[smashnerd]

I like the way you've presented your travelogue. And with great pictures to boot! How did your car perform on the journey?

[R.I.P]

Originally Posted by fine69

I don't know what's the utility of this thing hanging in between the valley

Attachment 547920

this is basically used to transport apple cases from hills to road-ends from where they are laden onto trucks/jeeps.

A nice roadtrip, i'm sure it was a rememberable one. I guess TSK also did this area recently?

and all those worrying about GC, i did it with four friends of mine in an Alto last year so not to worry

[wanderernomad]

Not only Apples but all provisions too. This works on sheer man power but at times a small engine is also attached but only rarely.
Basantpur road could have been avoided and you should have taken the more scenic Narkanda - Sarahan road directly.
Is it your first time to Himachal? That toll is there for ages now. Initially HP used to levy toll on internal bridges and along certain roads. Then it was discontinued but one time entry toll was levied. Now you pay one time fixed charge for entry and no other toll is exacted from you in the entire state.
Anyway, nice pictures. The Jam that faced at Pinjore is due to the construction of a new 4/6 laned highway that will bypass the towns of Pinjore, Kalka and Parwanoo. The road shall merge with the highway near to the timber trail resorts. The point where you got stuck is the start off point and there is a road from Mallh that joins this road here. The connecting patch is broken and the oncoming traffic hugs the only small tarred patch at this point. Hence the traffic hold ups.
Please continue the travelogue.

[salunkhe.vizz]

Just one word - AWESOMENESS , sheer legendary awesomeness !

Can't wait to read the rest of your journey

[lordofgondor]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

But mudde ki baat hai ki hills = no GPS for regular destinations/roads!

Bilcul sahi baat Sarkar.

Originally Posted by fine69

... But I wasn't going to take this road anyways. A last minute update by another bhpian (I can't thank him enough) had me plan the route from Shimla to Rampur via Naldehra-Basantpur-Kingal. I tell @log that I'd be taking the Kingal road and he asks me to update him on the condition of the road so that he has the option of taking it while coming back...

Hey mate, it's a very nice travelogue in the making.

While coming back, I took the Kingal-Basantpur route but decided to chuck it after a couple of Km. The road was just too narrow for my driving style. Instead, I rejoined NH 22 and had to drive over some real bad patches surgically. But it saved time, big time, compared to the Basantpur route. Pleaded to wifey for another day in the mountains (vistas at Narkanda were darn awesome) as I wanted to drive down to Hatu Mata Temple to soak in the views but was instantly given a negative. *sigh*

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

... That toll is there for ages now. Initially HP used to levy toll on internal bridges and along certain roads. Then it was discontinued but one time entry toll was levied. Now you pay one time fixed charge for entry and no other toll is exacted from you in the entire state.

Guess what, I've had to pay this toll only once in all my drives.

I think the toll collectors wake up only after 9 AM!

[planet_rocker]

Originally Posted by fine69

We reached Shimla at exactly 12 pm and just before I could take that left through the tunnel I see a couple of guys running like crazy towards my car. But I know what to do (thanks to my trips to Udaipur, Jaipur etc.), just continue driving without giving a damn to these idiots who, by the way, could even jump in front of your car just to make you hear them out. .

Why were running towards your car? what happened near udaipur, jaipur?

superb travelogue -

[anandjha]

Simply incredible. And audacious too. Pictures simply awesome and narrative practical. Would love to do this trip myself some day. By the way did you drive all the way or your wife also helped you in driving?

[hvkumar]

Doesn't the Basantpur-Kingal road pass through Chaba & Lahru? Is there a different route?
How did you avoid the bad roads reported by lordofgondor?

[akp]

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

While coming back, I took the Kingal-Basantpur route but decided to chuck it after a couple of Km. The road was just too narrow for my driving style. Instead, I rejoined NH 22 and had to drive over some real bad patches surgically. But it saved time, big time, compared to the Basantpur route.

I got the impression from fine69's posts that under the present condition of the roads, if I want to go from Shimla to say Sainj or beyond, I should go via Naldehra-Basantpur-Kingal (the BRO maintained one). Are you saying that taking NH22 will still be faster?

[fine69]

Originally Posted by smashnerd

I like the way you've presented your travelogue. And with great pictures to boot! How did your car perform on the journey?

Thanks, Swift performed absolutely fine on the roads. The roads were pretty bad at a lot of places but no problems encountered at all.

Originally Posted by R.I.P

this is basically used to transport apple cases from hills to road-ends from where they are laden onto trucks/jeeps.

Thanks, this is good info.

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

Basantpur road could have been avoided and you should have taken the more scenic Narkanda - Sarahan road directly.

Sir Narkanda to Sarahan means going through Shimla to Narkanda which was a disaster (since I came back via that route). I also don't think it was more scenic than the Basantpur-Kingal road.

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

Is it your first time to Himachal? That toll is there for ages now. Initially HP used to levy toll on internal bridges and along certain roads. Then it was discontinued but one time entry toll was levied. Now you pay one time fixed charge for entry and no other toll is exacted from you in the entire state.

Yes sir first time in Himachal on my own car.

Originally Posted by salunkhe.vizz

Just one word - AWESOMENESS , sheer legendary awesomeness !

Can't wait to read the rest of your journey

Thanks much for the kind words.

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

While coming back, I took the Kingal-Basantpur route but decided to chuck it after a couple of Km.

There was an exit to NH-22 mid-day? Where??!!

Originally Posted by planet_rocker

Why were running towards your car? what happened near udaipur, jaipur?

superb travelogue -

Thanks. As for the people running towards my car, there are so called guides (registered or not) who promise to take you around - sight seeing etc. The moment they see a car registered outside the state they just pounce over it - Pushkar (Rajasthan) has the worst of their kind.

Originally Posted by anandjha

Simply incredible. And audacious too. Pictures simply awesome and narrative practical. Would love to do this trip myself some day. By the way did you drive all the way or your wife also helped you in driving?

Audacious...means you feel me brother! It indeed took some courage to finalize this trip, however easy it may seem to anybody else.
Unfortunately my wife doesn't drive yet so it was only me driving throughout, return being the toughest - yet to come.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Doesn't the Basantpur-Kingal road pass through Chaba & Lahru? Is there a different route?
How did you avoid the bad roads reported by lordofgondor?

Sir there are two routes via Naldehra to Rampur - (1) Naldehra-Basantpur-Sunni-Luhri (2) Naldehra-Basantpur-Kingal

There's a fork that comes at Basantpur, the left road goes towards Sunni and the right one towards Kingal.

Originally Posted by akp

I got the impression from fine69's posts that under the present condition of the roads, if I want to go from Shimla to say Sainj or beyond, I should go via Naldehra-Basantpur-Kingal (the BRO maintained one). Are you saying that taking NH22 will still be faster?

I guess it'd depend on (1) the vehicle that you are driving (2) how comfortable you'd be driving on a smooth 1.5 lane road vs a wide dug-up (at a lot of places) 2 lane road.

Shimla to Kingal via Basantpur should take anywhere between 2.5 to 3.5 hours but I don't think it it could take less than 2.5 hours via Narkanda at all.

[Capitalson]

Hi fine69, real good pictures. Sharp & clear. Keep up the good work.

[breezydrive]

Congrats, the first Himalayan Trip!

Before we reached Basantpur I got another call from @log who told me that the Chaba-Luhri road was almost non-existent. But I wasn't going to take this road anyways. A last minute update by another bhpian (I can't thank him enough) had me plan the route from Shimla to Rampur via Naldehra-Basantpur-Kingal. I tell @log that I'd be taking the Kingal road and he asks me to update him on the condition of the road so that he has the option of taking it while coming back.

I think it was a thread where I had suggested this route, probably you had asked by posting the blue line marked in the link from MapmyIndia

I was told that we had come about 12-13 kms the wrong way, we were supposed to take the wooden bridge and it wasn't besides a dam but a concrete bridge that had collapsed - Bridge collapses in Shimla - News@glance: Mumbai building collapse, price rise & more. Just when we had crossed it I and wife were arguing whether it was a dam or a bridge but having witnessed no collapsed bridge ever I never thought it could be a bridge.

While coming from Kingal side, my wife also got confused at the same spot, but my basic sense prevailed and we followed the right path.
Me being a Civil engineer, got out of the car, spent some time at the spot to work out what could have happened to this bridge which was just one year old.
I am posting some pictures of the same

[lordofgondor]

Originally Posted by akp

I got the impression from fine69's posts that under the present condition of the roads, if I want to go from Shimla to say Sainj or beyond, I should go via Naldehra-Basantpur-Kingal (the BRO maintained one). Are you saying that taking NH22 will still be faster?

The average speed on NH22 will definitely be faster, albeit the broken road (between Shima & Narkanda) may take a toll on man and machine. IMHO, the Basantpur-Kingal is too big a diversion over a very narrow (gotta drive slow), albeit a very smooth, road.

Originally Posted by fine69

There was an exit to NH-22 mid-day? Where??!!

No exit mid way mate, just turned back and rejoined NH22 at Kingal. It was a breeze till a couple of Km beyond Narkanda.

[figo_united]

Wowwww! thats some teaser!
Amazing pics
Now can you please stop being lazy and start off the travelogue
cant wait to read the details!

Edit: missed seeing the rest of the pages and just saw the teaser :(

[anandjha]

I salute you Boss. You have brought out the streak of adventure out in all of us, I mean, armchair adventure travelers.