History || Geographical || Religion & Culture || Art & Craft || Fairs & Festivals
How to reach || Accomodation || Health || Acute Mountain || Evacuation of Casulties || Oracles & Astrologers || Inner-line Restrictions || Foreign Exchange ||  Communication

HEALTH

Ladakh is a high altitude cold desert with a low level of atmospheric oxygen. Tourists reaching Leh from the plains of India by air are required to allow time for acclimatization before engaging in any physical activities. While the S.NM. Hospital at Leh is fully equipped and staffed with a team of specialists to take care of any eventuality, the rarefied atmosphere of the area may cause high altitude ailments necessitating evacuation of visitors unable to get acclimatized

ACUTE MOUNTAIN SICKNESS

Anyone travelling to altitudes above 10,000 feets (2,700 M) is liable to suffer from acute mountain sickness ( AMS) unless properly acclimatized. The most common symptoms ofacute mountain sickness are headache, disturbed sleep, loss of appetite, nauses, coughing , irregular breathing, breathlessness, lassitude and lack of concentration. If you are reaching Leh by air , it is important to take complete rest for the first 24 hours after arrival. Any kind of physical exertion is to be avoided. Somking and drinking should also be avoided until you are fully acclimatized. The symptoms of acute mountain sickness generally develp during the first 36 hours , and not immediately upon arrival. Your body should get used to the lower oxygen level of Ladakh after 2 or 3 days in you have taken complete rest for the first 24 hours and as much rest as possible during the next 12 hours. High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPO) and High Altitude Cerebral Oedema (HACO) are very serious forms of acute mountain sickness. They are life threatening and warrant immediate medical attention. In such cases, it is advisable to contact the nearest Hospital or Medical Dispensary situated in Major village.

EVACUATION OF CASULTIES

J& K Tourism initiates and coordinates evacuation of casualties by IAF helicopters in case of accidents or sickness while trekking, mountaineering or river rafting in the remote parts of the state. The Evacuation is subject to payment of the operational cost of the aircraft. A written guarantee indicating the source of payment and address for the source of payment and address for billing, etc. is required to be furnished to the authorized officer of the State government while requesting for evacuation. The type of helicopter normally used for the purpose costs around Rs. 25,000 per flying hour. Evacuation from anywhere in the Zanskar mountains or the Changthang area may take 3 to 4 flying hours from take off to landing back at the air base. Besides the high operational cost , such missions also involve great risk and call for a high degree of skill on the part of the pilots. It is, therefore essential that request for aerial rescue is made under compelling circumstances, only as a life saving measure. Also helicopters cannot be requisitioned for lifting bodies of deceased persons from accident sites. Permission for removal of the deceased is rarely granted and the procedure to obtain such permission is very tedious. Evacuation of bonafide casualties with guaranteed payment upon billing can be initiated through the nearest administrative or Tourist Office.

ORACLES & ASTROLOGERS

The Ladakhi's believe implicitly in the influence of gods and spirits on the material world, and undertake no major enterprise without taking this influence into consideration. The lamas are the vital intermediaries between the human and the spirit worlds. Not only do they perform the rities necessary to propitiate the gods in private houses as well as in the gompa temples; they also often take on the role of astrologers and oracles who can predict the auspicious ttime for starting any entrprise, whether ploughing the fields, or taking in the harvest, arranging a marriage or going on a journey and advise as to the auspicious way of going about it.

The most famous monk -oracles are those of Matho Gompa. Chosen every three years by a traditional procedure, two monks spend several months in a rigorous regimen of prayer and fasting to prepare and purify themselves for their arduous role. When the time comes they are possessed by the deity, whose spirit enables them to perform feats that would be impossible to any once in a normal state such as cutting themselves with knives, or sprinting along the gompa's topmost parepet. In this condition , they will answer questions pu to them concerning individual and public welfare. However , the spirit is said to be able to detect questions asked by sceptical observers with the intention of testing him, and to react with frenzied anger.

There are also in some villages lay people, men and women, who have special powers as oracles and healers. Some of them belong to families in which there have been several such receptacles of spirit forces. Others are diagnosed as such without any hereditary background. The spirits possessing these lay persons are believed to be capricious, and some people resist being possessed by them. Once they have accepted, however they undergo a process of initiation and training by monks and senior oracles, and only after this is completed may they start practicing . The effectiveness of their spirit healing is an article of faith with the Ladakhis.

INNER -LINE RESTRICTIONS
Entry of tourists beyond one miloe north of the Zoji -la-dras -Bodhkarbu -Khalatse road is restricted. However, on the Khalatse-Leh road , the monasteries of Tia-Tingmosgang, Rizong, Likir and Phiyang can be visited even though these fall north of the road. Similarly, tourists are allowed to visit Shey , Thikse, Chemrey and Tak-Thok lying north of the Leh - Upshi road. The Leh Manali road is also open up to one mile east of its general alignment. Although the north -eastern and northern regions of Ladakh are now partically open for foreign visitors, they are rquired to obtain permission from the Deputy Commissioner , Leh. This is only subject to several condition including the condition of travelling along certain identified tour circuits in group of 04 or more. Permission to enter the other restricted areas can be sought from The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Lok Nayak Bhawan , New Delhi.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

The State Bank of India has foreign Exchange facilityes at Leh and Kargil . Leh branch also operates an extension counter at the Tourist Information Center located in the Dak Bungalow. Some hotels in Leh are also licensed to deal in foreign exchangefor in house clients. Besides this there is no other location of foreign exchange facility besides Leh and Kargil.

COMMUNICATION

Leh and kargil towns have worldwide direct dial facility, besides a General Post Office and a Central Telegraph Office. The J & K Tourism Department has installed its own wireless radiophone network linking interconnected field stations with its offices at Leh, Kargil and Padum and base stations in the Tourist Office at Delhi , Jammu and Srinagar. The field stations are supplemented with moble sets used to bring remote locations and mountain bases within the ambit of the communications network during the tourist season. The facility is mainly used to monitor the movement and welfare of tourists in the State, it is especialy useful in ensuring timely rescue arrangements for tourists falling ill or meeting with accidents

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