Geography Ka Chashma

             Ladakh is home to at least 7 major glaciers, including the Siachin Glacier, famous for being the world's highest battlefield. Climatically, it is classified as a cold desert, home to some of the most unique animal species, including the elusive Snow Leopard, the cute-looking Himalayan Marmot, the Blue Sheep, the Eurasian Lynx, and the recently spotted beauty - the Pallas Cat. With an average altitude of 11,500 feet and 35% fewer oxygen molecules to breathe in as compared to the mean sea level, life in Ladakh is not everyone's cup of gur-gur tea.      On my first visit to this unique region, the one thing that struck me and has remained with me ever since then is the warm hospitality and kindness of the locals. It wasn't put up as a show for tourists like us; it was an innate part of their nature. They care for each other, for their environment, for the mountains and even for the outsiders who visit them and bring them a piec...

The first thing that you notice, or rather experience while going from Dharmashala to Mcleodganj is that it is a steep climb! So much so, that you might think that the engineer might be a kid who loves to slide down! So damn steep are the roads that you are afraid that the car will topple if not driven by an expert. It takes hardly 10-15 minutes to reach McLeodganj from Dharamshala. While Dharamshala is in a valley, Mcleodganj is on a mountain top, hence cooler.  Our hotel was located on a sharp turn, Mind you, most hotels in Mcleodganj are not as small as they look. What you see in the image is less than half of the hotel. These are actually the top 3 floors. There were four more floors in the valley below. The top floor is the restaurant. Parking space is limited, make sure you check in on time to get the best parking!                  Book a room close to the reception, for this is the view that you will get fr...

From Chandigarh to Manali...from the foothills of the Himalayas to the Himachal range, observe the changes that take place in the topography around you. When in the Himalayas, travel as geographers do... The dry river bed of River Beas, downstream from the Himalayas. The water level has never been this low. Yet, this year, due to low rainfall, there is hardly any water in the middle course of the river. The silt deposited on the banks shows the actual size of the river when it gets flooded. Huge V-Shaped Valleys carved by River Beas in the valley course of the river. The water that you see, remains as a part of a reservoir. Middle - aged Deodar (Cedar) trees in the higher ranges of the mountains. These are the lungs of the mountains. The air, rivers, soil, animals, birds as well as humans depend on them for their livelihood. Tourism industry itself thrives due to the presence of these forests. The moment they disappear, that will be the doomsday.  Huge d...