yesterday . “ Come on , Hero ! Come on ! We can do it !” I yelled excitedly .
Then , rounding a bend , there it was , the Pass . A large , pagoda-like gate straddled the road , a line of prayer flags flapped in the breeze and a wonky sign beside a café said : YOUR [ sic ] ARE NOW AT 13700 FEET . “ Yes !” I whooped . “ We ’ ve done it !” Beyond the Pass the clouds thinned , the air warmed and colour leached back into the barren landscape . Rocks gave way to sparse pines and , later , a brief , magnificently forested gorge . As dusk fell I was riding through the dusty , half-shuttered streets of Tawang ’ s old market , the Hero purring happily . How happy I was to have made it . ABK
Shortlisted for the 2018 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards , Antonio ' s latest book , Land of the Dawn-Lit Mountains : A journey across Arunachal Pradesh – India ’ s forgotten frontier ( Simon & Schuster ) is available now and offers a unique view into this ruggered yet beautiful region of the world . Find out more at her website www . theitinerant . co . uk or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @ AntsBK .
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