[BolBolero]

Day 16, Keylong-Chamba, 1st. September 2011

Khillar 2 Sach Pass, After the Bridge: 300-330 pm

We crossed the bridge over the River Chandra Bhaga and there in front of us was the beginning of a very steep climb. Saw the Scorpio a few meters ahead of us just barrelling through at around 10 to 15 kmph and we followed suit. And then once again our thoughts turned to the Mumbai Roadsters and the Swifts! And once again we consoled ourselves, hoping that they would see good sense and would have either turned back or decided to stay back in Khillar for the night and drive back to Keylong the next day.

That worry aside, set ourselves the daunting task of concentrating on the road, which was a series of okay "JEEPABLE PATH" strewn with boulders and rocks in some places, lots of "Mud and Slush" , many many "Hair Pin Bends" and steadily climbing all the while. Stuck to the oft repeated 4WD technique of using the vehicles torque to plough through all that came in front. No need for speed here. Can't even the number of times I must have hit the underside on the boulders and rocks. More importantly, had to reach the next point without damage to Car as well as Occupants!

Enchanting Scenery all through, passing through lush green forest on one side and a deep valley on the other. Would have loved to stop and capture those moments on a camera, but stopping here would have meant wasting time and not being able to reach Sach Jot before dark, a very frightening prospect to say the least.

Encountered a Bolero PikUp at one of the hair pin bends, and the driver was gracious enough to move towards the side while I drove through the turn. While at it I stopped next to him and described the two Swifts which were supposed to be following us and requested him to please tell them "NOT TO ATTEMPT THE ROAD TO SACH PASS AND RETURN BACK TO KEYLONG"! He promised me he would do the needful. On asking about the condition of the road further ahead, he said, that there isn't much of road any where ahead, but the Bolero, what with it being a 4WD would be able to it with ease. On being told that it wasn't a 4WD, he thought for a moment and said "KOI NAHI JI, NIKAL JAYEGI!"

Was that a harbinger of things to come??


to be continued....

[samarjitdhar]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Since when are Army Captains allowed to gallivant around the country-side on holidays in their official Gypsies?

Now how did that thought even cross Capt Gouri's mind about having to share her quarters with 23 road warriors one of them being 81 in age. What a thoroughly disturbing visual . Sorry am going through this gem of a travelogue page by page so late on to this. BHPians traveling those parts should ensure any encounters with Capt Gouri is recorded in detail to help the army perform her annual performance appraisal going through the travelogues section here .

On a serious note, HVK sir, how would a Maruti Gypsy perform in these climes? One of the 4X4 under my consideration for some time now leaving aside the fact that it runs on petrol which has now actually turned out into liquid gold literally.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

On a serious note, HVK sir, how would a Maruti Gypsy perform in these climes? One of the 4X4 under my consideration for some time now leaving aside from the fact that it runs on petrol which has now actually turned out into liquid gold literally.

Probably the best - take inspiration from the fact that the Gypsy is the most common SUV in Ladakh, both with the Army and the locals (except taxis).

I am sure KSM-vTEC & Jeep Captain will reply to this Q in detail, both of them have driven their Gypsies to Ladakh before.

[BolBolero]

Originally Posted by laluks

Ahem!
Treat me for those wonderful pictures I have for you

I have not even the faintest idea when I will be back on this magnificient route, all I know is one day I surely shall again. I just did not have enough of this adventure

laluks sir, you needn't even ask, any time, any place it will be done! And you definitely Rule Sir!
You can never have enough of this type of Adventure Sir, and the day you are on that route again, be assured that I will be somewhere nearby!

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

On a serious note, HVK sir, how would a Maruti Gypsy perform in these climes? One of the 4X4 under my consideration for some time now leaving aside from the fact that it runs on petrol which has now actually turned out into liquid gold literally.

The Maruti Gypsy is meant for these conditions. It will rock!

[JeepCaptain]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

How unrealistic the whole thing sounds!

The 14-man team that was together just 24 hours ago is now:

IPHE - A 1: Enjoying itself on the slopes leading to Sach Pass

IPHE - A 2: Struggling (?) somewhere near Khillar

IPHE - B: Walking along with dragon dancers in the streets of Leh!

And none of us in touch with each other! We don't know if we will meet again.


And yet none of them knew where we were at this moment ever since we went into radio blackout region 7-8 hours ago after crossing Udeypur.

Absolutely HVK Sir, This was the only time where we were completely out of touch in this entire Expedition. And we also had no clue about the team splitting up.

While we were enjoying Ladakh Festival, our Discovery was getting serviced for the longest leg of this Trip and we were sort of taking a short break before the final and longest Leg!

And finally after long silence from IPHE A Team I guess we heard from HVK thru an sms when we were crossing or near Zozilla Pass on our way back via Kargil , Srinagar.Or probably I have seen the sms that time. I cant remember exactly.

[JeepCaptain]

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

On a serious note, HVK sir, how would a Maruti Gypsy perform in these climes? One of the 4X4 under my consideration for some time now leaving aside the fact that it runs on petrol which has now actually turned out into liquid gold literally.

samarjitdhar, As HVK mentioned, Ladakh is a Gypsy territory and I have taken my Gypsy to Ladakh in 2010.

Gypsy is the best vehicle for Ladakh, No doubt about it. But it is not an Expedition Vehicle.

Talking about my 2010 trip. I went in my 2 seater Gypsy with Metal cabin. We were only 2 PAX in that Gypsy. Hence it was not that bad experience.
However while going to Khardung La we suffered huge power loss and also it wont be easy to travel in sectors like Sach Pass or Zanskar Valley etc in a Gypsy bcos of its bumpy suspension. In my opinion A diesel vehicle ( Bolero or Scorpio) preferably 4x4 will be an ideal choice for Himalayan /Ladakh Expeditions.

[KSM-Vtec]

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

On a serious note, HVK sir, how would a Maruti Gypsy perform in these climes? One of the 4X4 under my consideration for some time now leaving aside the fact that it runs on petrol which has now actually turned out into liquid gold literally.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Probably the best - take inspiration from the fact that the Gypsy is the most common SUV in Ladakh, both with the Army and the locals (except taxis).

I am sure KSM-vTEC & Jeep Captain will reply to this Q in detail, both of them have driven their Gypsies to Ladakh before.

Originally Posted by JeepCaptain

samarjitdhar, As HVK mentioned, Ladakh is a Gypsy territory and I have taken my Gypsy to Ladakh in 2010.

Gypsy is the best vehicle for Ladakh, No doubt about it. But it is not an Expedition Vehicle.

Talking about my 2010 trip. I went in my 2 seater Gypsy with Metal cabin. We were only 2 PAX in that Gypsy. Hence it was not that bad experience.
However while going to Khardung La we suffered huge power loss and also it wont be easy to travel in sectors like Sach Pass or Zanskar Valley etc in a Gypsy bcos of its bumpy suspension. In my opinion A diesel vehicle ( Bolero or Scorpio) preferably 4x4 will be an ideal choice for Himalayan /Ladakh Expeditions.

HVK & JC have answered your question, just a few additions from my side.

The well tuned Gypsy with the correct set of tyers (which in my opinion is the Yoko Geolander AT 215/75/15) is THE BEST vehicle for Ladakh. And for a detailed technical explanation you could refer to any Gypsy thread in the OTR section. But in a nutshell its quick, firm, rugged, easy to fix and very importantly its suitable for long highway drives which you will need to do just to reach the foothills (when you compare it with a MM540 etc).

A hard front cabin along with a flat bed cover for the back is a perfect setup. I also completely agree with JC that a gypsy cannot carry more than 2 people on a trip like this, which in my opinion is perfect because if you have more than 2 people in a vehicle apart from being uncomfortable it also leaves you with a very small share of driving time per person. (during my 1st trip to Ladakh it was just 2 of us in the Gypsy and my friend dint drive at all )


I have written more about how my gypsy performed in Ladakh in my TL and Gypsy build threads -

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...rld-gypsy.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-ve...-complete.html

[JeepCaptain]

Originally Posted by KSM-Vtec

HVK & JC have answered your question, just a few additions from my side.

The well tuned Gypsy with the correct set of tyers (which in my opinion is the Yoko Geolander AT 215/75/15) is THE BEST vehicle for Ladakh.
A hard front cabin along with a flat bed cover for the back is a perfect setup.

KSM-Vtec, You mean a Gypsy like this?



This is the same Gypsy I took for my 2010 Himalayan Expedition.

[KSM-Vtec]

Originally Posted by JeepCaptain

KSM-Vtec, You mean a Gypsy like this?

Attachment 904657

This is the same Gypsy I took for my 2010 Himalayan Expedition.

Yes JC!! This is exactly what i am talking about I am sure you must have had a great time.

[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

Khillar 2 Sach Pass, Shooting up to the Stars: 330-400 pm

Citius, Altius, Fortius - Faster, Higher, Stronger?

OR IS IT

Tardior, Altius, Debilior - Slower, Higher, Weaker?

Khillar to Chamba - 3 - YouTube

I am super-sensitive to vehicle noises and every impending problem shouts out loud - for those who are inclined to the Ear - before giving up its ghost. That is why I insist on a quiet environment inside the car so that I do not miss out any of the noises - squeals, squeaks, abrasive noises, etc - and I always check out immediately till I get to the root cause & repair it immediately. I also open the hood. check vitals, go underbody, check the vitals, etc etc. Some rattling noise was bothering me this afternoon, so I stopped by, checked under the hood, no luck. Ultimately concluded that it was the bumper which was making some noise. Irritating, but safe.

Slowly, we were leaving the forests behind and climbing to the higher altitudes. The mountain sides were becoming rockier & barren. Those medicinal plants with such strong aroma - they were omnipresent, Lalu picked up quite a few samples earlier too, and they were keeping my car pleasantly fragranced.

Road improved somewhat and we were able to increase speeds to 30 kmph+. Above the tree line, no slush on the roads, some nice narrow roads. Way below us in the valley was some rivulet going to join the Chandra Bhaga. The road itself was a small shelf in the cliffs, with towering cliffs on one side.

No more LAs, I told Lalu, this is now JOT territory. In Ladakh, they call the mountain passes LA, but in Himachal it is JOT. Lalu & I have this ability to keep up a constant jabber on everything from street politics to copper reserves in Central Africa to Eurail trips around Europe. That is probably the reason why, despite lots of fights that we have, we are doing a second trip together! That is also how you keep yourselves engaged during these long drives, never mind that it is through some exciting Himachal landscapes.

It is 345 pm now, and we are now cutting through the gap in the mountain west into the setting sun. 2500, 2600, 2700 mtrs & ascending......trees, conifers, shrubs, grass & now only stones. Every bad section we cross, we evaluate how difficult it will be for the Swifts were they to follow behind. We don't need horns in these places, you can see the oncoming vehicle come from afar since you can sometimes see the road for a few miles ahead round the curves as it hugs to the cliff.

We run into "peak" hour traffic - 2 Maxx taxis, presumably the ones running the Chamba-Khillar sector (owned by Ashika Travels, who we had talked to to ascertain the condition of this route) - as we have to back out to give way to 2 overloaded taxis on their way to Khillar. For these taxis, it is a seasonal business since this route will be closed during winter due to snow fall.

350 pm. In the meantime, roads were becoming more & more scenic - and a horror show for anyone suffering vertigo. And breaking up too, no more the smooth surface that we had seen last 15 minutes or so. I wonder how they come to know if some mishap happens, what if a vehicle simply falls off, you cannot even see the bottom.

And then we see our first glacier......

[laluks]

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

We drove on from Khillar.


Another Caravan


We cross this bridge to the other bank






We drove on


Into the greens


The tree cover made this place very cool


Wet


Slushy


continued...

[laluks]

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

We saw monkeys




We drove on to the greens






The roads were exciting too








Saw some bit of ice still melting


continued...

[laluks]

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

We drove on




A small prayer area by the road




Interesting route!








We saw unmelted ice on the stream


And then we saw a Galcier by the road!


A small traffic


continued...

[laluks]

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

Wow, what roads!








Where are we off to?










The hairpin loops


continued...

[laluks]

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

We saw another Glacier by the road




This time I jumped out and clicked a photo of the Scorpio.




I broke a piece of ice and played with it too...

The loops now behind us




More Glaciers






Goat!


continued...

over to HVK