Long journey to Leh

Our worthy pilot was cleaning his Qualis and as he saw me, he started by saying that today’s journey would be the longest and the toughest almost a 225 kms stretch to be covered in a single day. We would, therefore need to quickly wrap up and start by 6 am. He was about to talk of stones and water when I took leave from him with the excuse that I would call everybody fast. Karan looked disappointed to have been interrupted on the verge of using his favourite line. But for the sake of leaving early he did not mind this time.

Neeru called us all to take a group photograph with Sundarji and his team, who had been so nice in extending hospitality to all of us in a middle of nowhere place like Sarchu. Even those guys were very touched with this stance and were so very cheerful as they stood with us for a group photo.

 It was a rare quality which I saw in Neeru, which I admired always but could never emamulate in myself. She thought of these little things which make so much difference to your lives and more so to the others around you. She is what she is, I thought. Lovely & understanding.

As we started our journey towards Leh, Neeru insisted that I sit next to her as She was feeling a bit uneasy about what was happening between me and Ria (this she thought), probably also a bit unhappy because she was so possessive about her brother.

For so many years when we were together, whenever Neeru or I felt uncomfortable, we spent long hours together, sometimes the whole night, discussing, agreeing, disagreeing but in the end making finger chips and tea before we slept in the wee hours. She told me very sarcastically that she had seen me eager to board the front seat to share it with Ria, but sometimes I must also care about her.

I looked around quickly to see if Ria had heard that but was relieved to see her talking to Karan. Must be something to do with rocks and water only. One could be very secure leaving his girlfriend with Karan because he would spend the night telling her about different types of rocks and water he had seen in his lifetime. He   could not do anything better than that. For him anything hard was rock and liquid was water, I thought.

As we went through the journey towards Leh, we passed 2 mountain passes. I can remember one Tangla-la (la means mountain pass in ladakhi), As Karan was explaining us that there were many such passes, he was naming some like Tangla-la, khardung-la, etc, I asked him if there was something called tak-la(a bald man in hindi). Initially he gave me a very disapproving look but than he laughed, without still understanding, as he saw the whole group laughing. Karan was sweet in most of his habits except when he started talking about hurrying to reach another destination followed up with paani and patthar, his lifetime companions.

The mountains along our way were so beautiful in colour that it seemed somebody had coloured them only yesterday. We had never seen mountains of different colours in our lives. Karan told us that all thanka paintings in Tibet were made with colours made by crushing rocks from these mountains only.

The rocks from the mountains were carried by people on order from the king and different colour rocks were taken and crushed to make the colours to be applied to the paintings. Most of the paintings in all Monastries across the world are thanka paintings made of the colour derived by crushing the rocks. That is the reason after almost 1000 years or more they still retain their colour. It was completely a new thing to know, though all of us were silent when he was talking about crushing process of stones as nobody wanted to risk a patthar and paani coming into his logic suddenly from nowhere. Afterall it was a long and tiring drive into numerous landscapes changing every hour as we moved on.

Suddenly in the next few kilometers hills were gone as we descended into a plain road which led us to vast barren desert. Karan told us that this region had wild horses and as he told us we could spot two of them. The girls jumped around in the vehicle and asked Karan to stop immediately. Another photo session went on for the next 20 minutes with the horses. Every horse has its day, I thought.

As we started again in another hour or so we reached a Gypsy village. Karan told us that these Gypsies earned their livelihood by barter trade from other places. We thought of them as Banjaras (Gypsies in Rajasthan). But as Karan stopped near a house we could see these gypsies were different. They wore shabby clothes but every house had a Maruti Gypsy in front of the house. Some even had a Tata 407 along with Gypsy too.

The kind of gold the women wore only in their ears and hands was more than what women in our geography wore from head to toe. Rich gypsies, these guys, I thought. They also had a few yaks in each home. We went inside their house and were chatting with them as Sally got a weird idea of sitting on the Yak and get photographed. Neeru went with her for the ritual as I and Ria sat near the gypsy lady. Sometime later both came back disappointed as the smell of the Yak was unbearable, told Sally.

After an hour spent with the gypsies, we boarded our quails to move on as the way was long and we needed to reach the nearest town situated on the Leh-srinagar highway. From there it was a smooth ride to Leh.

In only 40 kilometers we were again on the top of mountains and snow next to the road and such a change in landscape in such short distance was an amazing experience for all of us. We came across a high pass once again leading us downwards towards the town where we would meet the highway.

As we approached the first town around 45 kms from Leh, it Was such a relief after being through empty hills and desert during the drive. We had some snacks at the town before starting our journey on a well laid out road by the army. Neeru and sally had to relieve themselves but fortunately there was toilet near the hotel where we stopped. After returning from the toilet Neeru vomited as the toilet was very dirty.

In the mean time I and Preeti ordered snacks as Ria was again planning to have a photo shoot with her jacket off and small top moved up to the extent to give good view of her navel. I reminded her that the other group was not in sight and oxygen cylinder may be difficuilt to fetch. She then agreed to cancel the session, though she was a bit disappointed.

Karan on his part, was also cool now as he knew he was bang on time to hit the highway and from here the route would be smooth and he would land us at Leh on time. He did not even once knock us regarding getting late or his favourite two objects for a pleasant change.

It was such a relief to be on the highway, even if it was 45 kms. The 180 kms or more with bumps almost like humps gave way to a smooth and silky drive along Indus river. Indus with its dark black water (water mixed with silt and mud) was flowing all along with us as we moved towards our destination. We reached Leh by early evening despite starting late only because Karan did allow us the luxury of stopping more then 30 minutes at any place.

We had booking in a hotel at a place near called Sheh. It was around 10 kms before Leh on the highway. The place was around seven kms ahead of Leh and the hotel was Sheh palace. The road which we were trudging went all the way to Srinagar via Kargil and Drass, another route to Leh from the other side, which we thought, we will take up sometime in future. The hotel as decent and beautifully lighted and looked gorgeous from the outside.

We went to our rooms straight away. All along I did get chance to talk to Ria, but under watchful eyes of Neeru and Sally following us everywhere. A snap or two were also being taken at an opportune moment when we were together, hand in hand, by Sally who was carrying her camera and continuously capturing all the moments with her great photography skills.

In the evening there was a cultural programme of the Ladakhis. It was such a mesmerising local cultural programme by local ladakhi men and women. The dancers danced with such a rhythm supported by local instruments and singers and their steps falling on the grass so smoothly as if they were dancing on the clouds.

I and Ria shared a couple of drinks to bring down our tiredness. We were huddled closely while the programme was on as lights were dim and that gave us opportunity to be together and cosy. It was a natural desire setting in and this was the only time,in the evening,when we could be closer as we had different rooms to stay. Neeru was enjoying the dance the most, and one point of time,as she was invited,danced with the group also.

We went for dinner after the programme and got into our respective rooms.Sally got asleep fast but I and Neeru despite being so tired talked for almost 2 hrs before the sleep got the better of us. Neeru was naughty that night after drinks and even Preeti could have sensed something fishy about me and Ria. Only I was the one who know that there was nothing of this sort and we were having a good time because of the chemistry only.There was nothing like lust in our relationship.

Neeru asked me not to give too much gyaan. She told me that all along the way she was observing both of us and the chemistry between us. I told her that my chemistry with her was the best and everybody else was second to her. She looked at me, smiled, and told me maybe lately things had changed a bit. I again re-emphasise the relation we shared and thereafter we talked about many other things and this topic of my new  found closeness with Ria, was put back for the moment.

My eyes were now giving way, I wanted to sleep finally as it was already 2 am and Ria would wake up at 5 am. I did not want to miss the morning walk with her the next day as suggested by her. The next day rather morning held a special place in my programme. After all we would be alone on a trail. How exciting could it be. I thought about it as I fell sleep instantly.