Can't talk right now Ma, busy in a critical meeting - Trip to Rohtang

[SamuraiJack]

Sure guys, I will try my best to give you tips. alrite got to go now- more tomorrow!

[PearlJam]

Waiting for more about the travel and about D too!

[Majic]

SJ, wow, i am holding back all the possible adjectives for the rest of the posts as i know by then i would be running out of it. For now it " Fantastic" I just noticed your thread late evening and this morning i am stunned by the number of hits, lookinfg forward to more. Keep them coming

[sen2009]

Originally Posted by Souvik

That is how I am going right now and reading the journey. Thank you SamuraiJack.

Just a question for now (may be for you and HVK too). From Udaipur, you are telling me not to take the following:

Kharwa - Ajmer - Jaipur - Rewari - Rohtak - Panipat - Chandigarh.

So what is the alternate route from Udaipur to Chandigarh?

Mod: I apologize if I have asked a rather stupid question. But just needed some clarity.

Souvik

You may try Udaipur -Chittaur - Ajmer - Jaipur - Rewari - Rohtal - Panipat - Chandigarh.

Due to elections in Haryana, the stretch has been made up nice and isn't quite as bad as earlier. If you're travelling more than 3/4 months from now, chek this section up befor getting in.
Else, go via Jaipur - Delhi - Sonepath - Panipat.

[Majic]

SJ, hello! Where are you? I dont see any action, please continue.

[Souvik]

Thanks a lot Sen. I will keep both the options noted and amend closer to the date I start the journey.

Time to hit - F5, F5

Souvik

[jaysmokesleaves]

The Delhi Sonepat panipat route is good. If you can navigate your way out of delhi its wonderful after that. Atleast the roads are good. It took me approx 3.5 hours to get out of delhi due to traffic..

[SamuraiJack]

Ok, continuing from where I left off..

We checked into this place at the bottom of the mountains, for all you guys who want to know at what point we start climbing the mountains.. its here, Kiratpur (I was interested to know prior to starting my journey).

Oct is the best time to go buds, first week.
1. Cost of stay is considerably cheap.
2. Less tourists as all of them are headed to party in Goa
3. Perfect weather

We payed like 1K for food and room here, good food.. by the way, I'm a fan of trying local cusines, and wat better time to try them when you visiting the place itself, I had missed Rajasthani Thali on the way cause we were there in Rajasthan by late afternoon and I had begun my Parantha journey now, being in the north I wanted to belt Parantha and Lassi at every oppurtunity, and every place the P was different, it was disspointing not to find enough lassi bars on this route considering we were in the hometown of Lassi!

Slept really well, cause this was the first time in two days where we could actually streeeeeeeeeeeech our legs. Woke up pretty early,gave D a wash had P for breakfast, M & D stick to english breakfast you know bread omlette/Jam

- Hotel in Kiratpur
- View of the road from the hotel
- Hotel boy, nice dude, cleaned up D a lil for me!
- letting you know how the roads are
- Road conditions again
- I guess there was a dam here- maybe Nangal, could not quite make out
- Some depressed truckie!
- Another view from the hotel
- Road condition
- Beautiful pic of a disgusting habbit, M is someone who just doesnt mind getting down and marking his teritory.. he owes me one for giving him an oppurtunity to do it all over India!

[WDM007]

Nice travelogue dude.

In post#38, who'z that guy in the third pic?
Also in same post, last pic is disgusting

one suggestion: Also explain us the pics where ever possible.

Keep it going, I m enjoying it

[neoonwheels]

Hooked to the thread now !! Nice narration

[SamuraiJack]

Originally Posted by WDM007

Nice travelogue dude.

In post#38, who'z that guy in the third pic?
Also in same post, last pic is disgusting

one suggestion: Also explain us the pics where ever possible.

Keep it going, I m enjoying it

Thanks 007- He is hotel boy!. I'm still not sure how to have a comment against each pic, but you will find "-" in my post that basically talk about each of the pics.

L&S- if you reading, I tried the attachment tab, but I still could not figure out how to do it.

[SamuraiJack]

having a hard time uploading the pics- result is a twin post!

Mods- can we delete this?

[SamuraiJack]

The ride from Kiratpur to Kullu was as expected, twisty roads. Guys, from here on you need to change your driving/riding styles, give way/ be willing to compromise on road space/allow trucks and HV vehicles to pass if they are coming up- we have to understand these guys are on long journeys (even 20 KM would feel long in these things) and they just cannot loose momentum.

Please dont expect regular hairpin bends to get you up the mountains.. no sir, the roads are all curvey here.

Flashback- preperations for the drive.

- Service (with oil change), came upto 5K, this included cleaning brakes and other fluids.

- lights- installed fogs and 90/100, a must have- around 5K again.

- A lot of us would think twice about riding on alloys here.. but I wanted my trusted Michellins to accompany me on this trip.. and trust me that was a VERY wise decision.

So.. (flashfront?) The journey to Kullu was pretty peaceful and soon "Beas" was in sight- white waters give you a different high, just the sight and you know what you just want to do... man, you are never far from hearing a river a waterfall around these areas, M was driving when we reached Kullu and he suddenly stops- it was around 4 in the evening, and turns towards a restourant that has sign boards of river rafting ... but hold on, I cant swim and neither does M know I'm sure B knows, but what the hell- lets do this!

Talk to the guys there and its 450/person for a 7KM stretch, all this is happening very fast, and before you know it I'm in my T shirt and jeans with a helmet/paddle/and a life jacket, M is down to his boxers and is all willing to take of his shirt as well, B is down to his shorts and T.. now, we have just gotten of from a sweaty drive the chill is not sunk in yet- it feels like someone has left the AC up here on 1 (you get the picture rite), The instructor comes in (Bittu), a young Himachal guy, decent built and asks us to stand facing him for instructions, the funny thing was he would speak normally but when he had to mention a command like "Team move forward" his accent would change to that of a foreigner.. could be due to the training he reiceved from a foreigner, and he had a couple of commands like "Team hold back" and stuff like that and you need to act accordingly with the paddle... we tried, but you know amatures, the instructions never sink in completely on the first go. I could see M starting to get tensed and kind of questioning but soon we start feeling the chill as we prepare to sit on the his humongous raft, all three of us in the front.. M and I facing each other and B in the middle holding onto a rope for dear life.. I just could not stop laughing looking at M cause we were all confused but M was tensed and questioned Bittu again on the sitting position ( you have to stick your leg into a belt to get a foot hold). We start this journey, its beautiful buds.. the scenery from the river is amazing; every now and then we would hit a dip or rocks and the water would drop right on my "Pants" or on M's boxers depending on which side we turned... Water was freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzziiiiiiiiiiinnnnnn nnnggggggggggggg, M's boxer drenched in no time, my jeans were holding on, B was a lil safe as he was in the center. Can you imagine M's plight, if I had the space on the raft I wanted to roll and laugh. There was a point where the water was still and not rough, Bittu asked if we wanted to get into the water > hold the raft and just walk along... very enticing offer, M put the tip of his toe in the river and jumped back- no way, we didnt want to die of hyperthermia you see!.

But hats off to Bittu, his experience showed on these waters- the way he was manuvering around the stones left us clapping and applauding.

We reached the end of the journey, could see Boleros and the tata magic kind waiting there- the bank was all stony and we were freezing like hell, The raft was loaded on the tata magic a cage like structure covering the load area and we three standing underneath- one helluva bouncy ride back to the hotel and we could stand nor sit as the van was throwing us all around, that was fun!

reached the hotel were we started, changed/lunch and headed off to Manalli, its 40 KM from here and it was 7 by the time we left Kullu and reached Manali by 9PM.

B and M are all excited, but I knew Kullu/Manali would be no better than a Ooty, crowded and no way this was my destination ( I had stressed on the destination part quite a few times, but the guys could never think beyond Manali), so I warn them as soon as we reach Manali "this is not the destination guys.. leh is", M's responds saying "Ok, so why stop now, lets move on", nut case that he is, surely does not know what he is talking about; I try explaining that the roads are dangerous and the best time is to start early in the morning, we go uptil Mall road (Market) where a sign says "Rohtang" stop there and ask a bunch of taxi guys on the conditions, they say dont even attempt it in this vehicle, the car is not meant for these roads- we go everyday and know what it is like and in case there is snow there will be no one to help you out"- M and B want to kind of hear this as they are not too keen on driving more, I say- I know what it is like thats the whole reason why I kept talkin about shovels and gum boots you nitwits. I was getting really dissapointed here.. come all the way and I'm not getting "saath" to the last but the most beautiful leg of our epic journey.. I frown to no end- book a room in Manali and crash, didnt bother to get up early as I was not interested in coaxing the guys more! the reason being you need to be fully prepared to this strech and cannot do it half hearted or minded- no way I wanted anyone to blame me in case something went wrong.

Woke up sulking and not being in the usual mood.

Sorry guys- I dont have pics of the raft ride or Kullu/Manali as we entered. The camera's were packed off due to wet conditions and it was dark by the time we reached Manali.

- some views from the Manali hotel room (the pics are just not loading!)

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by SamuraiJack

What I'm penning rite now is thoughts and not notes!! come on guys I need motivation here.. I see my thread slipping to the 5th or the 6th page in minutes.

Maybe the place we stayed will pep this thread up a lil more

this is the Sissu PWD right?
We stayed at the same place.
BTW it will be better if you post pics inline.
there is a thread in announcements section which tells you how to do so,
basically, you upload the pics, and then select the "attachment" to appear inline.
check out the announcements section

[SamuraiJack]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

this is the Sissu PWD right?
We stayed at the same place.
BTW it will be better if you post pics inline.
there is a thread in announcements section which tells you how to do so,
basically, you upload the pics, and then select the "attachment" to appear inline.
check out the announcements section

tsk!!!! yo bro- that is the place, nice to see you reading this, thank you for everything that you have put up on the forum.

I will look through the announcements.