 |
| Welcoming panoramic scene of Indus Formation seen from the plane |
 |
| Local taxi from Leh Airport heading to downtown. |
Day 2 - Leh Sightseeing: Leh Main Bazaar, Leh Palace. Acclimatization day two. Make Permit.
Morning trips from Delhi to Leh with Go Air took 1 hour 25 minutes, we depart from Delhi at 6:40 a.m. and arrive on Leh at 08:05 a.m. Leh Airport, Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, is one of the three highly sensitive airports politically thus the security at the airport is very strict handled by CISF (Central Industrian Secutiry Force), considering that this area is part of the area that close to the border and prone to conflict and terrorism. Outside the airport, we start to bargain the price of the taxi to the local drivers that has been waiting outside the airport, maybe for hours ago.
Finally thanks to blog recommendations from the internet, we can know the right price range. We took a taxi to the hotel, or more guest house, still from the recommendation of Ms. Wito's blog, heading to Lungskor Guest House. The place was not in the map yet, so we only know the benchmark of the road that near the Korean restaurant and it's quite close from the terminal crossroad and Leh Market. Indeed, the place is a bit small and not visible from the main road, but still really close of it, yet the board or sign name also kinda not clearly visible either.
The rooms on the upper floors are all fully booked so we take the room in the base floor with the shared bathroom with the host. We just accept it while waiting for the vacant room upstairs. The price was super cheap here yet the service is still good, even though the room is not as good as the one on the upper floor and it seems full of goods, but overall is so worth it especially because with that price we still get the free wifi (this is the most important). There is also an ironed-free laundry service, with affordable rates. The host is a young family of husband and wife with one child, who are very kind and friendly. We enjoy staying here because of their hospitality and service.
After putting our luggage in the guest house, we immediately go out looking for food because the air there has started to getting feel cold and the body start to feel bad, messed up, with the symptoms of more severe breath / tightness, nausea, dizziness, shivering like a fever. All of that turned out to be the effect of acclimatization, adaptation to height, which if it was in a more severe stage could cause AMS (Accute Mountain Sickness). We ate, of course at the closest restaurant to our GH, and it happens to be a recommendation too, at the Amigo Korean restaurant, which turned out to be according to the recommendation, the atmosphere and hosts were friendly and the food was delicious especially the Bibimbap and the Ramen.
Perjalanan pagi hari dari Delhi ke Leh dengan Go Air memakan waktu 1 jam 25 menit, kami berangkat dari Delhi pukul 06.40 a.m dan tiba di Leh pukul 08.05 a.m. Leh Airport, Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, ini merupakan salah satu dari tiga highly sensitive airport secara politik sehingga security di bandara Leh ini sangat ketat hingga diserahkan kepada CISF (Central Industrian Secutiry Force), mengingat daerah ini merupakan bagian dari daerah dekat dengan perbatasan dan rawan konflik dan waspada terhadap terorisme. Tiba di Leh kami diminta mengisi formulir, dan dilarang mengambil foto atau mempublikasikan foto dari bandara Leh ini. Keluar dari pintu airport, kita tawar menawar harga taksi sama abang-abang (dah kek di terminal angkot haha) yang udah pada ngetem di luar airport. Di bandara Akhirnya berkat rekomendasi blog dari internet jadi bisa tau kisaran harga yang pas. Naik taksi menuju hotel, atau lebih ke guest house, masih dari rekomendasi blognya mbak Wito, kita menuju Lungskor Guest House. Di map belum ada, jadi kita cuma tau patokan jalannya dan dekat restoran korea dan cukup dekat dari perempatan terminal dan Leh Market. Memang tempatnya agak masuk dikit dan nggak keliatan dari jalan gede, tapi deket banget masuknya, cuma karena nggak keliatan papan atau plang namanya.
Kamar di lantai atas penuh semua jadi kita kebagian kamar di bawah tapi kamar mandinya bareng sama hostnya. Kita terima aja sambil nunggu ada yang kosong di atas. Disini harganya super murah tapi servicenya bagus, meskipun memang kamarnya jadi nggak sebagus yang di lantai atas dan terkesan penuh barang, tapi overall worth it sekali dengan harga segitu karena udah dapat free wifi (ini yang paling penting). Ada juga service laundry tanpa setrika, dengan tarif terjangkau. Hostnya keluarga muda suami istri satu anak, yang baik banget dan ramah. We enjoy staying here because of their hospitality and service.
Setelah naro barang, kita langsung keluar cari makan karena udara disana udah mulai terasa dinginnya dan badan mulai nggak enak nggak karuan dengan gejala napas makin berat/sesak, mual, pusing, menggigil seperti demam. Semua itu ternyata efek aklimatisasi, adaptasi dengan ketinggian, yang kalau udah di tahap lebih parah bisa menyebabkan AMS (accute mountain sickness). Makan tentu saja yang paling dekat, dan kebetulan dapat rekomendasi juga, di restoran korea Amigo. Yang ternyata sesuai rekomendasinya, suasananya dan hostnya friendly dan makanannya enak terutama bibimbap sama ramennya.
 |
| Amigo Korean Restaurant Menu |
 |
| Bibimbap of Amigo, so tasty and delicious especially in our condition |
Having conversation with some Koreans hanging out there, I thought they were the friends of the restaurant owner, we were referred to the nearest hospital and the only one at Leh for a check-up because the body's symptoms I said before that the body start to feel very not good. Although after eating and drinking a lot, the body feels good and is better but it is only temporary.
Therefore, we went to Sonam Norboo Memorial Hospital Leh for a check-up. The location is quite far from the downtown and local crowds, so we need to take a taxi from the terminal for 200 rupees. Arriving at the hospital, we were referred by the doctor after the check-up for hospitalization at the emergency department because our oxygen levels dropped significantly. During the treatment we were given oxygen and injected diamox, yet we provide our own meals. The ward in the emergency room was full of patients but sometimes they come and go not in a long time. After staying overnight in the emergency room, thank God, our body condition was much improved the tomorrow morning.
Jadilah kita meluncur dulu ke Sonam Norboo Memorial Hospital Leh buat check up. Lokasinya cukup jauh dari pusat kota dan keramaian setempat, naik taksi dari terminal 200 rupee. Sampai di RS, setelah check up kita dirujuk dokter buat rawat inap di IGD karena kadar oksigen kita turun jauh. Selama dirawat kita dikasih oksigen dan diamox yang disuntikkan tetapi untuk makan kita provide sendiri. Bangsal di ruangan IGD penuh pasien tapi kadang ada yang silih berganti. Setelah semalaman nginap di IGD, alhamdulillah kondisi badan jauh membaik besok paginya.
 |
| Sonam Norboo Memorial Hospital (photo credit: Nina) |
Actually I was a bit panic and it felt like I want to go on vacation but I got submit into a hospital, duh, but at that time thanks to my friend, it was important to think that our health is first or most important before starting the journey, avoiding anything worse on the road later.
So indeed for this acclimatization, generally it takes 2-3 days or longer according to the condition of our body. Maybe both our body get more shocked because of traveling from Delhi to Leh by air instead of by the road, so the body didn't have time to adapt longer and was finally getting shocked. Above all we stayed up all night, the night before. Finally, the itinerary must be adjusted that it will be today and the next day we decide to stay at Leh first for acclimatization. Before, it is planned one day only, apparently it must be at least two days for acclimatization. The destination turned out to be two days in the city of Leh, a day at the hospital, a day around the city. Ha ha ha.
PS: It turns out we made the host in a panic mode all night (the Lungksor host hehe), we forgot to say before that we are in the hospital all night and we don't have any connection while in hospital because besides wifi, simcard especially with internet connection is hard to find, especially because we were in a hurry heading to the hospital and didn't have time to look for a simcard. Forgive us, Sir
Sebenernya sempet agak panik jg itu rasanya, ini mau liburan tp jadi masuk RS, duh, tapi waktu itu mikirnya yang penting sehat dulu daripada kenapa2 pas di jalan nantinya.
Jadi memang buat aklimatisasi ini, umumnya perlu waktu 2-3 hari atau lebih lama sesuai gimana kondisi badan kita. Mungkin kami berdua lebih shock karena lewat jalur udara dari delhi ke leh, bukan jalan darat, jadi badan tidak sempat beradaptasi lebih lama dan akhirnya shock. Terlebih malam sebelumnya kita begadang. Akhirnya, itinerary yang harus mengalah, jadinya hari ini dan besoknya kita memutuskan untuk stay di Leh dulu untuk aklimatisasi yang tadinya kita coba plan sehari aja ternyata memang harus paling sedikit dua hari. Destinasi jadi dua hari di kota Leh, sehari di RS, sehari keliling kota. Hahaha.
PS: ternyata kita bikin panik bapak kos (hostnya Lungksor hehe), kita lupa ngabarin sebelumnya kalau kita di RS dan kita gak punya koneksi apapun selama di RS karena memang selain wifi, simcard apalagi dengan koneksi internet sulit dicari, apalagi karena buru-buru langsung ke RS dan nggak sempat nyari simcard. Maafkan kami bapak ibu kos..
---
---
Date: 30 July 2017
Budget (INR):
- Airport taxi 320
- Amigo 890
- Taxi to Hospital 200
- Hospital admission 2 people 400
- Oxygen 1200
- Diamox 50
- Hospital charge 220
- Dinner at Wazwan Resto 400
- Banana 100
Budget (INR):
- Taxi airport 320
- Amigo 890
- Taxi ke RS200
- Hospital admission 2orang 400
- Oksigen1200
- Diamox50
- Hospital charge 220
- Makan malam Wazwan Resto400
- Banana100
 |
| Don't forget to drink much water |
Comments
Post a Comment