13 July 2010

So, we made yet another ascent to Rohtang. At Marhi, yet another bad news awaited us. A truck got stuck at 11 PM in the night. BRO had been trying to move it since then. Sensing that we would have to be forward as soon as the way cleared we made our way further up. Not very far though. Just one loop below the blockade point, there was a tricky climb. Many 4X4s were also struggling to climb this point. Several other motorcycle groups were stuck at this point. Brotherhood shows in such circumstances and we helped push each other over the rough stretch. I was cross with Rohit and Ajit at this point as they were not helping, and let them know it. Things were normal after that.
Just a few meters ahead and we reached the trouble spot(hereby referred to as LoC). BRO folks were working frantically to clear the way. The truck could be seen lying across the slope. The front wheels were barely on the road and the whole body was at the side of the mountain. It was a wonder to see how they were still holding it from falling. There was going to be a very long wait. Even if the way got cleared somehow later, the oncoming traffic would get the preference.
Some people were able to bypass the LoC with the help of mules. Then it started drizzling too. Things were getting better and better. We utilized the time by catching up on our sleep. An empty dumper was parked nearby. We spread out the Godrej flex cover carried by Doley, inside it and stretched ourselves. In other circumstances, I would have called it a sweet sleep. But at that time, it was just sleep. Ajit, Saurabh and Rohit laid out their tarpauline on the road itself. When we were done sleeping, well, almost all of us, Vihans was still fast asleep, we got hungry. The only option available was a bread and chhole vendor. He was doing brisk business. He ran out of his ingredients. His supplies were replenished by another stuck vehicle. Necessity is the mother of invention. None of us was carrying any water or water bottle. The only source was a nearby stream. The container we had was hip flask. You get the picture. That water is purer than most of the 20 litre containers we get at home.
The crowd was now getting agitated. It had been hours now and still no result. The crowd now started to push the BRO to drop the truck over the side. The BRO responded by lathi charge(a miniature version, not the full fledged charge). But the mob is a powerful, blind and deaf entity. Meanwhile the truck drivers collected together and managed to get in touch with the contractor over mobile. The owner gave strict instructions that the truck should be brought up by any means possible. The BRO was stuck in the middle. It was going to be another lost day. There was even the news of a crane being brought all the way from Manimajra, miles away. Army cranes could be seen moving up from Manali towards the LoC. It looked like we would have a clear road in the morning. We decided to descend till Marhi and camp nearby. Some of the others also thought of the same idea. It helps to carry tents. The established tents were selling a night stay at Rs 1500 per head.
It was at the camp site that we saw another group. They were owning one KTM 950 cc Adventure and a BMW R1200GS, two bikes at the top of my wishlist. These bikes have the drive-anywhere capability. Vihans was turned off by the sheer height of the machines. Yes, they are quite tall. And then, the KTM owner disrespected his machine by asking for a push. WTF !!!!! These bikes do not require any sort of push. You should commit suicide before asking someone to push your KTM and then kill yourself again as a double-check.
It was here that Vihans had his first fall(Fall #2). On a straight path when he was wearing no protection, he rolled his bike over a stone. As darkness fell, we brought out our second bottle of Old Monk. All of us assembled in the middle tent, eight men squeezed into a 4-men tent. The neighbours would have a tough time sleeping. It was cold. Rum really helps, two-fold. Hoping for better luck the next day, we went to sleep.