By blessings of Lord Shiva; our father, Madhukarbhai (age 88) and son Dhaivat (age 26), undertook and successfully completed Kailash – Mansarovar Yatra and have returned home safely and without any major obstacle. We are writing this note to all to inform every body of the same and also to express our gratitude to God Almighty; for enabling us to fulfill our father’s wish, for his blessings to the Yatri’s enabling them to handle the difficult task without any major hiccup and be kind enough to Give Darshan of his eternal abode to them.
By all means, Kailash - Mansarovar Yatra is no mean feat. However, we would like to inform that the mode of Yatra chosen, looking at our father’s age, was by commercial flight / charter helicopter till border between Nepal – Tibet (China) and then by Toyota Land Cruisers by road inside Tibet. This is the least time consuming, most expensive and least arduous mode of Yatra. The Yatra included Kailash Darshan from the road in front of Kailash Parvat, a visit and parikamma of 23 Kms wide Manasarovar by vehicle and also a stopover at Rakshas Tal (another lake next to Manasarovar) where Ravana sat for his Tapasya to appease Lord Shiva. This option of Yatra is without Kailash parikamma and the designed duration is for 5 days round trip from Nepalganj to Kailash to Nepalganj in south Nepal. (If one takes the second option of Yatra with Kailash parikamma, then it will take anywhere between 8 – 10 days even with air – helicopter travel, as Kailash parikamma by trek takes 3 – 4 Days more). As the travel is by air – helicopter; rain, fog, visibility plays major role in ability to fly from one leg to another and hence the yatra can get extended by a few days. Our father and son were fortunate to have completed the round trip Nepalganj to Nepalganj in 7 days despite the rainy season. Their full trip from Mithapur back to Mithapur was 11 days.
The normal age limit to get permission from Chinese authorities for this yatra is 70. Our father had got himself tested at Wockherdt Rajkot (Tread Mill Test, Colour Doppler, Pulmonary Function Test, Brain MRI) and medically certified fit for high altitude travel. Despite this, he was refused permission on first attempt for this yatra in May 2012. However, the organizers made a second attempt on 25th June with certain conditions and assurances. By God’s grace he received permission on Friday, 6th Jul, 2012.
The tuor guides were surprised how our father could get permission from Chinese authorities for this yatra. Driven by curiosity, they made one discovery at Talklakot (or Purang in Chinese), which is the base camp stopover for Kailash – Mansarovar Yatra in Tibet. They referred the register of the Chinese govt guest house there through its manager, and confirmed that our father, at 88, is by far the eldest person to have undertaken this yatra on THIS route; which again is a unique feat. (There are at least two more routes into Tibet. One is via Kathmandu by road and other is via Lhasa, Tibetan capital, by road)
Though there were no major problems in the trip, there were small problems / difficulties during the trip due to our father’s advanced age and significant balance problem even when walking on plain ground. Our son, therefore, had a major responsibility to take care of his grandfather and hold him constantly when he moves. There were a couple of occasions when they had to trek a 200 ft high hill to reach a resort in one of the stopovers. This proved quite challenging; for father to trek and for son to ensure his safety. The altitudes encountered during the Yatra were from sea level at Mithapur to 15000 feet at Kailash Parvat. The atmospheric oxygen level at that altitude is around 5% compared to 20 % at sea level. Despite this, our father’s blood oxygen level as measured from time to time by paramedic staff during the yatra was between 80 to 90%. This is very good considering his age and altitude. Some other relatively younger members’ blood oxygen level was less than his. These people had planned for Kailash parikamma by trek, but had to abort it and come back prematurely as their blood oxygen level got reduced to 65% at Kailash parvat. Our father had some stomach problem at high altitude and our son felt under pressure to bring him back as soon as possible.
Despite all the small hiccups, they had good Darshan of Kailash, could see the Om shape on Kailash parvat. Father wetted his feet and had abhishek of Manasarovar water. Son also took 3 dips in Manasarovar. They enjoyed the trip overall. However, our son felt like spending more time there on wild life watching and photography; which he could not do due to his responsibility.
