List of provisions stacked for the trip to Tsomo-riri (3 days/ taxi/ 4 people + 1 driver)

Trip dates: 27, 28, 29 June 2007

The bill dated 26th of June 2007 was supposed to feed 5 people for 3 days. Of those 5 people, 4 brains were put into preparing this list. And the best of our experiences told us that it should be enough. Only this time around, it was more than enough.

The food was supposed to be consumed for a total of 6 meals. Breakfast on 28th and 29th, lunch on 28th and 29th and dinner on 27th and 28th. Most of these ‘planned intakes’ were based on the daily routines of a normal life in the plains. But in Ladakh, things work differently, especially if you are camping and on your own! We learnt truth the hard way that it’s best to have your dinner before 6. Beyond six, putting your hands into the water to clean dishes et al would lead to a minimum of an hour’s hard work to regain the sensation of your ‘lost’ hands! Beyond six, dinner preparation transforms into a herculean task because of the crazy winds! Coming back to the plan, we had lunch on 27th enroute Tsomo-riri at some small settlement. Dinner of 27th was an average fare. We made pasta and found it tasty too (more so because of the excitement of making and then eating food out in the open and in the backdrop of the majestic Tsomo-riri). Breakfast on 28th was taken late and that’s what the problem was. In high altitude cold desert, your appetite goes for a toss (if you are not involved in any sort of physical activities). So lunch on 28th and 29th got fired. And breakfast got replaced by brunch.  So essentially the figure of 6 got reduced to 4.

Even our pahari driver couldn’t help us. Wherever we went, he would find friends and locals who would then invite him to have food at their places. Half man down, damn (he did accept some of the food cooked by us)! A French couple was our neighbour through this camping trip and what better way to make friends than by inviting them for dinner. Unfortunately here, the gesture got reciprocated! And in return for our food we were served some ‘professionally’ cooked Indian food.

So, what all were we left with at the end of the trip?

1 tetra pack of milk

1 cornflakes’ packet

4 maggi packets

1 packet of cheese slices

Drinking chocolate

Lots of bread (not in the list, purchased from some other shop)…

Can’t really remember more. But yes, all that was left was divided between our driver and an extremely elated local guard of Tso-kar campsite.

The list can act as a benchmark sorts for our trekking group, so that we don’t have to go through the process of thinking it all over again.

PS: I can’t figure out why ‘Amul milkmaid’ doesn’t find mention in the bill above! I remember clearly finishing it down to licking bit. I just can’t afford something as precious as milkmaid to be left behind thanks to my fetish for sweets. ‘Fruit cocktail’ was second on got-to-complete list and it did perish in the depths of my stomach.