The Khardungla Adventure
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After two whole days on the dusty, rocky, and almost non-existent Himalayan road, we reached Leh, the capital of Ladakh. We were a group of eight, three daredevils on bikes and the rest of us in a car. We decided to rest for the day before heading to Khardung La, the highest motorable pass in the world. We could never have imagined that the next day would take us to the brink of oblivion.
Due to some delay, we could start only in the afternoon. Our local driver was reluctant because most vehicles would be returning to Leh, at the time, and he would have to evade the oncoming traffic. We discovered that the road to Khardung La was exceptionally narrow and steep but smooth, which encouraged reckless driving and could be potentially dangerous.
However, the day was fine, the landscape was breathtaking, and we were in good spirits. All of us in the car were enjoying the drive, while listening to Tibetan music. The bikers followed our vehicle at a distance. In an hour, we reached a bend on the mountain road and detected an army truck nearing us from the opposite side. Our driver stopped the car at the outer edge of the path in order to allow the truck to pass by, safely.
The truck driver, for some reason, decided to take the turn without slowing down. Perhaps, he had misjudged the space or he had lost control. In a sickening moment his vehicle struck our car and we felt it roll towards the yawning precipice. We were too stunned to scream as we watched our driver repeatedly slamming the breaks. Mercifully, our car stopped, right at the rim. By now, the horrified truck driver had halted his vehicle by smashing it into a stony wall.
We escaped fatality by a very narrow margin, that day. The bikers, who had witnessed the incident, seemed more shaken. Our poor driver was weak with relief. After spending sometime, recovering our wits, cleaning up the spills in the truck with c fold towels we found in the boot, and persuading our driver to continue, we were soon on our way. The splendid Khardung La was nearby and getting there took our minds off the almost calamitous adventure.