No. You are not late. In fact we are!
Its already 1830 hrs, and we have just started our biking trip to ‘Kalsi’. Seasonal-traffic of pilgrims is only adding to the time lag. I’ll catch you back at Mussouri check-post; need to reach there before it’s too late…
‘Kalsi’ is a valley-village in Shivalik mountain-range & is the convergence point for Tons & Yamuna rivers. It was one of the furthest end of Ashoka’s Province & so a place of archaeological importance too. We are a gang of 9 Roadies on 5 bikes & are going to reach Mussouri by 2100 hrs tonight (as per plans…). The idea is to taste the waters for our next month’s Laddakh-trip & to cover half the trip in night time! We’ll halt at mussouri in night and start our way down in morning.
…Just crossed the check-post. It’s past 2130 hrs already and hotel is still at an hour's distance. What’s more? The Queen-of-Hills has more adventure planned up for us. It’s fog out here & is pretty thick at places. Our gang is already shivering in unanticipated cold as we zip-zap past the curves of Mussouri Hill.
…at 2 AM, its time to sleep with dreams of next morning’s drive.
Good Morning! We have started our trip down-hill to Kempty-Fall with washed out roads. It’s raining here and we are moving slowly to start with. Getting past the residential area & rain, we can finally see the beauty of the hills. Still at some 7000 feet above sea level we can see why Mussouri is called Queen-of-Hills. Water-washed, well maintained roads; splendid view of Shivalik range, blue in colour, garlanded with white clouds & greenery; fabulous road curves & 5 motorbikes taking turns one after another. That’s how they say heaven is like, isn’t it? Once the sun is out with its calming softness, it only adds to the addiction. Can you see these patches on the hills? Shades of this extra detailing - as if some art-work? These are shadows…Shadow of the Clouds! Changing in intensity with the clouds’ density. Riding alongside such a landscape fills up something in you, a longing perhaps for something serene, something to bring you closer to yourself.
We are now driving to Kalsi after taking a good two hour break at Kempty-Fall to bath away the exhaustion. Passing past this land-slide out here, it finally comes to our mind that we are actually carrying another risk in our kitty. We are passing the rubble with care, as the cars & trucks get helplessly stuck-up!
Close to ‘kalsi’ now, we can see confluence area of Tons & Yamuna… Huge plains with two rivers shaping a giant catapult…throwing pulses of ecstasy aimed at us! Besides rivers, it’s the beauty of looking at long-laid plains from the top of a mountain that makes it such a breathtaking sight. There…that red shaped dome out there…that’s were our destination is. King Ashoka is waiting for us, with a piece of history to tell us…
“The Mauryan king Ashoka (273 BC – 232 BC) of Magadh got his fourteenth edict engraved on this rock…This rock edict is in Prakerit language & Brahmi script…generally speaking the principals of buddhism…”
Exhausted by the 305 km long trip & content with the accomplishment, we are now drifting back to pavilion. Last 26 hours have helped us both shed-off the fears & apprehension & strengthened the desire to go a step further.
Oh…almost forgot…! Did I tell you that even the dustbin in that Edict premise had a touch of Mauryan Architecture? Though I still wonder if King Ashoka would have used a dustbin…Next expedition is poised at Laddakh next month. Will catch you there…
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