This was the first time in my 45 and half years of life that i saw and felt snow.
This was the first time I rode a vehicle on snow — a motorcycle.
I fell thrice — picked up the motorcycle and went on. Because of bad weather we took the Sela Tunnel shortcut to Tawang which was a town that was almost annexed by China after it conquered Tibet.
There were others in our group who were more adept and they would stop on this “BLACK ICE” and take photos. I would follow on the trail made in this snow called black ice –and since they had stopped i would lose momentum in first gear — then try to brake without losing balance and fall. Once I tried changing lanes to avoid anyone not moving in front of me and that meant leaving the trail made into the snow — and venturing into fresh snow –then again skidded and fell and picked it up and went on.
Black ice is called so because there was rainfall–then it got cold and the water turned to ice that stuck on the tarmac–then snow fell on this ice on the road. This makes it especially difficult to drive. Driving on snow is easier with this motorcycle it seems. But below the snow was ice refusing to budge and stuck on the tar roads. So quite a few of us fell since we never rode on ice or snow before.
Next day the weather was as bad — some people went on to 15000+ feet at Bumla which borders India’s border with present day Chinese territory –which is basically what they grabbed during their aggression in 1960s. I think they were primarily pissed at India because after China conquered Tibet– no nation in the world accepted H.H. Dalai Lama’s plea for help — no one even agreed to give him asylum. Great Britain, USA, Germany, France, Japan, Russia — et al — they refused to help H.H. Dalai Lama escape Tibet under siege from Chinese People’s Army.
India, under its policy of goodwill to all –sent a team to assist H.H, Dalai Lama leave Tibet and come live in Republic of India. But India was spending all its money on agricultural development had little money for defence budgets. China realised its newly independent neighbour rescued the King of Tibet (Dala Lama) who was being defamed in China and then also with propaganda against the monk throughout the world—- and Chinese troops tried to act friendly greeting Indian troops while acting all hostile.
China attacked India and grabbed a lot of territory in Kashmir and in North East states. They also try till date to annexe the tiny peaceful humble Kingdom of Bhutan but the entire nation has the support by India’s Army to defend their territory to maintain a free and independent Bhutan.
I did not go to Bumla at 15000+ feet or more– to wave at those Chinese troops because the weather was bad and if Indian Army closed the access we would not get to go there. At Tawang however, the weather was pleasant so i went to two monasteries and to Tawang War Memorial where hundreds died including civilians trying to defend this town against Chinese aggression and attack. A group of ferocious Sikh soldiers who ran out of ammunition, attacked the thousands of Chinese troops with their bayonets — recorded in history in war against Pakistan on the Western front as well– the Indian Troops charged the Chinese Army with bayonets and iron will — to do or die — and the Chinese troops fled and retreated under handful of relentless Indian Sikh troops refusing to die against multiple gunshot wounds.
I also saw the War Memorial Museum and the museum at the monastery.
The Tawang market did not have any local product or manufacturing or handicraft. The trinkets were all made in China of all things — the immediately close manufacturing source.
The third day we left for Sela Pass which was at 13700 feet. The weather was getting worse but was much better than the day we rode on black ice. We went downhill on the slope on snow very easily on the new Hero XPulse 210. We clicked photos at the Sela Pass and at Tawang Gate — a ceremonial gate to announce the town. This day we experienced every type of season.
This day we had winds, rains, then snow, then bright sunshine, then hot sun, then we had a drizzle of rain, then we rode at pitch black mountain road at evening and night in abundance of rainfall and then while rains stopped we continued riding in darkness in our wet gear.
There you have it — all four seasons in one day. At Tawang, the weather changes anytime any day all 365 days of the year. You can’t predict what will be the weather or climate one hour from now.
–Wayfarer
