The night was just awesome. It has been some time since I slept out in the open, at almost 11,000 feet altitude, exposed to the elements, with just my sleeping bag to keep me warm. I went to bed wearing my socks and jacket. But soon enough, I was so toasty that I just had to take them off. It was exquisite after that. A cold and nippy blast of fairly gusty wind was hitting me in the face, making my nose as cold and comfortable as a dog’s. Sleep was difficult in such pristine surroundings. There was a herd of sheep grazing right next to where I was sleeping and every once in a while one of them would come sniffing. The owner of the shack told me just before we packed for the night that he could hear the sound of bear. Bear looking for food. Hmmm, sobering thought indeed.
I had planned to leave Beas Nallah around six
in the morning, but by the time we finished some shooting in the area, it was
around nine. Rohtang was beckoning and a few kilometres down the road we
crossed Marrhi, another place I had spent a few nights and charged on. The
roads were surprisingly good and a whole lot better than I had experienced in
the last four or five years. Some stretches were still bad. Just a fortnight
ago there was a landslide which took out a truck and killed the driver. Some
slushy stretches ensured that the Gypuzu skidded like it had a mind of its own.
But overall the drive to Rohtang was very nice. Except for the 45 minutes or so
we were held up waiting for an Army convoy to descend down from Rohtang. The
unit was moving and fifty trucks and more takes some time to traverse these
stretches.
Rohtang was as crowded as a flea market ...
as usual. Tons of taxis, hordes of tourists and the local dhabas raking it in
with both arms, with a shovel in each. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and
I am hoping that we were getting some good shots. The two cameramen I have are
amateurs, at least for this kind of photography and I have yet seen most of the
footage. I hope that the colours are right, the exposure is correct, there is
no “burn”.
The drive down from Rohtang into Koksar and
then Keylong was steep and the roads were still in fairly pathetic condition.
Speed was unthinkable and we were barely cruising at 15 kmph. Soon enough we
were at Koksar where we had some much need grub (we had missed breakfast),
checked in at the Police Check Post and drove on to Keylong where I met up with
my old buddy Nalwa and booked into his Guest House.
Nadeem has been hit with altitude illness and
he is suffering from the classic case of denial. Gave him some tablets and he
has popped off like a light. He’ll start feeling better soon. He is my main
camera guy and I can’t have him sick. And altitude sickness can make you very
sick indeed. Sushil is also suffering a bit but nothing that he cannot handle.
Never say never, but I have not suffered from altitude related issues before
and I hope to be fine. Feeling on top of the world at the moment.
Tomorrow I head out into the higher reaches.
Beyong Keylong there is no connectivity at all. No phone, no internet, no
people, no traffic, nothing all the way till I reach Leh. Which is probably
three days away. I am running a day behind schedule and might cut short one day
en route to Leh. From Keylong to Sarchu to Pang to Leh was the original plan.
Now maybe I will do Keyolong to Pang to Leh. It all depends on how we are doing
with the photography. That is a priority. In any case I have to be in Leh
latest on the 4th and today we are on the first already.
Feeling happily tired and I might have an
early dinner and go off to bed. A long day ahead with some lovely scenery,
landscape, altitude, and the breathtaking silence of the Himalayas. I hope all
of you get an idea of the marvellous time I am having. I am thankful to Travel
Trendz and via.com for giving me the opportunity of sharing this experience
with all of you. Have fun and take care. Good night. I’ll see you when I’ll see
you.
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