Leh - Ladakh Road Trip in Mahindra Scorpio

[avindu]

Continued..

Wonder what uncle is doing?



Well, the next time someone goes there, you know who did that.



After a short drive, we had a wonderful surprise



Someone offered biscuits





Very soft fur



Yup, he is munching that biscuit.



I was really hoping not to see this, though we enjoyed it before. We were lucky a couple of times but I was not taking another chance at the Snow. So, decided to skip both Hanle and Tso-Moriri.





Left Pangong around 10 AM and reached Shakti at 2 PM. Had a quick conversation with Kumar sir and he said Rohtang might be closed either on Monday or Tuesday. He said reaching Sarchu for the night halt will be a little difficult and asked to try reaching Pang. Well, I was wondering why it would actually take that long.

Filled up fuel at Karu and carried around 20ltrs of extra fuel in the can. The stretch from Upshi to Rumtse was pretty good but few kms from Tanglang La, it was unbearable. Now, I knew it would be tough for me to even reach Pang, however, I dint expect the 'expect the unexpected' thing to come up again.




This is the last picture between T'lang La and Keylong.

It was around 6PM and I still had to drive down. Took me another hour or so and by now it was dark. The road just ended abruptly and there were no sign boards. The only thing I could see on the right was sand.

So, I thought this should be Mooreh Plains. We found a track for about a km and then it disappeared. The road is being constructed and the only thing I decided to do was, be as close to that road. However, some stretches led to many more tracks and some led to a ditch. I missed the tracks 3 times and had to find another.

Finally, reached Pang around 9:30 PM. We found a place to eat and after dinner I decided to drive through the night to reach Rohtang early in the morning. This was by far the worst decision I took.

It was unimaginably cold and the roads dint make my life any easier. Sarchu was around 75Kms and it took me 4 hours. The entire stretch I would driven only in 1st and 2nd gear. Lachung la and Naki la are passes definitely not meant to be done in the night.

I slept in the car for a couple of hours at Sarchu and left at 4 AM. Reached Zingzing bar around 7 AM. The lady at the tea shop said, Manali should be another 8 hours. I almost fainted.

The stretch between Darcha and Keylong is quite good. Somewhere near Tandi, a massive rock fell from the top and it was being cleared.







He was just brilliant all through the journey



Enroute to the worst pass - Rohtang





View from the Top of Rohtang





Took nearly 3 hours to clear Rohtang Pass and finally reached Manali at 4 PM.







Few pics of Manali







Got my scorp washed and after washing ourselves, we headed to the Manali market. The plan was to leave at leisure the following day, as I intended to drive through the night. I now was hoping not to drive in the 'Ghat' section again, but Swarghat made me feel, 'you have to cross me first, to hit the highway'.

 

[avindu]

Tuesday, 20th September

When I hit the highway, it felt like, I was back into the Civilized world, but at times, I do miss those roads. (Climax of Cast Away)

Route :

Manali -> Kullu -> Bajaura -> Mandi -> Bilaspur -> Swarghat -> Ghanauli -> Ambala -> Panipat -> Sonipat -> Delhi -> Gurgaon -> Somewhere near Bilaspur

Distance :

631 Kms

Time taken :

14.30 hours

Wednesday, 21st September

After dinner, slept in the car and left around 3 A.M

Route :

Bilaspur -> Jaipur -> Kishangarh -> Chittorgarh -> Udaipur -> Ahmedabad -> Vadodara -> 40Kms away from Surat, halted for the night at a dhaba around 7:30 PM.

Distance :

1123 Kms

Time Taken :

17 hours

Thursday, 22nd September

Left Surat in the afteroon and reached Pune outskirts around 11 PM.

Route :

Surat -> Ghodbunder -> Thane -> Outskirts of Pune (near Kolhapur)

Distance :

547 Kms

Time Taken :

8 hours

Friday, 23rd September :

Left around 7 in the morning and reached Bangalore at 5:30 PM.

Route :

Kolhapur -> Belgaum -> Hubli -> Chitradurga -> Tumkur -> Bangalore.

Distance :

640 Kms

Time Taken :

10.5 hours

We had informed our family members that we might reach on Sunday and gave a small surprise by reaching Friday. Uncle's wife was quite excited to see us and this is how we looked.



That's the final pic



Total Distance :

8463.9 kms

Total cost for the trip :

Rs.32,575/-

(Including Fuel, Stay, Food, Toll)

Total cost on Fuel :

Rs. 23,475/-

For Toll :

Rs. 3,500/- (Rounded off)

For Stay and Food:

Rs. 5600/-

Stayed in the car :

8 days.

Total number of days :

16

Uncle, who is an accountant, was taking care of the expenditure list, so I'm pretty sure its accurate.

Will share the maps and routes taken in detail, in the next post.

 

[avindu]

A special praise for my uncle

At 52, not many people would even think of doing something like this and even if they do, they want to do it in the most comfortable way. He loves trekking but has not done anything like this before.

Sleeping inside the car for 8 days, travelling without food, long stretch of drives without breaks and to have me as a company. Does not sound comfortable, in anyway.

Not only did my friends refused coming but some of them passed 'pessimistic' comments. This man was just the opposite. He was determied to complete this, showed immense courage and agreed to all my plans.

Our regular conversations and topics would be based on Politics. We enjoyed each other's company quite well and appreciated each other's efforts.

How can I go without thanking my beast

It is probably the worst terrain, any one can think of taking their loved possession and some may even avoid, worrying about the damage it may cause. He dint have a scratch nor a touch to the chassis nor a hic-up. He is the hero of this journey.



Here is a list of all the maps and logs I collected. All of them belong to the respective owners and I have not edited any of them. Please use them as a reference only.











Thank you everyone for reading this travelogue, sharing your thoughts and for appreciating it.

Regards
Avinash

 

[Akash]

Thanks for the awesome travelogue. I must say this is one of the best narration i have ever come across. I havent read the complete writeup, but i will for sure on this weekend.I am sure this thread is going to help the wannabe who are carving hard to conquer these roads, and yes, i am one of them[smile].

 

[mukeshus]

Amazing excellent quoting along with pics.
The log your Uncle has carried out is really amazing.

The price of diesel in Bangalore used to be 39.50 in 2008.
The price of diesel 45.99 in Kolhapur & Mysore are same.

All the pics were treat to eyes, and salute to Hawk for completing the journey without hiccups, then did you leave it to service?

Which service its due for?

 

[avindu]

Thanks for the awesome travelogue. I must say this is one of the best narration i have ever come across. I havent read the complete writeup, but i will for sure on this weekend.I am sure this thread is going to help the wannabe who are carving hard to conquer these roads, and yes, i am one of them[smile].

Thank you Akash. Hope this helps in planning your expedition.

Amazing excellent quoting along with pics.
The log your Uncle has carried out is really amazing

Thanks again, Mukesh. He din't show interest initially, but once I started to write, he took it over and said 'how long can I sleep'?

All the pics were treat to eyes, and salute to Hawk for completing the journey without hiccups, then did you leave it to service?

Which service its due for?

No, not yet. Have been busy with work and then the festival. So, will probably take it today or tomorrow. The last service was done around the 65K mark (need to check) and now its around 74K.

I have checked the engine oil, coolant, fuel and air filters. Got to check the brake pads, differential oil and need to do a tyre rotation.

 

[Thetraveller]

Hats off! You should start a trip advisory business with so much eye for detail! I will keep this thread as favorite and use it for my planning too.

Thanks and good luck.

 

[Surfer]

Thanks again for such detailed writeup.Will be very very helpful for those who are planning future Leh trip.
Awesome pics! All !

 

[carabiker]

Some day I might start a Pan -India trip in my car alone or with likeminded friends covering all major towns , seeing must-watch places and trying to meet fellow TAI-ians. This has been one of the wishes in my Bucket list for past few years. Google maps is always on my finger tips anyways.

Thanks Avindu for enriching and inspiring our present and future moments.

 

[anisghos]

Breathtaking man!! It was a awesome journey. Loved every bit of it. the pictures made all the difference.

 

[avindu]

Hats off! You should start a trip advisory business with so much eye for detail! I will keep this thread as favorite and use it for my planning too.

Thanks and good luck.

Thank you, Thetraveller. Sounds good, will sure consider that if recession hits IT again

Thanks again for such detailed writeup.Will be very very helpful for those who are planning future Leh trip.
Awesome pics! All !

My pleasure and thank you.

Some day I might start a Pan -India trip in my car alone or with likeminded friends covering all major towns , seeing must-watch places and trying to meet fellow TAI-ians. This has been one of the wishes in my Bucket list for past few years. Google maps is always on my finger tips anyways.

Thanks Avindu for enriching and inspiring our present and future moments.

Hope you realize your dream soon, bud. Good luck.

Breathtaking man!! It was a awesome journey. Loved every bit of it. the pictures made all the difference.

Thank you anisghos.

 

[AppU]

Fantastic Travelogue with awesome pics,


Convey my regards to your Scorpio & give some rest to him.

I'll contact you after some years also to enquire about the route.

 

[drivetech4]

@Avindu, as promised earlier today I read it from start to end, it took me good more than 2 hrs, but it was worth it.
I just wanted to thank you again for your generosity in allowing us to explore the Leh and Laddakh through your eyes, and your words!
It was so kind of you to share each and every detail of the trip, and I was delighted that you were able to remember name of each and every place you visited.You were able to click all possible angles and places and post them accordingly. I know its a tough job, and pre planning is required for that.
Indexing of the Images is a tedious job.
I don't know if we have thanked you enough, but you are a wonderful explorer and we count ourselves very lucky to have you here on TAI!

Someone has said, I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder!

Cheers Mate!

 

[avindu]

Fantastic Travelogue with awesome pics,


Convey my regards to your Scorpio & give some rest to him.

I'll contact you after some years also to enquire about the route.

Thanks AppU. I'm glad you have been following this thread. Hope to see you and your ride at K-Top soon.

Yup, both of us took 3 days off before heading to work.

@Avindu, as promised earlier today I read it from start to end, it took me good more than 2 hrs, but it was worth it

I need to thank you guys for taking your valuable time in reading this travelogue. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I just wanted to thank you again for your generosity in allowing us to explore the Leh and Laddakh through your eyes, and your words!

Pleasure is mine.

It was so kind of you to share each and every detail of the trip, and I was delighted that you were able to remember name of each and every place you visited

I don't think I'll ever forget.

You were able to click all possible angles and places and post them accordingly. I know its a tough job, and pre planning is required for that.
Indexing of the Images is a tedious job.
I don't know if we have thanked you enough, but you are a wonderful explorer and we count ourselves very lucky to have you here on TAI!

Someone has said, I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder!

Cheers Mate!

Thanks a lot. Appreciation of this kind will surely make me explore more. I'm hoping that this is just the beginning.

 

[tantragna]

Wow!! This was one of the best travelogue that I have read!

I had also planned for this month, to go and spectate the Raid de Himalaya rally race, but couldn't make it due to shortage of funds and time. Now, I know how badly I have missed it.

Will tag this thread for my personal reference and source of information. Thanks!