15 July 2010

Today we planned to cover a good amount of distance. Sarchu, if possible. We did leave Tsangpo's dhaba in good time. The road till Sissu was a breeze. Then it started deteriorating. The pagal-nullah before Tandi was not much of a threat. It was deep though. On reaching Tandi, the last petrol pump on this route before Leh, we topped up. The fuel was being rationed as the supply trucks had not yet reached the petrol pump.
We reached a very dusty and sun baked Keylong. Several of the accompanying riders had been here last night and now had moved on. Some were still left. Breakfast was ordered. It was here that Vihans got a brahma-astra for his bike. Until now, he had been starting his bike by removing the air filter. The mechanic fitted all of it back and instructed him to start the bike by turning the fuel supply off. He also told him to keep the fuel supply low by turning it off time to time. The bike gave no trouble during the entire journey after this. Maybe, it would have worked on the Bullets too, but none of us tried. It would be difficult to do the on-off while carrying such heavy load. It was at the mechanic's workshop that our ace faller, Gyan had his second fall, that too while sitting on a chair(Fall #6).
After a heavy breakfast, we set off. The road was now a dusty mess. Nearing Jispa, it improved for a while. Stretches that took the speedometer upto 70. By now, I was again getting cross with the group for not sticking together. Gyan and Vihans were flying ahead. Saurabh and Ajit were riding by themselves. Only, Rohit, Dutta and myself were sticking together. In this sort of terrain, its important that you all stay together. Whenever the guys ahead used to stop and wait for the others, they used to choose some remote spot with no scope of water or tea nearby. So, while they finished their smoking, the others were left just watching. I took some of the anguish out by purposefully stopping at Deepaktal for tea.
After Jispa and Darcha, came the ascent towards LachulungLa. But first, near Zingzingbar, Vihans had another fall(Fall #7). This time too he was not wearing any protection. He had a couple of wounds. For the rest of the trip he was found scurrying to find Band Aids.
Now came the ascent to the famous BaralachLa. There's always snow to be found here. The sun was at its peak which meant most of the snow was melting and that meant wading bikes. We came across the magnificent looking Vishaltal. Chunks of ice floated over crystal clear water. The view was magical.
We reached Sarchu as it was getting dark. Took shelter in the first camps that came. Rs 500 with dinner and breakfast. Attached baths. AMS is a silent assassin. It strikes silently and coldly. Many of us were now its victims. Gyan and Dutta were in the worst shape. They went to sleep without having dinner. We had been cautious and had been taking Diamox since leaving Rohtang. Still, it can't be prevented. I'll remember Sarchu as the place I lost my beloved Sony Ericsson W700i phone, my companion for four years.