The Summit Drive – 2018 with Mahindra Adventure

Every adventurer dreams of this self-driving expedition. Mahindra Adventures announcement of this expedition (22^nd Sep to 4^th Oct) excited me to the core. But getting away from family and work for 2 full weeks is a daunting task. So planned and booked the Spiti expedition with Arvind, but had to withdraw after the dates were clashing with something important. After a lot of persuasion, finally got the nod from the home ministry. By then the trip had sold out and chances of getting in looked gloomy. After bombarding Chief with messages and calls, came the good news that I would be on the trip. Task 1 was successful, but task 2 – getting the required visas and permits is more stressful. When it comes to cross border expeditions, living in Dubai becomes a disadvantage. Sending the passports from Dubai to India for the visa formalities is illegal. Option 2 by the organisers, come 4 days early to sort out the visa formalities was next to impossible for me. Finally with the help of Rabi Thapa, the visa thing was sorted out and I got my passport back on the same day of my travel to Kathmandu. The build up to this expedition was more stressful than excitement. The saying “Adventure doesn’t come on a platter” came true.

In spite of all the hurdles, I was on the plane to Kathmandu with another adventure couple from Dubai, Ajay and Jeena. Ashlyn, one more friend from Dubai reached Kathmandu 4 days earlier to have the visa stamped. Ours would be the first ever expedition by any car manufacturer traversing this route of Kathmandu – Gyirong –Saga – Shigatse – Lhasa – Shigatse – Shegar – EBC – Tingri – Gyirong – Kathmandu. We were met by the Sacred Summits representative at the airport, greeted with garlands and transferred to the hotel. As ours was an early morning arrival, we were given an early check-in at the Hotel Hayat Kathmandu, easily one of the biggest and best hotels in Nepal.

The day was at leisure as the registration and handing out of goodies was at 5.00 PM. My partner on this expedition, my brother Julian D’Souza, arrived by late afternoon. During the picking of lots for the vehicles, again I picked up adventure 9 which was my last number on the Thailand expedition. It was nice to see and meet some familiar faces from the previous expeditions. It was a big group. Managing 24 Mahindra SUV’s and 54 people, on a cross border expedition is always going to be a humongous effort. Most of the participants were veterans with Mahindra adventure and the first vibe of bonding was visible in the hotel lobby itself. Due to the non-availability of the hotel ball rooms, we were transported to another venue in busses for the expedition briefing, introduction and dinner with local cultural programs.

Our first brush with authentic Nepalese cuisine and local brews was awesome. We were to assemble in the hotel lobby at 6.00 AM for the briefing and flag off ceremony for a gruelling day’s journey.

Day 2 : Kathmandu to Gatte Kola (Nepal – China border)
If you have to escape the city traffic, you need to leave early. After a small briefing and silent prayer, we were flagged off by the local Mahindra representative on this epic journey where we would end up driving on the roof of the world and view Mount Everest from as close as possible. The only thing we were missing on the first day was the roll call and the banter on the radio requesting for bio breaks. We would be equipped with radios once we crossover to the Chinese side. The next challenge would be to battle AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). In the next couple of days we would be rapidly ascending to altitudes of 5200 mts and staying at 4800 mts.

To counter this problem we had to be on Diamox and keep ourselves well hydrated and the process had already begun in Kathmandu itself on the insistence of the sacred summit team. Well hydrated means lots of Bio breaks and those bio breaks were excellently handled by the participants. Once we had crossed the city limits and were in the mountains, it was a treat for the eyes and Mother Nature at its best.

The devastation of 2015 earthquake that hit Nepal was visible from the landslides in the mountains and badly maintained infrastructure. The highway had turned into a dirt track and the journey had become an off-roading adventure drive which we thoroughly enjoyed.

A mere 175 kms to our destination on the Nepal China border took us 16 hours. We were also welcomed by the staff of the Mahindra dealership at Bidu town and had some hot tea and cookies after which we had lunch at the Riverside hotel. All along the way it was nice to see the amused faces of the locals watching this train of a convoy of Mahindra vehicles traversing the worst of the roads. I am sure the videos must have gone viral in Nepal as everyone had their mobiles in the hand recording the long convoy passing by their towns and villages. To make the journey more interesting, it rained that afternoon and turned the bad roads into slush tracks. One can only admire these Mahindra SUV’s resilience operating on these beaten tracks and taking us safely to our destination Gatte Khola on the Nepal Chinese border without any damage to the vehicles. The last few kilometres was a hair raising experience as we had to drive in one feet slush courtesy of the trucks at the border. For day 2 it was a long tiresome but exciting journey.

Day 3 : Nepal – China border to Gyirong

A very important day of the expedition, crossing the border from Nepal to Tibet(China). Any hiccup at the border would jeopardise the complete expedition as we were all on a group visa. Lot of time got consumed at the border as expected. Having the exit stamp of Nepal on the passport, Standing in line as per the number on the group visa, immigration clearance, custom clearance of the biggest bag we were carrying across the border, again the drivers of the vehicles to go back and get the vehicles, every bag to be scanned at the customs clearance, vehicle inspection, etc. were the rituals we had to undergo before we got into Tibet.

In all this melee of border crossing we had passed the lunch time. The participants bonding started getting stronger here as anyone carrying food was distributing and sharing with all participants. As the journey to the nearest border town Gyirong, our destination for the night was only 25 kms from the border and availability of an oversized parking lot at the border prompted for a vehicle formation photo shoot.

Finally it was time for the convoy to roll. The most important adjustment the participants had to make was to drive on the right hand side of the road and the 2hrs 15mnts time difference. Except for over takings where the driver had to take the help of the passenger to make sure the road in front was clear, it was a piece of cake to drive on the right side of the road. Most parts of the road was a single carriage way and hence not at all difficult. Once we had crossed the border the complete scenario changed. From no roads across to beautifully paved, neatly marked, wide roads, safety barriers along the road, safety nets for unexpected landslides or falling rocks was a welcome change. Finally we could roll down the windows and drive without the fear of dust entering the vehicle and our body and savour the crisp, chill fresh air.

As we were climbing gradually towards high altitude, the snow-capped peaks came into view. Nothing else was visible other than the vast expanse of the mountain ranges. The temperature too was dipping as we were gaining altitude and it was time for sweaters and jackets to be pulled out from the bags. After passing few check posts, we had finally arrived at Gyirong, a new town built after the devastating earthquake of 2015. As we had skipped lunch, an early dinner was announced along with the briefing from our Tibetan guides who had joined us at the border. Also the much awaited hand held radios were handed over to us. Again all participants were reminded to be on Diamox and refrain from consumption of Alcohol as we would be ascending around 2000 mts in altitude the next day. Also a relaxed start at 10 AM was announced as the guides had to obtain some permit that morning. A relaxed walk in the town along with chief and the Mahindra team was the best way to unwind and retire for the night.

Day 4 : Gyirong to Saga.
Today was going to be a tough journey for the participants. We would be climbing and gaining altitude from 270mts to 4700mts and experience 0 degrees temperatures. Remaining hydrated was very important today even if additional bio breaks had to be taken. With the radios, we were also given 3 portable oxygen cylinders if needed. Finally with the customary roll call for the first time the convoy began moving towards Saga. The winding roads were full of surprises and one corner would look better than the other. Our first stop was at the magnificent cascading waterfalls by the road.

It was a good photo spot and a feast for the photographers. One can’t help, but admire the sheer breath taking beauty around. Once out from the mountains, we entered some flat lands where plenty of wheat was cultivated.

After a sumptuous lunch at Gyrong headquarters, the convoy rolled towards Saga. We had to clear 3 mountain passes with more than 5000mts in altitude and the tallest one being Gungtangla pass at 5236mts. Participants were feeling the pinch of high altitude and some had already succumbed to AMS. The oxygen cylinders came in handy and the team doctor got busy treating the effected. To make things worse we had to traverse a dirt track of 75kms as the road was being reconstructed. The resilience of the local people enduring these harsh conditions gave us some respite. The sight of Saga town on the banks of the Brahmaputra River brought some cheer to the convoy.

There was a nip in the air as the temperatures had dropped below 10 degrees. Once at the comfortable hotel, people retired to their rooms and even skipped dinner as we had walk a bit to the restaurant in the town. Even though we were told to refrain from consuming Alcohol, a shot of Cognac did the trick for us that night. The next day was going to be long with a 440km drive.

Day 5: Saga to Shigatse.
The temperature at Saga was the highlight today. It was cold and 0 degrees. People trying to wash their wind shields were in for a surprise. The water sprayed on the glass would freeze and form a layer of ice. All the participants dressed up in layers, assembled in the car park for the days briefing and the prayers. The crackling of the radios meant that the convoy was rolling slowly out of Saga. We would be going down by 1000mts to Shigatse which was at an altitude of 3800mts. Shigatse means “The fertile land” in Tibetan. Shigatse is one of the world’s highest regions and has the most comprehensive natural landscapes in Tibet. It is also known as the Barley capital of the world. It is also the 2^nd largest city in Tibet. A photo stop by the beautiful lake was a welcome break.

The sight of the light blue water was really refreshing. There were no other points of interest on the way. But one couldn’t stop admiring the beautiful landscape and the vast expanse of the great Tibetan plateau with the golden coloured barley crop ready for harvesting. The new introduction for our journey on this route was the speed cameras. The limit would suddenly drop down to 30 km/hour and we had to crawl our way through. Our local Tibetan guide was good at passing on information about the region and the local culture. The interesting topics of the day were polygamy and polyandry. We reached Shigatse by dusk. The sick people were feeling much better now after descending 1000mts. As usual we gathered in one of our rooms for a small session before dinner. The high light of the night was Ajay roaming the corridor of the hotel searching for his room as he was locked out not knowing his room number and Jeena was fast asleep and not picking up the calls.

Day 6 : Shigatse to Lhasa.
Labelled as the most scenic drive of the trip, got the participants really excited and all geared up. It was supposed to be a long day and we needed to depart on time. Every day we were getting late by half an hour for various reasons and today was no exception which really got me worked up. I felt, it was injustice to the people like me, who come on time and wait in the car park wasting precious time which could be well spent during the drive. A little peace of mind by me to the late comers got them in line and we were ready to roll for the day. Our first stop was at Gyantse town which is only 90kms from the Indian border from the Sikkim side. The great Tibetan plateau ends here and we again started ascending and gaining elevation. The photo stop at the manmade Puma Yumco lake was a magnificent place. I could just put a chair on its banks and sit there the whole day doing nothing. This called for a group picture with this gigantic lake as the background.

The pros were busy capturing the breath-taking beauty with their cameras. Yes, we had to move on and view some more of Natures handy works. The drive to Kharola glacier was over whelming.

Whoever in the passenger seat just couldn’t keep their hands off the cameras. It was worth capturing every image. When we reached the glacier which is at an altitude of 5560 mts, we were all startled. The rivulets caused by the melting of the glacier were glistening in the sunshine. It was unthinkable to imagine how this place would be in the peak of winter. A lot of stalls were selling souvenirs. We were told to bargain hard before buying anything from these stalls. Also we were warned not to click pics of locals dressed in traditional attires as they wouldn’t let us go without paying each one of them. Our next stop was the famed Yamdrok Lake which was also our lunch stop. The lake is humongous and one of the great wonders of Mother Nature.

Yamdrok means turquoise in English and the name is very true. It is also one of the largest and sacred freshwater lakes of Tibet. It is 72km in length and covers and surface area of 638 sq.kms. The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and fed by numerous streams. It has swallowed up a few mountains in its midst. This is one of the must-visit places if you are visiting Tibet. It is surely one of the majestic places created by Mother Nature on this earth. Another advantage of this lake is that there are many Tibetan Mastiff dogs on display. This was the first time I saw one in real. You can even sit with them, pet them, and take pictures for a nominal fee. This is the only place on earth where you can see and feel these lovely dogs.

Also had the opportunity of riding a Yak on the bank of the lake.

The pictures with the Mastiffs and Yak will be treasured by me forever. Etching all the memories deep within and in the form of pictures we moved on towards Lhasa. We had to pass one more mountain pass of 5000mts + and steep descend towards the plains of Lhasa. It was a wonderful drive to Lhasa with the mountains on one side and the river on the other. It was an exciting moment when Chief called on the radio and said that one day we should do this route of Lhasa – Shigatse – Lhasa on motorbikes which kindled a new fire within. Finally, we had a stretch of dual carriageway highway driving to Lhasa, “The forbidden city”. Our stay at The Lhasa Intercontinental was easily the best hotel of the trip.

Never seen such a huge lobby in my life of all the countries I have visited. The sumptuous buffet was the best dinner we had had in a week and we feasted well at the grill and the pastry section.

The next day being free day we were relaxed and for a change we would be driven instead of driving on a sightseeing trip to Lhasa.

Day 7: Free day at Lhasa.
After a good night’s sleep in the luxurious room and a continental breakfast, the participants were divided into 4 groups and alighted 4 buses with local guides. We reached the famous Potala Palace at the designated time.

We were surprised to see the number of tourists already present there to enter this Historical place. From being the forbidden land and now a bustling young city, Lhasa was an exotic mix of old, young, history, tradition, aspiration, youth, and the perceived need to move on. But I must mention, Tibet is still a forbidden land for several reasons. Many many checks and stops all along the roads, and movement is quite restricted. Foreigners can’t stay in any or every hotel, nor can they drive on any and every road. They have to be accompanied by a local guide at all times. There is a hush-hush on why things are the way they are. Coming back to the Potala Palace, this massive structure is the grandest monumental structure in all of Tibet and can be seen from every corner of Lhasa. I can call it a civil engineering marvel. To get to the top we had to climb 360 steps and already being in high altitude it was a challenge for many of us to reach the top. Security was very tight. Tourists were made to undergo checks for weapons, flammable liquids, etc. They didn’t even allow water bottles, let alone cigarette lighters. Once you reach the top you are given only 45 minutes to explore the inside of this massive palace. The amazing palace has the honor of being the highest ancient palace in the world, with its highest point reaching 3750 meters above sea level. It was built as the center of the Tibetan government and residence for the Dalai Lama by the 5^th Dalai Lama in 1645. It remained so till the 14^th Dalai Lama fled to India during the 1959 uprising. This 13 stories high palace has over 1000 rooms and covers over 32 acres of area.

The stone walls measure 3 meters thick on average and copper has been poured into the foundations to make it earthquake proof. Today the Potala palace has been converted into a museum by the Chinese government and is an UNESCO world heritage site. The white palace was the living quarters of the Dalai Lama. The Red palace was completely devoted to religious study and Buddhist prayer. Unfortunately, as a sign of respect to the religion, tourists are not allowed to take pictures inside the chapels. Our guide Thensing was very versed in his knowledge and gave fantastic narrations of the palace history, the various Buddha statues, and functions of the various rooms in the palace as well as the lives and achievements of the past Dalai Lamas. It was amazing to know the amount of gold that had been used in the making of the tombs of the Dalai lamas. It was an exhausting but a very fruitful experience. By the time we had climbed down the stairs and reached the base, Julian’s knee had swollen and resembled a log. Once all the participants had gathered at the base, we were taken for an Indian lunch.

After lunch, we went to visit the Jokhang temple. Jokhang Temple is a Buddhist temple in Barkor Square. Tibetans in general consider this temple as the most sacred and important temple in Tibet. The temple’s architectural style is a mixture of Indian, Tibetan, and Nepalese designs. The oldest part was built in 652. Over the years the temple was enlarged several times. In 2000 the Jokhang temple became a UNESCO world heritage site as an extension of the Potala palace. Many Nepalese artists have worked on the temple’s design and construction. Again Thensing came to our rescue narrating the history of the temple and how important it was to the Tibetan people. We were given an hour for shopping in Barkor Square where we bought some souvenirs and artifacts. We were taken back to the hotel for a couple of hours rest as we would be going for dinner at a local restaurant where we would be watching some Tibetan cultural program. Many of the participants came with their ethnic wear. We all enjoyed the cultural program downing some spirits and local brew with authentic Tibetan cuisine. Later we took over the stage and Mike and Neely became our hosts for the evening. All the participants according to their adventure number had to come up on stage and perform a small jig. The performance began with Chief and his Mahindra team performing to a din chak Tamil number which upped the tempo of the other participants.

Also, Gauri Sharma, our youngest participant, and I got to sing a song on stage. The fun had to be curtailed as we had well gone past the closing time of 10.30 and cops were around the place. Once back at the hotel, our group decided that the night was still young and we decided to check out the nightlife of Lhasa. With the help of our local guides, we landed up at the best Disco in Lhasa “The Omniya”.

Man, what a place it was. It was wild out there with all Tibetan youngsters shaking shoulders and making merry, the lighting and DJ’s music was out of the world. The specialty here is you don’t order beer in bottles or whisky in pegs. You have to buy a full carton of beer or a full bottle of spirit for each table. The tables are stacked with bottles and glasses. When you greet somebody, you have to pour beer into the glass, say “Ganbei” and drink bottoms up. It was already 2 am when we decided to leave the place. We were relaxed as a late start of 11 am was announced the previous day. This was the best disco I have been to till now in any part of the world. The Tibetan youngsters were friendly and freely mixing with us, but the only barrier was the language.

Day 8: Lhasa to Shigatse
Surprisingly woke up fresh after a night of drinking with no hangover whatsoever. All participants had assembled in the lobby on time for departure, but we were delayed again as Varun, one of the youngsters had hurt his head last night during the performance and had to be taken to hospital for a precautionary X-ray. Fortunately, all was fine and the convoy bidding goodbye to Lhasa rolled towards Shigatse. The long convoy got dispersed due to the traffic lights and finally regrouped at a gas station on the highway. Once off the highway, we were treated to a packed picnic lunch in the open. The excitement was building up in the convoy as we were nearing the pinnacle of the expedition – The EBC. The only highlight of today’s drive was the beautiful landscape and the sceneries we were traversing through. It was already dusk by the time we reached the hotel.

Day 9 : Half-day sightseeing in Shigatse and Shigatse to Shegar. After checking out of the hotel and a routine briefing and prayer, the convoy rolled out towards the Tashi Lhumpo monastery for a visit.

The beautiful Monastery is perched on top of a hillock in the middle of the city. The Tashi Lhumpo monastery, founded by the 1^st Dalai Lama in 1447 is historic and culturally important in Shigatse. The monastery is the traditional seat of the successive Panchen Lamas, the 2^nd highest ranking lineage in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. This Monastery is no exception. It was destroyed by the invading enemies during the cultural revolutions and successfully rebuilt. One can only understand the history of these ancient monuments if paid attention to the narration by the guides. As usual, photography is restricted inside the monastery’s chapels and places of worship. One can get a complete view of the valley of Shigatse from the top of the monastery with some beautiful photo opportunities.

We were given an hour after the monastery visit either for shopping or to visit the carpet factory. We opted for the carpet factory visit but had to return disappointed as it was Sunday and closed. After lunch at the Nepal kitchen, we departed Shigatse for Shegar. We had to gain altitude today as Shegar was situated at an altitude of 4300 meters. We had to cross a few mountain passes one being the highest mountain pass in Tibet at 5248 meters – The Gyatsola pass.

It was an excellent photo stop with ample opportunities for the photographers. The air was thin but by now all participants had acclimatised and were fine but had to be cautious not to exert themselves. The Rabi Thapa coffee canteen opened up and we were treated to some hot coffee and tea. A few kilometers down the road was the first viewpoint of Mount Everest. Super excited the convoy came to a halt scrambling for parking. But to our dismay, the clouds had completely covered the Everest range. We waited for a few minutes for the clouds to move but to no avail. The convoy had to move to Shegar. But fortunately for me, I was the first one to spot the tip of the Everest and captured it on my camera when the cloud moved for a few seconds. I was proudly showing off the picture I captured to everyone in the convoy. Oh! I

forgot to tell you earlier that the TV channel Discovery India was covering this expedition and would make a documentary to be aired on TV. As I was one of the participants being interviewed for the documentary, we were asked to wait at the viewpoint for interviewing when the rest of the convoy moved to the hotel in Shegar. For our good luck after a few minutes, the cloud cover moved and we got to view the magnificent Mount Everest. We were hoping that the cloud would wait up until sunset to give us a view of the alpine glow glistening on the snow-clad Everest turning it to gold. The clouds were playing peekaboo with us and even though we couldn’t get to view the alpine glow in full glory, but got to see glimpses of it and share our excitement in the interview. Satisfied we left for the hotel once the sun had set. At an altitude of 4300 meters, the temperature had dipped to single digits and we were enjoying the cold. Fortunately, the sky was clear that night and we could see millions of stars and the Milky Way brightening the night sky. All photographers were kept busy that night shooting some amazing pictures of the night sky.

At the restaurant a large prayer flag was getting ready with messages, wishes and signatures to be installed on the last mountain pass. A pretty exciting day tomorrow as we were achieving our goal of the expedition.

Day 10: Shegar – EBC – Tingri.
It was a crispy chilled morning. All participants decked up in layers were ready like they were going to conquer something that morning. We were so pretty close to our destination bearing all the rough roads, mountain sickness and average of 10 hours driving daily. In that excitement I totally forgot to refuel the scorpio. The road leading to the last mountain pass well over 5000meters had 90 switch backs which made the drive more exhilarating. Each corner and switchback was beautiful than the other and were begging to be captured on camera. We had a good hours break at the pass from where we could see the mighty Mount Everest in its full glory dwarfing everything in front of it.

The feeling of fulfilment was clearly showing on the faces of the participants. Installing the 200feet long prayer flag on that pass was one more achievement for the team.

Satisfied we began our final push to Rongbuk monastery quietly perched at the base of the King of all peaks. As we were getting closer, Mount Everest was playing games with us, showing up in one corner and hiding behind the mountains at the next corner.

Finally we were there, at the Rongbuk monastery from where we had an uninterrupted view of the Gigantic Mount Everest who had swallowed up many humans in the conquest of conquering her.

After lunch at the monastery restaurant, we reached the base camp parking from where we had to walk up 1 km to the monument. In the excitement of reaching the monument, we forgot about the freezing temperature and the added wind chill and just kept walking.

Standing beside the monument posing for the pictures, I could say that I had reached my goal and a dream come true. Nothing else mattered nor did no one else matter. The overwhelming feeling of satisfaction had taken over me. I could see nothing else other than Mother Nature’s wonderful gift to mankind, the Everest. I had reached as far as any tourist could reach, a pure sense of achievement.

This gave my confidence a boost and dared me to dream of bigger things. With pride filled within, walked back to the parking lot to continue and end this epic journey. Our stay tonight was at Tingri town. To reach this place we had to traverse a gravel track of 50 km. The media guys wanted a good picture for their cover page. They placed themselves at a vantage point from where they could shoot the entire convoy. The convoy taking their cue didn’t disappoint them. The Mahindra was put to the test and the convoy was driving like off-roading pros raising a huge cloud of dust.

Seeing the enthusiasm of the convoy and the photographers, Chief decided to take the convoy down the road for a bout of pure off-roading. But due to the low fuel level in my vehicle, I had to stay put on the road and enjoy the scenes from the comfort of my Scorpio. It was quite late when we reached Tingri. That night we skipped dinner as we had a small gathering in our room and had some cup noodles Jennifer shared with us.

Day 11: Tingri – Road to heaven – Gyirong.
We got up to a chilly morning with a temperature of 0 degrees. We could still see the top of Mount Everest from our hotel. The first thing I did that morning was refuel the vehicle. We had around 225 km to drive that day. Since we had ample time that day, the management along with the Tibetan guides decided to take us on a detour on a scenic drive called the “Road to Heaven”.

It was indeed a very beautiful scenic road with a full view of the snow-capped Himalayan mountain range. A very photogenic place I must say. This road has been closed to tourists since the earthquake of 2015. We had to abruptly leave the mountain pass where we had parked when someone came up to our guide and told him that it was still a restricted area and tourists weren’t allowed there.

But we were fortunate enough to traverse this beautiful road and experience this wonderful place. We passed a beautiful lake on the way, Surprisingly it was a desert around the lake with a few sand dunes. But we had to be satisfied just by looking at it.

We stopped by the lake for a coffee stop as it would be a late lunch and we had to reach Gyirong headquarters for that. Rabi Thapa’s canteen opened up and we were treated to some snacks and hot tea and coffee. We also got to meet our guide Thensing’s brother and Father who had climbed mount Everest multiple times.

After lunch at Gyirong headquarters, we left for Gyirong the border town where we would be staying, but in a different hotel. We all had to gather at a restaurant in the town where an Indian dinner was arranged for us. At the restaurant we had Thensing sing a Hindi song for us and Rabi sang an English number. Tomorrow was the border crossing day and we had to reach the border by 10 am.

Day 12 : Gyirong – Kathmandu
The Customary roll call meant that we had bid Good bye to Gyirong and proceeding towards the China – Nepal border. The border opens at only 10 am in the morning and we had reached well ahead of time. It was expected to take 2 hours to cross the border and have our passports stamped with the Nepal entry stamp.

The advantage here was we would gain 2hrs 15mnts of time upon entering Nepal and had to reset our clocks. After a mini breakfast at the Nepalese side of the border, we were all geared up for the 175 km of off-roading to reach Kathmandu. The only thing missing with us was the radio which we had to return to the Tibetan team at the border. All the drivers were manoeuvring the Mahindra’s like toys and swallowing up the kilometers like off-roading pros. After all, they had spent 12 good days with these beasts. Tonight was the last party we were going to have together at the ballroom of Hayat Kathmandu and we didn’t want to be late for that.

So with minimum stops, we finally reached the hotel by 8 and decided to be present at the ballroom by 9. This stranger turned to one big family would be drinking, dining, and dancing together for the last time. The bar was open. We were awarded certificates like always for participating and completing this epic Journey. Some of us danced our hearts out that night.

Few were bidding goodbyes as they had early morning flights to catch. As usual, we were the last ones to vacate the place after bidding farewell to all the EBC family members. It was nostalgic to catch up with old friends and make new friends. This is one of the most cooperative groups I have ever been with. Be it water, snacks, fruits, food, cigarettes, drinks, etc. everything was shared selflessly. Participating in such expeditions helps you to come out of your normal routine and hone your survival skills by eating and drinking whatever is available. Each time you think that this was your best expedition and journey of a lifetime, the next one always surpasses your expectations and becomes the best expedition like this has become to me. This is going to be tough on the Mahindra adventure team. They have raised the bar of expeditions so high, that they really would have to come up with something special to satisfy our hunger for expeditions and I am sure they will meet our expectations. My friends ask me how I drive these manual Mahindra Scorpios after driving high-end automatic vehicles all year round. It’s really hard to explain to them my love for these rugged Scorpios. After driving them in 4 expeditions, I can easily compare it with the Land Rover Defender when it comes to ruggedness and reliability.

Day 13: Kathmandu to Dubai
Completely satisfied with the outcome of this expedition, slept till late and woke up in time before breakfast closed. Julian had a flight to catch at 2 pm and had to leave by 12. Ashlyn was staying back for a day to attend to some business. Ajay had a late-night flight and I had a late evening flight to catch. It would be a crime if I went back to Dubai without visiting the casino adjoining the hotel. An hour in the casino fetched me close to 50k Rs. Rabi and Rewat were courteous enough to take us to Tamel for some shopping, from where I directly went to the airport. There was enough time at the lounge to recollect all the events of the expedition. Etching all the good memories in my heart, flow back to Dubai.

Some of the photo credits goes to the EBC Whatsapp and Facebook groups from where I copied the photos. Also It would make me feel guilty if I don’t say that I copied a few lines from the beautifully written Article by Mrs Jayanti about our expedition.

Now planning for the next expedition is already in progress and will be back writing a detailed journal of my next expedition.
Till then, keep dreaming.