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| General Info | Location | Booking & Prices | Retreat Programme |
Location
This Yoga & Meditation Retreat will take plac at the Poplar Eco-Resort in Leh, the capital of Ladakh, north of India. We are very happy that we can offer participants exclusive use of the resort for this retreat. That, will enable our 'Silence Days' to be totally pure and undisturbed.
Surrounded by rugged mountains this land is completely different from the green landscape of many parts of the Himalayas. The region of Ladakh, beyond the Kashmir Valley is a mountainous land on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau which is still largely Tibetan in character. The capital, Leh, is situated high in the Karakouram mountain range, through which passed the old Silk Road from China to India and Europe. It is a land that has no match.
Due to cultural and geographical similarities Ladakh is popular among tourists as Little Tibet. Buddhism is the dominant religion in Ladakh.
The approach to Ladakh is invariably marked with many walls that are up to 2 to 3 metres long, decorated with engraved stones bearing the mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" and Chortens, which symbolizes Buddha's mind.
The Villages and Mountains are ornamented with Gompas and monasteries residing thousands of Buddhist monks, hermits and nuns.
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The Poplar Eco-Resort is located just outside of Leh, the capital of Ladakh. We have taken care to choose a place to stay where the outer silence and tranquility will reflect the nature of our retreat.
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Travel
You will need to fly to Delhi International Airport. Delhi airport is served by daily flights by many of the major airlines from all of the major cities in the world.
We urge everyone intersted in participating in this retreat to confirm their reservation with us and book their flight as soon as possible. We will need to book the Delhi-Leh-Delhi flights by May 15th, 2008. After this date we can not guarantee a place on the flight.
Indira Gandhi International Airport is located 23km (14 miles) southwest of central Delhi and is the main international gateway to India. Most of the major airlines offer flights to Delhi on a regular basis. If you research via the internet and book your flight in advance, which we highly recommend, it is possible to find great deals on flights to Delhi.
Approximate flight times to Delhi: From London is 8 hours 25 minutes; from New York is 16 hours; from Los Angeles is 24 hours; from Toronto is 18 hours and from Sydney is 17 hours.
Mutribo, one of the retreat organisers will be waiting for you at the airport in Delhi on August 18th and 19th. He will direct you to your internal flight to Leh, the domestic terminal at Palam is located 5km (3.1 miles) away from the international terminal. The internal flight from Delhi to Leh is only 45 minutes.
For those of you that intend to spend more time in India and visit different places, we recommend that you plan for your extended travels to happen after the retreat.
Passport requirements
All non-Indian Passport holders require visas for India and Nepal. You will need to apply for a visa at your local embassy. Your travel agency can help you with the process or you can contact the embassy directly.
To enter India your passport must be valid for at least 6 months, therefore to participate in this retreat your passport will need to be valid until February 2008. Click on the embassy links below to get more information.
Visa information for Madrid, Spain
Website: http://www.india-visa.com/spain-info.htm
Office of the High Commissioner for India in the UK
Tel: (020) 7836 8484.
Website: http://www.hcilondon.net/visa/index.jsp
Embassy of India in the USA
Tel: (202) 939 7000 or 9806 (Consular section).
Website: http://www.indianembassy.org/consular/list.htm
Weather
During summer the maximum temp. increases from 20 degree C to 38 degree C in July and August. The weather in August in Ladakh is fantastically beautiful. Blue skies and sunny.
You will need to bring warm clothes for the evening, comfortable yoga clothes for the practices. We will provide you a with a list of what to bring once we have received your Booking Form.
Health & Insurance
Make sure you can arrive in India available and ready to enjoy the retreat and your time there.
We recommend a medical check up to make sure that all is well with you. A comprehensive medical insurance will help you cover any health emergency while you are there. An aware traveller is a healthy traveller.
Medical Insurance
Choose a policy that provides a comprehensive
coverage. Consult your travel or insurance agent for recommendations.
Vaccinations
Immunisations to travel to India is your choice.
See a doctor you trust, and follow their advice and your feelings
in the context of being able to enjoy the retreat. Thousands of people
go to India every year without any vaccination. Medical opinions
are now often debating on the negative effects of vaccinations. Leh
is a very safe area, but if you are going to travel to other places
in India before or after the Retreat, inform yourself about possible
outbreaks in the area. As far as immunisations go, do whatever makes
you personally relaxed to fully enjoy your time there.
India is a fascinating land that receives thousands of visitors daily. Our experience shows that being careful of where and what you eat during your visit, taking care of drinking only bottled water is enough to keep you out of any trouble.
Acclimatization
It is essential that for the first few days as you arrive in Leh, that you get a lot of rest and maintain adequate fluid intake (3-4 litres per day). It is important to take complete rest for the first 24 hours after arrival. Any kind of physical exertion is to be avoided. Smoking and drinking should also be avoided till you are fully acclimatized. The symptoms of acute mountain sickness generally develop during the first 36 hours, and not immediately upon arrival. Your body should get used to the lower oxygen level of Ladakh after 2 days if you have taken complete rest for the first 24 hours and as much rest as possible during the next 12 hours. The Altitude in Leh is 3500 mt (11500 ft).
With the change in altitude you may experience symptoms of breathlessness, lethargy, mild headaches and difficulty with sleeping in your first two nights there. All these will decrease as your body adjusts over the days ahead. Dyamox is the most common altitude sickness medicine and helps combat these symptoms. We will have a supply of Dyamox. As a preventive measure, some people choose to take Dyamox 250 mg at the rate of 1 tablet twice a day for 3 days before coming to Ladakh. There is also a helpful homeopathic pill called ‘Coca’ that we will have there for you. From our experience on trips to Ladakh in India most people suffer from very mild symptoms and they subside within a couple of days as the body gets used to the new altitude.
It is important that you feel relaxed and comfortable in body and mind before we arrive in Leh. This simply means making sure that you come well prepared by following the health and insurance recommendations above. We provide you with this information to help you adjust to the new altitude, but it is also important to know that people from all ages from all over the world visit Leh every year and have an amazing time.
Credit Card & Currency
It is advisable to change your money through authorized banks and hotels. It is best to bring a mixture of cash and travellers checks in any of the major currencies - USD, CAD, EUR, AUD, STERLING - and ensure that you have a mixture of large and small denominations. All major credit cards are accepted in most hotels, larger shops and restaurants.
Always keep your receipts as you will need them at the end of your trip if you wish to convert your rupees back to your own currency. The units of Indian currency are the rupee and the paise. There are 100 paise in the rupee.
Everyone’s spending is different, but as a guide I suggest US$10-15 per day (if you drink or smoke this could be higher). The Euros and US dollars goes a long way in India (the pound sterling, longer). Make sure you bring enough for shopping though. India is a shopper's paradise with the promise of some excellent buys and it is fun to learn how to bargain.
Useful information
Departure tax - When you leave India, there is currently a statutory departure tax of 500 rupees. This has to be paid in Indian currency at the airport.
In view of this, it is wise to keep this amount handy when you leave for the airport. In some cases this may be included in the cost of your booking so please check your invoice for confirmation of this.
Internet - "Cyber cafes" are an increasingly common fixture in India’s urban landscape, in major cities and even in smaller towns. At a fixed rate that varies from city to city, locality-to-locality, you can check your mail and surf the net.
Phone calls - All over India, little yellow boards spill out of little kiosks with the cryptic letters "PCO-STD-ISD" (..... huh?) 15 years ago the telecommunications miracle swept India and today, proud bearers of that legacy, ‘Public Call Offices’ bring to the streets the services of ‘Subscribers’ Trunk Dialling’ and ‘International Standard Dialling’. Country code for India: 0091.