In Spiti Valley

[Hynek] Today Christian and me proved to be the best amateur car mechanics in a radius of at least 100 miles! "So the car is overheating? Yes. What could that be? Hmm. Maybe the water cooler doesn't cool enough. So that must be the cooler? Yes. How come there is water in this container next to the cooler? Must indicate that there is enough water in the cooler. Let's take a ride and hope the problem fixed itself overnight. Shit, still overheating! What to do? Why don't we just pour a maximum of water into the cooler? I guess that doesn't break the engine! Let's take a ride! And- what's up? Hmm, seems fine. Have we solved the problem!? Let's not push it!"

[Moni] So the car run again and we could continue our way. I never had seen such a surrealistic area before, bright colors and crazy rock formations. From time to time there were little green spots where people lived beside little fields. We saw signs "The Tomato Country", but mostly it was dhal that was cultured. We had to go to Kaza, where the only petrol station of the whole valley was. It was really hot here during the day. Martin felt better but Aurelie had a headache.

We followed the invitation of a group of dutch people to stay on the same camping place as them, shortly after Kaza. They had a mechanic with them who perhaps could fix the starter of Martins bike- he always had to run with his heavy bike to start it.

But the mechanic could not fix it. It was a big group of people in an organized tour- 8 Enfields, two mechanics, a doctor, a cook, a servant, a cook tent, a shower tent and a very loud generator to have light in the evening...

Next morning, it was Felix and me feeling very bad. It seemed, everybody had to go through this. We continued to Tabo, where we wanted to visit the big old monastery, and rented some rooms in the nice guest house next to the temple.

[Hynek] Who is the scientific genius of the group? - Martin, who else! Though he knows more about sophisticated renewable energy engines than about the basic schoolbook engine of a Gypsy or an Enfield. Who is always in front of our caravan scouting the grounds? - Martin, who else! Though often I would have preferred him, who carries all the spare parts and tools, behind me rather than having him chased by Felix and Christian. Who has the most sophisticated camping equipment? - Martin, who else! Though at 4000 m his state of the art cooker chocked and made Martin loose his calm mountain temper. Who has meticulously documented each picture he has taken? - Martin, who else! Though what is all this documentation worth when all your film rolls get stolen.

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