India Adventure Travel

Big-eyed children filed into the bustling courtyard of a makeshift dental clinic in the thin air of Leh, the capital city of Ladakh, a state high in the Himalayas of India.  The needy children had gathered to take advantage of free dental care through an innovative tourism and humanitarian program organized by Global Humanitarian Expeditions (GHE) in Denver, Colorado.

Kim Troggio, Founder of Global Humanitarian Expeditions, raced around the clinic like a tornado of organizing power, registering a child one minute, consoling another the next.  Kim has been traveling to the Indian Himalaya for years now and happily reports “We are seeing real progress over the years with the children that have been coming to us.”

Mountain top monastery and prayer flags over Leh, Ladakh.

Over the next week, hundreds of Ladakhi youth filed through the clinic for check-ups, fillings, extractions and lessons on hygiene and dental care.  The volunteers worked diligently while in the clinics and enjoyed exploring the magical land of Ladakh during their days off.  It seems like a program where everyone wins.

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Hidden in the depths of a bigger document, the UK seems to have retracted their recognition of Tibetan autonomy. The changes this may bring to the Himalayan region are huge and some say the British may have been part of the reason the recent talks between the Chinese Government and the Tibetan Government in Exile failed.

Is India next? In this time of economic trouble, China may be flexing its economic muscle to gain political concessions. Read this opinion piece from the International Herald Tribune:

IHT Tibet Article

After recent nonproductive negotiations with the Chinese Government, the Dalai Lama turned to the exiled people of Tibet to choose the next plan of action. Should they continue to pursue autonomy within China through the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way or should they switch tactics and ask for complete independence? It’s a difficult choice for the exiled Tibetans who will soon face even bigger challenges and a possible crisis in leadership as the Dalai Lama grows older.

Hundreds of delegates from around the world traveled to Dharamsala in northern India to discuss what to do next. Opinions were mixed, but the Tibetans in exile once again chose to follow the leadership of the Dalai Lama. Read about the most recent chapter in the struggle on the BBC site

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7744769.stm

Nathan and a Bhutanese Movie Star Riding Royal Enfield Motorcycles in the Himalayas.

The sights, sounds and smells of India will impact your psyche forever.  What an incredible place – beyond description in so many ways.  My recent work in India includes covering a humanitarian dental clinic in Ladakh, riding Royal Enfield motorcycles through Sikkim and trekking the Singalila Ridge trail below the massive summit of Kanchenjunga.

Visit again to read excerpts from stories about these crazy adventures.