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Published: June 25th 2017
Himachal Pradesh June 2017 “...the freedom of awakening is a relative freedom
from the constraints of self-centered confusion and turmoil,
from the craving for a fixed identity,
from the compulsion to contrive a perfect situation,
from identification with preconceived opinions, and
from the anguish that originates from such attachments. …..The freedom of awakening is grounded in the cessation of craving. Such freedom is possible because the changing, contingent, ambiguous, and creative character of reality is
by its very nature free.
Stephen Batchelor 'Buddhism without Belief' I am on the last leg of my trip. And the last blog of this series.
What lays before presents a mind and courage challenge for me, as I have bad memories of coming on this part of the road the other way 7 years ago and being a little freaked out. And then too, I was talking to some guys in Mudh who were saying how bad it was going to be... that the water crossings in particular would be deep and strong flowing at this time of year due to
the ice-melt. So I leave Losar with some trepidation... but then I tell myself that it will be fine... I have done it before and I also note all the bikes and cars and buses coming from that direction who seem intact.
I have my two sturdy duty-free bags and tying strings ready (it's hard to find good strong plastic bags in India and in Himachal plastic is now banned for giving as shopping bags). My friend Mark who came with me on this trip in 2010 will well remember me wrapped up to the knees for the water crossings. I just don't enjoy getting my socks wet.
First Kunzum Pass... noted to be one of the more dangerous pass roads anywhere. But this does not worry me... my memory of the pass is that it was pretty easy going. And again I find it so. Mind you, it is 4,590 metres above sea level and in winter months is mostly closed due to rock slides and ice and snow. But in June I find it quite manageable and I am blessed with clear skies and sunshine at the top where the views are
magnificent. It's what lays beyond that pass that had me anxious.
The next 40 km frrom Batal to Grampho has around 6 water crossings deep enough and turbulent enough to not be able to see the lay of the rocks on the bottom. So crossing them is a matter of blind faith mixed with determination (and throttle) and the odd leg stretched out on a visible rock to balance the bike and avoid dropping it (which would be pretty hard to recover from).
Then there are the short stretches where whoever made the road surface forgot to crush the rock (OK... I get it... this is high rugged terrain open to extreme weather in winter). Here you have 5 to 10 metres of huge boulders to traverse. Throttle and both legs out is the trick. I have no idea how a bus gets through this, let alone the little city street cars that I have seen out here pretending they are off-road touring vehicles.
I eventually make it to Chhatru for a lunch stop, still 17 km from Grampho. It has taken me now 5 hours to travel 55
km from Losar. A funny thing happens here (well to me anyway). I go behind the
dhaba and join one of the staff there to take a pee. From a family wagon vehicle parked to the side of the
dhaba comes the voice of an 8 year old kid saying “bad manners uncle”. I am so amused … given the amount of outside toileting in India and the lack of toilets in many places.. and here we are in the middle of nowhere. Anyway I look for plastic rubbish around the vehicle (from chip and lollie and biscuit packets .. the scourge of India these days)... to make some smart comeback to the kid about real bad manners. Why do I bother setting myself up as 'he who will teach right ways'? I smile and return to the
dhaba.
The 17 km to Grampho takes me a further hour, and includes climbing up to the Manali-Leh road. When I finally emerge onto that road it is such an amazing contrast. I leave a dirt funneled track that has no marked entry point onto a smooth wide bitumen tarmac. It's a short-lived treat. Soon that road too becomes
rock and funnels and mud for at least 20 km. Then I start to hit the better road again for the smooth sailing down to Manali. However, it is packed with traffic... Indian tourists on a day trip to the top of Rhotang Pass, all adorned in hired snow suits to experience (many for the first time in their life) snow.
I finally arrive in Vashist (just 6 km from Manali) having come 140 km in 8 hours.
Vashist is a small village clinging to the side of the Manali valley and has a beautiful old temple with hot-spring bath courtyards attached. While long ago a classic hippie hang out, it is now an Indian tourist mecca and still also attracts backpackers too. I have decided to spend a couple of nights here to recover from the trip and take full advantage of the hot-springs. Only I stupidly start doing stretches while in the very hot water... and somehow manage to pinch a nerve in my lower left back... sciatica develops... but not bad enough at first to stop me getting back to my house in Sojha. Then I am house ridden for 2
days before the pain eases and some mobility returns. Hm.... interesting way to finish this trip.
But all good... in the end. And a reminder to never take good health for granted.
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Patricia D Hayward
non-member comment
Never take good health for granted
There is something ironic about undertaking a trip of the nature of yours and the only injury being a pinched nerve from doing stretches in hot water at the end. I can't imagine why that was "stupid". Would stretches while one was very cold been any safer? I read this post while in Alfred's Imaging, spending an hour consuming a liquid every ten minutes. It's a year since my Whipple Procedure. The pathology of the cancer mass on the pancreas was so rare - and so low risk - that all I have to do is go through this procedure once a year to check that no new Gastro Intestinal Stromal Tumours have appeared anywhere.