There is a fine line between adventure and madness…..and I think I crossed it this time.
I suffer from Vertigo and I still overwhelmingly agreed to go for a trip to the Himalaya’s on a bike!
When every turn of the road becomes a matter of life and death, when your own life becomes the subject of someone else’s judgement, when your heart prays and your mind betrays, when your eyes dream nothing apart from the inevitable unforeseen, you know you have crossed the line!
However, the unknown gamble paid off and this experience is etched deep in my heart forever.
Eight days, more than 1500 kilometers, and maximum height of 3600 meters ASL, well this sums up my experience of Lahual – Spiti.
The Prelude …
It all began with a desire to go to Ladakh, a plan I had made several times, right from the first year of my newly adorned employed status to as recent as last year, but could never manage to execute. However, this time I was adamant, adamant to do it at any cost.
After bouncing the idea with a few friends, my rattling formed sense to my photography inspiration, the ever so adventurous Parichay. Slowly this noise took the shape of a plan and it then went through a few rounds of iteration and soon I found Asif and Tariq in the mailing loop. I never realized that there plan will only look like mine but will be very different in action (read more scary) and I did not even care to look at how did they detail the plan. Infact, when I look back, it feels strange to have taken them so lightly in the beginning when they were about to become the part of one of my life’s most adventurous few days.
Being a pro at bike trips, Asif made the Things to Do, the route plan, the list of items to be carried very diligently, though I (am sure even Parichay) did not go through in detail. I must accept the fact that there was a big chance of me chickening out had I seen all those things in detail. For once, I thank my laziness.
The week before I actually got to meet Asif for a shopping spree, though of a very different kinds, we went shopping for a off road tyre for his bike, an electric pump, bungee ropes and some waterproofs for our bikes. Next came the issue of how much to carry, I being a not so light traveler was neck deep in worry as to how will I survive in one jeans or just 2 T – Shirts and one jacket, oblivious of the fact that soon all this will become absolutely insignificant to me. Eventually, I made it, I did end up stuffing all that I needed in my gym bag which was compact by all definitions. This did give me a sense of victory for a few seconds.
.................A handful of wishes; a liason of minds
......and off we were .. away from the daily grind........
........of mountains and rivers, of nature's delight,
.........may we bring back memories that hang back for life...........
Watch this space as the mystery unfolds :-)
I suffer from Vertigo and I still overwhelmingly agreed to go for a trip to the Himalaya’s on a bike!
When every turn of the road becomes a matter of life and death, when your own life becomes the subject of someone else’s judgement, when your heart prays and your mind betrays, when your eyes dream nothing apart from the inevitable unforeseen, you know you have crossed the line!
However, the unknown gamble paid off and this experience is etched deep in my heart forever.
Eight days, more than 1500 kilometers, and maximum height of 3600 meters ASL, well this sums up my experience of Lahual – Spiti.
The Prelude …
It all began with a desire to go to Ladakh, a plan I had made several times, right from the first year of my newly adorned employed status to as recent as last year, but could never manage to execute. However, this time I was adamant, adamant to do it at any cost.
After bouncing the idea with a few friends, my rattling formed sense to my photography inspiration, the ever so adventurous Parichay. Slowly this noise took the shape of a plan and it then went through a few rounds of iteration and soon I found Asif and Tariq in the mailing loop. I never realized that there plan will only look like mine but will be very different in action (read more scary) and I did not even care to look at how did they detail the plan. Infact, when I look back, it feels strange to have taken them so lightly in the beginning when they were about to become the part of one of my life’s most adventurous few days.
Being a pro at bike trips, Asif made the Things to Do, the route plan, the list of items to be carried very diligently, though I (am sure even Parichay) did not go through in detail. I must accept the fact that there was a big chance of me chickening out had I seen all those things in detail. For once, I thank my laziness.
The week before I actually got to meet Asif for a shopping spree, though of a very different kinds, we went shopping for a off road tyre for his bike, an electric pump, bungee ropes and some waterproofs for our bikes. Next came the issue of how much to carry, I being a not so light traveler was neck deep in worry as to how will I survive in one jeans or just 2 T – Shirts and one jacket, oblivious of the fact that soon all this will become absolutely insignificant to me. Eventually, I made it, I did end up stuffing all that I needed in my gym bag which was compact by all definitions. This did give me a sense of victory for a few seconds.
.................A handful of wishes; a liason of minds
......and off we were .. away from the daily grind........
........of mountains and rivers, of nature's delight,
.........may we bring back memories that hang back for life...........
Watch this space as the mystery unfolds :-)
