As I started to unpack my saddle bag, I felt something I was breathing very heavily. This is what everybody was talking about High Altitude Sickness. Unpacking of saddle bag took time I was worried when I could not carry it even 10 steps, I had to stop every 10 steps and catch my breath. It looked so weird, finally I managed to reach my tent breathing heavily did not know what do do I laid on the bed for minutes trying to figure out what's going on , I munched on a few chocolate and gulped entire bottle of water, after laying around for half an hour, I started feeling good and started to pace my breath. I was feeling good now.
The cold wind started taking a toil on the body and i thought of going to the dining tent, I saw KD on way and He asked "How are you doing" , I replied " Great I feel I am on High" . He asked what did I take. I replied the Height. After reaching the dinning hall the situation looked a little different, people were all trying to cope up with the lack of oxygen , the height and the bitter cold. Tea was the only good thing in that dinning place. I knew I was feeling something different but I was not sure if I was unfit. I was eating properly, getting exhaust after walking a small distance was the only big problem I saw but est was OK. Shaibal and me retired back to the tent and by that time it had started snowing. Go why did I ask for snowfall, I asked only a little bit not to be covered by snow in snowfall. God has always given my every thing that I have asked for in plenty. so I had to accept it.
The truck with our luggage arrived, we went back to collect the luggage and we had to ferry the luggage to most of the people since they were not feeling well. All exhausted we retired once agin to the tent and I could not sleep well through the night, I has all kind of weird dreams and the cold was just getting unbearable. I started thinking of the Everest climbers, on how they do it. I was in a far better situation with a tent to save from wind and a sleeping bag with two blanket underneath and two on the top.
I woke up with the dawn light and wanted to use the attached toilet. To my amusement the water in bucket had turned Ice and I was left with no choice but to use that. Damm it felt like something cutting down your hand while touching that icy water. I wanted to get out of there and suddenly I figured that I am having a splitting headache, the kind of the one you want to tighten the head with your two hands. Shit I am having Acute Mountain sickness now. Nothing around was giving any solace I just wanted to sit back on my bike and ride, that's the only comfort I could think of.
So much of pain and so much of suffering and I looked at the snow capped mountains, they were so beautiful that every inch of that pain was worth it. Its amazing that I was back to enjoying terms than to be subdued by the pain.
No SMS from KD. We were at Sarchu, Sachin said at breakfast " This place has a a weird thing about it, You get all kind of weird dreams and dreams that you cannot talk about with others" The after effect of the thump of bike for last several days and when you sleep by the side of mountains with the silence thats what you get.
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