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-   -   Safari Dicor 2.2 VTT-TMT Grand One-Year Ownership Travelogue [Kinnaur-Spiti-Lahaul] (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/47777-safari-dicor-2-2-vtt-tmt-grand-one-year-ownership-travelogue-kinnaur-spiti-lahaul-5.html)

Continuing with the previous post pictures

Safari Dicor LX 2.2 VTT-TMT in action [Kunzum to Rhotang]






Canon S3 IS roof cam videos, hand was super numb in minutes

YouTube - Going towards Kunzum Pass

YouTube - Driving towards Gramphoo after crossing Kunzum

YouTube - Drive through ice and rain while approaching Rhotang from Ku

Nice pics again !!
Some queries:

1) How did you take the pic of the Safari going through water splash?
2) How did your kid's health behave at those altitudes? Can you share the kind of protection (other than the warm clothes) you took for the kid at those altitudes?
3) Were you using heater in the Safari while driving those stretches?

Abhi

The 3rd and 4th photos are great. The water splash could easily walk into a Safari print ad. In the 3rd photograph the Safari seems to blend in beautifully in the background.

Thanks Roy and SinT.

The road from Losar to Gramphoo is all slush and rocks. Also we were going fast as we were stopping quite a lot in between whenever we saw some good landscapes. Crossing a number of water streams on road, every time the water would splash quite a lot. So, there came up idea of taking such an action photo.

As we stopped after crossing that water part for photos and appreciate the beautiful landscape, particularly the varied coloured rocks and stones, I adjusted the camera in continuous mode and asked wife to go on clicking as I backed up and went over that portion again. Well thats the story, just some fun but again this was how it would have looked everytime we went over such sections.

A big, big credit goes to my 3.5 year old son. He was absolutely fine and very active and high spirits, the big reason why we travelled so tension free. This at high altitude Mudh area.



What would have helped was Coca 30, a homeopathic preparation. This is frequently used by high altitude trekkers. Prescription was to have it 3 days before going in high altitude areas and take around 3-4 pills a day for prevention. Still in case the altitude sickness would have occured, the prescription was to take a pill every 3 hours. The child never needed that and he was on the normal prescription. We also took Coca 30 when for the first day we had a slight shortness of breath at Chitkul and continued as per the normal prescription, i.e., around 3 pills per day.


Also regular drinking water is vital, even if not thirsty. This for all, child or adult.

I heard that garlic helps and had garlic pills of Ranbaxy and other stronger allopathic medications but those were not needed absolutely.


No heater was used and was not needed. With windows up the warmth was at a comfortable level.

[quote=adc;1028251]
Safari Dicor LX 2.2 VTT-TMT 2wd at Rhotang Pass
Attachment 63398

[quote]
I can almost feel your TMT give a big wide grin :D in this pic !! saying HEHE ! this is the way I wanna live!

Bravo and Kudos clap:to you for having taken this splendid trip and sharing it with us!

Manali-Mandi [2nd servicing] and Mandi-Banjar-Gushaini-Bathad-Gushaini-Sai Ropa

We spent another day in Manali, just resting and relaxing and seeing some great views from the hotel and then in night going for a stroll in Mall Road and ended the night with some most uselessly cooked food in the so called reputed Shere-e-Punjab.

View from the hotel room in Vashisht


Anyway next day, Oct 10, we set for Mandi where the Safari had to go for servicing as I had crossed 15000 km, and thus we took a hotel just near Sutlej Motors of Mandi. Well here you have workshop whose end you can see and roam around. No big city restrictions. And the service manager was a wonderful person. He just did all the servicing there and then in just under 3 hours, and put all his personnel on the Safari - quite pleased that a Safari is being used like it has to be. Met another govt official driver with a 4wd 3.0 Safari and seeing all the dirt and mud, asked me if I worked in the hydroelectricty department and was roaminig around in the hydroelectric project tunnels!!!

Anyway this service manager had all the knowledge. Safari has some big things like changing differential oil and this person knew everything. They also had neatly arranged all the different oils like engine oil and all in drums and they had Castrol GTX and not the GTD that even some big city service stations are continuing with till now.

Well then as a result when Tata Motors called up for rating, I gave them a 10 out of 10.


When with a night's rest at Mandi and late start from the hotel we had a rough plan to go to Gushaini by Tirthan river or go till where the road ends, most likely at Bathad.

We passed Gushaini and then wanted to check out Bathad. The road is all gravel and narrow, and with a full sized Tata HPSTC bus on the other side, a couple of close but well measured backing ups were done.

YouTube - Gravel Road from Gushaini to Bathad, Kullu district


Son was very excited with the journey through Aut tunnel
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=wSkCYbdRl84

Bathad has a circuit house but was disappointed by the views and general scenery of both Gushaini and Bathad. Thought the denseness would be like what we find in the North Bengal forest stops. We then made a return journey from Bathad to Gushaini to check out a place, Sai Ropa, again by side of river Tirthan, that we skipped while going.

And what a place is that. The rest house is very well located among the pine trees and the feeling was great. Spot booking was done and kitchen rented. The gas cylinder that we carried was used fully and some good home food in the night we had again.

Rest house at Sai Ropa


And the pine trees


and then a walk along the backyard of the rest house




The day went by roaming around the Tirthan river and taking a walk along the road, having jhal muri[puffed rice] and mungfali on the balcony, having fantastic views. Sai Ropa is the best stop to place if one wants to experience both the Pine trees and the Tirthan River.

Tirthan River by Sai Ropa


Next day we have a big, big journey and that too with a stops as we cross some very virgin forests and Jalori Pass - we travel from Sai Ropa to Mathura.

This keeps getting repeat visits from me. Just back driving to and from Leh and I want am ready to do this again today.
Wow.

[quote=smsrini;1028881]ha ha, thats a good one smsrini, yeah you stare at that pic for a minute it is smiling!!!

You said it sudev. Once you visit the Himalayas, you have to go back again and again and again. Also try out that towering pine trees pic as the desktop wallpaper, it does looks somewhat different, had it for a few days after which put one of the other pics.

Sai Ropa-Shoja-Jalori Pass-Sainj-Narkanda-Shimla-Kalka-Delhi-Chata, Mathura

Start time from Sai Ropa at 1 pm and Reached hotel in Mathura district at 7 am [including stops and flat tire repair]

After a lazy start to the day, we truly start to make the return journey. The plan was to take Allahabad at night, after 10 pm, and thus calculated that we have to be at Delhi side in the early morning of that day.

Again the journey was through some beautiful pin forests and as well as challenging as we take up the steep climb to Jalori pass [all 1st and sometimes 2nd gear]. The road condition towards Jalori Pass from the Shoja side is almost gravel rather than that from the Shimla side.

At Jalori Pass



After crossing Jalori Pass, a short break


A Raid Gypsy we encountered on Oct 12 who thought that the public roads were still open for racing, but then we made it a pilot car for sometime and we covered good distances.
YouTube - The Raid Gypsy who made me drive fast

At Sainj we get up on the NH22 highway again and the back journey goes through Narkanda and Shimla. Just between Sainj and Kingal, at around 5 pm, as I take u-turn on an up incline, suddenly the SUV moves sideways and the steering becames tight and hear tyre flapping sound, and in a second the worst fear comes up, we have a FLAT TYRE. First lot 2.2 LX has tubed tyres.

Well it happens just at the start of the incline. Cant park over here. Go slowly up the incline with the flat and make the turn and change over, still at a incline. Take out all the heavy luggage the jack had to go to a modified position. It was hard, hard work with fading evening light, and the Safari tyres are heavy. But again, just to appreciate the wonderful people of Himachal, around couple of local drivers stopped to ask if I wanted help. Told me the situation was under control and thanked for their goodness.





Repaired the tyre at Kingal and we lost around 2.5 hours because of all that. An oblong stone of around 2.5 inches was inside and was totally flushed with the tyre surface and as I parked with a flat tyre, the rotations made the tube have 3 punctures.

And then the journey again started and continued all through night, crossed Shimla through the city itself as the bypass is quite round about, and then was at Delhi around 6 am, got lost at the Ashram crossing and went a few kms forward before again going back to take the road towards Faridabad and Mathura. Just after crossing the Delhi/UP border at around 8 am, looked out for a hotel and stayed. Glad that I ultimately made up to here as definitely wanted to take on Allahabad at night, had a big breakfast and promptly went off to sleep at around 9 am.

Morning near Delhi border


With intermittent sleep, got up at around 5 pm, evening. With luggages packed and a full tank of diesel we start the long return journey, from Mathura to Kolkata. Crossed Allahabad in a jiffy as we went through the city around 230-3 am.

Somewhere before Varanasi, felt very sleepy, stopped at a local tea shop that opened up around 530 am. There was a local temple and as the morning chants came out we took a longish tea break. And from there we took another break at the Reliance A1 in Bihar for lunch and another break at Shaktigarh for some tea and langcha --reaching home, Kolkata, at around 630 pm on Oct 14, Tuesday.

Epilogue

So there ends the Safari Dicor Grand travelogue and as planned it was a fitting journey to celebrate this one year "no issues" ownership. A total of 5409 km was travelled, home to home, and not a single time did the Safari LX 2.2 miss a beat.

Definitely it has been a pleasure to share this journey with all here in tbhp, got introduced here when looking for a car and needless to say, as for all, tbhp had a very vital role and continues to have a big role as we all go through our respective ownership experiences.

Thanks again.

So then where do we go next, for the 2nd-year celebration journey, if everything goes well. Onwership anniversary journey has to be a challenging one, so may be on this road???






End

Magnificent Tour along with lively pictures :)

Congrats for such a memorable tour !!

Would you mind sharing the sources of maps and other information you collected from, it might be helpful for people planning to go on the route !!

I used to collect bits of information from various website and forum writings and used to put it in this attached word document - it is more like a scrapbook format but has very good information. For official info regarding Lahaul spiti, the best is the govt website :

Lahaul & Spiti, District Govt. Official Home Page, Himachal Pradesh, India

adc,

You have used the safari as it should be!! Kudos mate!!

Really magnificent travelogue and I spent last two hrs reading and gazing through the pictures.

Very well written. I have made up my mind now to take up this journey.

I really thank you for sharing with the fellow Tbhpiens!!

Waiting for your next travelogue.:D

Keep it up!!

Regards

KVS

What road is that? :Shockked:.

BTW I see that you prefer to do the transport sections of your trip by night. Why is that? Don't you find night driving on Indian highways actually more stressful inspite of the lesser traffic? Also you would be sleeping during days on these stretches and driving during the day during the holiday part of the trip. Doesn't this sudden changes in sleep pattern cause extra fatigue?

Once while returning to Delhi from Simla at night I almost ran into a black cow at 120 kmph. Needless to say I didnt see the animal till it was right in front and I almost went off the road trying to save the animal. The same night about 20 kms down the road I saw a Sumo that had actually run over another black cow and was actually ON the animal when I saw it :eek:. Evidently not a good night for black cows! Anyway - now I strictly stick to sane speeds at night and try to avoid night driving on highways to the extent possible.

clap:

Adc has covered up on all his reports with this and boy, what a travelogue have you written, the mother of all travelogues, hope many more to come on the TMT.

So you got to use the hydraulic pin type jack, although not in an ambient atmosphere.:D

thanks for sharing this with us.