The dark Nubra Valley and Camel with two humps

We started for Nubra valley by 10.30 and it was the first time that Karan was not grumbling at all. In fact for the first time I saw him smiling while we boarded the vechile. Probably he  was confident that despite our laziness he would be able to reach Nubra valley by 6 pm.

I started the discussion by reminding everybody that after we reached Nubra, we have to quickly freshen up and move to see the sand dunes and the so-called Camels with two humps, on the dunes of Nubra valley, in the evening.

Neeru was quite surprised when she saw me, probably first time, announcing the future programme, but then she quickly realised it could be because of the camels and their two humps. As I told about the camels, I looked at sally to invite expert comment from her. She responded immediately by saying that it would give her a chance to also see if she will sit between the two humps.

I told sally she ought to sit between two humps as otherwise it will leave her worked up. Neeru tried to stop the argument in a jiffy, and started giving moral gyaan that early in the morning, we must not start this kind of discussion.

Preeti as usual was red in face and was desperately thinking if her fiancee could call at that very moment, so that she can be busy talking to him, so as to reduce her embarrassment. Ria was sitting comfortably with me in the front seat, quelling all my fears that yesterday night’s events had not had much disturbing effects. Ria broke into a laughter and told sally to get 2 camels so that she could get 4 humps. Neeru could not say anything but her gesture suggested to me that she knew it was difficult to stop us from going on and on with our dark humour.

Karan was obviously concentrating on driving, not knowing, or bothered, why we were laughing the way we were. Anyway, by now he would have thought of us as the craziest group he ever handled in his life so far.The break journey happened at a food joint almost midway at around 1.45 pm and that gave us the idea that we could reach our destination by 5pm easily.As we started again after sometime we reached a bridge built by the Army and what was flowing below gave us a scare.We saw River Indus for the second time.

The first time we saw Indus outside Leh and there it was very wide and scattered and looked more lika a Nallah with lots of mud.Here it was narrow,filled with black soil,flowing with a roar.We got down on the bridge and a look downwards gave a chill in the spine.It seemed as if the river was pulling us towards her.It was more or less sure that if somebody fell from this bridge, was bound to be carried to god knows where, in a few minutes.One would only know where he/she would reach only if he was alive by that time.

Karan told us that while going back to sand dunes and camels,we would again cross this bridge as if it was a very vital news for us.I thanked him for the information to make him happy and he reciprocated with a smile as his six loose hairs of the classic moustache he was carrying on his lips started flowing with the wind.These tentacles of his always titillated me whenever he smiled.

We actually reached by 4.30 pm at Nubra valley and Karan gave us the bad news with a big grin on his face. I sometimes thought Karan probably could not realise what to do, and when. Or maybe he was getting ready to enjoy the frowns on our faces or even concern as the news was supposed to generate. He told us that this place Nubra has power only for 2 hours from 6-8 pm as electricity was scarce. After 8 the generator was run for an hour. The proprietor of the hotel had ensured there was only enough diesel to ensure the generator ran an hour or less. The biggest frustration was that all the while when power was there we will be off to dunes and to see camels. And with two humps on that.

Once we came back we would have to have dinner quickly and survive on Candle light there after. God,we never ever imagined that there was a town like this still in our country.At six as the town received power,we started for the dunes.It was not far away and we reached in half an hour. Surprisingly the place had no power whatsoever. But with the moonlight the dunes appeared very sexy and the absence of electricity was not a constraint, I thought.

Straightaway we first went to see the camels as Sally was most curious and all along the way, off and on, she was talking about the humps, and I and Ria were taking it forward. Now of course Neeru was also laughing and sporting as it was evening and she had become less resistant because of the journey also. Preeti was talking to her hubby for longer period to keep out of the humpy discussion. She couldn’t do anything else also.

We went to see the camels and once we saw them,it seemed,the animals looked too humped,underfed ,ugly and dirty.It was a complete anticlimax of the sorts for us.Still I and neeru took the courage of going to the persons who were the owners of these poor animals.The persons looked wicked and they were looking all the while towards Neeru with a hint of lust gleaming in their eyes, distinctly visible to me in the big bonfire they had created.

I discussed the rates and they told Rs 500 for 1 km trip or one hour whichever was earlier.That was too steep and as we neared the animals we could sense an odour emanating from them which suggested they were not cleaned for days,may be months.The poor animals really looked bad.We came back and broke the news first to sally that she could not sit between humps as the whole bunch of animals and their owners looked humped, and badly humped at that.

And the idea of sitting between the humps, was cancelled and instead we went towards the dunes. These were actually not sand dunes as claimed. They were actually remains of a river, which had probably seen flood, and than dried up in subsequent years. The contours suggested this, and a local person loitering around confirmed this, to us. Neeru, Preeti and sally felt they would take a walk on the dunes while I and Ria felt we will sit on the dunes.

After the trio were slightly away, Ria took off her jacket and lied down on the dunes. She was yawning as she lay down on the dunes.  Her eyes looking at me as if inviting me to lie beside her. We were lying there bathing in the pure moonlight for an hour. We sort of dozed off for some time. It was Neeru shouting to us that they were changing the route, and going directly from the last point, towards the vehicle directly. The voice of Neeru was enough for us to stage a climbdown.

We reached back to Nubra by around 9.30 pm and obviously it was a candlelight dinner for us. But the staff and hotel were very courteous and patient and the Chinese food which they prepared was one of the finest Chinese food I ever had.We were full of praises for them and their hospitality as they went about arranging 2 candles for each of our rooms.

After 15 minutes the candles also went out and we sneaked into the bed as the place was becoming colder by the minutes. For a change we all slept together in one room that night. After a while Ria told me, she wanted to go to the loo. I asked her to sit on the window and do it. In such cold it was impossible to move out with a candle to facilitate her. And there was hardly anyone inside or outside the room to interrupt her performance from the window. We slept tightly wrapped in our blankets and dreams.