Group 1: 12. – 21. July 2008
Day 1 – Arrival in Delhi
On our way to the Tibetan plateau and The Great Tibetan Marathon,
we will stop over in the capital of India, Delhi, but only briefly, as this is the
day that we gather together. You, other runners and your companions from all over
the world will arrive on this date. Upon arrival at the Delhi Airport, we will meet
you at the arrival lounge and send you on to your hotel. Though there are not any
pre-arranged activities on this day, if you arrive early, you are welcome to spend
the afternoon exploring the chaos of India’s capital city. Please refer to our bulletin
board in the lobby of the hotel to find out exactly when and how to meet the rest
of your group. No meals are included this day.
Day 2 Delhi (216m) – Leh (3,505m) /
Flight to Leh and acclimatization
We leave very early in the morning to drive to the domestic airport
in Delhi. We are going directly deep in the Himalaya Moun-tains and up to the Tibetan
plateau.
The destination of this flight is known as the small capital, Leh. The largest city
in the area is Ladakh. After the flight from Delhi, we set out for one of the most
sensational flights in the world. The flat Indian plains are quickly superseded
by the deep valleys and white peaks of the Himalayas, which are in turn replaced
by the pale pink and brown nuances of the high Tibetan desert plains. Very few flight
paths are so dramatic as this flight up to the Tibetan plateau, with its magnificent
vistas over the white clad peaks of the Himalayas below us. During the 90-minute
flight, we glide less than 1000 meters over some of the world’s highest mountains.
And you will not believe your eyes when the pilot directs the plane downward toward
the narrow Indus Valley, where we then aim to land in a moonlike landscape along
the great Indus River. The airport in Leh is situated at a height of 3,520 meters,
less than 5 kilometers southwest of Leh.
At that height, you can become a bit dizzy or light-headed, so we will drive directly
to Leh to take lodgings at our small cosy family hotel. Since the city is located
so high above sea level, we very strongly recommend that you take it easy for the
rest of the day. This is in order to get used to the height and to acclimatize.
Without exception, everyone will feel the thin air with symptoms such as slight
dizziness, headaches or nausea. And the only relief is to rest – in the hotel! That
is NO short walk in the pleasant town of Leh. Stay in the hotel! Breakfast, lunch
and dinner are included this day.
Days 3, 4, 5 & 6 – Leh (3,505m)
/ On your own
For the next 4 days there is not a planned agenda. So there is every
opportunity to tone down the training and instead use this period to recharge your
energy deposits for THE DAY when it will all be released. But at the same time remember,
that it is the thin air and the great height that will cause the most problems.
And therefore, one should naturally not discontinue physical exercise, so that muscles
become slack and sluggish. Pace yourself at a VERY sedate tempo the first two days,
and then a combination of walking and jogging the last days will probably suit most
people best. And there are a number of small trails to take, both in and around
Leh. These days include full pension.
Day 7 - Leh (3.505m) / Morning run
in Leh – On your own
This is the day before the last physical check-up before the sacred
long horns sounds off in the courtyard. In other words, there is a 3-kilometer “pleasure
run” early this morning, where we can get an idea of how we will/have to manage
to run in the thin air during The Great Tibetan Marathon the following day.
At 06:20 ALL participants in The Great Tibetan Marathon must meet up at the monastery
in Leh. The Danish team of doctors and the Danish Athletic League will give the
final instructions for The Great Tibetan Marathon 2008.
At 07:00 we start the 3-kilometer check-up and pleasure run. The route goes through
the narrow streets and lanes of Leh, and the run ends op at the same monastery.
And here it will be possible to meet with the different groups of officials behind
the Great Tibetan Marathon. When that is over and done with, well, this is the day
before The Great Tibetan Marathon, and we can only recommend once again that you
take it easy the rest of the day and save your energy for the ultimate most difficult
run ever. This day includes full pension, where dinner consists of a pasta party.
Dag 8 - Leh (3,505m) - Hemis (3,800m)
- Spituk (3,400m) - Leh (3,505m) / The Great Tibetan Marathon 2008
We wake up early for the day that is set aside for the even which
most of you are coming for - The Great Tibetan Marathon 2008. And at 04:45 both
runners and spectators are driven from their respective hotels the 45 kilometers
to the starting line at Hemis monastery.
Arrival at Hemis will be at about 06:00, followed by the official blessing of the
runners - “Race Puja” - at 06:15. There will probably be masked monks dancing the
ritual dances, where they fight the demons on behalf of the runners, while they
slowly rotate to the deep monotone tones from the several meter long brass horns.
This will certainly wake us as well as the sun, and also frighten off the demons
we must have brought with us from our home countries. The ceremony ends with the
gathering of the runners being blessed by the supreme monk from Hemis monastery.
At 06:35 the half marathon runners gather to be driven out to their respective starting
points along the route. At 07:00 the starting shot sounds for The Great Tibetan
Marathon and at last one of the worlds hardest marathon begins!
Although it is an official international marathon race with official times, medals
and certificates for all, we must emphasize that it is also a jogging race, where
the experience is primary and where completing the course is more important than
winning. Therefore, there is no special prize to the first place finisher. As runners
eventually cross the finish line at Spituk monastery, there is transportation by
jeep back to Leh and the hotels. In spite of our sore muscles, due to time restrictions,
we are going to celebrate the completion of the world’s hardest marathon already
that evening. And at 19:00 everyone from all hotels will be driven to the banks
of the mighty Indus River, where we have set up huge tents for the occasion, and
where we will hold the banquet. The theme? 1001 Tibetan Nights! This day includes
breakfast, lunch and a formal dinner.
Day 9 - Leh (3,505m) - Delhi (216m)
With regret, we must now leave the Tibetan highland and colourful
Ladakh. We wake up tiredly with the sun, eat breakfast and then drive out to the
small airport in Leh. On the way back to Delhi, we can however enjoy another wonderful
flight over the majestic peaks of the Himalayas.
We thus return early in the morning to Delhi, which besides being the third biggest
city in the country has been the capital of India since 1911. A look at the strategic
location tells plainly why this spot has been so sought after over the centuries.
Very few cities have been burned, plundered and conquered as many times as Delhi.
Not fewer than 2 queens- and 70 kings have ruled here since 1193 and all have left
their mark - something that makes Delhi a classic capital, a reflection of India
in the past, present and future.
But what makes Delhi different from other large cities is the sharp distinction
between the government and the people. As a capital, Delhi continues to maintain
a dignified facade with its fine official service buildings on the enormous green
areas in the southern part of the city. Nobody sleeps on the huge lawns between
the monuments and the public notice boards, which pro-claim in English the different
welfare campaigns. On the other hand, everywhere else in the city you can find the
contrasts of the city in profusion. You do not have to search far before the facade
of order is replaced by the inner soul of India. There are enormous contrasts between
rich and poor, old and new, chaos and order. And there are few places in the world
where it is all so easily accessible.
It is in the streets of Delhi that we come in contact with the cosmopolitan roar
from the masses - the Sikhs with their big tur-bans, the colourfully dressed women
of the Thar Desert, the sadhus (ascetic holy men) and the ragged homeless on the
side-walks. Everyone rubs shoulders with each other, and share the limited space,
if not a conversation. And it is here in the streets that the humid heat of India
breaks through the layers of grimy polluted air and functions as a merciless social
stabilizer. Eve-ryone sweats together here! With Delhi’s fascinating mixture of
old and new, the city can best be described as two cities in one. The new district,
which was inaugurated by the British in 1931, is nearly a modern city with broad
boulevards, green areas and skyscrapers. And we’ll stay here!
The chaotic old part of the city has the furrowed face of Methusalah. The scent
of incense, the sacred cows and an incredible throng of people in the streets and
lanes make this district an orgy of sounds, smells and colours, that testifies to
its ability to undauntedly live on - on its own premises, exactly as it has done
for thousands of years. From the airport we set out directly to the chaotic “Old
Delhi”, where we start off by visiting the impressive Jama Mosque. With its elegant
combination of red sandstone and white marble, it’s high vaulted minarets, and besides
that, it placement on a platform over a hill, the mosque sits in state over the
nearby streets and lanes. And although the mosque was built between 1650 and 1656,
it can house up to 25,000 believers during the Friday prayers and is therefore the
largest in India. After visiting the mosque, we exchange our bus for bicycle rickshaws.
The intention is to experience the seething dream world of small boutiques, shops,
and street sellers that make up the bazaar in Old Delhi. The trades people of the
area offer for sale fragrant spices, clothes, trinkets, paper, tools, used auto
parts and a wealth of other goods. So it is right here that we lose ourselves in
the labyrinth of alleys and lanes, and before we know it, we find ourselves in a
part of the city where few travellers come. Although getting lost can often be half
of the experience, after an hour’s ride, we arrive back at the mighty Jama Mosque
in the center of the bazaar. And that one-hour ride on the back of a bicycle rickshaw
is guaranteed to become one more experi-ence to remember for the rest of your life!
We are then driven by bus back to the organized world and our luxurious hotel, where
the rest of the day is at your disposal. This day includes breakfast and lunch.
Day 10 - Delhi (216m) - Agra (169m)
- Delhi (216m) / Day trip by train to Agra and the Taj Mahal
It is always difficult to get really close to the heart of India,
and that is why travelling by train in the Indian plains is a very special experience.
There may faster or more punctual ways to get to your destination, but you will
never find any way that is more authentically Indian. In the past Indian trains
were tightly packed with rundown coaches and even the running boards and the roof
were filled to the bursting point with scantily clad human bodies. Today the express
trains are fast and efficient, and we are going to ride airconditioned train know
as Shitabdi express, which is particularly comfortable. Already upon arrival at
the station in Delhi, there are crowds of sellers. From their food stalls they offer
fresh fruit, vegetables, “bidis” (cheap tobacco rolled in leaves), newspapers and
magazines. And with the monotone shouts of tea sellers “chai- walla”, the VERY early
express train starts off to the city of Agra.
Very little is known about the early history of Agra. In fact it was not until the
beginning of the 16th century that the city be-came a capital of the kingdom of
the great Moguls, and Agra became a powerful center on the Indian subcontinent.
The great Moguls were more than just a Muslim tribe that came from the Afghani-Persian
area and invaded a huge part of northern India. With a reign that extended from
the year 1500 to 1700, the great Moguls were probably the most significant of all
of the for-eign rulers.
Today Agra is a large widely spread city, which is mostly situated on the western
side of the Yamuna River. And the main at-traction is without doubt, the Taj Mahal,
which can still make the hearts of the most hard-boiled globetrotters to beat in
double time with emotion and enthusiasm. Depicted by the classical Indian poet,
Tagore, as “a tear on the face of eternity”, Taj Mahal is undoubtedly the pearl
of Indian architecture, and simply one of the most fascinating edifices in the world.
It was the Sultan Shah Jahan who erected Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his favorite
wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died under tragic circumstances during childbirth. And the
mausoleum, which was founded on a 4-meter high base, was built from 1632-47 in Persian
style and surrounded by four thin minarets. In sparkling white marble, decorated
with millions of semi-precious stones, the structure radiates an unusual calm and
harmony – something that is otherwise rare to find on these wide roads. And it is
extremely difficult to detach yourself from this architectural wonder.
However, we move on the next point on the program, which is the Red Fort. The fort
was constructed in red sandstone in the years 1565-73 by the ruler Akbar. The fort
is an impressive and well-maintained structure, which bears distinctive marks by
the shifting rulers, from the red sandstone by Akbar to the silky white marble with
inlaid semi-precious stones contributed by Shah Jahan. From a room with a lovely
balcony in meticulously carved marble, we can see the Taj Mahal over the Yamuna
River - the same view that Shah Jahan enjoyed in his last years of his life. Shah
Jahan’s son, Aurangzeb, was power-hungry, and after he forcibly took over rule from
his father, he killed his younger brother and made his father, Shah Jahan, a prisoner
in the Red Fort. From here, Shah Jahan enjoyed the view of Taj Mahal until his death.
The morning ends with lunch at one of the luxurious hotels in Agra. After that,
the plans for the afternoon are loose, either relax by the hotel swimming pool or
shop at the bazaar followed by dinner in Agra. Later in the evening does our train,
the Taj Express, return to Delhi and from here bus transfer to the International
Airport.
Hopefully it is a large airplane that we return home with at night, because both
our suitcases and souls are certainly about to bust with the unforgettable experiences
as we journey home .
Kindly note that the above program should be regarded as a general guideline and
it is subject to change.
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