Completed a short trip at our Cultus 2017 starting from last city of Punjab sadikabad to Khunjrab pass during 19th July to 29th July 2018.
Total no of persons & Role Assigned: 4 Adults & 2 Kids
Me: Mr Abbasi (Planner, Driving, Luggage Handler in car)
Mrs Abbasi ( Kids looking after & Cooking)
Our 3 Y old Son Arshman (Extra naughty or Full time sleep in mama lap)
Our 5 Y old Daughter Ayat (Full time Enjoy & Farmaishain)
Our Sister (Selfie Queen & Luggage Bags Packer)
Our Brother (DSLR Photographer, Navigator & Reserve Driver)
Day 1: Sadikabad-Bahawalpur-Lahore
Night stay at Home
Day 2: Lahore-Abbotabad-Naran
,
whole night Travelling 10/10 , Day/Warm, Night/Cool outside & warm inside car
Short Stays: Abbotabad/Dinner 8/10,Arcadian /B.Fast 10/10, Naran/Early Morning Shopping 8/10
Scenic Views: Rainy Travel from M2, M1 to Kewai 10+/10, Early Morning lush green Narran route marvelous views 10+/10, first time in life witnessed early morning clouds in valley. 10+/10, Arcadian B/Fast view 10+/10
Road Condition: Zabardast M1 & Hazara Motorway, Abbotabad-Naran some bumpy patches
Driving Skills: After mansehra some inclined round turns will start and after Batkundi full inclined roads will start.
Day 3: Naran-JalKhand
Own Camping 10+/10-Cooking 7/10-Relax Day 10+/10 D/Cool, Night/Warm Sleeping Bags 8/10
Road Condition: OK with some bumpy water channels, full expert skills with inclined round turns.
Scenic Views: Speechless Scenic Views 10+/10, River Sound 10+/10, Rain Shower Patches, Lush Green Valley with wild flowers scents 10+/10, Chandani Raat till 1:00 PM 10+/10, Extreme Darkness after 1 PM 5/10, Early morning clouds views 10+/10, After rain shower Scent 10+/10
Day 4: Jalkhand-Babusar-Gilgit
Short Stays: Lulusar Lake 6/10 , Babusar Top 10+/10
Road Condition: Ok with higly expert skills required for Babusar Top up/Down way. Chillas to raikot ready for worst road patches for 30 KM then excellent road till khunjrab.
Rakaposhi Hotel near Serena @ 2500/R(2 Rooms with air coolers) 8/10, D/Cool-warm, N/Cool
Scenic Views: Lulusar lake 6/10 , Babusar Top driving experience 10+/10, Babusar Top chilled cold with rain shower & clouds 10+/10, babusar Top viewpoint 10+/10, Babusar decline driving 10+/10, Chillas to Raikot Bridge 2/10, Raikot Bridge to Gilgit 7/10, Chillas to Gilgit scenery (Drownay Khushk Phaar with muddy river water) 2/10.
Day 5: Gilgit-Hunza-Ganish-Passu-Attaabad Lake-Sost
Short Stays for photoshoots at Passu 9/10, Attabad Lake 10+/10, KKH Road 10+/10
Riveria Hotel @ 2500/- including 2 mattress 7/10, Day/Warm,Night/Blanket
Road Condition: Excellent Road with easy driving skills 10+/10
Scenic Views: Many lush green fruits garden 10+/10, Yellow Khubanni 10+/10, Small Juicy Apples 10+/10, Ganish Fast Food 10+/10, Passu Cones View 9/10, Attabad Tunnels Sound Effects 10+/10, Attabad Lake 10+/10, KKH Road Views 10+/10, Rain Showers 10+/10
Day 6: Sost-Khunjrab Pass-Ganish-Rakaposhi view Point (Chattar Plain)
Rakaposhi view Hotel@ 2500/-,D/Jackets @ Khunjrab Pass, N/Blanket
Road Condition: Excellent Road 10/10, Same Babusar Top experience just before khunjrab pass with highly skilled driving. Pay full attention on stones dropped from mountains to road (specially after rainy day) as it will hit your petrol tank or radiator & make sure to come back before sunset to sost as not a single workshop and 1/2 grocery shops throughout this route.
Scenic Views: Snowy Mountain Peeks 10+/10, Khunjrab Pass view 10+/10, Difficulty in walk at Khunjrab 5/10, Scattered Stones throughout the Road 2/10, Less population & Drownay Phaar 2/10, Attababad Tunnels 10+/10, Ganish Fast Food 10/10.
Day 7: Rakaposhi VP-Karimabad-Chillas-Bisham
PTDC Motel @ 4000 including two mattress, rainy Night but still switch on the fan) 7/10
Road Condition: RVP to Raikot Excellent 10/10, Raikot to chillas Pathetic, Chillas to Dassu Scarry & pathetic with some good patches recently build, Dassu to Bisham Excellent.
Scenic Views: Rakaposhi View Point Chashma 10+/10, Baltit Fort 8/10, Appricot Cake from cafe de hunza 10/10, Yellow Khubani 10/10, Danyore to Raikot 7/10, Raikot to Chillas 2/10, Chillas to Dassu Zero/10 (the most scary part of trip with no population, shops, workshops etc), Greenery Started again at Dassu after a long gap from Danyore 7/10, Dassu to Bisham green valleys 8/10, Rain showers,clouds & thunderstorm 10/10.
Day 8: Bisham-Batgram
PTDC Motel @ 4000 including two mattress 10+/10, Full Rainy Day/Cool, Night/Blankets
Road Condition: Excellent
Scenic Views: The best Lunch just after crossing the besham city Charsada Sar Daryab Hotel (Fried Fish, Handi, Kahwaa 10+/10, Home made the tastiest Ice cream from attached Shops 10+/10, Batgram is Photo copy of Gallyat with more lush green valley, more clouds on earth, less crowdy with tourists as compare to Gallyat, full peace and calm, excellent view from PTDC, most beautiful exploration of this trip 20+/10, PTDC Soup & Tea 10+/10, PTDC lawn Apples 10/10
Day 9: Batgram-Abbotabad-Lahore
Night Stay at Home, Day Cool-warm, Night in AC
Road Condition: Excellent, One patch under construction at Seapack road before battal, Little traffic Jam at Mansehra & Massive traffic jam at Abbotabad.
Scenic Views: Shinkyari Tea Gardens 10+/10, Ilyasi Mosque 10/10, Abbotabad Zafran Bakers 10/10, Motorways 10/10, KFC Bhera 10+/10.
Day 10: Lahore-Bahawalpur-Sadikabad
Home Sweet Home
KFC Sahiwal 10+/10.
HATS OFF TO OUR CULTUS 2017 10+/10
Passengers: We were 4 adults & 2 kids inside
Rooftop:Loaded with tent, sleeping bags, yoga mattress, Stove cartridges, Umbrellas, Hiking Sticks, Tarps, Electric Kit
Diggi:one medium size Travel bag, One large size bag, 2 medium bags, one travel sack, one large kitchen box, shoes adjusted inside space between bags & backseats, Car Spare parts adjusted inside spare tyre space, Sides small spaces used for tissues, medical kit, seat organizer used for kids items, under seat used for tool kit, tools, search light, mineral water bottles & kids warm uppers, DSLR camera kit adjusted at front seat foot-mate. Sidearm organizer used for small tools.
DIFFERENT KITS
Kitchen Box Kit:
(ziplock spices, oil, teabags,milk powder, noodles, instant soups/noodles, disposable plates/spoons, nutella, ketchup,basin, small cooker, knife,Pan, Aluminum bowl, kids milk & feeders, feeder brush & vim in ziplock, some detergent sachet)
Electric Kit
(Power invertor, led bulbs, extension cable, Rechargeable lights)
Tool Kit
Car own kit, Small Multipurpose swiss army tool, cutter, Tapes, Zip Ties, spare cloth, 2 Magic epoxy steel, Elfi, Tyre changing kit, WD 40
Car Spares
Tyre Puncture Kit, Small Air Compressor Pump, Gaskit, Tow chain, Jumper wire, coolant.
CULTUS /ANY MANUAL VEHICLE DRIVING TIP
UPHILL:
Dont loose vehicle RPMs less than 2.5 (We remained in second gear (40 Max) for mostly inclined uphill road and first gear (15 Max) just before babusar top/khunjrab pass. Once you cross these speeds limits your vehicle will start crossing 3.5 RPMs and ultimately got heated. There you have to be tested with extreme patient and relax and dont over speed with 1/2 gear.
DOWNHILL:
Only used 2nd gear, dont ever cross 3 RPM, used brakes only to remain car under 3 RPM otherwise your brakes will get heated and tyres will burn with extreme smell. I used this trick very comfortably and tyres remain cool resulting a good road grip.
STRAIGHT ROAD:
After Abbotabad dont ever cross 90 and try to remain under 80.
CURVE UPHILL/DOWN HILL TURN
wait to pass any other vehicle at uphill turn and make a long turn instead of very close U turn.
If a vehicle is also crossing the turn then use the thumb rule of giving way to vehicle going UPHILL as that vehicle is using full power.
INCIDENTS:
Be ready for any type of incidents resulting in change in planned schedule.
1: At day 6, During return journey from Khunjrab to Sost, tried to cross the vehicle at good carpet road with some freshly dropped small size stones from mountain, while crossing a stone hit my fuel tank and puncture it such badly that half tank empty within seconds. one option was to fill the gap with magic epoxy but that place was so dangerous due to landslide threat that we shifted my family on foot to 1 KM away from incident, than another vehicle driver advised me to continue travel as car has reserve tank inside fuel tank which was not damaged, so we traveled another 30 KM to sost without any fuel in car. At sost after welding the tank we continued our journey.
Kids got some fun time at workshop:
2: At day 7, we had plan to reach Batgram but suddenly radiator fan nut open and car start heating just before besham city, It was elections result night and no workshop was open nearby, so we left our car there and shifted family at besham hotel, next day mechanic took 15 min to adjust it again.
EXPENSES
Here are the answers to mostly asked questions about expenses:
FOOD:
We did breakfast and dinners mostly, for lunch we prefer any road side attractions like fruits, pakoras, chai etc we spent 18,000 for 4 adults and 2 kids, After calculating all expenses here is the formula:
1800-2000 / Day (2 Times Meal)/ Car (4-5 Persons)
FUEL:
20,000/- (Lahore to Khunjrab to Lahore )
ROAD TAX:
1,400/- Motorway 500 Khunjrab Entry+100 Naran Entry=2,100/-
UNEXPECTED EXPENSES:
Challan=200, Doctors Fee & Medicines= 1,200, Car Mechanical Works= 2,300
NIGHT STAYS:
Already mentioned in day to day activities.