23rd October 2024, 22:25
| #1 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bengaluru
Posts: 438
Thanked: 727 Times
| Solo drive | Bangalore to Ladakh in Mahindra Scorpio 4x4 After my last Ladakh drive in 2016, I had always dreamt of going back to Ladakh again to drive on the wonderful roads of Hanle. Since then, life moved on. I changed jobs and careers; my daughter came in while I lost my mother. COVID came and went during which I spent about 4 years in WFH, which gave time to research and plan extensively for Ladakh trip. In 2021, I bought a RE Himalayan with the idea of riding to Ladakh and toured all over Karnataka to adjusted to the bike. Until 2024, I was fully busy sorting out issues and problems in different areas of my life and I did not get an opportunity to even think of a drive to Ladakh. However, in mid-2024, circumstances changed which gave me time to finally start putting down concrete plans. The initial plan was to travel in the end of Aug 2024, I reached out to friends and relatives looking for some travel companions. Nobody responded positively, few were busy while others had different travel plans. Since I was mostly going to travel alone, I decided to drive instead of ride which meant Kariya would be doing his second Ladakh trip. For the masses, Kariya is my 2012 Scorpio LX 4WD. With the vehicle finalized, I began preparing Scorpio. The odo reading 1,79,512 I knew it would be a challenge to take the Scorpio on such a demanding trip and that too alone.  The following services were done:
With Dasara vacations in October my daughter and wife were going to hometown for a week which left me alone in Bangalore. I thought this was the time for the trip and decided to start on Oct 6th. A final round of connects with family and friends did not yield any companions, so it was going to be a solo trip. Somehow, I felt happy within, maybe I prefer to travel alone and travel my way without any dependencies. With the date finalized, it was time for final preparations. I put an air bed, folding chair, mat, portable stove, groceries, 50-liter Bisleri can, car spares into the Scorpio. Bought 2 fuel cans each of 20L to carry diesel. All these and my clothes for 15 days covered the entire floor area in Scorpio. I did not keep anything on the seats, as I wanted to keep it empty so that the seats could be folded down and the air bed can be quickly put on top to form a queen size bed. The plan was to do a circle starting from Srinagar side and return via Manali highway. To reach Srinagar, I would be driving 6 am to 8 pm every day and check-in to a room in nearest town. My daughter left to hometown on Oct 6th, wife was finishing her work and was scheduled to leave on Tuesday. I planned to start on 6 am on Sunday, filled diesel into the Scorpio and 20L fuel cans on Saturday night, everything was packed and Kariya was ready. Usually, I wouldn't get sleep if I am travelling the next day, but surprisingly I slept well. Woke up at 5 am, performed morning duties, got ready and said a simple goodbye to my wife and started. It was a very simple bye without realizing the magnitude of the solo journey I was about to start. Maybe she had confidence that I would return safely or she did not want to mood spoiler at the begining itself. Nevertheless, it was a good start. Day 1: Bangalore, KA to Malegaon, MH. 1050 KMS, ~14 hours Started at 6 am, went to the next-door Shell petrol bunk and filled air pressure to 34 PSI, got valve caps for all 4 tyres, tipped the attendant and started. This was the only check I did for the tyres in the entire trip, they performed beautifully without a single skid or wheelspin anywhere. Road, offroad, concrete, sand, snow, ice, gravel, loose stones, steel plates everything the tyres gobbled up without any issue. Google maps my trusty companion started acting wierdly on the Android player. It used to exit automatically after few mins. I tried Android auto on my two phones, unfortunately both did not connect. Wired/Wireless AA, nothing worked. I thought what a start, being solo I had limited options. Finally, I uninstalled Google Maps and installed 2020 version of Google Maps. It worked flawlessly throughout the trip. With Navigation sorted out, I could focus on the road and reached Vijayapura bypass by 2 pm with a quick breakfast stop at a roadside stall. The route I had planned was via Pandharpur, Shirdi as I wanted to avoid night driving in Kannad Ghat. I enquired about Pandharpur Road condition at IOC petrol bunk, who advised against it. But I still went ahead, which turned out to be a wrong decision and wasted time and effort. From Vijayapur up to Manmad it was bad roads - undivided highway, divided 4 lanes with bad road surface, local traffic and rains made driving a pain. I cursed myself for taking this route, but somehow continued. From Manmad, took left towards Chandwad and joined Nashik - Dhule highway. I had planned to reach Dhule for the night but was feeling tired. So, after a sumptuous Biryani at Malegaon, went to a Jio-BP bunk to tank up. Was feeling very sleepy, asked them I can rest a while, they obliged. After filling diesel, parked the car and prepared the bed. The air bed was ready in about 10 mins and I was in deep sleep within next 10 mins. I had rolled up all windows, locked the car and just kept the butterfly windows open for ventilation.  My bed inside Kariya Day 2: Malegaon, MH to Bundi, RJ. 680 KMs, ~9 hours Got up feeling refreshed at 5 am. Utilized the washroom at the petrol bunk to freshen up and hit the road by 6 am. Roads were good from Malegaon onwards. Entered MP and encountered humps at almost every village. I could feel that the brakes were not sharp. At some humps I had to go over the humps at speed as Kariya was not slowing down despite braking hard. There was no tyre skidding as well, so I assumed that the brakes might have caught some dust/gravel and might need cleaning. With upcoming NE4 and other expressway, I thought it would be safe to get the brakes checked and then proceed. So, I looked up Google and found a Mahindra Service Centre at Ratlam bypass which is exactly on my route. Reached MASS by 10.30 am and explained my issue to the service manager. He was kind enough to quickly assign a technician despite heavy load of cars there. After a test drive, the technician said the brakes seemed normal, but nevertheless, he will check and clean the. It took a while to open a job card and for the technician to start work. The front brake pads were good, they were cleaned and scrubbed with sandpaper and put back. The rear brake liners were found to be worn out at the edges, resulting in reduced contact with brake drum, reducing the effectiveness of the brakes. Although they still had life in them, I got them changed with new ones which improved the braking performance. Got the air filter cleaned and technician cleaned the MAF as well. Kariya was now ready, but billing was delayed as it was lunch time. Completed the billing and went next door to a private wash centre and got the exterior and underbody washed. With everything back in top condition, it was already 5 pm, I decided to drive on till 10 pm and then halt for the night. From Ratlam, I entered the NE4 and wide 4 lanes with very sparse traffic encouraged me maintain a constant 120 KMPH. At these speeds, the fuel needle started moving towards E. I stopped on the side of the highway to fill up diesel from the 2 cans. Never thought this would be such complex task. As I started pouring the diesel from the can into the funnel, it would go out of position and diesel would spill everywhere.  I thought, so much for solo travelling, I wanted someone to hold the funnel in place. On the expressway there were no cars and no people. Even the occasional cars were doing 100+ and did not bother to stop. I planned to wave down a truck and get help from the trucker, but unfortunately not a single truck came. I decided to take matters in my own hands, i remembered i had packed a brown packaging tape. So took it out and taped the funnel tightly to the tank mouth and then poured the diesel. Lifting and holding 20+ KGs for 10 mins turned out to be very tiring. Finally, it worked and, in the end, I wasted by 500 ml of diesel and hands were smelly. Had soap and water and was able to wash off the smell and hit the road again. Roads improved drastically from Kota bypass onwards and i was near Bundi around 10 pm. Had dinner at a Dhaba and drove on till 11 pm. Started feeling sleepy, so pulled over at IOC bunk and sleeping on the bed in about 20 mins. Having the butterfly windows open did not help, as the weather was hot and humid. I started the engine and ran the AC in lowest setting and slept. Day 3: Bundi, RJ to Sissu, HP. 1000KMs, ~16 hours Woke up at 5 am expecting to see huge movement of fuel needle, but was surprised by how little fuel was consumed (maybe 3-4 litres). Packed up the bed and realized that there was no water the washroom of the bunk. Used Bisleri water to freshen up and then i was on the road by 6 am. The initial plan was to take the Zoji La route to Kargil and Zanskar. But few calls to home and work changed the plan. Credit to Trans-Haryana highway, such good roads, very less traffic and plenty of time to think and plan. Although some might feel bored, but for a tiring traveller such expressways are a wonderful way to relax and introspect. So, plans were made on the go. Enquired about road condition of Manali - Leh highway and bookings for stay were made at Sissu. Did not plan stay at Manali as i wanted to gain some altitude in order acclimatize for the days ahead. Google maps took me through Derra Bassi & Chandigarh which i felt could have been avoided if Shambu border blockage was cleared. Tanked up at Rupnagar and also filled up the 20 Liter cans blissfully forgot about the fuel embargo in Atal tunnel. Pleasantly surprised by the tolled highway up to Sunder Nagar. Although speed limit says 60 KMPH, i realized that it's not sectional speed limit, still wondered why put so many speed cameras. Traffic was quite less probably because it was late in the day and season was closing. Reached Manali around 8.30 pm, wasn't tired so kept driving towards Sissu. There was zero traffic beyond Manali towards Sissu, except for few trucks mine was the only car on road. I guess the hills shutdown soon after sunset. I could see that Hotels were still open, so i was emboldened to continue on. Reached Sissu hotel by 10 pm and that's when the cold hit me. I checked in, had simple dinner for white rice, dal and omelette and slept. The next day is where the adventure starts. Day 4: Sissu, HP to Padum, Zanskar, Ladakh. 190 KMs, ~8 hours Woke up in the morning to realize i was in the Himalayas, surrounded by towering peaks.  View from my room Changed into winter clothing and started from Hotel around 7 am. Reached Keylong and tanked up Kariya, although i had fuel in cans, i wanted to fill up so that some amount of anti-freeze gets into the tank. Next, was to have breakfast. Found a nice hotel by the Bhaga river and had parottas and tea. From here on, i decided to take it slowly allowing myself to get acclimatized. Started daily doses of Diamox. This was more of a preventive measure to avoid AMS. One of the virtues of travelling solo is that you can't afford to fall sick. I had taken Jio postpaid from Bangalore which was put into action here. Made calls to my family back home informing about my whereabouts and lack of connectivity from here on. The weather was very pleasant. It was bright, sunny and clear blue skies. Looks like it was the right time too head into the mountains and fortunately for me it stayed like this throughout my drive in the Himalayas.   Pretty soon reached Darcha and went straight-on towards Shinku La. The road is almost complete and fully tarred except for few places where it was being re-laid, absolutely no problem for Kariya. I was in Shinku La top in no time. Hopped out of Kariya, took some snaps and felt the chill of the wind and hopped back into Kariya and turned on the heater.  Kariya - my Scorpio at Shinku La Climbed down Shinku La and headed towards Gonbo Rangjon, there were few tents still there which were mostly empty, i did not stop there and just kept driving admiring the beauty and solitude of Gonbo Rongjon in Kariya's mirrors. The road was mostly good with few dusty patches, traffic was quite less and everyone i encountered were travelling in their own pace, stopping for photos and admiring the nature.  One of the many attempts to get a highway wallpaper for my phone I was stopped at a check post and had enter my details. This was the first of many curios questions on why i was travelling alone and that too from such a far distance. Some thought i was great to be doing this alone and some said i should have some company for safety (more on this later..). Nevertheless, i carried on, enjoying my solitude and my drive. In the last couple of years, i had spent countless hours researching routes across Ladakh. I was especially interested in the routes into Zanskar, i could remember myself going over google maps satellite view and looking at the road from Darcha to Padum, had even reached out to BRO enquiring about Shinku La tunnel. Now, all the research was now paying fruits. Made a lot of stops awestruck by the landscape and trying to take as many wallpapers as possible.  That's me and my Kariya  That's my ride..  By 3 pm i reached Padum, i knew i would not be able to carry on till Leh and looked for a hotel. The main street in Padum was being re-laid so, it was very dusty. It was getting very cold and looking at the locals, i wanted to cover much tighter, so bought a pair of fleece gloves, neck warmer and a headcap. Googled for an accommodation and got a nice deal at Hotel Omasila for Rs 1500/- with buffet breakfast and dinner. As it was getting cold, i knew the night would be even colder so bought a small heater and put it to good use through out the trip. The food was good and called it a night. Tomorrow i had plan to reach Leh, but was told that the shortest route via Chilling and Nimmoo was open only on Sunday and Wednesday, tomorrow was neither so i had to take the longer route via Singe La and Sirsir La. With this plan i hit the bed soon. Day 5: Padum to Leh, 300KMs ~8 hours After a good sleep woke up fresh and took a hot bath. Night temperatures had gone down to single digit, cranked up Kariya and he started after a long crank, coughing up few times and then settling to idle RPM. Dusted the Scorpio with the ever-efficient Jopasu duster and Kariya was ready for upcoming photo-ops. Breakfast was ready at 7:30 am, and after a heavy breakfast i left the homestay by 8:30 am. As i rolled out of Padum, i began retrospection. Thought why i have taken so much trouble to drive to Ladakh into this country of cold and dust. I was feeling tired and lonely, maybe i should head back, No i thought, let me carry on and finish what i started. Soon, i was on the banks of Zanskar river, that's where the beauty of raw and untamed Zanskar hit me. With a clear blue sky, sun shining bright the landscape was surreal. I feel happy and joyful whenever there is clear blue sky, without a spec of a cloud. Call me paranoid or what, but seeing such clear skies lifts my mood. The road was newly laid which also made the drive a pleasant experience. I had stop and soak myself in the moment and that's what i did for the next half an hour. Just breathing the fresh morning air, clicking pictures of surroundings and testing with my phone's zoom.  Parked overnight  Living my dream ... just me and my Scorpio in Zanskar    My only weapon for photography was my phone - Samsung S22 Ultra and it was good, especially 10x optical zoom.  One of very distant peaks  With optical zoom  Up close  Picture perfect desktop wallpaper  Another mobile wallpaper  A Majestic hill or mountain?  More vistas by the river  Yours truly One of those moments where nature gives you a fresh dose of energy when you are about to give-up. With this renewed energy, i decided to complete the entire trip no matter what comes up. Last edited by gypsyFreak : 22nd March 2025 at 22:00. Reason: Continuation |
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5th January 2025, 21:20
| #2 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bengaluru
Posts: 438
Thanked: 727 Times
| Re: Solo drive - Bangalore to Ladakh in Scorpio 4x4 The road was mostly good until Nerak, from there i was supposed to enquire at the check post and take the Sirsir La route if Chilling route was closed. There were hardly any vehicles and those that were there were all DL/HR registered. Seems most of the BS3/4 vehicles from NCR had ended up in Ladakh because of the NGT rule. Soon i reached Nerak and BRO told that blasting was in progress and hence, Chilling route is closed, so i took the Singe La route. From the check post it's a quick and steep climb to Singe La. There was a local Scorpio headed in the same direction, so i started following him and he was really flying up the hill. It was probably a 2008/9 MHawk and still had lot of power in it. No wonder Mahindra is the king here. I was driving leisurely stopping for photos every now and then and that's when i realized not stop on a incline.  The road is nothing, but a cliff cut to fit width of a bus  Its still in construction, with steep drop into Zanskar river  That's the upcoming Chilling route  From Nerak, it’s a steep climb to Singe La  Another zoom in pic of mountain In a sharp hairpin, Kariya refused to climb, it seemed there was no power at all. I then engaged 4H and then he climbed up. This was first sign of upcoming trouble, i thought the air filter was blocked and made a point to get it cleaned at Leh tomorrow. From there on i never stopped in a incline. Moved back to 2H and kept constant momentum while going into hairpins and getting into 1st gear at higher RPMs. Probably that's what the local Scorpio was doing. Soon i caught up to him and we drove as a convoy until Wanla  Parked in a slope, which is not advisable   Conquered Singe La .. !!  Sirsir La .. Done  Meanwhile, the Zanskar flows peacefully. In Winters, this becomes the famous Chadar Trek  One of the numerous bridges across the Zanskar  Finally, down the mountains, but carrying a mountain of dust  It was around 6:30 PM when i hit NH1 towards Leh. This road has improved in leaps and bounds since my last drive in 2016. Soon i was driving in the dark, my investment in OSRAM LEDs was paying dividends here. After a while the check battery warning came up in dashboard. Restarting the vehicle did not help, since nothing was affected i continued on and reached Leh around 7:40 pm. My hunt for a good accommodation took about 1 hour as i wanted a good parking spot for Kariya as well. Finally booked a room at Shambala Resort for 2 days. Had dinner and was in bed by 10 pm. The room had a electric blanket as well which was pretty helpful. Tomorrow was rest day, i wanted to get Kariya checked, cleaned and planned to do some local sightseeing. Day 6: Leh - Rest day After 5 days of continuous driving, i wanted to rest and acclimatized. So with just air filter clean and car wash planned, i woke up late. Soon headed to MASS at Leh. The mechanic checked the air filter which was good and then proceeded to clean the MAF sensor with some special fluid, which resulted in slight bump in pickup. He ignored the Check Battery signal as everything was working fine. After this, got Kariya neatly washed and then went back to hotel for a good afternoon sleep. Slept for 2 hours, then decided to go to Leh Market and visit Leh Shanti Stupa. Leh Market was a low-key affair, with me just walking up and down the market street with a hot coffee. After this went to Shanti Stupa, that's when the dreaded Check battery light came on again. There was no electrical problem at all, all lights, horns and were fine. I parked Kariya facing a slope so that i could do a push start if needed. Went up Shanti stupa and spent some time gazing Leh city, that's when a heard a person conversing in my mother tongue over phone. Striked a conversation with him and came to know he was a doctor and he had driven from Chandigarh to Leh in a Thar with 2 other friends. After listening to my story, the same questions : Why come alone? is it safe to come alone?. I just smiled  He advised me to take care and be safe and we went our ways. Shanthi Stupa  Me seeking blessings for successful trip Now i was worried, about the Check Battery light, the Hotel owner told me to go towards Airport where i could find good mechanics. The next day i had plan to go Siachen base camp, but wanted to check the battery first, so with this in mind i called it a day. Day 5: Leh to Stongstet, 170KMs ~5 hours The first order for the day was to get the battery checked. Got up early and was at the airport road by 8.30 pm. It seems mechanics have made a small automobile repair town here. There are shops here catering to different size of vehicles - Cars, SUVs, Pickups, Trucks and Buses. Each shop specializes in a particular area only, i was quickly directed the battery shop. The technician checked the battery and said it was good, he then proceeded to check if the alternator was supplying enough current to the battery. He started the engine and with the engine running, he removed a battery terminal, the engine turned off. He then concluded that the alternator had conked off and was not supplying the required current to the engine and also battery was not getting charged. Now it made sense. Since the battery was new and bigger capacity, i never faced issue till now. However with the continuous running of electrical parts and night drives, the battery had lost much of it's reserve power and as it was not getting charged by the alternator, it was weak and showing the "Check battery" light. With the problem identified, the solution was to service the alternator by adding a new cutout and rewinding the wires. But this was to be done by the head mechanic who was yet to arrive. It took about 2 hours for him to arrive and another 2 hours for him to service the alternator. Meanwhile, i started chatting with Army Engineers there who had come to rebuild engine of Tata Safaris. They expressed their frustration about the quality of Safari's which was evident with 3 Safari's having a dead engine. It seems only minor repairs are done at Army depots and for anything major, they come to local mechanics. It's their way of connecting with the community.  Noon bought in more heat. Standing in the sun, i was feeling my skin slowly getting roasted, i could not bare the heat. Went inside Scorpio and it was cold. I kept the windows open and took a small nap. By 1 pm Kariya was ready, with the alternator serviced, fitted and tested. Made the payments, thanked them for their support and dusted Kariya neatly and left Leh. The plan was to cross Khardung La and head towards Siachen. I had been to Nubra and Turtuk in 2016, so thought of visiting Sasoma, Puga hotsprings and Siachen base camp. I was going to drive until sunset and then get a room in the nearest town. With everything fixed to my satisfaction, i left Leh in the noon and soon was climbing up towards Khardung La.   The roads are being widened up to Khardung La and was still under construction. Post Khardung La there was no constructions as it was the same old roads. But once we get down, there is a lot of confusion as there is lot constructions and diversions towards Shyok and Nubra. Saw Mahindra testing their newer version of Getaway in bright red colour, which was climbing effortlessly. Stopped for lunch at Khalsar and ordered some onion pakodas and a maggi. A gentleman approached asking if i was Bangalore, i nodded. He had seen my Scorpio's number plates and being from Tamil Nadu, he was surprised to see a KA registered vehicle here. Turns out he was a doctor and approached me wanting to converse in Tamil. Well, i did not know Tamil, so we conversed in universal language i.e English and learnt a good deal about each other. He too was surprised at my solo trip and asked the usual questions, why the trip??. After repeating my answers to him, i could realize him understanding the freedom of travelling solo. He took my contact number and expressed his willingness to join me and such trips in the future. Thank you doc for understanding. Post Khalsar, it was new territory for me, i wanted to take it slow and did not want to drive after dark. So, did some calculations and booked myself a homestay in Stongstet, just after Sasoma.  This board reflected my entire journey to Ladakh I reached the homestay just after sunset. It was run by a elderly couple who were very good in their hospitality. Got hot water to freshen up and then hot tea. Had a good dinner and again answered their questions on why i was travelling alone. Told them i was going to visit Siachen base camp and they invited me to their festival and to have lunch with them the next day. I thanked them and politely declined, as i was short on time now. Day 6: Stongstet to Tangtse, 240KMs ~8 hours Woke up around 7 am and started Kariya, who powered up instantly without any hiccup. This made me feel comfortable as i understood that the alternator fix had resolved all issues. Took a hot water bath and had a nice breakfast, thanked them for their hospitality and i was on my way to Siachen base camp. Searching for that perfect photo of my Scorpio     On the way to Siachen base camp As it was early in the day, i was the only person driving in that route. Took my own time stopping for photos and reached Siachen around 10.30 am. Saw few soldiers who were gathered around a bonfire near the canteen. They requested me to join them and i was more than happy. With a glass of hot coffee in hand, i joined them around the campfire and exchanged greetings and stories.  Finally, Siachen Base camp  My Brothers in arms Soon, they were on they went back to their duties. I thanked them and visited Siachen memorial, bought some souvenirs and started my return journey.    The return was also slow with lots of photo stops. Had lunch at the same restaurant in Khalsar and with Google Maps leading they way, i started my drive towards Pangyong lake. After a short distance i could see lot of cranes, dozers and road making equipment on the road. I expertly made me way around them, after a short distance there was a huge trench in the road and it became evident that Google maps had sent me on a under construction road. I stopped and enquired at the workers who told that the diversion to Pangyong was near Khalsar. There was another XUV who had followed me into the construction zone. We were able to reverse out of the construction zone and drove towards Khalsar. The diversion was after Khalsar, which took us across the Shyok river on a narrow bridge and we were now on some unknown roads. Google maps was clueless, but there were signboards put up the locals which kept us going. After crossing in and out of Shyok river a few times we reached a freshly layed road which took us to Agham.  On the way to Pangyong, Agham Found a few bikers who were struggling with a broken down KTM. Asked if they needed help and which they obliged. Took them to Durbuk and enquired for help. The bikers made a halt there in the hope of getting their bike fixed the next morning. I moved on to Tangste, tanked up the Scorpio and as it was dark, i decided to halt there for the night and continue the next day. Found a decent stay at Chang La guest, they had dinner at their second hotel. Dinner was good and had a nice rest. Last edited by gypsyFreak : 22nd March 2025 at 22:04. |
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16th March 2025, 01:39
| #3 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bengaluru
Posts: 438
Thanked: 727 Times
| Re: Solo drive - Bangalore to Ladakh in Scorpio 4x4 Day 7: Tangtse to Hanle 240KMs ~8 hours Today, i was going to Hanle. The idea was to drive the lake route through Mann, Merak, visit Rezang La War memorial and reach Hanle. During my previous visit i had gone up to Merak, now wanted to go all the way on the lake route. The road was mostly good with even better views of the lake, stopped a lot for photos on the way. The lake road      Nearing Chushul the road was under construction, took it slow and stopped at Chusuhul to have brunch at an army canteen. Road here was under construction, but no problem for the Scorpio. Reached Rezang La by late morning, took a guided tour of the memorial feeling proud of our brothers in arms. Rezang La   Continued on towards Hanle, the road up to Loma was under construction and had lots of offroad shortcuts. Took one as i could not resist the urge of exploring the unknown track in 4 Lo. Stood alone in the desert of a while just admiring nature and introspecting myself being alone so far. Finally, i came back to my senses and decided to move on to Hanle.  Tsaga La, on the way to Hanle  On a random dirt track  It was a desert around me, but for some melted snow   One for the records: been there, done that !! One of the urges to do this was to drive the Hanle road which i thoroughly loved in the first trip. I took it slow, stopping at every occasion to live in the dream. At one place, i just parked Scorpio on the roadside and just walked alone into the desert for about half a kilometre. I turned around and could not see Kariya, feeling i had gone far enough, i retraced my steps back and felt glad on seeing my Kariya again. Drank some water mixed with ORS and then cleaned up Kariya with Jopasu for a photo op in the middle of nowhere.  Parked and gone for a walk in the desert  Back from the walk, time to prepare for photo ops  Dusted to the best of my effort, too tired  A photo for the records and a moment to cherish Reached Hanle in the evening and hunted for an accommodation. After a round, could not find any accommodation. Went to next village nothing there either, seems most of them were already closed for the season. Came back to Hanle and noticed a white Innova doing the same, they asked me to follow them and they took me at available accommodation. One problem solved, soon after another two gentlemen in a DL registered Scorpio joined us. The folks in white Innova were tourist from Kolkata and were being shown around by their enthusiastic local driver. Turns out they were headed to Umling La the next day. After a while the driver and two gentlemen returned in the Scorpio, they had just been to Umling La. On hearing my story, i could feel them being surprised, concerned and happy all at once. They offered me to join them to Umling La and i obliged. The homestay was still being modernized. After cleaning up, went to the kitchen just to spend time there in the warmth of fireplace. Striked a conversation with the chef, the driver and the two gentlemen which ended some yummy food. With enough warmth taken in the kitchen, i retired to my room and for a good night sleep. Tomorrow was the most important day of the trip and one of highs of the trip - in the literal sense  Day 8: Hanle - Umling La - Debring - Pang This was day that i was planning all through the years - drive to Umling La. I wanted to do this alone, but that was not to be the case. I got up early to check on Kariya as the temperature had dipped to single digit overnight. I cranked up Kariya, he sputtered, but did not start. Tried a couple of times, still did not start. Rele, the Innova driver came in slotted in first, pressed the clutch and cranked up. Kariya started and after emitting some smoke settled to a idle RPM. Rele told that always press the clutch and start as diesel needs to flow especially in cold and altitude. I was not 100% satisfied with the answer, but it didn't matter now as i was not going to turn off the engine no matter what until i reached lower altitude. After morning rituals and breakfast, we started together with Rele leading in the Innova and i following him. The family from Kolkata split across two vehicles, the father was with me in the Scorpio and the ladies in Innova. From Hanle to Nerbole, it was complete off road, a single water crossing and then full of loose dirt. Seems this offroad will soon be turned into a proper road. I was expecting a steep climb up a slope nearing Nerbole, it was now carved out into a series of switch backs, and that too full of loose dirt. In one of the switch backs, I was close to Innova and had to brake losing momentum, shifted to 4 Low and continued to Nerbole top. From here the road was smooth, we crossed Chisumle bridge and were climbing up towards Umling La top. No Google Maps here, having Rele and the family was a blessing, if not i would definitely wandered off the road and who knows where i would have ended up, maybe another adventure. Soon we reached Umling La top. A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT FOR KARIYA AND A NEW LEVEL UNLOCKED FOR ME. It was around 9.30 am, we were the first there and no other people until we came down. We had the entire place to ourselves, did a lot of photo-ops.  The highest point for me  The highest point for my Scorpio - aka Kariya  A pano routine  My companions, that's Rele in the foreground  Men with their toys  Man and machine at their highest  All hail - 2012 Scorpio 4WD on top of world  The partners  One for the record book I wanted to clean up Kariya for a good photo, but was feeling tired, maybe due to the altitude and did not want to exert myself. So clicked photos with all the dust on Kariya, stayed there for about an hour and then started the descent. Took some pics on the descent crossing Everest base camp altitude.  Higher than EBC  The return was simple and easy, in fact so easy that got lost. Rele was leading and somewhere he took a wrong path and we ended up in Khuldo instead of Hanle. We then turned towards Hanle and started our journey out of Hanle.  Black Scorpio or Dust magnet ..! From Hanle, i wanted to explore the remote route to Tso Moriri, but Rele was not sure of the condition and did not want to risk it. So, we took the road towards Nyoma. Road was very good, had lunch at Mahe and parted our ways at Sumdo. While they headed for Tso-Moriri, i headed towards Debring to join Manali highway. During my first trip, this was nothing but a dirt track, now it was a neatly laid out tar road and infact still fresh tar in some places. Eventually i caught up with new tar and could see the road blocked for road works. There was enough width on the shoulder of the road for Kariya to pass the trucks. There was a local in Maruti 800 who said that he would my tracks to clear the construction zone. Soon we crossed the construction and hit old tar road. Here, to my right i could see few people pushing and pulling a new gen Creta stuck in sand. It seemed Creta was stuck deep and not budging at all. I decided to take a look and see if i could help. Parked Kariya on the road and walked towards the stuck Creta. It seems they were tourist family from Bengal and had taken offroad into the sand to avoid road work. They had a elderly folks sitting in the Creta and they were unable to move the Creta. Few truckers were pushing the Creta, but the soft sand the HT tyres were not helping. I told them to wait there and bought Kariya to tow them out. The driver, a teenager was not aware of the tow hook in Creta, neither were the truckers. We then searched their toolkit and finally got the tow hook. With the tow hook fixed and tow rope tied to Kariya, is started pulling in 4 Low. The Creta moved and came out. As this was on a incline and the sand was soft, Kariya started digging and got stuck. This was not working, with Creta not fully free and Kariya being stuck, it was turning into a failure. Then we reversed, removed the tow rope from Creta and Kariya easily came out in 4 Low. Instead of pulling Creta from the front, we started pulling from the back. As it was a slope, it was easy and i towed Creta to the tar road and asked him to go on the shoulder of the road. Advised him not to venture into such an adventure as it can quickly turn into a nightmare especially with elderly onboard. I though so much for a pseudo SUV, companies advertising such cars as SUVs are guiding such gullible customers into unwanted trouble. Anyways, my help was received well and was happy that it turned out well. I got to rescue a SUV in this trip as well, it was a Innova at Pangyong in the first trip, now a Creta. I moved on and soon reached Manali highway at Debring. My initial plan was to halt at Keylong, but it was not possible now. I drove slowly towards Pang and decided to halt there and continue the next day as i did not want to miss the landscapes on the Leh - Manali highway. After a bit of search, found a wooden cabin called NH3 and booked it. I still had about the 20 litres of spare fuel, filled up Kariya, cleaned a bit. Had some veg Thukpa for dinner and soon went to bed. The power was out at 11.30 pm, making the room colder. I did not get sleep for the night, just turning in the bed. I thought of packing up and leaving as i felt i would be more comfortable driving than just tossing around. Day 9: Pang - Sunder Nagar After having a restless night, i somehow spent time till 4 AM, then woke up the owner and got some hot water for morning rituals and 5 am i was packed up and ready to go. The sun was slowly coming up which was lighting up the adjacent peaks. I started around 5.30 am and drove slowly as i had no plans for the day and just planned to drive till i get tired. The landscape kept changing and kept me surprised and mesmerized.  Somewhere on the Leh - Manali highway Being early, I was alone in this stretch, sometimes it felt good and sometimes scary. The highway was patched, road works in progress and was very much different from Sringar - Leh highway. Felt this was more steep, peaks were taller and seemed to have risen up abruptly rather than being formed slowly as on Srinagar highway. This was to be last day in Himalayas for now. so i stopped at every possible photo opportunity and gradually made my way down. Soon passed the famous Gata loops and the infamous Whiskey nala, no problems anywhere. Started feeling hungry as i had a early start, was looking out for eating options and got flagged down by few army folks. They were looking for a ride for a few of their helpers and seeing me alone in Scorpio waved me down hoping to have space for three people. Although Kairya was packed, i somehow managed space to accommodate all of them and from there we started towards Manali. They guided me to a good hotel at Jispa. After having two parathas and a tea, we continued towards Manali talking about lot of things. The dreaded question came up, why was i travelling alone?, answered them for last time on the trip and carried on slowly. Without any other hiccups we reached Manali by 2 pm. I dropped them off at the bus stand and continued looking for garages to wash Kariya. After 2 garages which were busy, got a place who quickly washed Kariya and then started looking for Mahindra Service centre to get air filter changed. I had a spare filter, just wanted to get it replaced and MAF sensor cleaned. Mahindra ASS said i had to wait for 2 hours, which was not feasible. Came across a local garage, who quickly replaced the filter and cleaned MAF sensor, now Kariya was set to conquer the plains of India to take me home.  Reached Sundar Nagar by 4.30 pm and decided to halt there itself as i was feeling tired. Took a clean room, had a shower and had a early dinner and slept off. The next two days would be a driving and endurance test for man and machine and we passed in flying colours Day 10: Sunder Nagar, HP to Magarkhedi, MP This was the return leg of the trip, ideally i wanted to split this into 3-4 days, but ended up in about 2 days. Having slept well, i started early. I had my stuff packed and ready go by 5:30 am, but alas none was their to facilitate my hotel check out. My calls to them went unanswered, didn't want to delay further. So, i left a message for them asking for the final bill. They called me later around 10.30 am and i settled the bill. Thanks to technology. Sunder Nagar to Rupanagar was a blissful drive, 4 laned highway and absolutely no traffic. Although there were speed camera throughout, i doubt they were ANPR, maintained a steady pace of 80 KMPH and soon entered Punjab. I did not wanted to get caught in morning peak traffic in Chandigarh, so took some interior roads and State Highways of Punjab to reach Pehowa and get on the Trans - Haryana Expressway. I was not able to locate a decent eatery in rural Punjab and ended up skipping breakfast and had lunch on the Expressway. Haryana was crossed in a bliss and entered Rajasthan, stopped for fuel at a Jio BP bunk and took a quick nap for about 20 mins. Took the Jaipur bypass road, although circuitous, i was able maintain a pace of 100 KMPH. Soon crossed Jaipur and Kota, refuelled at Kota bypass and packed some food from a roadside dhaba, intending to have a late dinner. Got caught in a traffic jam Mukandara, RJ which delayed things and got on the NE 4 at Chechat. The NE 4 at night is absolutely void except for the occasional truck, not sure if it is safe. I spotted a dear and a some local wildlife crossing the highway. The OSRAM LED's were good and gave a good visibility. The NE 4 dropped me off in MP at Ratlam. Was feeling tired but wanted to continue as much as possible with the intent for sleeping in the car if i don't get Hotel room. Called on Sri Sadhu Kokila and Sri Sadhguru on YouTube and they kept me going. Just past midnight was feeling hungry and tired, so stopped at a roadside motel near Magarkhedi, MP and enquired for a room. There was a room available in their newly constructed block, which was good for me. Finished my dinner and slept. Day 11: Magarkhedi, MP to Sweet home - Bengaluru Got up at 7 am, finished my morning rituals and was on the road by 7.30 am. Stopped for a Poha and curd breakfast at Sendhawa. Moving on soon entered Dhule and took the bypass, towards the end i was stopped by traffic police constable. I knew he stopped me to extort some money, which i was not ready. He started off asking the usual questions, where going?, where from?, why alone?.. After answering him, he asked for my documents which i showed him and he even searched my Registration number. He was not able to find any offences or lapses and finally he asked me some money in the name of Diwali celebrations, which i flatly denied and moved on. Feeling, hungry i started searching for a good hotel and as the midday sun was hot i wanted a shade for Kariya as well. Could not find a suitable place, google was also not much help and that's when the AC conked off. It was not throwing out cold air. I thought maybe the AC gas was empty and started searching for a garage who could rectify this. I switched off the compressor and just ran the blower for sometime, still no luck. Wanted to take care of the hunger first, was able to find a good hotel "Hotel Baliraja" and had a nice Biryani for lunch which costed just Rs 100/-. Kept me thinking and wondering how life is so simple outside metros. This biryani would have easily cost RS 300+ in any metro. Enough time spent and and Kariya also rested in the shade, it was time to move on. The roads were good and kept a steady speed around 100-110 KMPH, this part of Maharashtra was mainly grassland, very less trees. Could see the roads and houses for miles on either side. Miraculously, the AC started working fine again, which was a blessing. If not, i would have had to halt somewhere and get it repaired. Again YouTube kept me entertained and by evening i was inside Karnataka. Now i was in a dilemma, should halt at Bijapur or press on to home. I decided to press on and sleep in the car if needed. Reached Ilkal, tanked up Kariya and fuelled up myself with a curd rice. It was about 8 pm when i left Ilkal, took a 30 min nap in the car somewhere around Kudligi and moved on. Reached Nelamngala around 1:30 am and got caught in rains and a huge traffic jam. I wasn't sure if the traffic block would get cleared as it was past midnight, so instead of waiting took U turn on the highway as did others and took a interior route to avoid the blockage and reached highway back at Makali. Finally reached home safely at 3.30 AM. Parked Kariya and went to bed. Unloading stuff took a week and gave Kariya a much deserved wash and interior cleaning. A goal achieved and another item knocked off my bucket list. Trip Expenses Total distance covered was about 7500 KMS, got an overall fuel efficiency of 11.67 KMPL. Accomodation: 10,420 Fasttag: 7,408 Food: 9,335 Shopping: 3,720 Vehicle Service: 9,489 Diesel: 60,000 Grand Total : 1,00,372 Last edited by gypsyFreak : 22nd March 2025 at 22:45. |
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22nd March 2025, 23:20
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23rd March 2025, 05:25
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23rd March 2025, 11:49
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23rd March 2025, 14:53
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23rd March 2025, 17:08
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23rd March 2025, 21:03
| #10 |
| BHPian | Re: Solo drive | Bangalore to Ladakh in Mahindra Scorpio 4x4 Amazing thread. I salute your courage to make it solo. And the best part is you could even help a stuck SUV to rescue it and even ferry army people around. |
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24th March 2025, 00:42
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| BHPian Join Date: Sep 2022 Location: Bangalore
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| Re: Solo drive | Bangalore to Ladakh in Mahindra Scorpio 4x4 Great solo trip !! I will do a solo Zanskar in motorcycle (not by choice but by condition ), Planning to start the trip in late May, I don't have any timelines so I will make it a 20 day trip with ample stops in-between. And maybe stay here and there, meet friends on the way to Zanskar and on my way back - a quite laid back trip I must say. Your writeup was what I needed to plan it solo, otherwise I was looking for groups etc but nothing of that sort was a complete fit to my requirement.This writeup helped in making up my mind !! |
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24th March 2025, 13:31
| #12 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: KA-05/KL-09
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| Re: Solo drive | Bangalore to Ladakh in Mahindra Scorpio 4x4 What a beautiful read to start a Monday morning, and what an incredible journey you had! It always gives me a sense of emotion when I see the oldies - previous-generation Scorpios and Safaris, especially in the 4WD format - still chugging along and taking on challenging trips like this. I have always had a soft corner for this generation of the Scorpio, particularly the LX in its 4WD guise with those stock steel rims. We also traveled to Ladakh in August 2024 during the floods, and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the crowds were minimal. We did the trip in our 2014 Tata Safari Storme 4WD and had an incredible time - memories that will last a lifetime. Signing off with a few images from our trip, with no intention of hijacking your thread. Hoping to meet you on the road someday! Last edited by Bageera : 24th March 2025 at 13:38. |
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24th March 2025, 14:34
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| BHPian  Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: MAS
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| Re: Solo drive | Bangalore to Ladakh in Mahindra Scorpio 4x4 Man, what an amazing trip this is!  A solo trip like this must feel incredible. This is my dream trip, and I’m planning to do it someday. What matters most is that you enjoyed it, whether solo or with someone!  |
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25th March 2025, 12:38
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