Sunday 30 November 2014

NORTHERN EXPEDITION 2014 : DAY I

#Day 1: Mumbai – Udaipur sector

#1.          For me Ladakh could not begin from Day 1 , Ladakh would come when I reach up to it but to do that I had to make a separate journey in itself and that journey began from Mumbai on Day 1 . The target was the capital of the Mewar Kings, the Lake City Udaipur. The journey involved close to 800 kms of travelling using the wide array of National Highways including the National Expressway 1 between Vadodra and Ahmedabad. The start from south Mumbai was planned at around 5 in morning as I had a journey time of close to 12 hours however final start time was close to 0700 hrs.

#2.          The INDOMITABLE had been loaded up the night before with almost everything that could be thought to have a role to play in the days to come and it indeed was packed to the hilt. Many generally prefer a start up time of night so that they cover a major distance  in the night however I believe in starting early and pushing through the afternoon hours through the wide network of the National Highways. The major way points on the way included Vapi , Surat , Ankleswar,Barauch,Vadodra, Ahmedabad,Himmatnagar, Udaipr.The road details included the famed NH 8 right from Mumbai till Ankleswar where I exited the same in order to avoid crossing the Narmada over the congested bridge on NH 8 but rather take the historically significant Golden Gate Bridge built in the year 1881 connecting Ankleswar and Barauch. The bridge has seen numerous floods and earthquakes but has stood his ground even after 132 years.This also was the first view of the grand Narmada , fifth largest in the Indian Subcontinent flowing sedately as she moved on towards the Gulf of Khambhat where she would meet the Arabian Sea.

#3.          Off late I have become closely connected with the rivers that run in our country and she is considered to be one of the five holy rivers older than even the Ganga. The Narmada Parikrama undertaken by many is something to think about as one covers close to 2600 kms walking along the banks from the Arabian Sea till Amarkantank; let’s see what the future holds !!!.

#4.          Post baruch I rejoined the NH 8 till Vadodra bypass where I entered upon the super fast and super smooth NE 1 expressway right till Ahmedabad . After Ahmedabad we rejoined the meandering NH8 which would then take me right till Udaipur. The entire stretch of road network is rated above average to excellent in portions. The vehicles can cruise consistently at good speeds other than the connecting road near Ahmedabad bypass , a stretch of around 14 kms which is a single road .

#5.          The other significant passing note is that one can hold the significance of crossing the Tropic of Cancer near Himmatnagar, for those like me I can now proudly say that I have crossed four of  most significant imaginary lines  running across the surface of the earth with the other three   being the Tropic of Capricorn , the Equator and the Arctic Circle.


#6.          Udaipur was reached without much of a fuss by around 2230 hrs and the stay was booked at RTDC Kajri , this was my second time stay and I definitely recommend it to others and by the end of the day the ODO stood at 73074.


THE START  


ALL LOADED UP  


PRISTINE BEAUTY  


CURVACEOUS  


RIDERS 


FOR REMEMBRANCE  

NORTHERN EXPEDITION 2014

THE  NORTHERN EXPEDITION

That is at bottom after close to two weeks on the road the only thought to keep moving ahead, when carefully prepared plans are hanging like a stack of dominos swaying with every burst of wind from circumstances. Ladakh, the gateway to many a imagination, the harbinger of joy and struggle, of peace and tranquility .This is an account of a journey to reach the Roof of this country, to exist amongst the simplicity of the high mountains and immerse oneself in the ever-changing landscape of the Northern Frontier….

For long I have yearned for the magical land of Ladakh “Land of high passes “, that mystical place nestled near the foothills of the mighty Himalayas. One of those places that finds itself in the list of elusive places in this country even today. There have been many who have trudged out there and have come back with tales galore but for me, it was yet to be done .The tale was yet to be written, the wonders were yet to be gazed upon, the cold wind on the face coming afar from the Karakoram up in the north and from across the pangong was yet to be felt ….

The preparation for the trip had commenced more than a year ago but then midway most of it was converted to the Spiti Expedition and the remaining was put on backburner to wait for the day when the urge would overpower everything else..

As days went by and 2014 dawned it was clear that this was the year when the Northern Expedition would fructify, this was the year when I would feel the Tibetan culture interspersed with Ladakhi hospitality upclose.This was the year when the INDOMITABLE would cross into the Land of the High Passes.

The preparation went on at a steady pace all through the year though in the end it did get a bit sticky yet somehow everything was managed well right from the administrative requirements of the job to the diktats of the DC office at Leh.The INDOMITABLE underwent one of the most intensive and serious maintenance routines of all times, anything that was a suspect was replaced, anything loose was tightened up, anything that gave a hint that it was not up to the effort required was replaced.


I was a novice when it came to the Himalaya and so was the INDOMITABLE , we both just had one sojourn in these areas and that was the entire Spiti circuit undertaken during the Spiti Expedition , however both of us knew that this had to be done , Ladakh had to be felt firsthand moving away from the comfortableness of the chair in front of the internet , the fine dust had to be beared with , the cold had to be endured with , the vibrations had to be handled with and the feeling of being out there had to be experienced with …


NORTHERN EXPEDITION