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Finally the White Tusker helps in fulfilling a dream for which he was born. When I booked the 4x4 Bolero LX in December 2011, my dream was to visit Ladakh in a 4x4 vehicle. It was fulfilled in June 2012 and apologies for not putting up a travelogue before. It was not due to laziness but for the fear of treading into the territory of Ladakh stalwarts like tsk1979, ADC, Harsh Vardhan and many others. But however crude my log may be, putting it up on tbhp is always exciting :-)
In preparation of the Ladakh trip, wifey and I have been collecting things needed for over-landing and camping. The list included a Kelty 4 person tent, REI sleeping bags, Coleman Sportster dual fuel stove, fuel tanks of 20 litres (from Oliveplanet) and 60 litres capacity, fold-able spade (again from Oliveplanet) and loads of other essential stuff. Fitted a steel roof carrier on the Bolero to carry all these stuff along with ration.
After months of planning with fellow tbhpian debarshim (owner of Red Rackham, the "Red" Pajero), we finally started on 14th of June. In the afternoon that day got a call from D-bhpian Sutripta. He wanted to hop on to our car, travel till Benaras and hop onto another car coming from Delhi to Kolkata :Shockked:. No prizes for guessing whose car it might be - the D-bhpian who goes by the handle of SS-Traveler and runs a Delhi-Kolkata shuttle service with a car with a tail.
We started at around 6 o clock from Calcutta and met Shamindra Da near Benaras, transferred our prized possession who graced our vehicle for 12 hours and went on towards Delhi.
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We took turns to drive the Bolero between the three of us, Rajsri (wifey), me and our college friend Rajarshi and reached Delhi the next day i.e 15th June at around 6 p.m. We felt that that all of us had enough energy to carry on instead of stopping in Delhi and steadily kept on munching the miles. After driving for a stretch of almost 44 hours since starting from Calcutta, we reached Patnitop in Kashmir on the 16th of June at about 2 in the afternoon. The JKTDC guesthouse was not the best place to stay after such a long travel, it was ill-kept and full of flies. The food was good though and we started from there the next day at 10 in the morning.


The JKTDC Guesthouse.. not as nice as it looks

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The next destination was Srinagar and place of stay was a houseboat on the Nigin Lake. The houseboats are run by the Welcome Group. It has to be one of the best places we have ever stayed, the ambiance, the view, the hospitality, the food, the list goes on. Kashmiri wazwaan cost us dearly with five of us eating food worth 20K in a matter of 24 hours!!

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We packed a part of the food and left for Zozi la and Kargil. Zozi La is famous for making people wait due to frequent landslides and it was no exception for us. Instead of getting frustrated, we took this opportunity to get out of the car, light the stove and started heating the packed food. Had a gala lunch along with hot cups of tea, much to the amazement of hundreds of people waiting there impatiently.

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After the pass opened the drive till Kargil was through one of the most beautiful terrains we had seen till that time. Stops for pictures became more frequent and it delayed us significantly. We reached Kargil in the evening and stayed at the D-Zozila Hotel on the Kargil-Leh highway.

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The next day i.e. 20th June we left for Rangdum, Zanaskar.

We stopped at a place and brewed tea.
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Enjoying the simple pleasures of life... at 12000 feet
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Don't know the make and model of this one, but how I wish I had one. This was a left hand drive vehicle. Could not see anybody around.
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Local wildlife!!
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One for the camera..
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We set up camp near a rivulet. Setting up the tents at 14000+ feet was quite hectic and the wind was not helping at all.


Setting up the tents and cooking ...
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White Tusker and Red Rackham..
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After everything was set up, we got visitors. They arrived in a Bolero SLE 4x4 that was travelling as a support vehicle for a few bulleteers. They crossed the rivulet and came up to our camp. The guys were from Haryana and were very friendly.

The guys from Haryana and yours truly along with the tastefully modified Bolero SLE 4x4
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They warned us that the place where we had setup the camp was not ideal as water may rise during the night and wash us away. After saying this they went merrily on their way. Did this scare us? You bet! Rajsri and I were quite perplexed by this turn of event and started thinking on a plan of action. It was almost impossible to move everything elsewhere and there was no point in creating panic among the rest of the "unaware" people. So we thought that the two of us would keep a watch on the level of the river. Thus we spent the entire night taking turns to get out of the tent and braving the cold to keep a watch on the water level.

It was a great relief when the sun rose after a night which seemed to be endless and it was time for us to pack up and leave for Padum. The drive to Padum was dramatic and one has to be on that road to feel it. The view of the Darang Durung glacier was breathtaking. Time for more pictures.


Time to pack up and leave for Padum
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Darang Durung Glacier
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Debarshi Da and Chandrima Di stayed in a hotel in Padum and we stayed in our tents in a peaceful place beside a pond'let'. Padum was so beautiful that we wanted to stay there for another day, but time did not permit. There were so many places left to visit.


Camping in Padum
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to be continued....

We started from Padum at daybreak on 22nd June and reached Kargil after a tiring 8 hour drive over non-existent roads. At one point the roof carrier on our Bolero had to be attended to after a screw came loose due to the rough ride. That delayed us by half an hour. We stayed at Caravan Sarai in Kargil for that night and would highly recommend the hotel. On 23rd June we left for Leh. We did not stay in Leh, but drove a little further to stay in a place called Ladakh Sarai, owned and run by a gem of a person named Regzin. The place was simply awesome with all the amenities and excellent hospitality. Playing badminton at 12000+ feet has its own charm :-D

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We stayed in Mongolian tents. Inside picture of a tent -

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Enroute to Leh
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Cleaning the air filter
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View from Leh Palace
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The next day we got the permits for K-Top (Khardung La), Pangong Tso, Chushul and Mahe. The plan of visiting the highest motorable pass in the world had to be cut short at South Pullu after a land slide in Khardung La. It had started snowing in South Pullu and we thought it was prudent to go back to Leh. After lazing around in Ladakh Sarai for a day, we started for Pangong Tso. Pictures simply to do not do justice to Pangong Tso and with due respect to all the great photographers who have been there, Pangong Tso has to be seen with your own eyes. I have seen hundreds of pictures of Pangong before visiting Ladakh, but still could not fathom the beauty of the place. I wanted to get the Bolero down in the water like I have seen in some of the pictures taken by people, but did not have the heart to pollute a place of such pristine beauty. We stayed in tents called Pangong Sarai setup by Regzin.

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The tents where we stayed in Pangong
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This is a common site...
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The adventurous part

On one hand I was mesmerized by the beauty of Ladakh and on the other hand the driver in me was disappointed by the lack of challenge faced yet. I started thinking that that I did not need a 4x4 vehicle for a Ladakh trip. The trip to our local Sandakphu peak had been way more challenging and needed a 4x4. So what do I decide to do? Started hunting for information on the Chushul to Mahe road that had been marked in red on a map created by Harsh. Here is the map courtesy Aarti and Harsh -

Jullay Ladakh!!-mapwith-pointsanddistances-v-3.0.3.jpg

As per the legend in the map, Red means Only 4x4 with High Ground Clearance (Kachha, Steep and Rocky) clap:
Each and every person including Regzin said that there was no road between Chushul and Mahe except the one through Tsaga La (Marked on the map in yellow). But I was not convinced and wanted to do that route by all means. Debarshi Da did not comply, so we parted ways at Pangong with us pushing towards Chushul and the Pajero retracing to Leh.

So we bid adieu to the dusty friend and his owners -

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Then next leg was the most exciting till date. We did not have enough copies of the permit left and Tsaga La was not mentioned in the permit. That meant we would have to go back via Erath or Pangong to Leh if we could not find the short cut from Chushul to Mahe. From Chushul we found out the route after taking help from local people, but they were sceptical about it. They said that the pass on that road would be covered in snow and there was no chance for us. We trudged along and could not see a single soul, leave alone a vehicle, along the entire route till Nun Gompa. Initially it was tarmac for a few kilometers, but after that it was go as you like. There was no fixed route to take and the Bolero was happy 4 wheeling its way up to the Kansang La. Enroute we saw Mitpal Tso.

It started like this..
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Then this...
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And this...
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At every point I was asking myself whether I had taken the right decision. But then I realized that right or wrong, we were having fun and that is what mattered.

Mitpal Tso -
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Kaksangla Top (Altitude 17880 feet, our GPS showed 17856 feet)
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About 40 Kms before Nungompa, road work had started, but the following scene did not encourage us :-P

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We were gradually descending and reached Horla at 16974 feet. From here we think we saw the Yaye Tso, but not sure.
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Nun Gompa
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Finally we reached Mahe. 4 low is not needed for this route for the conditions we faced, I believe cars like Yeti and CRV can do this route unless somebody gets real adventurous. We continued to Tso Moriri and then Tso Kar and halted at Sarchu for the night.

The GPS track of the Chushul-Mahe-Sarchu route
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The GPS track and the map side by side to give a better perspective -
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We reached Sarchu in the middle of the night and stayed at a home stay that was nothing but a tin hut with 4 beds laid side by side.

Where we spent the night -
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The facial expression of my friend says it all -
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Started from Sarchu and drove till Manali.
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Stayed at Club Mahindra in Manali. We are grateful to them as they let us stay without a prior booking or any intimation. The hotel was nice and the food was excellent.

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Started from Manali the next day and reached Kolkata after a 45 hour non-stop drive. This drive was not by choice but by compulsion to attend the marriage ceremony of fellow bhpian and school friend - Incognito!!

Total distance traveled - 6500+ Kms
Total number of days - 18
The White Tusker returned an average of mileage of 12.5 kmpl over the entire stretch and did the journey without missing a beat, as expected :-)

Special thanks to
debarshim for the meticulous planning
Sutripta for accompanying us till Benaras and lending his Garmin eTrex
Harsh for the travelogue and detailed map of Ladakh without which we would have missed the Mitpal Tso, Yaye Tso and the Kaksangla Top
1100D for connecting me to the right people in Mahindra who helped in getting the Bolero LX 4x4 that is usually allotted to Govt.
Ritik Kakoty and Altocumulous for helping me in gaining knowledge on the Bolero and fitting the AC
and last but not the least, Shamindra Da for meeting us on the NH2...

Trip itinerary
Day 1 - Start from Kolkata
Day 2 - Drive on
Day 3 - Reach Patnitop and halt
Day 4 - Reach Srinagar
Day 5 - Srinagar
Day 6 - Reach Kargil
Day 7 - Reach Rangdum and camp
Day 8 - Reach Padum and camp
Day 9 - Reach Kargil
Day 10 - Reach Leh
Day 11 - Drive around Leh
Day 12 - Rest in Leh
Day 13 - Reach Pangong
Day 14 - Reach Sarchu
Day 15 - Reach Manali
Day 16 - Start from Manali
Day 17 - Drive on
Day 18 - Reach Kolkata

End of Travelogue... Ya Jullay!

Picture of two old school 4x4s to end the travelogue
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Mod note: Thread moved from Assembly Line to Travelogue Section. Thanks for sharing.
Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackPearl (Post 3231242)
Don't know the make and model of this one, but how I wish I had one. This was a left hand drive vehicle. Could not see anybody around.

That's a Mercedes Benz UNIMOG.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackPearl (Post 3231242)
They warned us that the place where we had setup the camp was not ideal as water may rise during the night and wash us away. After saying this they went merrily on their way. Did this scare us?

Finally the travelogue, a year too late :uncontrol. I attribute it to the lack of the monthly runs of the White Tusker to North Bengal :D.

How would the water level in Ladakh rise during the night when the temperature drops to the lowest and the ice melt is almost non-existent? They just pulled a fast one I think with their limited intelligence.

Thanks for putting this up and the pictures. Waiting for the rest. On another note, now that I have a high GC 4X4 I am burning with envy reading these Ladakh travelogues.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen (Post 3238374)
That's a Mercedes Benz UNIMOG.

I had the idea that the steering can be shifted to left or right in the UNIMOG. So, why would this person keep that on the left while driving in India? Or is this facility available in only selected versions of the UNIMOG?

Quote:

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar (Post 3238410)
I attribute it to the lack of the monthly runs of the White Tusker to North Bengal :D.

Yes, you are spot on!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar (Post 3238410)
How would the water level in Ladakh rise during the night when the temperature drops to the lowest and the ice melt is almost non-existent? They just pulled a fast one I think with their limited intelligence.

Maybe, but I was quite scared because flash floods do happen in the upper reaches of the Himalayas.

Quote:

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar (Post 3238410)
On another note, now that I have a high GC 4X4 I am burning with envy reading these Ladakh travelogues.

Please come back to India, I do not want to be envied. I have to see a lot more places :D.

Nice brief TL, the Bolero looks at home with those scenic landscape and 12.5 FE seems very impressive for a 2 tonne truck on a challenging terrain.

Ahhh! Another one!! After Sandakhpu! (I hope i got the spelling right). You review of the DI engine was one of the main reasons i bought a DI Bolero and now these two travelogues are making me absolutely jealous!!! Wonderful naration and lovely pictures! I especially loved the picture you have put up with the description 'Started from Sarchu towards Manali'. Also the one in which your wife (i presume) was cooking on the roadside during your journey to Zoji La was also amazing. Just out of curiousity- what were you cooking? Looked like Paneer Gravy to me :D

Superb stuff Blackpearl!

wow! That's exactly the travelogue that forces you to go apply that long due annual leave.

Breathtaking pics and great experience, especially that camping & tin hotel. Mahindra surely rules these roads.

So finally you pen it down. It was your mention of doing this route is what made me determined to do it. Yes you saw Mirpal Tso followed by Yaye Tso
You crossed 3 passes, not 2
First is the Sathato La, unmarked
Second is Kakasang La
Third is the Horla

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackPearl (Post 3231242)
No prizes for guessing whose car it might be - the D-bhpian who goes by the handle of SS-Traveler and runs a Delhi-Kolkata shuttle service with a car with a tail.
We started at around 6 o clock from Calcutta and met Shamindra Da near Benaras...
Attachment 1137864

You start your t'log with a picture of me and my car, that's kind of blackmailing me into giving you a 5* rating straight away (though it's well-deserved)! :D

Now how about showing us the rest of those God-only-knows-how-many GB of pictures?

Edit: Here's your pic when you took mine...
Jullay Ladakh!!-blackpearl-nh2.jpg

I thought I was the slowest in writing my travelogue which took 11 months(Aug 2012-Jul 2013). But now I feel better seeing that I'm not alone...I do have company :)

Three things in your that made me go :Shockked:
1. Chulsul to Mahe shortcut (If I may say so),
2. The tin accommodation
3. 45hour non stop drive from Manali to Kolkata

How did you do this!
Anyways Congratulations! You can pat your back for having driven on some uncommon and tough routes.

Thanks for sharing this crisp and beautiful travelogue.

Amazing crisp travelogue with awesome pics, thanks for sharing. However the kind of travel you have done in this escapade is not really proportionate to the length of the travelogue and i am sure you must be having many other pics also from the trip.
Any issue felt with the engine power at higher altitude areas? And how was the feedback on the ride quality on the 2nd row seats?

Thank you for this epic travelogue! Brilliantly perfect narration of the holiday. Crystal clear pictures and a smooth narration have made me read this over and over again.

Only just this afternoon a lady friend of mine suggested the two of us go on this trip early next year (after sitting the upcoming deadly medical post grad exams). We were trying to discuss the bits and pieces that would be needed to make it happen.

The main piece missing from my puzzle is the lack of an SUV in my garage. I want to drive myself + friends in a decent SUV but I'm not aware if it is possible to rent a vehicle for self-driving?? I'm not too keen on taking the standard innova/xylo taxi as the joy of driving is subtracted from the equation. Could anybody please instruct me on how to rent a vehicle and if yes, then where from and the costs etc?

Another query in my mind is that would it be a really tough job driving the rocky off road mountains with no prior experience? The only hilly driving I've done is Mussourie, Nainital, Shimla etc. Neither of them is really what I'd say "experience" as compared to what Leh-Ladakh throws!

Any help will be immensely appreciated!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Visran (Post 3239245)
Nice brief TL, the Bolero looks at home with those scenic landscape and 12.5 FE seems very impressive for a 2 tonne truck on a challenging terrain.

Thanks Visran

Quote:

Originally Posted by rahul4321 (Post 3241859)
You review of the DI engine was one of the main reasons i bought a DI Bolero

Ha ha, that is so nice of you to mention. But frankly, the DI engine has got such good feedback, I am sure you would have still got it without the review :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by rahul4321 (Post 3241859)
I especially loved the picture you have put up with the description 'Started from Sarchu towards Manali'. Also the one in which your wife (i presume) was cooking on the roadside during your journey to Zoji La was also amazing. Just out of curiousity- what were you cooking? Looked like Paneer Gravy to me

Superb stuff Blackpearl!

Thanks Rahul. I do not remember the food, but it was a part of the wazwan that we had ordered in the houseboat. There was so much excess that we packed them and made good use at the Zoji La.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pahwa (Post 3242405)
wow! That's exactly the travelogue that forces you to go apply that long due annual leave.
Breathtaking pics and great experience, especially that camping & tin hotel. Mahindra surely rules these roads.

Thanks pahwa. Yes, Mahindras and Innovas are all over the place.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 3242437)
So finally you pen it down. It was your mention of doing this route is what made me determined to do it.

I am elated. Thanks Tanveer. Did the road building progress much?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller (Post 3242480)
You start your t'log with a picture of me and my car, that's kind of blackmailing me into giving you a 5* rating straight away (though it's well-deserved)!

Now how about showing us the rest of those God-only-knows-how-many GB of pictures?

Edit: Here's your pic when you took mine...

Thanks Shamindra Da. Started the travelogue with Sutripta and your pic to show the respect I have for both of you. If you see my first travelogue on Sandakphu, I had started it with a pic of ADC da and his Safari. He is another person who commands respect.

And yes, there are GBs of picture and I will eventually overload the tbhp server with those, now that you given me the permission :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand (Post 3242773)
I thought I was the slowest in writing my travelogue which took 11 months(Aug 2012-Jul 2013). But now I feel better seeing that I'm not alone...I do have company

Three things in your that made me go
1. Chulsul to Mahe shortcut (If I may say so),
2. The tin accommodation
3. 45hour non stop drive from Manali to Kolkata

How did you do this!
Anyways Congratulations! You can pat your back for having driven on some uncommon and tough routes.

Thanks for sharing this crisp and beautiful travelogue.

Thanks Hemanth. I still have to write about our Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Chennai and Kerala trips before I forget.
Regarding the 45 hour drive, we had three drivers in the vehicle. Whoever was not driving was taking nap at the back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kandisa (Post 3242973)
Amazing crisp travelogue with awesome pics, thanks for sharing. However the kind of travel you have done in this escapade is not really proportionate to the length of the travelogue and i am sure you must be having many other pics also from the trip.
Any issue felt with the engine power at higher altitude areas? And how was the feedback on the ride quality on the 2nd row seats?

That is true. There are so many things to tell if you visit Ladkah, but then you need very good command over the Queen's language to express all of that.
Regarding lack of engine power, we did not feel it in the Bolero that much, though it was there and black smoke was coming out of the exhaust. The second row is quite horrible for such long distances. But we kept on rotating places.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lemedico (Post 3243645)
Thank you for this epic travelogue! Brilliantly perfect narration of the holiday. Crystal clear pictures and a smooth narration have made me read this over and over again.

Only just this afternoon a lady friend of mine suggested the two of us go on this trip early next year (after sitting the upcoming deadly medical post grad exams). We were trying to discuss the bits and pieces that would be needed to make it happen.

The main piece missing from my puzzle is the lack of an SUV in my garage. I want to drive myself + friends in a decent SUV but I'm not aware if it is possible to rent a vehicle for self-driving?? I'm not too keen on taking the standard innova/xylo taxi as the joy of driving is subtracted from the equation. Could anybody please instruct me on how to rent a vehicle and if yes, then where from and the costs etc?

Another query in my mind is that would it be a really tough job driving the rocky off road mountains with no prior experience? The only hilly driving I've done is Mussourie, Nainital, Shimla etc. Neither of them is really what I'd say "experience" as compared to what Leh-Ladakh throws!

Any help will be immensely appreciated!

Thanks lemedico. For renting vehicle, maybe Shamindra da (SS-Traveler) or Tanveer (tsk1979) can help.

How how did i miss it for so many days! Nice informative and crisp travelogue. The pictures are nice too. I too want to do Leh Ladakh in the coming years but i don't own a SUV. I too will be doing from Kolkata. So do you think its doable in a sedan or a hatch back with cautious driving? Am mostly worried on crossing the streams with boulders underneath flowing over the road.


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