[laluks]

Day 04
15th August 2011
Chitkul - Pooh

Some pictures from Reckong Peo to Pooh




Kassang Bridge










HVK Scorpio waiting for regrouping


The roads further








We reached the Checkpost at Akba by 16:30hrs




CV at Akba


The road ahead


continued...

[laluks]

Day 04
15th August 2011
Chitkul - Pooh


River flowing through the gorge. It was raining heavily in this area, it can be seen from the muddy river


4x4 Stinger steadily ahead


This has to reach Kaaza for us to get fuel


The roads ahead




HVK told me that due to the rains, it is better to stay back at Pooh than pushing further to Nako or Tabo, unless really needed. So he decided to give us a break to click some pictures. Pooh is nearby. We stopped for some photos by 17:45

See the Ice melt joining the muddy river


HVK Scorpio




AP Swift


The road ahead towards Pooh



continued...

[laluks]

Day 04
15th August 2011
Chitkul - Pooh

Distance ahead


Some views from Pooh




The major hotel to stay at Pooh. Unfortunately this place was full. So was the PWD Guest house as told to us.


We went up further


After this we got into a narrow ally in search of a new guest house which has opened. There was not even space for a single car to pass through, and we had to park the cars there to checkout the rooms. There was no mercy by the oncoming traffic and we were forced to reverse in that tight scenario. Emotions just ran out of control, after all we don't expect this to be in front of the place we want to stay after a long tiring drive! We ditched the place and we decided to continue onwards towards Nako or Tabo.





By the time we reached the NH from Pooh, we were blocked by an army Captain - Gowri. She gave us information that ahead we have landslides and water crossings that were bad, it would be better to stay back at Pooh itself. We told her that the places are full and we need to push forward. She was not allowing us to do that. She asked us to follow her to the MES camp, and she will make some arrangements. We followed her and she made us to wait outside the camp, and sent us some Mirinda's and pakoda's from the Independence day celebration at the camp. So far so good. We all felt happy at the officials of the Army who goes out to help us in those situations.

What transpired after that is absolutely stunning, and simply unexpected. We were called terrorists, we were told we would be locked up in a room with a Gunman outside, etc...I would have left it all there. But when we handsome guys were standing out there, calling HVK her darling! Boy I quit



HVK would narrate this incident in the best possible words -


By the way we could persuade the PWD guys to give us the rooms and we stayed back in PWD rest house at Pooh for the night. We had hot dal, rice and egg burjis for dinner. VB by that time got the VVIP room opened up too. Five of us barged in there and crashed!

[kesri]

Originally Posted by laluks

But when we handsome guys were standing out there, calling HVK her darling! Boy I quit

Ha ha ha ... would love to read more details of this Capt Gowri incident
.

[.sushilkumar]

Originally Posted by no_enthu_da

barley(?) field
Attachment 818008

That;s not barley , that;s wheat crop the chapati is made out of these when they are matured ( called Kanak In local language ) .that;s how it looks when young .

Great going guys .

[hvkumar]

HVK Scorpio
Aug 12, Bombay-Behror, 1402 kms
Aug 13, Behror-Rampur, 692 kms
Aug 14, Rampur-Chitkul, 144 kms

Aug 15, Chitkul-Pooh, 207 kms

This was a drive to explore Ladakh, not Himachal Pradesh, we convinced ourselves, as we left Chitkul at 830 am. Jeep Captain was already ahead of us, since we had agreed to pick up TS at Recong Peo before 9 am.

Why was TS at Recong Peo? All foreigners need Inner Line Permits to go beyond Recong Peo towards Nako & Tabo, since they were close to the China border. What we heard was that normally foreigners are permitted only in groups (and for them, permits are issued at Shimla or through a tour operator), but if they are travelling alone (like TS was), they have to obtain individual permits at Recong Peo, the district HQ for Kinnaur Valley. So TS, on landing in India, had directly proceeded to Recong Peo by bus and got his permits done so that he could join us for the rest of the trip. More on TS later.......

It was good that we left Chitkul this day - the next day, as Lalu mentioned, our friends Glenn and Saji were stuck all day in a landslide that closed down the Chitkul-Sangla road as heavy rains pounded the Baspa Valley.

Jeep Captain called us to caution us that the Karchcham-Powari road was full of slush and warned the small cars to be extra careful. The Baby Alto got stuck in mud in the Sangla-Karchcham road itself, but by the time we reached worse sections in the roads near Tapri, the small cars were driving like rally champions on 4WD Gypsies!

We followed a formation with my Scorpio leading the way, followed by the Bolero Stinger so that in case any of the small cars got stuck, they could be easily pulled out by either of the SUVs. The Karchcham-Powari sector of NH22 is being widened and the ensuing construction debris and landslides have combined to make this quite a difficult patch for any car. Definitely to be avoided at night when "spotting" becomes difficult. I don't think one can expect any improvement for some more months to come.

The Powari Petrol Pump is the last one for the next 225 kms, the next one being at Kaza only. So everyone is advised to top up fuel here. Normally from Powari itself, you get some fabulous views of the lofty Kinner Kailash, the pride of Kinnaur Valley, but today it was completely overcast. After some deliberation, we decided to take the detour to Kalpa (3000 mtrs high) which has the best views of Kinner Kailash (7000 mtrs+). Jeep Captain was requested to stay back at Recong Peo so that we could catch up with him.

Although Recong Peo is the last large "town" being the district HQ for Kinnaur Valley, do not expect any great facilities here (even the small hotels there are very seedy). There are 2 roads from here to Kalpa, and both of them go past apple orchards as you near Kalpa and any driver will be excited by the twists, turns and the shady coniferous trees that line both sides of the narrow road. Kalpa has some good resorts, but the best one has to be the HPTDC Kinner Kailash resort, which is located at a vantage point directly overlooking the peak. Alas, the clouds still played spoil-sport and to dampen our disappointment, we decided to take an unusual break for lunch. This was also our first meeting with TS, who was the inspiration behind this Ladakh trip. As Jeep Captain had explained earlier, he, TS & myself had started planning this drive over 6 months ago, also led to the drive being christened as the Indo-Polish HImalayan Expedition 2011!

There was a not-so-pleasant telecon with a senior ITBF person who advised us against travelling in Kinnaur Valley in the rainy season since there are many landslides and road blockades, but we told him we knew our onions and affirmed our decision to go ahead much to his displeasure. Lunch was a jolly affair, but took a heavy toll on tme and we could leave Kalpa only at 230 pm.

Back to Powari, NH22 is a pleasure to drive on, with its winding roads, spectacular mountain views, the raging muddy River Sutlej down below and the roads itself interspersed with landslides, slush and craters. Wonderful drive past landmarks like the Kassanga Waterfalls. Lalu and I were reminded of our near-death escape in 2009 during our previous trip, when the workers detonated the mountain side without warning us that the road was under threat, and the blasts happened just as we drove past, bringing down one boulder larger than the Scorpio and effectively closing down the road too! That was a 20-second escape, so to say, we would have been under that boulder!

We crossed the Akpa Bridge check post where all foreigners have to show their Inner Line Permits and we vehicles register for passage. Roads were mostly excellent, even though in many places it was dirt road. Our original plan for the day was to proceed till Nako or Tabo and meet up with the MUmbai Roadsters led by KM-VTEC, who should have caught up with us by now - there was no way to communicate with them since we had no mobile connectivity. But the sun was already setting when we reached Pooh and we thought of staying back there since I knew of a hotel in town. The hotel did not have rooms to spare, the PWD Rest House was not prepared to hire out rooms to tax-payers like us and so we went searching for some guest houses deep inside Pooh town. Some narrow alleys, seedy guest houses, 1 broken rear view mirror and lots of hot words later, we decided the town was jinxed and decided to carry on further to Nako. That detour cost us 1 hour and it was 715 pm by the time we returned to NH22 at the outskirts of Pooh.

That was when we had our encounter with the tempestuous Captain Gouri of the Indian Army.......

[hvkumar]

"Encounter somewhere in the Eastern Sector...."


The Indian Army dominates the border regions of India. Period.
They are the friendliest people you will meet during trips to Himachal, Ladakh, etc.
Also the first people to help out when the civilian motorist is in need for help.

But there are always exceptions. Sample Captain Gouri:
(Disclaimer: we are not MCPs, the account that follows is a true account of what happened, and resemblance to any living character is true and correct!)

"Darling, do you know how to drive?", that was the question that this Army Captain asked me.

So, we left Pooh and back on NH22, suddenly our convoy was stopped by an Army Gypsy going that way. Being the spokesperson for the team, I made the first contact.....and what I got was one long soliloquy from a lady who was not dressed in army formals but claimed to be an Amy Captain (first we though she must be the CO's wife!!!!)

"Where are you going?
"Do you know how bad the road is ahead?
"You must be joking - do you guys know how to drive?
"Are you aware that there are "slidings" on the road - you mean to say you don't know?
"Do you know that you have to acclimatise - and wait for 2 days acclimatising before you go to high altitude?
"Darling, you can't go on this road, it is dangerous.
"Go back to Pooh & find yourself a hotel room"

She said, "All of you look old, except (HVK).......!!!!" who does not know how to drive anyway!!!

We managed to put in a few words, which she brushed aside and abruptly said, "Follow me"

So the team of 6 cars followed the Gypsy to the army camp a couple of kms down the road. We were asked to park by the side of the road - even as all other vehicles were speeding by into "dangerous" roads ahead, and asked to cool our heels there. The Lady was upset since she was getting late for the "party" which her CO was hosting and reprimanded us for delaying her! She then "consulted" her CO and grandly announced that we can stay back for the night in the camp.

Stay back - she "gave" us ONE room - and we were 16 of us - and told us that she will post an armed guard outside the room - an none of us to dare peep out - with instructions to obey or else.......to which someone in the group feebly mentioned that we had 4 senior citizens - one 81 year old and 3 64-year olds in or group - who want desperately want to use toilets in the long night. She was non-plussed by this one, maybe she thought we were aliens without any biological needs! Thereupon she made some statements about her not knowing our identity - and when akaush started explaining who we were - she abruptly dismissed him saying we could be "terrorists".

She also explained that being a lady, she could not let any of us sleep in "her" room - as though we asked - when one of her jawans (many of them standing around watching this drama with some amusement in their faces!) suddenly interrupted and drew her attention that there could be a hotel a couple of kms down the road.....
"Who is the best driver in your lot?" she demanded to know. And I was pushed forward. She said she will send 2 jawans in my car to check out the hotel ahead at "considerable risk to their lives".
Thereupon, I drove the jawans at "considerable risk to their lives" on some fantastic roads for the next 2 kms and found no hotel there as the rest of the team continued to wait on the side of the road. So we came back - luckily, some of our friends had army "connections" so they managed to enquire about accommodation possibilities in Pooh town, so we bid goodbye to the army captain, who prohibited us from going further that night. In parting, when asked, one of the jawans sniggered when I asked him if the road is safe to drive, "Of course, any time!"

So we returned wearily to Pooh town and thanks to our luck, a senior "lama" used his good offices and got us rooms in the excellent PWD Rest House there for the night. From where we could watch the NH22 buzzing with traffic all night as "good" drivers continued to ply on the Kinnaur Valley without any restrictions.

So on Aug 15, we lost our independence to go our own way and missed our schedule to stay at either Nako or Tabo that night.

[hvkumar]

Some stories behind the pictures:


This was outside Rampur on Aug 15, 2011, where I am seen discussing my Scorpio's brake problems, and we are wondering if any workshop will be open on this Sunday morning at 800 am. Rampur was the last town on the Kinnaur Valley circuit where you could hope for workshops, mechanics and spare parts before the long torturous road ahead into Spiti Valley & beyond.



The HPTDC is right on NH22 as you enter Rampur town from the Shimla side. One of 2-3 hotels in this small town by the banks of the River Sutlej. You can make bookings online in the HPTDC web-site, when we did, we saw that all rooms were available, so I guess it should be safe to go there without any prior bookings. After Rampur, you have no decent places to stay on this road unless you take detours to Sarahan or Recong Peo/Kalpa. HPTDC Bushehar Regency, 01782 - 234103


The road from Karchcham to Powari is being widened and is prone to lots of landslides, the road often becoming a sea of mud, but even the small cars in the group skillfully navigated them


The Shahenshah & Panchali Resorts where we stayed at Chitkul - Shyam Negi-9418590629, Purohit 9418441036, Sandeep 9816803505Bargain hard, they do not have many visitors, you can walk in any time unless it happens to be the holiday season


The HPTDC Kinner Kailash, 01786 - 226159

[LongDrive lover]

Excellent pics and narration Laluks, Jeepcaptain.

That Captain Gowry episode, wow!! HVK sir, you again mesmerised us with your narrating skills as much as you do with your skills behind the wheel and before that in planning a trip. Superb stuff - crispy, precise yet hilarious!!

[motomaverick]

@Hvk that was a hilarious incident with the army capt. Btw did you find out if she really was a captain?

Nice pics of the road, the one to pooh looks really nice in the rain.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by motomaverick

@Hvk that was a hilarious incident with the army capt. Btw did you find out if she really was a captain?

Yes, she really was.
But what happened later is a long story - which I will request akaush to elaborate!!!

[LongDrive lover]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

But what happened later is a long story - which I will request akaush to elaborate!!!

WOW, so the 'Captain Saga' is not yet over! Can't wait to hear/read the rest of it. Calling @ akaush

[gostel]

@HVK dear, waiting to hear more about this encounter with a plainclothes captain. So what if you could not drive, but at least you looked younger than the rest; even younger than the no-enthu-da

I have been enjoying the narration and pictures so far, and am glued to this thread. Thanks guys, and please keep rolling.

[motomaverick]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Yes, she really was.
But what happened later is a long story - which I will request akaush to elaborate!!!

Haha, ok so picture toh abhi baaki hain mere dost akaush please finish the episode

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by gostel

@HVK dear, waiting to hear more about this encounter with a plainclothes captain. So what if you could not drive, but at least you looked younger than the rest; even younger than the no-enthu-da

What amused me the most was that I got my driving license 29 years ago - maybe my DL is older than our lady Captain!! (whose "Darling" I became!!

All along while the Lady was raving & ranting, it became difficult to suppress our laughter, so comical the entire episode was in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a National Highway, but I guess the respect for the uniform (or plain clothes!) made us all solemn faced and wide eyed in rapt attention!