100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights

SmartCat · 18th February 2010, 17:57

We took this route - Bangalore - Mumbai - Rohtang Pass - Agra - Madhya Pradesh - Nagpur - Hyderabad - Bangalore for the Himachal Pradesh trip. Originally, we had planned to go to Leh, but the plan was cut short because of the disastrous earthquake in Kashmir. We couldn't even explore Lahaul - Spiti area because the roads were blocked by landslides (not related to earthquake).

Pic 1: After lots of trial and error, we have discovered that cruising at around 90 km/hr offers the best compromise between speed, fuel efficiency and safety (especially on unknown roads on long 6000 km trips like this one). The blue cloth in between the front passengers covers the smelly/ugly legs of the third passenger stretching out at the back.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-dsc04418.jpg

Pic 2: When you travel like truckers, you have to act like one. Driving in shifts, sleeping at the back wearing a banian and so on.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-dsc04439.jpg

Pic 3: Tunnel on Mumbai - Pune expressway. Open the windows & the sunroof, shift to a lower gear and rev hard!

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-dsc04431.jpg

Pic 4: Finally something to wake us from the boredom of Golden Quadrilateral. A big rock (probably fallen off from a truck) on the road requires some quick evasive action.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-dsc04449.jpg

Pic 5: Car pulling to the left when hands are taken off the steering wheel. A quick stop in Udaipur to interchange the front tyres solves the problem.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-dsc04453.jpg

Pic 6: Reached Delhi - what a headache! It took us 2.5 hrs to get out of that place. The traffic in Bangalore doesn't look so bad to us now.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-dsc04561.jpg

Pic 7: Reached Shimla. Found it boring. Bought traditional Himachal Pradesh hats so that we would look like localites (ahem!). Decided to explore the bylanes of Shimla on foot.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-dsc04467.jpg

Pic 8: Finally found a something interesting. A shy young Himachal girl peeking out of her home (no photo, sorry) and a Mahabharat play performed by the kids on the street.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-dsc04469.jpg

MX6 · 18th February 2010, 18:15

Good one there with the sun roof. I wouldn't do that in a tunnel though. Reasons? Water seeps in in tunnels. Especially in western ghats. You wouldn't want water on your face or worse, inside your car.

KSM-Vtec · 18th February 2010, 18:15

Bangalore - Mumbai - Rohtang Pass - Agra - Madhya Pradesh - Nagpur - Hyderabad - Bangalore

Nice Nice what a round trip!!! which are the places you visited in MP?

Spitfire · 18th February 2010, 18:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartcat

What does one do in Goa in the afternoon?

We stop working, eat fish curry rice, wash it down and are back after the sun has dunked himself.

Quote:

but placing it upright is not.

You arrange them as an inverted cone with the wicks all together and then light them

Goan ishstyle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartcat

Pic 2: Vijay Mallya's yatch on Mandovi River. Lucky guy!@#

Not his, owned by a Mining Baron. They own a couple of Maserati GTs too. Legend has it that it is the most photographed yatch in Asia but no on has seen it sail till date.

ElantraGT · 18th February 2010, 19:20

Smartcat, I just voted a 5 star rating for the thread. I love all the pictures.. A special mention to the Moon shot. Thats fabulous.

fazalaliadil · 18th February 2010, 21:10

Smartcat,
Interesting and witty, keep it going many are glued to your travelogue and thanks for sharing.
Bats and moon are pick of pics.
Regards,

SmartCat · 19th February 2010, 00:09

Quote:

I wouldn't do that in a tunnel though. Reasons? Water seeps in in tunnels. Especially in western ghats. You wouldn't want water on your face or worse, inside your car.

I'm not scared of a little bit of dirty water. My biggest phobia is a bird air-bombing us through the sunroof.

Quote:

Nice Nice what a round trip!!! which are the places you visited in MP?

We didn't actually 'visit' any places in MP. It was a drive-through run through Madhya Pradesh. As mentioned before, we never take the same route back as a rule. So, on the return trip to Bangalore, we drove the way a crow flies - straight down across the heart of India.

Quote:

We stop working, eat fish curry rice, wash it down and are back after the sun has dunked himself.

A Goa friend of mine mentioned this about afternoons - a long fiesta followed by a short siesta - that's Goan culture apparently.

Quote:

I love all the pictures.. A special mention to the Moon shot. Thats fabulous

Quote:

keep it going many are glued to your travelogue and thanks for sharing.
Bats and moon are pick of pics

Thanks. Will let my amateur photographer friend know that his 'work' is being appreciated! One more moon photograph at Borra Caves - taken without the zoom lens. Looks like it has come straight out of a horror movie - those bats might be vampires!

SmartCat · 19th February 2010, 00:54

Himachal Trip continued:

This is where my memory is not helping me much - because the trip was done long time back. I'm unable to associate a particular photo with the place where it was taken. But anyway, after reaching HP, we spent 4 days there visiting Rohtang Pass, Manali, Rampur & Dharmashala (these are the only town names that I remember) - and generally taking photographs on the way and enjoying the drive.

Pic 1: We find a river flowing down below. So we stop the car on the highway and trek down to the river.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-dsc04480.jpg

Pic 2: Bad idea. Water is cold as ice, and our dream and 'swimming' in the river goes down the drain. We quickly scamper back to the car.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-dsc04489.jpg

Pic 3: We are about to leave a hotel in Rampur now. Everyday, in the morning, its a big task to pack in 15 big & small pieces of luggage into a 400 litre boot. Because all the luggage goes in only if the pieces are placed correctly.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-img_0001.jpg

Pic 4: Typical state road in HP

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-img_0029.jpg

Pic 5: The temptation to barrel down this road at full speed was there. Instead, we switched off the stereo, rolled down the windows and listened to the gurgling sound of the river flowing next to the road.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-dsc04494.jpg

Pic 6: Close to the China (Tibet) border. We finally spotted snow, but on a mountain.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-img_0132.jpg

Pic 7: At this place, 2 of us had to get down from the car because of poor traction. The wheels would just spin.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-img_0157.jpg

Pic 8: Another place, another mountain.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-img_0182.jpg

Pic 9: This river was in spate a few months back. Industrial shed precariously placed.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-img_0183.jpg

Pic 10: Road carved out of a mountain said - NFS III style.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-img_0211.jpg

Pic 11: Our car says to the Truck "This town ain't big enough for both of us. Back off, or else!". Needless to say, it was us who had to go back till we found a wide enough stretch for both the vehicles.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-img_0226.jpg

Pic 12: Dog seems to be unhappy after looking at us.

100,000 kms on Indian Highways, 6 treks & a Couple of Flights-img_0186.jpg

hotstuff · 19th February 2010, 01:03

Quote:

The blue cloth in between the front passengers covers the smelly/ugly legs of the third passenger stretching out at the back.

-

The stray rock in the middle of the road is

During one of my recent trips, I encountered a similar hazard in a blind curve... these rocks are used by Trucks / Tractors and others as a chock or placed around a stalled / punctured vehicle. The problem is that they dont bother to take it out when they start moving again...

aargee · 19th February 2010, 08:25

Yeah, Pic10 reminds me of NFSIII

. The moon with tree as foreground is simply superb. Pass on my kudos.

Bigzero · 19th February 2010, 08:37

Excellent thread, and terrific pictures! Eagerly looking forward for more!

ishotmydog · 19th February 2010, 10:53

smartcat the picture of the moon is simply terrific, excellent stuff.

SmartCat · 19th February 2010, 12:20

Quote:

The stray rock in the middle of the road is

That rock could've easily ripped off the underbody because of low ground clearance. Although I do admit that we didn't stop the car to get rid of the stone because - 1) It looked too heavy 2) We feared for our life & limbs because the rock was in the middle of long, fast curve.

Quote:

Yeah, Pic10 reminds me of NFSIII

Nothing beats NFS III and NFS Porsche Unleased right?

Continuing with the pics, we next headed towards Rohtang Pass -

Gansan · 19th February 2010, 12:39

This thread is simply riveting man! Great pics. A genuine ***** one!

vijaythacker · 19th February 2010, 12:59

awesome thread man, already glued to it.Keep all those clicks coming.Rated 5*.

18th February 2010, 17:57	#46
SmartCat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 6,429 Thanked: 42,957 Times View My Garage	We took this route - Bangalore - Mumbai - Rohtang Pass - Agra - Madhya Pradesh - Nagpur - Hyderabad - Bangalore for the Himachal Pradesh trip. Originally, we had planned to go to Leh, but the plan was cut short because of the disastrous earthquake in Kashmir. We couldn't even explore Lahaul - Spiti area because the roads were blocked by landslides (not related to earthquake). Pic 1: After lots of trial and error, we have discovered that cruising at around 90 km/hr offers the best compromise between speed, fuel efficiency and safety (especially on unknown roads on long 6000 km trips like this one). The blue cloth in between the front passengers covers the smelly/ugly legs of the third passenger stretching out at the back. Pic 2: When you travel like truckers, you have to act like one. Driving in shifts, sleeping at the back wearing a banian and so on. Pic 3: Tunnel on Mumbai - Pune expressway. Open the windows & the sunroof, shift to a lower gear and rev hard! Pic 4: Finally something to wake us from the boredom of Golden Quadrilateral. A big rock (probably fallen off from a truck) on the road requires some quick evasive action. Pic 5: Car pulling to the left when hands are taken off the steering wheel. A quick stop in Udaipur to interchange the front tyres solves the problem. Pic 6: Reached Delhi - what a headache! It took us 2.5 hrs to get out of that place. The traffic in Bangalore doesn't look so bad to us now. Pic 7: Reached Shimla. Found it boring. Bought traditional Himachal Pradesh hats so that we would look like localites (ahem!). Decided to explore the bylanes of Shimla on foot. Pic 8: Finally found a something interesting. A shy young Himachal girl peeking out of her home (no photo, sorry) and a Mahabharat play performed by the kids on the street.
	(1) Thanks

18th February 2010, 18:15	#47
MX6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: City of seven islands. Posts: 2,877 Thanked: 231 Times	Good one there with the sun roof. I wouldn't do that in a tunnel though. Reasons? Water seeps in in tunnels. Especially in western ghats. You wouldn't want water on your face or worse, inside your car.
	() Thanks

18th February 2010, 18:15	#48
KSM-Vtec Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: MH-02-India-Bombay-Bandra Posts: 1,562 Thanked: 446 Times View My Garage	Bangalore - Mumbai - Rohtang Pass - Agra - Madhya Pradesh - Nagpur - Hyderabad - Bangalore Nice Nice what a round trip!!! which are the places you visited in MP?
	() Thanks

18th February 2010, 19:20	#50
ElantraGT BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 441 Thanked: 12 Times	Smartcat, I just voted a 5 star rating for the thread. I love all the pictures.. A special mention to the Moon shot. Thats fabulous.
	() Thanks

18th February 2010, 21:10	#51
fazalaliadil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 2,022 Thanked: 672 Times View My Garage	Smartcat, Interesting and witty, keep it going many are glued to your travelogue and thanks for sharing. Bats and moon are pick of pics. Regards,
	() Thanks

19th February 2010, 00:54	#53
SmartCat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 6,429 Thanked: 42,957 Times View My Garage	Himachal Trip continued: This is where my memory is not helping me much - because the trip was done long time back. I'm unable to associate a particular photo with the place where it was taken. But anyway, after reaching HP, we spent 4 days there visiting Rohtang Pass, Manali, Rampur & Dharmashala (these are the only town names that I remember) - and generally taking photographs on the way and enjoying the drive. Pic 1: We find a river flowing down below. So we stop the car on the highway and trek down to the river. Pic 2: Bad idea. Water is cold as ice, and our dream and 'swimming' in the river goes down the drain. We quickly scamper back to the car. Pic 3: We are about to leave a hotel in Rampur now. Everyday, in the morning, its a big task to pack in 15 big & small pieces of luggage into a 400 litre boot. Because all the luggage goes in only if the pieces are placed correctly. Pic 4: Typical state road in HP Pic 5: The temptation to barrel down this road at full speed was there. Instead, we switched off the stereo, rolled down the windows and listened to the gurgling sound of the river flowing next to the road. Pic 6: Close to the China (Tibet) border. We finally spotted snow, but on a mountain. Pic 7: At this place, 2 of us had to get down from the car because of poor traction. The wheels would just spin. Pic 8: Another place, another mountain. Pic 9: This river was in spate a few months back. Industrial shed precariously placed. Pic 10: Road carved out of a mountain said - NFS III style. Pic 11: Our car says to the Truck "This town ain't big enough for both of us. Back off, or else!". Needless to say, it was us who had to go back till we found a wide enough stretch for both the vehicles. Pic 12: Dog seems to be unhappy after looking at us.
	() Thanks

19th February 2010, 08:25	#55
aargee Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: TSTN Posts: 6,236 Thanked: 9,643 Times	Yeah, Pic10 reminds me of NFSIII . The moon with tree as foreground is simply superb. Pass on my kudos.
	() Thanks

19th February 2010, 08:37	#56
Bigzero BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 447 Thanked: 522 Times	Excellent thread, and terrific pictures! Eagerly looking forward for more!
	() Thanks

19th February 2010, 10:53	#57
ishotmydog BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 593 Thanked: 18 Times	smartcat the picture of the moon is simply terrific, excellent stuff.
	() Thanks

19th February 2010, 12:39	#59
Gansan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 4,535 Thanked: 5,561 Times	This thread is simply riveting man! Great pics. A genuine ***** one!
	() Thanks

19th February 2010, 12:59	#60
vijaythacker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Ahmedabad Posts: 1,498 Thanked: 74 Times View My Garage	awesome thread man, already glued to it.Keep all those clicks coming.Rated 5*.
	() Thanks