week 22 logs

Day 148 sep 18 fri
Padum – Phey – Anshu - Penzila – Rangdum - Parkachik
158 km
Am up and about by 7.30. Pack my stuff and have breakfast. Wait for it to be 9. At 9 go to the petrol guy, still closed. Come back and load the bike. Swiss woman asks when if Im going to Nepal (was wearing last resort tshirt). Said had come from there 2 months ago. She says on bike? I say yes, been on road for 5 months. She doesn’t look like she believes it. Man talking to her says nahin Leh se liya hoga. I just smile and continue packing. Have tea and read OPWC – amazing book.
At 10, the delhi guys come. I say have to go get petrol, they say NP, we’ll have breakfast. Go to petrol place to see it closed, but another man comes and parks bike and says it will open. So I chitchat and wait. 5 mins later, petrol man comes. Suddenly 8 vehicles around. But all of them know I’ve been waiting since yesterday, so let have first go at the petrol. Fill up tank and some spare; basically buy 10 ltrs.

Come back to hotel to say bye to Nadeem and rabbits. The delhi guys have gone! Have another tea and head. This time do a speed run, which is still min 40 – max 45. But as there’s no stopping for photos, do good progress.
Reach Phey and stop at Lama Bicchi’s. Quite happy/amused to see me. Have lipton and talk to him and Gyatso, a ration contractor from Karcha. Spend 30 mins and then head. Catch up the guys taking pictures at Rangdum glacier. Take some pictures and then meet up and have mini ‘picnic’ at the pond. These guys rip, 50-60 on these roads. I stick to 40-45, cant have the welding coming off again.

Some GREF guys stop and ask if I have cigs. Give them one, they ask if there’s more, I can buy ahead they say. Give more, they offer money which I refuse. Stop at Rangdum and have biscuits and tea. Pick up beedis as no smokes available. Its about 3.30 now and at the rate stops for pics are being made, we think Parkchik would be best stop. I get stuck in a knee deep part of a stream crossing and somehow manage to keep bike on and also cross. But soaked in freezing water till the knee. Stop and drain freezing water from the shoes and socks. No use, the wind is cold and I cant feel my toes anymore. The sun begins to slink down and the meadows light up in technicolored glory, even the ponds take this translucent emerald green. Get wet in two more streams. Stop near a glacier and try to dry shoes, socks and feet. No use, even the engine becomes cold the moment the engine is stopped. Walk around bare feet which doesn’t help at all. Its getting dark as we approach Parkachik. Ask a sumo where a guest house would be. When we get to the PWD place, its closed, but a guy says he has the keys but its being renovated so unless we want to sleep on the floor with no electricity. The mosque calls out. It’s iftaar time. Ask if there is anything else, I recall seeing an Alpine hut board while going to Padum. He says its half a km away. Dixit goes to check but returns saying cant see anything. I go with the caretaker guy (am the only one with pillion capability). We go ahead while the others follow. He takes to the alpine hut, where the caretaker has gone to read namaaz. A girl is sent and we wait. The caretaker comes and shows us the rooms. Elec comes from 6.30 to 10.30, 3.30 to 5, And that’s it, which is probably better compared to Rangdum.

I head back to drop the guy. He asks to join for tea. I say ok. His name is Mohd. Hussain. Is a contractor in charge of renovating the PWD GH. Asks lipton or namkeen. Get recipe for namkeen tea. Talk about Bombay, me and him. Have quite a chat. We hear a bike outside, realize someone must have thought I had fallen off someplace. Go out to check, its Salil. Call him in and he joins for a cuppa. Drink my second cup and head back before a third guy comes looking for us. Unload bike and dump stuff.

Find tobbaco and roll and show M1 pics to these guys. Sandy asks for extra blankets, and the caretaker asks Sleeping bag nahin hai? All burst out laughing. Dinner is ready and we eat. Everyone passes out. Watch the matador before I pass out too.

Day 149 sep 19 sat
Parkachik - Kargil
90 km
Wake up at 6.30 and go watch the sun light up the mountain peaks from within the glass windows. At 7 we get our tea and I update yesterday’s logs. Everyone wakes up slowly. Have breakfast and load the bike. The others bathe and repack. Carrying a lot of stuff for a 15 day trip! Talk the caretaker Habib, while the others pack. Find out the heights of the twin peaks Nun Kun (you can see the west faces of the peaks from here. Nun is 7135m, while Kun is 7035m. Nun has been climbed many times but not Kun. He has 6 kids, 4 girls, all unmarried and studying, makes 7k. Has a field but is not enough. Others have 10 kids, but nowadays ppl are having only 2 -3 max. Everyone has fields, but bhatware se kuch bachta nahin hai. Think about it and realize its meaning. Suppose a man had 10 acres and 10 kids. When he dies, the 10 kids get an acre each. That man has 5 kids, those get .2 acres. Overtime… We are now in the Suru valley; two main valleys Zanskar and Suru.

Takes a while for all to get loaded and ready. Ask Salil to clean the persistent dust spot in the camera. Take photo of sky and see no dust spot on it, so its ok. He says to get it cleaned at a Canon shop will cost 2k! I have only 2.6k left J Icici really fucked my plans up by taking the 17.5k, but then again I haven’t paid my emis in almost a year now; had it coming I guess.

I head back to town to say bye to Hussain, who takes my number. Head back and join the guys, who start to rip off again. I begin to follow at their speed, but slow down. I have a much welded pannier, an 95% bald back tire (have to change soon) and generally a longer trip to ride Chughun on. Let them rip. It’s so much easier and faster if the bike and luggage is just one unit. I soon lose sight of them but I settle back down to my view and ride routine. Do my prayers and ride along the different rivers. Each river passing through a village has its own name, for example Parkchick has the Parkachik river; I guess they all meet into some main river which is called something else.

Cross the Kichore TCP. Sign in and ask the cop if 3 bikers from Delhi passed by. He says no. Am surprised, they should be atleast 10 kms ahead of me by now. He insists that no one can go by without him letting them. I come out and cross to the side to pick up smokes. Ask the shopkeeper who says ya they blew past. Give choclate to the bunch of kids that assembled and head. Kids everywhere come running and wave and shout something. After 3 days, I pay attention. Its Chaclatte that they say! Or Angrez. Some of them even throw something after you. Wag my finger at such groups. The sequence is pen, chaclate, paisa. But mostly chaclate.

At a village, a guy hails and I stop. Wants to be dropped at Sanko. As usual, they just climb on, while I grip and balance the bike for dear life. He’s a school teacher, who is from Sanko and did B.Ed from Kargil. Teaches Urdu, Science and Maths at Sanko. Ask him the name of the river passing along. Tells me that two main rivers start from the Rangdum glacier; one left to Kargil, one right to Padum. Cross two roadblocks caused by earthmover groups clearing rockslides. Reach Sanko and see the BCM touring gang waiting at a tea shop. As usual, you can’t have tea in public view.

Head to Kargil. The clutch is giving problems, my left fingers are hurting at the lower phalanges; the clutch oil is probably less? Have to follow an army school truck for a while, as the traffic increases getting close to Kargil. The kids at the back strike a conversation, which we carry out by shouting. As I come close to the overpriced Ge Zozila hotel, I see Sandy getting something fixed at a mechanic. Somethings broken off; not surprised! Salil is getting something welded. Ask the mechanic till what time he is open. Says 5. Decide to stay in Kargil and come back later in the afternoon. Head to the hill petrol pump to tank up and intercept Dixit. Everyone at the pump is impatient and try to cut lines. I stare back and use size of bike to maintain place. Kind petrol man remembers and asks where the can he gave is. Sandy arrives and we wait for Salil for a long time. These guys are thinking of reaching Leh at whatever time. I try to dissuade them from riding after dark. At their speeds, it can get extremely dangerous on the broken road till Lamayuru. After waiting, we head down and meet Salil on his way up. Head to have lunch. These guys don’t trust kargil and are reluctant to park their bikes on the road in broad daylight, though they eventually do. We sit by the window to maintain a ‘line of sight.’ Eat and then take parting photo. Wish each other godspeed and go different ways.

Head to the PWD guesthouse; had thought of going back to Caravan Sarai, but Salil says PWD is 180 bucks, and money is a premium right now. Get there and the caretaker says will have to ask someone. I wait while he goes to call. He returns saying call nahin ja raha hai. Asks me what I will do; I say Caravan Sarai. I head there and they tell me all lower rooms are booked, though upstair rooms are there at 600 a pop. I whine and one guy says go to guesthouse lower the hill. But main owner man intervenes and says take the corner room, flush kaam nahin karta hai. I say flush se mujhe kuch nahin. Asks what I do etc. Eventually wants me to design the room, but I say pehle budget batao. Don’t want to waste your time and mine. Dump stuff in room and take oil and head to mechanic. It’s already 4.30 p.m.

Near the bridge an enfield going past slows down and looks at me, I slow down, but don’t stop. They uturn and come back. I stop, wondering who it is. Two guys on it stop beside and ask Maharastra, I say ho, Mumbai. They say ami pun, kote. I say Malad, they say Borivli, I say Marve road, they say gorai. Shake hands. They are heading to Srinagar, then Uddampur and then train back. I say ami pun Sringar, pun kaal, atha mechanic madun. They shake hands again and head back, as they are heading right now. I say Jai Maharasthra J and head to mechanic. After a bit of waiting, mechanic comes and checks, says its ok, only clutch is bit tight; I’m like I know! check the oil, yesterday bike got submerged in water. We check and see the pus come out. Decide to clean it with petrol only instead of the appropriate diesel. But as time is running out (for him, namaz and then iftaar), not the other side. Change the oil, pay and head back to town.

Go to Internet cafÈ and check mail. Mail Ananya and the last of the patrons of this trip. It’s time to end Mataozm and get down south to family and a paying job. Have debts to pay and change from ‘Sirsasana’ to ‘Syampadasana’. No spiti, no rann of kutch, but its ok; like ananya said, I’ve had a great great run. And I still have the whole length of the country to traverse.Maybe work for a couple of months and then go with ananya to the north east. Pay off debts and then come teach at a monastery next summer? There’s another ‘adventure’ waiting, of ‘returning’ to the motionless world and dealing with it. Have no idea whether to write that book everyone keeps telling to, or even that coffee table book of photos. Time will tell. Zen? J Aham aniketah. Vimrsyaitad asesena, yathe icchasi tatha kuru.

All you have been, and seen, and done and thought,
Not you but I, have seen and been and wrought, ..
Pilgrim, pilgrimage and Road,
Was but Myself toward Myself; and your
Arrival but Myself at my own door..
Come, you lost Atoms, to your centre draw..
Rays that have wandered into Darkness wide,
Return, and back into our Sun subside.

Eat with the rest of the town. It’s a good feeling, communal even. Buy kebabs for some beggars. Stand aside and see all kinds of people eating all kinds of things. Except I’m eating veg and everyones eating yummy smelling kebabs and paya soup and what not. At such times, I get fed up of eating rice, dal, and mixed sabji for so many meals. But got to stay steadfast. Except for the smoking, have managed to keep it together. Still a long way to go. But am no longer bothered. Work has to happen to maintain physical body, the rest is clear. Even STD booth ppl are eating and shop is ‘shut’. Waves of sleep come over and I head back to hotel to crash.

There’s no three point plug in room! So boy gets an extension cord J Dump photos and begin to sort, when all enthu drains off. Been shooting in RAW, so huge files and so many. Sometimes I just sit and look at the photos and not sort. Relive the memories. Somethings that just happened in the morning seem so far away. It is physically, but mentally also?

day 150
day 151
lost logs- deleted file by mistake. nothing done really. chilling, reading, watching films, talking to people. Id happens - lots of joy and good cheer all around.

Day 152 sep 22 tue
Kargil – Barcha – Batalik – Hardass – Dah – Hanu- Dah – Batalik - Kargil
199 km
No need for permit, says hotel man – only 60 kms – 2 bofors guns with convoy – mp stares when I gawk at guns - shopkeeper says everyone looking at hair - leave after lunch – rise above kargil – feeling of joy returns – inertia has returned? But nevertheless, it feels good to be back on the road. Hambotingla pass 13202 ft– kid running downhill – intercepts and asks lift- walks 20 km to and fro to school – wants to become doctor- tea at barcha – fida hussain and mohd ali – riding along teal river and narrow river cut valleys- batalik – maratha regiment taking over from mahar – mein aur uparwala works everywhere– smoke donation to marathi major at Hardass! post, no tea, no takleef - Aryan valley starts – adi Dravidian in the valley of the Aryans - photo – promise to give tea on return – Dah– marathi manoos – dah village is up the hill – bridge deviation – tea and convo in chair – couple from Bangalore – turned back at dah – alternate road to kargil via karbo – head to hanu – cross only gorkha artillery regiment at hanu thang –sam maneckshaw – if a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either a liar or a gorkha- thin river valley – craggy mountains - 2 kms from hanu – sabji something post – need permit – only foreigner – get shown Indian citizen permit – pani toh piyo – chai? – return – give lift to kids heading down – kid from Nepal – wants to become driver – when given options doctor - - dah get waved past – stop at boulder road fork – army guys say cant go up – local passes – army guys tell show him, he will drop u – go up boulder road – cross wooden bridge and walk up – randi woman chuma attempt by local army porter – old ladies – family photo – solo photo girl – address taking – meet padum-kargil trio – they planning to make guesthouse man dress up to take photo – walk more along ridge village - feel scammed – walk around – dusk – cant stay – have to drop him – another attempt at girl pataoing – dark – drop him at village – cant go back so go ahead -no jacket no gloves – stop at hardass and bum smoke – mahar man makes maratha man make tea – drink and chat abt life – 2 hr watches – 1 yr rotation – family – politics – raj Thackeray – kargil 65 k from here – reach batalik – quick questions and pass – another checkpost – Bombay man chats – from mulund – other man makes long Q&A investigation – bbay man says eat and go – no – time – yes – wait and talk – almost 8.30 – get 7 chapattis and dal in tumbler – then rice in plate and dal in container – warm water in bottle – sit in bunker? Shelter and eat while he and jogi from belgaum shine light – finish eat and head – bloody cold without jacket and gloves – ride non stop – raccoons? Striped fluffy tail cross twice in headlights – too late to take photo – no traffic for 2 hrs – all alone under the stars – sing songs to forget the cold – mouth goes dry - reach kargil by 11.15. shoulder’s fucked from cold hunching – crash.

Day 153 sep 23 wed
Kargil – Petrol pump – Kargil – Karbo – memorial - Drass – Tiger hill road – zozila - sonamarg
146 km
Wake up, pack, another service tax argument at counter - pay bill, finish reading OPWC, say bye to all, jayanti lal, Deepak, ghulam-e-mustafa, owner – 12.15! – go fill petrol – come back - call ananya – line busy – eat lunch – say bye to Internet guys – head out – take photos of you are being watched by enemy – road full of small and big martyr signs - cross karbo – stop at memorial – get tour and info- 400 posts taken in violation of 1962 shimla aggrement – tiger hill, tololing- point 4872/batra hill – NH1D overlooking, rhino hill, third pimple, NH1 delta – mashcow valley – drass and batalik sectors – giant sunflower- gallery – photos – pvc, mvc, vc, photos of photos 2 pvcs stil alve - pandey– heavy iron pieces of rocket – cant lift rocket part - jharkhand major – photo – instant celebrity – drop guide to town – tea at drass - dropati kund – truckers filling water – craggy hills – pyramid hill – red, green yellow, glaciers-zozila pass – camera conks – confusion at zozila realignment - amazing vista at other side of zozila – battery removal – autofocus not working – crescent moon – emo moment – dusty road – good road – 70 kmph down zozila – sonamarg – sardar hotel – unpack – std ananya and mom- dad orphaned – amarnath not happening – 3 am departure and 13 km walk– dinner – cricket match – surrealness of seeing men in suits in ad –news – militant activity- ask and get told something in srinagar – but hothe ratha hai – champions trophy is on, watch for a while and then head up – I wonder what happened to some triseries we were playing - log update – possible deletion of last 2 days update :s, camera possible working fine – unsure. Doda hotel man – after November 12 ft of snow here – in april enter from first floor window and work outwards!

Day 154 sep 24 thu
Sonamarg – Ganderbal – Mansbal – Bandipore – Watlab – Sopore – Pattan - Srinagar
184 km
Wake up and go down for tea. The sun is out but the weather cool. Have breakfast and look at all the fir and pine trees, warming myself in the sun. Watch yet another hindi dubbed film. All the Chinese parts are not dubbed – such low quality work, but its not like I’m going to sit and do it; whoever is doing it knows just that much. All the actors across films have the same voices.

Pack quickly. The daily morning rituals are pleasing as they indicate a forward motion, something new will happen.

The daily morning set is as follows – (this should be a separate post, but will reorganize later; not procrastination J but flow)
a. wake up – it’s mandatory J Have incorporated the osho practice of smiling/laughing at the start of the day. It’s difficult for me to start laughing, me who never really laughs, but smiles big; but it’s a nice feeling and am getting better at it.
b. Brush and bathe – the bathe bit is subject to availability of at least slightly warm water.
c. Suryanamaskars – had stopped doing all physical yoga practices. Primarily coz of an unsubstantiated but firm fear that it, especially kriyas, would reduce the vata and make me want to sit in one place. Now that the trip is due to end, I have become ‘brave’ enough to restart. At the least, my sadhana will restart and the feeling of shitness at not practicising and the accompanying feeling of joy and contentment will reemerge. So far, the external sensations of seeing, hearing, and experiencing people and places fed them. Like the time after the solo manali- leh trip shortcircuited my visual cortex and I didn’t want to see anything for a while! Time to see if both can work in tandem. Back to the suryanamaskars; body has become stiff and can barely manage 3 before I collapse into shavasana. So much for having done a 108 set in one go! But practice makes flexibler.
d. Shambhavi mahamudra kriya – had sat a week ago to restart it, but had forgotten the sequence to my utter dismay! Ananya has sent the sequence and have started again; not doing the full times, but have started. So that’s good. My breathing is fucked! Can’t even hold for 30 seconds – everything seems to be a decline – from 2 mins to 30 seconds. But its ok. Practice karo, fruit kao. Am not ready mentally for kriya
e. Shoonya meditation – not the optimal time for it, but I can’t do it while on the road. Tried it once, and opened eyes to see a bunch of kids watching and fiddling with the bike! Will start GMCKS meditation in
f. Fight the desire to go back to sleep. Pearl’s Johnson’s baby oil where needed.
g. Read – one of the highlights of the day. Sitting anywhere I can catch some sun and reading. Some of the stuff I have been reading is so gripping and stimulating, I just settle in and then don’t leave for the day. If only staying didn’t cost so much money!
h. Breakfast – one sitting breakfasts – don’t talk, just eat. Buddha really knew what he was talking about.
i. Read more – till I think it’s warm enough to head.
j. Pack – this deserves a separate post, which I’ll write later. It’s a factor of how long I have stayed at a place; the longer I have stayed, the more time it takes to repack. Typically its 3 minutes. Do a quick check
k. Load bike -
l. Prayers – Done once I’m rolling. Om Trayambakams, the lord’s prayer, some bhajans, hymns. If I get distracted by traffic or anything, I continue when mind is back on track.

It’s warm and bright now, but the sky is dull. It takes me a while to realize it’s smog, no, not even that, it’s too warm, just plain pollution. Depressing. The Sonamarg mastiffs are stacked with pine trees, right up to the peaks. Packs of horses stand or trot around the plains; most of them tourist horses and ponies waiting for the next customer. The Khajwas glacier stands still, white clouds floating slowly over the peak; horses and sheep grazing around the streams that trickle down and then join the river – the Sindh I think. From the strange grey brown muddy hills to hills covered with trees as far as the eye can see. Probably seen more trees in 30 minutes than the last one month.

As the Khajwas glacier fades away in the rearview mirror, a man hails me to a stop and asks me if I can give him a lift. I stop and pick him up. Have got used to ppl clambering on the panniers and hold on for dear life. He tells me his horse ran away with another one and he’s trying to find it. He’s a gujjar bakkarwal, the bhed-bakri people. Horses often run away when it gets cold and there’s less food. Cross a bunch of people who have packed stuff onto some horses and riding some; a few sheep and goats tagging along. They too are gujjar bakarwals; my temp. pillion is one of them, and would be riding with them if his horse hadn’t run away. With this new information, every horse, and there are a lot of them, suddenly becomes special and maybe it. Drop him off at another gathering of the bakkarwals; still no horse, at least he is with family. Another man, another lift. Offers money, refuse. Maybe I should; be like Richard Bach in that book – thunderbird flights in the Himalayas. Off the Himalayas now though, places pass by at 1800m, the mountains loom in the distance far north.

It’s noon as I cross Ganderbal and reach the turn off to Wullar lake. I stop to decide; the road looks inviting. On the map, it goes right into Baramula district, the places we keep hearing militants are most active. But what the hell, it’s bright, sunny, and fields of green, yellow, and gold loom ahead; and with God and Amanya on your shoulders, all will be well. Take the road and ride across fields where men and women are busy cutting, grouping, stacking, and chaffing? the harvest, with scarecrows keeping watch. It feels like riding amidst fields of gold. Stop for a break; an army truck goes by with the men at the top wearing helmets against the wind!

Reach a fork where bystanders tell me to take a right. I take the right fork; they hail and point right right – into a dirtish road on the right. I stop to think; right up to now, there were nice big road signs that pointed straight ahead, definitely not any side track. I smile and think – not every man is going to be a subversive militant leading you down the path of destruction; and whatever happened to white roads. I take the road and ride through villages, where people are rather shocked to see me or rather a loaded enfield chugging past. At another fork, I stop to ask and some men say straight only, but first Manasbal lake and then Wular. Up ahead the road begins to disintegrate and I stop to ask. They say this road goes too, but is a bad one; turn back and take the first left for a better road. I do that and soon see a submerged temple. Stop – Bystanders tell me it’s a 1000, 2000 year old Shiva temple. I ask 1000 or 2000, there’s a big diference. They shake their head and say kisse pata hai. The big signboard at the side says Ancient Temple and that’s it, nothing else – the BRO signs at the passes have more information about the passes! A man tells me there is a temple by the lake and wants me to follow him. I go into the temple and walk around – fish float around the temple – the man wants me to feed the fish. I refuse – its back to the world of belief and money. My walk falters – its so easy to forget how the world is; But that world is part of the world too - Takes all kinds I guess. I walk out and walk towards the Mansbal lake. Nice walkway around it, with a park where families, couples, and friends sit and walk around. Shikaras dot the lake with people taking rides in them. Take some photos and head out to the bike.

Lunch offer, photo of pakodas, fields, lift, 13 number spanner, army convoys fully geared - bandipore, crpf – tank bag check, tea – sahil and mitoo, questions, terrorists – wular view –Sena police checkpost – tp – its more fun when u have a partner; don’t I know it - Sopore – more crpf, police, armoured vans at busstand –sopore city of apples – except one tree so far, nothing. 10 kms later, rows of apple orchards. Stop to take in the smell. 4 crpf emerge - apple grove - smoke – don’t come – check, convos, securing apples, 4 militants – 5 cops death previous day – should check and come – uparwala –

Pattan – tea shop – owner – something Lone – is 35 but looks close to 50 –shows me election card - from baramula – talk abt Kashmir – how independence is all they want – whoever wants pak is a harami – India is not any better – America- angrez – messing it up – but better with India, but independence is what we want. Was good before 90, before everything started going wrong. Is much better now, in 94, everyone would get beaten up on suspicion of being afghani. Even sitting like this and talking, me and even you would get beaten up.

Reach srinagar – city – pollution – eyes start burning. Ridden through shitloads of dust, but eyes never burnt. Ride from one end to another to reach boulevard road. Dal lake – ppl talk – usual qts – old couple from hyd; second honeymoon? – wife not really first time he’s ever taken me out. Decide against a house boat. Hotel aziz – negotiate and check in. Shocked to see so many things in room – TV, cable, phone! Have become a gavvar having culture shock in the city. Bathe. Lie down. Man says go eat, everything shuts down by 10. Go at 9.30 – 90% of city already shut; only cops and sidey characters around. Eat at bhojanalaya, along with young and old women from some convent from tamil nadu – Christians all. Hear comments about my hair in tamil – tempted to respond in tamil, but eat in silence. Come back and crash, watching champion’s trophy. News is the same as before – cricket, Pakistan, g20 – same shit – except there’s water on the moon now.