Lidang-Shigo, Himachal Pradesh, India, 25 January 2017, 1120 hours:
We are well and truly snow-bound.
All roads are closed.
We are going nowhere.
That is, if we get back to Kaza. The car is dancing around the snow-laden road.
Thankfully, there is help at hand. One of Sanju’s friends, who works with the Public Works Department, has turned up to help (he was walking towards Sichling). The driver and passenger of a Maruti Alto 800 also stopped to help.
And, with divine intervention, we also have a senior Lama from the Kaza Monastery helping us get the car moving. The kind Monk is driving to Shimla in his Mahindra Bolero (he just left Kaza a while ago), and stopped to help us. Inspite of our experience he will make his attempt to get through (that too alone) – that’s one brave soul.

I realise we are in difficulty but I can’t help but marvel at the number of people who just stop to help in these parts – everyone, in fact, stops to help and stays till you are through. It is incredible.