Day 3, 07 00hrs: That was one amazing sleep! woke up rejuvenated and healthy, happy as ever.
A quick tea outside our tents, packed things and we set off to the dining hall.
Day 3, 09 11hrs: Time to get back to the roads again. We started to experience the bit of the off-roading that was expected.
seemed most sensible and timely from Amar to all of us. Diamox--to overcome the mountain sickness associated with high altitudes and less oxygen. But my dizzy sensation continued. I had to voluntarily blink my eyes, otherwise, it felt as if it was going for a roll.
masks on to me for like 20 mins. A fat chubby girl from the Dhabha asked me to have a garlic soup to feel better. So did I managed to walk into the Dhaba. But slept like coma when I saw and spread myself on a bed. I really don't know how long I slept. I was blank completely.
Then they woke me, I walked like a zombie, got into the car and continued my sleep. In another 3 hours, we reached Sarchu campsite. I got out of the car, asked Amar where I can sleep and went directly to the tent and covered myself with the comforter as it was very cold too. Sonu woke me up, noticed it had become dark, he said there is a campfire. Still, like a zombie wobbled to the campfire. There was a foreign couple escorted by an Indian, and an old man easily in his 80s who is on a car trip doing a round Chandigarh-Jammu-Srinagar-Kargil-Leh-Manali-Chandigarh. I felt little shame on myself after seeing them, but I did not do my research, was nonchalant, anticipate and not prepared. I couldn't sit for long, went to the dining tent and ate just for the sake of having something and went to bed to continue my coma stage.
A quick tea outside our tents, packed things and we set off to the dining hall.
Day 3, 09 11hrs: Time to get back to the roads again. We started to experience the bit of the off-roading that was expected.
We stopped at many places to click pics as we started to experience the variety of landscapes.
In the last pic above you see an Army vehicle at the behind of us. We were taking pics and suddenly the last of the ~30 Army Stallion Trucks stopped net to us. Many soldiers got down and two of them approached us asking whether we are from Kerala. They clearly heard the Malayalam the guys spoke. One of them introduced himself in Malayalam that he is from Karnataka. The other warrior was silent until I asked him whether he is also Kannada. The answer was he was from Andhra. My eyes glowed, time to talk my broken bad Telugu. It was another proud Indian moment, only yesterday we were discussing the diversity and strength of India!!
They mentioned that we were late to Leh and the weather has already started to become worse. But we never had that feel as everything was pleasant and ok until now, only that there were only a few group of bikers we saw on our way. Then they left us to do for what they had stopped for. They knew they could get signal on the top the hill, their only chance to talk to their families. Admiring their lives and thinking about the brave hearts and pride of Indian Army we started our engines.
The below one is from an Indian Army campsite as we continued to make stops.
Day 3, 11 07hrs: Tablet time. By then I had slowly started to feel little dizziness, tablet
seemed most sensible and timely from Amar to all of us. Diamox--to overcome the mountain sickness associated with high altitudes and less oxygen. But my dizzy sensation continued. I had to voluntarily blink my eyes, otherwise, it felt as if it was going for a roll.
Day 3, 11 58hrs: Baralachala pass, full snow-covered mountains. Jubilant! What a view, first time I am seeing full snow!!
We met Joe todd, an English, who has been doing the same trip as ours but on his bicycle!! We did see a quite a few like that.
My jubilance started to lose ground to dizziness. I said enough, I am not going to drive and risk the trip. So I happily gave the bike to Sonu and sat in the car. But it got, even more, worse as there no air and windows had to be closed, but it was not risky. The views started getting better and better as we were climbing so did my mountain sickness. My hands were too weak to lift the camera, I couldn't open my eyes, it only felt better with my eyes closed, not concentrate on anything and let my mind wander on its own.
Day 3, 12 35hrs: is when we stopped for lunch at a dhaba and I gave up. Evlo neram thaan valikatha maariye nadikarathu. Amar noticed that I was panicking and put oxygen
masks on to me for like 20 mins. A fat chubby girl from the Dhabha asked me to have a garlic soup to feel better. So did I managed to walk into the Dhaba. But slept like coma when I saw and spread myself on a bed. I really don't know how long I slept. I was blank completely.
Then they woke me, I walked like a zombie, got into the car and continued my sleep. In another 3 hours, we reached Sarchu campsite. I got out of the car, asked Amar where I can sleep and went directly to the tent and covered myself with the comforter as it was very cold too. Sonu woke me up, noticed it had become dark, he said there is a campfire. Still, like a zombie wobbled to the campfire. There was a foreign couple escorted by an Indian, and an old man easily in his 80s who is on a car trip doing a round Chandigarh-Jammu-Srinagar-Kargil-Leh-Manali-Chandigarh. I felt little shame on myself after seeing them, but I did not do my research, was nonchalant, anticipate and not prepared. I couldn't sit for long, went to the dining tent and ate just for the sake of having something and went to bed to continue my coma stage.
The sleep wasn't peaceful either. I was constantly changing my position yet couldn't find a comfortable one. It was nauseating but I could not vomit. I was murmuring too, I was worried if I was sleep-talking and disturbing others in the night. I even remember once in the midnight Amar came to my tent and checked out if everything was ok. I thought it was me who made him wake up, but when I woke up the next morning I learnt that something big happened in the other tent--Vivek's and Jesel's. Also, Ajish told me I was not disturbing nor I was sleep talking, not sure if it was true, maybe he was telling like that not to embarrass me, I don't know!
Day 4, 06 27hrs: Next day morning felt a lot better but still some zombiness was left in me.
Had to breakfast for formality, decided I will still ride the bike and handover it to Sonu if it gets any worse. After we tasted the mountain sickness, it was time some other danger--Snow roads. Amar was just telling me that moist on roads can look like water but those are just melted snow and are very skiddy and dangerous. That theory got proved very soon as I saw all the other 3 of them skidding and falling down in the bridge you can see below. But I was lucky!
And it was not over yet. The water you see on the road in the above pic was even more dangerous that even a person walking would fall over--one actually did. Even the experience of Sonu, who was helping Ajish to take the bike and cross the water, did not help. The bike fell and the gear shaft broke! The situation proved how instrumental a mechanic, a backup is in taking such a trip. I chose soil over road and I could avoid the fall. While Sonu was mending the bike, Jesel and Ajish were doing public service in warning the other bikers. But still those with a lot of attitude did not care and karma was also not keeping quiet. After Sonu's heroics, we began our journey again.
Day 4, 10 16hrs: Not more than 13 mins, Ajish's bike broke down again. After inspection this time Sonu confirmed that it was beyond repair and the bike will not move!!
thodarumm......