Chapter 11_A Zuluk Nightmare

Chapter 11

A Zuluk Nightmare

It was a moment of mixed feelings. We were thrilled that we had finally reached Nathu La; at the same time, it was disappointing to know that we wouldn’t be able to explore the place. Before the disappointment spread across our minds, our number plates caught the attention of some of the jawans there. A couple of them then enquired about our trip. They then discussed among themselves and decided that we could have a quick tour of Nathu La. And not just that, we were given a special privilege as well!

For a normal tourist, the rest of the way to the border (between India and China) was to be covered by foot, climbing up a pretty long staircase. We being the only people there at that time, were granted the privilege to ride right up to the border. Yes, 20-30 meters from where we later parked our bikes, it was Chinese land. An officer accompanied us as well; he sat pillion with Khan and came to the border. There were two gates at the border – one Indian and the other Chinese (obviously). There’s a small gap of about 2 feet between the two gates, which I assume is ‘no man’s land’. Armed officers stood guard on both sides. We were warned not to capture any photos or videos there. Apparently, if we dared click any photographs there, our phones would be confiscated at a check post downhill.

Selfie at Nathu La (the only point where photography is allowed) …

There were two grand buildings, one each on both sides. The officer who accompanied us took us to the Indian building. It had a small museum and a conference room where officials of both the countries would meet. The room was kept so ready that one could imagine Mr. Modi and Mr. Jinping walking in and having a meeting right away. Outside the building, our national flag fluttered in the breeze. On the other side, the Chinese national flag too fluttered in the same breeze. Chinese security men were running around in a playful mood and I wondered whether they were playing hide and seek. There didn’t seem to be much of a tension at this border, unlike the experience I had in Wagah border during the Punjab trip. The best memory from Nathu La is that of an Indian soldier clicking photographs for Chinese soldiers who were posing in a cheerful manner.

A couple of army men engaged in conversations with us and they were curious to know about our trip. One of them, who was from Bihar, suggested we plan a trip to Bihar some time later. We clicked a few pictures at the ‘Nathu La’ milestone. It was freezing cold by then. Khan’s vehicle measured the temperature of its engine to be 8 degrees, which meant that the actual temperature around us was 4 degrees or less than that. The soldiers advised that we leave immediately or our bodies may not be able to stand the weather. We left the place with hearts full of respect and gratitude for the army men – both for giving us a special consideration and for doing their duty in such harsh weather conditions.

The army personnel at the check post told us that we had around 30 kilometers to Zuluk. We had to reach there before sunset, for 1, the route had to be enjoyed in daylight; 2, it was risky to ride this route after sunset. A few kilometers from Nathu La, we stopped to admire the beauty of Sarathang Lake. It was getting misty and visibility was very low. Soon the sun started to pack its bag. We hurried towards Zuluk. We didn’t stop at Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple or Nathang Valley on the way. In fact, I hadn’t recognized the valley as Nathang or even the place as a valley. It was in a later conversation that I got to know that that beautiful place was the much heard of Nathang valley.

Thorappan clicking a photo of ours with Sarathang Lake in the background… 

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Out of Curiosity...

‘Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir’ has been built in honour of Captain ‘Baba’ Harbhajan Singh, who was a soldier in the Indian army. Also known as the ‘Hero of Nathu La’, he was accorded the status of saint by believers, who refer to him as ‘baba’. It is believed that his spirit protects the soldiers serving in the rough terrains of the Eastern Himalayas.
According to legend, Singh drowned in a glacier while leading a column of mules carrying supplies to a remote outpost. His remains were found after a three-day search. His body was subsequently cremated with full military honors. The legend further claims that the late Singh helped the search party find his body. Some Indian soldiers believe that in the event of a war between  India and China, Baba would warn the Indian soldiers of an impending attack at least three days in advance. During flag meetings between the two nations at Nathu La, the Chinese set a chair aside to honour him. (Reference: Wikipedia)

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At one point, we got a wonderful sight of the zig-zag road winding down the mountain. We were on the Old Silk Route. Thorappan was capturing the scenes on his phone when it slipped from his hands, bounced on the road and almost fell off the cliff. Defying the laws of gravity, it rested itself on a couple of blades of grass overlooking the valley; in other words, it was almost hanging in the air. A small disturbance, and Thorppan’s ‘One Plus’ would be a memory. A surgical strike was planned. Khan lay flat on the road while Thorappan held on to his legs. Khan then stretched his arms and carefully got hold of the phone. All this happened while I was attending to nature’s call!

The zig-zag roads of the ‘Old Silk Route’…

There were hardly any vehicles or people on the road – other than the army vehicles and their camps. Each camp belonged to a different division –  like the Black Cats, the Eagles and so on. After about 20 kilometers from Nathu La, we got to know that we had another 25 kilometers more to Zuluk. It wasn’t that good a news, there was hardly any daylight and it had started drizzling as well.

Misty roads…

Jawans at a check post enquiring about our trip…

Many a times we lost Thorappan far behind and Khan and I would wait for him to catch up with us. He was taking it slow, both to enjoy the scenic route as well as to avoid a bumpy ride on the mountain roads. While descending the zig-zag roads, all three of us would be at different levels of the mountain and it was a sight to behold from the top as well as the bottom levels.

A breathtaking view on the way to Zuluk…

After what felt like a long ride, we reached the town of Zuluk. It was a dimly lit place and we passed by a few houses for a couple of hundred meters and then there were no more of them. Of course, Zuluk couldn’t be so small a town and we kept going ahead in the hope of seeing more houses and homestays. However, we were mistaken; this we realized only after covering another one or two kilometers. We had crossed Zuluk and we had no idea where we were now. It was pouring down heavily. There was no GPS signal; we had no clue where or how far the next town was. The road went winding down, endlessly. It was pitch-black and the only light was from our vehicles. From the little that we could see, it was thick forest on either side of the road. Perhaps, we should have turned back on realizing that we had crossed Zuluk. We had crossed the limit; this wasn’t adventure anymore. One of the scariest moments ever in my life, I had a panic attack!

(to be continued…)