SPITI VALLEY - ROAD TRIP INTO THE HIMALAYAS - KAZA - CHANDRATAAL - MANALI - 3/3

We had reached Kaza, slightly behind schedule and tired, but safe and having a ball along the way. 

Read Part 1 of this blog on drive from Nashik to Rampur Bhushahr by clicking here and read Part 2 of this blog on the drive from Rampur Bushahr to Kaza via. Chitkul by clicking here.

Having finished our journey till Kaza, we were all relaxed. The tough part seemed to be behind us and we looked forward to having an easy day (the only time we stayed in a place for 2 nights) for visiting Komic, Langza and Hikkim. The trip ahead to Chandrataal also seemed fun, but the availability of information about Chandrataal Lake is quote less compared to other parts of Spiti.

Oh boy!! Were we wrong? The upcoming few days in Spiti Valley threw up the most challenging terrain, the most beautiful scenery and unforgettable memories of our lifetime. Read on for more..

On Day 10, the guys headed out of Kaza to visit Hikkim (highest postoffice in the world), Komic (Highest village connected by motor able road) and Langza (Buddha statue). But the unpredictable nature of Spiti had a surprise for us.

We decided to take only the Thar as it had been raining since the last evening and we were going to be coming back to Kaza in the evening. After piling into the Thar, we first visited Komic.

After some much needed hot ginger tea, we proceeded to Hikkim..

Hikkim.. World's highest Post Office

After leaving from Hikkim and driving towards Langza, we faced some heavy rains and all of a sudden the road turned into slush. Cars were slipping and sliding and an Innova ahead of us actually turned around 180 deg. and faced us. Taking advantage of the 4X4, we inched ahead and finally cleared the slushy area after a lot of sliding around ourselves. It was a scary experience, especially for my co-adventurers who have had no taste of 4X4 off-roading earlier :)

After our ordeal, we warned 3-4 vehicles heading up towards Hikkim. But I am not sure if they paid any attention to our suggestion of not proceeding ahead.

We all decided to return back to Kaza as we had had our share of adventure for the day and also because the rain was not letting up. Taking advantage of our early return, we headed back to Kaza city in the evening and had dinner at Hotel Deyzor. In my opinion, Hotel Deyzor is the best hotel in Kaza and the food was absolutely delicious. Although let me give you a heads up that they give first preference to in-house guests and very few walk-ins are taken at mealtimes. So head there early, if you want to ensure getting a meal.

With the owner, Karanbir Singh Bedi and his better half :)

On Day 11, we left early from Kaza. It was going to be a long day and one of our toughest drives, with visit to Key Monastery enroute to Chandra Taal. As per my understanding, the roads after Kaza (beyond Key Monastery)are not open in the winters. Thus, their upkeep even during the summer season is not top priority and the road condition can be quite bad. 

The drive from Kaza to Key Monastery is awesome, with silky smooth roads. The views enroute are to amazing too..

We reached Key Monastery really early and found the monks having breakfast in the main prayer room. This was followed by their prayer session. It was a magical experience for me to be present during the rhythmic chanting of the scrolls. I feel really privileged to be present in the monastery at this moment.

We drove ahead of Key Monastery after a good breakfast in the on-site cafe and after playing with the small monks in-training.  The scenery as we drove ahead is the best that I have seen in my life..

One of my favourite pics.. in Kibbar

With a backdrop like that, how could I not pose for a pic with my Thar :) 

Pics clicked randomly along the road

A speck in the vastness of Spiti

View through my window

At Chicham bridge, Asia's highest bridge at 13,596 feet.

Wooden Bridges

Driving ahead, the views kept getting better..

The roads were starting to show signs of getting bad.. although still manageable..

We reached Losar around 01:30 pm, where we stopped for lunch. The road had been getting worse after Kibbar and we found several travellers with vehicle troubles and punctures in Losar. We helped out as much as we could with our tools and knowledge.

We were informed that the road ahead to Kunzum Top (one of the highest passes at 15059 feet) and then onwards to Chandra Taal was much worse, which got me worried as the road condition was already pretty bad. We drove ahead with apprehension and the roads indeed were pathetic, definitely the worse that we had encountered in our entire trip. In most of the drive after Losar, there were no roads at all. Also, it was very confusing at times as there were several roads diverging from a point and no signboards. These roads have been made as different travellers chose different routes to drive ahead, leaving us totally lost.

Finally we made it upto Kunzum Top. There is a Kunzum Mata temple at the top and it's a ritual for every vehicle reaching the top to drive around the temple before proceeding ahead.

Driving ahead from Kumzum Top, the road just kept getting bad to worse..

Road heading down from Kumzum Top towards Batal

Driving ahead we came to a signboard that said Chandra Taal was 13.5 kms. ahead. I thought we were home free, but boy was I in for a surprise..

The road ahead was mountainous, treacherous, narrow and no boundary or markings on the valley side. We encountered some cyclists and they had to pick up their bicycles on their shoulders and stand to give enough space to our Thar to get through. Don't even ask about the time an Innova came from the opposite direction, which ensured a time consuming game of reversing and making space for two cars. It was a nightmare.

Finally we made it to the camps at Chandrataal. My shoulders felt like rocks and I was exhausted. These last 13.5 kms. are definitely my toughest driving test and I am very proud that I got through without even a scratch on my Thar.

We checked into our camp at 05:30 pm and decided to head to the lake immediately, so that we were free to leave for Manali early the next day. The army post allows permit only till 6 pm to drive towards the lake, which is a 2.5 km drive uphill from the camps area. We made the deadline and moved ahead.

After driving up the mountain, you have to trek for about 20-30 mins. from the parking area to reach the lake, a feat in itself at such high altitude. The exhaustion from driving and the extremely cold weather (coldest in our trip) didn't help much. Finally we made it to the lake, and all the efforts were worth it. The exhaustion disappeared and I felt rejuvenated and refreshed.

At Chandra Taal Lake

It was getting dark by the time we got back to camp.

The temperature was near 0 degree and we desperately needed some warmth. Some scotch and namkeen went a long way and then we headed to dinner. The dinner tent was a large tent with a big chimney in the middle to provide heat. Dinner included some boiled veggies, dal and rice. In such conditions, the food was delicious. Lights out was at 09:30 pm and we didn't need any other excuse to get under the warm blankets and sleep.

On Day 12, inspite of deciding to leave early morning, we departed only by 8 am after feasting on hot chai and bread-jam. Such a simple breakfast never tasted so good. We proceeded ahead quickly as we had to cross 3 major water crossings including the infamous chota dhara.

A video shot on Mack's GoPro might give you an idea about the Chandra Taal road, heading back towards Batal. Believe me, the road is much more treacherous and difficult at the end of the day in fading light, like when we had traversed it while going.

Our first stop was at Batal, at the famous Chacha-Chachi Chandra dhaba. They are well known in these parts for their open hearts and generosity towards travellers.

With Chacha and Chachi at Chandra Dhaba

After a quick tea stop, we proceeded ahead again. The landscape again made me feel as if we were driving on the moon. It was bare, rugged and grey. 

Soon, we came across the infamous water crossings. We were lucky to find the water level low, as we were crossing in the morning. The water levels rise substantially in the afternoon, as the ice melts at the top of the mountains with the sunshine and water flows down dangerously. It is not uncommon for a flash flood to occur if a large chunk of ice breaks away. It's always advisable to get through the water crossings as early in the day as possible, and as quickly as possible. Please don't stop and start taking pictures in the middle of it.

Finally, we were coming to the end of the Spiti circuit. The road was still narrow and treacherous but the end of the road was calling us. There is absolutely nothing on this road. So we made good progress.

We started our accent on a severe hill, where the road was completely washed out and there was dried mud everywhere. It had been a large mudslide a couple of day back, and we were lucky to be coming a few days later. Finally, we took a turn and the Malani-Leh highway lay before ahead. It was the first time we were seeing tarmac in quite a days.

We drove towards Manali and reached Rohtang Pass. It was extremely crowded, being August 15 and a holiday.

Happy Independence Day from Rohtang Pass

We drove into Manali and checked into Ride Inn Cafe. It is a specialty B&B, which has been custom made for bikers. 

Beautifully thought out and decorated cafe

Hotel Review: Ride Inn Cafe, Manali

Rating: 4/5

Review:

We checked into 3 rooms as the hotel does not allow triple occupancy. The rooms are comfortable and all basic necessities are available. The bathroom is very good as well. It was really luxurious after spending the previous night at a tent in Chandra Taal.

The cafe is on the top floor. It's been designed beautifully and the view form the terrace is amazing. We enjoyed ourselves with steaming cups of tea in the chilli evening. 

The food also was delicious. The kitchen is looked after by the owner and the quality is evident. We had a good Indian meal at dinner.

The reason that I have reduced 1 star is because of electricity problem. There was no electricity during most of our stay duration. This was because of heavy rainfall the earlier day, but the hotel should have some kind of back-up. During our entire stay, we had electricity for about 4 hrs. only. We spent the evening with our torches lighting the room.

Now that we were back in civilisation, it was time to head back home. The return journey was planned in the same way as the one we took while coming. We would cover as much distance as possible and then stay when dusk settled in.

On Day 13, we departed early from Manali and drove towards Chandigarh. The roads were not in great condition owing to the rains. But we made good headway. Driving throughout the day, the heat of Rajasthan and the traffic let us get only to Rohtak. He decided to call it a day and checked-in to Hotel Lavenir.

Hotel Review: Hotel Lavenir, Rohtak

Rating: 4/5

Review:

The hotel was absolutely new and only 10 rooms were operational when we stayed. The restaurant was also under construction. The hotel promised us dinner in room service and we were happy. Besides we got a good deal as the hotel was still under construction.

We checked-in to 2 rooms on triple occupancy basis. The rooms were large and even a third mattress left enough room to walk around. The rooms were well lit and there was TV and A/C.

The staff was super helpful, maybe because we were one fo the first few guests staying in the hotel.

The tea and sandwich served for snacks was good. The dinner was tasty, but extremely oily. We were told that the kitchen has started and all food was cooked in-house. There is a 'Great Kebab Factory' restaurant in the adjacent building, but we were too tired to venture out for dinner.

On Day 14, we again departed early morning as we wanted to cover as much distance as possible. Today we made it to Neemuch, which was short of our target destination of Chittorgarh. But our rule of not driving after dusk was followed religiously.

Hotel Review: Hotel Tanishq The Resort of Fun, Nimbahera

Rating: 3/5

Review:

We made our reservation on a travel website before reaching and even called the hotel to confirm. Still, we had to wait 10 mins. on the gate while the security checked our reservation. Next, at check-in, the person at reception told us that they will serve us dinner in restaurant only if there was no family eating there. Else, dinner would be served in room service only. 

We couldn't understand if they were fussy and suspicious only with us or with all guests.

The rooms were good. The hotel does not allow triple occupancy, so we took 3 rooms. The hotel is very new and everything was in great shape. The bathroom is also large with soaps provided. There are no TVs in the rooms though.

The food taste was good. But the service is really struggling to cope up. As far as I could see, we were the only guests in the hotel. Still we were forced to have dinner in our room. The food was brought to us in batches and the roti was over before the vegetables came. The rice came last, when there was no dal or vegetable left.

Overall, a very average stay.

Day 15, last day... We left early morning the next day. We had to cover 650 kms. to reach Nasik but we were determined to get home. Smooth roads, less traffic and God's grace got us to Nasik at 05:30 pm.

Welcomed back by our awesome riding brothers

Total kms. clocked in entire trip

I hope that I have been able to show a little bit of the magic of Spiti through the narration of my experience. Spiti is a magical place and I have definitely left a part of my heart there, which keeps longing to go back as soon as possible.

Also, the videos from inside the vehicle have been recorded on my Transcend Drivepro 230 dashcam. You can ready my detailed review by clicking here.

THAR TRAILS- MAHINDRA GREAT ESCAPE OFF-ROAD LONAVALA 2019

Every true off-roader awaits the rainy season like the cricket fans await the World Cup. The rainy season brings mud, slush and water, making every terrain a playground for off-roading. I am no different and come June, I frequently sneak glances up at the sky, searching for the rain clouds. 

With rains on the anvil, I participated in the Mahindra Great Escape event in Lonavala in July, 2019. This event is an annual pilgrimage for many Mahindra SUV owners.

The Great Escape is an event organised by Mahindra Adventure for Mahindra vehicle owners only. This event is being organised since 1996 in various parts of India and this round in Lonavala was the 162nd Great Escape event. Currently the event is organised in 6 cities such as Lonavala, Goa, Chandigarh etc. There are separate 4X2 and 4X4 categories, with the 4X4 track obviously being more extreme. 

This is a half-day event, starting at 8 am and finishing by 4 pm. It is not a competitive event. Instead, it's a great way to enjoy some tough off-roading with guidance from experts. The course covers several obstacles of varying difficulty and all participants tackle these to the best of their abilities. Of course the marshals and recovery vehicles combined with the experience and capability of the organisers ensures that everyone goes home smiling.

Get to know more about these and other Mahindra Adventure evens and training courses on their website https://www.mahindraadventure.com. You can also register for their events online.

This was my second Great Escape event, having participated in the 2017 Lonavala edition of the event too. However, having gotten more experience of off-roading over the last two years, I was looking forward to to participating in this event. 

Our journey began from home in Nasik a day before. The weather looked promising for heavy rains, which made me even more excited for the event the next day. We reached Lonavala and after a good nights rest, we were pumped up for the event. We had to report to Club Mahindra Tungi Resort, Lonavala where the registration and briefing was to take place. Then onwards we would head to the track for the action.

Club Mahindra Tungi resort is tucked away in a very green area, about 1 hour (25 kms.) drive from Lonavala. It's adjoining the Tungi lake and a great place to get away from the city.

Beautiful view of Tungi lake from Club Mahindra Resort

Get..Set..Go

The event cost of Rs. 4000 (For 1 vehicle and a team of 2 persons) includes breakfast, lunch, goodies, participation certificates and of course the support of marshals all through the course. After registration, a hearty breakfast and a quick briefing, it was time to push off. As usual, we got awesome goodies from the organisers including T-shirt, cap, stickers, keychain etc. We also got a trail pack which included water, biscuits, juice and cake.

We are ready...

The off-road track was located at 19 Degree North Adventure Park. This adventure park is a part of Aamby Valley City. It is located 20 kms. from Club Mahindra Tungi.

The gate of the adventure park is bang opposite the Aamby Valley City main gate. We drove in and straight away got into the track, which was a small dirt road heading into the forest.

Since there are about 40 vehicles participating, there is a queue, especially at tough obstacles as vehicles need several attempts to finish or need to get towed out. Soon we were at Obstacle 1. This obstacle was a tough one. It had a steep slope with a large stone in the middle. We needed to go down in 4X4 L in 1st gear. The rear bumper of my Thar hit the stone hard. This was followed by a tight right hander. On the turn, you had boulders on the right hand side and a mound of mud on the left hand side. So the car tilted pretty steeply to the right side while crossing this obstacle. Again, my bumper hit the boulders hard, but we got out without any hassles. I have put several videos of the obstacles at the end of the blog for you to enjoy. Don't miss out watching these!!

Subsequent to this obstacle, we regrouped in an area to allow all the vehicles to complete the obstacle and proceed ahead. Unfortunately, we had to wait at this area for almost 2 hours. It was frustrating to wait, but it also gave us an opportunity to meet fellow like-minded off-roading enthusiasts and chat up on driving, experiences and if you are a jeeper, you will realise that no conversation is complete without common car problems :)

Later, we learned from one of the marshals that a Thar had overturned on Obstacle 1, and the recovery took time. Luckily it wasn't a major accident and the participant continued on the course.

Was the colour black or brown :)

Finally the rain Gods obliged and we got a good downpour.. off-roading is so much more fun in rains, even the mundane drive through the jungle is so much more exciting.

It's not all fun & games though. Vehicles getting stuck is common and the recovery team is always present at treacherous areas to assist us. Below is a video of the winching of a vehicle out of heavy muck, which is not visible under the water, leading to all vehicles going through this patch getting stuck.

The penultimate obstacle.. trust me, it's much more difficult than it looks. It's imperative to keep momentum going uphill. You lose momentum, and you have to come back all the way down and try again.

The roar of the engine in 4WD L, the car swerving through the muck, the dirt flying through the tyres.. its addictive. You have to experience it to believe it. 

After a lot of driving around in the jungle, making our own roads, we reached the last obstacle. The path to reach the obstacle itself was a steep slope and parking on such a slope was also dangerous. It was taking a long time and finally we lost patience and started trekking to the top of the mountain to check out the delay. 

When we got there, we realised that we were in for a lot of fun. The obstacle was a steep slope full of slush and zero grip. It was a straight up slope, followed by a tight right hander, then again a steep slope, followed by a tight left hander and then you finally made it to the top of the mountain. All the cars were losing momentum and coming back down to start again. The cars that at least made the first turn were being winched out by the recovery Thar, which had MT tyres and a sturdy tow rope. The rest had to come back to the starting point and try again.

Finally after an hour, it was our turn. 3 cars ahead of us had to be winched out. We got instructions from the marshals to keep the momentum. We blasted off from the starting point and reached the right hander quite easily. But there lay the problem. It was a really tight turn and there was large boulder at the left hand corner. Our instinct is to leave the accelerator and manoeuver the car to the right hand corner to avoid the boulder. But leaving the accelerator means losing momentum, which is a sure shot way to get stuck here. So I decided to bulldoze through. The car was jumping and I honestly have no idea about how many stones and boulders I drove over. Now, at the second straight slope, the slush was very severe as many cars had been stuck here and their tyres had left big grooves. Accelerating through this area meant that the vehicle was swerving all over. My heart skipped a beat as I caught a glimpse of the steep ravine on my right side. But this was not a moment to chicken out. Swerving and sliding, I hung onto the steering wheel and we made it through the slush and to the left hand turn. With the momentum, this turn was easy and we took it in our stride and reached the top. What a momentous moment!! We felt like kings, being only a handful of cars to make it up in one attempt and unassisted.  

So, it was the end of the course. The number of obstacles in this year's event were fewer than last time, but they were much more technical and difficult. It was a fantastic feeling to come of the other side, without requiring a tow or help from the recovery team.

The Thar came our with flying colours. It took a beating, banging the rear bumper, underbody and side steps several times. But it took every obstacle in it's stride and conquered the terrain without breaking a sweat. Truly a testament to it's off-road capabilities. It is a purpose built vehicle and it fulfils that purpose wonderfully.

I hope to be back for the 2020 edition of the Mahindra Great Escape. Until then happy & safe travels !!

All the below videos have been taken on my Transcend Drivepro 230 dash, which I bought from www.amazon.in. You can also read my detailed review blog of this Dashcam here.