From Chandigarh to Kufri (after Shimla) we were being driven and that quite disappointed me as I was expecting that I could get to drive from Chandigarh to Kibber all by myself. Turns out that fate had different plans but I did get to meet the other travelers who were on the journey with me. Post 3-4 hours after the start of the drive, we halted for lunch at Haveli.
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The Chaas was super refreshing!
Over lunch, everyone introduced themselves and so did I. After all discussions and lunch was over, I got to know that I was the only unmarried person in the group and the youngest of the 12 members. While the drive continued towards Kufri, I started feeling motion sickness (which I generally don’t when I’m in a car) and threw out twice which made me weak and I didn’t quite enjoy the journey till Kufri. A glass of lemon soda did make me feel better though. We reached Kufri at around 5 in the evening and all I had in mind was to take rest as I had to drive a Maruti Gypsy (equipped with Ceat Czar tyres) from the next day onwards.
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This picture was taken at the Nako helipad
All geared up and after the breakfast, we were ready to roll. 5-10 kms into the drive and we stopped for fuel. The roads from Kufri to Kinnaur (our halt for the second night) were a mixed bag of sorts. There were good as well as bad section of roads and the Ceat tyres did their job pretty well. By the way, our Gypsy was equipped with Ceat Czar 215/75/15 tyres. Four hours into the drive and we stopped at Chotiwala for lunch. Chotiwala is quite a famous place and is known for its homely food. A budget-friendly place too! We reached Kinnaur by 7 in the evening and it was freezing cold (4-degrees to be precise). Fortunately, we had heaters and hot water bags which made us sleep comfortably throughout the night and from today, we had a kitchen team traveling with us who would take care of our food for the remaining 6 days primarily because we had to halt at homestays for the nights.
[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/40216421185/[/flickr]
At that height, oxygen was much thinner and breathing became a little difficult
Driving in these mountainous stretches of roads makes you deeply think as to what the purpose of your life is
By 9, we finished our breakfast and checked out of the Kinner Villa (the hotel). Our plan was to reach Tabo by evening and halt for the night. We stopped for lunch at the Nako helipad and since the scenery around was so beautiful, we did click some pictures and the drive till Nako helipad was quite tiring as most of the roads were under construction. The Ceat tyres do deserve a mention here. We reached Tabo at around 6 in the evening. I had to do with not one but two cups of hot tea to keep myself warm. After listening to a folk song the homestay owner sang for us, it was time to fill our stomachs. Post dinner, we crashed and the next day’s drive was something to look forward to as it was the last leg of the onward journey.
