When my morality surrendered before fear. A small incident that took place during one of my motorcycle expeditions...

When fear got the better of us

My morality surrendered before fear

or

That Jackie Chan we ‘cheated’

My feet were almost freezing to numbness after crossing the waist-level deep cold water. We had ridden all the way through Baralacha la, a pass on our way to Ladakh. This pass is known to be covered with snow throughout the year. Our six-man team on four bikes was joined by a man from Ladakh who rode from Delhi. He was alone but courageous for he was travelling through such a terrain where not even mobile phones work. We wished him as the fellow bikers do to even strangers while on expedition. Together we took tea at a road side tent. After crossing the most rough weather pass, a little challenge of crossing a damaged road, with almost three-foot deep potholes covered with ice cold water, was waiting for us.

There were many vehicles that had to be crossed one by one. Since we were on mobikes, we made our way through the edge of the road in fear of falling in that biting cold water which could lead to hypothermia as well. After crossing it, to our dismay, we found that our fellow Ladakhi’s bike had punctured.

All of us stopped to help him. In such a freezing temperature the Ladakhi took out his toolkit, and with his strong hands unbolted the nut-bolts and pulled out the wheel of his Enfield motorcycle. After fixing the new tube in it, he started pumping air into it. As he did so, my two friends were busy clicking photos of the natural scenery that had taken us more than two days to reach. Not even a single green patch was visible all around. Huge peaks, covered with snow or half melted had added to the beauty.

Meanwhile, we came to know that the air pump wasn’t working, so we used another pump that we had. But as things went, the second pump did not work too. We struggled for an hour or so, but without success. Something was wrong either with the pumps or with the new tube. I could see the eyes of the Ladakhi man who seemed to be blessing us. His weather-beaten and wrinkled face reminded me the disarming smile of Jackie Chan.

All of a sudden, one of our friends spotted a jeep about one hundred metres away that was not moving. Our chubby mate alerted us of some mischief. He suspected the Ladakhi was setting us up and the puncture thing was just a drama to rob us. That suspicion created a different image of the guy ‘in distress’ who kept thanking us while struggling with his wheel. One by one, we came to conclusion to leave the place as we were afraid of being robbed by the man and the jeep which seemed a threat to us. After forming an opinion quickly, we got ready, ignited our bikes and left our Jackie Chan all alone in that mountainous region where freezing water from the glaciers was flowing on the roads that had washed away.

Silence was deafening. While riding, I kept thinking if that Jackie Chan was innocent then we had committed a moral sin by leaving him at the mercy of that hostile jeep or on those travellers who hardly pass through such places at such a time. We reached Sarchu before the sunset and put up at a temporarily built roadside inn. Our legs up to knee had gone numb due to riding through scratching cold water and we asked the inn keeper for boiling water to dip our legs into. After that I went for a stroll outside where around a dozen more tourists, truck drivers had been staying. I could see a big chunk of vast plain land ahead of me. I spotted small dust whirlpool following some motorbike. As it neared, I could see that that our Jackie Chan was riding and he had made it. He reached the inn and smiled at me. I asked him how he fixed his tyre. He replied, a passer-by car driver helped him with his air pump. He seemed happy to see me and cracked some jokes. He also told me about his two sons studying in the USA and how he funded them.

None of my team mates spoke anything but instead changed the topic. The Ladhaki even offered me some boiled sheep meat. Then I went to my lodgings, ate dinner and six of we slept on a double bed.

I kept thinking for long that had Jackie Chan not been helped, what he would have done. Thanks to that passerby, who let me sleep without any worries for the Enfield man had been safe.

Perhaps morality was not strong enough against the unseen and unreasonable fear.

Kindly go through the photos below which may take your breath away.

While crossing an area where a landslide had occurred.

Baralacha La. 

That ladakhi man

After crossing Pang.

Nubra Valley

Double hump camel at Nubra valley

Lovely ride at Nubra valley

Magnetic hill. A place that defies gravity.

While climbing Rohtang Pass.

On the way to Pangong Tso (one of the most beautiful lakes on the planet)

Tangtse on the way to Pangong Tso

While coming from Nubra Valley in July, 2010

Keylong. 75 kms from Koksar in Himachal Pradesh

Lahaul and Spiti valley

While crossing Rohtang Pass

On the way to Sarchu.

Snow-covered bike in Sarchu. It was 25 June, 2010 (peak summer time in India)

Gata loops while on the way to Leh. We started from Sarchu early morning that day in June 2010.

Pangong Tso.

Third most highest pass in the world. Named on a baba called 'Chang'. Believe me or not, this pass is colder than the highest motorable road 'Khardung La.

While on the way to Leh.

M Nasser Gorsi

Sub-Editor

The Tribune

Former ESL Lecturer