It was 12th Apr of the year 2020 , Easter Day. I wore my best shirt a white full sleeved cotton and pulled up my new denims pairing them with grey leather boots. All decked up , the lovely meal comprising of 'bhuna mutton' was packed neatly to be carried alongwith to my children's place for lunch. I left home all excited for the festivity but the excitement could not last for long , as soon as I reached the main gate of my society I found it locked with large police gathering on either side of it - Suncity was under lockdown and no one was supposed to step out nor anyone could come in. All my dreams of a family lunch were quashed and I returned back like a fool - Covid had made its first nasty presence! Since then it is almost a year and life has been a rollercoaster with lockdowns, shutdowns , curfews , social distancing and masked movement being an integral part of our lives . Though we are still 'social animals' albeit without any social connect. Politicians who
Introduction The evil tentacles of Covid19 held our heads down for long but now in Oct 2020 after things had started easing out we also planned a much awaited ride . Also, the Atal Tunnel at an altitude of 10,000 ft was recently inaugurated and made open for the public and I thought of being one of the first few to ride through it. The Plan I zeroed down on Shinkhu La or Shongo La which lies at an altitude of 16,703 ft linking Zanskar and Lahaul as it is one of the most unheard of passes and wanted to nail it before it becomes commercialised like another 'Pangong Tso' courtesy (sic) 'Three Idiots' (a bollywood blockbuster). The plan was quickly scribbled : Day 1 - Gurgaon - Kullu Day 2 - Kullu - Manali Day 3 - Manali - Shinkhu La - Manali Day 4 - Manali -Swarghat Day 5 - Swarghat - Gurgaon Total Distance- 1500 kms My dear friend and martial arts student Shridhar Sinha was itching to ride to the hills and hence this plan of a hill ride crystalized so quick. Prep Pos