And I realised the sheer futility of my pitiful existence - 9

18Jun08

16th May, ‘08 - 0530 hours - If I were not so drowsy, I’d get up and throw that damn thing out of the window. I want to go out and take some pics before the sun is harsh, but I’ll let it pass for the chance of sleeping for one more hour.

 

16th May, ‘08 - 0630 hours - Taking pics in the morning makes one realise the importance of shade and subtlety of the play of light. The colors are natural and soft, yet, vibrant. The eye scorching glare is absent. Yellow is yellow and violet is violet. No wonder film makers want to shoot in the first light of the morning.
O’ Sun, couldn’t you stay this way, gentle and benign;
I’d love you this way, though I’d miss your shine.

16th May, ‘08 - 0730 hours - If I list out all the animals and birds I’ve watched here, it’d fill up a page. After the unexpected deer sighting yesterday, I saw a hare just now. No more Himalayan marmots have been seen since yesterday though. The blue winged partridges here are fat and whimsical.

16th May, ‘08 - 0830 hours - They tell me that the Italian lady just decribed us Indians as the worst tourists there ever were. Nobody responded to her. Even I wouldn’t have, had I been there. A war of words is not what we are here for. Engaging in a discussion cannot be of much use when the outcome has been predetermined. I recall Russell Peters who had in one of his shows let me know that expressing the action of eating in sign language in India conveys the act of fucking in Italy. So much for tourism.

 

16th May, ‘08 - 1000 hours - I had thought the camels would be impressive. They look sick and diseased. Lots of people come here to watch the Bactrian camels. There are only six of them, all tamed. I had expected wild ones. A camel’s jaws are massive and the teeth can grind even a stone to dust. The double humps are not clearly visible due to the saddles. The desert is beautiful though.

16th May, ‘08 - 1030 hours - I’d always known that I was unfit, but the extent was revealed today when I could manage only a best of 12 secs against BP’s 6. It’s humbling and despairing. Just having a lean body doesn’t guarantee one speed and fitness. Even Ms T can beat me easily on a good day. I’m out of breath and falsity. The pride has disappeared in a whiff.

 

16th May, ‘08 - 1130 hours - The Shok river goes all the way into Pakistan. I want to pee into it, mark my territory in the water too. Okay, we are going down.

16th May, ‘08 - 1145 hours -  The water is damn cold. It feels good though, the running of cold water over the hands under the blazing sun. There are stones strewn across the bed… I wish to enter the water but it may scare the others. We are having an extended photo session here. I’m worried how to get back on the road. Have to find a trail up.

16th May, ‘08 - 1300 hours - We are nearing Leh. The trip to the Nubra valley was a nice one. I had never thought it’d be as enjoyable. One has to visit the valley on a trip to Ladakh. It is a must.

 

16th May, ‘08 - 1630 hours - This is the first proper outing we are going to have in Leh. We have but explored very little of the town. Oh, the guys here again remind me of my shabby appearance.

16th May, ‘08 - 1730 hours - They rent out bikes at Rs. 500 a day. No license required. One just has to know how to ride a bike. Helmets are provided along with it. I still am not sure if the trip to Pangong could’ve been made on a bike. The guy wants to know if I need one. How could I, on my last day here? I want to ride that Thunderbird though.

16th May, ‘08 - 1800 hours - There’s a lady sitting there sketching the Leh palace. Mr. P says she’s from France. Ms T seems like a French lady at times, at other times she looks Russian. I look like I’ve just come up from the bhoi saahi of a nearby village, if they do happen to have such saahis at all.

16th May, ‘08 - 1930 hours - I’m not interested in watching the IPL match. Last day here, I want to be out. We are going to Friend’s Corner for our last supper here. If only someone would paint us! I’m going to try the chopsuey tonight.

16th May, ‘08 - 2130 hours - End of trip. Early flight tomorrow to Delhi. I still haven’t taken it all in. I’ve come to realise a lot of things - about myself, about others, about things in general, life… What was not a trip of profound self discovery has actually turned out to be one. I haven’t written down all the things. I’ve obligations, prejudices, leanings. I’d rather keep them to myself than invoke wrath, pity and contempt. 5 days are enough for a trip to Ladakh. I wish we had more. I wish I’d talked for some more time to that monk at Thiksey, had pursued those goggle sporting Enfield riding monks and clicked them, captured the kid monks playing cricket, gone white water rafting, sat in tranquility at the Sanchi Stupa, coming down to listen to Mr. Nakamura’s fusion after sunset. I wish!

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Tags: Life, Ladakh, Adventure, Jammu and Kashmir, Leh, Hondur, Desert, Shok river, Bactrian Camels, Self realization, Mountains, Valleys