We found the attitude of many of the foreign visitors was frankly, embarrassing. We felt ashamed to be associated with them. They were downright rude and aggressive, demanding, and then threatening until (and to our amazement) it worked, they were put on the next flight, incredible! Had I been in charge they would have had to walk out! Had we not experienced it first hand we would not have believed how some people can behave in such circumstances, how selfish and aggressive they can become.

(The Israelis who had threatened fellow passengers were made to wait a couple of days, and in fact 2 left on the same flight as us!).

There was however a funny side to the predicament we found ourselves in, throughout the day local villagers would approach the police officer in charge claiming medical emergencies dictated that they must be on the next flight out of the valley. Some had applied makeshift slings and bandages or claimed to be suffering from mysterious abdominal pains. Some had to be helped by relatives (even carried) to the officers desk to beg to be on the next flight. Naresh with a wry smile explained to us that there was nothing wrong with any of them they just wanted a chance to fly in a helicopter...as none had ever flown before.

Himalaya 21

After sitting around for 8 hours watching choppers come and go every 2 hours we were told to 'try again tomorrow'.

That night (it would be our last in the valley) we all sat around the campfire after our evening meal and gradually got drunk on illicit mountain brandy made locally, discussing every subject under the sun from arranged marriages, to eye surgery, and telling stories well into the early hours. Naresh told us that the local women were renowned for their beauty and until recent years all male visitors to the area were viewed with suspicion. Infact some of the remoter villages that he had visited whilst trekking were still very unwelcoming to male visitors incase they are 'interested' in their women. Apparently if a man from another village kidnaps a woman he fancies and 'keeps her' for 3 years they become officially married under tribal law. In the past raiding parties would visit villages to take or release kidnapped women! He also told us that last year he had visited a small village where most had never seen a car before, so he had to spend an hour giving everyone in the village a ride!

Himalaya 22

I was nursing a hangover as we made our way to the helipad. On the walk to the hydro plant (Naresh had to leave our jeep with a friend in the valley, until he could collect it ...sometime next year.) He jokingly pointed out that Anil was dressed in his best jeans and shirt with his sunglasses jauntily hooked into the neck of his jumper. As we walked through the village Anil would wave to his friends shouting to them that he was about to leave in a helicopter. He was obviously very excited (and a little nervous). When we reached the helipad we noticed that he would keep checking his reflection in the nearest window. It was so engaging to see just how excited he was about flying for the first time, and how he wanted everyone to know.... considering it was something that we were so blasé about.

Himalaya 23

No sooner had we strolled up to the edge of the Helipad than a helicopter arrived the thrashing rotors blasting everything with a hurricane force gale. Within seconds we were being ushered on to the pad. It took us by surprise and we had to dash to collect our rucksacks, we ran under the rotors threw our bags into the open door and Jane scrambled up the steel steps into the hold, while I helped some of the other elderly passengers to get aboard with their luggage. A few minutes later we were all seated (some on top of the luggage) the rotors surged and we lifted off swinging to face down the valley, and gradually climbing. Initially we flew within the valley crowded by its towering sides until we reached the height of the adjacent mountain peaks the brown and green of the smaller hills giving way to the blue gray and brilliant white of the higher peaks of the eastern Himalayas and away in the middle distance the peaks of Tibet forming the border with China.

Himalaya 24

Jane and I managed to get seats next to the winch situated in the doorway with a window that provided a superb view. Naresh and Anil both with massive ear-to-ear grins were near the rear of the aircraft and they sat transfixed peering from 'their' window as the landscape flew past. Jane motioned for the guy sat opposite us to take a photo, which he managed to do just before the flight sergeant stood up, and signaled that taking photos was not allowed!

An old woman who was sat next to Jane gripped her hand tightly and for most of the journey kept her eyes shut tight.

I looked over my shoulder transfixed by the fantastic view; we were now flying just below the mountain peaks surrounding us. This particular view can't have been seen by many people as commercial flights over this area are not allowed (due to its proximity to the Chinese border) so unless you're in the Indian military this birds eye view is impossible to experience, it felt as if we could just reach out and touch the passing peaks!

Himalaya 25

Earlier flights had landed at the closest helipad at the foot of the Kinnaur valley (a 15 minute flight) but when we approached, the helipad was crowded by three other choppers so we were re-routed all the way back to Shimla airport, a 40 minute flight (but a two day journey by car!) for us this was a fantastic bonus not least because we got to fly over truly fantastic scenery including Naresh's home village but it saved us a lengthy wait for our replacement jeep to arrive, within minutes we would be back at our starting point.

We swooped into Shimla airport a small hilltop affair more used to seeing light aircraft bringing visitors from other parts of India rather than military helicopters. We touched down directly outside the terminal building, much to the surprise of staff and a few waiting passengers. We climbed out strapped on our rucksacks and walked into the terminal as casually as possible, as if it was something we did every day of the week. The opportunity to pose was irresistible.

Himalaya 26

We were met by another one of Nareshes drivers and within minutes we were off heading back into Shimla. During the journey Naresh and Anil asked us "is that what it is like to fly in a big jet when you go on holiday?" and they chatted excitedly about the views they had seen, turning to ask if we had seen this farm or that hillside. Even we had to admit it had been a fantastic experience, and certainly one not many others could claim to have had! (Even if we didn't get to see the remoter monasteries and mountain passes we had planned to visit).

Whilst we had been away Shimla had had some severe rain storms which had blocked large stretches of the main road with rubble and mud washed from the hillsides, so we had to take a much longer route to get back into town. Eventually by lunchtime we set off on a completely new trip (our original plan was now impossible due to the loss of bridges and roads throughout the region).

Himalaya 27

We had 4 days left (from our original 10) and so decided to get Naresh to drive us towards Pathenkot where we could catch a train to Amritsar to see the Sikkhs Golden temple. This drive would take 4 days if we traveled northwest through the Kangra and Chamba valleys stopping at a few interesting places along the way. These were places we had planned to visit under our own steam once we had returned from the high Himalaya, so our trip wouldn't be a complete 'washout'. (In the weeks that followed we read in the Indian press that the floods were the worst since the tradegy of 2001 and Shimla had suffered the worst rains for over 10 years, that bad weather continued and parts of India saw the worst flooding in its history!).

Himalaya 28

So our next stop would be Dharamsala and Mcleod Ganj the home of the Dali Llama followed by Jot, Chamba, and another hill station, Dalhousie. This drive (rather than multiple bus trips) would enable us to see more than we could have hoped for in the time we had available including a trip to the border with Pakistan in the NW of India, and panoramic views of the mountains that we would never forget!.

We only have ten days left in India before flying to Thailand and we are torn between not wanting to leave India and the excitement of revisiting Bangkok.

READ FULL WRITE-UP