[BB311]

Hat's of for your spirit and congratulations for learning some new skills. I have seen your car parked near the Windsor market in Indirapuram. For inclines, sometimes I feel we should get our cars remapped to enable the turbo at lower RPM.
Since, you are from my area (Ghaziabad / Indirapuram) I would like to know how and from where did you source those headlamps ?

Thanks in Advance !!!

[TheDesertRat]

Originally Posted by BB311

Hat's of for your spirit and congratulations for learning some new skills. I have seen your car parked near the Windsor market in Indirapuram. For inclines, sometimes I feel we should get our cars remapped to enable the turbo at lower RPM.
Since, you are from my area (Ghaziabad / Indirapuram) I would like to know how and from where did you source those headlamps ?

Thanks in Advance !!!

Thanks neighbour! The lights were sourced from Lajpat Nagar.

[ssambyal1980]

Originally Posted by TheDesertRat

Day 5
From Batal, we moved ahead and got lost as there is no road but a river bed full of rocks. The Thar with its massive AT tyres took the lead and we followed. We noticed a Hyundai Creta whizz past and thought "What in the world is wrong with that driver?". Once we crossed the river bed, we saw the Thar stop with the guys signalling us to move ahead and park. I saw the Creta with a massive puncture and the family standing outside. All the cars stopped to help. It turned out that the spare in the Creta was also punctured and we were about 50 kms from Gramphoo. There was no other option but to ferry the Creta passengers till Gramphoo leaving the car locked by the side of the road. I took one passenger while the Endeavour and others accommodated the remaining 3. In this process though, my car unknowingly turned out to be leading the convoy now

Soon, the first major water crossing arrived. The water was in full flow and it was deep. My cousin got down to inspect and all others helped. The guy in the Thar advised me not to accelerate beyond 10 kmph. I listened and this time there were no under-body hits and I was through!! Next came Thar and it was quite a scene. The Thar allowed 7 people to climb at the back (no back seats) and it gobbled up the water crossing as a piece of cake. People were so jubilant they started clapping and shouting.

Must say that the high point of your trip is wading through the water crossings between Batal and Chhatru. This is the one of a stretch which scares the hell out of you. I'm in full awe of your attempt to take on the water crossings and maintaining the composure all through. When we went, the road condition was the same but the only saving grace was that the water crossings had less water due to cold weather owing to approaching winters.

I fail to understand that why don't the authorities smoothen up the rough stretches and the water crossings by levelling off the surface with bulldozers. At least that will make things easier for the commuters. Currently with stretch being full of boulders and rocks it becomes difficult even for the SUV's to cross over in spite of their good ground clearances. Whereas in contrast the Manali-Leh highway despite passing through equally treacherous terrain over the five high passes is way better because it is very well maintained by the Border Roads Organization which is a premier defence organization constructing and maintaining the roads in the treacherous remote corners of the country. Hats off to them. Nonetheless anyone driving on Kaza-Manali stretch gets to have the drive of life due to the most pristine Himalayan beauty it offers and the sheer challenge it poses. Rated your experience a well deserved 5 Stars. Hope to hear more adventure stories from your end through this forum.

Best Regards.

[TheDesertRat]

Originally Posted by ssambyal1980

Must say that the high point of your trip is wading through the water crossings between Batal and Chhatru. This is the one of a stretch which scares the hell out of you. I'm in full awe of your attempt to take on the water crossings and maintaining the composure all through. When we went, the road condition was the same but the only saving grace was that the water crossings had less water due to cold weather owing to approaching winters.

Certainly yes, although the "Jeepable" Chandertaal road was the one that made me really uneasy. This was also the only place where the HP taxis did not appear to give way (I don't blame them as there was no way to give.) In my opinion, you have got to plan your arrival/departure to Chandertaal to minimise getting caught in oncoming traffic. Most people depart Kaza early in the morning and start the Chandertaal drive by mid-day. Most people depart Chandertaal in the morning to avoid oncoming traffic from Kaza. There will, however, be exceptions to this approach.

Originally Posted by ssambyal1980

I fail to understand that why don't the authorities smoothen up the rough stretches and the water crossings by levelling off the surface with bulldozers. At least that will make things easier for the commuters. Currently with stretch being full of boulders and rocks it becomes difficult even for the SUV's to cross over in spite of their good ground clearances. Whereas in contrast the Manali-Leh highway despite passing through equally treacherous terrain over the five high passes is way better because it is very well maintained by the Border Roads Organization which is a premier defence organization constructing and maintaining the roads in the treacherous remote corners of the country. Hats off to them. Nonetheless anyone driving on Kaza-Manali stretch gets to have the drive of life due to the most pristine Himalayan beauty it offers and the sheer challenge it poses. Rated your experience a well deserved 5 Stars. Hope to hear more adventure stories from your end through this forum.

Best Regards.

Takes away the "fun" factor I guess. It was the first time on this trip I heard my missus say that Leh roads were "good" to drive on!

[avingodb]

nice travelogue!
and I think I spotted you at Mandi House circle this evening at about 5.45 pm while waiting for pickup. I had seen the thread from my office and thus identified the vehicle right away.

[0-100]

Originally Posted by TheDesertRat

At the bad stretch, I received the first under-body hit . I did not see a big rock protruding out in the road and bump!. It was severe and the sump guard was the casualty (a piece was partly broken and hanging). I immediately checked and found no other damage and continued further.

Sir do you think Scorpio would have been a better option for this route or Leh for instance ??
Our group is planning for a Leh trip next month and are little confused weather to book a self driven Scorpio or Eco Sport or Duster.

[Uprasenjit]

Originally Posted by 0-100

Sir do you think Scorpio would have been a better option for this route or Leh for instance ??
Our group is planning for a Leh trip next month and are little confused weather to book a self driven Scorpio or Eco Sport or Duster.

Ofcourse Scorpio would be better by any means in Ladakh region. It has large wheels, goes pretty fast, larger in space etc etc. Then comes the Duster which has a better ride quality than the EcoSport, otherwise more or less same.

[behaln]

Hi buddy, excellent travelogue and definitely adventurous. We can never conquer nature.
It's good to know that Eco Sport drove well without any punctures or rattles.
We should meet as I too stay in Indirapuram. I shall PM you my details.

[TheDesertRat]

Originally Posted by 0-100

Sir do you think Scorpio would have been a better option for this route or Leh for instance ??
Our group is planning for a Leh trip next month and are little confused weather to book a self driven Scorpio or Eco Sport or Duster.

Not a sir, buddy!

If I were you and had the option, I will take the Scorpio. I know that the ride will be bumpy in a Scorpio but it will gobble up terrain which might pose a problem for Ecosport/Duster

[dinesh6481]

very well put together travelogue with some good landscape photographs. Never ever imagined that i would read 'underpowered' and ecosport in same sentence. though not a proper SUV, it has its share of enthusiasts. but seeing the road condition, i think ecosport has come out triumphed. i have a slight bias towards blue oval as i drove Ford Fiesta for 7 years before without much hassle and use to swear by its power. i took the same to numerous trips to HP and was well content.
once againt a very well narrated travelogue. One thing i would like to ask, in these scenarios of road block and intermittent landslides, how good is the idea of having a dash cam?