I was just to step into the most difficult stretch of my journey, but more than anything I was excited and amazed. 9 days I have been riding, and here I am, almost at the end of my journey. A mixed feeling, a shiver and a delightful memory of that moment from past.
I was already on the bike by 6 am heading towards Sarchu. I stopped by a shop for breakfast and soon, I realised I am in the newspaper when the guy came to me with a paper in his hands and pointing to an article "Is this you mam ? tarvelling all alone from Kanyakumari ?" I just smiled and we had a small converstation over the breakfast.
It was freezing cold by the time I reached Rohtang La, I took a break, clicked few pics and was back on the road. The road is pathetic, muddy and gravel path with frequent water streams. For almost a kilometer I drove with a weird sound from the bike, I follishly pretended something is wrong with my ears. But unfortunately, it wasn't my ears but the gum boot that I tied to my bike was stuck in the rear tyre. It was horrible, and to add to my misery a truck was waiting behind to cross over and I could barely move my bike to the side. Thanks to the truck driver for his help though in effort to move the bike aside, the bike actually fell for the second time in the journey. I lost one of the boots that I bought to help me corss water streams and had no choise but to leave the other behind.
Anyway, back on the track I took short break for lunch and sometimes just to roam around the farm fields. It was really amazing that people recognised me as they read about me in the newspaper. Trust me, meeting and talking to locals and the interest and joy with which they listened my story was surprisingly refreshing.
I had to cut short my trip to Sarchu and preferred to stay in Jipsa, a small town on the way. Just before Sarchu, one needs to cross over a water stream which is not so easy to cross after 12 since the flow of water reaches too violent. I met the DSP of Kaza and Keylong on my way to Jipsa. Somehow I managed to find one decent place to stay in Jipsa, with decent amenities. And the very next moment after settling my luggage, I was on the river side. Beautiful, the terrain, the view and the sound of the flowing water. Everything together made it heavenly, a feeling that cannot be described in words.
I met two cyclists, anil and Nakul who were on their way to Leh on cycle. Being a cyclist myself, trip to leh has always been in my to-do list and who knows the next trip may be on cycle ;).
Excited and calmyl enjoying the nature, my mind was dragging me to thoughts of the remaining 350 kms of my life time journey....