[vnabhi]

Good idea, Nazim! Wish you guys all the best!!

BTW, I thought the eggjams of the young navigator were getting over on Saturday---so is he bunking one?

P.S.---My son is an expert in that art

[absynthguzzler]

We're only taking a 1/2 day buffer Venu sir ..... leaving around mid-day'ish and stopping at Vijaywada maybe.

[pulsar56]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Good idea, Nazim! Wish you guys all the best!!

BTW, I thought the eggjams of the young navigator were getting over on Saturday---so is he bunking one?

Nope.. Saturday was sports day. Exams get over by Friday!

Originally Posted by vnabhi

P.S.---My son is an expert in that art

Oh oh! He needs some lessons on how NOT TO LET Dad know about the secrets!

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by pulsar56

Nope.. Saturday was sports day. Exams get over by Friday!


Oh oh! He needs some lessons on how NOT TO LET Dad know about the secrets!

Uh oh---he could con us by getting a false question paper, but was not smart enough to con us with a fake mark sheet!!!

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Uh oh---he could con us by getting a false question paper, but was not smart enough to con us with a fake mark sheet!!!

Thank God your Son doesn't know me !

[adc]

Originally Posted by pulsar56

We are getting updates on the recent agitations in Andhra and are planning to leave on Saturday instead of Sunday morning.

Any updates from the Gorkhaland front will be much appreciated. (read a post by Sutripta on another thread that he is stuck in Sikkim!)

Gorkhaland strike does not affect the journey to Siliguri and downwards. What will affect will be a strike by the anti-Gorkhaland parties and then Siliguri is shutdown from dawn till evening.

Siliguri has a strike on the 21st by the anti-Gorkhland parties, and nothing else till today. So any day other than 21st is open till now.

Sikkim will be cut off due to the only highway passes through Gorkhaland areas of influence and is thus virtually cut off from the rest of the country.

I will try to leave on either 21st night/22nd morning for Siliguri depending on the work situation and would stay the 22nd night at my cousin sister's house in Siliguri. If work situation is bad, I would be leaving on 22nd night for a direct run to Guwahati, skipping Siliguri.

Whatever it is I would be calling my sister to get the latest untoward info, if any, and would let you guys know there and then - i have your phone numbers.


Anyway wish you all a super enjoyable and safe journey - should be meeting you all at least at Tawang, if not earlier - depending upon my start date.

Again, in summary, Gorkhland strike will not affect us. What will affect us will be the strike called by anti-Gorkhaland faction and/or the strike called by the Greater Cooch Behar faction - Kamtapur - yeah they are also in "we-want-a-State" queue!


Oh! by the way lets again look at the minimum temperatures

INDIA METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT
MULTIMODEL ENSEMBLE BASED DISTRICT LEVEL WEATHER FORECAST
ISSUED ON: 17-12-2009
VALID TILL 08:30 IST OF THE NEXT 5 DAYS

DISTRICT : TAWANG STATE : ARUNACHAL PRADESH
DAY-1 DAY-2 DAY-3 DAY-4 DAY-5
18/12 19/12 20/12 21/12 22/12
------------------- ------------------- ------------------- ------------------- ------------------- -------------------
Rainfall (mm) 0 0 0 0 0
Max Temperature ( deg C) 8 8 5 7 7
Min Temperature ( deg C) -2 -2 -4 -5 -4

[Sutripta]

Hi,
Every two bit party with a separatist agenda is calling bandh in Assam (esp. lower Assam) nowadays.

Keep time in hand, stick to the main roads, enquire at bus stops (Alipur Duar/ CoochBehar/ Srirampur/ Boxirhat ) about status, and then proceed. If buses are not plying, think twice. As a tourist, you all should not take the chances we take.

SMS me when you all reach Siliguri. (Check if message has been delivered, or failed. I have to drive out for cell conectivity. Which I normally do once a day.)

Seeing the temperatures, be very careful of black ice. If there is snowfall, the snow melts and refreezes, esp in the shaded puddles. Treacherous stuff.

Sutripta
(In lower Assam)

[hyd_traveller]

Best of Luck. Do enjoy to the fullest. Have a safe drive.

[Ravveendrra]

The time for planning, asking questions, discussing etc. has finally come to an end and we are almost into D Day now. It is now time for us to move, to do, to set forth and return.

Several friends have posted good wishes here, more have PMed, called or messaged me. Thanks all of you for your good wishes. Sometimes I believe that the success of trips such as the one we are about to undertake depends mostly on good wishes and, of that we seem to have an abundance.

Thanks again ADC for those weather updates - they makes thing exciting and remind us to remain cautious.

Thanks Sutripta, I have PMed you our numbers.

@ Thirthankar, I have got your no. from MC and look forward to meeting you again.

Update:

Final count = Absynthguzzler, Pulsar56 and yours truly +1.

(Rajesh Rawal is unable to join us due to work and professional pressures, Downsouth and Mrs. Downsouth are unable to commence the journey due to illness in their immediate family. I hope all of you guys can join us somewhere mid-way. Absynth can organise transport for you guys even at the last minute.)

Vehicle: One Cappuchino Beige Skoda Laura. TBHP sticker on the rear bumper and PUG (Palio User Group) Stickers on the windshields.

Programme at a glance:

We have advanced our departure by a day due to the unsettled situation in Andhra Pradesh. Do not worry Venusaab, we are leaving after the little navigator's eggjam (incidentally there is now a Garmin GPS to supplement his efforts) and, please not a whisper to him about faking Q papers, marks sheets etc.

19.12 Depart Hyd and drive as far as possible.

20.12 Drive to Rambha (are there also towns named Menaka, Urvashi etc. and more imp., do they live up to their names?!) N/h in Rambha. If we reach early enough - enjoy the Chilka lake for a bit before nightfall

21.12. Depart from Rambha and N/h. Siuri (that Bhadrak to Balasore stretch is going to make this a loooong day).

22.12. Depart Siuri and N/h Siliguri (subject to pro-Gorkhaland and anti-Gorkhaland forces co-operating with us) else N/h Jalpaiguri

23.12. Depart Siliguri N/h. Tezpur (drive via Jalpaiguri, Falakatta, Alipurduar, Boxirhat, Gauripur, Naranarayan Bridge, Goalpara, Guwahati and Mangaldoi). This is another long day and we are keeping our fingers crossed and praying to the presiding deities of roads to give us good roads.

24.12. Depart Tezpur and N/h Dirang / Bomdila. Aaah finally the vacation starts - a short drive through areas of immense scenic beauty with snow clad mountains in the distance.

25.12. Arrive Tawang (dare we hope for a white Christmas?)

Though a short drive, the dreaded black ice will have us keeping our eyes on the road and on the vehicle in front of us. I guess the sunny parts of the road should be ok while all parts in the shade are to be treated as suspect. Short halts at Sela pass and the war memorial will be the only places where we can enjoy the scenery.

26 & 27 Tawang (brrr. those long johns better do their job with temp in single digits either side of 0).

Beyond Tawang will be a real challenge to us and we hope to make it to Sangester, PT Tso, Nagila and Bum La. I presume that once we return after this little excursion we will be ready to jump into the fireplace and become toast.

28.12. Depart Tawang and N/h. Bomdila

29.12. Depart Bomdila N/h Tezpur (laundry halt!)

30.12. Depart Tezpur drive to Shillong (Will this quaint little town - reminiscent of Ol Blighty, survive our onslaught?)

31.12. Shillong, Cherrapunjee etc. (well, we have to do something till the party starts in the evening)

1.1.2010 Depart Shillong N/h Siliguri (The beggining of the journey home)

2.1. Depart Siliguri N/h Kharagpur (Pulsar and Absynth to pls note, we will discuss in the car about this)

3.1. Depart Kharagpur N/h. Rajahmundry (Let us see either the sunset or the sunrise over the River Godavari, I would have had enough of spending all the daylight hours in the car by this time)

4.1. Depart Rajahmundry arrive Hyd. (Back home, at last. Will we be in AP or TG then?)

In a way the schedule has become simpler with no airport pick-ups, drops etc. but it would be sad if the whole of the original compliment of people cannot make it. I hope and pray that all issues get sorted out and that everyone is there in Tawang & Shillong as we had planned earlier.

I have put my luggage in the car (including food - 2 cartons, car stuff - 1 carton and household stuff like heaters - 1 carton, 2 sleeping bags) and there are a few gaps where we can fit in Absynth's and Pulsar's baggage as well as the ice-box. Worst case scenario, we dump some stuff like dhurries and wear some jackets etc. That dickie is really huge.

I have just re-read this thread and stand duly humbled and in awe. The amount of information that flowed in from members is truly amazing. This whole trip has been planned on the basis of the information given in this thread.

More than the information, it is that warmth, genuine concern, willingness to help and eagerness to meet that has overwhelmed me. I sincerely thank each one of you and hope to meet as many of you as possible.

Cheers,

[adc]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Seeing the temperatures, be very careful of black ice. If there is snowfall, the snow melts and refreezes, esp in the shaded puddles. Treacherous stuff.

Thanks much for the heads up. Surely black ice is what I fear the most with a 2 tonne 2wd vehicle with the rear grossly overfilled with all the stuff.

Originally Posted by Ravveendrra

23.12. Depart Siliguri N/h. Tezpur (drive via Jalpaiguri, Falakatta, Alipurduar, Boxirhat, Gauripur, Naranarayan Bridge, Goalpara, Guwahati and Mangaldoi). This is another long day and we are keeping our fingers crossed and praying to the presiding deities of roads to give us good roads.

Lower Assam and Cooch Behar up to date info [regarding any strike] must be enquired, as Surtripa said - any empty roads with no buses must be investigated as for the reason.

Anyway its journey time now, surely a memorable and enjoyable tour in the making. Catch you guys somewhere on the road. Have a safe journey.

[btirthankar]

Just spoke to Team AP2AP. Nazim said they are near Rambha and plan to stay over tonight as scheduled. I plan to go and meet them at - NH2/NH6 intersection tomorrow.

[SS-Traveller]

Good luck, guys, and have a great trip!

[robimahanta]

have a safe trip, guys.

p.s. its getting pretty cold out here in Guwahati, the gauge reads 12C but it feels sub 10 due to all the mist and wind.

[akroy]

Good Luck Ravvendra, Wish you a very happy and prosperous journey. Eager to hear some nice updates as well.
Bon Voyage !!

Abhi

[navan49]

Ravendra,

A good plan. Wish you all the best and safe drive. Be prepared to havae some flexible days for the unfortunate situation of strike etc. Any how time to time (Daily) post from your mobile, a line are two. We are all your well wishers, behind the curtail all over India to assist you from remote.