[rajeev k]

Fantastic photo filled TL yet again. Opened this thread only yesterday, but finished it till the last post in one go. While going through got a feeling of being part of the entourage.
Kudos to every member and salute the effort that has gone in marshaling the trip comprising members from across the nation;really great.

[laluks]

Originally Posted by A.G.The Rambler

Lucknow is a historical place, many places to visit. You all could have visited Bada Imambara, British Residency etc. They are nice historical places to spent some quality time.

For us Lucknow was a transit point, so we did not really research about the places. Also we were switched off with the stay and hence was in no mood either

Originally Posted by A.G.The Rambler

Did you all visit the far end of the lake towards the temple. The view from that side is awesome. Couple of pictures taken by me in July 2006 from the far end.
.... Monsoons has its own beauty.
Hope you like them !

Beautiful pictures.
We just settled on the side road and stayed there for an hour or so. Was peaceful

Originally Posted by kums

Truely superb !! Feels good to see guys like my kind (usually I see hard core travellers/ offroadies/big SUVs making these kind of trips) having made a really rough and tough,yet fascinating trip in sedans and hatches too !! Equally intersting to note the team included members of differnt parts of the country.it took me nearly an hour and some 100-200 MB to see this thread I could imagine the magnitude of effort and planning that should have gone into this excellent trip.Good that you guys dint encounter nature's brutal forces anywhere

And coming to the point , were the cars from the southern part driven all the way to Delhi ?

Thank you. Yes all the cars were driven from their home towns for this trip.

And regarding the weather part BolBolero has putin my exact thoughts.

Originally Posted by BolBolero

Yes we were truly lucky not to have encountered any sort of bad weather all through the trip! The devastation that rains have caused to Uttarakhand this season is unimaginable!

And all the cars were driven from their respective places of origin! :-)

Originally Posted by Arunshek

A superb TL and equally mighty teammates, which is the most important aspect for such a demanding trip.
This is definitely bookmarked by me for a future Char dham trip. It will be helpful if you can also pin drop the fueling stations on the route map.
Seeing a Vista on the TL, just brightened up my face.
Last but not the least, which DSLR were you using? The snaps are breathtaking
Luck favours the Brave

Thank you. Such trips strongly depends on the composition of the team as you have rightly said. BolBolero has the logs of the drive, when he finds time to update the log I am sure he'll share those details too. In such trips I chose to focus on clicks only

Regarding the DSLR, it is a Humble D90 with its kit lens

Originally Posted by akaush

A few photos from my side.

Thank you, keep them coming.

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Fantastic photo filled TL yet again. Opened this thread only yesterday, but finished it till the last post in one go. While going through got a feeling of being part of the entourage.
Kudos to every member and salute the effort that has gone in marshaling the trip comprising members from across the nation;really great.

Thank you rajeev. Very true, the amount of planning that had gone in routing this trip, and executing on ground is really beynd any description. All I can say is that BolBolero and KSM-Vtec had indeed made this trip possible with lazy buggers like me just latching on

Originally Posted by BolBolero

@laluks,

As is the norm, a fantastic travelogue with excellent pictures.

Been a bit busy these past few days, but will be posting as soon as possible. I hope I can keep up with the high standard you have set with every T'log!

Thank you BolBolero. We are waiting for your updates. I guess it is worth the wait. Take your time.

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by laluks

All I can say is that BolBolero and KSM-Vtec had indeed made this trip possible with lazy buggers like me just latching on

But you weren't lazy when the trip is on, as evidenced in those majestic clicks.

[BolBolero]

Preamble:

What is it about the Himalayas? It seems to keep on beckoning you into its embrace time and again! Maybe its me, maybe I suffer from A.P.S. (Acute Plain's Sickness) as opposed to A.M.S. (Acute Mountain Sickness). I'm probably the only one who suffers from this dreaded disease or am I?

After last years epic IPHE to Ladakh & Himachal, HumbLeh'd II (Indo Polish Himalayan Expedition to Ladakh & Himachal Pradesh) and my road trip to Lahaul & Spiti, Himachal in 2010, Rohtang Didn't Let me Pass; Spiti & Chandratal It Was!, one would imagine that the lust to return to Himalayas would wane, but it doesn't! And it doesn't help when some of your good friends and fellow members of the IPHE do a quick dash in search of some Mughal Ghosts! Cliffhanger Himachal, Hidden Kashmir and a search for Mughal Ghosts. Though I must admit that I was invited for that drive, but unfortunately due to work and family commitments I was unable to make it.

The Ghosts had to be exorcised I kept telling myself and slowly an idea started forming in my head! 2013 is the year when a road trip to Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh is going to be undertaken. So that left the North Eastern Himalayas and Uttarakhand as places to be explored.

Had brief chats with a few of the IPHE team members and I realised that I ain't the only one suffering from A.P.S., KSM-Vtec, JeepCaptain, laluks, JP, doctorque, anku, akaush, BM, CV, SS were more than happy to venture into the Himalayas again.

Taking into consideration everyone's leave availabilities and work schedules a road trip for around 12 days was planned, effectively ending all hopes of driving to the North East. So Uttarakhand it would be. By mid August, discussions regarding dates, etc, started in right earnest, via phone calls, social media, etc. Slowly but surely and with a lot of help and inputs from HVKumar the plan was finalised. This would be a drive to the Char Dhams in the Uttarakhand Himalayas also known as the

CHOTA CHAR DHAM YATRA

[BolBolero]

Having fixed the departure from New Delhi on the 22nd. of September, the end of the trip was scheduled for the 1st. of October post noon at Lucknow and accordingly the participants were asked to make their plans and confirm. Come what may everyone would have to be in New Delhi on the 22nd. by 11:30am latest, to proceed to Haridwar in time for the evening Ganga Aarti!

Tried a lot to convince HVKumar to lead the drive or to join one of us in the drive, but he couldn't make it due to prior commitments.

The Final team (26 in all & 7 cars) in no particular order:
Kerala Bolero:
Jeep Captain
AG (Gamer)
Uncle S
Uncle M
Indigo from Salem, TN:
JP
JP's fiancée
CV
Punto 90hp from Bangalore:
MS
laluks
BM
Ritz from Haryana:
akaush
akaush's Parents
PC (laluks' BIL)
Indica from Bombay:
CK
AS
VK
NS
Mumbai Roadsters Swift from Bombay:
anku
anku's wife
pdev29
VB
Bolero from Bombay:
KSM-Vtec
SS
doctorque
BolBolero
(Have mentioned Team-BHP handles where available)

The Final Drive Plan:

Day 01: 22thSept. New Delhi-Haridwar(for Evening Ganga Aarti)-Haridwar/ Rishikesh (night stay)
Day 02: 23rdSept. Haridwar/Rishikesh-Janki Chatti-Trek to Yamunotri-Janki Chatti (night stay)
Day 03: 24thSept. Janki Chatti-Gangotri (Darshan and night stay)
Day 04: 25thSept. Gangotri-Gaurikund (Kedarnath Base and night stay)
Day 05: 26thSept. Gaurikund-Trek to Kedarnath-Gaurikund-Rudraprayag (night stay)
Day 06: 27thSept. Rudraprayag - Badrinath(Darshan) - Mana - Joshimath(nightstay)
Day 07: 28thSept. Joshimath - Munsiyari (night stay)
Day 08: 29thSept. Munsiyari - Tawaghat - Pithoragarh (night stay)
Day 09: 30thSept. Pithoragarh - Nainital (night stay)
Day 10: 01stOct. Nainital - Lucknow

Unfortunately the above plan went awry on the second day itself , but more of that later.

[BolBolero]

The news from Uttarakhand was not good at all, just a few days before we were to leave for the drive. The rains had caused and continued to cause havoc in almost all the districts of Uttarakhand. Kept on reading and hearing about cloudbursts, all over the state, with a lot of trepidation. Lots of lives lost, houses destroyed, roads washed away. In this situation, would we be able to drive to Uttarakhand? The team was also very apprehensive!

After speaking to many well wishers and friends on this forum and elsewhere, it was decided to continue with the plan and leave the rest in Gods Hands! Special thanks to HV Kumar and ramkya1 for their help in contacting people in Uttarakhand to give us updates on road conditions.

The meeting point for New Delhi was fixed at DND flyover Toll Plaza area at 11:30 am IST.

This is how the team members arrived:

JP and fiancée left Salem in the Indigo CS on 18 Sept. evening and reached New Delhi on 21 Sept. night, halting at Hubli, Bombay(Kalamboli), Chittorgarh.

MS left Bangalore in the Punto 90hp on 19 Sept post lunch and reached Delhi on 22 Sept. morning, halting at Pune, Indore, Bharatpur.

AG, Uncle S, Uncle M, left Wayanad in the Bolero on 19 Sept and reached New Delhi on 22 Sept morning, halting at Bombay to carry out some repairs to the Bolero and another halt at Jaipur.

CK left Bombay in the Indica on 21 Sept early morning and reached New Delhi on 22 Sept. morning, halting at Jaipur.

Anku, Anku's wife and pdev29 left Bombay in the Swift on 20 Sept late night and reached New Delhi on 22 Sept morning, halting at Jaipur.

KSM-Vtec, doctorque, VB and BolBolero left Bombay in the Bolero on 21 Sept post noon and reached New Delhi on 22 Sept morning.

CV, caught a flight from Vizag to New Delhi and arrived on 21 Sept.

BM, caught a flight from Chennai to New Delhi and arrived on 21 Sept at 9:30 pm.

SS, caught a flight from bangalore and arrived in New Delhi on 21 Sept in the evening.

laluks caught a flight from Bangalore and arrived in New Delhi on 21 Sept late in the night.

JeepCaptain caught a flight from Dubai and arrived in New Delhi on 22 Sept early morning.

akaush and his parents left Sonipat in the Ritz on 22 Sept early morning.

[b]AS, VK, NS and PC (laluks'BIL) were from Delhi itself.

A very big thank you to Senior T-BHPian deky for helping out the team in Jaipur!

Senior T-BHPian harjeev was kind enough to help the team staying at Hotel Iris, Kalkaji to get to DND flyover, without any problems. Thanks for your help Sir! missed meeting you!

[gauravdgr8]

This is one motivating travelogue.

The Rajasthan travelogue from Ranjitp1 motivated me 100% and I completed the trip this September.

This one has motivated me another 100%. Such that my wife and myself have planned the drive next September in our Vista.

Doing Badrinath and Kedarnath has been on our mind since long. It's time to fulfill some more dreams.

Thanks for all the information shared.

Any information on how the Vista fared?

[arbj2]

If you are really looking for an adventure experience one must go during December month.

I know this sounds insane and pointless as all the pilgrim spots would be closed and you can hardly get any place to eat or stay. I had done this with some friends a few years ago, we went to gangotri by car (Innova) during December, there was a lot of snow on the roads but we were able to reach Harsil without any problem. Since there was hardly anybody around (except for the Army), we were able to experience nature at its best.

I remember going through a village above Harsil that was completely deserted except for deers...

If anyone is keen on going to these places on December, remember to take sufficient food, some tents as most of these places would be deserted and food scarce.

[BolBolero]

21st. September 2012 - Day (-1)

In the initial stages of planning it was just KSM-Vtec and me, who were going to travel from Bombay in the Bolero. doctorque and VB confirmed their participation very much at the last moment! KSM-Vtec and me had been having continuous discussions, regarding the date and time of our departure for New Delhi. Every trip that I had undertaken so far had always been with a very early morning start. This time around KSM-Vtec suggested that we leave on the 20th. of September, late in the night, drive through the night to reach Delhi on the 21st. of September by evening, check into a hotel and get a good nights sleep. Somehow he managed to convince me that it was a sound plan and very much doable with one person driving and the other sleeping.

But as luck would have it, the best laid plans go to waste. Horror of horrors, KSM-Vtec was unable to get leave for Friday the 21st. September. He had to attend office atleast for the first half of the day. Imagine starting at 12:00 pm from South Bombay, which is where KSM-Vtec's office is located and trying to reach New Delhi before 11:30 am the next day, IMPOSSIBLE I SAY! So what options did we have, none. So then it would have to be a continuous drive all the way to New Delhi and then onwards to Haridwar/Rishikesh.
Decided to go for it!

KSM-Vtec loaded all his luggage into the Bolero the previous evening so that he could come straight from the office. VB and doctorquewere ready to leave at any time, doctorque to be picked up from Worli Sea Face and VB from Malad.

So on the 21st. of September we leave from KSM-Vtec's office at around 12:00pm, pick up doctorque from Worli Sea Face, cross the BWSL and pick up VB from Malad. A little further on the Highway, doctorque's luggage is picked up, delivered by his Father and younger
brother!

Opp the Times of India, Malad, Arranging doctorque's Luggage


Very Happy VB & doctorque

And we are finally off! We reach the Dahisar Toll Plaza at around 1:00pm. So you can say that we left Bombay at 1:00pm. The roads on NH8, have improved considerably, since the last time I have been here. I guess its a result of all the flyover works being completed! Being the middle of the day, we encountered very sparse truck traffic and it was smooth sailing all the way. We crossed the Maharashtra Gujarat border by around 2:30pm. As is the norm these days, we did not take the Bharuch Bypass, but instead exited the highway, drove through Ankleshwar and crossed the

Golden Bridge over the River Narmada.

Crossed the bridge, entered Bharuch town drove through and rejoined NH8. We had decided not to stop or take breaks for eating and towards that end we had already made sure that we were carrying enough food in the car. VB & doctorque made sure that none of us starved and kept on plying us with home made Theplas, Koki (A Sindhi dish like a Paratha), Mathris, biscuits, juices, etc.! A few kms after Bharuch, stopped to refuel and took the first break of the day.

BPCL Petrol Pump at Luwara, Bharuch






The roads in Gujarat were a dream to drive on.

We crossed the Baroda-Ahmedabad NE1 by 7:30 pm and were at the Gujarat and Rajasthan border by around 9:30 pm. Again superb roads in Rajasthan helped us maintain very good speeds. Equally speedy was the food delivery by VB and doctorque. Another small 10 minutes tea break at 10:00pm, near Kherwada in Rajasthan. Stopped for refueling at Rishabdeo at around 10:45 pm. At around 1:30am we reached the Bhilwara bypass. That is 13.5 hours, the fastest that I had ever driven this distance. Mighty proud I was! Stopped for a small tea break at a road side stall and then handed over the driving responsibility to KSM-Vtec. Shifted to the rear seat to catch some sleep, while VB joined KSM-Vtec as the navigator.

KSM-Vtec continued the drive at the same good speeds and we crossed Kishangarh Toll Plaza at around 4:15am and stopped for diesel at around 4:30am a little further away from Kishangarh at Bander Sindri. Crossed the Jaipur end of the GVK Expressway Toll plaza at around 5:15am. As was the plan, we turned off towards Agra just before entering Jaipur. Bypassed Jaipur and were on the Jaipur-Agra highway NH11, heading towards Agra by around 6:15am. Barring the roads on the Jaipur bypass, which are in an absolute mess due to construction work of flyovers, etc., the roads otherwise were great. But since it was early morning, we had to be very careful of villagers, cattle, etc.!

A Section of the Jaipur - Agra Highway NH11

Took a small break to relieve ourselves and guess what, the car wouldn't start up! Tried checking all electricals, etc., without luck. Finally had to resort to the classic DHAKAA START method and thankfully the Bolero roared back to life. After a while we realised that the battery was not getting charged and slowly all the electricals started failing one by one, though the engine was running. Considering that we had to reach Delhi by 11:30am, decided to continue till the engine gave up!

Decided not to continue all the way Agra, but instead turn off at Bharatpur and join the Yamuna Expressway at Mathura. Reached NH 2, Mathura at around 9:15 am., and finally reached the entry to the Yamuna Expressway @ Mathura at 9:50am.

KSM-Vtec the thorough gentleman that he is, insisted that I take over the driving responsibility on the YEW! All I can say here is that the expressway is fantastic!

YAMUNA EXPRESSWAY (TAJ EXPRESSWAY)





YEW Toll Plaza



HAPPY FACES!

Continued towards New Delhi, only to stop

Near the Buddh International Circuit to take a few clicks!

Change of drivers again and with KSM-Vtec at the wheels, we finally reached the DND flyover meeting point at exactly 11:30am., after driving for 22.5 hours and covering a distance of 1,619 kms.

SS, laluks, PC, akaush his Parents, AS, VK & NS, were already present there. Had a very quick reunion with the IPHE team members present there and introductions to the new team members. The others arrived shortly, but the Bombay Bolero had to leave to get the car electrical problem sorted out and to refuel, so after bundling SS and his luggage into the Bolero, we left before the others arrived! akaush was kind enough to lead the way through the maze that is New Delhi!

to be continued.....

[IQBAL VEERJI]

Originally Posted by BolBolero

Having fixed the departure from New Delhi on the 22nd. of September, the end of the trip was scheduled for the 1st. of October post noon at Lucknow and accordingly the participants were asked to make their plans and confirm. Come what may everyone would have to be in New Delhi on the 22nd. by 11:30am latest, to proceed to Haridwar in time for the evening Ganga Aarti!

Tried a lot to convince HVKumar to lead the drive or to join one of us in the drive, but he couldn't make it due to prior commitments.

The Final team (26 in all & 7 cars) in no particular order:
Kerala Bolero:
Jeep Captain
AG (Gamer)
Uncle S
Uncle M
Indigo from Salem, TN:
JP
JP's fiancée
CV
Punto 90hp from Bangalore:
MS
laluks
BM
Ritz from Haryana:
akaush
akaush's Parents
PC (laluks' BIL)
Indica from Bombay:
CK
AS
VK
NS
Mumbai Roadsters Swift from Bombay:
anku
anku's wife
pdev29
VB
Bolero from Bombay:
KSM-Vtec
SS
doctorque
BolBolero
(Have mentioned Team-BHP handles where available)

The Final Drive Plan:

Day 01: 22thSept. New Delhi-Haridwar(for Evening Ganga Aarti)-Haridwar/ Rishikesh (night stay)
Day 02: 23rdSept. Haridwar/Rishikesh-Janki Chatti-Trek to Yamunotri-Janki Chatti (night stay)
Day 03: 24thSept. Janki Chatti-Gangotri (Darshan and night stay)
Day 04: 25thSept. Gangotri-Gaurikund (Kedarnath Base and night stay)
Day 05: 26thSept. Gaurikund-Trek to Kedarnath-Gaurikund-Rudraprayag (night stay)
Day 06: 27thSept. Rudraprayag - Badrinath(Darshan) - Mana - Joshimath(nightstay)
Day 07: 28thSept. Joshimath - Munsiyari (night stay)
Day 08: 29thSept. Munsiyari - Tawaghat - Pithoragarh (night stay)
Day 09: 30thSept. Pithoragarh - Nainital (night stay)
Day 10: 01stOct. Nainital - Lucknow

Unfortunately the above plan went awry on the second day itself , but more of that later.

Gautam ji,looks like I will have to wait for my R.A.C./CONFIRMED booking in your Bolero for the drives for plenty of years ahead, as the REGULARS get CONFIRMED seats in advance.

[A.G.The Rambler]

Great narration.. Waiting for the remaining story. Your attention to details in exquisite. What about KSM-Vtec's swift this time?

[KSM-Vtec]

Originally Posted by A.G.The Rambler

Great narration.. Waiting for the remaining story. Your attention to details in exquisite. What about KSM-Vtec's swift this time?

The Silver Swift belongs to Mumbai Roadster - Yogen (YP) who unfortunately could not make it for this trip.

[BolBolero]

22nd. September 2012 Day 1

We reached the DND flyover meeting point at exactly 11:30 am., after driving for 22.5 hours and covering a distance of 1,619 kms.

SS, laluks, PC, akaush & his Parents, AS, VK & NS, were already present there. Had a very quick reunion with the IPHE team members present there and introductions to the new team members. We waited for some time, for the other cars and team members to arrive, with the Bolero engine running all the while. Already running short on fuel, what with the engine running continuously since morning, we decided to move ahead, refuel, find an electrical mechanic to get the problem sorted out!

So we bundled SS and his luggage into the Bolero, we left before the others arrived! akaush was kind enough to lead the way through the maze that is New Delhi! A quick refuelling stop at Indraprastha Service Station. After refuelling we moved towards the Haridwar and somewhere near Shahdara, we stopped at an Amaron Battery Sales and Service outlet.

I'm pretty sure that there is someone looking out for us from up Above, cos the Bolero engine decided to give up its fight and died down right in front of the shop! Luckily, there was an electrician available nearby and after checking, it was found that one of the parts of the Alternator had gone bust and needed to be replaced. Got the part replaced and also took a spare, just in case. Was asked by the mechanic to keep the engine running for atleast 15 mins, before we started again, so that the Battery could get charged again!

While the mechanic was attending to the car, the rest of the cars and the team reached Shahdara and we asked them to continue ahead towards Haridwar and we would catch up with them. Finally we left Shahdara at around 2:00 pm. The rest of the team had moved on ahead and had stopped a little after the Mahliyana Toll Plaza on the Delhi-Haridwar Highway NH58. We caught up with them by around 3:40pm. Finally the whole team was together for the first time. After quick introductions with the new members of the team, we moved on towards Haridwar.

Actually it was a dash to Haridwar, through some horrible traffic and under construction roads. The unruly/ speeding State Transports Bus drivers and numerous taxis made matters worse.

Managed to reach Haridwar by around 6:00 pm., found parking and rushed to have a -

Darshan of the Ganga Aarti from Har Ki Pauri.
Some photos taken by doctorque and KSM-Vtec.

The Team spent more than 2 hours on the banks of the Ganga, with a few of the members taking a dip in the fast flowing and cold waters of the Ganga! On enquiring with the GMVN Tourist Rest House in Haridwar for accommodation for the night, we were informed that they wouldn't be able to accommodate the whole team. A call to the GMVN Rishilok TRH at Rishikesh and they were more than happy to provide us with rooms and more importantly dinner! It was a short drive of around 32 kms.

akaush and his parents were the first to leave from Haridwar, to make sure that the kitchen remains open and dinner & rooms are available for the team. The last of the cars made it to the Rishilok TRH by around 10:00pm. Everyone dumped their baggage into the rooms and gathered in the restaurant for dinner. Dinner was a simple affair of Mixed Vegetables, Dal Fry, Roti, Rice, Salad.

The next days drive plan was briefly discussed with the team, and departure was scheduled for 5:30am. Having driven continuously from Bombay for 1,885kms., KSM-Vtec and me were really tired and needed to get some much needed sleep and I guess so did the others!


to be continued.......

[SS-Traveller]

Just found this, and I'm hooked to the thread, Lalu/BolBolero/all the others; this is territory I've travelled to so many times, your pics bring back a lot of old memories. Hardly any photographs that I have now, and a few I found were put up in a short travelogue here.

Surprised that you folks left your Boleros behind and hired Maxx's. The roads weren't THAT bad!

[BolBolero]

Originally Posted by IQBAL VEERJI

Gautam ji,looks like I will have to wait for my R.A.C./CONFIRMED booking in your Bolero for the drives for plenty of years ahead, as the REGULARS get CONFIRMED seats in advance.

Veerji Sir, nothing of that sort! This trip was planned in a hurry and I did not bother you this year as you had just returned from Hemkund Sahib trip and was not sure if you would want to head back to Uttarakhand!
No R.A.C. for you Sir, you are VIP seat confirmed!

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Surprised that you folks left your Boleros behind and hired Maxx's. The roads weren't THAT bad!

Sir, The Bombay Bolero and The Kerala Bolero both had leaf spring problems and needed to be recambered. My Bolero work was done with that evening itself, but the Kerala Bolero work was carried out the next day. Not that the Bolero's wouldn't have been able to tackle the roads! The hatchbacks and the Sedan also could have managed to complete the trip, but just that they would have to traverse carefully and slowly, cos many of the roads were badly damaged during the cloudbursts this year and were not fully repaired as yet. Hence the decision to hire MAXXs'!