[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Rahulk76

Awesome thread opening Tanveer, looking forward to read the whole story in one go (Read live the story).

Exceptionally brilliant photography like it or not.

Cheers

Thanks!

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

Beautiful pictures. You sure are a brave soul to venture in this terrain with a 80K+ Safari !

Yes, I am very very brave. No doubt about that

Originally Posted by gr8guzzler

Awesome clicks Tanveer and brilliant write up. Keep it going, I'm hooked!

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Another Leh Thread.

Fantastic photos. As always you travelogues are getting better each time. A well deserved 5* rating for this thread.

I'm hooked. Keep em coming.

Thanks

Originally Posted by gjiyap1

Brilliant.

Was first worried seeing the luggage snap. And as it progressed - more worried to see the sound travelling with you. But got bit of sigh - unearthing the problem early and continuing the journey !.

on lens' view
- You went searching for colors and am stunned with the colors in it
- you flew and am watching the glide here
- the wonder of wonders - am still wondering 'how on earth...'

keep going. My eyes wide open....

Will try to be fast with this one

Originally Posted by dave7377

Sir, i must say you must be the second man on tbhp who can make people sit up and read your log at one go even without the pictures. And boy! when the pictures start coming, you just drool over them. Closely following this log. i am sure this one would be amongst your very best.

Thanks dave

Originally Posted by Jignesh

Hello,

Tanveer is back, back with a bang.

One more Ladakh Travelogue, but I am sure, this one will definitely have best possible photographs & narration. Good to know that Ball joint burst was detected right on time before it could create some serious damage in middle of nowhere.

Tanveer, I am following this thread very closely & hope this time you complete it on time (your last travelogue to Europe was delayed in middle as you got busy with work).

Thank you in advance in anticipation of great pictures, exciting narration & inspiration to Live to Drive to wonderful places.

Thanks,

Sorry about Europe. Its on the fag end. But I will parallely complete that too

Originally Posted by sudev

What a bang!!
Rated all the stars available but you are showing us zillion more in your pictures and your lively one sentence narration with every picture. Way to go.

Thanks sudev

Originally Posted by MotoNanu

What an amazing travelogue. The introduction was mind boggling.
Rated a well deserved 5 star. Your one liners for the snaps are in a league of its own

Keep it coming!

Thanks

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

Man!! what a masterpiece of photography. You do this trip again and again and every time i feel that i should also have enough guts like you to do this.

Your planning and execution is just perfect.

Just do it!

Originally Posted by umeshgogna

Wonderfull start with the full details, great narration and true documentation by beautiful images.
Thanks Tanveer for sharing most awaited Ladakh Travelogue by all members.
A well deserved 5 star rating

Thanks Umesh. Your advice during the trip, esp about Lamayuru stay was very helpful!

Originally Posted by padikpanther

There are people who travel..for fun
There are people who click..really well
There are people who write..really simple and highly effective
Tsk you are blessed with the best combination of all the above..
Thanks for sharing
[I know I gonna get a warning for the '....'but couldn’t help ]

Thanks

Originally Posted by hridayjyoti

The travelogue I have been waiting for the last 2weeks! Like all tsk thread, it started with a bang and amazing photographs. If you remember me, we met in Chandrataal (the troublesome qualis). Your shots are just out of the world, also nightscape with a fisheye (i guess) - a whole new prospective!
Bring it on! Eagerly waiting for the next instalments.

Yes, I remember you. Too bad I was confused with the tent packing. That Quechua tent is one second setup, but they do not tell you that to put all the stuff back you need a day.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Your thread is one of the reasons i am not able to decide on my next upgrade. With most vehicle warranties finishing in 80k (3 years for me), what does one do afterwards is THE question.

Wawesomely well written man, really nice even at 4am! You're delaying my ride today

But a car half-3 quarters the price of what you can afford. Then sell it after 5 years. Lot of people advise me to sell my soul to some bank and buy a 20L suv which will last 7 years. I guess I will buy something which lasts 5 years for 10L, and keep changing. The WE did not last even a day(broke down on the day of delivery), so you know what manufacturer I am not buying. That said, you will be surprised to know that a certain division of this mfr makes cars which last 150,000kms without clutch change, or any other part change, except battery, oil/diesel filters and engine oil.
More on that story later.

Originally Posted by arun_kun

Beautiful pictures. Tears popped in my eyes while watching those beautiful pics of your's. Kudos for photography. And as always great travelogue and narration.

Originally Posted by speedmiester

Just got goose bumps looking at the pics.
Thanks for the wonderful travelogue. Keep it coming.

Originally Posted by dkaile

Tanveer is back and awesome as always. It is a pleasure reading your threads. An inspiration to go beyond the ordinary.

Breathtaking photography and perspective.

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

tanveer fantastic man. Lovely pictures and made for an awesome read. I still cant stop laughing at this



Went through the 1st few posts to only check if there were any monkeys that you spotted. LOL. Am hooked and rated 5 stars , definitely worth the friday morning's leisure time.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by rahul_sinha

Someone had said Ladakh is an addiction
Tanveer you prove this, time and again, with affection
I did get Leh'd this August with full devotion
Thinking I may not do the road trip again
But in two weeks time I want to get Leh'd again

I know my amateur poetry is rubbish, but your photos and narration is awe-inspiring.
Rated 5 stars!

LOL, thanks!

Originally Posted by anupam00

Tanveer,

I am glued to your experience,

Now i am also planning a trip in 2013,

Well no need of thanks sir ji,I am happy that it was of help to you,

Thanks & Regards
Anupam

Its high time you went to ladakh

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Awesome Pics Tanveer, especially the night shots. I have been waiting for your travelogue since days. Now that we are glued don't keep us waiting. I feel it is time to dump the white Elephant and get something more reliable, the time usually spent in TASS can be better utilised in planning future trips and processing pics .

Yes, its time, but lemme flog her some more

Originally Posted by Fauji

What a blast, Tanveer!!! It is a pleasure to see your pictures and TL and this one will be awesome too. You guys being close to Himalayas are so lucky that you can pack your bags and just drive on. Keep it coming. We love it.

This trip happened after more than a 2 years gap, hard to believe, right?

Originally Posted by laluks

WoW. Lovely pictures Tanveer.
Absolutely stunning narration. Man I envy your run to Ladakh just like that.

Picture of Tents at Chandratal


Unfortunate - We can only rate 5 stars. But you deserve all the stars from those two nice pictures of yours

Originally Posted by A.G.The Rambler

Dazzling illustrations Tanveer. I guess there is no other forum over internet other than this forum, with so much information about Leh.

Amazing pictures and narration. BTW, what lenses were you using for the milky way picture?

Thanks. For milky way I used a 8mm manual focus fisheye(Rokinon)

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Your night shots are surreal Tanveer!!! The milky way shot and the reflection shots gave me goose bumps. Rating the thread 5*s.

Awaiting your updates

Originally Posted by Jeash.vk

great start. Wonderful pictures & narrations. I am craving for more. Though I have read a number of Ladakh/Leh dairies, its very rare to see a Night sky photo in those (if any). And the milky way photo was truly mind blowing - looks like it was straight out of the NASA archive.

Bring it on!

Originally Posted by 220kmph

Mods: Please permit me to put down just one line.

For the old hindi movie aficionados - the only thing left to say is - "Lahaul-wilakuwat"...

Originally Posted by Indian Ranger

Amazing Tanveer and the start itself is worth rating 5*. Eagerly waiting for further posts and thanks for sharing.

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Last time Overdrive plagiarized your thread. This time picture 6 of the 6th post at page No1 will be used by Airtel for their ad.
Nice pictures and a well compiled narration of a unique kind. Looking for more.

Originally Posted by snaronikar

For me visiting Ladakh is a dream come true, whenever I plan the leave application, it gets rejected as I had to apply for >10 days leave at a stretch. However, this type of threads and lively pics make me feel I'am there in Ladakh itself. I'am glued to this

Thanks everyone!

[hridayjyoti]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Yes, I remember you. Too bad I was confused with the tent packing. That Quechua tent is one second setup, but they do not tell you that to put all the stuff back you need a day!

Lol. I found your tent very cute and was thinking of buying one for myself. But, now you confused me! I guess after 2weeks of association, wrapping is easier now. Btw, how the stikage sleeping bag worked in the sub-zero areas?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by hridayjyoti

Lol. I found your tent very cute and was thinking of buying one for myself. But, now you confused me! I guess after 2weeks of association, wrapping is easier now. Btw, how the stikage sleeping bag worked in the sub-zero areas?

Totally useless. They claim -5 comfort, actually I would not take it to anything below +5.
Luckily we had a large blanked. Even with that, it was a horrible night. It went to -2/-3 inside the tent, and sleeping bag could not cope with that at all.

As for the tent, now we are better at folding. Will take around 5-6 minutes if you are experienced.

[PGA]

Great pics and even greater narration. I am reliving a very fond old trip through your travelouge. A walk through my memory lane of a trip I did some years back which included a walk down from Kunzum La to Chandertal with some really special friends. We had imagined how it would be to camp out there for the night, but we had no resources at that time, so now will fulfill my experience through your eyes.

Thanks and bring on the rest of the 17 passes and 14 lakes.

[himavanth_m]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

Beautiful pictures. You sure are a brave soul to venture in this terrain with a 80K+ Safari !

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Yes, I am very very brave. No doubt about that

What an awesome travelogue! Thanks a lot for sharing

I am planning to do the Ladakh trip in 2013 May/June. Right now my Safari is at 90K kms and by the time of my Ladakh trip, it will touch atleast 1.1L Kms. If you call TSK brave soul, I am on the verge of being called stupid I guess. . I just wish that my engine does not fall off somewhere enroute.

I will put my queries for the trip in Ladakh planning thread and I guess I will be bothering TSK and HVK with all my stupid questions about the trip. Till then I will gather all the information from the multiple Ladakh/Leh travelogues to get a sense of all the places that can be visited.

Thanks again for sharing. Your multiple threads to the Himalayan ranges are a wealth of information. They are extremely helpful for planning especially for people in South India who wish to do the Ladakh trip in their own vehicle.

[Ranga]

This travelogue is a eye opener to all of us . Narration + Photography is awesome . No words to express . I frankly feel we all have to learn a bit of narration from this travelogue for our future travelogues on team- bhp . This thread is surely to raise our travelogue narration standards . This can happen only on Team-bhp - No where else !!!!

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by PGA

Great pics and even greater narration. I am reliving a very fond old trip through your travelouge. A walk through my memory lane of a trip I did some years back which included a walk down from Kunzum La to Chandertal with some really special friends. We had imagined how it would be to camp out there for the night, but we had no resources at that time, so now will fulfill my experience through your eyes.

Thanks and bring on the rest of the 17 passes and 14 lakes.

Thanks PGA!

Originally Posted by himavanth_m

What an awesome travelogue! Thanks a lot for sharing

I am planning to do the Ladakh trip in 2013 May/June. Right now my Safari is at 90K kms and by the time of my Ladakh trip, it will touch atleast 1.1L Kms. If you call TSK brave soul, I am on the verge of being called stupid I guess. . I just wish that my engine does not fall off somewhere enroute.

I will put my queries for the trip in Ladakh planning thread and I guess I will be bothering TSK and HVK with all my stupid questions about the trip. Till then I will gather all the information from the multiple Ladakh/Leh travelogues to get a sense of all the places that can be visited.

Thanks again for sharing. Your multiple threads to the Himalayan ranges are a wealth of information. They are extremely helpful for planning especially for people in South India who wish to do the Ladakh trip in their own vehicle.

Rope, duct tape and rubber bands, with a big of M-seal is wondrous for holding the vehicle together. When we say, we patched up our white elephant, I was not exaggerating!

Originally Posted by Ranga

This travelogue is a eye opener to all of us . Narration + Photography is awesome . No words to express . I frankly feel we all have to learn a bit of narration from this travelogue for our future travelogues on team- bhp . This thread is surely to raise our travelogue narration standards . This can happen only on Team-bhp - No where else !!!!

Thanks Ranga!

[vinayrathore]

Hey Tanveer is back. How could I miss this thread till now.

As usual amazing writeup and brilliant pics. Specially the long exposures. Typical of a "Tanveer's Travelogue". I completely agree when someone on this thread said you are the second person on this forum who can hook us like this.

Keep it coming buddy!!

Rated 5 Stars!!

[harjeev]

Fantastic travelogue Tanveer. Your pictures on the drive upto the Lake of the Moon are like 1 month old memories revisited for me. And well, the hairpin bends are really hair raising, I'd say. I too had a pretty tough time negotiating these turns in my vehicle while climbing up and down when I did this circuit in the 2nd week of Sept'12.
Thanks for sharing and very eagerly awaiting the rest of the TL.
Rated a very well deserved 5 stars.
Cheers

[mondymk3]

Amazing thread and pictures, i had planned similar trip starting from this weekend but due to unavoidable family problem had to cancel that. However spirit is still high and might try spiti in november as road till spiti is open upto december via shimla. We went ladhak in month of june and experienced snowfall at barchla and several other places. Road to hanle is awesome but strtch near chushul breaks u down completely.
Keep coming TSK lemme see what all i missed :(

[polopm]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Thanks PGA!

Rope, duct tape and rubber bands, with a big of M-seal is wondrous for holding the vehicle together. When we say, we patched up our white elephant, I was not exaggerating!

Thanks Ranga!

Wow, superb. Am running out of words, rated thread 5 stars, there aren't any more stars to give
The photographs are truly amazing, to be shown such parts of India is such a treat. The moon photos and the milky way is truly out of the world (yeh, I know it is out of "this" world !!)
Glued to this thread for the next set of pics

[tsk1979]

Many millennia ago, when the himayalas were younger, the earth was a very different place. A very cold one. The Ice age ruled, and glaciers were everywhere. Then as the planet thawed, these glaciers retreated. Many hundreds still fight, and win, however, those who died, left behind a legacy. The lakes.
There are hundreds of such lakes dotting the Himalaya.
Chandertaal is just one of them. However, it does not make it common. Each and every one of these lakes, right from the mighty Pangong to the small Deepak Taal has its own charm.

Today, we were to go to Chandertaal, or the lake of the moon. After doing a quick survey of our "camp site", which was already overcrowded, we decided to head towards the lake. Tent can wait. First we must see the lake.

It was a short walk away, barely a km. You can hardly call it a trek now. Its a walk in the park



And the views from the walk, were truly out of thise world. A recent snowfall had given new life to the peaks


And then, we get our first glimpse. Its 4 PM already. Our progress today has been very very slow!


Before we proceed downwards, I train the cam towards Samudri Tapo, the glacier which gives birth to the Chandra river. A lot of people think its the Chandertaal which is the mother ship. However, Chandertaal is source of a small tributary. The river finds its origins in this magnificient glacier. Some day, we would like to make that 10-12km trek. for today, this will have to do


So finally, without much ado, here is the lake, the lake of the moon. Its our third attempt, and second successfull one to see the lake.


Prayer flags blow in the icy winds.


And the sun played hide and seek with clouds. Today is a full moon night, and I hope, that it stays clear.


After just relaxing at the lake for some time, we decided to explore the mountains around, and its goodbye Chandertaal, for now. We will revisit you again

[tsk1979]

We spend a few moments loitering around

The Glacier was more visible now. One day we have to trek there!

Final pic from the eveing

Since it was getting dark, our first mission was to pitch the tent. Only problem, there was hardly any flat ground.
I went asking around the Dhaba for 'Jamaica'. He was supposed to be running a camp here. Guess what I discovered. All the tents were his.
Pleasanteries over, now pitching became an easy task. He guided us to a nice place, and also invited us to the "full moon party".

Pitching was actually a 2 second thingy. However, it took me good 15 minutes to hammer all the pegs in the ground, and firmly secure the tent. Winds here can get a little too gusty.

Finally its all done, and we are ready for the moon to arrive. Well it does arrive, in style

And the full moon party is also on

Chicken kabab at 4200mts tastes very very nice.

Now its time to head to the lake.
Look at the scene, it looks like painting. IF only it had been september, the milky way core would have risen higher. What oyu see is a faint section

Here is the Glacier in the moonlight

The majestic peaks

Once again, the milky way

There are others also trying their luck with reflections. The lake of the moon, in the moonlight!

And the scene towards the glacier

Now its time to let go of the 16-85, and put the 8mm fisheye on. New perspective?

[suhaas307]

Woah Tanveer!

That's some phenomenal lenswork. And it goes only too well with your narration. Fantastic man!

By the way, have you considered using those roof-mounted tents like the one found on the one-off Safari Storme display car at the most recent Auto Expo?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Woah Tanveer!

That's some phenomenal lenswork. And it goes only too well with your narration. Fantastic man!

By the way, have you considered using those roof-mounted tents like the one found on the one-off Safari Storme display car at the most recent Auto Expo?

Nope, they are too much trouble to setup and all. Conventional instant tent is something which suits us occasional tenters more