all the required outfit (including a
100-year-old sword hanging from his
yellow cummerbund) plus, as a con-
cession to safety, a leather jacket on
top … no helmet! Sikhs are allowed
to ride and battle in their traditional
headgear, as has happened in past
wars when the Indian Army Sikh sol-
diers never wore a helmet, just their
turbans.
This colourful bunch of riders
were just stopping for a rest indicat-
ing they were going on to Padum. We
pointed out they would never make
it in daylight as the 103 kilometres
in between the two points could take
a very long time depending on road
conditions. The later in the after-
noon you leave this stretch, the wider
the water crossings are due to a day
of melting ice. Conversely, if you ride
too early in the morning the water
would have turned to ice due to over-
night temperatures falling to below
zero (Celsius).
Regardless of our advice, the group
TRAVERSE 111