My good friend Haw Chou texted me three weeks prior to the departure in mid July for this most meaningful trip of medical work up north in Nubra Valley, and I took up his offer within a second. And of course, the rest was academic history.
Serene and I have always wanted to go to Ladakh, after hearing stories from our good trekking and cycling friends Charles and Seng Keong how tough the terrain was when they were trekking up to Stok Pass above 5000m. But this trip was different. It was for volunteer medical work, organised by FEM Surgery. Still, it was an opportunity for me to do three things:
- Be with my good friend since Primary school to go on a meaningful trip
- Have a chance to taste Leh, Ladakh and even better, to have a chance to experience the northernmost villages - among the Nubra Valley- and up all the way to Turtuk at the Indian-Pakistan border.
- Finally, to see how I like working in a pro-bono kind of work with the locals like this, in preparation for my retirement plan to be a village doctor in some small mountain village with Serene by my side.
So the stage was set, although I was totally blur blur about how to go about it. All I knew was to just follow everyone and do what I was instructed to do.
Day 1, 15 July 2018
[Click to go in to our adventure on the first day- from Singapore to New Dehli to Leh]
We first arrived in New Delhi and immediately took a domestic flight to Leh, Ladakh on the same day. Arriving at 3500m altitude at Leh presented with little a problem, because of the well thought-out prophylaxis with Dexa and Diamox by Dr Felicia Tan. Vicky and gang were really efficient in the preparation and we were all instructed in detail.
Leh was a delightful little town, and Stok Palace Heritage Hotel was a lovely place to stay. Interestingly, this day turned out to be a busy day, in between rushing to stock up on medicine by buying all the Indian generics from the pharmacy in Leh central opposite the SNM Hospital, for our long trip into Nubra Valley the next day, and struggling to either find some wifi connection to stream, or better yet, grab a chance somewhere somehow, to watch the Final of the World Cup 2018 between France and Croatia... Read the story..
Day 2, 16 July 2018
[Click to go in to our adventure on the second day - on our way to Nubra Valley]
An early morning departure from Stok Palace at Leh started us on the 6 hour jeep journey up 130km to the village Hunder at Nubra Valley in Northern Ladakh. The highlight was of course the 5600m Khardun-La. The terrain of Ladakh was really barren and mountainous - bounded by the Ladakhi ranges and the Karakoram ranges - the Trans-Himalayan ranges. This was very different from the Himalayas that we were so familiar with. It had a different charm of its own.
As much many of us were lulled by the lullaby of the mountains on this 6 hour trip, we were drawn by the serenity of Nubra Valley, at the altitude of around 3050-3100m, upon our arrival. A last minute one hour forty minutes dash from Hunder to Sumur to survey our medical site in Samstanling Gompa was fruitful... at least it prevented us from having to see patients while squatting on low stools or sitting on muddy floor, in a stuffy tent without electricity the next day. Read the story...
Day 3, 17 July 2018
[Click to go in to our adventure on the third day - Time to Work!]
This was exciting. Finally we got to get our hands dirty. I was taken aback when Vicky and Jeanette placed a bottle of alcohol hand sanitiser on each of our table. But later on I finally realised its purpose. But heck lah.. I didn't use it for my own hands, but more to sterilise the one and only spoon I have to examine the patients' throats.
Adrenaline-gushing action drove me all the way until I finished the very last patient for the day. It was fun. Honestly, seeing patients of very different characteristics, very different needs and very different symptoms from what I usually encountered back at home. I thought I knew the mountain people. But now I finally understood how little I understood of their medical needs. From now on I would be better prepared if I were ever to be up in the mountains again. Thinking back, this further reinforced my concept of how different people from different parts of the world view diseases and illnesses. What constitute a medical condition in one country would be simply accepted as a norm in another country, and vice versa. A meaningful day for me. Read the story...
Day 4, 18 July 2018
[Click to go in to our adventure on the third day - Meeting the Dalai Lama!]
Serene and I had always said that we would be so emotionally overwhelmed if one day we ever were to meet His Holiness personally that tears would flood our eyes. Our hopes to meet The Dalai Lama were dashed the night before when we had to work over time and missed His Holiness when he completed his teachings and had to retire.
It was either by a stroke of miracle, or more likely plenty of string-pulling by Felicia, that we were given a second chance to bid a fleeting hello to Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, on this day before he flew off.
It was a down to earth experience for me. Not those thunderous, emotionally-overflowing, momentous moments in my life. But rather, a simple, old man to a young man meeting of hearts and connecting of hands moment. In this short few seconds, I discovered to my happiness, that the Dalai Lama is just as human as me myself, a human working hard for the good of his people, for the good of all sentient beings, and even at the ripe old age of 90 years old, is still standing tall and smiling broadly, with his heart opened wide for everyone. A human being full of wisdom, yet full of humility. A role model for myself to strive towards...
So did Serene cry? Nah.. she was too busy taking a selfie of herself and His Holiness to have time to cry.
Everyone was grateful for the chance to meet His Holiness. And we worked our guts out for the rest of the day seeing the Ladakhis. Read the story.
Day 5, 19 July 2018
[Click to go in to our adventure on the third day - A Day of Adventures!]
Felicia called it exercise cut on this third day in Nubra Valley, because the Dalai Lama had ended his teaching and most of the villagers had gone home. So we had an extra day here. What would be the best to do on a free day?
Roy, Bikky and gang decided that their adventure for the day would be to discover where that little stream would lead to further up the mountain. He was dead sure it would end up at a waterfall and was he correct!
The rest of us, who had to scratch the itch of being so near the Indian-Pakistani border, just HAD to take up Dorje and RK Pandey's offer to discover the border village of Turtuk, the last frontier before we step foot into Pakistan. This historical Baltistani village was truly charming. And it STILL had a king within a palace, a king who hosted us and patiently took his time to explain a little bit of his family history to this bewildered bunch of Singaporeans. Read the story...
Day 6, 20 July 2018
[Click to go in to our adventure on the third day - Bye Bye, Nubra Valley!]
Our medical job all done, our medicine almost depleted (almost, except for the Buscopan, Stemetil and Azithromycin.. yes, I know, Vicky.. all my fault), we hopped back on the jeeps and turned southwards back towards Leh.
This time round we skirted the Kharlung-La and went east of Khardung, winding along and around the old glacier value where we finally saw pastures, greenery, grass and yaks. Yes, surprisingly yaks.
This time round we really slept almost all the way in the 4WD, and only came out for a short picnic lunch on one of the pastures, where our good Vicky was back towards a highly-provoked and angry yak that stamped its hoofs and acted in going to rush forward to horn us down.
This was the greener side of the Ladakhi range. It was a short day. And it ended with us finally returning to Leh. But before that we visited a shelter home for stray dogs where May and the bunch of good souls rendered some help. Being back in Stok Palace was a huge luxury for us, not only because of the lovely accommodation, but of course also because of the availability of WIFI, courtesy of the always-accommodating waiter and staff, Vinny, who gave us his personal hotspot from his mobile. And once again, we were finally connected to our world at home. Read the story...
Day 7, 21 July 2018
[Click to go in to our adventure on the third day - A Day of Palace, Stupa and Monastery
In summary...
The Diamoxes finished, the Urea Breath test kits donated to the monastery by FEM Surgery, some winter wear donated to the orphanage in Ladakh through our kind guides, and we all dragged ourselves onboard the flight home, stomachs all swirling full of a week worth of Indian spice, curries, naan, yogurts and chapatis.
This was not only a chance for me to be part of the volunteer group spearheaded by FEM surgery, but also an important opportunity, while without internet connections to our modern world, introspect deeply within myself and ask some important questions that I would otherwise not have to time to, at least not back home in Singapore when every moment was spent occupied (by what? Don't ask me because I don't know).
For the chance to experience this, both Serene and I were eternally grateful to Felicia, Vicky and FEM Surgery for organising it, and so graciously inviting us along. And for the chance to interact with every single one in the team, and for learning from each, I am thankful to all.
Lay Hong asked me: "Will you do it again?"
My answer was immediate: "Certainly!"
A most memorable trip. One that would last Serene and I our whole life time.
No comments:
Post a Comment