19 kms away lay our next stop; Kunzum la (pass), the gateway to Spiti valley
but the first hairpin turn
itself turned out to be too much for our mini car rally
The run-down tyres kept
spinning in the snow and our car kept sliding back
until some solid push from
the helping hands, wrenched it back on the track
It was just the beginning of
a long icy spell that left us scared out of our wits
for the powdery snow that
fell last night was turning into ice as the sun hit it
The way ahead was neither over
dirt nor snow, but a layer of frozen water!
And our car now had a mind
of its own, that spurned brakes & accelerator
It sailed right when steered
left, lunging for the valley, while we sat in tight
clutching on to each other, eyes
away from the edge, praying with all might
The brakes couldn’t be
trusted any longer; instead the rubble along the side
held back the rear wheels from
sliding outwards, leaving all physics aside
With no hint of humanity to
remind us of the civilization we had left behind
we clung to the loose soil paths just wide enough to let us
pass if it were kind
Hours later we were at the
top, walking humbly towards the Kunzum stupa
Chanting Auṃ maṇi
padme hūṃ, pleading for clemency for any chutzpa
