[V-16]

Great write up and pics Tejas. Im re-living every moment of the OTR/Recce. The terrain was lovely, the drive to and fro the spot was like a Yash Chopra (RIP) movie locale and of course the company was all that mattered. I missed the BBQ though having had a function to attend to. Im sure there were many more oics, keep the pics coming guys, this is fun.......When can we go again??

[Parm]

Looks like every one enjoyed out there pulling and pushing the vehicles in and out of the slush.

Whats missing is a High Lift jack, I guess in your next outing, you guys will have one!

Happy 4Wheeling

[asit.kulkarni93]

wow! looks like you people had loads of fun. Awesome narration . The "usual replies" part
by the way how did the Pajero perform?

[AVR]

I'd a great time and the drama for me didn't end at the OTR. Ask V-16

Sat, 4:30 AM - Left Ahmedabad on Saturday morning
Sat, 1:30 PM - Met Tejas near his house and moved on to Gogi Bhai's place in Dadar to pick up the Jeep and relish some much needed Butter-chicken
Sat, 3:30 PM - Started our really long Jeep trip (~220 Kms) to the OTR place over varying road surfaces which at times made us desire cruise control in a Jeep and at other times made us plead for respite from the bone-rattling ride!
Sat, 9:00 PM - Met up with Ravi, Carmen and Kian and relaxed before figuring out a BBQ spot
Sun, 4:30 AM - Went to sleep after a long night of BBQ'ing in the rain and spirited conversations
Sun, 11:30 AM - Finally the OTR begins with a lovely backdrop and am all excited
Sun, 11:40 AM - All four Jeeps are stuck

Thus began the circle of recoveries where hubs stopped working, winches were spooled though remotes were forgotten, sumps were cracked, steering boxes came undone which is well covered in Tejas's posts

Sun, 3:30 PM, I leave with Gogi and Jignesh to catch Indigo back to Ahmedabad from Bombay at 10:15 PM. Since Indigo is a stickler for time, checkin counters close at 9:30 PM
Sun, 9:00 PM, After a quick drive through the E-way, Gogi drops me at Sion to catch a cab to the Airport.
Sun, 9:28 PM, Reach Checkin
Sun, 9:55 PM, Flight takes off 20 mins before time!

Phew. That ends one awesome, crazy and exhausting weekend with the Bombay gang!

Thank you guys. It couldn't have been madder or more fun!

Cheers,
Adi

[Samurai]

Great Report Tejas! The freshness of the greenery and the delicious smell of the grilled food is wafting out of my PC screen.

The number of Jeeps gotten stuck is really hilarious. And to think you guys walked into this slushy minefield without a Winch or Hi-Lift Jack is every more funny. Listen, you should subscribe to offroad tips from this chap called Offroad Junkie on FB.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by Samurai

The number of Jeeps gotten stuck is really hilarious. And to think you guys walked into this slushy minefield without a Winch or Hi-Lift Jack is every more funny. Listen, you should subscribe to offroad tips from this chap called Offroad Junkie on FB.

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!

Everyone was told to carry proper recovery equipment. So short of physically checking every vehicle, there was nothing much I could do!

Bombay boys, are you listening? Meri izzatt mitti main mat milao! (Don't muck my reputation)

[Cloud_Chaser]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Great Report Tejas! The freshness of the greenery and the delicious smell of the grilled food is wafting out of my PC screen.

The number of Jeeps gotten stuck is really hilarious. And to think you guys walked into this slushy minefield without a Winch or Hi-Lift Jack is every more funny. Listen, you should subscribe to offroad tips from this chap called Offroad Junkie on FB.

Subscribe to offroad tips by Offroad Junkie...... Hilarious


This was Tejas's hidden agenda to train people on recovery without proper recovery gear.

Tejas even I feel the branch technique would have worked if everyone would have tried. Next time!!

[R32_GTR]

Originally Posted by V-16

Great write up and pics Tejas. Im re-living every moment of the OTR/Recce.

You'll planning an event Gogi?
Can you'll please share tentative dates?

[Jaggu]

You guys seems to have had ton of fun! Great thread, thanks for sharing

[V-16]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Bombay boys, are you listening? Meri izzatt mitti main mat milao! (Don't muck my reputation)

with we all being in the "Mitti" so many times ourselves, i think we need to save our Izzats also...lol!! Seriously, its really stupid that non of us carried our hi-lifts and we forgot our winch remotes home, still this was a learning lesson not to take things for granted. I think it was good we did not have the gear so we learnt how to get the stuck vehicles out without helping tools

Originally Posted by R32_GTR

You'll planning an event Gogi?
Can you'll please share tentative dates?

We have been planning an event for a while now Prasad but with the amount and number of events that happen in the rains we opted out coz it would give a feeling of been there and done that, if you notice, everywhere there are 4x4 monsoon slush-fests. As you know every year we like to go a notch up in the 4x4 experience for an event and we learn so many dos and donts from the previous year so also this year it has to be a different place, different time, different experience, same old guys!!

Then, the holy month of Ramzaan would not suit many of our brothers and hence time kept creeping on. This was one of our many recces on alternative places and we will have to decide when and where (out of the few we have shortlisted) we need to hold the event. Of course we would never think of having one without the inclusion of a certain RCL Jonga with its spirited driver at the wheel now would we?? As son as we can get all things going we will be announcing the event, for now, we are having fun scouting the perfect experience for participants and having a ball ourselves.

[V-16]

A few pics from my Iphone5 (so im a showoff)

The drive to the place was magical. I'm an earthy, son-of-the-soil kinda guy so i get all weak in the knees when i see nature at its best. We drove through a private road connecting the National Highway to the State Highway and then to a slim well maintained road running through fields and lush greenery. One could almost reach out of the Jeep and grab a young immature sugarcane plant or a few saffron flowers...mustard perhaps...but i know mustard does not grow here???!!!?? i dont know!!

We stopped enroute for a few photo ops.







Up Up away we go



Awwww Damn!!



....So like young, excited lads (who says we are old?? with the inclusion of just Imran in this group our average age just dropped many notches like the present day stock exchange points)






Amla.. Sanjay got us a sample and i enthusiastically plopped one in my mouth and it numbed my tongue for the rest of the day




Finally we were reunited with our friends...that means happy times and seemed equally excited to meet us... i hope!!....and expressed it in different times during the Otr Recce











TO BE Continued......

[V-16]

So we immediately set out for the trail after a quick good breakfast and then you know the story....we got stuck....got rescued...got stuck again...got rescued again and so on till we finally got to the other obstacles and got stuck on our way out again.

Some pics from the great day, including posing whenever we got the opportunity




The ever smiling Sanjay Kale unfortunate for his Jeep's hubs not locking but sure he enjoyed as did everyone else





More drama











So thats that.... all of the tugging, snatching, pulling etc etc took its toll on some of the vehicles as you know. My Jeep had the alternator bracket and one mount cracked. At Lonavala, the robust vehicles were left at a friendly garage to be tended to and were collected the following day or the day after that.

Ouseph, Paras and Me made a quick run to Lonavala the next morning in Ouseph's Nano and i can say that im a fan. I believe Diwali brings the launch of the power steering on the Nano...Im lining up to buy one the day it is launched for sure. It did 100 effortlessly with the limiter kicking in at 110 and the engine check light flashing to let you know.


Nano times:




Amol fed us for one of the best Misal i have had



and soon we were away with our steeds all mended with TLC. As we speak my Jeep is with my trusty mechanic getting a complete check up and change of all mounts (never change just one) alternator, fuses, new rear lights, new RHS OVRM and all those little things that happen on OTRs. Otrs do take their toll in their own small way on these rugged vehicles which are in many ways indestructible.....well almost.!!

[vroom666]

This looks like a real good fun outing you guys had. More 'man power' used here than the horsepower of the 4x4's

[Desmosedici]

The location looks just overwhelming. Nicely narrated and superb pics. Thanks for sharing Doc. More pics anyone.

[damanshaheed]

Real nice write up Tejas. I am always looking forward to your OTR threads. Although we do almost the same thing, but u guys are a breed apart. Wants me to ditch rallying and go offroading after going through your narratives. Keep it going brother and keep more of them coming our way