RomeoMike will relate his story, his thankfulness for the help of the thekedaar in getting a tempo to ship his steed, his desperation to ride, his crossing of Barlachala without halt, the expense of 3000 bucks to get here and his ever present desire to have crossed Barlachala beside us. I will ask for his forgiveness. He is quick to forgive. Motorbreath, the thekedaar and a couple of others will help dismount the steed. We will eat dinner, make calls to loved ones, sink into a peaceful bliss.
I have but one thought as I meet nothingness.
I want to live...
just a little bit longer...
just a little bit harder.
June 21st, 2010
I can tell Spiderweb is in no mood to ride. He tries to convince us to stay but for a couple of days. We deny the prospect. I have lived every moment of this journey. But I need to return for I need to earn my living, as do the others. But before we depart, we must fix RomeoMike's steed. Fortunately, a mechanic is not hard to find. He will replace the clutch plates as the steed springs to life.
Spiderweb is determined to stay. He will delay our departure by asking the mechanic to make several minor and mostly unnecessary adjustments to his steed. Three hours past noon, he will have echoed decision not to ride any further for, he claims, he does not wish to traverse any ghats in the shadows of the night. Tired of his tantrums, once again, we give in.
But Spiderweb will go one step further. He will now try and convince us to make a 4 day stay at Delhi at the very same residence the housed us on our journey to Leh. He tries to lure us with the prospect of an exciting night life within the confines of Delhi. We refuse, stating lack of time. He then tries to convince us to cut our journey short - to ship our steeds from Delhi to Mumbai and to fly to Mumbai - thereby saving 3 days of travel and giving us an opportunity to explore Delhi. Once again we refuse, for we wish to do Mumbai-Leh-Mumbai, nothing less and now, certainly nothing more. He will give up in frustration, a frustration that will continue to grow at several ends.
As the day floats on by, we walk across Manali's market place. We will bump into the Poles who made it here at noon. We make small talk, they promise to meet us at the same location at nightfall, a promise they will not keep and one I did not expect them to.
We will sample the food, admire the gorgeous newly wed brides, explore a botanical garden, share memories of the days gone by and resolve to keep the biking spirit alive. By the end of the day I will have fallen in love with a punjabi girl who travels with her family and bumps into us quite often. I will not ask her her name, nor take her picture, merely revel in the joy that I am still capable of fleeting love, for I had once convinced myself that I should never love again.
And with that, we will return to our quarters. As we turn out the lights, Spiderweb will beg us not to snore. We will refuse to comply.
We hope to reach Delhi by nightfall tomorrow.
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