[BlackPearl]

20000 kilometers of driving in two and half months and the track logged on the Garmin eTrex looks like this -



I can now safely wear this T-Shirt



Disclaimer:
1. There will lot of Bolero and Esteem pics, so please proceed accordingly
2. All the pictures are not taken by me specifically if there are good ones

Kashmir

This was our second trip to Kashmir from Kolkata in the White Tusker the Bolero LX 4WD (t-log of the first one http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ay-ladakh.html ). We came back from UK in the beginning of June and set off for Kashmir after just 3 days and that was a mistake considering the fact that the Bolero had been lying around for quite sometime. D-bhpian Sutripta had taken the vehicle out for a spin a few times and had the AC fixed but it needed better preparation for a 6500+ kilometers journey. The AC went kaput near Kanpur after the AC belt had snapped and it dislodged the main belt as well. The main belt was fixed but the AC could not be fixed as the belt was fouling either the main pulley or the radiator hose pipe. So the rest of the journey was done without AC in the sweltering heat of Northern India. But the journey was epic with 5 other cars from Kolkata and one more vehicle joining the party from Haryana.

Trip Itinerary -
Day 1: Kolkata-Kanpur
Day 2: Kanpur-Ludhiana
Day 3: Ludhiana-Patnitop
Day 4: Patnitop-Srinagar
Day 5: Stay at Srinagar
Day 6: Stay at Srinagar
Day 7: Srinagar-Kargil
Day 8: Kargil-Leh
Day 9: Stay at Leh
Day 10: Stay at Leh
Day 11: Leh-Nubra
Day 12: Nubra-Leh
Day 13: Leh-Pangong
Day 14: Pangong-Leh
Day 15: Leh-Jispa
Day 16: Jispa-Delhi
Day 17: Stay at Delhi
Day 18: Delhi-Varanasi
Day 19:Varanasi-Kolkata

Vehicles:
1. Skoda Yeti
2. Mitsubishi Pajero
3. Mahindra Thar CRDe
4. Mahindra Thar CRDe
5. Mahindra Bolero 4WD
6. Mahindra Bolero 2WD
7. Renault Duster

All the vehicles at Pangong except the Duster as they had to leave early..


The original plan was to go to Pangong from Nubra via Wari La, but the pass had been closed due to heavy snowfall and we had to go back to Leh.

It takes a lot of co-ordination and patience to travel in such a big group and with so many vehicles with different capabilities, issues, driver temperament and we had our differences, but at the end of the day everything was forgotten due to the sheer pleasure of travelling in a group.

In and around Srinagar












Zoji La





Some random clicks...

[BlackPearl]

Kashmir continued..

The Bolero is a pain in the transport section but it comes to its own in the mountains.
The trip was more eventful because of the frequent hiccups caused by the Bolero, though all of them arose due to negligence rather any fault of the White Tusker. For example, I wanted to change the fuel filter at Leh service station and it was a blunder. The guy was so concerned with Joey the Rottweiler around that he forgot to change the rubber gaskets. This caused a lot of problem while coming back and had to stay one night in Delhi as the car just refused to start. It was due to the old gaskets not being able to withstand the pressure. I should have paid more attention when the guy was changing the filters.
On the tyre front the Michelin LTXs performed flawlessly, no cuts, bruises or punctures.


Around Leh and Magnetic Hill








En-route to Nubra



Places around Nubra









Pangong Tso



Joey the star of the trip, he is a 5 year old Rott



Joey with his master JD















Padma Lodge in Jispa

[BlackPearl]

I was supposed to go to Bangalore from Kashmir to join office there for a one month stint. Since the AC of the Bolero was not working it was impossible to take it to Bangalore. Instead we returned to Kolkata and started for Bangalore in the humble old Esteem. From Bangalore we went to Munnar on one weekend and Kumarakom on another.

Munnar


















Kumarakom

We stayed at Club Mahindra resorts in Munnar and Kumarakom. The one in Kumarakom was fantastic with large cottages and water channels passing under them.





















to be continued....

[BlackPearl]

In Bangalore the cops had harassed me a lot by taking away my driving license and vehicle papers for driving an out of state car. It was on the 17th day of my visit and I had argued that I was not going to stay for more than a month, but the officer did not listen. He said that I had brought my vehicle all the way from Calcutta, so it was logical that I was going to stay for quite sometime
A visit to the RTO officer also did not help. The RTO officer wanted a letter from my company mentioning that I was going to be there for less than a month. Finally after 1 week of followup I got the letter from my company and RTO released my documents the day before I was to leave Bangalore. Anyways, left Bangalore for Kolkata with a visit to Goa en-route.

Goa

Monsoon is lovely in Goa and I have no idea why this is off season, but good for us because the hotel rates are cheaper. We stayed at a place called Granpa's Inn and it was an awesome experience to say the least. The place was serene and swimming pool was nice. The manager Mr. Vish has been born and brought up in Kolkata and speaks fluent Bengali. He drives a Hyundai Verna which he got after exchanging his Jetta. He spent about half an hour narrating the horror stories of his Jetta









































From Goa we started early in the morning with the intention to stay overnight at Vizag. However the road that we took was quite bad in places and progress was slow. By the time we reached Hyderabad it was already 10 p.m. We decided to stop over but we faced resistance from hotel managers. We tried several hotels near Banjara Hills but everywhere it was the same story. Whenever I mentioned that we need a double bedroom for 5 to 6 hours and my wife was with me, the staff would give a peculiar look and say that rooms are not available. I insisted that I would pay for the entire day but they kept on repeating the same thing. I was baffled by this attitude and to this date have not been able to find out the reason for such strange behavior. It was very clear that the hotels had rooms but they were just not willing to let us stay. I did not not know that I could be deemed unsuitable for entry to a hotel!! We decided that we were not going to stay a minute longer in that horrible place ( Though we had visited Hyderabad before and had a lovely experience - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ad-baleno.html ) Wifey and me took turns to drive and did not halt till Kolkata except for bio and fuel breaks... that was 2300+ kilometers in 36 Hours non stop!!

Bay of Bengal (Vizag)

[BlackPearl]

Sikkim

The weekend after reaching Kolkata we went to Tajpur which is a 500 Km round trip, but unfortunately cannot find the pics. Will request fellow bhpian Samba to post a few pics from that trip. The next weekend was a long one and we went to Sikkim driving a friend's Thar. Itinerary was -
1. Kolkata-Ravangla (South Sikkim)
2. Stay at Ravangla and visit all the nearby monasteries and places of interest
3. Visit Yuksom, Khecheoperi Lake and Dubdi Monastery in west Sikkim
4. Ravangla-Kolkata

We took the Dumka-Bhagalpur-Dalkhola route avoiding the infamous NH34, but even this route was not in a great shape. It took us almost 13 hours to reach Siliguri from Kolkata and that too travelling at night. While coming back it was a whopping 17 hours, but that was mostly due to conservative driving in order to avoid injury to the rear passengers of the well designed Thar that is supposed to have met CMVR norms. Sikkim in monsoon is an adventure zone and it is best to travel with a 4WD because you never know when it will come handy. We had plenty of doses of adventure starting from landslides that we narrowly escaped to abundant leeches, slippery path, slush and water crossings. The Thar showed its prowess in handling those tough situations and in the process transformed the passengers into tougher human beings

Road closed due to landslide..






The famous Chhang!


The place we stayed in Ravangla - Mount Gnarsing








Way to Dubdi Monastery, the oldest in Sikkim.. treacherous










Khecheoperi Lake




The indomitable Thar


That concludes our 20K kilometers of travel along the length and breadth of Incredible India...... thanks for reading!

[benbsb29]

Thread moved to the Travelogues section. Thanks for sharing!

Surely an epic road trip!

[BUXX]

What an awesome travelogue! And you have really let the pictures talk !!
Superlike !

I just wanted to ask a question regarding travelling with a pet- I have a Lhasa myself and wish to travel to MP in Dec'14 (he will be 6 months old then, all grown up in Lhasa-years)

How easy or difficult is it to take a pet along? Do the hotels allow pets?
Any pointers that you/ your friend may have on this , will be appreciated !

Thanks !

[PapaBravo]

Wonderful travelogue BP. Joey looks adorable. Next time will ask JD to get him to the meet as well. Pictures are mind blowing.

Originally Posted by BUXX

I just wanted to ask a question regarding travelling with a pet- I have a Lhasa myself and wish to travel to MP in Dec'14 (he will be 6 months old then, all grown up in Lhasa-years)

Hi BUXX,

Travelling with a dog is not that difficult. My Father-in-law had taken our dog on a 2700 kms trip this May. Points to remember would be :

1. Give them lots of water as they tend to sweat a lot when anxious.
2. Give them light food. Do not let them overeat.
3. Use a soft mat on the backseat to make them more comfortable.
4. Take Breaks.
5. Plan out hotels where you would be stopping & let them know about the pet you are carrying. There are hotels which allow pet.
6. If the dog is hyperactive, you can use a mild sedative in consultation with your vet (Only if required). They usually adapt very soon.

Have a safe trip

Regards,

Pawan

[majumon]

Super duper trip, you have just lived the brand and none more eligible to have the "Live to Drive" slogan all over. It was so damn good to see the map with your route in blue, probably you can frame that picture too. Very very inspiring to read your travelogue and fantastic pictures. Happy motoring and all the best.

[Samba]

The word EPIC should justify this travelogue! The pictures are breathtaking and beautiful. Destinations like Kashmir, Goa, Munnar are dream destination's for many and you have done all in a span of two months! Government should start a new rule like limiting the number of kilometers per person per month! So person's like us don't get frustrated reading such stuffs..!

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

The weekend after reaching Kolkata we went to Tajpur which is a 500 Km round trip, but unfortunately cannot find the pics. Will request fellow bhpian Samba to post a few pics from that trip.

Sure let me share the pics-
A little bit of introduction at first-

Car - Owners name.

Esteem- Mr.Sumitro Chakravarty ( Team bhp handle- Black Pearl)
Dzire- Mr.Avrendu Majumdar ( Team bhp handle- avrendu)
Etios- Mr.Me (Team bhp handle- Samba)
Xylo- Mr.Chandranath Sarkar
Thar- Mr.Joydeep Das
Punto- Mr.Rana Adhikari
Indica Vista- Mr.Indranil Chatterjee
Figo- Dr.Anirban Choudhury.

Pics-
Etios and esteem had some fun in the late evening deserted beach of Tajpur.











Joyee, Joydeep da's pet dog.





The rest of the pics-

[Altocumulus]

Absolutely superb !!!!! Great pictures

[batterylow]

EPIC!!!

You, my dear sir, epitomize "live to drive".

Hats off to you and wishing you many more miles of driving pleasure.

O.T

The mutt looks like its having the time of its life on the beach

[psurelia]

That's a wonderful pictravelogue! You guys should really think about making a career out of photography.

[mpksuhas]

Superb travelouge!
When I saw the heading I thought the trip would have been done years apart and you just got time to write it all down.

This makes all our trip look like mall - drive.

[himadrimondal]

You should be called the "Monk who is forced to live in the city". This is epic, a trip of this magnitude in such a short span is extremely difficult for a city dweller. Awesome frames but I wish to see more, a lot more. Hope these are only teasers.