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There was first a dream that lingered in our minds and imagination over the years about this great road trip to the northern extremities of our country.The first seeds were sown by a rare photograph here and a snippet there in the mainline press, stories of a friends friend who had been there and was smitten for life by this holiday he/she had been on. With the coming of age of the more specialised subject oriented print media and more so here at Team BHP and another similar forum these images became more and more vivid in our minds fed to us through the members of this forum intrepid and devoted travellers all. So thank you one and all!!
It was therefore time to see these heavenly places for ourselves. The newly laid four / six lane national highways enclosed within toll - gates, the heat dust and the crowded cities along the way, the magic of getting on to NH 22, the lower green slopes of Himachal leading to the barren upper reaches of the Himalayas. The roaring water-falls, the blue - grey rivers that flow through this land that is arid and cold with life breaking its surface for a few months that the snows melt and the sun shines to give birth to a sparse but beautiful patina of green swathes on mountain slopes and near river banks!! It was time to see it for real.
The time was at 6 am on the 12th of August 2011 and the start off at Bangalore. There was me with my son and brother with hubby and another friend set to join us in Delhi, there were two childhood friends of my brothers.We set off in a Toyota Fortuner and a Mahindra Bolero and had decided to indulge ourselves by driving all the way from home and back.
A tiny glimpse of our long journey..
The weather that kept us company in the plains.
Our Ride
Hatu Temple
The serene and ethereal Nako Lake.
The glittering Chorten of the Tabo Monastery
Dhankar Monastery standing tall.
Kee Monastery.
Kaza Monastery
Stuck for the night at Chotta Dhara.
Sarchu the land of tents.
Thiksey Monastery
Shanti Stupa.
Chang la.
Diskit Monastery
Glimpse of the Pangong Tso
The magnificent Tso Moriri.
Stuck in the mud. Back to civilisation Rotang La.
Thanks for the log. I am sure this will bring more memories and beautiful pictures to us. And I must say those pictures are extremely beautiful.
August 2011, Hey that's the same time when we were also driving sround there :)
And 5 stars for the log :)
Awesome photographs. Absolutely picture postcard material. You surely have hell of a hand at photography. This kind of Tlogs will just make me work even harder to earn that 4X4 soon and do these trips myself. Rated 5*. Now I should get back to my work :).
Awesome start to the thread with those teaser pics, were you using cpl filter or is it post process? Loved the composition of the Pangong Tso lake amidst the mountains. 5* for the log and I must say after a rain drive the Soldier of Fortune sure looks clean :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by laluks
(Post 2806992)
Thanks for the log. I am sure this will bring more memories and beautiful pictures to us. And I must say those pictures are extremely beautiful.
August 2011, Hey that's the same time when we were also driving sround there :)
And 5 stars for the log :) |
Yes we were there around the same time,I think you were about a week ahead of us. I have been following your log and you too have had a wonderful memorable trip.Lots more coming .
Thank you for the 5*
Regards
Quote:
Originally Posted by samarjitdhar
(Post 2807242)
Awesome photographs. Absolutely picture postcard material. You surely have hell of a hand at photography. This kind of Tlogs will just make me work even harder to earn that 4X4 soon and do these trips myself. Rated 5*. Now I should get back to my work :). |
Thank you so much for liking the pictures and the rating too :) Keep reading.
Regards
Quote:
Originally Posted by motomaverick
(Post 2807275)
Awesome start to the thread with those teaser pics, were you using cpl filter or is it post process? Loved the composition of the Pangong Tso lake amidst the mountains. 5* for the log and I must say after a rain drive the Soldier of Fortune sure looks clean :) |
The colors in that region are magical,they change by every minute. Everyone who has visited these places will fully agree that no picture can do justice. I have not used any filter here. Its certain amount of PP.
Thanks for the 5*.
Lots more coming and soon you shall see what the fortuner looked like for the rest of the journey.
Regards
What a prologue!! Awesome pictures!!:thumbs up Even if there's some post processing you have done a laudable job with the pictures, unless you are an expert :D
Hello Coolcat,
Simply amazing. The photographs are great, just like Wall Papers. What is the Camera & Lenses that you use? Just cannot wait to your see the Kashmir / Ladakh photographs.
Also you are narrating the story in very short & crisp manner but without missing an important information.
Thank you & have given 5 star rating.
Regards,
Great pics coooolcat21. Specially liked the Tso Moriri picture with golden sunlit Mountain tops.
Rating - 5*
PS. - Is it a typo of did you guys do this trip for over a month? Your last posts say Sept. 15th?
16th August. Time: 8.30 am. From Panchkula to Narkanda.
This was the part of the journey that had driven us across the country. A lovely morning, the rains had stopped, it was green and cloudy, a soft morning.
The drive out off Panchkula was beautiful and we were soon in the lowest regions of our climb across the Himalayas. As is customary with us we stopped for a quick tea and pie at Timber Trails, no one can explain why we do this, the place is still beautiful but over crowded and exorbitantly priced. We had stopped earlier at Parwanoo and filled up on diesel and to check the viability of the 5 Lt water cans to hold Diesel. Since the smell of Diesel inside the vehicle was nauseating we tied the bottles on to the Luggage rack of the Bolero where they drew curious looks all across our travels.
After a slow leisurely drive up to Simla we stopped over for lunch. We had a slow leisurely walk after parking our cars below the Mall Road and taking the twin lifts up a walk down the lower Mall Road Market, looping around the Court Complex and along the Upper Mall Road. We also finished our booking for the HPTDC Cottages at Narkanda, Rekong Peo/Kalpa, Kaza and Keylong up to the end of our circuit of the Spiti Valley at the HPTDC Offices there at Mall Road.
After a good meal at Sher-e-punjab on Mall road we continued our drive over some of the most beautiful vistas towards Narkanda. This was also our first rest halt of the trip and we would be parked here for two nights leaving only on the 18th towards Kalpa and Kinner Kailash.
Timber Trails the Resort just after Parwanoo
The Green Rain Soaked Countryside
Simla City, for some reason everytime I see this image the word 'Dominoes' jumps into my mind
Upper Mall Road. Love the green moss infested embankment, the Benches along this wall make a pretty picture
Lower Mall Road and the 'Back Seat Driver' in Red Jacket
Market Scenes
The Cages may not be Gilded, but the view must certainly be Golden
Another Market Scenes from the Lower Mall Road
Make your Mouth Water and if the wind direction is right your eyes too..:)
Colors
Just another day in Paradise
Chilly days and Hot Jalebi + Milk !!!
Upper Mall Road
wow excellent travellogue - glued on. HOw did your TFORT handle the rains? Did the tyres provide sufficient grip on the roads during rains?
Hey coolcat
All I can say is you need to blessed to make such a trip possible. The pictures are awesome and the ones especially showing the road is mind blowing. Keep it going mate.
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