[Ushuaia]

@Bolero, exciting TL I was hooked through your narration and pics. No matter how many times you cross Rohtang, Its Different!

@Wanderernomad - Bingo

Best bet is to deflate by about 2-4 psi and then do it slowly. But only if you are carrying a pump to re inflate

I agree with you, deflating is the best bet. And I find OEM tyre perform better, though didnt attempt the route but some places around Kotkhai, I found this technique useful. While I was scratching my head, my dad got out of the car with the valve key and did that, I was flabbergasted at the sight and wanted to talk him out of it, then he shared his story through zojila in 1963. Got me all cooled out, took the wheels after 15 yrs and went smooth as butter through the rubble and slush at puny 3 kmph. Oh, he put 2 big rocks in in the boot, since it was me and him only.

[BolBolero]

@Rudra,
End October may be a little late in the season from what I gathered from the Hotel staff at Kaza. They shut down at the end of September is what I was told! There is a hotel at Dhankar behind the new monastery, not sure when it closes though.

@wanderernomad,
AH Parwanoo, and that was the place where my journey to Dev Bhoomi ended!

@tigerranch,
Thanks Kishore and you are most welcome. Lets plan something for 2011.

@rkbharat,
Thanks. Hotel Khangsar is in Kaza. Not very sure if it will remain open in Mid October. The main monasteries around Kaza, would be Kye, Dhankar and Tabo. Ofcourse all the villages have monasteries too, but these are the main monasteries. Kaza, Rangrik, Nako have monasteries too.

@tsk1979, i guess we were lucky, in that we managed to almost drive upto the lake, i.e. around a km from the lake. But walking that last km. at that altitude was a task, and you say you walked 3 kms. But then the view and the splendor of the lake is worth it wouldn't you say! We also hardly encountered any tourists, maybe because Rohtang was closed and not many people would take the trouble of driving all through Kinnaur and Spiti.

@Ushuaia, thanks buddy.

[wanderernomad]

Yeah, am from where I either welcome the visitors or extract a promise that they will all return very soon to my State. Digging up the road, not good at all. Its not easy walking at those heights plus add the uncertainty of the weather. But we as tourists should be more careful about littering in such places.

[BolBolero]

Day 11: 14th July 2010

Tibetan Inscription on the mountain opposite Tabo Monastery

Chorten at New Tabo Monastery



Old Tabo Monastery

g.Ser-khang (The Golden Temple)

Brom-ston Lha-khang C'enpo (The Large Temple of Dromton)

Prayer Hall and Residence of Monks

g.Ser-khang (The Golden Temple)

dkyil-hkhor-khang (The Mystic Mandala Temple)

Chortens in the Old Monastery compound




Byans-Pa Chen-po Lha-khang (The Bodhisattva Maitreya Temple)

Brom-ston Lha-khang (The temple of Dromton)

Tabo Monastery



Nako Lake






Day 11:
Kaza to Nako, via Kibber, Kye Monastery, Dhankar Monastery, Tabo Monastery.
Distance covered - 173 kms. Departure 8.45 am; Arrival 6.20 pm.

[BolBolero]

Day 12: 15th. July 2010

Nako to Shimla. Departure at 9.00 am. Back on the same roads that we took on the way to Kaza. Initial plan was to stay for the night at Rampur. But since we crossed Rampur at around 4.15 pm. decided to move on and finally reached Shimla and halted for the night there. Reached Shimla 9.00 pm. Distance covered 331 kms.

Roads on the way to Shimla.

Some Good,

Some Bad!


Good again.


Till we reach a landslide being cleared


And another landslide.

Bridge over River Satluj.


River Satluj flowing.

Sunset on the way to Shimla somewhere before the town of Theog

[BolBolero]

Day 12: 15th. July 2010


Shimla by night.



The Mall Church all lit up!

[BolBolero]

Day 13: 16th. July 2010

Shimla to Jaipur. Departure 9.10 am. This is the day we leave the mountains behind us and enter the plains. We exit Dev Bhoomi aka Himachal Pradesh. This is the beginning of the end. Very few pictures clicked from this point onwards. More of a straight drive all the way to Bombay. Slight problem with the Bolero clutch at Ambala, which was rectified at a roadside garage at Shahabad. Entered Delhi at around 5.20 pm. Faced the full brunt of Delhi traffic and exited at around 7.10 pm. Heavy truck traffic on NH8, almost till Behror. Had half a mind to stay back in Behror, but continued all the way to Jaipur. Reached Jaipur at 11.20pm. Distance covered 625 kms.

[hvkumar]

What was the clutch problem you faced, Gautam?
Any damage to the underbody in the bad roads?

[kiran_v]

@BolBolero: Awesome pics dude....what camera were you using? Pictures shot at night looks best. Did you use a tripod while shooting those Shimla pics????I assume you had taken them putting the camera in manual setting.....

[wanderernomad]

Awesome pictures mate. That bridge is at Wangtoo.Can you believe tha there used to be a small township around both banks of the river and that bridge used to be a full fledged concrete one with a very long span. It used to be about a km downstream from its present location till the raging river swept it all out one day. Even Karcham was not what it is today. Will try to hunt around and see if I can lay my hands on some old pictures of these two places.

[hvkumar]

That is my car crossing the Wangtoo bridge in 2004. I have some lovely videos of the bridge and the crossing, but those files are too large to be uploaded here:

[hvkumar]

Sorry, Gautam for this

More photos from my 2004 album:

Roads were narrow, not yet been widened


...the rocky "roofs" were there as they are now



....but the river and the views were the same

[jeevmenon]

All, Did you guys meet Dorjee Bodh and wife who run the tea-stall at Batal bus stop? They were the only 2 humans we met at Batal where the bus stopped on its way to Kaza. This was 13 yrs back!

[BolBolero]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

What was the clutch problem you faced, Gautam?
Any damage to the underbody in the bad roads?

The clutch slave cylinder was leaking air, hence the clutch was not engaging even after pressing the pedal fully. Frankly speaking, not sure it got damaged due to the roads, more likely was just worn out due to age! Luckily the garage at Shahabad where we stopped to get it repaired, had a spare parts shop next door, and we got a replacement. No noticeable damages to the underbody, though we took many hits, with stones, etc., especially on the Chandratal road!

Originally Posted by kiran_v

@BolBolero: Awesome pics dude....what camera were you using? Pictures shot at night looks best. Did you use a tripod while shooting those Shimla pics????I assume you had taken them putting the camera in manual setting.....

Thanks Kiran_v,
Three cameras, viz. Nikon D70/ Nikon D300/ FujiFilm S5500. Did use the Tripod while shooting the night shots at Shimla, shot with the Nikon D300.

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

Awesome pictures mate. That bridge is at Wangtoo.Can you believe tha there used to be a small township around both banks of the river and that bridge used to be a full fledged concrete one with a very long span. It used to be about a km downstream from its present location till the raging river swept it all out one day. Even Karcham was not what it is today. Will try to hunt around and see if I can lay my hands on some old pictures of these two places.

Thank you sir. The whole stretch from Wangtoo to Karcham looked like a ravaged construction zone when we were there. All you can see is frenetic construction activity taking place all along this road. Hope after the project is over, the conditions of the road will improve! Wonder what happened to all the people staying in those villages?

Would love to have a look at the photos of these places before the Hydro Project was started! BTW the next time I'm there, I would love to meet you, maybe at the beginning of DEV BHOOMI! (Parwanoo), what say sir?

Originally Posted by hvkumar

That is my car crossing the Wangtoo bridge in 2004. I have some lovely videos of the bridge and the crossing, but those files are too large to be uploaded here:
Attachment 420605
Sorry, Gautam for this
More photos from my 2004 album:
Roads were narrow, not yet been widened
Attachment 420623
...the rocky "roofs" were there as they are now
Attachment 420624
....but the river and the views were the same
Attachment 420625

Would love to have a look at those photos. Even after road widening the road is just about big enough for one HMV and one LMV to pass side by side! The rocky roofs, would be called "CHAJJAS" in construction parlance!

Originally Posted by jeevmenon

All, Did you guys meet Dorjee Bodh and wife who run the tea-stall at Batal bus stop? They were the only 2 humans we met at Batal where the bus stopped on its way to Kaza. This was 13 yrs back!

Did not encounter the Batal bus stop, neither the tea-stall coming from the KunzumLa side. Where exactly is this place?

[hvkumar]

Gautam, the Bolero is so popular, that is probably the reason why you got the slave cylinder part so easily somewhere in the highway! One strong reason why one should only drive a car which is sold little, prefer a car with a lot of popularity and service network in the region where you are going.

For instance, I had no problem taking my Matiz to any of the remotest parts of Himachal or Punjab, the car was the most popular small car in its hey days (next to the M800 of course) and the service network in these 2 States was second to none. Therefore, when I burnt up a clutch plate just 2 kms short of Jalori Jot, I could hitch-hike to Mandi and but the genuine spare parts, repair it on the road and resume my journey instead of being towed!

Batal - the tea shop is located 2-3 kms down towards Chhatru/Gramphoo, I think. Gautam came in from the Kaza side and turned off towards Chandra Tal, would not have seen the tea shop. But I believe that the tea shop is still there.