The Incident

It was a day just like any other. Nothing special, nothing great. Yes it was a Friday so there was the weekend to look forward to. He got up, caffeinated himself, hit the gym, came back, showered, dressed up, had breakfast and left for work. Nothing unusual, just the same mundane routine. Reaching the station he parked his bike and quickly made his way to the platform just before the train could pull into the station.

He managed to get into it, and as it was just about peak hours, the compartment was packed like a can of sardines. He slowly tried to make his way towards the side he needed to get off. He heard a voice from behind asking him if he was getting off at a particular station, a thing that people normally did, to which he nodded and as a habit asked the one in front the same. He stood there holding on to the handles, while holding onto an umbrella in the other.

He felt a crotch next to his ass, nothing that he had not felt before when traveling by a crowded local. As the the train moved he could feel it move as if it was dry humping him from behind, making him a bit uncomfortable. He tried to wriggle way out of the position, but the crowd around him would have none of it. So he stood in the same place hoping it was just an unfortunate and awkward situation. A moment later he could feel fingers caressing his, the one that he was holding onto his umbrella with. He thought it was just his over enthusiastic imagination playing with his mind. So he sort to ignore it and get back to his chain of thoughts.

Now the hand began caressing his sides, brushing against his butt, much to his annoyance, much to his disgust. He should have turned around and have created a ruckus, slapped the person and should have made a scene. But for some reason he was stunned, just frozen in the spot. He didn’t consent and was not at all comfortable with what transpired. 

He tried to jam the hand, push it back, even glancing sidewards so as to show that the antics didn’t pleased him one bit, not necessarily trying to get a glance of the person behind him. Now emboldened, the hand made its way across his hip and close to tighs, pressing  it, trying to reach further, if he hadn’t pushed it away it would have been pressing against his privates. He could feel a breath on the back of his neck, a movement that made him uncomfortable, disgusted. 

For his luck his station came, and he hurried away to the exit, actually he didn’t have to do anything, the crowds just pushed him out. He had this disgusted sick feeling, he just wanted to get away from there. He was furious with himself for not reacting, for letting this happen. He quickly took the bridge, not looking back, to trying to glance at the pervert that had in a way defiled him and left him feeling disgusted.

The toothache escalation

Dear toothache 

You bringer of pain

Driving us insane 

Are you mad or blind

Or just viciously unkind 

Like an unwanted guest

You come uninvited

Overstaying your welcome 

Refusing to go

Like a squatter

You illegally make your home

In our poor tooth

Making us have to

Painfully try to evict you

For a backache you apply balm

And use a hot and cold compress

For a knee pain you apply a spray

Take an inflammatory medication 

And you’re good to go again

You do the same

When a headache bothers you

But what do you do

When you have a stubborn toothache 

You can take painkillers

And apply some cloves

But when their affects wears off

It back to square one

And if that wasn’t enough

You recruit other parts

In your evil scheme

Of tormenting the life out of us

All leading to a visit to the dentist

To be seated on chair

That’s no less a torture 

Like sitting on the iron throne

The only thing different

Is the blades are your toothache

So you have the drilling

And the injecting

The x-rays and the root canals

And the bridges, implants and filling

And if gall doesn’t work

Then it means a painful extraction 

With eating ice cream 

The only positive outcome

Of a painful procedure 

So in the end you have your brains

Scrambled and numbed by pain

There’s a fire in your mouth

That burns a huge hole in your pocket

Oh toothache

You are made and blind

So cruelly unkind

Driving the poor us insane

The Boy, the Road and the Rain

You stir before the crack dawn

Waking up groggily at four in the morn

Your try to catch that extra sleep

Cause you feel too bored to hit the street

But then reluctantly make up your mind

So after the coffee is drunk

And you’ve taken a dump

You dress up, you lace up

And after some stretches and warm ups

You’re off at a comfortable pace

Cause you’re sore from legs day the day before

So you make a conscious effort

To ensure you run slow

And not look like a robot 

who has taken to the street

You feel  a drizzle on your face

Still you continue go at your own pace

Now the drizzle is a downpour

But still you continue to go

Letting the rain soak you to the bone

A solitary figure on the road

Before the break of dawn

The small little streamlets

Have turned to flowing streams

Your splash and you splosh

As you make dash through the rain

Trying to dodge the puddles

Or vehicles that splash they go by

Should your shoes soak in the water 

Wetting your socks

Leading to possible blisters 

But then the rain has a liberating feeling

Sets your spirit free

Unhiding all that was hidden

Like Mandakini’s wet saree

Your soaked clothes clings to your curves

Bringing forth a paunch

That you denied was ever there

But the rain sets your free

Letting all the pain that you feel

Act as fuel for you feet

Propelling you on, on that rainy morn

On the lighted but lonely street

Running to the beat of your heartbeat

And the patter of the rains

Like natures music  to your ears

Never letting you be lonely and alone 

It has way of wiping your tears

And hiding it from the world

So you are grateful for the rains

For keeping you cool, calm and relaxed 

Not letting you overheat

From the silly thoughts that you keep

Playing on and on in your mind

Letting you enjoy run

Setting your heart and spirit free

So you run and you run

To the point where you come

To the distance you wanted to cover

To the point where it all started

Grateful that you woke up that early morn

Before the day was even born

To take to the street

The boy, the rain and the road

Do the Gods Discriminate?

Do the Gods discriminate?  Do they have differential system in the way they treat their devotees, in the way they perceive the world? Well no matter what the world tells you, what society at large tells you, the Gods don’t discriminate, and neither are they condescending or judgemental.

They really don’t care who you are, or even where you are form, or what you did, as long as what you do comes from your heart and is pure and unconditional. They are not bothered about your background, or your social status, your gender, size, religion, political leaning, or even your preferences, your orientation. It doesn’t matter if your black or white, rich or poor, big or small, gay or straight, you have all the rights to believe in the divine (if you choose to believe in a higher being), you have all the right to worship the way you were meant to worship.

Gods don’t discriminate. They listen to the prays of the poor, accept their offerings as they listen to the prays of the rich, there’s no preferential treatment. They don’t care if you come to them in all silken finery, or your torn and tattered clothing. They see all as equal, all as one. 

Gods are all tolerant, they accept a repentant heart, as much as a pure of heart. They are more accepting, they don’t care about who you choose to love. They don’t judge you for that, they don’t forbade you. Cause Gods divine nature is love. All the judging and forbading is done by society.

They don’t care of your gender. A woman has every right to worship as man. A woman’s menstrual cycle doesn’t make her impure or unclean. This is nature’s law and nature is a form of the divine. So how can we call the divine impure (this is just my thoughts).

You can be holier than thou, offering prayers, following all the tenets that religions say you should follow, but still be impure of heart. Cause such a person is condescending, judgemental, intolerant, unaccepting, especially in things that go against their beliefs. Where’s the purity in this? Wouldn’t this make us hypocrites?

Let no one, no being tell you that you can’t. You will find  more non-Christian than Christians at Mount Mary and St Michaels paying devotion to Mother Mary for their belief in her. You will find non-Hindus joining their Hindu brethren in celebrating festivals like Holi, Diwali, Ganesh Chathurthi. Same for Eid. It is only society and evil that men do, that bring a divide, that become intolerant. 

So in the end, if someone tells you that you can’t worship, because of who you are, just call their BS.

Ladakh Diaries: Conclusion - The flight back home

7 days that were meant to be days to acclimatise oneself to the weather, to the condition, before the race, became a vacation. Seven days spent taking in the sights and culture that the place had to offer, creating memories to be etched in the mind forever, like photographs hung on the walls of our soul, our mind, all culminating into one memorable run, one beautiful celebration of life, bringing friends closer, making bonds more than just about running. In short what was meant to be about acclimatising, became a Runncation. 

But now that the race had been run it was time to return back home. It was time to return back to life we have left behind, the life we had forgotten while we lived in the laps of the mountains, enjoying its hospitality, enjoying its beauty. We saw monasteries and palaces and schools, drove on the highest motorable road, through mountain passes, been to valleys, seen a beautiful lake, some rode ATBs, some rode camels, some even went rafting, besides running a Half Marathon. But now it was time to return home.

As we sat in the cab that drove us to airport, we all knew that we all had memories that would stay with us forever, grateful for the bonding, grateful for each other’s company, knowing that we would not have this trip any other way.

The first leg of the journey back home had all of us together, all of us on the same flight that would take us to the capital of the country. We stood there wondering if we were in the right line, if our baggages, which were now filled with souvenirs that we would take back to our families and friends, hoping that it wasn’t overweight. And once the luggage had been checked-in, animatedly talking to one another over a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, a cup-a-noodles. 

Reaching the capital we kind of dispersed to catch our respective flights. Though our destination was the same, our means to get there were different. But we hoped we could once again catch up at another airport and head home together, if possible, cause a bandh (the nth number called during the year) kind of threatened our journey home.

Now an airport transit almost cost mom and my flight. So as we waited and waited and I fumed and calculated, wondering if I should have taken another mode of transportation (as we had a pretty comfortable cushion when we landed). But waiting for that bus saw that window narrow, leaving us on tenter hooks to make our connection on time (god this sounds like pages right out of the script for the Amazing Race). 

Finally the bus arrived and we got there in very nick of time, with the airline literally giving  the final call. The second leg involved the mystery of the leaky plane, where the poor attendant tried in wain, to find from where the water leaked, finally settling the passengers in a different seat, but not before removing all the carry on luggage from the overhead bin and lining it tissue papers and then putting it all back but still unable to find that leak. A small amusement to distract yourself from the horror of a toothache that once again decided to haunt you.

Landing home it was a search to get a cab to take us home, and after cancelling almost three cabs (and being canceled too) finally found one, after waiting for almost over 30 minutes. So we finally made it back home, after being over seven days from it, back to the life we know, but with a heart and mind full of sweet memories, grateful to all who made the trip possible, who made the trip a memorable one.

Ladakh Diaries: The Birthdaywala Run

I’ll be honest here, Ladakh was never on my bucket list of places to run. Didn’t think myself as capable of running in a place like Ladakh (it overwhelmed me), didn’t think I would have the time and finance to spend acclimatising and staying there. But what attracted me to it was that date. Seeing that date made everything else click, all the chips to fall in place. What was meant to be a run, became a short vacation, a Runncation, for both mom and me.

No matter what I did, no matter how many time I ran up and down Gandhi Tekadi, even reaching a couple of days earlier to acclimatise to the weather, nothing could prepare for me for the challenge of running in Ladakh. A friend even suggested trying running in a oxygen deprivated chamber. I knew I would be able to navigate the downhill (as if it was rocket science) but it was uphills that took my breath away. So in short, the race was meant to be experienced, to be enjoyed, to be soaked in.

Come race day and sleep seemed to have deserted me. Maybe it was the excited nervousness, he pre-race jitters, or maybe it was the fact that race day also happened to be my birthday and was responding to messages, or maybe it was a toothache that was irritating me, not letting me sleep.

Somehow made it through the night and found myself at the holding area with my fellow runners, friends. It was time to click those pre-race selfies and wish everyone well. In a very brilliant coincidental way, runners from Malad seemed to have a sequential bibs. So Sopan was 6000, his wife Ami was 6001, Prerna was 6002, Jaj’s 6003 and mine 6004. 

After all the hugs and wishes (no kisses) and back slapping and nervous joking, it was off down a road that rose and fell with every ebb and flow, like the beating of the heart with it highs and lows, telling you that you are alive and running, commanding you to rise to the challenge. The route twisted and turned, left you mesmerised, left you in awe. Where else would you have the opportunity to run among mountains covered with snow, covered with clouds, a sight to behold, a breathtaking sight. Every minute needed to be soaked in, every minute needed to be experienced, and all of it didn’t seemed laboured. 

You ran freely, all the fears of breathing problem seemed for naught. All those feeling of breathlessness that you felt when you ran the previous days, seemed to have passed. You ran, you walked, when you needed to, and didn’t mind. Guess you finally relaxed and soaked in the experience of running amongst the mountains, amongst people of different nationalities, different genders, different ages, different physicalities, different backgrounds and social status, but all bound by one common thread. Each and everyone who were on the road that day, were runners, amateur, elite, Ladakhi, hobbyists, first-timers, all runners with the same running spirit burning within each of them.

You cheered your friends on, when you saw them, you cheered every runner who needed cheering, who needed that extra support, that extra push. You did your best to smile and not look so stressed or tensed, to relax as you navigated through every incline, cheering every runners, as much as you required their support in return, which you got in return. You were a brotherhood/sisterhood of runners.

Now around the 16th km I saw my friend Pinto standing there, waiting for us, cheering us on, encouraging us, pacing us, cheerfully clicking us as he ran with us. Now Pinto had run the treacherous Khardung La challenge two days ago. He could have just waited for us at the finish line and cheered us on, but he came down 5 kms to pace us and give us the boost we needed. This indeed is what the running spirit is all about, but most importantly spoke volumes of the gem Pinto is. 

Though the finish was in sight, had to walk it off, jog to the finish line, unlike the sprints I love to do, cause the last 5kms were on inclines, gradual at first, a bit more challenging for the rest of the way. So crossing that finish line was a triumph in itself, a joyful, momentous feeling, the perfect birthday gift to yourself. 

So now that you had crossed the finish line it time to cheer people on, to bring your friends home. Since Pooja was right behind me we immediately congratulated each other, and started clicking pictures. Then came Sanjay and then we found Jaj too completed his run. We went back to the finish line to pace Prerna, who was running her first marathon of the year, after an injury break. So we got Sopan across the finish line, then Asha. Ami came along and finished strong. Ajaneya insisted at finishing at his on pace. Now we began to worry if Prerna had not indeed completed the race, cause when we last saw her on the route she was ahead of all of them. 

Last we saw was Viral and Apeksha making their to the finish line. Now Viral was doing his first half marathon on a route like Ladakh was commendable, but having Apeksha by his side no route seemed so tough that it couldn’t be overcome. They showed us what true love was meant to be and gave us a memory to cherish for all eternity.

Finally when we walked to the finish line, as racers slowly completed their races, we met Prerna there. She has completed her run a long time back. So now that we all had completed our run, it was time to indulge in the post race shenanigans. We clicked pictures, took selfies, danced to Hindi music and even Ladakhi song, following the steps of the Local youth.

Once done we headed back to the guesthouse for a quick change and head for a beer and biryani party by runners, for runners, to celebrate running and the spirit of running. So I finally got to wear the clothes I picked for my birthday. But not before fighting back the dreadful toothache that reared it’s ugly head again. So once again we clicked pictures and headed to the party where we greeted congratulated and took even more pictures.

Now in the evening, we planned to have a quite celebration amongst ourselves, and those who could join us. As Prerna and Jaj went to find a birthday cake for me, I asked Sanjay to take my mom to the place we were going for dinner. As I walked towards the the market to find a chemist, it began to drizzle. As the air became cooler, I found myself thinking that it would be more easier to run a full than to walk in the rain with that pain.

After finally finding a chemist (actually, the second one) I made the journey back in the drizzle but the pain finally subsiding. I found my mom and my friend seated on a cushioned floor covering themselves warm blankets. They weren’t able to get a proper birthday cake but in its place they’ve got carrot cake. Now when you say carrot cake it reminds me of the time they replaced Phoebe’s name with it on the board outside Central Perk. But the cake tasted more delicious than  any cake I had ever tasted, cause it was filled with love of mum and friend (and though I missed many of those who were not there at that moment but were with me in my thoughts and heart). So as they sang for me, the people in the adjoining tables to chimed in, much to my delight and a bit embarrassment, I dug into the cake and gave a piece to my mum and then Prerna and to all of them. 

It was wonderfully delightful way to bring a close to a  what I can only call a day the way I would have wanted it (except for the toothache). But now it was time to get back to reality and life, after being in heavens and in the laps of the mountains. But for that one last night, I would forget all that is to come, savour the moment, savour the memories I had just made.

Ladakh Diaries: The shopping adventure

One day more (or one night more)

Another day (or night)

Another destiny

I am running tomorrow morning

I will be starting 6:30 am 

Going enjoy every moment...

And so it all comes down to this, it all culminates tomorrow, the purpose of this trip, the purpose of the last few days. There’s nervousness and there’s excitement, there’s nervous excitement. So it all comes down to tomorrow. But before that there’s one day more, one night more to get through.

What was meant to be a rest day turned into a shopping adventure as Jaj and me scurried through the market of Leh searching for things we would take for our loved ones and friends back home. But not before indulging in some tasty apple pie at Rendezvous Cafe and German Bakery and some coffee, and even sampling some yak milk cheese, which was different.

So after indulging ourselves it was time to scour the market. Being tourist we kind of knew what was awaiting us, especially hearing the price for walnuts and apricots. We chanced upon a store that sold some wonderful traditional stuff. Jaj picked some beautiful traditional dresses for his daughter. 

While paying for what he had purchased, Jaj did mentioned we were looking for some dry fruits, to which the owner recommended a shop and even sent one of his staff with us. We ended up picking really fresh walnuts and apricots at reasonable rates, in fact we purchased almost double at what the shops quoted for a single kg for walnuts and apricots.

We again we went to thank the owner for his help. We asked if he knew any place where we could get Pashmina shawls. Once again he helped us get some beautiful and fabulous shawls at reasonable and discounted rates. 

Once the shawls were purchased we went about searching for tees. We finally stopped at shop and turned the entire shop almost upside down, going through tees of different sizes and different patterns, trying to find ones that we liked, and sometimes it got confusing what we really wanted and who we wanted to purchase it for (at least in my case).

Finally, after heaps of confusion and finding what exactly we were looking, spending so much time picking tees and almost turning the shop upside down, we settled our bills and headed to a nearby flea market and picked up souvenirs like wall hangings and prayer wheel.

So what was meant to be just a couple of hours, went from morning to afternoon to almost evening. So totally tired from the excursions of the day, we finally took a cab and made our way back to the guesthouse with our purchases, time to retire for the rest of the day, though it was only evening. So after tea, and even having an early dinner, prepared by Prerna, though not immediately, we tried to calm each other nerves, which seemed to fray with the rains that fell outside making the weather even more cold.

So finally after completing this blog, or as I like to call it, write up, its time to call it a night. But I know sleep won’t come so easily, not because of the nerves and the excitement, but also because tomorrow is special day. So no matter how the race going to be, I am going to make the most of the moment, the experience, make the most of the day.

Btw, it was nice surprise to see myself on the back page of the Mumbai Mirror and Mid-Day (though didn’t really see it as its not not available in Ladakh) with my fellow ambassadors for the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon. Indeed a pleasant pre-Birthday surprise.

Ladakh Diaries: Crazy Mumbaikars

The travels of yesterday may have left me tired but somehow sleep seemed to have deserted me. So after a bit of tossing and turning, headed to the lobby to complete what I had tasked myself to do each day.

I had tasked myself to hit the road once again and getting at least 10k under my feet before Sunday’s race. However, woke up to the sound of the patter of rains drops on the rooftop. Ok not really from my room but when I stepped into the lobby could hear the same. So after having my customary black coffee, and giving mumma some hot water, headed out for my run, in a cold rain, actually it wasn’t really raining, it seems like it doesn’t really rain in Ladakh, it only drizzles, or you have light cold showers.

So after few minutes of warm up, off I went down the road that lead to the airport. The road here in Leh tries to deceive you, it first disarms you by having a constant gradual downhill, and captivates you with the sights it offers you, where else would you be able to see a plane land while our on your run. So you’re able to reach a good steady pace till your halfway mark. Till then only challenge you face is from the cold, and even though you’re wearing compression tee, shorts and socks, you can still feel the cold, and at the same time you are also sweating, call it the biggest irony of a runner.

Now the return journey adds a new dimension to the challenge of running. What goes down will find its way up, what was downhill is now uphill. This considerably slowed the pace, very often left me feeling breathless, thanks to lack of proper breathing patterns. In fact had to walk quite often. Now, since I hadn’t done Shanti Stupa, decided to undertake the challenge of taking that route. Once again running-walking finally made my way to the top, but not before making some new friends from Delhi. The view from the  top offered a panoramic scene of the city below. So after capturing a couple of pic it was time to make the run back.

Reaching the guesthouse, did a few cool down drills, and since Prerna had the first edition of the MRR tee, I had the second and the third, we decided to do a quick shoot with all the tees, after I lent my vest to Jaj. So after a quick shoot and post on FB, not forgetting about taking a shower and having breakfast, we headed to Leh market to cheer our friends who were running the Khardung La Challenge.

So after having a sumptuous lunch, we even kept a watch out for cheers, lest we would miss out on cheering and pacing our friends (at least that was what Jaj wanted to do), we parked ourselves on the pavement, cheering runners as they made their way to the finish line. We waited patiently near the start of the last stretch, worrying as the cut off time neared. We learned from runners of the extreme conditions that the runners had to face on their way to the top. Imagine if you have to cope with rain, snow, cold and the sun. We felt bad for the ones who had to DNF (Did Not Finish in non Running terms) but we salute their spirit for undertaking such an arduous challenge. We even learned about few of our friends who didn’t complete, but respected their spirit and their attitude.

Now as the clock slowly ticked away to the final cut off point, we couldn’t sit one place waiting for our friend Pinto to arrive, so we began to walk in the direction which the runners were trickling in. Around 20 minutes to the cut off time we finally seen him. We ran those final few meters with him, right to the finish line. And once he crossed we headed to the recovery area to congratulate him and all the runners who had finished.

From then on it was time for some fun, and clicking pics. As soon as Zingat began to play then began the post race shenanigans. We all may have been tired from waiting and the morning run but music seemed to fuel our enthusiasm. So we danced with gusto, we danced carefree, we danced from our hearts, we danced like a only a Mumbaikar could do. So we even did garba and a bit of Zumba. Our friend Sunjay even did a bit of breakdance. Crowd seemed amused and entertained, but we didn’t care for it, we did what only we Mumbaikars can do, have a total blast.

After everything was wrapped up and the apple pie was eaten and tea was drunk, we headed back to the guesthouse. Here we had some quick snacks, courtesy of Prerna, and headed to Bob’s Cafe, which was strongly recommended by our friends Rupal and Vignesh, who’s wonderful owner, Srinivasan, we had met at the finish line and who joined in indulging us in our shenanigans.

The meal at Bob’s Cafe was sumptuous and didn’t disappoint. Even though we had something light, we did enjoy every food item (at least for me). We planned the activities for the next day. So returned back to the guesthouse to retire for the day and recharge for a new day.

P.S. we woke this morning learning about the decriminalising Section 377. It was a decision in the right direction, a progressive step in respecting people’s choice to choose who they want to love and how they showed their love to them. Though acceptance may still be a long way, but every little step can be seen as a giant leap in the right direction. However, what left a bitter taste were the jokes and memes that began to circulate. Yes everyone needs to have a light side but timing of these seemed bad, as they were in bad taste and illtimed and even crude. Everyone has right to their opinion and how they feel and react, but don’t see people realising the magnitude to the verdict other than the crude humour we see in the movie. So let’s live and let live and don’t infringe on the rights of one another, cause not all things need to have a humorous side.

Ladakh Diaries: The boy by the lake

After a night of camping at Nubra Valley it was time to move onto to the next place on the list. However spending most of the night in the dark, as the electricity (and wifi) was only available from 7 to 10, there was debate whether we should spend one more overnight stay at our next place, Pangong place. The other reasoning being that after seeing the lake, clicking pics, what next? Was it worth staying overnight, after all it was another five hours drive from Nubra to Pangong, and another five hours from Pangong to Leh. Anyway we decided to take a call on this once we reached our destination, so it was put on the back burner.

So on the advice of our driver, a total entertainment package when he was well rested, we set out early, after settling the bill and thanks to the management for packing sandwiches for our breakfast, we started on our journey to Pangong, so that we could avoid getting stuck while crossing the streams that came in our journey.

So once again we took to the road that twisted and turned, rose and fell, and left us in awe, left us shaken (especially when we took to kaccha roads, which was most of the time), that left us a bit terrified, especially when it was narrow and you had oncoming vehicles. Most of the road ran by a river that was powerful and furious and majestic, but strangely the water looked like slag (i.e. cement mixed with water). We even got a closer look at those ranges, which was mostly felt like sand and stones frozen together (after all Ladakh is a desert, something that an ignorant me learned today). Even noted the vegetation was something out of the geography books we learned in school, small shrubs that the cattle were grazing on.

We stopped in between to click pics (since we are so camera friendly people) in places that were made famous by movies (looks like Ladakh is filled with them), had breakfast and continued on our journey.

The first glance of Pangong Lake left us wanting to see more. And when we finally took in the sight of this majestic lake, it didn’t disappoint, in fact it left us spellbound. We stood there and took in the view of the emerald green and peacock blue waters that went endlessly into the horizon (and into China), surrounded by mountains. Obviously we clicked a lot of pictures, a whole lot of them. You had items from movies that were shot at Pangong, available on rent just to click pics, even a yak (which Jaj readily mounted just to get a couple of pics). Though I didn’t click any pics with these movie memorabilia, mumma very sportingly even took part in these shenanigans. So we clicked thousands and thousands of pictures (if not thousands then surely hundreds of pics), enough to change DPs of everyone for the next couple of months.

So finally, after all the possible pics had been taken, it was finally decided to return to Leh on the same day. So after stopping for a late lunch, we undertook the journey back to Leh, through the Chang La mountain pass. Now once again the condition of the roads weren’t too good, but the way it twisted and turned around the mountain was spellbinding. And singing to old Hindi tunes (yes I love old Hindi songs) only made the journey more fun and less hectic. We didn’t feel the cold, so when we stepped out of the car to  capture pics at Chang La the cold weather outside really hit us, but us.

So after almost spending the past two days on the road, having quite a memorable road trip, it was back to Santo Green and preparing for the race on Sunday. To see how much the body can push on Sunday. But till then we will always have the memory of an awesome road trip. 

Ladakh Diaries: Of highs and lows

Whenever you visit any place you have a couple of location that have been recommended to you, which you have read about and which you know you need to visit otherwise you would have wasted a trip. So for the next few days it would be all about being a tourist, rather than a runner.

The first stop was Khardung La, the highest motorable road in the world, at over 18000 feet. The road leading to the top, twisted and turned up the mountain slope, like a snake hugging on to its prey. The journey and the sights, left us in awe, a bit speechless and frightful, thanks to the narrowness of the road, the steepness of the climb, the drop next to the road, the oncoming vehicles and military trucks, a bit shaken, due to the condition of the road, and of course breathless with majestic view it showed us and also because of the thinness of the air.

So 18380 feet later we were literally on top of the world. Air cold against skin, sent shivers down the spine, made you even more respect the soldier manning the post at such a high altitude. Though the air was cold but the view was breathtaking (I told you I would be using these words once too often). So you clicked pictures, admired the view, and all this needs to be done in under 10 minutes, otherwise you would be fighting breathlessness and headaches, brought on by it. My concern was mum, but again the lady was gung-ho and surprised me with the way she took to the weather condition. So that left me and my crazy self, which in the end got the better of me and I climbed even more higher to see where those stairs which I saw led. The view on top was beyond words, stunning majestic and simply awesome. Felt a little worried that I was pushing myself, but hey the adventurous spirit got the better of me.

From the highest of high it was time to go to the lowest of low (at least lower than Leh, lower than Ladakhi standards), to Nubra Valley we went. Not before stopping on the way to click pictures with mountain goats, sheeps and even yaks, taking pictures by rivers passing through mountains and enjoying a sumptuous breakfast of aloo parathas. 

Reaching Nubra Valley (or at least the start of it) we once again visited another monastery. Though there were well over 50 stairs to climb, mumma surprised us all by climbing all those stairs without much uttering a single complaint. She climbed up slowly and steadily, with Prerna and me for company, for support. Words deserts me to say how proud I feel of how much she made me proud. Ah yes, in between, we indulged ourselves riding ATB (though not me and mum) and yet again photo shoot. We even stopped to clicked pictures near a statute of giant deity.

Reaching Nubra, we searched for a place to stay, finally settling down for camping place called Apple Cottage. Now the tents here were spacious, they even had a bed, a charging point, and attached toilet and bathroom. The place was filled with beautiful flowers that were all in bloom and wonderful vegetable garden. So got yet another camping experience in just under a month, even if it was just an overnight stay.

After dropping our stuff we went to a place where they had two humps camel, which you could ride. Mumma was first hesitant, but in the end gave in too everyone’s persuasion. She seemed to enjoy every moment of the ride. I was a little worried of her loosing her balance but all my fears were for naught, she took in every experience.

Now the place felt like a congregation of runners, people who we knew and a few who we befriended. We once again enjoyed ourselves wetting our feet in the cold stream, clicking pic and laughing and enjoying and chatting.

In the end it was time to retire to our camp and bring an end to an adventurous day, not before experiencing the joys of camping, albeit a bit comfortable one, wondering what adventures and sights the next day had in store for us.