Cycling To Spiti, Day 8, Tabo to Key Gompa

Day 8. 
Tabo to Key Gompa. 

Distance Ridden: 64 KMs

Where's the key?

I started after a quick breakfast at Cafe Kunzum top, the initial plan was to ride till Kaza and make a stop there, I had decided to skip Dhankar. Then I heard that Key monestry had good accommodation available and decided to move till the monestry.

I packed up, had a final conversation with Mr Tashi about his cycle, and the kind of upgrades he can do.

About 10 kilometers later, I saw a cricket match with a full on AIR kind of commentary. I stopped to watch the match for a few minutes, I was offered chai and puri which was being given to all the people who were watching the match, and moved on after 10 minutes.

The wind was my enemy the entire day, hitting me hard on the face all day, I did make a few stops, one such stops included a couple of kids barely 5-6 years old stopping me to look at my cycle, one of them wanted to get on the cycle, I picked him up and put him on the saddle, and he started crying and wanted to get down, I put him down quickly while the other kid laughed, he was wearing my helmet and glasses, and I picked him up and put him on the saddle. Unlike the first kid he didn't cry, instead he kept playong around with the gears and brakes.

I reached Kaza around 4 PM, leaving me good 3 hours to ride the next 16 kilometers to Key Gompa. I sat for my lunch at a dhaba and over a bowl of thukpa, went through the map that the store owner had. He was curious about the route I had taken, and helped me plan the route ahead.

I started for the monastery after a good 30 minute rest, the next 16 kilometers were cold and windy. The wind was so strong that I could only move at a crawling pace. I had to put on my winter gear for the last 2 kilometer climb up to the monastery, and reached there tired and cold.

Thankfully, there were rooms available in the monastery, lamaji prepared a hot meal of daal and tingmo, and after a long discussion about life and philosophy later with him and other guests, I am in bed safely tucked in at 4200 meters.

I am still unsure if I should take rest for a day or proceed further. Todays route change puts me 3 days ahead of my schedule.