[Samurai]

Now that I finished Great Escape report, I read this report. Man, you guys had gala time in Sakleshpura. Too bad I had to miss this, starting last week we are on very busy schedule at work, all vacations cancelled.

If it was raining, heh, heh, heh... Then people would have seen a very different face of OTR.

[dwaraka]

Hi All,

It was a wonderful long weekend on 27th and 28th Sept at Sakleshpur. Introduction to Munjarabad trail was breathtaking. Yes, as Khan_sultan said, "the terrain would have been much more challenging if it had rained" Must do the trail.

Chandan / Khan_Sultan, thanks for organizing the event.

Rishi's Safari did amazing well on sand. I have captured the stunts on my mobile -video. Look for it on Youtube shortly.

I have given the link to my photos taken on my mobile phone.

Picasa Web Albums - Dwarakanath - Sakleshpur-OT...





Dwarak

[dwaraka]

Regret not posting the videos correctly. Please find the video links

YouTube - Sakleshpur-OTR2709085

YouTube - Sakleshpur-OTR2709087

YouTube - Sakleshpur-OTR2709083

YouTube - Sakleshpur-OTR2709081

YouTube - Sakleshpur-OTR2709086

YouTube - Sakleshpur-OTR2709082

Dwarak

[star_aqua]

Hi All,
It was like a dream come true for me. finally i made it. it was my first OTR and was an amazing event which covered everything. you cant expect anything more than this. For those who could not make it, i should say you guys really missed something.
here are some pictures i would like to share.

Chandan's cottage

safari conquering the mountain

vikram explaining the terrain

vikram's Wrangler look alike

kitty's gaadi


sree's mm550


and mine

some more to come..

I should thank Khan_sultan and Chandan for organising such a wonderful event. Hoping for another trip.

Cheers!
Vijay

[hrag]

As I said earlier, we had a blast. I HAD A BLAST.

I will post a detailed report later (with a complete storyline and pictures in sequence) but before I do that, many many thanks to:

chandan & Sapna, for their gracious hospitality. You have a lovely place - your idea was fantastic. Chirag - your place is lovely too.

khan_sultan, for encouraging me to try things I've never tried earlier. In a vehicle I've never taken on an OTR earlier. Who am I kidding - this was my first 'organized' OTR in any vehicle. This is the guy who had his own cheerleader team!

dwaraka - for infectious enthusiasm.

sreerajunnithan, kittigaadu & star_aqua - and all your companions - for encouraging me and taking those wonderful photographs.

Mr. Vikram, a veteran off-roader, Munzeerabad OTR Marshal, our guide on Day 1, for being our guide, showing us those wonderful trails and thanks to your assistants for ensuring all vehicles paced themselves properly on the climbs and descents. Mr. Vikram was very doubtful about the Safari making it on those trails and wanted me to park it at a safe place before getting on the trail in a Jeep / Gypsy. When you have friends like khan_sultan / chandan / dwaraka with you, it becomes easier to tell someone of the stature of Mr. Vikram - "I want to find out what a Safari can do and what it cannot do. If I get stuck, I get stuck - let me find out".

Indy & Sapna - for making it past the RUSTED BOARD :-)

Sapna's (chandan) friend Harsha - for watching out for me during the entire OTR whenever he could.

Sapna's (chandan) friend Vratha (hope I spelt it right) -
for calling me " a TN registered 'specimen' allowed inside Karnataka"

khan_sultan and dwaraka are absolutely right about the Safari. It made it to every place that the Jeeps and Gypsys went. It slipped in slush, scaring the wits out of me (2.25 tons sliding in slush towards a rock wall is no joke!). I had to rev it in 4L to make it up one slippery climb after sliding back twice. It got stuck in a rut (like Samurai's GV - only a TBHP member will remember something like this when stuck in a slush filled rut) but 4L in a Safari works wonders (I was also lucky to be able to get out on my own). It did get stuck in the sand (with 4 people on board) but with some help, I was able to get out. The H/T tyres did the distance but A/T tyres and a higher GC can only improve things. H/T tyres in the rain on this trail would have been suicidal.

Where did the Safari 3.0 Dicor 4x4 come from? From Tata Motors, where else? Friends - where it came from is not important, what it can / cannot do off the road is important. We all know what it can do on the road.

Until my meet report, I can only say - nice meet, nice people, nice vehicles.

[inder_s1]

Hi All,

This OTR was really an amazing experience.

Thank you

• Chandan and his wife Sapna for the arrangements
• Khan_Sultan for organizing & sensing my excitement for this event , calling me up and luring me in for this OTR cheers:
• Kitti for letting me drive his Jeep
• Star_aqua for letting me drive his Jeep
• hrag for letting me drive Safari

and the rest of the Gang for being so supportive.

[maddy42]

@star i loved your pictures. Can i have some of vikrams wrangler?? Please

[kittigadu]

Lush green estates and wide open meadows.
Golden rays from the sun and cows grazing on the grass.
And Suddenly u see a 4x4 making its own road emerging out of the horizon.

Wow.Thats the place dreams are made of.
Its not about the trees or the hills or the grass or the land. Its all about the lifestyle. Its about having a 4x4 as a pet dog and conquering the terrain.
And thanks to chandan for letting us experience it.
Now i know why khan said, dont come without a tent.
Once the sun is down, the tress are gone, the hills are gone and the meadows are gone. Now its all about the fire, the warmth, the grill and some talk.
Guys had fun. I was down with acidity and had to retire. pitched my tent and was subconsciously listening to the talk going on around the fire. Didn't know when i fell asleep.

The Team was amazing, the weather was amazing and so was the terrain.
we have done rocks, heights, slush, sand and water. What more can anyone ask for.
An old friend of mine joined me on this OTR. It was an out-of-the-world experience for him. He enjoyed every bit of it. Though he is not a member of the forum, he never felt lonely or alien. He wanted me to convey his regards to each and everyone in the team.
I wanted to thank every one for making it an old school reunion. Thanks to the lovely ladies who made me realize, as khan put it " off-roading can become a complete family outing & adventure engagement "
Thanks to chandan and sapna, khan, hrag, sreerajunnithan and gang, vijay and gang, Dwarak, vikram, harish and vratha, inder and sapna and chirag.
Note: Swarga resort really stands upto its name. I would suggest that place to anybody wanting to go to sakleshpur for a weekend getaway.


Unfortunately i have no photos this time.
what you see in the photos is just 5% of the experience.

Krishna

[jaysmokesleaves]

Superb OTR event you guys had. Liked every bit of reading it and the pics.
And the night camping mustve just added to the pleasure of it.

[star_aqua]

Originally Posted by maddy42

@star i loved your pictures. Can i have some of vikrams wrangler?? Please

Hi Maddy,
sure. i can, but i dont have much. i can send you the high resolution pics. please PM me your email id.

[hrag]

I tried but could not write a detailed report, not in sequence anyway. So I'll just caption this picture taken by dwaraka:

khan_sultan sways near the bar in 4 Low - about to bottom out.

[sreerajunnithan]

Originally Posted by hrag

I tried but could not write a detailed report, not in sequence anyway. So I'll just caption this picture taken by dwaraka:

khan_sultan sways near the bar in 4 Low - about to bottom out.

Attachment 54759

LOL!!! Now that's an apt caption you have given him hrag.
Articulation is not upto the mark though.

--Sree--

[sreerajunnithan]

BTW did any one of you seen today's TOI? Our Vikram Gowda Captured a Python and handed it over to Forest Dept. He posed for a photo with that Python over his Neck.

--Sree--

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by hrag

..... khan_sultan sways near the bar in 4 Low - about to bottom out....

Attachment 54759

Originally Posted by sreerajunnithan

.... Articulation is not upto the mark though. ...

Wow.!!! Hilarious ... Too good 5 *****.

BTW, there were many many other people with 4GB mem cards and cameras clicking all the way. where are the pictures? I can't believe that only these many pictures were taken.

Come on folks, start sharing the pictures please.

And yes, who is going to share the story of the person who ate 'jacket potatoes' along with the aluminum foil?

Originally Posted by hrag

I tried but could not write a detailed report, not in sequence anyway....

NOT Fair Hrag. You have to write a report -- which ever sequence it is. You bring in a "headlight adjuster switch controlled 4x4 safari" to the OTR and do a great job with it; and then don't write a report.!! No way. Please do share whatever pics you have and your report.

Originally Posted by sreerajunnithan

BTW did any one of you seen today's TOI? Our Vikram Gowda Captured a Python and handed it over to Forest Dept. He posed for a photo with that Python over his Neck.

Yes. Amazing. It was there in yesterdays Hindu newspaper also. And you know what: He had called Chandan on Sunday when we had returned at Chandans place in evening and was asking us to come and see the python. :-)

[snaronikar]

Originally Posted by PatchyBoy

Nope. I could not make it. And I do hope that smiley is not meant sarcastically. I call them my kids because I mean it.

Sorry, Rajan don't take it too seriously.