9

Baralacha and home...

Chher, myself and another horseman arrived in Baralacha in advance of everyone else because I was concerned about finding transportation back to Manali in order to make the bus to Delhi to catch my flight on July 11th to Paris. When we reached the road, Chher began stopping every truck and bus coming our way to see if he could find someone willing to take me to Manali. This bus was going to Manali but not directly and would stop overnight in Keylong which meant I would lose a day and that was cutting it too close. A couple of truck drivers declined saying they were worried about liability risks explaining that 2 drivers had lost their jobs a month before when they agreed to take a lady trekker and she died of a heart attack in the cab.

However, finally a jeep arrived with one extra space and the driver was willing to take me for 500 rupies. Yes! My pack was stowed on the roof rack, then I said good-bye to Chher and hello to my new friends who were overjoyed to see themselves on the monitor of my little Sony digital video camera.

The ride back to Manali was interesting. I had left my passport at Domi's place thinking I wouldn't need it but there were several checkpoints to pass through on the way back. The only place I had trouble was the last one on the other side of Keylong. This was the only place I was required to show my nonexistent passport. I explained I had left it at a friend's in Manali but that I had a Xerox copy in my wallet, which I showed them. That went OK, but then they wanted to know the number of my Indian visa. I told them I hadn't written it down and the official told me they could have me arrested and taken to jail. Whoa, the words "India" and "jail" are about as scary as "Bush" and "President", so I consciously made a vow that from now on, I would treat my passport like an American Express card (i.e., "never leave home without it").
I arrived in Manali about 9 PM. Domi had been a bit anxious because I was a day late but was happy to see me back with all body parts intact. She heated up some well water on the stove and I scrubed away 11 days of dust and sweat. This has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I can't wait to go back and do another one.

On the way to Baralacha there were sheep, goats and glaciers galore.

map of trek >