The tears are hard to stop when you see the Greater Himalayas for the very first time. I mean, of course, you've seen them in movies, photos and heard songs about them but nothing, and I mean nothing, comes close to seeing them in person. There's not enough words on the planet to describe the sheer power you feel when you see those age old mountains, standing tall like sentinels, protecting India from the Northern elements. 

We stopped after a long day of riding our bikes and hit the More Plains, a gigantic valley in the Greater Himalayas that seemingly stretches forever, with the end of the valley just barely in sight. It is one of the quietest places I've ever visited in my entire life, and there's no road per say. You could literally ride anywhere on the plains. It is straight as an arrow and the cut in the mountains ahead leads on to Ladakh.  

More Plains overwhelmed our group. We stopped and decided to camp there, where little vegetation grew and there was not a living soul in sight. We did occasionally catch sight of a wild sheep and goat here and there, but apart from that, nothing. As we prepared to set up camp, a chill spread over the valley as the Sun hid behind the mountains, darkening the valley but leaving the sky well lit. It was going to be a magical experience, it seemed to promise us, and a magical experience we did get. 

Away from the pollution of the city, away from all the noise, the light and the general chaos, looking straight up to the sky wasn't merely an exercise in frustration. On the plains, looking up to the sky meant a whole new world opening up to you. 

Countless stars blinked back at you. Countless, of all colour, shining bright, blinking. It was enough to keep you awake all night, wrapped in your sleeping bags, fighting back the cold, just to sit back and stare at the sky. 

In our quest to chase riches and build the future, we murdered our planet. We polluted our cities and we laugh at people who tell us that we should be taking care not to pollute our surroundings. I stared into the sky for so long, I did not notice the tears streaking down my face. We were building a future for children who would live on a poisoned planet, and that night I thought to myself, just how much of an impact we could make if we only just make the city dwellers and polluters and the capitalists and the socialists and every person of every ideology just sit down, look up and stare at the sky in the midst of the Greater Himalayas. 

The world would be a better place.