometres or workout in the gym for an hour daily, you needn't be healthy enough to escape the effect of altitude. Conversely, persons who are sub-par when it comes to fitness (like me) needn't always be affected by AMS if you take some precautions. I am not going into the details of severe mountain sickness as those type of problems affect people who do high altitude treks or mountaineering. This is for the regular traveller who spends only a few days in such areas and don't exert too much.

1. Ascend slowly or stay put to acclimatise 

Many travellers are now preferring to drive or ride to Ladakh either through Srinagar or Manali. If you can halt overnight for every 400 - 500 metres you climb, it will help you get used to the altitude better. This may not always be feasible if you don't have many days available. For those who fly in from the plains, this is not an option. In our case we flew in from an elevation of about 150 metres to 3250 metres above MSL in under 12 hours. We are landing directly into a high altitude area so the only option is to stay at that elevation for a couple of days to get our bodies used to the low oxygen levels. 

2. Avoid exertion

In the first few hours at high altitude, especially if you just flew in, even normal activity can make you breathless. Going to the bathroom, getting off the bed, walking especially up a staircase or anything that needs a little physical effort can leave you gasping. In the first 24 hours make sure your movements are as if you are acting in a slow motion film. 

3. Hydrate yourself by drinking lots of water

There is a tendency for many of us to avoid drinking lots of water when travelling. Unfortunately, there is a risk of getting dehydrated at high altitudes. It is suggested that you consume at least 3-4 litres of water a day to keep yourself rehydrated but personally it is a tough ask; 2 litres seems more reasonable. It can be in the form of fresh juice, soup or plain water. Avoid too much of coffee or tea in the first few days as excess caffeine can cause increased heart rate and palpitations. 

4. Avoid cigarettes and alcohol

A smoker's lungs are already compromised and in a location with low oxygen levels it will only add to your problems. Alcohol will worsen your dehydration. It is also suggested to avoid sleeping pills.

5. Sleep well

Your body recovers when it is given rest. In Ladakh you are going to be spending a lot of time on the road. So once you are finished with the day's itinerary, eat an early dinner and turn in. Days are long in that part of the world so you might think it is still not time to hit the bed. If you have nothing else to do, sleep. That is the best medicine.

6. Pay attention to symptoms of AMS

Don't try to play a hero. If you feel, even lightly; any of the symptoms mentioned in the paragraph on AMS, inform your travel partner or guide. Stop exerting yourself and stay put at that location or descend to a lower altitude. Most travel operators ensure that oxygen is made available in your taxi or in the back up vehicle in case of motorcycling groups. 

7. Preventive measures before setting off

For those having to ascend rapidly you can take some precautions before leaving your comfort zone. One of the remedies suggested is to start taking acetazolamide tablets two or three days before your trip. Acetazolamide in small doses helps prevent or reduce the severity of AMS. While the mechanism of how it helps is not clear, acetazolamide increases oxygen saturation level of blood. Since I'm a doctor myself, I think it is inappropriate to mention the dosages without assessing a patient. Please consult your doctor before embarking on your journey for better advise that is tailored to your individual needs.  

8. Expose your ears

Yes, you read right. While it makes sense to cover up your ears from the biting cold, it is advised to expose your ears to the air once in a while. It is said to help your body to better gauge the environmental condition and allow it to acclimatize naturally.

The above points will give you a broad idea about how to get adapted to the new environment you are exposed to. While is doesn't tell you everything, it gives you an outline before planning a trip to Ladakh or similar places. Ladakh is not a place for the regular tourist. Remember it is a high altitude desert and outside of the capital Leh, the facilities are bare minimum. So if these posts pique your interest and makes you want to travel to Ladakh, remember; it takes a lot of planning. 

All the posts that follow this will have some information regarding travelling in Ladakh, with points that I gathered on my short trip there.

Meanwhile let us sleep a while and get ready to go visit the local market in the evening.....

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Ladakh & Life Lessons - Part 2: Satellite phones and security woes

July 16th 2023, 2.00 AM  - New Delhi Airport

Finally, after the delay, our journey was rolling. We landed in the Terminal 2 of the IGI Airport, Delhi, got our luggage and decided to leg it to Terminal 3 from where we were to catch the next flight to Leh. We had a little over four hours and it seemed like a good idea to check in our luggage and proceed to the waiting lounge. The Delhi airport was impressively huge and boarding for our flight was from the distant, Gate 50. 

Checking in our luggage was quick. Despite the odd hour, the Vistara staff were quite alert. Having finished that part, we proceeded to security check. The belt and shoes had to come off. All electronic gadgets were placed in a separate tray for screening. To this day, I don't know why, but I was under the impression that x-rays could penetrate a humble camera bag, or any bag for that matter. Anyway, I had more trays than a normal passenger. Sliding my trays onto the conveyor, I proceeded for my metal detector sweep. That was a mere formality and I went to the other end of the converyor, awaiting my trays. 

My son and wife had got their stuff passed through without a problem but I was still waiting. I could see that my tray was out but the chap in charge of the screening was having a small discussion with a burly officer about my camera bag. There were a few other passengers too explaining the contents of their hand baggage. When my turn came, the expression on the security officer's face became very stern. The conversation went some thing like this. Since it was carried out in Hindi,  I've translated it here so that the reader is aware of the seriousness of my 'crime'! 

"Why are you carrying satellite phones? Don't you know it is not allowed?" I was taken aback. I had a rather simple smartphone and was wondering how this gentleman decided it was a satellite phone. 

"I don't have a satellite phone, Sir", I said.

"Open your bag", was the curt reply, and his expression was becoming more frightening. I was now worried that someone had stuffed something into my bag without my knowledge and I was probably going to get arrested for no fault of mine. It happens all the time and I had probably, inadvertently, become a 'courier' for some underworld organisation. Who else smuggled satellite phones?!

I opened the front compartment of my bag. "There; take those two phones out", he barked. I felt my head reeling. The 'satellite phones' that I was accused of carrying were two electronic gadgets, I forgot to put in the tray separately. My Garmin Marine GPS and my Zoom Audio Recorder!

"Where are you going? Why do you carry satellite phones?". He was still very irritated with me for holding up the line. A satellite phone on a passenger, apparently, is not allowed without proper authorisation. 

"Sir, they are not satellite phones. One is a handheld GPS and the other one is a sound recorder", I told him as politely as I could, without gnashing my teeth, and explained the reason I was carrying it. His assistant also confirmed that they were not satellite phones! 

Now, I was happy that the matter seemed to have been settled but for a six foot tall security officer, he probably had an ego taller than him and it wouldn't permit him to admit his error. It apparently took a lot to climb down from his high perch. He picked up the GPS and told me, "You cannot carry this", with a finality in his voice.

I was stumped. Was he going to confiscate it? I was in no mood to argue with him at 3.00 AM in the morning. Once again, I very politely told him that there had to be a middle path. There was no rule against carrying a GPS handset. Fortunately for me, his superior officer walked into the scene and I was told to meet him and see if the problem could be resolved. This nice gentleman took one look at the masquerading 'satellite phone' and confirmed that it was indeed a GPS handset but since he couldn't embarrass his subordinate, he gave a quick solution. He told me to take out the batteries and put it the check in luggage! 

This was getting more complicated. We had already checked in our luggage half an hour ago and it probably would have been in one of the luggage trailers on its way to our aircraft. I told him that it would be difficult to retrieve our baggage now as they would be half way across his rather extensive airfield. I couldn't request the airline to bring the bags out for me to put it in. In any case, I was out of security check, in the boarding area. The boss then suggested that we use one of our hand luggage to keep the offending GPS and check that in. 

Luckily, my wife's backpack came to my rescue. I put the GPS in it and rushed out not wanting to prolong this unpleasant drama. As I reached the entry point to the security check area, I realised that in my hurry, I hadn't retrieved my cell phone or carried my boarding pass. Both were critical. The former for any 'emergency' calls in case I was stopped and arrested and the latter to ensure that I could get back to the boarding zone as a 'genuine' passenger! 

So. back I went, through the metal detector zone, picked up the critical objects and waded through the crowd, back to the baggage check in counters. The eye brows of the girl who was at the counter almost touched her hairline when I told her why I was back. "You can carry this bag with you, Sir", she said. I patiently explained to her, my rather  'complicated' situation, and told her that I wasn't about to abandon my GPS at the airport. After checking in the bag, (luckily there wasn't an excess baggage situation), I retraced my way back to security check. 

I thought I could walk in a 'free' man as I had been screened twice over. The guy with the metal detector was very sympathetic but he said, rules are rules. I had to take out my shoes and belt, and put it through the screening tray procedure all over again! In the middle of all that he had time to enquire regarding my profession and ask my why I was carrying all these strange gadgets. As he waved me through, he stopped me again and asked me regarding 'laser to remove his glasses'! What a night!

Finally, after all the confusion, security check was over and it was time to catch the next flight to Leh. All this excitement had effectively driven away any thoughts of sleep. It was a long tiring night and I was sweating despite the air-conditioning. Though I had skipped the Muscular Upma on the Indigo flight, I was optimistic that our Vistara would serve something more appetising. So we took a break at the McDonald's near the lounges, which were anyway full; before proceeding to look for Gate 50. My son, despite the noodles served on the flight, happily tucked into a burger and fries, while I sipped a cold coffee to settle my jangling nerves.

After refreshing ourselves we proceeded to 'Area 50' of Terminal 3. Mercifully, there weren't any alien types to scan me for more banned objects! Most of the chairs were empty so we plopped ourselves next to a mobile charging station and decided to catch a few winks before boarding the flight to Leh.

By 6.00 AM it was getting brighter outside despite the heavy cloud cover. We had been worried. Already a delayed flight and 'satellite phones' had ruined our night. So this was a welcome relief as it wasn't raining.

By 7.15 we were airborne, and over the clouds the sun was shining. At last, we were on our way without any further delays.

It was a  short hop. In a little more than an hour the pilot announced that he was preparing for landing. As a sign of nearing our destination, the snow capped tips of the Himalayas greeted us through the clouds.

The sky was broodingly depressing. Over the previous few days the television channels had been full of news of cloudbursts, flash floods and roads being washed away. The Manali - Leh National highway 3 was closed and we were worried about our trip as travel in Ladakh is completely dependent of the state of the roads.

As the flaps were raised for landing we knew that Leh was only a few minutes away beneath us. It had been a very eventful night. We had travelled 3500 kilometres in about 12 hours, and climbed from 140 meters above MSL in the Palghat Gap to above 3500 meters above MSL in Ladakh. An unforgettable experience!

The weather wasn't very encouraging as the aircraft dipped through some clouds before landing. However, what mattered wasn't the weather, but that we had reached our destination without any major hiccups.

Oh! By the way, Vistara too served upma for breakfast, albeit it wasn't a 'muscular' one! If anyone offers me upma anytime soon, I'll crack their skull open!

Please wait for further updates. We have two days to acclimatize to the low oxygen atmosphere.......

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Ladakh & Life Lessons - Part 1: Delayed Departures

15th & 16th July 2023 - Coimbatore Airport

Exactly a month ago, on my 58th birthday, I was waiting for a delayed flight in Coimbatore airport. We; my wife, son and I, were flying to Delhi on our way to Ladakh for a short vacation. The incoming flight from Delhi was delayed and so our thoughts about take off in that aircraft, was getting a bit jittery. Weather was generally playing havoc all over the country and delayed flights could also mean a cancelled flight. We were to land in Delhi around 1.00 AM and hop on to a connecting flight to Leh at 6.45 AM. 

With no firm announcement of our flight's ETA or revised departure times, tension was running high. There was a real chance that this delay could make us miss our onward flight to Leh. The fact that the ground staff were distributing some complimentary snacks to the waiting passengers at half past ten at night didn't make the situation any better! 

As we sat munching on the snacks, they announced that the incoming had landed and we'd depart for Delhi shortly. The tension drained, as we clambered aboard the shuttle bus. As we rolled towards the waiting aircraft I was reflecting at the turn of events that made me a reluctant passenger on this trip.

25 years ago, when I started practise as an ophthalmologist in my home town, I purchased my first PC. It was a HP Vectra running Windows 95. Since, I had just started my clinic, I had plenty of free time in hand to teach myself to use a PC. One of the first things I did was create a document that I had named, 'Places to go before I die'! It contained places in Africa, South America, South-East Asia and many  in India that were famous for wildlife sanctuaries or national parks. Significantly, Ladakh didn't figure in it because Kashmir was not in the list and Ladakh was still a part of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state. 

My son was on his semester break, going from his 3rd to 4th year of engineering and his mother wanted to go on a trip. The planning began almost three months before but I was very undecided. The situation at home and in the profession wasn't all that happy, so a week's break was not something I could afford. Beside other pressing issues, and the thought of leaving a very a sick dog at home, things weren't looking very rosy. Peppy was family, and leaving her to go a trip, 3500 kilometres from home and at a mean elevation of some 15,000 feet wasn't looking like a holiday I really wanted. The devils were dancing in my head but I had to finally relent. Sending mother and son to the same place while I was at home also wasn't a great idea. The veiled threat of Acute Mountain Sickness made up my mind. Three is better than two. So leaving Peppy under the care of my sister and niece (she was by now recovering from surgery), and after a rather early birthday celebration,  I was at the airport boarding a flight for a journey that would eventually make me look at Life differently.

On the flight, which finally took off about two hours behind schedule, they started serving what should have been our dinner but had now become our midnight snack! The weather outside ensured that the flight was jerky and the risk of having to use the barf bag in the seat pocket in front of me was real! It made the 'muscular upma' even more unappetising. I decided to skip the 'magic'! Luckily, for us, nothing untoward happened till we eventually touched down in Delhi a little after 1.30 AM. 

We had a few hours to kill before our next flight, onward to Leh. After printing out our boarding passes and checking in our luggage, we proceeded to security check. At the departure lounge entrance, the chap in security had given me a quizzical look. The face in the photo on the ID document I had presented, my driving license, and the face looking at him were starkly different. I was older, balder and have recently sporting a new 'salt & pepper' whiskers! I told him in Hindi, "Mein booda ho gaya aur mera mooch bada ho gaya!" (I've grown older and my moustache has grown longer!). He suppressed a guffaw and waved me through. I was thrilled. It is not everyday you come across a security chap who could take a joke and smile?! I thought CISF had started recruiting more humane personnel. 

How wrong I was, I would know in a few minutes, but that is for another post.......