Total distance covered was about 7500 KMS, got an overall fuel efficiency of 11.67 km/L.
BHPian gypsyFreak recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
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:
- Full service done at FNG. Oil changed to AMSOIL Signature 5w40.
- Tyres changed to Bridgestone Dueller AT002 in stock size. Spare tyre checked and repaired (it was never touched in about 4 years)
- Battery changed to Exide 85Ah
- Brake pads changed
- 2wd & 4wd Gear oil changed, differential oil changed, drive shaft greased.
- Upgraded headlight to Osram 50W Warm White LED bulbs.
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.
Continue reading BHPian gypsyFreak's travelogue for more insights and information.