Team-BHP - Mahindra TUV3OO

“Don’t make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up.” – Thomas J. Watson

Yeah yeah, the thread title isn't fair. But that's what you get for being the lazy bum you have been since we returned and not even starting to pen down the travelogue we entrusted you with even after months. Yes, it has been that long already and soon it will be time to start planning for the next trip.

Last year, few BHPians from Kolkata embarked on a casually planned stag trip to Ladakh and what a memorable trip it turned out to be! Links to travelogues below :

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ek-ladakh.html

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...-frontier.html

Apart from the lifetime experience in Ladakh, we also developed an equally cherished bonding. Common passion for automobiles brought us together and common love for food strengthened the bond further. However, the respective home ministries were not at all impressed and looked down upon this association with frown. Thus, to ensure our very existence, the next trip had to be a family outing. So, on a cold January evening, sitting around a cozy campfire in a secluded home-stay somewhere in the North Bengal Himalayas, we revealed our grand plan for summer vacations to the ladies and kiddos.

The ladies, elated, wasted no time in penning down elaborate shopping lists. However, for this one time in the history of the universe, the gentlemen outdid the ladies in shopping. Some of them bought new cars for the trip! See, while BHPian dip27in has an elaborate eight car garage, the highest he could sit above the tarmac in any of them, would be around 150mm. That's still lower than the TUV's foot-board! He is a sedan guy and owns some fast and agile cult cars like a 2005 VRS and a manual Beemer! But he says, the Ladakh trip was a revelation and that he was starting to crave for a tall, rugged, diesel car. Admittedly, something he used to abhor and look down upon ever since he came to his senses. So he bought a spectacular Pajero SFX. BHPian ShuvC was looking to replace his high miler Figo with a new small car. But looking forth to the Spiti trip he bought a top of the line S-Cross instead. The rest of the team weren't as expressive, but BHPian cr4nkshaft did spend a considerable sum on getting thick metal under-body protection for his Polo alongwith many other pre-emptive part replacements. Others, religiously went for servicing, oil changes and check-ups at respective authorized service centers. Well, as for me, I did not even take Tuffey for a wash. Serviced after he returned from Ladakh and ran only 2000 kilometers since, I felt he would do just as well with my layman's visual inspection. Moreover, dip27in himself is more than competent to handle awkward situations involving automobiles and I thought I could take leverage if need be, at any point during the trip itself.

So, with some of us spending multiples of the trip budget and others a considerable chunk of it even before the trip started, we finally proclaimed ourselves "ready" just in time. I start our story with a brief introduction of the machines that took us to Spiti and back with ease and comfort, cocooning us from the harsh elements and braving through some rough terrains. As for the people who undertook this trip, they get only a token reference.

1. The Mighty Pajero SFX - Driven by Debdeep (TBhp handle dip27in) with family

2. The Indomitable VW Polo - Driven by Anindya (TBhp handle cr4nkshaft) with his wife

3. The Elegant Linea T-Jet - Driven by Shayan (TBhp handle Scorpio25) with family

4. A big brown Suzuki S-Cross - Driven by Debojyoti (TBhp handle DJR) with his wife

5. Another big brown Suzuki S-Cross - Driven by Shuvojoy (TBhp handle ShuvC)

6. The bold Safari Storme 4x4 - Driven by Saikat with family

7. The wanderer TUV 3OO - Driven by Mithun (TBhp handle mi2n) with family

Day 1 : Kolkata to Kanpur (1050 kms approx)

We gathered at the now ubiquitous Azad Hind Dhaba on the Durgapur Expressway (NH-19) for some light dinner before commencing with the overnight long haul.

The dinner was not particularly light you see

We drove through the night across the highways of Jharkhand and Bihar. By daybreak, we were somewhere near Aurangabad. We crossed the bridge on the Sone river and stopped for a "chaai break"

Varanasi welcomed us with a long que of trucks and a totally deadlocked highway. After a three hour hiatus amidst maddening traffic and across narrow lanes inside Varanasi we somehow managed to hog back onto the national highway evading the miles long congestion. Google map timeline shows the detour :

As the day progressed, the heat got intense. The team started scourging for a decent food joint. From my past travels on this route, I knew there wasn't much chance to find one on this stretch. We were also still some distance away from hitting the Allahabad bypass and chances of further congestion's ahead due to the innumerable flyover construction work could not be ruled out. So, I left the team behind, vowing to stop only after hopping on to the Allahabad bypass road. It was slow progress as expected along the under construction stretches till Handia. But soon I hit the Allahabad bypass and started ambling along merrily on the empty, elevated and somewhat access restricted highway. I was not expecting company till Kanpur, but to my pleasant surprise, the Pajero and Polo came up in my mirrors! The team had dropped their plans for a food break and decided to make do with the snacks and beverages we were carrying in our cars. I was so happy that I stopped them and offered boiled eggs. We reached our hotel in Kanpur by evening, tired but excited.

Day 2 : Kanpur to Parwanoo (770 kms approx)

All of us were looking forward to the day's drive which promised pristine highways through the Kanpur-Etawah stretch and the ultra-modern expressways beyond till Noida. Also, this would be the first time we get to use the much publicized Eastern Peripheral Expressway.

We had planned for a 5:30 A.M. start from Kanpur. But the air-cons in Pajero and the Linea were experiencing some issues after having to negotiate the high temperatures and clogged highways in and around Varanasi. So, Debdeep, Shayan and Anindya took the cars to a local workshop in Kanpur last evening and reached back to the hotel only after 10 P.M. It would have been harsh to expect them to get up and ready so early the next day. Accordingly, we split up into two groups. The Storme, TUV and the two S-Crosses started from Kanpur as planned

The Pajero, Polo and Linea started a couple of hours later

As we stopped for some refreshments on the Yamuna Expressway, the two S-Crosses and the Safari moved ahead

I caught up with the Storme somewhere around the Buddh International Circuit and were informed that team S-Cross intended to stop at Amrik Sukhdev dhaba for lunch. The TUV and Storme deliberated and moved ahead instead to Karnal, where we stopped at Mayur Dhaba to savor on their famous Chicken Paranthas

Our hunger satiated with delicious food, we started the last leg of the day feeling rather upbeat. Soon we arrived at the Himalayan Highway toll plaza. Team S-Cross had reached HPTDC Parwanoo by then and guided us to the hotel over phone. We reached with daylight to spare. The rest of the team arrived hours later. We were delighted to finally be in the lap of the Himalayas!

Day 4 : Rampur Bushahr to Kalpa (110 kms approx)

The extra drive upto Rampur instead of Fagu on Day 3 allowed us the luxury of a leisurely 100 kilometer drive plan for the day. So we took our own sweet time to laze around the picturesque lawn behind the HPTDC Resort

After a late breakfast, we finally started to roll towards Kalpa. The road from Rampur to Reckong Peo was wide and smooth. There were a couple of huge hydro electric projects en-route.

The drive ended with a short and steep climb to 10,000 feet. By lunch-time, we had gathered at Hotel Tab Exotic, our abode for the next two nights.

Kalpa greeted us with beautiful weather. Bright sunshine with chilling gusts of winds, towering snow peaks at arms lengths, lush apple orchards and pine forests. After a simple yet satisfying lunch, all we could do was huddle on the roof and soak in the divine beauty of the place

Once, daylight disappeared, we gathered at the biggest room and spent quality time doing what we bengalis do best. Chit chat over delicious snacks. After a late dinner, we receded to our cozy rooms.

Day 6 : Kalpa to Tabo via Nako (180 kms approx)

The team woke up most excited. Today, we would finally be in Spiti! Not that Kinnaur was any less alluring, but this was, after all, a Spiti trip. All of us were looking forward to be at places the names of which we have come across numerous times while reading up travelogues here and narratives elsewhere. Places like Akpa, Spello, Pooh, Khab, Nako, Sumdo Gue and Tabo. Stuff dreams are made of! The excitement was so hard to contain that the Storme moved ahead to refuel at Reckong Peo before us and got lost in the process. In fact, it started heading in the opposite direction. We started early and the good fellows at the hotel provided us with packed breakfast. The TUV and the two S-Crosses didn't need refueling and thus moved ahead of the pack. Others headed to tank up at Reckong Peo, not exactly on the way. The roads started wide and smooth and we were making quick progress, but soon we landed on a long broken stretch. I was following a HRTC bus on this narrow broken stretch and by the virtue of such was making quick progress as oncoming traffic was giving way to the bus in a scurry. Somewhere down the stretch, the bus stopped. The driver exchanged pleasantries and asked us to stop for breakfast with them. I moved ahead thanking him knowing that the Pajero was carrying breakfast for us and would catch up soon. The roads became wide and smooth again and I stopped by a dhaba to wait for the others to arrive.

The S-Crosses caught up in a while but we gathered that the others were still some distance behind. So, we moved into the dhaba and ordered breakfast. The rest of the team caught up while we were having our food and after some fun and frolics, the convoy was rolling in tandem again.

The barren, rocky landscapes, dry and windy weather, the shrubs and thorny bushes all together proclaimed that we were in Spiti! The number of photo-stops increased significantly and sometimes, we were stopping just to soak it all in. The roads continued to be a mixed bag, dominated mostly by good surface but punctuated with numerous broken and dusty stretches.Meandering along further, we reached Nako. A short drive through some congested alleys landed us at the Nako Monastery.

The monastery was closed but still offered spectacular 360 degree vistas. We strolled around the huge parking area for sometime and left in search of the Nako lake. We did not manage to spot the lake. However, at the helipad, BHPian Cranksh4ft pointed to a dry ditch of sorts and demanded that the same be proclaimed as the Nako Lake(dried up). We were very hungry, so we readily gave in to his demand and rushed to the nearest food joint. After a quick and forgettable lunch we continued towards Nako. The ominous Malling Nullah lay ahead and we were a bit concerned. But thankfully, just like the Nako Lake, Malling Nullah remained illusive as well.

We queued up to record our entries at the Sumdo checkpost and thereafter stopped by the famous Sumdo canteen. To our utter dismay, they had run out of their fabled samosas and jalebis. We had to make do with some hot tea and a promise of samosas if we reach Sumdo before noon on our return. We also got the news from the good army-men that the road to Gue village has been blocked by a landslide. The impatient Storme left us behind, the Linea followed. They went towards Tibet instead:uncontrol . Luckily, after climbing a few hairpins, they saw the rest of the convoy ambling along the other road down by the river and made a hasty retreat back towards homeland. Soon the beautiful little town of Tabo was in sight.

We regrouped at the expansive Tabo Monastery and headed to our hotel.

Wise words of his Excellency.

The evening was again spent chit chatting to our heart's content. Remember how the Storme went wayward twice during the day? Well as a result not only did it cover more distance today but it also did not get to refuel at Reckong Peo and was unsure if it could make it to Kaza with the Pin Valley detour tomorrow. The Pajero has a 90 liter fuel tank. That's like carrying an additional 30 liter Jerry-can for the rest of us. But we are not a very compassionate lot as was evident when we left behind team members in knee deep, gushing ice-cold streams in Ladakh last year (I'll prove that beyond doubt later in the travelogue). So we made the Storme crib and beg all night to the Pajero for some fuel. But evidently, even the wise words of the Lama had little effect on our outlook. The Storme was denied fuel.

Day 7 : Tabo-Dhankar-Pin-Mud-Kaza (130 kms approx)

Last night, before signing of to our rooms, I conveyed my decision to start late and head to Kaza directly. The others grudgingly acknowledged. So, by the time I managed to haul myself out of the warm blanket, the rest of the team were packed up and ready in the driveway. A quick wave to the team from the balcony and I was back inside my blanket in a jiffy.

The team started towards the Dhankar Monastery

We woke up lazily and enjoyed a wholesome hot breakfast. Then we started towards Kaza.

Surprisingly, we caught up with the team at the fork of the Dhankar climb. Apparently, they had spent quite some time at the Monastery. We were in two minds, whether to continue with the team towards Pin Valley or visit the Monastery as planned. We decided to go with the later

It was a nice and loopy climb up to the Monastery perched at almost 13,000 feet. But even after a painfully choreographed parking, we had to abandon our visit as the little one got cranky and insisted that we either continue our drive or that she be sent back home on the back of a Yak. Realizing that a cranky child at 13,000 feet is no good prospect and with no Yaks available in our immediate surroundings, we made a hasty retreat.

Somewhere near Kaza, we spotted a track going down to the Spiti river! It was a rather enticing trail, but I was caught in two minds again. With no support cars, it would be awkward getting stuck. However, I spotted a family with a Thar cooking a meal on the river bank. A few bikers were clicking their glorious selfies too. None seemed in a hurry and that was all the assurance I needed. We drove down to the river bed.

The little one got to her own on the river bed, playing with the colorful pebbles and dipping her tiny fingers into the ice cold water. This gave us time to sit on the bank and contemplate. Time flew by and soon we were hungry. Kaza was just 15 kms and fueling was top priority. So we started again planning to come back to this place with the gang.

We reached the Kaza IOCL pump but got unlucky as there was a power outage. So we drove down to the Deyzor for lunch.

We savored the ambiance and devoured the delicacies.

Finally by 2 P.M. we checked in to the HPTDC facility in Kaza where we were booked for two nights.

The rooms offered spectacular vistas

Day 7 : Continued..

Now, while we were filling our tummies at Deyzor with mouth watering delicacies, the rest of the team were filling their souls amidst the beauty of Pin Valley

The team finally reached Kaza late in the evening and called me down to the petrol pump where all the cars had their fill. Yes, the Storme did reach Kaza with some fuel to spare. But that doesn't mean that we spared the Storme's driver and now, we boo-ed him for not being able to judge his car's FE. He was not well fed that day and thus did not take our nuisance lightly.

That night at the hotel, the team tried to rub in what all we had missed at Pin Valley. Their ace of spade being the dirty tail of a glacier they found en-route. I responded with photos of our lunch at Deyzor and the duel was won with ease. But now, everyone wanted to have dinner at Deyzor! To hell with the complimentary dinner at HPTDC.

This was also the day we needed to search for accommodation at Kaza for our extended stay owing to shelving of our Manali plans due to prolonged closure of the Kaza-Manali highway. So, a few good lads, went on for an errand into the chilly darkness. We searched and booked a hotel for the third night, drove down to the market for some medicines and then stopped by at the Deyzor to inform them of the big contingent of hungry tourists coming their way. To our utter dismay, the restaurant expressed their inability to serve us that night. Deeply saddened, we decided to leave. With us being unable to source the promised menu, it was a rather tense night at the hotel. After dinner, some of us strolled down in search of some night shots, but quickly retreated to our rooms due to the chill.

Day 8 : ...continued

While the team was enjoying the hospitality of the cute little ones at the village, the Storme and the TUV decided to head back to a very photogenic spot just off the marked trails which we had spotted on our way up.

We waited sometime for the others to arrive. However seeing no signs of the rest of team, we decided to head to Kibber.

Kibber offered us a grand lunch with wide variety of cuisines and fresh apple juice! With our hunger satiated we decided to drive back to Kaza. We drove past the Kye Monastery again

We reached Kaza with daylight to spare and some of us decided to visit the market for some mementos. With changed plans due to closure of the Kaza-Manali highway, we had initially decided to drive up till Kunzum Pass tomorrow instead of going for the Langza and Hikkim circuit. But over some chit-chat, the caretaker of the HPTDC resort told some of our team members that he belonged to Losar and though the roads upto Kunzum Top is open, it is pretty rough around and beyond Losar and we should not take the smaller cars up there. Hearing this, the Polo, Linea and S-Cross duo immediately decided to skip the trip. The Storme and the Pajero feigned tiredness and pulled out as well.

Day 9 : Kaza-Losar-Chicham-Kaza[Tabo](116 Kilometers approx)

Now, long before starting our trip, the missus had gone through the travelogue posted by D-Bhpian Samba and was lured by the photos of tall walls of snow they encountered at Kunzum. Driving through such walls of snow was supposed to be the pinnacle of the trip. Thus, she was not amused when I conveyed the decision of the team to skip the Kunzum trip. I'll admit, I was also eagerly looking forward to visit the Kunzum top. So, after a prolonged call to Samba, we decided that we will move out very early for Kunzum and catch up with the rest of the team back at Kaza or Tabo by evening. I was also day dreaming about the chance of being allowed towards Manali as well:D

By 0630 hours we were packed and ready to start. The day promised to be bright and clear!

We took the route via Rangrik and soon were driving through terrific terrains and brilliant sceneries

Ominous dark clouds appeared on the horizon as we moved ahead further and we had our first speckles of snow-fall at the outskirts of Losar.

We had planned to stop for breakfast at Losar, but the BRO personnel stopped us anyway.

"Sir, the weather is very bad ahead and you should not venture any further!"

Totally dejected, we retreated into a small restaurant just opposite the "BRO" marked hut, for breakfast. Over usual toast, omelette and hot coffee, the host learnt of our journey from Kolkata and hailed a BRO personnel. He murmured something in native and then -

"Sir, aap 8 kilometer aage tak jao aur wapaas aa jana. Utne mein hi aapko kaafi barf milega. Par uske aage mat jao kyunki hamara koi vehicle aaj upar nahin ja paya toh koi support nehi milega" (Sir, go ahead till 8 kilometers, you'll get lots of snow, but turn back because none of our vehicles have gone to the top today so you will find no support)

Elated, we wasted no time and moved ahead. Some 5 kilometers down, the snowfall intensified and we found ourselves a miniature snow-wall!! We stopped for some fun and photos in the snow.

The snowfall was intensifying by the minute and soon the whole area was covered in a white blanket. We decided it would be best to turn back before the weather gets more adverse.

https://youtu.be/lfd8r01_6mo

We stopped by at Losar and thanked the BRO for the experience.

It was the first time I had encountered snowfall on a road trip. Progress was very slow owing to poor visibility amidst steady snowfall. Somewhere around the village of Kioto our progress was halted by a loud bang! The steering felt different immediately and I knew I had blown up a Tyre. I was driving a bit close to the curb owing to the reduced visibility and hit a protruding rock. The BRO had marked the rock with white paint, but in the incessant snow-fall and partially frozen windscreen, that was of no help. Changing the wheel amidst the steady snowfall and sub zero temperatures was an unforgettable experience. But wait! While I was bolting the spare I heard a faint hissing sound. Noticed that the rear wheel was losing air as well. We were royally stuck, but not for long. A few good men in a Fortuner stopped by to help. We loaded one of the damaged tyres in the boot and hopped right in. The gentlemen dropped us at Kaza. I called up the team and told them about my misadventure. They were fooling around at some river bed nearby. Remember how I told you about the sadistic outlook of the group when it comes to leaving behind a team member? Nobody offered to come down to help. I was told that the team was very concerned and that tears were shed. But the photos of that day uploaded later shows otherwise. The caretaker at the HPTDC resort however, was super helpful. He arranged lunch for us and took the damaged wheel to the puncture repair shop nearby. Then he arranged for a local cab to ferry me back to my car with the repaired wheel. He also booked a room for us at a Hotel just opposite to the puncture repair shop. So leaving the little one and the missus in the cosy hotel room, I set out with the repaired wheel in a Tavera. We took the Kibber-Chicham route towards Losar this time. Struck up a good conversation with the driver and the hour long journey was over before I knew it.

The weather had cleared up and we were ambling through some majestic landscapes after Chicham.

We were back in Kaza soon and got the rear tyre fixed in no time. As we had already booked a room for the night at Kaza and as I was aware that the team was running short of a room at Tabo, I decided to stay back and catch-up with the team before they start for Kalpa the next day.

Day 10 : Kaza to Kalpa (220 Kilometers approx)

It was time to bid adieu to the lovely people and mesmerizing landscapes of Spiti. With the Kaza-Manali road still closed to traffic, we had to return the same way. After much deliberations and without too many feasible alternatives, we decided to drive to Kalpa. Accordingly, the team had called up Sanjay Thakur for accommodation. He did not have rooms available for us but went out of the way in helping us find an alternative hotel, a bit further from his own place.

We started from Kaza early morning and caught up with the team at Tabo on schedule. Then the convoy started rolling towards Kalpa.

We savored the famous Samosas served by the Army canteen at Sumdo

We drove almost non-stop to Kalpa, where we reached by 3 P.M. and ordered a late lunch.

Sanjay came down to meet with us later in the evening and we had a long chit-chat session over hot tea and delicious chicken pakoras.

We dined like kings and queens that night on delicious bengali cuisines and called it a day.

Day 11 : Kalpa to Zirakpur (350 Kilometers approx)

Last night, BHPian cr4nkshaft had booked a hotel at Fagu via some mobile application. But it turned out that the hotel had shut down. BHPian dip27in has this habit of becoming restless towards the end of a trip. He immediately expressed his desire to drive down as far as possible towards Delhi. Zirakpur seemed to be doable, so we agreed upon it and booked a stay. We started early and Sanjay Thakur came down to see us off. We will never forget the hospitality and warmth we received at Hotel Tab Exotic and from the man himself. We shared good wishes and promised to come back again soon. It was supposed to be a hectic drive with traffic at Shimla being a constant worrisome thought pestering us.

We stopped at a huge multi brand workshop at Rampur to buy a new tyre for the TUV and had a quick lunch thereafter

We faced some maddening traffic in and around Shimla. By sunset, we stopped for a tea break near Kandaghat.

The drive forward was a bit stressful in darkness along totally unlit and under-construction ghat roads punctuated with numerous diversions and unruly traffic. We reached our hotel at Zirakpur by 10:30 PM totally drained and exhausted.

Day 12 : Zirakpur to Lucknow (810 Kilometers approx)

Today the team was supposed to split up and so we had said our goodbyes last night. The Pajero, Polo and a S-Cross were to drive on to Kanpur and no amounts of coercion could make us change their plans. The Storme, TUV and the other S-Cross would drive to Lucknow as per the original plan. The Linea was in no mood to budge anywhere having started much later from Kalpa and having reached Zirakpur well past midnight.

Team Kanpur left very early. The rest started a bit later. Somewhere near Karnal, a very familiar, ominous looking Scorpio appeared in our mirrors. Marengo, piloted by Bhpian 1100D was returning from their adventurous Ladakh errands. We exchanged greetings and moved on.

Soon afterwards, we got a call from team Kanpur. They have stopped at a Burger King outlet in Karnal. We were not far off. Plus they had finally decided to drive to Lucknow with us. So, the team reunited at Karnal.

With outside temperatures inching closer to a very discomforting fifty degrees Celsius in Uttar Pradesh, we were constrained inside the comforts of our cars. Stops were very few and far between.

Some cars took more food break than others and were leading and trailing by quite some distance. Sometime in the hot afternoon on the Yamuna Expressway near Agra, one of the S-Cross had a blow-out.

The Storme was nearby and stopped by to help. We joined an hour later and they had just finished changing the tyre. It was quite some challenge to swap smoking hot rubber under the blazing sun at 50 degrees ambient. A red faced DJR bragged about how his driving skills acquired in the USA had allowed him to stay composed post the burst. But I insisted we postpone the debate till we reach Lucknow, where we will decide whether swapping tyres in sub zero temperatures at 13k feet in snowfall was easier than swapping tyres under a harsh sun at 50 degree celsius in the dry summers.

Some more food stops en-route meant the Polo and Pajero had now moved well ahead of the rest.

When the first cars of the convoy reached the Hotel at Gomtinagar, the tail of the convoy was almost 50 kilometers behind. To be more precise, the tail of the convoy was actually hurling towards us at breakneck speeds some hundreds of kilometers away. Yes, the Linea had started from Zirakpur well past noon and was galloping towards Lucknow. Team Kanpur was so glad to have come to Lucknow that they braved the rush and went out shopping for food for the rest of us.