Gypsy at Large

(2008) You may not believe that a vehicle with its ignition off can move, but in Ladakh seeing is believing. Not only do vehicles move without the engine being turned on, they even defy gravity by climbing uphill. A hill on the outskirts of this picturesque cold desert town is so full of magnetised iron that it has the power to pull any vehicle in its vicinity towards itself. Perhaps inevitably, it is called Magnetic Hill. The hill is situated about 25 km from here on the Leh-Kargil-Batalik national highway and is bordered by the Indus river, which originates in Tibet and flows through Ladakh on its way to Pakistan.  Trying an SPG like stunt at Magnetic Hill! The engine is switched off and the Safari is climbing up on its own! Try it to believe it. The legendary powers of the Magnetic Hill have ensured that it has a place in the itinerary of most tourists visiting Ladakh. However, you might just miss the hill in this mountainous region if you fail t...

The Gateway to Siachen Glacier Siachen Glacier : It was for me the experience of a lifetime: an eight-day trek up the Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir, once regarded as the world's highest battlefield at 22,000 feet where the guns have been silent since 2003 after an India-Pakistan truce. The 80-km trek from the Siachen Base Camp to Camp 3 and back by a 32-member group of defence personnel, military school students and journalists served to vividly bring out the hazards and pitfalls Indian Army soldiers have to face on what was also the world's coldest battlefield where temperatures dip below - 65 degrees Celsius. Getting bit of training at the Siachen Battle School Food goes stone cold as soon as it is taken off the burner, washing your face becomes a luxury, and drinking water smells of the kerosene used to melt the ice. Yet, the soldiers stoically endure this, serving for a minimum of three months on the glacier in a two-year ten...