In the 7 days of travel thus far, I have never felt in danger. Partly it is because of the experience and confidence of our expedition organizers and support team. Partly it is because of the optimism and positivity of the whole group. However, the main reason is that leaving aside the brief fear of losing a few fingers to frostbite, I have not encountered any major danger yet. But that is about to change.
The plan of the day for the convoy is to head to Kalpa. But before that, the group will make one last stop in Kaza at the helipad and use the flat iced surface to drift their vehicles to end our visit to Spiti valley on a high note. However, our Gypsy is in no shape to make donuts, it is barely in shape to make a regular turn. So as per our independent plan we will leave ahead of the convoy. We have a big breakfast, thank our host, pack our bags, zip up our jackets and brace for the cold.
Though my 35 year old body has little flexibility, whatever little it has, is all thwarted by the 5 layers of clothing. So, with utter clumsiness, I pick up my 60L rucksack stuffed to brim and the camera bag that is also bursting at the seams. As I waddle on the ice like a penguin, even the dogs pause to stare at this strange sight. However, I do manage to accomplish the mission of hauling myself and my bags to the car.
Since yesterday a new problem has surfaced in our beloved Gypsy. The central locking is malfunctioning, so the passenger side door is jammed and I have to get in from the driver’s side. The lack of flexibility and the sheer volume of my 5 layers and me make it quite a clumsy and cumbersome affair. But eventually I get to the passenger side and soon we begin to roll. Our journey upto Tabo is mostly downhill, so there are good chances that the car will make it to Tabo. We leave the town behind and join the riverside road. As we pass the helipad, the houses and buildings thin out. Then there are just the towering mountains, the pristine river and the serpentine road. Just as I am slipping into a daydream, there is an abrupt jerk accompanied by a loud clank and smoke starts to bellow out of the bonnet. Before Jatin has time to stop the vehicle, the whole windscreen is inundated in a cloud of smoke. We come to a screeching halt and Jatin opens his door and leaps out of the car shouting “Run! Run!” But the door of the passenger side is jammed and with all my weather-proofing I am like a fat seal trying to wriggle out of a hole in the ice. Even in panic, the comedy of clumsiness is not lost upon me. Luckily the car has is kind enough to not go up in flames just yet, so, I manage to wriggle out with my heart throbbing with anxiety and my body shaking with laughter.
We pop the bonnet open and the green blood of the car is dripping from every corner. It is clear that some nerve of the car has burst, spurting out the coolant of the car. We consult with Puneet on the mobile and he asks us to return to the homestay. In the interest of safety, I decide to take the backseat in case we have to leap out again. We drive slowly, trying our best to keep the angry beast calm. As we reach the helipad, we see the convoy approaching. Puneet waves at us and we are asked to park on the side of the road while the support team arrives. Jitu, our knowledgeable mechanic, arrives on the scene. He inspects the vehicle and quickly determines the cause. The coolant of the car is semi frozen and that caused the blower pipe to burst open. He asks if we had used anti-freeze coolant. We had topped up the anti-freeze coolant, but it was added on top of regular one that was already present. The most likely cause of the incident was that a frozen lump clogged the pipes causing the engine to overheat. The temporary fix is that the blown blower pipe will have to be blocked and we can no longer use the heating inside the car. To drain the frozen coolant, it has to be melted first, so the support vehicle circles back to the homestay to get hot water to flush the radiator.
While we wait for the hot water to arrive, I see the convoy has lined up outside the helipad, so I pick up my camera and walk over to that side. One by one, the drivers enter the arena and begin to drift on the ice. A little tentative at first, they quickly find their rhythm and then begin to control their slides. The Ford Endeavour struggles in the endeavour to make donuts but the Green Gypsy, the Blue Land Rover Discovery and the Silver Mitsubishi Pajero drift with confidence and flair. The mighty engines roar, piercing the silence of the valley and the large rear wheels spin with rage setting off clouds of snow and smoke. Inside the cars, the gleeful faces of the drivers and passengers are flush with a rush of adrenaline and dripping with joy as they are yanked from side to side. So thrilling is that adrenaline-induced, fossil fuel vaporising display that I believe even the most ardent environmentalist would be forced to question his cause.
After everyone has had a spin, the cars line up. There is a quick photoshoot and then they depart for Tabo. Jatin and I return to our coolant-bleeding Gypsy. After waiting for about 15 mins, the support vehicle returns. The mechanic opens a pipe on the underside. He then pours hot water in the radiator that flows out from the opening. The fluorescent green coolant colours the white ice by the roadside. It stands out as the only vibrant colour in an otherwise brown and white landscape. Finally, the blower pipe is blocked, the coolant outlet closed, and anti-freeze coolant topped up. The whole operation takes more than an hour but thankfully, for now, the car has survived.
As we prepare to roll, there is a daunting list of challenges to overcome –
- It is around -15 degrees Celsius and there is no heating in the car.
- The clutch plate is busted so we have been advised to minimize gear changes and as far as possible drive in higher gears. That means we will be going much too fast on our way down, while navigating a potholed, broken, serpentine road.
- Even on mild inclines the car is delivering little power and so, on inclines, there is no option but to drive in the first gear. And even then, the car barely manages to crawl.
- Driving in lower gears causes the car to overheat. We had to halt on the way to Baga Sarahan and there have been multiple other instances throughout the journey when the engine temperature has been alarmingly high. And that was when the clutch plate was still functioning fine.
- The passenger side door is jammed, and the only way out is from the driver’s side. If the engine decides to explode, I will surely die before I can make it out.
- We have 200 kilometres to go and it is entirely possible that the damage to the car wasn’t just limited to the blower pipe when it smoked up.
Jatin puts the Gypsy into gear and we begin to roll. The group is on the way to Tabo and we are 1 hour and 30 minutes behind. Tabo is 48 kms from Kaza and the road is mostly a downward slope. Theoretically that is good for our struggling vehicle but as I soon realise that is not necessarily the case. After the car has been slotted in 4th gear, it is hurtling down the slope at a dangerous speed. Jatin is rediscovering his form as a one-time Himalayan rally driver and I am forced to grab the handle on the dashboard so hard that my palms are turning white. With scant regard for potholes, broken stretches on the road and oncoming traffic, Jatin is driving as if we are trying to outrun a speeding avalanche. At every blind turn, my brain is conjuring up images of mangled vehicles I have seen plunged in the gorges along the way.
But even in these hazardous circumstances, the mountains don’t fail to mesmerize. When I look at them, I am not scared of death for what better place than this to die! What I fear is surviving the accident and living the rest of my life in excruciating pain. Meanwhile Jatin is a man possessed by the devil, he sees neither pain nor injury nor death, only the road ahead!