ladakh 2012 - eighteen days at altitude.

I still can't believe that less than a week ago I was at an altitude of 6000m in the Himalayan Mountain region, taking ice cold river showers and sleeping in tents and wearing the most unfashionable hiking gear you will ever see. Now I'm back, safe and sound in the comfort of my own home (back at sea level - no more altitude sickness!), with hot running water on demand, lovely home cooked food and all the luxury of high speed internet. From the 17th of June till the 7th of July, I was lucky enough to travel all the way to the sprawling mountains of India along with 50-60 other people in my grade. We did a huge variety of things and it was one of the best trips I've ever taken. Here's a little bit about what we did:
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1. Lamdon School Homestay

pictures of lamdon school by isabel

Our school has a very close relationship with Lamdon School, the best school in all of Ladakh. With the financial help of our school, Lamdon School has grown from a tiny establishment with a few hundred students to a multi-building campus with an impressive student body of 1800, not to mention the 9 additional satellite campuses of Lamdon School that have been opened around the Ladakh region. Our relationship with Lamdon has always proved to be mutually beneficial in the form of an age-old tradition: the 2 night Homestay. 

My best friend Isabel and I partnered up for this leg of the journey, and we packed our bags  for an experience we'd never forget - yet we knew nothing about. We were posted off to go live with a local Ladakhi family; the family of a Lamdon student! It was such an exciting opportunity and I don't think I've ever been fed so much in my life. We lived in their small but absolutely beautiful house, and our Lamdon buddy Sonam was the loveliest girl ever (see a picture of her AMAZING room below!).

(from left to right): Sonam's mom, Isabel, Sonam, Stanzin (Sonam's sister), and Sonam's cousin

9 Day Markha Valley Trek

At the top of Ganda La Pass (5800m in altitude!), marveling at the priceless view (and taking our shirts off....?!)

view from the trek on day 1 - we had NO idea what we were in for.

on one of the practice hikes around leh, ladakh's capital

one of the beautiful inland lakes, up about 4000m in altitude!

isabel and i having hot chocolate in our tent on day 2 - a freezing morning!

 one of the many stunning views we had - check out those snowcapped peaks!

 kim and i lookin' fly!

 the view that i woke up to (literally; this picture was taken from inside my tent!) on the morning of day 5.

ganda la pass

isabel and i before the trek on day 2!

The 9-day trek through various parts of the Indus Valley and the Markha Valley was one of the most challenging things I have ever done. It required not only a huge amount of physical agility and fitness, but a phenomenal amount of psychological strength. Believe me when I say this: Life during those 9 days became so much easier when I realised that putting a smile on my face and having a positive attitude was half the battle won. We walked for up to 12 hours each day, completely unaware of the weather circumstances we'd have to face on any given day. Ladakhi weather is truly bipolar; it could hail for an hour, stay sunny for lunchtime and then rain until dusk (which it did), and we'd have to be prepared to deal with such huge weather extremes. We walked up mountains and then down again, rolled up our pants to cross rivers (I'm guilty of taking the easy way out and piggybacking some of my larger guy friends!), and in a certain extreme circumstance, we even got down on our asses and slid down a fatal vertical slope. At the end of it, we were all in serious need of a good scrub in a hot shower, a huge meal and a proper bed - and thankfully, that's exactly what we got. 


Being away from the city and all it's superficial distractions for 18 days was more cleansing and refreshing than I ever imagined. To strip our lives down to the bare minimum and only use/take what we really need left all of us a great deal more humble, more content, and more appreciative of the immense luxuries that are readily available to us at home. I never thought I'd say that not showering for 9 days straight would be beneficial in any way, but I learned so much during our time in Ladakh and the memories I made there will stay with me for the rest of my life.
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Hope everyone's having a beautiful summer!

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universal.

We all agreed that we had quite a time in sparkling LA, I’ve fallen in love with the sunny city and would love to move there and fulfill my dreams of becoming a fashion journalist in the future. We took a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood, and sadly it didn’t live up to it’s corny catch phrase; “The Entertainment Capital of LA!” How have I memorized this peculiar slogan, you ask. Well, it was being blared through loudspeakers throughout the park, throughout the day! It was a fun experience, but we all agreed that the newly opened Universal Studios Singapore was better. However, there was one thing that Universal Studios Singapore could never offer, that Universal Studios Hollywood flaunted with much pride; The Studio Tour.

Universal Studios is more commonly associated with a cotton candy colored theme park, but it is the name behind several movies, TV shows and stars that have made a legendary impact on the world of entertainment. The Studio itself is the largest operating Studio in the world, and driving through it on a touristy little guided tram felt purely magical. How exciting it felt to be gracing the artificial streets present in countless star-studded movies. I couldn’t help but think to myself how many celebrities have walked those very roads before us. Rowan Atkinson, Eva Longoria, and Tom Cruise, just to name a few.

The studio is a gargantuan 415 acres, inclusive of the theme park. The view from the Universal Studios theme park offered a great perception of the fictional ‘city,’ as well as a gorgeous skyline. As you can see, none of the fake buildings have interiors or rooftops, and the construction of the ‘city’ is quite clustered. At each sharp turn we took on the tour, we were magically transported to a whole new time and place. At one point we were in old London, with intricate lampposts, London-esque signage and cobbled streets. In less than a minute, we were in a modern-day city, with glass buildings and angular structures. Soon after, we were whisked to old Mexico, and all the low-rise wooden buildings, scattered crates and labeled barrels seemed to be smothered in a pearly, glowing sheen from the sun. The entire experience was so realistic; I felt like I was touring the world with Walt Disney by my side, pointing out all the intricate creative beauty embedded in the vast concrete jungle.

I’m sure all you Desperate Housewives fans recognize this polished fragment of Wisteria Lane, an elegant manicured street embellished with vibrant foliage and a lingering sunlight. This street has been used for several movies and TV shows though, but it is best known for its presence in Desperate Housewives.

We drove past this amazingly realistic set from War of the Worlds – the 747 Plane Crash (that was an actual Boeing 747 that was no longer in use; it was bought for a mere $60,000 but the whopping transportation cost was $200,000).

Picture Car used in the movie “Mr. Bean’s Holiday.” Need I say more?

The set of the city car chase scene in “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.” The cars are attached to large bionic ‘arms’ hidden under the rubber paneling that send the cars lurching forward as if they’ve been thrust into mid-air. We saw a full-on demo of the scene, complete with elaborate special effects such as roaring flames, thick smoke and moving props (my favourite was the faded Japanese cigarette dispenser that glided miraculously around the perimeter of the set to create the illusion of different angles).

This automated rushing river was one of the highlights of the Studio Tour. At the mere press of a button, a foamy river snakes realistically towards us, coming dangerously close to the tour tram. The windows of a nearby house are thrust open, emitting more frothy water into the chaos. The sprinklers atop a nearby pole begin spewing out rainwater, and the entire scene laid out flawlessly was nothing short of delicious to watch. This river has been used in numerous movies, TV shows and commercials, and recently in Lady Gaga’s music video for “Judas.” The best part? The water is mixed with milk so it appears more clearly on camera!

The building in which CSI and Parenthood is filmed.

See that line of buildings? Forget about them being expensive, antique architectural gems; they’re only painted wooden panels!

PS. This post is actually a week late; meaning we experienced the thrill of this spectacular theme park a week ago. However, I wanted to make sure I staggered my posts and varied my content, so apologies if my vacation timeline confuses you!

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