[laluks]

Day 21
1st September 2011
Key Long - Sach Pass - Chamba

Sun playing Hide and Seek




Beautiful Mountains and Valleys








Swifties


Few Houses




Chadrabhaga winding through


continued...

[laluks]

Day 21
1st September 2011
Key Long - Sach Pass - Chamba

Some popular family in the village had a marriage.

Everyone from the village were ready to attend the event








BolBolero wanted to attend too...

Continued...

[laluks]

Day 21
1st September 2011
Key Long - Sach Pass - Chamba

The convoy


Another Bridge


Beautiful Views








Chandrabhaga - Beautiful!


HVK Scorpio amidst the greenery


Another Bridge




continued...

[laluks]

Day 21
1st September 2011
Key Long - Sach Pass - Chamba

Ah! We are into real fun. Not really


It became better soon


We stopped by waiting for the others to catch up.

Chandrabhaga still by our side


Smelt some wild flowers


Thorny


This shrub is now in Bangalore . It smells real nice, infact it is a medicinal shrub. I took a lot of it to be planted in Bangalore. It helped me and HVK breathe easy till the rest of the trip. Amazing shrub.


Gold Spot


continued...

[laluks]

Day 21
1st September 2011
Key Long - Sach Pass - Chamba

We reached the Thriloknath Temple by 08:15AM


Udeypur another 10KM


Could not visit the temple due to lack of time


HVK waiting for the other cars to catch up




Chandrabhaga still around


Green


continued...

[laluks]

Day 21
1st September 2011
Key Long - Sach Pass - Chamba

More views of the valley








Beautiful


Another bridge!




continued...

[laluks]

Day 21
1st September 2011
Key Long - Sach Pass - Chamba

We drove on, Udeypur is very near


Sheep and Sheperd


Looks like the Hill's got some goosebumps


Udeypur is behind the clouds


Chandrabhaga turns around


Udeypur is just after the turn



continued...

over to HVK for the next narration.

[KSM-Vtec]

Amazing pics Lalu!!!

I guess it was only in this section that we (swifts) got the time to enjoy the surroundings, after this the terrain became so challenging that we hardly got time to look around. (This day was a little unusual since we just dint know what to expect so we decided to be more focused on the road and not stop to look around and click pics)

I am sure you would have got some great opportunities after this also since you guys had to wait for us to catchup.

Looking forward!

[Yogen]

Note from the Team-BHP Support Staff : Post deleted. Slang and SMS Language are STRICTLY prohibited on Team-BHP. Please type in full and proper English for the benefit of other community members.

[hvkumar]

HVK Scorpio Car Cam Videos for Keylong-Udeypur sector

Lahaul Valley: Keylong to Udeypur - YouTube

[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
Aug 16, Pooh-Kaza, 178 kms
Aug 17-19, Kaza, 291 kms
Aug 20, Kaza-Jispa, 236 kms
Aug 21, Jispa-Leh, 374 kms
Aug 22, Leh-Kargil, 343 kms
Aug 23, Kargil-Padum, 248 kms
Aug 24, Padum-Kargil, 275 kms
Aug 25, Kargil-Leh, 259 kms
Aug 26, Leh, 148 kms
Aug 27, 2011, Leh-Turtuk, 241 kms
Aug 28, 2011, Leh-Pangong Tso, 445 kms
Aug 29, 2011, Pangong-Hanle, 203 kms
Aug 30, 2011, Hanle-Tso Moriri, 188 kms
Aug 31, 2011, Tso Moriri-Keylong, 375 kms

Sep 1, 2011, Keylong-Chamba, 341 kms

On new routes, I count stage to stage, with a broad final destination which may be flexible.
BolBolero had done his research and found out a year or so ago that there was a hotel in Khillar.
Kesri had shown me the photos of the hotel and shared with me telephone numbers of the Hotel Chamba Palace in Khillar.
Why Khillar? That is the last “civilized” place before the ascent to Sach Pass begins and we knew that after Khillar, it is either the other side of Sach Pass beyond the Pangi Valley or else we would have to warm the seats of our cars to sleep the night.
So Khillar was like some sort of take-off speed point which I had resolved to cross before 1 pm so that we could scale Sach Pass and get to the other side before dark.

This route which we were to take does not figure on Google Maps or any other published maps. Maybe because earlier the road was there only till Tindi (25 kms or so ahead of Udeypur), and the map makers have still not thought it fit to update their maps for a road that was built 11 years ago, and is now motorable.

So how did I work out distances? Simple, some mad biker in BCM Touring had taken photos of the sign boards en route and I decided those and worked out distance profile for the entire Keylong-Chamba route that way.

We crossed the non-decrepit town of Udeypur at 845 pm. We knew that this was the last of the big towns and after this both traffic & facilities would decrease as we left the Lahaul Valley & entered the Pangi Valley.




Udeypur, 845 am, 0 kms
Tindi, 1050 am, 25 kms

2 hours to drive 25 kms?
(a) Photos? (b) Chai breaks? (c) car breaks?
Answer is none of the above. We did NOT take a single break on this route.

Kaushik


Ok so here we are at Udeypur within to hours from start assuming that its going to be much easier than we thought. It was only an exaggeration when people told us that the entire route was challenging.

Now we had started underestimating their comments about the Sach Pass section also…

Immediately after leaving Udeypur town, we hit dirt track straightaway, the road leaving no illusions about what we were getting into. I started earning the dubious honour of always being the fast car in the next valley – meaning, I left behind the others far behind and they could always see me rounding the corners in the next hillock!

Kunal says,


The beauty of the plush green mountains and good initial progress did its bit in bringing positive thoughts to the mind. To add to the positive energy, we came across what were 2 smalls huts lower part of the hill where we could get some much required freshly made parathas. If i remember correctly, we couldn't get enough of the parathas as they ran out of stuff to prepare more. After making do with what was on offer we started again.

To be very honest, from the start itself, the swifts were getting into situations that required the assistance of the Bolero and the Scorpio to help us out of difficulties. We will never be able to thank the team enough for all the unconditional support we'd been getting.

But today was a different day, we were running against the clock like we had never done before on the trip. The surface quality was gradually deteriorating. It was becoming more and more difficult for us (swifts) to cover ground and keep up with HVK Sir and Bolbolero. The 2 SUV's started gaining like never before. We could see the on the next hill curve, and by the time we reach their place, they have gained 2 curves and going in the distance.

The Swifts started struggling in the rough terrain. The road was steep drop on one side and crumbling cliffs on the other. The road itself was so narrow that only one vehicle could go at a time. This meant whenever a vehicle came from the other side – including HPSRTC buses and small LCV trucks, we had to spot them early enough & take “shelter” by cuddling against the cliff walls so that the oncoming vehicle .

Udeypur to Tindi - Truck Crossing - YouTube

There were many water crossings like these. The Swift swept through the swift rapids.

Keylong to Tindi, Water Crossing - YouTube

But here, there was trouble. After plunging into water, crashing through sharp underwater boulders, there was a steep incline which had to be taken at slow speeds and was slithery with mud. That is where the Swift faltered but we ultimately prevailed.

Udeypur to Tindi - Water Crossing where Swifts got stuck - YouTube

Kaushik

And then we just casually enter the next section of just 25kms thinking that breakfast was less than an hour away! Being overconfident has never helped anyone and we her put back into our place in this section. Obstacles that looked plain and simple we very deceiving. Regular water crossings and hill climbs seemed to be impossible. The loose gravel was just not letting us cross the section and was putting the tyres and clutch into a lot of strain.

Not only were we forced to slowdown ourselves but we also slowed down HVK & BolBolero as they ended up waiting for us after every few kms or at a section which was tricky.[/b]

Photos used here are from the albums of Lalu KS & KSM-vTEC

The story of the drive from Udeypur to Tindi continues......

[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
Aug 16, Pooh-Kaza, 178 kms
Aug 17-19, Kaza, 291 kms
Aug 20, Kaza-Jispa, 236 kms
Aug 21, Jispa-Leh, 374 kms
Aug 22, Leh-Kargil, 343 kms
Aug 23, Kargil-Padum, 248 kms
Aug 24, Padum-Kargil, 275 kms
Aug 25, Kargil-Leh, 259 kms
Aug 26, Leh, 148 kms
Aug 27, 2011, Leh-Turtuk, 241 kms
Aug 28, 2011, Leh-Pangong Tso, 445 kms
Aug 29, 2011, Pangong-Hanle, 203 kms
Aug 30, 2011, Hanle-Tso Moriri, 188 kms
Aug 31, 2011, Tso Moriri-Keylong, 375 kms

Sep 1, 2011, Keylong-Chamba, 341 kms

Udeypur to Tindi - YouTube

The above video expresses the Udeypur-Tindi route like no words can.
Greenery fades away into browns.
Boulders cascade down into the road, competing with water flows.
Between the two of then, you can imagine the number of landslides that occur every now & then.
I am told that this road closes down often, especially in the heavy rainy season.
The "road" - all dirt track - has been sculpted out of the cliff (check how steep it is on the opposite bank to get a perspective).
Road is very narrow so that you have to sight the oncoming vehicles well in advance so that you can get to a spot wide enough for both vehicles to cross each other (there are wide spots every now & then).
WE saw 2 HPSRTC buses, a 108 Ambulance & some jeep taxis coming to us. We did not overtake anyone on our side. Definitely no small cars anywhere in this region, all Mahindra Pick Ups, Sumo/ Maxx taxis & Tatas.
Needless to say, there is not a single soul to be seen. No villages. Nothing at all between Udeypur & Tindi.
One miss & you could tumble down off the road.
Slow 20-30 kmph speeds.
Steady 2600 mtrs altitude.
Fast rapids, survey them before you plunge through. You have to negotiate carefully - don't go too much to the edge, not too much to the rockier cliff side either - and keep up momentum to power your way through, something the Swifts found quite difficult.
Weather was gloomy all through, hardly any sun. Cool.
Surely one of the most scenic & must-drive roads in the Himalayan region

[aviorp]

The Indian Geography has never been this interesting to me. Those pictures are marvelous. You guys & adc have just bought some of the most remote places of India to the limelight. Did you guys also drive through Killar/Kishtwar stretch?

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by aviorp

The Indian Geography has never been this interesting to me. Those pictures are marvelous. You guys & adc have just bought some of the most remote places of India to the limelight. Did you guys also drive through Killar/Kishtwar stretch?

Yes, this is one of those least-travelled sector of the Lahaul & Pangi Valleys.

At Khillar, the road bifurcates into 2. If you continue along the banks of the River Chandra Bhaga, you will reach Kishtawar. But if you cross over the river and go west (like we did), you will go over the Sach Pass to the Chamba Valley.

The Khillar-Kishtawar-Doda-Batote/Anantnag route is something for another trip!

[aviorp]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

The Khillar-Kishtawar-Doda-Batote/Anantnag route is something for another trip!

Sirji, the most obvious question : Are you planning this year too?

Your opinion on :
1. Will August 1st week be a good time to visit Chandra Taal?
2. Will there be heavy snow during Aug in Spiti?
3. Any pre-cautions/advice to cover Tso-Moriri/Hanle?

Regards
Avinash