[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by BulZire

I am just curious to know what language does localities in HP speak . is it Hindi overall?
Does knowing to speak Hindi help us manage the overall trip to Himalayas? , I mean about interacting with localities for any help or guidance.

Everywhere in HP, HIndi is spoken. No issue with language anywhere. All signboards in both HIndi & English.

[JeepCaptain]

AUG 16

Pooh to Tabo Drive

Jeep Captain's Photologue continues...

Before I start the pics

Let us look at the altitude profile for the route. ( Cortesy HVK sir)
Powari, 6500 ft
Kalpa, 10000 ft
Spello, 7700 ft
Pooh, 8500 ft
Ka, 9700 ft
Nako, 11900 ft
Malling, 12500 ft
Sumdo, 9800 ft
Tabo, 10800 ft



When we left Pooh, it was just drizzling.



We went past the Army camp. This is where we were asked to wait by the lady Captain the previous night.



And soon it started pouring until we reach Kah or somewhere before KAH.



Sumdo is still 61 kms to go.



We stopped at the confluence of Sutlej & Spiti River for some pics.

[KSM-Vtec]

16th August 2011 – Mumbai Roadsters – IPHE11 - Tabo - Kaza

So we get up in the morning and try to look around Tabo and see if we can find rest of the team in some daylight. But unfortunately it was a negative result again.

We park one of our cars on the main road and the other outside the hotel hoping that HVK or someone from the team will spot it and start looking for us if they are passing. By now we did manage to get some network again and messaged all the BSNL numbers in our team list again. Got a call from Rohit Bhogle and unfortunately he was still in Mumbai and not with rest of the team. I requested him to post an update of our location and plan on our IPHE FB group. Thanks for this RB!

Soon we finished our heavy breakfast in Tabo, spoke to the locals about places worth seeing between Tabo and Kaza and decided to proceed further. (Oops ..i dint do any homework for any of the sections after Tabo, again since expected to have HVK - The God of Indian Touring with us for this section)

We were told by many people in Rampur and Tabo that the road from Kaza to the Manali-Leh highway was shutdown due to some major landslide but we decided to head for Kaza. We move forward and now on we were going to witness a complete transformation in the landscape with a little less greenery, more rocky surfaces, many more distant snow capped mountains ….since I don’t have good writing skills ….i guess let the pics do this job.

Dhankar Gompa & Pin Valley were on our must visit places list on the Tabo-Kaza section and we did so starting with the Dhankar Gompa which has 2 approach roads so we decided to take one on the way in and the other on the way out and believe me this was a great decision because the exit route we took (not a very well known one) had much more to offer and was also a great driving challenge.

Pin valley is known to be a great visual delight and we sure wanted to go all the way till the end (Mudh – 35kms approx), but unfortunately another landslide there has blocked away the last 5 kms and we could make it only till a point beyond Sagnam where we decided to go off the main road (which was blocked) towards another village across the river. At this point we were extremely lucky because in the middle of nowhere a villager appeared and clicked a pic of all 4 of us in the frame for the first time in the trip!

After spending almost an hour at the last point we could get to (right next to the river) we turned back and drove all the way till Kaza, heading straight towards the petrol pump as we were on “E”. (Missed the petrol pump at Powari). So the Swift petrol tank lasted all the way from Rampur to Kaza including the Dhankar Gompa & Pin Valley detours.

So here we are in Kaza looking for 2 things; a hotel to stay in and the rest of our team. By now we had received an sms from Lalu stating that the team had reached Kaza around 5PM, so we were sure that the gang was somewhere in Kaza but we dint know where exactly. We went around checking most of the hotels including the state tourism hotel but no luck. Having reviewed all the hotels in the process of looking for the team we had decided which hotel we should be staying in and hence that part was sorted.

It was dinner time and we still had no clue of where rest of the team was. People had seen a few MH cars, the petrol pump guy also confirmed the same thing, but no one knew where they were. Our hotel owner was a very enterprising guy (Jamaica) and he promised that he would find out in an hours time. An hour passed but no clue yet, so we decided to do a chakkar in and around Kaza with him and visit each and every hotel, but no luck again. Jamaica told us that there was one more hotel XYZ about 5 kms from Kaza but we need not go there he will call and findout. He also confirmed that they have to be there because they were surly not in Kaza.

Suddenly the phone rings and its HVK!!! “Where are you guys?? We are in a hotel XYZ 5kms outside Kaza and we will be moving to another hotel in Kaza tomorrow”

Phew…. I told HVK that we were in “Tashi de Lake” in Kaza next to the bus stand and he was very happy to know that. We decided to meet at the Petrol pump the next morning at 9AM and decide what was next since the road ahead was closed and was going to remain closed for some time.

Pics for this section soon...

[JeepCaptain]

AUG 16

Pooh to Tabo Drive

Jeep Captain's Photologue continues...













TS Enjoying the Himalayan Experience for the forth time.



NJ - Posing on the Edge with Spiti river in the back ground.



JP -First time to Himalayas Enjoying every moment.



HP RTC Bus - There are only few operating in this route









Malling - 10 km to go.

























Photo Break



Nako Lake



JC & AKaush



NJ Posing infront of the Nako lake.



The dreaded Malling Nalla.

[laluks]

Got some time today to catch up with the story. Wonderful log guys .
I guess I can start from Kaaza to Gramphoo drive direct

[JeepCaptain]

Originally Posted by laluks

Got some time today to catch up with the story. Wonderful log guys .
I guess I can start from Kaaza to Gramphoo drive direct

Thanks a Ton Lalu Sir.We are missing you and your writeups. Come back soon and continue. Hope to finish my Photologues before you start the Kazaa-Grampho drive.

[gostel]

Stupendous TL guys. I would have titled this log as "An anatomy of a drive to Leh" or something like that. I am glued to this travelogue. Thanks to all of you for the superb pictures; waiting for more.

[JeepCaptain]

AUG 16

Pooh to Tabo Drive

Jeep Captain's Photologue continues...


Another photo Break.



The Mighty Bolero 4x4 Stinger. Owned by SPK.



TS decided to Pose infront of the Bolero.



VB- A True traveller and great friend who decided to join us in this Expedition in 5 minutes!!




The Mountains, The Valleys, The sky, and The River. What more you need?



Akaush



Sumdo is 28km ahead.




The other side of the same Milestone.



Akaush's reliable and silky smooth Innova.



Akaush & VB



Akaush with TS






TS is too Happy to be here.






HVK, VB, Baby Alto (no_enthu_da) & CV.



Nako Lake.






The Happy & Smiling Chief.



Chiefs Chariot. This Scorpio has travelled more places in India than any other vehicle in India which I know.



NJ & VE



New Monastery in Nako, I guess?



TS - The Sharp Shooter.



TS - Never Leave any possible angles or moments for a pic.



TS - Happy after a nice capture.



Local Carpet Sellers.



It was still raining.Hope it stops soon.



Approaching Mallang Nalla. HVK's scorpio is stuck behind a truck which stopped in the middle and was unable to climb



Convoy waiting while all the photographers are busy clicking pics



Another View



.

[.sushilkumar]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Everywhere in HP, HIndi is spoken. No issue with language anywhere. All signboards in both HIndi & English.

HVK correct here , other than that Locals Speak Pahadi / mandiali ( around Mandi ) and tibeti in and around lahaul spiti and kinnaur . allmost everybody speak and understand Hindi . Fortunately govt schools in HP are setup in such a way that no KID should walk more than 2 KM;s for a school. At every school having 10+2 classes , there are computers for students.

for hospitals , there are generally setup in such a way that one should;t travel more than 30-40 km;s MAX to reach a hospital.serious cases go to PGI CHD / IGMC Shimla or Dr rajinder medical college dharamshala . At each hospital they have provided force motors ambulances and they are availbale 24 X 7 . Free of cost off course .

[BolBolero]

Gosh what a travelogue. @ HVK, laluks, JeepCaptain, KSM-Vtec, akaush, no_enthu_da, doctorque, anku, yogen, wonderful photographs and an engrossing narrative guys.
I am seriously regretting my decision, not to travel through this route again. Absolutely my loss. But no point in lamenting over spilt milk as they say! Every photograph of the Pooh to Kaza journey, reminds me of my last years trip. Infact there are many photographs posted, which are almost copies of photographs I had taken last year. Though last year I did have some fantastic dry weather all through in the Rampur - Kaza section. Except for the stretch between Jeori to Powari all the roads were in a good condition. Malling nullah was a breeze. Plus there were much clearer skies!
Just for comparision sake!
Confluence of Sutlej and Spiti rivers on the 12th. of July 2010.



I was expecting the new bridge to be opened by this year, but looks like it hasn't happened.




Anyway to get to my side of the story. Its the 16th. of August, just one more day to go before I leave on my trip. I have been fortunate enough to get a chance to speak to HVK on the 15th. of August after trying for many days! He has informed me about the situation at Kaza. I am hopeful of meeting the whole IPHE 2011 team on the 23rd. of August at Kargil. I should hopefully be able to reach Kargil by then, barring some unforseen circumstances.
I am so much looking forward to meeting up with Chief's Scorpio, Discovery Bolero, Bolero 4x4 Stinger, AP Swift, Baby Alto, Innova and all the people in the vehicles. At this point in time I am not even aware that there is the Mumbai Roadsters team consisting of two Swift Petrols who are also part of the IPHE.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by BolBolero

Anyway to get to my side of the story. Its the 16th. of August, just one more day to go before I leave on my trip. I have been fortunate enough to get a chance to speak to HVK on the 15th. of August after trying for many days! He has informed me about the situation at Kaza. I am hopeful of meeting the whole IPHE 2011 team on the 23rd. of August at Kargil. I should hopefully be able to reach Kargil by then, barring some unforseen circumstances.
I am so much looking forward to meeting up with Chief's Scorpio, Discovery Bolero, Bolero 4x4 Stinger, AP Swift, Baby Alto, Innova and all the people in the vehicles. At this point in time I am not even aware that there is the Mumbai Roadsters team consisting of two Swift Petrols who are also part of the IPHE.

Yes, this was a grand "link-up" plan -

- First, the rendezvous with the Mumbai Roadsters (planned for Nako, but upset by a Army Captain) on Aug 15, and then for us to travel together

- Second, the rendezvous with BolBolero (Bolero) & Rohit (Safari) at Kargil on Aug 22, and then for us to travel together.

All of us had spent lots of time planning this cross-country drive together such that we all arrived at our pre-designated points without any delay or failure, so as to synchronise our respective drives thereafter.

As KSM-VTEC & BolBolero have mentioned, mobile connectivity is something you cannot depend upon in these parts - for most, there is no network and sometimes there is network but neither incoming or outgoing calls go through.

The delay at Kaza was something for which we had some buffer in our drive plan, but how many days can you buffer..........?

[BolBolero]

Day (-1) Aug 16th. 2011, Mumbai.
Last Minute Preparations!

While Chief's Scorpio, Discovery Bolero, Bolero 4x4 Stinger, AP Swift, Baby Alto, Innova, are on their way to Kaza from Pooh and the Mumbai Roadsters are visiting Pin Valley, Dhankar on their way from Tabo to Kaza, I am in still in Mumbai!

SS arrives from Bangalore in the morning. I'm getting last minute work related issues sorted out, which almost takes away the better half of the day! Post that SS and me go for some last minute shopping of essentials. By evening we are through with everything. We spend more than an hour packing and arranging the luggage in the car! I have taken care to pack all the essentials as per HVK's extensive list and my own previous experience of last year. A quick check of the car, and I'm satisfied that we are good to go!

Much to SS's displeasure I inform him that we will be leaving at 3.00 am the next day. On explaining the drive plan and the necessity of reaching Kishangarh by the end of the day on the 17th., he grudgingly agrees!

So its time to go to bed, but as luck would have it sleep is not easy to come! Thoughts of last years unsuccessful attempt to drive to Ladakh keep going through my head! What lies in store for us this year? So many thoughts swirling through my mind!


To be continued..

[spadix]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

- Second, the rendezvous with BolBolero (Bolero) & Rohit (Safari) at Kargil on Aug 22, and then for us to travel together.

We saw one Safari on the Udaipur - Bhilwara stretch with us on the morning of Aug. 20. It had TBHP and "Raid de Leh" stickers on it. We lost it when we stopped for breakfast at Bhilwara. I'm not good with colours and I don't remember the regn. number nor the exact number of transports in it.

Was this Rohit's Safari? If yes, Udaipur to Kargil in 2 days would've been quite an achievement!

Regards,
spadix

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by spadix

We saw one Safari on the Udaipur - Bhilwara stretch with us on the morning of Aug. 20. It had TBHP and "Raid de Leh" stickers on it. We lost it when we stopped for breakfast at Bhilwara. I'm not good with colours and I don't remember the regn. number nor the exact number of transports in it.

Was this Rohit's Safari? If yes, Udaipur to Kargil in 2 days would've been quite an achievement!

Regards,
spadix

Yes, if it was dark green, it was Rohit's Safari. Rohit drove non-stop to Kishangarh from Bombay and then via Bhatinda to Amritsar to Srinagar, Kargil & Leh. He reached Leh on Aug 22 night.

[no_enthu_da]

While BolBolero started getting ready to begin his journey, I started getting my first headache of the trip.

I mean - literally.

Despite popping the Diamox pill every day, soon after the Sumdo check post, a headache kicked in with all its might. Pushing on with the ache could lead to something untoward. Good thing I had JeepCaptain trailing me and there were multiple drivers in his car. A quick stop meant I was in the back seat of his Bolero, and JP was at the wheel of my Alto. I would be a passenger and not a driver until Kaza – 66 km which we covered in around 6 hours, with a 2 hour stop at Tabo.

Till this point, I had made up my mind to just enjoy the drive – and not click any pictures (the others would be clicking many pictures and sharing; so). With my first break from full-time driving duties, I got the chance to talk a lot (Dr. RK was asleep for most part due to his deteriorating health), to look around and click pictures!!

Kunzum Top – 118km; but that’s for later on… first, we get to Kaza!


Alto relaxing at Tabo Monastery. I was getting tempted to drive but eventually sense prevailed and I let JP continue till I felt better.


Prayer Wheels at Tabo Monastery


Mortar-Pestle and assorted bowls (for sale at Tabo Monastery)


The apples JeepCaptain and others plucked sometime back!


JeepCaptain and VB smiling at their best (though we were majorly hungry!)


JeepCaptain!


Lady knitting (while TS – not in frame – was trying to get her attention)


TS says something – and the lady breaks into a smile!


TS with the ladies!


Find the Road!


Solo Italian cyclist.
@JeepCaptian – you should tell his story!!


Landslide Territory!!


The Spiti River


Mushroom Rock formation


Erosion


Snow Peak beyond Kaza


and another behind us...


Shy Girl


After much convincing by her friend, the shy girl looked straight at us!


Some more locals – more eager to face our cameras than the Shy Girl


Got BHP?? … Oh yes!! Enough BHP to reach Kaza from Kharghar (Navi Mumbai)!!


Monastery opposite Kaza petrol pump


Arbit (steps leading up to the monastery)


Buddhist Prayer Rocks (near Kaza petrol pump)


JeepCaptain and TS jubilant on arrival at Kaza