On the Rooftop of the world

Born in Spain and growing up in Switzerland, Rocio Otero moved to Japan in 2008 where she was teaching in a school. A passionate cyclist, she began her solo journey from Japan and plans to cycle to her home country Spain in another three vears time frame. It has taken her three years to reach the subcontinent. Experiencing the sights and sounds, hospitality and endurance as she covers cities, this brave young woman has chosen to leave her comfort zone to complete her dream. Currently she is in Pakistan and has spent time in the breathtaking rooftop of the world Deosai.

By the time I reach Chillam from Astor, I have grown enormously intrigued by the desoi plains that open space at the far-off edge of the northern areas of Pakistan. I am the first cyclist across Deosai this year, the police tell me. They also suggest I should have an escort across the uninhabited plains, but I insist I don’t need any escort, that I feel safe and that I can manage alone. After all, trusting my intuition has always proved right in my three-and-a-half years on the bicycle.

Chillam is the last village before Sadpara, so I get some food supplies for the days ahead. In the morning I pack some chapattis and boiled eggs and start the climb to the Pass. On the fringes of the park the landscape soon starts to change, almost like building the surreal beat of what lies ahead. When I reach Chachur Pass at 4266m, I can barely describe my first view of Sheosar Jheel with the late afternoon light filtering through the cloudy sky and casting shapes on the mirrored surface of the lake. I want time to stop right there and make my descent to the camp last forever

Surprisingly, the owner of the camp tent and small hotel is expecting my arrival. Some previous visitor had told him that a lady on a bicycle was on her way to Sheosar. He welcomes me with a warm cup of chai and a meal of chana and roti. It is still early and I go for a stroll around the lake before setting my camp.

When I wake up next morning, the meadows are covered with a thin layer of melting snow and the surrounding landscape is dressed with yet another different mood from the day before. I gather some information about the possibilities of finding food and tea on the way to Bara Pani, and after the usual breakfast of roti and chai, I continue to the next camp.

It is the end of August. The autumnal colors are getting ready for winter and the temperatures have started to drop. The uneven and unpaved surface of the track makes it challenging on the bicycle and I find myself pushing my heavy load in some stretches where the gravel and stones put too much pressure on my rims and tires. Another exercise of endurance, I think to myself. But these are the off-roads and landscapes I have grown to love. It is off season and devoid of the crowds of visitors that visit each year in summer. It seems almost like Deosai has been waiting for me to cast its spell, to dazzle my senses with its vastness and project the clarity of light and color into the deserted wilderness. A real fairy tale suspended above 4000 meters, one of the highest plateaus in the world above the tree line.

The magnitude of the undulating meadows and the infinite expanse of the horizon pierces my skin. The fields are carpeted with patches of bright-coloured wild flowers and the all-embracing silence is only interrupted by the whistle of the marmots, the murmurs of the pristine water streams and the bleating of the goat herds passing by. And at times, the occasional roaring of the jeeps and motorbikes, whose passengers word stare at me in wonder. Some would stop for a chat or ask or a picture. Others would approach me with words o encouragement or praise my efforts which I accept with so much joy.

In Barapani, I sleep in one of the wildlife tents at the research station of the Himalayan Wildlife Project, an initiative that was established in an attempt to monitor the remaining Himalayan brown bears under serious threat, and to learn about their behavior and habitat. What! Are there bears here? I cannot hide my excitement at the prospect of having a safe encounter with a bear! Staying another day to go tracking wildlife seems an obvious choice.

The following day, with a group of wildlife game watchers, we hike across the marsh before we intercept a female bear with her two cubs grazing and lazing around at the far edge of the swampy meadow. Observing them through binoculars is exciting, but having them run at full speed in your direction is such a rush of adrenaline that words won’t suffice to describe what it is like to have a family of bears so near, barely five meters from us, while standing silently our ground with our hands raised up high to show we are no threat. After a second day of tracking wildlife in Barapani, I leave with is my senses fully awakened to the loud and amusing whistle of the marmots that emerge from their burrow to search for food, or to the rapid flight of the birds hunting for fish in the nullah.

By now, the news of a foreign lady cycling alone across Deosai has spread and when I reach Shatung Nala, the next wildlife station and police check-post, I am invited for another doodh patti chai, my favourite drink in cold weather. The road surface has not improved yet, and my progression is slow. In the afternoon, I reach the last camp at Ali Malik with a big bag full of litter I collected from the roadside. Despite the efforts of the Wildlife Project to keep Deosai litter free, I am still saddened by how little responsibility people take for the garbage they produce, throwing it out the window without a thought.

At Ali Malik, I set my camp in an abandoned tourist lodge and warm up inside the tiny hotel with a cup of tea. Local herders coming down from the high pastures and visitors heading for the park stop for a hot drink. I am told the road improves soon after Ali Malik, so the next day I am enjoying the fastest descent in days towards Sadpara lake.

But I feel like going slow, trying to make the most if it. I feel as if I am leaving a bit of myself behind. Deosai is a soul-stirring experience after all, one of the wonders of Pakistan and a unique place on earth.