[vjbox]

What a lifetime of a trip! I was just showing this to my wife with much envy and in the process persuading her to go for that next big car to allow for such massive cross country trips. Thanks for inspiring us with such epic trips and I am hopeful to undertake this sort of an expedition soon enough! Hopefully right after our car upgrade. Godspeed!

[livetodrive]

Originally Posted by bharanidharang

In addition to the essentials for the car, what other essentials did you carry for yourself (like medicines etc) ?

Hi. Thanks for your kind words. We also carried emergency medicines like Domperidone, Dimox, lots of ORS, sunscreen, sunglasses, emergency lights, insect repellents, garbage bags, lots of dry fruits, packed food sufficient to last for 1-2 days in case of adversity, and lots and lots of water. You need to keep sipping water to avoid AMS.

Originally Posted by Turbolove

How did your vehicle perform throughout the whole trip ? I was apprehensive since the nearest Jeep dealer was in Solan, but it was all for nothing as the car performed flawlessly. I'm sure the other ladder frame cars envied you for your settled ride on the bad roads as compared to them.

Thanks. Jeep was absolutely effortless. Never had any issues with the GC and the car never ran out of breath. The drive was indeed planted throughout, and even in the last stretch of Kaza-Manali, Jeep managed on par with the bigger ones.

Originally Posted by bullitt1

Great write up with photos and videos. Would be interesting to know the performance of awd if it was required anytime during the drive.

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy

Trip of a lifetime, very well written and with lovely pics. Did you guys encounter any issues with acclimating to the altitude?
How did the Compass handle off roading compared to the other SUVs?

Originally Posted by sid_deb

Great travelogue! You write well, loved reading through it.

Did you feel the need for AWD? I am thinking of taking my 2WD Innova to Spiti and will be great to hear about your experience on this

Thank you for your kind words. We had slight AMS only at Nako, considering the strong chill winds at that altitude - Mild headache and short of breath, with slight uneasiness. But nothing serious for anyone in the group, including children.

The Jeep performed on par with the other cars. It never went out of power and effortlessly crossed all terrains - river, slush, gravel. On our last day drive to manali, where there was absolutely no road, we had to engage the 4*4 in 1-2 places during steep hairpin climbs on gravel and rocky terrain.

Originally Posted by Amukherjea

So wonderful to read about this trip. Must say I am amazed at the decision to do the staging Blr Cgarh Blr by a single lady.
I read this and tell my wife let's do it again.
She smiles and says let's see you drive to Colaba from Andheri and back during office time. Which I can assure to non Mumbaikars is not a trip for the faint hearted.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Wishing you both many more years of happiness together. We are still a long way to reach that milestone

Well, Shikha has stayed in Mumbai for couple of months, and she says driving Andheri - Spiti is easier than Andheri - Colaba on a weekday.
Lets plan a trip together

[matchvan]

More power to your better half.
What an excellent way to end the day for me, read it in one go.
Truly inspiring.
Today morning I was telling one of student that she should learn driving by the end of this year, before her graduation and now i got to read this travelogue.
I shall show this to her tomorrow.
Glad that I'm part of this forum.
First thing I did was to send the link to my wife.
She started driving in 2002 and easily zips pasts the traffic in old city Hyderabad, but never did a solo trip.
Ofcourse, now I am her Chauffeur for lifetime.
Amazing write-up interlaced with anecdotes which remind that humanity still exists and gives us hope.
Wish you many more years of togetherness and many more successful trips.
Stay Blessed, Stay Safe.

[Dippy]

This trip account made me nostalgic. I took exactly the same round trip in September 2018 with Mahindra Adventure in their Spiti Escape. My steed was a Thar and what a trip it was. We stayed in exactly the same hotels as you guys did and my room view at Kaza was the same too. Except that in Manali we stayed at a Club Mahindra resort.

The Spiti circuit is amazing and I cant wait to go back again.

[abhatt]

I have 3 trips on my list 1. Himachal (Spiti and Leh is Ambitious) 2. North Kerala and Coastal Karnataka ending in Goa 3) Kutch > Dwarka > Diu > Gir > Ferry ride with car to Surat.

I want to go to Himachal before WFH ends and wondering if 4X4 is needed? I have a Limited Manual Diesel. Shall i wait for the summer?

[Coastrider]

What a fabulous travelogue. I have never been to Spiti or ever done beyond a 900km stretch but I felt teleported by just looking at the mesmerizing pictures n amazed at the skill and determination shown by you.
Truly incredible and I admit I have taken down plenty of notes from your travelogue which will hope to inspire and guide me when I take the road (albeit a different route) to Spiti.

The scenery and the food pics were best of the lot but those pics of cattle loitering on highways was enough to give me goosebumps. I can't imagine circumventing them while cruising at 100 km/hr because the cattle don't come with indicators.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by livetodrive

Considering the experience I always had with FCA Hyd Service centre, I prefer leaving my car only with them, the people I trust.

I can relate to this, having owned a FCA car in the past. Fortunately; I had a decent experience with KHT in Bangalore and post warranty the car was maintained by Bosch, Hoodi. Its an option for you to consider, if you don't have the time to drive all the way to Hyderabad! Its a nice place to visit, if you want to get the feel of the place before you hand the car to them. They get everything from the latest to some really old cars fixed, restored. I won't call it a first class service experience but they do have good mechanics (no cowboys) and the owner is an enthusiast.

There was a time I used to frequent Delhi to Chandigarh by road (after catching a Bangalore Delhi flight) to visit in laws. That changed after the introduction of the direct flight to Chandigarh, which was a blessing.
I never liked that road journey as it took up the entire day. I am talking about 2016 and earlier. It was a multi lane road but with too many diversions and something or the other slowing you down. I have a clear memory of all those massive dhabaas. Most had the name vaishno which I never understood. My Hindi is bad. The only hope was Paal dhabba after reaching Chandigarh so was a bit of a wait. That said, most of these dhabaas did a fantastic spread to the point that I did not miss eating meat.

That is one heck of a solo drive. I dream of doing trips like this.

[TurboGuy]

Wow! Amazing thread and the photographs and the video clips are icing on the cake. Looks like both of you had drive of a life time in this lovely machine which isn't even a year old.

Originally Posted by livetodrive

Jeep was absolutely effortless. Never had any issues with the GC and the car never ran out of breath.

This is re-assuring. A Jeeper friend had plans to join with another group this summer but had to let go as his work schedule got changed. Even otherwise, he was skeptical about driving the Compass up there as the nearest ASC was miles away and of course the GC. But it appears that it shouldn't be a problem.

Originally Posted by livetodrive

The Jeep performed on par with the other cars. It never went out of power and effortlessly crossed all terrains - river, slush, gravel.

A question on the DPF - Should one be worried about DPF while driving in this extreme conditions? Did you take any precautions?

[austere_sly]

Very nicely written travelogue. Kept me hooked till the end. We (wife, 3 yrs old son and I) did a Delhi - Chitkul along with another couple in Duster and SX4 in 2018. Pictures and videos brought back memories from that trip.

From Delhi to Chandigarh, NH44 is a good road beyond Panipat. Till then there are lot of diversions. It seems road to Hatu peak has improved now. So has the road from Sangla to Chitkul. When we travelled, it was only gravel in some stretch for couple kms.

Spiti remains in our to do list. Kudos to Shikha for doing solo cross country trip.

[ABHI_1512]

One heck of a drive and what an experience to share. Congratulations to Deepshikha specially and to you both, for completing a tricky drive through the central India while driving solo and enjoying the view of Taj while being rescued by security guards, some stories to enjoy for the later part of life.

Going with an organised tour planner has its own charm and certainly adds to the comfort factor without the usual uncertainties. Glad that you both enjoyed the trip and the pictures came out wonderfully well. There is nothing better than enjoying what someone loves and the pictures do tell the happy faces. Thanks for penning down this wonderful log of a brilliant trip. Will wait for the next sojourn with that wonderful vehicle.
Special mention of the feel good videos, they are really well shot.

Regards.

Originally Posted by sunil thomas

I was in office when I saw this, and moment I started reading all my official work came to a grinding halt! Literally or Virtually travelled with you throughout the drive Bangalore to Spiti! Written so well with wonderful videos and photographs, I actually took lot of time going through it. You make one fine adventurous couple no doubt CHEERS!!! Finally you managed to unleash your beast of a vehicle, the awesome JEEP Compass that too 4X4.

So good to hear from you Sir, glad that you still remember your password here

[livetodrive]

Originally Posted by abhatt

I want to go to Himachal before WFH ends and wondering if 4X4 is needed? I have a Limited Manual Diesel. Shall i wait for the summer?

From what I heard recently, most of the areas we drove in Spiti last month is covered under snow. We did have to engage 4*4 in very few stretches, specially the steep hairpin climbs on non-existent roads. Considering driving on snow is even more challenging, would request you to check with someone experienced. I am still waiting for a chance to drive in snow

Originally Posted by Coastrider

The scenery and the food pics were best of the lot but those pics of cattle loitering on highways was enough to give me goosebumps. I can't imagine circumventing them while cruising at 100 km/hr because the cattle don't come with indicators.

I agree. As per Shikha, the rains this year have ensured you cannot drive beyond 40-50kmph on this road. The potholes are so many in numbers and so humongous that either of the 4 tires will definitely be in one or the other pothole. Which in turn, helps you notice the cattle from a distance

Originally Posted by TurboGuy

A question on the DPF - Should one be worried about DPF while driving in this extreme conditions? Did you take any precautions?

Nothing to be worried about, if you are referring to the extreme temperature changes. At least none of cars in our convoy faced any challenge. However, we did carry a spare 5ltr can along, which is always advisable.

[Baddychat]

@livetodrive I thoroughly enjoyed reading your travelogue and duly rated this thread a well deserved *****.

I was absolutely glued to this thread and read it at one go. Loved the videos you created using the dash cam footage and the use of the Metallica track made it even sweeter :-).

I have been driving a diesel manual 4x2 for more than a year but still haven't found time to go on one of these trips. Maybe sometime soon. I did a Delhi-Kolkata late last year and loved how the Compass cruises and munches up miles without a fuss.

More power to the both of you. Keep travelling and keep sharing such amazing experiences.

[livetodrive]

Originally Posted by Baddychat

@livetodrive I thoroughly enjoyed reading your travelogue and duly rated this thread a well deserved *****.

I was absolutely glued to this thread and read it at one go. Loved the videos you created using the dash cam footage and the use of the Metallica track made it even sweeter :-).

@Baddychat, glad you liked the write up and videos. Driving through the Kalpa - Nako - Kaza stretch felt surreal and the dashcam time lapse captures with the rusty roads just felt right with the mood of this song. Thank you.

[PRS7]

that's quite a fascinating travelogue ! thank you !
Just curious to know , which is the FCA service center that you consider in high regards, makes you drive from BLR to HYD for service. Your input surely will benefit me being a hyderabadi citizen, if you are OK to share.

Cheers

[sukhbirST]

Mind boggling drive with full of guts and glory. Women power at its best.

Drive from Hyd to Noida will come handy, as am planning a trip from kakinada via Hyd to Mohali via Noida. Will surely travel to Spiti sometime later. My wife is from Dharamshala (called old Himachal) and she wants to see places beyond Shimla (called new Himachal). Many thanks for photos and route details.