I should have died on top of Baralacha la pass, but for some reason I'm still alive.
It was yet another ride, with just me, the bike and the mountains. There're no people around. I asked myself, where have the people gone? Weather was harsh. It was hot and dry during daytime and freezing cold in the night.
Second time I'm caught up in a mountain pass. This time it is Baralacha la pass. The oxygen was very low. I was fighting every second to keep myself alive, breathing with my mouth wide open. Biking was another challenge. Forget biking, it was hard for me even to walk and push the bike. I couldn't walk 10 steps while ascending to Baralacha la. My body was cursing my mind.
As I reached Baralacha la it was pitch dark. I couldn't see a thing. The place seemed haunted and I felt so lonely. My palm and feet had gone numb; I couldn't feel them. I had no energy whatsoever to pitch my tent on the pass. I had no energy left to walk or bike. I stood in the pass holding my bike, not knowing what to do.
My body had almost given up. I was freezing and my body was ready to die. I started to remember my past life, but I never cried. I felt I had a good life and yes, I have nothing more to do. All my wishes have come true. The last dream being cycling 3000km from South of India to Himalayas and I had already completed 3000km.
Amidst all this emotion rushing through me, with my body ready to die, my mind had some other plans. My mind still wanted to keep me alive and had not given up yet. I felt energy coming back to my legs and I walked few steps to see a light blinking far away. At this moment I remembered, what the local guy said to me, while having lunch at base of Baralacha la. I recollected him saying to me, If you reach top of Baralacha la, there is a camping tent, run by a family, a little further down. He was not sure if the camp was already closed.
As I saw the light blinking once again, I got on to my bike to hit the downhill. I couldn't see a thing, but aimed for the place where the light was blinking. I was rolling down reaching out for my life; perhaps the last survival instinct of my body. It was last chance for me. If I find a camp at the place where the light was coming from, I could live. Finally I reached the place and saw that it was a camp. I kept the bike aside and rushed into the camp. There were people warming themselves up by reaching their palm to the fire. I was shivering and couldn't speak out a word to them. I think they knew exactly what had happened to me and asked me to bring my hands on top of fire, to make my body warm. I got my life back, I survived for some reason.
Next day morning, I woke up to find that it was the last working day of the camp and people were bringing down their camp and moving back to their home town. I just thought, If I had been late by a day, I would have died on top of Baralacha la.
I went check to my bicycle and found that water in bottle was frozen, which reminded of what would have happened to me last night; I would have frozen to death.
Risen from the almost dead and carrying all this thought in my mind, I reached Leh, my final destination of this trip. I was done with biking, I was done with my little dream of cycling 3000km from Bangalore to Himalyas.
It was yet another ride, with just me, the bike and the mountains. There're no people around. I asked myself, where have the people gone? Weather was harsh. It was hot and dry during daytime and freezing cold in the night.
Second time I'm caught up in a mountain pass. This time it is Baralacha la pass. The oxygen was very low. I was fighting every second to keep myself alive, breathing with my mouth wide open. Biking was another challenge. Forget biking, it was hard for me even to walk and push the bike. I couldn't walk 10 steps while ascending to Baralacha la. My body was cursing my mind.
As I reached Baralacha la it was pitch dark. I couldn't see a thing. The place seemed haunted and I felt so lonely. My palm and feet had gone numb; I couldn't feel them. I had no energy whatsoever to pitch my tent on the pass. I had no energy left to walk or bike. I stood in the pass holding my bike, not knowing what to do.
My body had almost given up. I was freezing and my body was ready to die. I started to remember my past life, but I never cried. I felt I had a good life and yes, I have nothing more to do. All my wishes have come true. The last dream being cycling 3000km from South of India to Himalayas and I had already completed 3000km.
Amidst all this emotion rushing through me, with my body ready to die, my mind had some other plans. My mind still wanted to keep me alive and had not given up yet. I felt energy coming back to my legs and I walked few steps to see a light blinking far away. At this moment I remembered, what the local guy said to me, while having lunch at base of Baralacha la. I recollected him saying to me, If you reach top of Baralacha la, there is a camping tent, run by a family, a little further down. He was not sure if the camp was already closed.
As I saw the light blinking once again, I got on to my bike to hit the downhill. I couldn't see a thing, but aimed for the place where the light was blinking. I was rolling down reaching out for my life; perhaps the last survival instinct of my body. It was last chance for me. If I find a camp at the place where the light was coming from, I could live. Finally I reached the place and saw that it was a camp. I kept the bike aside and rushed into the camp. There were people warming themselves up by reaching their palm to the fire. I was shivering and couldn't speak out a word to them. I think they knew exactly what had happened to me and asked me to bring my hands on top of fire, to make my body warm. I got my life back, I survived for some reason.
Next day morning, I woke up to find that it was the last working day of the camp and people were bringing down their camp and moving back to their home town. I just thought, If I had been late by a day, I would have died on top of Baralacha la.
I went check to my bicycle and found that water in bottle was frozen, which reminded of what would have happened to me last night; I would have frozen to death.
Risen from the almost dead and carrying all this thought in my mind, I reached Leh, my final destination of this trip. I was done with biking, I was done with my little dream of cycling 3000km from Bangalore to Himalyas.
