‘The lungs are at bursting point’ : Gul Panag shares ‘first real challenge’ of cycling trip to Ladakh

Besides being an actor, model, and fitness enthusiast, Gul Panag is also a globetrotter.  The 43-year-old’s Instagram is proof of her love for adventure and new challenges.

Of late, Gul has been seen stirring our wanderlust with pictures and details of her cycling expedition to Ladakh. But this time, she took to Instagram to highlight an important reality.

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“Climate change is real!” began Gul’s post as she went on to share the “first real challenge” she faced while cycling to the Baralacha Pass — a high mountain pass in the Zanskar range that connects Himachal Pradesh‘s Lahaul district to Leh in Ladakh.

“We first went to Ladakh in 2002 on a bike. Back then, in end June, Baralacha Pass had 12 feet of snow. Now it was just rocks, bad roads and dust.” “The road is non existent; the last few kilometres, and one is struggling with the altitude,” she added.

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A post shared by Gul Panag (@gulpanag) 

The reason, according to her, is not the height of the pass but “the problems arise due to the single largest transition in altitude.”

“One is at approximately 10,500 ft the night before, and then the constant climb to 16000 ft. The lungs are at bursting point,” she wrote.

The Dor actor added that no amount of preparation in the plains can prepare one for such harsh conditions. “It’s completely mind over matter. The only way is to keep one’s head down and keep pedalling,” she said.

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Needless to say, her climb to Baralacha Pass was not rosy. “The climb to Baralacha made me pray more than I ever have in recent memory. It was the only way to slow my breathing down and continue pedalling,” she concluded.

The actor also shared some old pictures with her brother and relatives from her 2002 visit. Take a look!

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