Leh on Nexon

[J.Ravi]

Our drive in Pangi valley by the side of the Chenab or Chandrabhaga river continued towards Killar>Tandi>Keylong on 27/09. We crossed Killar by 2 pm, but continued our drive without entering the town. We had biscuits and lassi/buttermilk for the lunch somewhere on the way. Although the road was consistently bad all the way upto Udaipur, the scenery was breathtaking. We had an early delicious, simple dinner at Bhandari Bhojanalaya, Udaipur, the only meal for the entire day. After Udaipur, the road was good asphalted new one all the way to Tandi. We drove straight to the IOC pump, Tandi and had tankful for Blue Diamond. Then, we drove to Hotel Chandra Bhaga of Himachal Tourism at Keylong on the Manali NH at 9 pm, checked into the room and crashed to the bed for the much-earned sleep.

More later.

 

[harishankar]

Great scenery! Beautiful place.

 

[J.Ravi]

Beautiful pictures.

Thanks, Vinod.

Amazing review as always very descriptive sir

Thank you very much, SurajVarma_R.

Lovely pictures!

Thanks for appreciation, bbarve.

Do share your experience about snow driving with the Nexon.

I drove on snow at Khardungla and Changla [-5 deg C]. On those places with bad roads, I was driving in MT [sport mode] very slowly and carefully. We got down from the ghats safely. Other peaks like Sach Pass, Rohtang Pass, Baralachala, Tanglangla, etc. did not experience snowfall. There were almost zero traffic on those places. No company and no help. We were on our own. Thanks, bhvm.

Very beautiful pictures...It's difficult to guess you drove it all the way!!

Yes, I did the whole driving for 7,669 km! Thanks, mayankdixit.

Great scenery! Beautiful place.

Thanks, harishankar.

 

[J.Ravi]

Leh on Nexon

On 28/09 at 7:20 am, we left Hotel Chandrabhaga, Keylong for Leh after having tea. The road was good for a long distance. Then, the road turned into a bed of boulders and sharp stones before climbing Baralachala. I drove many stretches on the rocks for some considerable distance. Some 12+ km before Sarchu, we were stopped for more than a hour due to some work being done by BRO on a bridge across a water crossing. I utilized that for rest and sleep. When the traffic was allowed to cross the bridge, a BRO staffer pointed out the rear right wheel and indicated a puncture. I cursed myself for not seeing that flat wheel while waiting. The rocks took the toll. I crossed the bridge, parked Blue Diamond and plunged into the task. First, we unloaded the luggage and stacked them on the rear seat. Then, I removed the jack, tools and the spare wheel from the boot. I loosened the wheel nuts and jacked up Blue Diamond. All these tasks were witnessed by the BRO road workers. One of them came forward and helped me. After spending about half hour, Blue Diamond started going on the road again. After a simple lunch at Sarchu, we continued our journey. All the passes en route were dry and no snow. We reached Otsal Guest House, Changspa Road, Leh at 7:48 pm.

While introducing us with Mr Otsal and his wife, he shocked me by informing of the death of Yogesh Sarkar of BCMTouring at Pangong Tso, a couple of days back. When Otsal informed me of the demise of Yogesh Sarkar, I was shocked. In fact, I told him that he might be referring to some other Yogesh. He was visibly upset to confirm that it was indeed Yogesh Sarkar of BCMTouring. Since I was driving continuously since 23/09, I could not log on to BCMTouring or FB. Very shocking. With that sad news, we went to bed.

More in the queue.

 

[J.Ravi]

Leh on Nexon

29/09 Sunday was supposed to be a rest day according to my original plan. But the puncture near Sarchu changed it to a business day as usual! I consulted Otsal about the nearby tyre repair shop. But, he told me that being a Sunday, all these establishments would be closed. I could try the next day. But, I was restless. We unloaded the luggage and stacked them neatly in the room. I wanted to get it repaired as soon as possible. We were treated with my favourite Ladakhi bread for our breakfast. We were taken to their garden by the hosts and shown around. Otsal's dad, Sonam visited Bylakuppe monastery in Karnataka. He suggested the oldest Alchi monastery for us. He told us, "If you visit Alchi monastery, you don't have to visit any other!". We were given garden-fresh apples and apricots. Very friendly people.

We left around noon. I started driving towards Manali NH. This is where I got the punctured tyre of my erstwhile XUV 500 repaired in 2017. But, all the tyre repair shops were closed. On the outskirts, I met one Norbu, who was pumping air using his portable pump into the rear right tyre of his Wagon R. I stopped by and enquired with him. He asked me to follow him as he was also in search of a tyre repairer. We drove upto Choglamsar, but could not locate even a single tyre repairer. By that time, Norbu's tyre became totally flat. He sought my help. I asked him to accompany me with the punctured wheel, so that we could search for the elusive tyre repairer. He did not have the wheel spanner. I gave him mine. He jacked up his Wagon R, dismantled the punctured wheel, put it in Blue Diamond's boot and jointly we started searching. Finally, we could locate one tyre repair shop near Kendriya Vidyalaya. He repaired my punctured tyre and put it back at the rear right with the alloy rim. The OE spare went back to the boot. Norbu's tyre was damaged beyond repair. As suggested to him, he bought a tube to be put inside the tubeless tyre for temporary use. I paid 80 rupees for the service rendered. We went back to Choglamsar to drop Norbu. He thanked me and we parted after shaking hands. Mentally relieved after the tyre repair, I started looking for a car wash. But again, all of them were closed. We returned to our home stay in the evening. We went for a long walk to the main market and had our dinner there.

On 30/09 Monday, I gave Otsal our Aadhaar cards and requested him to arrange for the permits for Nubra valley and Pangong Tso. Then, we started driving on Srinagar NH in search of a car wash. When I spotted one, I got Blue Diamond washed and polished thoroughly. The car wash owner Danish and his workers were all from Kashmir. Danish told me that his parents were in Kashmir. He requested us to pray for them and Kashmir. The boy, who washed the car, wanted to know the employment opportunities in Chennai or Bangalore. He wanted to come there for a better job. After the wash and polish, Blue Diamond started glittering again! I paid 500 rupees to Danish for the full wash. Then, we drove to Alchi monastery as suggested by Otsal's dad. We lunched there. On our way back, we visited Sangam of Indus and Zanskar. We also saw many Nexon, Tigor, Tiago and XUV 300 being test-driven on the highway with temporary registration plates.

We returned to the guest house in the evening. Otsal gave us our permits with some photocopies. I paid 1,200 rupees for the permits. We had our dinner there and settled our bills. I told my hosts that we would be checking out by 6 am, the next day. We loaded all the luggage in the boot and rear seat. We wished our hosts good bye and called it a day.

More to come.

 

[mayankdixit]

Mind blowing pictures. So much loneliness too,in most pictures. Did you become home sick at any point of time in your journey. I would have.100%
Looks like you have lost some weight,in your seated photo.

 

[harishankar]

The landscape is stunning and as always I enjoyed your narration.

 

[J.Ravi]

Leh on Nexon

We left Otsal Guest House, Leh at 6:15 am on 01/10 Tuesday to Khardungla, our first stop for photography. The ambient temperature at Leh was 7 deg C, which got reduced as we climbed up and up towards Khardungla. BTW, this was our third visit to Khardungla, but maiden one for our Blue Diamond. Our permits were checked at South Pullu and North Pullu check-posts. I spent about 10 minutes for clicking photographs. We were all alone there except the army personnel, who were watching us from their camp above.

Next: Diskit

 

[J.Ravi]

Leh on Nexon

On 01/10 Tuesday, we descended from Khardungla and continued our drive to Nubra valley. The next halt was at Diskit Monastery.

Next: Hunder

 

[J.Ravi]

Leh on Nexon

On 01/10 Tuesday, after visiting the Maitreya Buddha statue, we drove to the hill top, parked Blue Diamond there and climbed the steps to visit the 14th Century-built monastery. After visiting the temples, we were treated with aromatic milk tea and salty, buttery Ladakhi tea, which tasted like soup. Then, we descended and drove to Habib Guest House, Hunder in the afternoon. Irfan, the caretaker, quoted ₹ 2,000 for a double room including dinner and breakfast. We took it, dropped our luggage, got freshened and continued our drive to Turtuk. We were allowed upto Pachathang before the border. The police personnel showed us the Pak bunkers on the hill top. We saw Indian bunkers by the side of road. We returned to Habib Guest House, Hunder by 6:45 pm and called it a day after dinner. While serving dinner, Irfan asked me what did we want for the next day's breakfast. I immediately without hesitation Ladakhi bread!

On 02/10 Wednesday morning, Irfan kept his word and served us delicious Ladakhi breads for breakfast. After settling the bill, we left by 7:30 am to Pangong Tso via Agham and Shyok.

Next: Pangong Tso

 

[abhijeetp]

Superb photos and great narration!

 

[J.Ravi]

Mind blowing pictures.

Thanks, Doc.

Did you become home sick at any point of time in your journey.

No.

Looks like you have lost some weight,in your seated photo.

Yes, I lost 10 kg from 91 to 81 kg, thanks to my dieting.

The landscape is stunning and as always I enjoyed your narration.

Thanks for the appreciation, harishankar.

Superb photos and great narration!

Thank you so much, abhijeetp.

 

[J.Ravi]

Leh on Nexon

On 02/10 Wednesday, our drive to Pangong Tso via Agham and Shyok continued. Shyok river gave us company for most of the stretches. Then the inevitable mountain-crossing on the boulders, rocks, sharp stones and what-not happened between Shyok and Durbuk. I was worried whether I would face one more puncture here. Thankfully, we reached Pangong Tso safely! It is said that difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. True. Let the photographs vouch for it.

Next: Manali

 

[J.Ravi]

Leh on Nexon

On 02/10 Wednesday afternoon, we spent about half-hour at Pangong Tso, clicking photos and going down to the lake to touch and feel the Pangong Tso water. The water was crystal clear, reflecting the blue sky. I drove a km or so on the lake road and returned.

We then started our drive towards home. We drove to IOC pump at Karu for Blue Diamond's tankful. As per my original plan, we were supposed to stay at Karu. But, the time was 5:30 pm with a good sunshine. So, I postponed our stay to Upshi, where we had our early dinner. After completion of dinner, we were both energetic. Our stay got further pushed to Rumtse, which was recommended by Otsal at Leh. When we reached Rumste, I was totally fresh and did not feel tiredness at all. Then, we decided to continue our drive until Sarchu and sleep there for a few hours in the car instead of staying at Rumtse. So, our marathon drive continued. All the peaks were passed in the darkness. We got the company of many Sumo cabs, who overtook us at super-fast speed. I drove on many beds of boulders in utter darkness. Around midnight, we reached Sarchu, where we had tea and slept in the car. The old lady, who gave us tea offered accommodation inside her dhaba. But, I politely declined and slept in the car itself, while wife remained awake. After a hour or so, I woke up and drove to Manali. At a couple of HP check-posts, I woke up the sleeping police personnel, wrote the vehicle details on a register to get clearance for passing through. All the villages were passed through. Again bad roads started at the climb for Rohtang Pass. The road became a dirt track with full of craters and boulders. Suddenly, I heard a thud and Blue Diamond started pulling to a side. I knew what was in store for me at 5 am on 03/10 with sub-zero temperature, a few km before Rohtang Pass. I took the torch light, came out and saw the front right tyre totally flat. Wow. Two punctures in one trip. I and Blue Diamond broke all our previous records! Again all the luggage was unloaded from the boot and stacked on the rear seat. My wife helped me and stood with me outside in sub-zero temperature. I took out the spare and tools, loosened the wheel nuts, jacked up Blue Diamond, changed the wheel, replaced the punctured wheel, tools and luggage in the boot and continued our drive after half-hour or so. Every cloud has a silver lining. Very true. Except the biting cold, there was no snow or rain, while I changed the wheel. We drove past the dry Rohtang Pass.

On 03/10 morning, we arrived at Ride Inn, Manali, @rideinnmanali a motorcycle-theme based boutique hotel. After checking in, we had breakfast and rested. In the afternoon, we drove to a tyre repair shop a few km away. As I suspected earlier, the tyre was cut deeply and not repairable. I was advised to use it as a spare with tubed tyre. So, the OE spare tyre became the new front right alloy wheel. The damaged tyre got the steel rim and went back to the boot. I spent ₹ 650 for the tube+service. We had dinner at Ride Inn. The original plan was to stay there for a couple of days. Now that we arrived earlier, why to stay for one more day, wife asked me. Similarly, I had planned to stay at Chittorgarh and from there, wanted to drive to Bangalore non-stop 1700+ km. Wife wanted to break in between. So, I booked our accommodation for one night at Ginger Wakad. I informed the caretaker of Ride Inn that we would have breakfast the next day at 8 am and then, check out at 10 am. But, there was no trace of him the next day. None of the other staff was available. We were ready by 7:30 am on 04/10, the only souls in Ride Inn. The kitchen was locked without any trace of any staff. The phones were either switched off or not reachable. Finally, the caretaker ambled in at 8:45 am. I cancelled our breakfast and asked for the bill. He scribbled on a piece of paper that included GST. When questioned, he cited power cut and offered to write it on a printed bill book. I blasted him, paid the bill and checked out of the hotel. Because of the irresponsible caretaker, my opinion about the hotel got changed completely. However, to give the devil his due, I liked the motorcycle theme of this so-called boutique hotel.

We started our drive to Chittorgarh Fort at 9 am on 04/10.

Next: Chittorgarh Fort

 

[J.Ravi]

Leh on Nexon

On 04/10 Friday, we continued our drive from Manali to Chittorgarh Fort. On the way, we stopped at Kullu and bought some apples, shawls and carpets. We had late dinner at Neelkanth Star, Karnal. We took Western Peripheral Expressway. We stopped at Highway King, Neemrana for the early morning tea and again at Highway King, Jaipur bypass for breakfast. We visited Ajmer Sharif Dargah. We enjoyed lassi in kulhad in Ajmer.

On 05/10 Saturday afternoon, we reached Chittorgarh Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We spent a few hours in going around the ruined fort and clicking photos. We watched the sound-and-light programme in the evening. We left the fort at 8:30 pm and continued our drive to Pune. We reached Ginger Wakad at 5:45 pm on 06/10 Sunday. We left the next day for Bangalore and arrived home, sweet home at 3:15 am on 08/10 Tuesday.

I thank all for the compliments, appreciation and pressing the like button.

Travelogue concluded.