Honeymooning on Two Wheels

Surviving The Terror Of Rothang Pass

2008-12-16T04:07:00.000-08:00

Day 1 May 26,208 Delhi to Kasauli 286KM

" We were almost only 5 km away from the top of Rothang pass at 13,000 ft. Veering closely to the cliff's edge it was dizzying to look down. After maneuvering a sharp incline we found ourselves in the middle of frozen-solid snow walls. Impatient, Sandy increased his speed a little, leaving all those speeding car behind us. Nadeem had always referred the ride to Rothang pass as terrifying. "How bad can it be?" Was the last thought on my mind when suddenly I was faced to faced with frozen ice. Oh no! We skidded. The bike fell on us. I stood up immediately while Sandy tried to lift the bike to stop the oil spilling from the tilted fuel tank. I saw him struggling as his feet kept slipping every time he tried to lift the bike and climb it. I gripped the rear end of the bike while my right foot checked the road for dry spots. We were in the very middle of the road and I could see the convoy of cars was fast closing in on us. They showed no signs of slowing even at they see us infront of them.

And this was only the first and the lowest of the five passes that we have to cross.

The first stretch of good road after crossing the Rothang pass. We stopped by for a breather.

The Calm Before The Storm

2008-07-11T06:19:00.000-07:00

Day 3 Sunder Nagar To Manali 120 KM

“It’s not really the cliff thing but riding over these really giant boulders that is terrifying.” Answered Nadeem.

“ Are our lives in danger?” I asked warily. I tried to mentally prepare myself for anything.

“Yes, there’s a possibility. Anything can happen."

My heart raced as I lay beside Sandy. Amidst Nadeem’s moans (the cold temperature in Manali aggravated the pain of his injured arm and chest) and Sandy’s soft snores I said a million prayers. I was not so sure we’ll make it across Rothang pass alive.

Oh joy! After the grueling experience the day before, our trip the next day was a breeze.

“ Today’s ride is a picnic for you huh?” Sandy teased me when he saw the enjoyment in my face.

We had a slight problem before leaving the hotel. The front tire of the bike was deflated. It got beaten up from all the rough riding we did the day before. The foot pump that we took with us was useless, it was meant for bicycle only. We scouted for bike repair shops around the area and luckily there were a lot. Sandy was worried that the tube might be punctured. But after filling air on the tire the bike was good and ready again.

We had an enjoyable fast ride on a wide paved highway coming out from Sunder Nagar towards Kullu. On the route our first treat of the day greeted us. Pandoh dam. An enormous man made lake flowing amidst a row of mountains. We stopped by briefly to take photos and to enjoy the breeze. Looking at the scene, I was reminded of early Chinese paintings. Mountains fading into the horizons while steam rise from the river below.

As we cruised towards the mountain side, I felt intimidated looking at the formidable mountains that loomed over us. The scenery was surrealistic. Very much like scenes from an artist’s imagination. The mountain was not of color green but of ochre. The foliage was growing sans direct sunlight breeding an exotic mix of tropical and desert plants on the surface scattered around giant boulders. I could also see some temples and houses perched on the cliff.

When finally we came out of the shaded part of the road we crossed a bridge that led to a tunnel. It was pitch dark inside. Sandy had to stop for a few breath-stopping, moment because he had his sunglasses on and he said he couldn’t see anything. I could hear the sound of cars in front and behind us but I couldn’t see them clearly. Sandy told me later that all the while he was worried that someone might hit us from behind when we stopped. After riding in the dark for more than one kilometer we were jolted back in bright day light.

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/kullu-manali-tunnel/3455353634

“That was awesome. Like taking a ride in a theme park!” I exclaimed. “After this trip, you’ll never be excited riding rollercoaster again.” Sandy said.

I laughed. “Yeah.”

Before riding directly to Manali we made a detour towards Nagar to vist Nicolay Roerich museum. Roerich is a Russian artist who spent his last day in Nagar, painiting the Himalayas. We didn’t get to visit the museum though as it was very crowded and I had an upset stomach. I was keener on looking for a toilet than seeing art that day.

On our way out of Nagar we got stuck in goat traffic! Those adorable furry creatures! The herd blocked the whole road causing heavy traffic. Sandy had to bully them with the bike’s horn to shoo them away. I absolutely loved it. I had never seen anything like it!

As we approached Manali, the snowcapped mountain visible from afar kept teasing me. I had never seen snow before the trip and the anticipation of seeing it really excited me. Never did I know I’ll see so much snow to fill my memories for a lifetime. I was impatient to reach Manali. I thought it was going to be a small quaint town surrounded with snowcapped mountains. I couldn’t be more wrong. I hated Manali. Not only was there’s no snow anywhere, but it was a crowded noisy tourist spot.

“ Classes are over and everyone is here on vacation.” Sandy explained. He was disappointed also.

We joined Nadeem’s friends once we were in Manali. We planned to cross Rothang pass all together.

“ Sandy wants to go to Ladakh with his wife. I don’t know how we can do it.” Nadeem told one of his friends.

Sandy later told me that Nadeem was not confident about crossing the pass the next day.

“ He said, his friend told him that his friend crossed 14 kilometers of nallah (hindi for rapid streams) at Rothang pass on his way back from Ladakh.” Sandy told me when we were finally alone in the room.

“So are we going?” I asked, still wandering what kind of danger they were talking about. I had asked Nadeem if we a riding along the cliffs again. The thought riding again along the cliff side was what terrified me at that time. But I never got a straight answer. “It’s not really the cliff thing but riding over these really giant boulders that is terrifying.” Was his answer. It remained vague for me what kind of terrain we were crossing.

“ I had convinced him. I told him his friends are there to help if anything happened. There will be a lot us riding together.” Sandy answered. Three of Nadeem’s friend are going and one of them had been to Ladakh several times.

“ Are our lives in danger?” I asked warily. I tried to mentally prepare myself for anything.
“Yes, there’s a possibility. Anything can happen. Once we are there we’ll just have to face whatever danger they were saying. I also don’t have a clear idea what lies ahead.” Sandy answered. We were lying in bed facing each other. We were staring intently in each other’s eyes. We were reassuring each other.

“Okay, let’s do it. But if it gets too tough then we could just turn back.” I said. Sandy agreed. But we soon realized there really was no turning back once you started going. To turn back would be much harder than to just keep on going.

After refilling our supply of food, fuel, and water we went to bed early as the other group told us we should leave as early as four in the morning to avoid getting stuck in traffic. Most of the tourists would be going up to Rothang pass in the next morning also.

My heart raced as I lay beside Sandy. Amidst Nadeem’s moans (the cold temperature in Manali aggravated the pain of his injured arm and chest) and Sandy’s soft snores I said a million prayers. I was not so sure we’ll make it across Rothang pass alive.

We Like To Ride The Hard Way

2008-07-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

Day 2 May 27 Kasauli To Sunder Nagar 203 KM
The incline of the mountain was so steep I can't even see the valley below it. And there were no trees on the side only sharp rocks. The thought of our mangled body falling down the cliff kept flashing on my mind. I gritted my teeth as Sandy drove the bike through another blind curve. I did a mental calculation on the chances of survival if we would fall on that mountain. Then I thought," What chances. No one can survive falling down there at all."
.
As we drive on I tried to figure out which mountain would be less or more dangerous to fall on.

I dubbed these route as the Pagal Road of Sunder Nagar.

If I thought that riding for eight hours continuously was long ( as we did the previous day ) I was underestimating the word long. Riding for more than twelve hours on this day, gave a new definition to the phrase " long (very long) and winding road ". I felt like I had been on that road forever. Like I was born on that road. Like I spent whole of my life on that road. And At the end of the ride, (when it did end) I had thought of ten thousand names for pain. And Fear. The zigzaging roads on the side of the mountain made Kennon road in Bagiou, (Philippines) like a cake walk.

The day begun pleasantly enough as we made our ascent to Shimla. Although the road was busy on both side with coming and going vehicles of tourists and locals, we were cruising on a good speed. I particularly enjoy the sights of colorful houses and hotels precariously perched on the lush mountain side. The breeze was cool and route extremely scenic. The bags, the bike, my husband and I were in perfect harmony. The day couldn't have been better. Until we reached Shimla. At 7100 ft, Shimla had been a favourite destination for the locals. And everyone in India seemed to have decided to visit Shimla on that day. I have never seen so many people in my life. Or so I thought. It was worse in Manali. It was completely impossible to move around anywhere especially towards the route going to Manali. After asking for directions we headed downwards to an alternative but longer ( much longer) route to Manali. Nadeem has also not been in this road before. So nobody in our group know exactly where to go

After a few kilometers and a few turns, we were suddenly riding on dirt roads. As we kept on ascending we completely left the lush mountain side and was entering a dry barren landscape. The road was getting narrower and curving sharply in unending loops. We then reached the top of a lone mountain, towering over everything. I tried to look down but looked away immediately. " Oh shit!" I muttered to myself, silently. The incline of the mountain was so steep I could not even see the valley below it. And there were no trees on the side only sharp rocks. The thought of our mangled body falling down the cliff kept flashing on my mind. I gritted my teeth as Sandy drove the bike through another blind curve. I did a mental calculation on the chances of survival if we would fall on that mountain. Then I thought," What chances. No one can survive falling down there at all".

" That looks so dangerous." Sandy blurted out softly looking at the steep and narrow roads ahead of us. I laughed, feeling relieved. I thought I was the only who was getting scared. We could also see more of the same snaking roads on the adjoining mountains ahead. As we drive on I tried to figure out which mountain would be less or more dangerous to fall on.

After descending for five km Sandy and Nadeem decided to stopped for a moment. We could see a river from up there.

" These roads are too much!" Nadeem exclaimed as he got down from the bike.

"I think that's Satluj river." Sandy remarked pointing to the river below.

" Are the roads ever going to be better? " I asked them while stretching my legs. My whole body was singing with pain.

" I think the roads are only going to be worse." Nadeem replied.

And it were. A few times we had to stop while waiting for the road laborers to finish putting tar on the road. My first thought was, " What now? Are we turning back? This seems to be the end of the road. " But we only went on and on endlessly.

After five hours we descended. On the way down, the landscape turned green again. We passed by a scarlet area with flaming red trees down towards the bridge where Sutluj river was. We debated whether there was a forest fire or if the foliage was naturally that way.

It was amazing to see the river closely after seeing it on top of the mountain. It made me realize how far down we went. Up there it looked like a thin white line. I looked up to gaze at the mountains where we descended from. It towers mightily over everything, almost reaching the sky. I had never seen such tall mountains in my life.

We parked the bike and hang out by the bridge for a while. And enjoyed the cool breeze coming from the water.The flow of the river was very strong, cascading rapidly over big boulders scattered on the river bed. It was powerful enough to irrigate the whole town.

Slightly ascending again we scouted for a place to eat which was not an easy task as the whole area was deserted. After thirty minutes we chanced upon a dhaba but they only served tea. Some locals who were having tea told us that there was a hotel with a restaurant, near by.

The place was surprisingly fancy looking. A charming cluster of small summer houses amidst a colorful flower garden. The restaurant was neat and upscale. Food was decent .We had dal and roti as always but a side dish of papad was a treat. I couldn't recall the name of the place though. I forgot to note it down during the trip.

The route after lunch was a pleasant surprise. As we descended lower, we were again amidst lush forest of pine trees. We passed a beautiful valley with yellow green meadows landscaped into wide terraces. Abound with apple and apricot orchards. We made several stop to relish the beauty of the place.

We did more riding up and down the valley. Roads were bad and good. And soon it was getting dark but the end of the journey was still no where in sight. Sandy and Nadeem were still confused about the destination. As the sky dim, Sandy increased his speed. I freaked out. Darkness plus blind curves, a dangerous combination. And the bumps were killing me.

" Honey please drive a carefully." I said, curtly.

"I am still driving safely honey. It's getting late we need to drive faster." He replied.

" The bumps are hurting me so much." I said.

" A little more honey, only a little more. We are almost there." He said.His voice softening.

" Look at trees honey they are so beautiful. " He urged me gently.

" I have already seen so many trees today! " I snapped, unappeased. But he knows me. My mood improved slightly and soon we were joking around again. But my cheerfulness didn't last for long. Soon I was getting agitated again. We have been riding for more than twelve hours now and still I didn't see any end to the road ahead.

" Where are we fucking going? " I asked Sandy.

Nadeem was behind us and we stopped to wait for him. When he finally reached us Sandy told him that we should stop at Sunder Nagar only. It would take at least two more hours to ride to Kullu and it was already dark.

" Coco's getting desperate." He said. Nadeem looked at me and I felt like the biggest chicken shit again. I didn't want this. I didnt want to be the dead weight in the trip.I didn't want to be the cause of delay. I didn't want to be a spoiled princess. But It was just too impossible for me to ride anymore.

When we reached the town we checked in the nearest hotel we could found as it was too painful for me to walk. I was already very cranky and just wanted to slumped in bed .We all stayed in one room at the modest hotel in front of Satluj canal to save on hotel expense. From here on there won't be any privacy for me and Sandy until we reached Leh.

Trekking at Kasauli

2008-07-08T00:30:00.000-07:00

Day 1 May 26, 2008 Delhi to Kasauli 286 KM
Sandy was walking in front of me and Nadeem was leading further ahead. I asked Sandy what are the chances of survival if I fell on the side of that cliff and roll down towards Chandigarh which was visible from up there. He looked at me. " Let's try." He said and pretended to pushed me towards the cliff. " You idiot, it's slippery here." I said and fought back. We played like that for a few minutes, shuffling each other and laughing until Nadeem turned back to look at us and was wondering where we were. " Arrey. " He said in Hindi. " C'mon guys." He called.

At last we found the hotel where Sandy stayed at before. The owner of Gian hotel led us two floors down and showed us two small but very neat rooms. Both have wide connecting balconies with a good view of the hills.

" Yeah, this is good. " I told Sandy, smiling. " Let me check the bathroom." As I've told Sandy the most important place in a hotel room for me is the bathroom. It had to be clean. I took a peek inside the bathroom warily but to my satisfaction it was big, new and modern. There was even a hot shower.

" Okay let's take it." I said. I fell on the bed. " Aaaah, that's feel so good. Honey, I'm staying here. I'm not coming with you to take the bags. " I told Sandy, laughing. Sandy looked at me and fell beside me on the wide bed. " Lazy woman!" He joked, laughing softly. I laughed and snuggled beside him.

"No actually, I can pay some guys to carry the bags here. Nadeem won't be able to lift anything also with his injured arm. " He added seriously. I kissed him, feeling very grateful. " Okay I 'm going up. You're going to be okay by yourself here?" He asked. I nodded, still smiling. I closed my eyes as he closed the door and left.

After taking a bath and putting on some fresh clothes we went on a short trek on the hills around Kasauli. Nadeem had always emphasized that we should be doing some walking exercise to help us acclimatize for our ascent on the following days. I was loving my trekking shoes. It made climbing up so easy although I can't still keep up with Sandy and Nadeem who were now very deep in conversation. I was always falling behind and they have to stop and wait for me so many times. I threw an invisible rope towards Sandy and asked him to pull me up. He didn't think it was very funny and asked me to keep up with them. I stuck out my tongue to him. He pinched my butt and told me to keep going.

We were trying to reach Manki point, a small hill inside the Kasauli Air Force station. But since it was already late in the afternoon we decided to cancel the idea. We opted for Gilbert trail instead. Nadeem pointed to us Manki point which was visible from the trail after walking for thrity minutes. We can see Hanuman temple on top of the hill.

" The Manki Point is believed to be in the shape of the left foot of Lord Hanuman, who is believed to have kept his left foot on this very hill, while carrying the mountain bearing the Sanjivani herb for curing Lord Ram’s younger brother, Laxman. " Nadeem, informed us. Nadeem has a extensive knowledge of world and cultural history. Apart from my husband, he is my source of information about India's history.

We walked for about two hours on the narrow foot path. I was walking carefully all the time for fear rolling down the hills. Tall pine trees stood tall on side of the mountain. Litters of fallen pine tree leaves made the path slightly slippery. Sandy was walking in front of me and Nadeem was leading further ahead. I asked Sandy what are the chances of survival if I fell on the side of that cliff and roll down towards Chandigarh which was visible from up there. He looked at me. " Let's try." He said and pretended to pushed me towards the cliff. " You idiot, it's slippery here." I said and fought back. We played like that for a few minutes, shuffling each other and laughing until Nadeem turned back to look at us and was wondering where we were. " Arre. " He said in Hindi. " C'mon guys." He called. We laughed and resume walking. I belted into a song as we walk, singing the " The Long and Winding Road " over and over again. Sandy pretended to cover his ears. " Look where you are going instead of singing please. You better not slip and fall. I'll not rescue you." he joked.

It was nearly 7 pm and we had been walking for sometime around Gilbert Trail but the sun still showed no signs of setting. Although there was golden tint in the sky it was still bright. We did decide to head back for fear that it might suddenly get dark while we were on the trail. Sandy and Nadeem had resumed arguing about Sandy's theory that the architecture of a city like Chandigarh is a factor in the rise of autism in the area. Nadeem disagreed. As I don't know anything about Chandigarh and have nothing to contribute to the debate, I just walked behind them again and tried to enjoy the surrounding scenery in silence.

Sandy and Nadeem having tea at the parking lot in Kasauli.

Charming Kasauli

2008-06-27T05:54:00.000-07:00

Day 1 May 26 Delhi to Kasauli 286 KM
Entering the town of Kasauli was my first encounter with narrow curving roads. This was a foreshadowing of the kind of roads we will encounter later on. As I hold on to Sandy, I can't believe how buses can even pass through here. It was clearly a one lane passage and vehicles on both side had to stop to let the other one go. As we continued to ride on the serpent-like curves of the road, I tried to sit very still and was almost holding my breath. But as soon we entered the town I relaxed and broke into a wide smile. I was immediately captivated. It was a charming place with lush pine trees everywhere. The change of weather was a pleasant surprise! Although a while ago Nadeem had said that it was raining in Delhi at that time, the summer heat over there was becoming unbearable so it was such a joy to be greeted by a crisp cool air! Even with tired legs I eagerly accompanied Sandy to scout for hotels after parking the bikes. Nadeem have to stay behind to look after the bags. I was like a child given a candy as we climb the stairs leading to the main town. Houses and hotels surrounded by pine trees line the road up to the market place. Roads are paved with cobblestones giving a very village kind of feeling to the place. Street food on carts littered the pavement, filling the place with exotic aroma. All kinds of native crafts were displayed in front of the stores. Looking gay and colorful.

As we walked around I noticed the strong presence of the military in the area. According to Sandy, Kasauli is a small cantonment area established by the British colonial as a hill station in 1842. It had become a popular vacation and retirement place for military personnel.

Breakfast at Pipli And Onwards

2008-06-27T04:35:00.000-07:00

Day 1 May 26,208 Delhi to Kasauli 286KM

I slumped on the seat as soon as we stopped over at Pipli. To my great relief the restaurant was clean and the restroom has western style toilet. Nadeem and I were nearly falling down our seat with sleepiness. The pain in his injured arm escalating. Only Sandy was alert and ordering breakfast for us. The food was good and reminds me of Filipino dish called "Empanada". Although barely able to swallow the food I tried to finish it as riding on an empty stomach would be the worst thing. After breakfast, Sandy tied the backpack I was carrying on the top of the red bag. He also made more space on the bike for me to sit on. The ride after this was very pleasant. The road was good and weather was getting cooler and cooler. I caught my self yawning once or twice. We did stop over for some tea on the road side dhaba because Nadeem said he was falling asleep while riding when we asked him why he was lagging so far behind. We reached Kasauli at about one in the afternoon. We stop by as nice restaurant over looking a cliff. " We can go farther up to Shimla after lunch I think. " I heard Sandy. " What?!" I blurted out. I read in the sign board that Shimla would be about 80 KM from there. I calculated the distance divided by hours. Oh no that would be atleast two to three more hours. I didn't want to be the bad guy but every muscle in body was aching. " I don't think I can ride anymore. " I said sulkily. Sandy looked at me. This was exactly what I didn't want to happen. I don't want to be the spoil sport on this trip. I told myself I will be as cooperative and helpful as possible. But just the mere thought of getting on the bike again for three more hours made my body ache in agitation. " Let's have lunch first and rest for an hour and let's see if we have the energy to go on." I ate my lunch silently without looking at Sandy. After finishing the meal I tried to close my eyes bracing myself for their decision. Nadeem and Sandy went to the balcony behind me and start whispering to each other. " But we can save a lot of time tomorrow if we continue to Shimla today." Sandy argued. " None of us have a decent sleep last night. I think it's best to rest here for now." I heard Nadeem said. " Only that we reach Kasauli so early that I am encouraged to ride more." Sandy answered and walked towards me. He was looking apologetic. " Alright, we'll start off for Shimla tomorrow." To my chagrin, after a half hour of rest I was indeed feeling better. I smiled at him and apologized for throwing a tantrum. He smiled and said he's sorry too for pushing me so hard. Back in good spirit we all started off for Kasauli.

And The Adventure Begins

2008-06-24T01:42:00.001-07:00

Day 1 May 26, 2008 Delhi to Kasauli 286 KM
We tried to get a shut eye at 8pm but it was impossible! Sandy and I kept tossing and turning in bed until it was 3 am and we had to get up. Sandy went down to the bike,saddled the cramsters on the rear seat and tied the red bag on the carrier with bungee cords.Meanwhile, I did a last minute check up of the house, turn off lights, gas and all electronic equipments. I can't do anything about the ref though, we tried to finish it's content but some food in the freezer was still left untouched. I locked up the house and found Nadeem already there,powered by pain killers. He said the pain was manageable and once he's on the bike he'll be alright. Sandy told me that the red bag was eating much on my seat, I bravely said it's alright. How's stupid of me. He gave me the backpack that I was about to carry. It was heavy, I over packed it.Warning bells sounded in my head but Ignored it. I thought that the weight of the back pack would fall on the red bag. Second big mistake that I would pay for later. After a few adjustment and some photo ops, we were on our way. We stopped at the nearby gas station to fill fuel. I saw Nadeem scribbling something on his notebook.

"Oh, make notes on our mileage also." Sandy told me. I looked at him dumbly.Huh?

After one hour we were out of Delhi and hitting the highway on Delhi by-pass. There was a huge dumpster on my right.I tried to stopped breathing until we passed it. Light was already spreading and the road was starting to fill up. When we went on a bumpy road, my suffering started. The bungee cords under my seat started biting into my behind. The towel over it does not help at all. Every time Sandy would break I would get pushed towards him and the loaded backpack added to the pressure. I then, realize that there was not enough left of the seat for me to sit on. I was sitting in the space between Sandy's seat and mine. The pressure not to fall into Sandy's back was putting a lot of strain on my legs and butt. Sandy kept asking if I am alright but as I don't want to be the cause of delay, I said yes and tried to suppress my discomfort. I waited patiently to reach our first stop. Sandy said that we should only stop after crossing Panipat because he wanted to avoid the infamous traffic jam that place is known for. I checked the road signs for the information about the distance .80 km more from where we were. I groaned inwardly. That's about one hour and more of penitence. When we were on the highway again I momentarily forget my discomfort. I tried to be still as Sandy hit the road at 110km per hour. I didn't realize how fast we were going until I would release my grip on Sandy's waist and found my arms fluttering like leaves in the wind. We were flying.I was enjoying the ride as the landscape changes rapidly before my eyes. Houses were replaced by lush plains and tall eucalyptus trees, freshly harvested haystacks, buffaloes grazing on the grass and locals on their daily chores. The breeze felt cooler and fresh. The joy of being out of the city.

" Is Nadeem behind?" Sandy asked. " No I don't see him." I last saw Nadeem 30 minutes ago when we got trapped in the convoy of big trucks. I didn't see him behind us as we skirted our way out of the jam.

Sandy pulled over on the side of the road.

"Let's wait for him." I unsaddled my self out of the bike. It was not an easy task. I had to lift my legs as high as I could. Getting off the bike and stretching my legs for a few minutes was a big relief. I related to my husband my predicament. He looked at me with pity and ruffled my hair. " Don't worry we'll fix that when we stop for breakfast, it's not very far now."

A few more minutes passed and still there was no sign of Nadeem.We started to get worried a little because of his condition. Sandy tried calling him but he was not picking up the call. W figured he was still riding. We decided to move on but when we reached Pipli Nadeem caught up with us. Sandy told him that we'll stop there for breakfast.

Pre Adventure Jitters

2008-06-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

Sandy and I had been married since August of last year but we started living together only on January of this year. I was in Philippines and he was in India. It took us sometime to finally decided where we would permanently reside. Since India offers an extreme variation of landscape we decided that our exploration should be begin there with occasional visits to the Philippines.

The top most destination on our list was a trip to Ladakh. Ever since I met my husband, he had been itching to go there on a bike. The place offers extreme adventure to the hilt. With variety of tough terrain to navigate on, especially before the summer season starts, when the snow begins to melt and before the government start rebuilding the road. They have to rebuild the road every year as each winter the roads gets buried in snow and gets corroded.

Although a lot of Sandy's friend had gone there, no one has gone with a pillion before. An extra rider would pose a major hurdle. With all the climbing on steep slopes and crossing of wild running water it can be dangerous for both the driver and the passenger. That's what Nadeem, a friend of ours has said when we proposed the idea to him. Scratching his beard thoughtfully, he doubted he would be able to guide us safely throughout the trip. It seemed like an intimidating undertaking. But Sandy and I were determined to go together. And I especially would not like to miss a chance to experience this adventure of a lifetime. So after convincing Nadeen to come with us, we them begin our preparation by researching about the place. We bought books and studied online several recounts of other riders who went there before. We studied the type of terrain and weather condition we will encounter along the way. What kind of hurdles, challenges and dangers that we might face. My husband likes to be prepared for everything. He would not like to risk our life for anything.

We got bought a very helpful book called, Driving Holidays in the Himalayas by Koko Sing. I gives all the detailed and helpful information on everything about the trip.

On the day before we were set to go, Nadeem and Sandy went to take their bikes for checkup which was very essential because our lives depends on the sturdiness of this bike. I, meanwhile was task with the last minute shopping of winter gears, like jackets and boots for the trip.

We met at Conaught Place or CP an old popular shopping complex in Delhi. After a dizzying trip to Nike, Rebook and Adidas looking for waterproof tops and bottoms we then proceeded to Woodland for water- impenetrable- boots. We didn't find any and got the next best thing.

"Well, see you later." I told Nadeem and we headed for home. Everything was packed and ready to go. Clothes to be used in the next day was laid down on top of the hamper and ready to be picked up and worn on the next morning.Every body has agreed that we will leave Delhi at four am. Nadeem wanted to wake up easy and leave at twelve noon but Sandy argued that it would be too hot to ride at that time.I merely kept quite but Sandy said I am welcome to add in to the confusion.Eventually Nadeem saw the wisdom in Sandy's argument and had agreed to leave at four am. We slept at eight pm to get enough sleep. But as we were about to get ready for bed, Sandy's phone rang.

"Oh no.Is it bad?" Sandy looked at me. My eyes widened.What's the matter now?
"We'll go there and take you to the hospital." he said.

"Nadeem had an accident." Sandy said after the call. We looked at each other.What now?
"Was it bad?" I asked. " He said , he's okay. He fell off the bike near his house. A dog suddenly crossed his path. He's hurt his arm." We fell into the bed staring at the ceiling. We felt like fire doused with water." He said we can go by ourselves, if he was feeling better he will join us later."After racking our brains of possibilities we decided to postpone the trip for a day and visit Nadeem on the next day to see how he is doing. But we decided to go on with the trip no matter what. The next day we stopped by Nadeem's place. He had a large gash on his right arm and his chest was hurting. He seem to be in a bad shape. But we told him we are willing to wait for him if he would be feeling better in a next few days.

We were still determined to go but felt a little bit low spirited that already one us has fallen just before the trip.But again, just as we were about to sleep, Nadeem messaged that he will go with us. Sandy and I looked at each other with wide smiles on our faces. Here we go!