The Himachal Tribal Circuit - 2009

amip · 6th November 2009, 11:48

Wow! What a read - certainly made even better with your humour. I can imagine how wonderous finding the fossils must have been - a deep moment.

SS-Traveller · 6th November 2009, 12:02

Great observation on these two... Er, BTW, no male figures that you saw, I suppose?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sen2009

This shape was particularly interesting.
Attachment 222422

I was thinking that the fresh snow might have covered my Snow Lady. But, nah! There she was, now even more prominent.
Attachment 222424

sen2009 · 6th November 2009, 12:22

After feeling diesel and restroom breaks, we were ready to leave. Another 900 clicks.
As such I did not feel very drowsy, but two things bothered me much. Eyes were kind of getting fixated on the white lines on the road, and hence reflex was slowing down a little bit.
Secondly, my shoulders were aching a little. Especially one small muscle which takes all the load when you flick the dipper/dimmer switch with your middle finger. That was aching like hell.

And, here one realizes the great benefit of over the top luggage. We had all kinds of stuff - iodex, move ointment, move spray, volini gel, relispray, amrutanjan yellow, amrutanjan white, amrutanjan roll-on... you name it.

So the ladies rubbed all of them on my shoulder, back, neck, throat (Why did they do that!), forehead, nose... and we started back on the road. In less than three minutes, I pulled over. My whole upper body was set ablaze.
Ofcourse nobody could see the flames, but I could feel that my skin especially near my neck and my shoulders were being peeled out, tata salt was being rubbed on my flesh and then my peeled skin is being put back. I jumped out of the car and started jumping and yelling on the road itself!

I splashed some water and tried to rub off all that grease using a towel, only to increase the burn. What was only in contact with my outer skin, penetrated the skin pores. I can little express the feeling!
We spent a good 30 minutes there, pulled over by the dark highway.

By the time it was 12 o'clock. So everyone got out of the car, wished "Happy Diwali" to each other and ate the sweets.
Post the sweets, we also set the rockets out using empty cans of Red Bull. It was a feast to see the fireworks in that dark Rajasthan sky! Pity I packed my camera earlier. The sheer brilliance of the rockets against the pitch dark sky made me forget my pain for a while.

We got back to the car by 12:30 AM. All this burning and celebration had actually done us real good. None of us were feeling sleepy anymore and everybody boiled with a wave of renwed energy.

I didn't even notice when I crossed Udaipur. I took notice only when the twisties started again.
However, this was kids stuff compared to my recently acquired twisty killer driving skills. a few cans of Red Bull saw me maintain an average of 120 kmph till Ahmedabad.
I took a ten minutes break before entering NE1. Had two three bananas (I was kind of hungry), a few apricots (to elliminate the slightest chance of dozing off and to offset the throat burn with sour teeth).
I entered the NE1 around 3:45 Am and completed the 80 kilometers in 35 minutes flat. The Safari surely pulls when asked to!

However, this speed burst took a heavy toll on my energy and I could feel reflexes slowing down a little. But the fact that I had crossed Vadodara and home was just about 400 Kilometers, kept me going.

The Sun rose somewhere after Surat.

The Himachal Tribal Circuit - 2009-r_dsc00020.jpg

The Himachal Tribal Circuit - 2009-r_dsc00011.jpg

I kept going till Valsad. It was the period when everyone switches off their headlights, but the visibility is not that great. The overnight drivers crash most frequently at this time.

The Himachal Tribal Circuit - 2009-r_dsc00002.jpg

The Himachal Tribal Circuit - 2009-r_dsc00017.jpg

So, we pulled over in a "Hotel Decent" and had some nice Masala Dosa and hot tea. The food did real good, I haven't had anything meaningful since yesterday breakfast. I also took a 15 minutes power nap in the car seat.

Post breakfast, we were a little energized. The daylight was up, so chances of dozing off was much less. Still for precaution I asked all the ladies to keep strict watch on me and to keep talking to me.

The Himachal Tribal Circuit - 2009-r_dsc09998.jpg

We reached home by 10 o'clock. My wife still had a few hours to prepare for her flight!

sen2009 · 6th November 2009, 12:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roameo

I have joined in late and just finished the 5 pages of your epic travelogue.
Your narrative style is excellent. Wonderful pictures. Congratulations on making this adventurous trip.
Can't wait to continue reading.

Thanks man. I am really happy that you liked my story. Your Emerald trip is surely an inspiration to many a story teller.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amip

Wow! What a read - certainly made even better with your humour. I can imagine how wonderous finding the fossils must have been - a deep moment.

It was. To feel oneself in contact with something created millions of years ago, when none these huge mountains existed is a feeling beyond words.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Great observation on these two... Er, BTW, no male figures that you saw, I suppose?

Well, you see, poets have always compared the female with the nature. And, I'm trying to tell a story here. So I rather stuck to the conventional wisdom!

rkbharat · 6th November 2009, 12:33

Wonderful

Sad that its ending :(

BTW does Redbull really helps on long drives

sen2009 · 6th November 2009, 12:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkbharat

Wonderful

Sad that its ending :(

BTW does Redbull really helps on long drives

Thanks man.

RedBull does help a lot, especially when you're stretched.
But it has downside also. When you drink it down, you can feel the rush within 10-15 minutes. But, that would last for about an hour of so. After that the energy level goes down very fast. So one would need to watch out for this phase while driving.

SS-Traveller · 6th November 2009, 13:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by sen2009

After feeling diesel...
I entered the NE1 around 3:45 Am and completed the 80 kilometers in 35 minutes flat. The Safari surely pulls when asked to!

Wow! An average speed of 137 km/h in a Safari. You really felt the diesel!

I hereby rename you Michael Sen Schumacher!

Quote:

We reached home by 10 o'clock. My wife still had a few hours to prepare for her flight!

And how many hours of sleep did you have to catch up on?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sen2009

Well, you see, poets have always compared the female with the nature. And, I'm trying to tell a story here. So I rather stuck to the conventional wisdom!

Yes, yes, any good Bong like you and me knows that! But I still wondered...

deepgautam_qa · 6th November 2009, 13:47

@Sen Saab: I was glued to this thread almost the entire day yesterday. Those amazing pictures and nice writeup made me feel like being on the trip with you. Hats off!

Cheers,
Deepak

pjay_in · 6th November 2009, 13:57

That really was one long haul, your last stretch to Mumbai. And that too after the two weeks' hectic activity.

By the way, I didn't know that Red Bull was actually good. Will try it when I get a chance next.

After such a long and eventful mountain trip, coming back to normal life after reaching Mumbai would have been difficult, isn't it. The mountain and snow will stay with you for a few days, I guess.

Rudra Sen · 6th November 2009, 14:13

Excellent coverage with excellent photographs. Very well done.

lordofgondor · 6th November 2009, 15:34

Bookmark added to my travel folder. This travelogue is gonna be like a guide for my Lahaul-Spiti circuit for sure. Great narration with amazing pics.

Coming back from such journeys, the mind feels so hard connecting back to the daily city grind. The hangover stays with you for so very long. *sigh*

sen2009 · 6th November 2009, 17:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepgautam_qa

@Sen Saab: I was glued to this thread almost the entire day yesterday. Those amazing pictures and nice writeup made me feel like being on the trip with you. Hats off!

Cheers,
Deepak

Thanks man. There's no great feeling than knowing that one's effort is appreciated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjay_in

That really was one long haul, your last stretch to Mumbai. And that too after the two weeks' hectic activity.

By the way, I didn't know that Red Bull was actually good. Will try it when I get a chance next.

After such a long and eventful mountain trip, coming back to normal life after reaching Mumbai would have been difficult, isn't it. The mountain and snow will stay with you for a few days, I guess.

You said it! After coming back from such environment, mumbai seems mad, just mad!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

Excellent coverage with excellent photographs. Very well done.

Sir, I know that having your attention itself is quite and achievement. So, I must have done a good job here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

Bookmark added to my travel folder. This travelogue is gonna be like a guide for my Lahaul-Spiti circuit for sure. Great narration with amazing pics.

Coming back from such journeys, the mind feels so hard connecting back to the daily city grind. The hangover stays with you for so very long. *sigh*

Thanks man. I'm elated. I am not much with writting and stuff. But, I thought of doing this after reading many many great stories here.
With your comment, I feel my effort has been meaningful.

sushrutha · 6th November 2009, 17:36

Awesome, BRAVO, really very brave of you to do the trip. I felt as if i'm involved in this trip, such a beautiful narration + excellent pics + so much of minute detail in it.
The last leg(towards Mumbai) drive even gave me Goose bumps. Hats off to you.

Roameo · 6th November 2009, 23:26

Having finished enjoying my way through the rest of your thread, I am now in a daze. Could imagine and feel every bit of your experience. I am sure you relived every moment of it as you wrote your travelogue. Looking forward to you next one sometime soon.

maddy42 · 7th November 2009, 07:14

Great trip man. Hope to read more travellogues of yours.

6th November 2009, 11:48	#151
amip BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 166 Thanked: Once	Wow! What a read - certainly made even better with your humour. I can imagine how wonderous finding the fossils must have been - a deep moment.
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 12:22	#153
sen2009 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 561 Thanked: 729 Times View My Garage	Day 16 After feeling diesel and restroom breaks, we were ready to leave. Another 900 clicks. As such I did not feel very drowsy, but two things bothered me much. Eyes were kind of getting fixated on the white lines on the road, and hence reflex was slowing down a little bit. Secondly, my shoulders were aching a little. Especially one small muscle which takes all the load when you flick the dipper/dimmer switch with your middle finger. That was aching like hell. And, here one realizes the great benefit of over the top luggage. We had all kinds of stuff - iodex, move ointment, move spray, volini gel, relispray, amrutanjan yellow, amrutanjan white, amrutanjan roll-on... you name it. So the ladies rubbed all of them on my shoulder, back, neck, throat (Why did they do that!), forehead, nose... and we started back on the road. In less than three minutes, I pulled over. My whole upper body was set ablaze. Ofcourse nobody could see the flames, but I could feel that my skin especially near my neck and my shoulders were being peeled out, tata salt was being rubbed on my flesh and then my peeled skin is being put back. I jumped out of the car and started jumping and yelling on the road itself! I splashed some water and tried to rub off all that grease using a towel, only to increase the burn. What was only in contact with my outer skin, penetrated the skin pores. I can little express the feeling! We spent a good 30 minutes there, pulled over by the dark highway. By the time it was 12 o'clock. So everyone got out of the car, wished "Happy Diwali" to each other and ate the sweets. Post the sweets, we also set the rockets out using empty cans of Red Bull. It was a feast to see the fireworks in that dark Rajasthan sky! Pity I packed my camera earlier. The sheer brilliance of the rockets against the pitch dark sky made me forget my pain for a while. We got back to the car by 12:30 AM. All this burning and celebration had actually done us real good. None of us were feeling sleepy anymore and everybody boiled with a wave of renwed energy. I didn't even notice when I crossed Udaipur. I took notice only when the twisties started again. However, this was kids stuff compared to my recently acquired twisty killer driving skills. a few cans of Red Bull saw me maintain an average of 120 kmph till Ahmedabad. I took a ten minutes break before entering NE1. Had two three bananas (I was kind of hungry), a few apricots (to elliminate the slightest chance of dozing off and to offset the throat burn with sour teeth). I entered the NE1 around 3:45 Am and completed the 80 kilometers in 35 minutes flat. The Safari surely pulls when asked to! However, this speed burst took a heavy toll on my energy and I could feel reflexes slowing down a little. But the fact that I had crossed Vadodara and home was just about 400 Kilometers, kept me going. The Sun rose somewhere after Surat. I kept going till Valsad. It was the period when everyone switches off their headlights, but the visibility is not that great. The overnight drivers crash most frequently at this time. So, we pulled over in a "Hotel Decent" and had some nice Masala Dosa and hot tea. The food did real good, I haven't had anything meaningful since yesterday breakfast. I also took a 15 minutes power nap in the car seat. Post breakfast, we were a little energized. The daylight was up, so chances of dozing off was much less. Still for precaution I asked all the ladies to keep strict watch on me and to keep talking to me. We reached home by 10 o'clock. My wife still had a few hours to prepare for her flight!
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 12:33	#155
rkbharat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Gurgaon/New Delhi Posts: 1,601 Thanked: 724 Times View My Garage	Wonderful Sad that its ending :( BTW does Redbull really helps on long drives
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 13:47	#158
deepgautam_qa BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Rajastha Posts: 221 Thanked: 8 Times	@Sen Saab: I was glued to this thread almost the entire day yesterday. Those amazing pictures and nice writeup made me feel like being on the trip with you. Hats off! Cheers, Deepak
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 13:57	#159
pjay_in BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Melbourne Posts: 396 Thanked: 20 Times	That really was one long haul, your last stretch to Mumbai. And that too after the two weeks' hectic activity. By the way, I didn't know that Red Bull was actually good. Will try it when I get a chance next. After such a long and eventful mountain trip, coming back to normal life after reaching Mumbai would have been difficult, isn't it. The mountain and snow will stay with you for a few days, I guess.
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 14:13	#160
Rudra Sen Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 11,590 Thanked: 6,532 Times View My Garage	Excellent coverage with excellent photographs. Very well done.
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 15:34	#161
lordofgondor BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: UP 16 Posts: 936 Thanked: 159 Times	Awesome! Bookmark added to my travel folder. This travelogue is gonna be like a guide for my Lahaul-Spiti circuit for sure. Great narration with amazing pics. Coming back from such journeys, the mind feels so hard connecting back to the daily city grind. The hangover stays with you for so very long. sigh
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 17:36	#163
sushrutha Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Chikmagalur/Ban Posts: 1,703 Thanked: 333 Times View My Garage	Awesome, BRAVO, really very brave of you to do the trip. I felt as if i'm involved in this trip, such a beautiful narration + excellent pics + so much of minute detail in it. The last leg(towards Mumbai) drive even gave me Goose bumps. Hats off to you.
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 23:26	#164
Roameo BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 127 Thanked: 46 Times	Having finished enjoying my way through the rest of your thread, I am now in a daze. Could imagine and feel every bit of your experience. I am sure you relived every moment of it as you wrote your travelogue. Looking forward to you next one sometime soon.
	() Thanks

7th November 2009, 07:14	#165
maddy42 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Coorg Posts: 2,131 Thanked: 1,328 Times View My Garage	Great trip man. Hope to read more travellogues of yours.
	() Thanks