13th May 2009, 23:26
| #76 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 750
Thanked: 91 Times
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13th May 2009, 23:40
| #77 | |
| Team-BHP Support   | Quote:
 Wait and see my friend. For tomorrow is a long day. Day 5 of the trip is "expect the unexpected" | |
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13th May 2009, 23:48
| #78 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
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14th May 2009, 09:18
| #79 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New Delhi
Posts: 3,095
Thanked: 306 Times
| What a stratospheric account! Only possible during the month or so after the pass opens after winter; not possible to see such amazing sights in September or October! |
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14th May 2009, 10:03
| #80 |
| Team-BHP Support | Day 5 - Good morning It was a Sunday. A very wet sunday. And cold too. But braving the cold we were up and ready by 6:30am. Rain was pouring down in buckets. We packed our luggage quickly The plan was to leave by 7, stop over near Ropar for an hour or so, and be in Delhi around 9pm. With heavy rain, most people would have delayed starts, and this would mean an easy traffic free exit from Manali. As we got out of the rest house we discovered, that the water crossing now resembled a river crossing. Looks like the alto parked at the rest house will not be going anywhere in a hurry. But no worries for us It was not even 7am when we finished breakfast at the same Yak cafe. We chatted up with the owner and she told us that if it keeps raining, the snowfall at Rohtang will "come down" and maybe even come till Gulaba, or even lower. Thats all we needed. No words needed to be said. We just looked at each other, got into our chariot. All it took was a quick U turn, and we were headed back towards Rohtang! The rain was heavy, and the traffic light. The tiny water crossings had become torrents. As the smaller cars(few of them today), struggled and pussyfooted over the rocks, we just lumbered on. The rain turned into sleet, and I could make out snowflakes on the windshield. We reached the Marhi bridge half past 7, and there was a minor jam there, illegal parking again. Sleet was slowly turning into snowfall, and the taxis had trouble parking as their wheels spun. As we crossed the bridge, only one car accompanied us a a few meters later, they also stopped on the snow covered road. The Rohtang checkpost was half a km away probably, and we intended to park at the ample parking there, and have fun in the snow!. And to our delight, the snowfall became heavier. It was just us on the road, and falling snow!  __CONT__ |
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14th May 2009, 10:18
| #81 | ||
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 750
Thanked: 91 Times
| Quote:
Quote:
The snaps of tyre tracks in the fresh snow - captivating. NCR Guys, get me a job there  | ||
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14th May 2009, 10:36
| #82 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
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14th May 2009, 10:42
| #83 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 518
Thanked: 12 Times
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14th May 2009, 10:49
| #84 |
| Team-BHP Support | Day 5 - Snowstorm! Its 10 May, and its snowing heavily. Wonders never cease, do they? We keep driving towards the checkpost, and discover its been moved towards Manali by 200 meters or so. A line of 3 local Sumos awaits there. They have to go to Lahaul with supplies and all. But they are not allowed. Infact, even BRO vehicles are not going up today. Its has been snowing from 2am. At Marhi the sleet turned into snowfall around 6am, and what we see is 2 hours of light snow, which is getting heavier. Take a U turn in the snow. Time to flick the switch to 4WD. The rear is sliding too much as the existing tire tracks start getting obscured. Come down a few hundred meters, and stop to enjoy the snowfall  Its getting heavier, and the whole scene looks as if out of a fairytale  The white elephant  Thats me in the snow. Our first proper snowfall after 20 years! We have go to Chansal, Jalori pass, Hatu in winters, chitkul, and snowfall has always eluded us. Heck, many times even snow has elduded us, and now in peak summer we are experiencing heavy snowfall!  The white elephant stands alone. No cars are coming up now. Most people have stopped over a km ago. The silence is breathtaking. Just soft cotton like snow falling  We have to reach Delhi also, so cannot spend the whole day here. So we decide to cross the bridge before a traffic jam ensues. However, the fears of the jam are unfounded. Bad weather is our friend, and hardly anybody is coming up now  As we lose altitude, the snow lessens however, snowfall is coming down. When we went all we saw was sleet, however, now the same place is getting heavy snowfall  An official vehicle coming up tells us to move as the road is going to close soon. We take a quick picture, and start heading down.  Even as we head lower, sleet has turned into snow. Soon these roads will be white!  __CONT__ |
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14th May 2009, 10:54
| #85 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
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14th May 2009, 11:41
| #86 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: BOM | TLL
Posts: 751
Thanked: 469 Times
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14th May 2009, 11:45
| #87 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA
Posts: 14,813
Thanked: 2,700 Times
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14th May 2009, 11:49
| #88 | |||
| Team-BHP Support | Quote:
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In December millions of tourist hordes descend on the mountain slopes. So if you want to see snow, go in Oct end or November. If Rohtang is still open, you are in for a treat. Or go in March during board exams time frame. Hardly any tourists, and lots of resudual snow, and good chance of snow at even lower altitudes. Even feb is good, but tourist rush is much more. This year had freak weather which saw hardly any snow in the winters, and heavy snowfall in April and May. | |||
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14th May 2009, 11:55
| #89 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 4,106
Thanked: 537 Times
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14th May 2009, 11:58
| #90 | |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA
Posts: 14,813
Thanked: 2,700 Times
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