Himalayan Adventure - Sar Pass

May 8th:

The alarm rings at 4 am, but I am already awake. I feel sure that I have forgotten to pack something critical, which will make me freeze to death, bleed to death or plummet to death. Pushing these thoughts aside, I get up and get ready. I close all the doors and windows, check all the taps and light switches in the house, turn off the LPG regulator, and lock up the house.

I reach the airport well before time, and have a good breakfast. The flight to Delhi is non-eventful, boring. At Delhi, the luggage takes forever to appear. My cousins are to join me here, but they are at terminal T3, the swank new terminal at the Delhi airport. (I am so jealous that they got to see this from inside..) I take a shuttle to T3 which, to my surprise, is almost 5-6 km away.

At Delhi Airport's Metro Station

We have to go to RK Ashram from where we have a bus reservation till Kullu. The best way to travel in Delhi is the Metro – beat the heat and the traffic. After staring at the color-coded route maps for a long time, we figure out that we have to change three trains to reach RK Ashram. Riding in the Metro is a joy. Wonder when we’ll have Metro trains in Mumbai and Bangalore. Its almost 1 o’clock by this time, and my stomach is rumbling with hunger. We have lunch, and are left with nothing to do but wait for the bus.

At the bus stop, we see a big group of people with sacks and trekking gear. They are talking in Kannada. Even though I barely understand the language, I can identify when its being spoke. This is a quantum leap from four years back, when all the four south Indian languages sounded the same gibberish to me. They are talking of going to Bhunter (which is our destination as well), and we guess that they are going to be our fellow trekkers for the coming few days. Finally the bus departs.

May 9th:

We reach Bhunter at 5:30 in the morning. It is cold outside.  An old man at a tea-stall tells us that a bus leaves for Manikaran at 6:30, which will take us to the YHAI base camp at Kasol. This bus ride is up a precarious mountain road alongside the river Parvati. The blind curves, the huge rocks on one side, and the fastest flowing river of India on the other side make up a scary combination – this ride is not for the faint hearted. But the drivers are experts at what they do, and are in full control all the time. We get down at the stop, and climb down about a dozen steps to the base camp.

Kasol Base Camp

The view from here is amazing – snow capped mountains in the distance framed by tall trees on nearby hills. The place is buzzing with activity. There is a reception tent, next to which is the mess tent. There are two rows of tents on either side of a small ground, one side for guys and one for girls. My sis and I are allotted tent no. 13, and my bro gets tent no. 1.  We dump our luggage and head for breakfast which consists of Upma, kheer and a boiled egg along with tea. I have always been a fan of YAHI food. They serve simple yet delicious food, or maybe it’s the ambience of the camp that makes it taste so good.

We submit our registration forms and health certificates to check in. Since we check in on the 9^th, and are going to Sar Pass, our group is called SP9. Every group will have a max of 50
people. The girl at the reception, Madhuri, issues us ID cards and movement cards. We also get issued two blankets each and dump them in our tent. There are 14 people in every tent which is a bit of a crowd. As expected, the group that travelled in our bus the previous night also checks in, and becomes a part of SP9.

There is nothing much to do at the camp for the rest of the day. We are looking for places to visit nearby, and get frequent suggestions to go to Manikaran – which we pointedly ignore. I have been to Manikaran before - it has a famous Gurudwara, a famous Ram Mandir, a lot of hot water springs, and large throngs of pilgrims from all over India. I don’t really care for crowded religious places. How can people pray to God in midst of shouts and yells and pushes and bumps is beyond me. 

Market at Kasol

The three of us decide instead to go to Kasol market. It is full of firangs – mainly from Israel. In fact, there are so many firangs that we feel like an outsider in our own country. There is a lot of Israeli influence on the local food and clothes. The boards on the shops and hotels bear names in two scripts – roman and Hebrew. We tuck in on momos at the riverside and generally laze around. After lunch at base camp, we return for another round of momos.

Back at the base camp, we see many more arrivals from SP9. There are 9 girls in all, and 31 guys in SP9. There are people from other groups also, most of them from Mumbai, Bangalore and Gujarat. At 8:30, after dinner, the field director of the base camp starts a camp fire, an old camping tradition. Today the performances are from SP8. There is song singing, storytelling, poetry reciting. At the end of it, we get Bournvita. Anything warm to drink is welcome in the cold weather at Kasol.

All of us are tired from last night’s journey, and get eagerly into our tents for sleeping. The gushing sound of the Parvati River keeps me awake for some time, but I soon fall into a dreamless sleep.

May 10^th:

Bed tea is served at 5:30 am in the mess tent (Ideally it should be called mess tent tea, but we’ll let it pass). At 6 o’clock, SP8 and SP9 have to jog to a nearby ground for exercise. At the end of it, we have to do a laughter exercise. I have never done this before, but it is genuinely funny to see so many people laughing together, and the laughter comes spontaneously. I feel really good after the jog and the laugh. This has set the tone of the day.

Breakfast Time

For breakfast, we get chhole-bhature, kheer and boiled egg. Today, a small acclimatization walk is on the schedule for SP9. For this, we are supposed to put both the blankets issued to us along with a litre of water in a sack and carry it along with us. A rucksack is also provided by YHAI, but you can also get your own if you have one. We have to climb up a small mountain nearby. The walk is very pleasant, a preview of the coming few days. The idea behind making us carry some weight on our backs is to dissuade us from carrying unnecessary stuff in our sacks when we actually start trekking. At the top of the mountain, we have a small introduction session. There are people from different walks of life, and I feel we have a diverse and interesting combination of people in our group. We are informed that SP9 has to organize the camp fire today, and a lot of people start planning enthusiastically for it.

We come back to the base camp for lunch. The camp co-ordinator Mithun tells us that that there has been a lot of snow this year, and it is a must to have woollen socks and gloves before  we go to the higher camps. The three of us do not have gloves, so we again head to the Kasol Market. We get really good gloves from a lady who has hand woven them herself. This time we decide to keep from eating momos, as none of us is inclined on having an upset stomach before the trek.

Camp Fire

At the base camp, the Field Director (FD) organises an orientation session for SP9. He has 40 years of experience of trekking in the Himalayas, and shares a lot of anecdotes with us. He tells us about various ailments arising out of being on high altitude, like pulmonary enema, hypothermia and snow blindness. I am reminded of the book ‘Into Thin Air’, in which a lot of people die because of hypothermia while climbing Mt. Everest. This alarms a lot of people, but actually, at the altitude we are going, you’ll have to be really reckless to get any of these. Snow blindness is the only thing we have to really watch out for. The FD also tells us not to push ourselves too hard, and to return back if we feel a lot of discomfort while climbing. ‘The Mountain has always been there, and will always be there’, he says. ‘But you have only one life to live. There is no shame in accepting failure. You can try next time.’ I immediately make up my mind not to give up, come what may. (A perfect example of reverse psychology.. ;))

At the camp fire, my sis sings a beautiful Marathi song. A lot of others sing Kannada songs. A few verses of the famous ‘Madhushala’ are recited. And then again we get into our tents, and fall asleep listening to the river rushing nearby.

May 11^th:

The rock that we climbed

It’s bed tea at 5:30 and exercise at 6 again. Today after breakfast we have to go for rock climbing. A guide takes us up a path along the river and stands next to a rock wall. I take a look at the smooth shining rock, about 40 feet tall. He’s got to be kidding, I say to myself. There is no way I can climb even an inch on this rock, let alone reach the top.

All of us gather around the climbing instructor. He explains a few basic knots, and a few basic grips. There is no danger of falling, he says, you are always on a belay. He describes a three-point climbing style: at any point of time, three limbs should be fixed and one should be free to reach the next hold. You should also always keep your body away from the rock face so that you can clearly see the grips. He gives us a demonstration, climbing up as easily as we climb up a flight of stairs. One by one, people start climbing up.

When it’s my turn, I try to remember everything that has been told. Three-point climbing, keep your body away from the rock face. I start, and promptly mess up. I am too short and have no strength in my arms. In the end it’s a combination of scrambling, tugging and desperate pulling that finally takes me to the top of the rock. I climb down the other side with shaking knees. Hope I get better at rock climbing some day.

We return to base camp for lunch, after which we have to come back to the same rock for rappelling. I am much more confident here; rappelling is right up my alley. I finish easily. It starts raining and the rock becomes slippery. The rest of the group are not allowed to rappel.

We have to now pack our sacks for leaving for the higher camps the next day. There has to be kit inspection, to ensure we are carrying all that is needed, and that the weight of the sack is not more than 5-6 kg. The extra baggage is deposited.

Tomorrow is the day we start trekking. Can hardly get myself to sleep this night.

May 12^th:

Today there is no early morning exercise. We get our breakfast early too. We get a pack lunch. After all the last minute cramming of stuff in our sacks, we fall in on the ground. The group leader distributes a snack-bag which contains mango candy, chikki and Parle-G biscuits. We get a small pep-talk from the FD, and then we are on our way. As we climb up the steps, people from SP10 and SP11 stand on both side and clap, wishing us good luck.

Today, our destination is Grahan, which is a small village of about 50 households. This is the last village we will see on the way to Sar Pass. The distance is around 9 km.  We have no guide on this day, we are supposed to follow a series of red arrows marked all along the route on rocks or tree barks. Each of the 40 people soon fall into their own rhythm, some preferring to march ahead, while some prefer to lag behind. The route is very scenic and pleasant, consisting of regular ups and downs. I am full of happiness… this is like a dream come true. It’s a privilege to breathe in the pure mountain air. I have purposely left behind my book, my phone, my music player. I want to soak in every moment of this trek.

We come across a small group of destructed houses; a villager passing by tells us that they were destroyed by 10 feet of snowfall in January. I wonder how life would be like for the mountain people – it must not be easy to see your house fall down in front of your eyes, but they do their best to survive and live a fulfilling life. Their rugged leathery faces and their cheerful smiles tell it all.

We soon reach the lunch point, but it is too early to eat. The Bangalore gang breaks into songs at every opportunity, and everyone joins in. After lunch, we take a bit of a rest, and are on our way again. On walking a little further, we reach the village. Our camp site is a little further ahead, atop a little hillock.

Grahan Camp Site

The camp leader at Grahan, Mr. Khole, welcomes us to the camp. There is one tent for the girls, and four for guys. Being the first girl to reach there, I get the opportunity to select my spot in the tent. I choose one bang in the middle of the tent; it is good to have a little more protection from the elements.

The water source at this camp is an ingenious idea. The YHAI team has just gone a little further uphill, and extended a water hose from the river there till the camp site. The result is an un-interrupted flow of ice-cold clean water available for cooking and washing. Though I can tell you this – no one is inclined to put even a fingertip in the water unless absolutely necessary.

We get served tea by the kitchen staff, followed by soup after some time. It is advisable to drink as much of this stuff as possible, because since you don’t feel thirsty in the cold weather, all this liquid keeps you from de-hydrating. Taking care of your own health is of utmost importance if you want to keep up your fitness level, and really enjoy the trek.

The Bangalore gang starts playing a complicated game, which I am unable to understand in spite of total focus. I soon lose interest, and wander off to talk to a local lady, who has put up a small shop near the camp site, and has got a fire going. She tells me a lot of stuff about their lifestyle. Her husband is a skiing instructor, and has come up with his own web-site. He has done the web-designing himself. It feels strange to hear words like internet and web-design from this traditional looking lady. I ask her if she has ever been to Sar Pass. Yes, she says, she used to go with her girl friends before her marriage. They used to leave early in the morning and reach back home by nightfall. We are going to take 6 days to cover this same route! But then you cannot dream of competing with these people. They have been born and brought up here. I think they will have problem walking on flat roads… ;) The mountains are very safe, she says. It’s the cities which are dangerous. I disagree wholeheartedly, but keep my mouth shut. I tell her it’s been a pleasure talking with her and thank her for the fire (it is starting to get really chilly now once the sun has gone down).

After dinner, we all get sleeping bags and a blanket. It is quite a task to snuggle into a sleeping bag, but it is warm as a toast. Sleep comes easily at the end of a day’s walking.

May 13^th:

I am on a ship, the sea roars around me. The sails swell with wind and flap on my face. I open my eyes, and the sail is converted into the tent flap. There is a storm blowing in. It is pitch dark outside. I glance at the watch – it’s 2 am. I get up and try to tie up the loose tent flap. I place a few rucksacks at the bottom of the flaps to weigh them down. It’s of no use. The sacks fly away due to the force of the wind and we are pelted with cold raindrops. A couple of more girls get up. All of us sit on the edge of the flaps to keep the water from coming in. I am wide awake now, and am praying for the storm to get over quickly. The prayer is answered an hour later, by which time the three of us sitting on the flaps are freezing. 

In the morning, we have breakfast and get a pack lunch. Today we have to head towards Padri, and we have Ishwar Singh Ji to guide us. It is a narrow trail, and we have to walk in a single file. Suddenly I get poked in my calf with something, and am terrified when I see that it’s a dog. This dog has followed us from the base camp, and the guys in our group have named him Sheru. I try to get out of his way and allow him to pass ahead. But he does not budge.  He seems to have decided to follow me. I move ahead, but spend a nervous time walking as I am not particularly fond of dogs.

The walk to Padri feels really simple. We reach the lunch point well ahead of schedule. We have been told that we cannot reach our destination camp site before 4 in the afternoon, as the camp staff needs time to prepare for the coming group. So we have to keep our pace low. I don’t understand the logic behind this, but don’t particularly mind slowing down; it just gives me much more time to enjoy the surroundings.

At the lunch point, I see one of the guys from SP8 limping back. He says while going from Padri to Ratapani (we have been told this is the toughest day of the trek), he slipped and his knee hit a rock. He will not be able to complete the trek and is returning back to the base camp. He is extremely disappointed, and I feel bad for him. It takes a lot of planning and effort to come for this trek, and to leave it unfinished because of an injury is the last thing anyone wants.

Waterfall at Padri

The camp leader of Padri, Aditya, has come with him this far. From here on, Ishwar Singh Ji will take him down to Grahan. It starts to rain a bit, and we all also decide to move on towards the camp site. I am one of the first ones to start. As we near the camp site, it starts raining pretty heavily along with hail. I see the tents¸ and thankfully enter one of them. In a few minutes, the rest of the people arrive. They are thoroughly drenched.

It stops raining after some time, and we come out of the tents.  The camp site at Padri is beautiful. Now the snow caps seem very close. There is a waterfall close by, which has forced its way through some left-over snow, resulting in a unique snow-cave like formation. A lot of photos are clicked.

May 14^th:

Today is the much-hyped route from Padri to Ratapani. People have claimed this to be the most challenging day of the trek. It is a long route, and the gradient is around 65 to 70 degrees on an average. Aditya introduces us to the guide Lakshman Singh. He advises us to take less frequent breaks, and to keep moving continuously. ‘You can climb any goddamn mountain’, he says, ‘if you take the smallest possible steps, and the longest possible route. But do not stop.’ This makes a lot of sense. There is no point in unnecessarily straining yourself in going over huge rocks using long stretches. It is better to go around the rock using smaller steps.

We start the trek. I usually prefer to keep near the head of the group. It is a psychological advantage to see more people following you than seeing more people ahead of you. I try to get a rhythm going. Breath in during two steps, breathe out during the next two.  Try and conserve energy by talking less. Drink electrolytes rather than plain water. Use a strong walking stick for support. . Even though it feels hot while climbing, the moment you stop you feel really cold. So it is best to keep wearing a warm jacket, so that you keep warm and your body does not cool down.

Me, Sheru and his friend

By now I am used to having Sheru’s nose four centimetres away from my ankle. I am sure none of my friends are going to believe this; my fear of dogs is well known. But I have a photograph to prove that I really got over this fear to a certain extent.

It is indeed a difficult climb, in the sense that it is physically demanding. A stiff climb for 6 hours straight has set my calf muscles on fire. But it is not difficult technically. You will always find good grips to hold on. At last we reach the lunch point. The view for here is mesmerising. Now that we are at a considerable height, we can see three or four parallel ranges of mountains in front of us. This is the best lunch site so far.

From the lunch point, it is another 4-5 km before we reach the Ratapani camp site. It is almost 4 in the afternoon. We have been walking for 7 hours straight. The camp leader at Ratapani says that we have been the fastest group to reach there so far. Even though we have a few elders in our group, we are a pretty fast moving and energetic group on the whole.

The camp site overlooks the valley on the west site, and we can see the sunset from here. Seeing the sunlight glow golden on the Himalayas has made all the effort worthwhile. As John Denver has sung, ‘You can talk to God, and listen to the casual reply’. I am at a loss of words to describe the feeling. You have to be there to understand.

May 15^th:

Today it’s a relatively simple route to Nagaru. We start at around 9:30, an hour later than usual. It is a steep climb, but a short one. We get large patches of snow now, and it is fast melting in the mid-morning sun. It mixes with the soil and forms a muddy slush, making it really risky to walk. If you slip, you can go down a long way, and it will be a huge effort to get back on track.

Camp Site at Nagaru

The camp site at Nagaru is or highest camping point, at an altitude of 12500 feet. There is snow all around the tents. I can distinctively feel that the air has thinned out, but do not suffer from any discomfort. I guess even this thin air has more oxygen than what we are used to get in the polluted cities.

A couple of guys complain of headache and nausea. These are the most common symptoms of altitude sickness. The camp leader gives us a lot of tips to acclimatize ourselves. He asks us not to sit around in tents, even though it is freezing cold outside. He says it is mandatory to have tea and soup, and have dinner, even if you don’t feel like eating. He asks us not to put on all our warm clothing at once, but to let our bodies get used to the cold.

Even with all the cold, all of us are very excited at seeing a lot of snow around, and cannot resist packing a few snowballs and flinging them at each other. We try to build a snowman but it does not work out.

Dinner is served at 6:30 in the evening. Today there is Gulaab Jamun. Heavens knows how the kitchen staff manages to serve up this treat. Kudos to them.

We get especially thick sleeping bags today. The temperature drops to -2 at night. Nagaru is very windy, and is well known for storms strong enough to blow away tents. At 7:45, when all of us are inside our tents, steaming coffee is served along with a piece of gud. I am impressed with all the innovative ideas for keeping us from getting hypothermia.

Answering nature’s calls is a big problem here as there is snow everywhere and no water. I realise that actual trekking has been the easiest part in this whole thing. Using toilet paper, sleeping on hard ground in sleeping bags day in and day out, washing lunch boxes and plate in icy cold water, holding on to the tent to keep it from blowing away, and survival in general has been more difficult.

We have to start at walking at 4 am the next morning, to give us a couple of hours of walking on snow before the sun comes out. So all of us sleep early. Tomorrow is the d-day.... :)

May 16^th:

The camp leader yells Good Morning outside our tent, exactly at 2:30 in the morning. He gets a shock when all of us yell back at him loudly. Almost everyone is wildly excited. There are only a couple of sleepy heads still inside their sleeping bags.

It is a full moon night (Buddha Purnima), and once we step outside the tent, we see a brilliant and huge moon. We get tea and Upma for breakfast.

Today, the lunch consists of only dry items like biscuits and chikki, because it is impossible for the kitchen staff to cook food for 40 people at 2 am. The camp leader introduces us to two Sherpas, who have been specially hired by YHAI to guide us through the snow. They are a couple of immediately likeable, happy people. We are asked to follow their instructions down to the t, and never question their authority.

We start walking in pitch dark with the help of our torches and head lamps. Everyone walks in a single file. Initially I find it extremely difficult to walk on snow. It is very slippery and very steep. The walking stick is almost useless because the snow is too hard to dig it in. It is a slow beginning. The Sherpas are brilliant on the snow, walking as easily as taking a stroll in a park. They help everyone out through more difficult patches.

The group proceeds slowly but steadily, and at around 6 am, we reach SAR PASS!!! Finally

the moment I have been dreaming of since the last few months has arrived. We go mad with joy at having made it to the summit. We are almost 14000 feet above sea level. The sun has come out now, and all we can see around us is snow. I have never seen so much snow in my life. We have been told to continuously wear sunglasses while in the snow to keep out the glare. Too much glare can cause snow blindness which is particularly painful and results in temporary loss of vision.

The Slide

We play to our hearts contents in the snow. A lot of group photos are taken. Now we have to start descending. Wherever possible, we are made to sit in the snow on the slop, and just slide down. The first slide is 1.5 km, after which my bum and legs go numb. But it is too much fun. I start giggling like a little school girl. We are surrounded by huge snowy mountains.

Now finally i get the knack of walking in the snow. When climbing up, I dig my toes in first. While climbing down, I dig my heels, and while traversing a slope sideways, i dig the sides of my feet.

Me and Sherpa Java

While sliding the next time, I turn on my camera and hang it in my neck. I am trying to shoot a video, which is really funny. It is only a mixture of sky and snow, and my jeans... ;) we have a long way to walk in the snow. At noon, I get tired of watching only white all around me, but there is still some way to go. Finally we reach the lunch point. Since we have played to our heart’s content in the snow, all my clothing is wet. It is really cold, and there is a small breeze going on. It becomes impossible to sit still, so we request the guide to lead us to the next camp which is Biskeri. We have to say goodbye to the Sherpas at this point, one of whose name, incidentally, is Java. (There is no escaping Java even here... ;)). There is one more slide before we reach the Biskeri camp.

At Biskeri, the camp leader Ali is waiting for us. He is from Laddakh, and is a very friendly and talkative guy. Again I am one of the first ones to reach, and this gives me an opportunity to change my clothes in peace. It feels good to be in clean and dry clothes.

We get pakodaas with our tea in the evening. Everyone is dead tired, since we have walked for around 10 hours today. Sleeping bag calls early, and I go to sleep at 7:30.

May 17^th:

From today, our descent begins. Descending, though being very hard on the knees, is physically less taxing than climbing up. Now that we have made it to the top, I am in a very relaxed state, and in a complete mood to enjoy spring time in the Himalayas. I decide to move at a leisurely pace.

Now we are in the meadows of Himalayas, there are a lot of cows, sheep and horses grazing around as we walk. There are beautiful little flowers all over the grass,

and a lot of water springs humming along. I start to miss my friends immensely, this would have been a great time to pick up old threads and have good conversations. But nowadays everyone has their own thing going, and it is almost impossible for everyone to go for a vacation together.

At one point along the descent, we have to rappel down a cliff, then cross a big stream

across which a log of wood has been placed. The water in that stream is flowing tremendously fast, and the narrow log of wood is barely inches above the water. There is nothing to hold on to. I am scared shitless when I reach the middle of the stream; and as the log starts shaking, my knees start shaking too. Somehow I make it to the other side.

At around 4, we reach the camp at Bhandak Thach. Thach, in Himachali, means a meadow.

Frisbee Rugby

The campsite is lovely, feels as if we are camping in a Swiss meadow. There is a lot of open space outside the tents, and the guys immediately start playing a game of Frisbee-rugby. I wonder how much stamina they have. By this time I am very tired, and am slowly having enough of sleeping on hard ground in sleeping bags. I am jealous of the boys’ energy, and for the millionth time in my life wish that I was a guy. Even though the girls cannot participate in the game, we play our roles of cheerleaders to perfection.

May 18^th:

Today is the last day of our trek. The camp leader congratulates us for completing the trek successfully. ‘People try to find God in temples and churches,’ he says, ‘But it is in the company nature that you will really feel his presence.’ I couldn’t agree more. We have to walk till a village called Barsani, from where we have to catch a bus till Kasol. Today’s walk takes us through a couple of villages. I am secretly saying goodbye to the mountains, promising to return next year.

Riding a vehicle after so long feels weird, we are actually moving without moving our legs. There is a huge multiphase engineering hydal power project going on the Parvati river. We are back to the city, back to the mundane.

Once we reach the Kasol base camp, Mithun congratulates and welcomes us. We are one of the first groups to complete the trek successfully, as the first few ones had to return back because of a lot of rain and bad weather. We take a bath in the icy cold water, after about 8 days. People become un-recognizably clean after their baths.

In tonight’s camp fire, the field director hands out certificates to us and tells us to continue trekking. I will certainly try my best to come every year, I tell him.

May 19^th:

The Bangalore gang is going rafting in the Beas. We have requested them to let us join them. All of us leave together from Kasol, and go via Bhunter to Kullu. We have to raft a distance of 14 km, and it will cost only 350 bucks per head. This is very cheap compared to the last time I had rafted, which had cost almost one grand.

The water is icy cold, which is probably the reason why all of us are not asked to dive into the water. The first splash of water on the first rapid freezes the daylights out of me. Rafting is one of the most exciting things I have ever done. At the end of 7 km, we are at Bhunter, where Beas meets Parvati. You can clearly see the difference in the color of the water. Once the water from Parvati joins in, the speed increases tremendously. The next 7 km end in a flash.

After rafting, all of us have lunch together, and then it is time to say goodbye. All of us are going to Delhi, but are taking different buses. This has been the most amazing 2 weeks of m y life. I have made some great friends. The memory of the time spent with them is going to keep me in high spirit for a long time. Cheers to SP9!!!!