[AJ-got-BHP]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Excellent summary Samba, however I would like to disagree a bit with the above point. More than disagreement I would like to put forward my viewpoint. Timing of the trip is of paramount importance. Had this trip been done in June/July when the ice melts and the streams are overflowing, I think it will be difficult for the low GC vehicles. Another point is the areas that can be visited in low GC vehicles need to be mentioned. There is much more to Ladakh than regular tourist spots. You might say that I am putting all these points because I have two 4X4s in my garage and they would feel redundant if every vehicle can do Ladakh circuit, but I think that is not the case

Hey BlackPearl !! I completely agree to you on that one where the timing of the trip is of paramount importance. Yes, we definitely chose this time to travel considering that the ice would have considerably melted.

However, I would like to mention that BHPian lovecars21 did travel to Ladakh in May-June 2015 when the melting of the ice was at it's wits for travelers like us. A link to his Travelogue has already been shared in my previous post. It might be difficult for low GC Vehicles, but you would agree to me on that it would not completely impossible. There were lots of occasions where we personally saw a lot of J&K registered Innova's taking a few bad underbelly hits whereas we, with low GC Vehicles just sailed through.

Considering the fact that we just did not do the conventional spots of Ladakh, rather covered a lot of areas in the Ladakh region like Tsomoriri and Hanle, which is usually left unexplored by travelers; I would consider that we covered the most bits and pieces of this region including the Leh to Manali Road and just not the regular tourist spots to the best of our abilities.

Family and friends did have their apprehensions and resistances to share with us, knowing that we planned such a trip in low GC vehicles. I can well understand that and do respect their concern. Having to drive a high ground clearance vehicle is definitely an added advantage while driving through in this region.

Thankfully BHPian Avrendu who traveled with us in his Mahindra Thar did not have to engage the 4x4 in any of the stretches. Had he had to, we would have had a tougher time with our Low GC Front Wheel Drives !! We could have pumped in more driving skills, but from where would we have gathered more BHP and the comfort of a Rear Wheel Drive in those terrains ?

Well ..... all is well that ends well !!

[mi2n]

The travelogue has, deservedly, already collected all possible accolades and praises. Samba's pictures have been decorating my facebook feed for a week or so. After enjoying them to the fullest, I'm really having a hard time concentrating on life! I thus find it befitting to give Samba something to ponder about, so here goes -

Sorry Samba, you and your Etios are definitely inspiration for many, but in your log, the black Punto is stealing the show whenever it has been featured. All the other cars, including the Thar, pale in comparison.

Cheers!

[Samba]

First of all i would like to thank each one of you, who have taken the pain to reply as well as rate this thread. It feels great when so many fellow Bhpians or like minded people praise your effort. Once again thanks a lot to every one of you for your precious comments which meant a lot to me.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Samba, did you notice how the Scorpio guys in your team cleaned their air-filter? In the new gen Scorpio, the air-filter is a gel based one, something which you can't clean. The earlier iteration of the Scorpio's air-filter could be cleaned easily.

Thanks for sharing

Thanks a lot. The Scorpio and the Thar visited the Mahindra workshop at Leh to do a general check up. They got there air filter cleaned over there.

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Exceptional, stunning, mesmerizing pictures Samba. Need to look up the dictionary to find more adjectives. These have to be among the best pictures on Ladakh that I have seen on team-bhp. Thanks for the detailed day-by-day log as well. Rated a well-deserved 5 stars.
One question, did you get any river crossing with bonnet high water level?

Thanks a lot. The maximum water we got was on the water crossing just after Sarchu. There the water was just touching the front bumper of the low GC cars. The water was coming down in full force and we were going up against it so the splash was much higher but the general depth was low.

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Excellent summary Samba, however I would like to disagree a bit with the above point. More than disagreement I would like to put forward my viewpoint. Timing of the trip is of paramount importance. Had this trip been done in June/July when the ice melts and the streams are overflowing, I think it will be difficult for the low GC vehicles. Another point is the areas that can be visited in low GC vehicles need to be mentioned. There is much more to Ladakh than regular tourist spots. You might say that I am putting all these points because I have two 4X4s in my garage and they would feel redundant if every vehicle can do Ladakh circuit, but I think that is not the case

The boss is always right. No argument on what you said!

Originally Posted by DieselFan

Great pictures. What I didn't like was the plastic bottle cans kept on roadside to please some Ghost. We are just spoiling our environment by such indulgence. Other than that excellent report.

Thanks. I agree to what you said and i admit we should have refrained from adding more plastic bottles over there. Thanks a lot for this input, hope others who read this wont repeat the same mistake we did.

Originally Posted by SouraC

Thanks a Lot Samba, for again doing the hardest part of our Trip (Writing the Travelogues).

Now the problem is, who will see all the pictures we have taken after going through the exceptional pictures you have already shared.

Still I will try to give a wider view on our trip by sharing some Panorama.

You are being too down to earth or modest! The panorama's shared by you are no less than awesome.

[1100D]

@Samba, although we met and discussed, here's officially mentioning that this is a fabulous trip. Yes, your stunning photographs do take the limelight away, but what's apparent is the wonderful bonding from all the members and the tired but supremely happy faces are a testament to that.

Your photographs are so well captured, it feels that I have not even visited these places!! Wonderful.

Originally Posted by SouraC

Now the problem is, who will see all the pictures we have taken after going through the exceptional pictures you have already shared.

Still I will try to give a wider view on our trip by sharing some Panorama.

Infact your pictures have come out realistically awesome! (No offence to Samba either). Would be curious to see the rest.

Originally Posted by AJ-got-BHP

However, I would like to mention that BHPian lovecars21 did travel to Ladakh in May-June 2015 when the melting of the ice was at it's wits for travelers like us. A link to his Travelogue has already been shared in my previous post. It might be difficult for low GC Vehicles, but you would agree to me on that it would not completely impossible. There were lots of occasions where we personally saw a lot of J&K registered Innova's taking a few bad underbelly hits whereas we, with low GC Vehicles just sailed through.

What an excellent shot to a full length (and mostly pointless and unwarranted) delivery!

[avrendu]

Well well well. What a travelogue Samba and that too in so much details and all so fast. You sure have burnt some midnight oil and I would say that's some oil well burnt. I would say I relived the trip once more through the detail. I am sure this travelogue of yours is going to be handy for people planning this trip. We also have some nice detailed inputs from Arav regarding the places to stay. Our trip was much within budget due to some nicely priced staying options from Kumar HV sir.

[Rudra Sen]

Excellent report with crisp pictures to compliment. Nice to see that you guys got clean blue skies almost everywhere.

Unless weather is really bad with non existing roads, any car can go there. Yes, one has to be really careful when driving on those bad patches or crossing water.
in 2006 we pulled out few bikes from knee deep running water and it was just before Pang. But then Gypsy was our vehicle there.

And during our 2010 trip we saw this at horribly slushy Jozila Pass.

[wanderer4x4]

Superb travelogue, Samba. And congrats to you and Aj-Got-Bhp, Sourac, Avrendu and team for completing this in the low slung cars. The easy manner in which you guys did the trip without any drama and then described it fluidly, it does seem to take the so called "super difficult" sting out of Ladakh.

And seeing you do it from Kolkata in low GC cars in 18 days covering places like Hanle and Tso Moriri, I feel like kicking myself for not managing to do it till now despite having 2 4WDs at my disposal.

This thread now has the chance to become another epic Ladakh t'log, provided our other friends in this team start pouring in their part of the pics and stories. So, guys, bring it on. We are glued to this with eyes peeled.

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by AJ-got-BHP

I would like to pass on some valuable information pertaining to the Ladakh Trip done by us which I think might help the community for planning their Travel to Ladakh in the times to come.

A Summary of the above Facts of the Trip :
[i]Total Number of Days = 18
Total Expenditure per person per night = Rs.1,800/= (approx. which includes accommodation, food and water)
Total Kilometers Traveled = 6500Kms (Approx)
Total Amount of Toll Paid = Rs.4,541/=

Brilliant post Arav! However the attachments are not opening, please report it to the mods.

Originally Posted by AJ-got-BHP

Hey BlackPearl !! I completely agree to you on that one where the timing of the trip is of paramount importance. Yes, we definitely chose this time to travel considering that the ice would have considerably melted.

However, I would like to mention that BHPian lovecars21 did travel to Ladakh in May-June 2015 when the melting of the ice was at it's wits for travelers like us. A link to his Travelogue has already been shared in my previous post. It might be difficult for low GC Vehicles, but you would agree to me on that it would not completely impossible. There were lots of occasions where we personally saw a lot of J&K registered Innova's taking a few bad underbelly hits whereas we, with low GC Vehicles just sailed through.

Considering the fact that we just did not do the conventional spots of Ladakh, rather covered a lot of areas in the Ladakh region like Tsomoriri and Hanle, which is usually left unexplored by travelers; I would consider that we covered the most bits and pieces of this region including the Leh to Manali Road and just not the regular tourist spots to the best of our abilities.

Well ..... all is well that ends well !!

Yes Arav, thanks for the post. How can anyone forget what lovecars21 (Arunashish) did and that too all alone

Originally Posted by SouraC

Still I will try to give a wider view on our trip by sharing some Panorama.

We would like more and more people should try and explore Ladakh.
To encourage others we will share as much Pictures and Video we can.

As Samba already said you can do this trip in hatches and sedans, provided you choose your time wisely and keep your cool.

Awesome pictures Soura.

@Arav and @Soura

Here is a post from 2013 regarding taking Samba's Etios.
Please see the last line of the post



And it seems we had these discussions long time back as well, however my goldfish like memory did not help. Here is another post from 2013. No point in going through same discussion again -

[sayakc]

Dear Samba and the Kolkata-Leh Gang,
The photographs are as usual legendary stuff and along with that comes the comprehensive narration. Hanle and Tsomoriri photos were the best, as were the the night shots. And to pull it off in a convoy requires extreme co-ordination (I guess).
Thank you for sharing them out on the forum.Rated it 5*.

Cheers,
Sayak

[mr.sinha]

Samba and team: great travelogue and awesome photos.
Makes me feel guilty - I am still to write my Ladakh travelogue from October 2014. I started a bit, and its in Assembly section, but then again slacked off.
Let me set myself a target to complete my travelogue before October 3 (exactly 1 year after my trip)

[Ddrive]

Oh Samba-ji.
And it makes me wonder.
And you know what I wonder about

[PapaBravo]

What an epic report Samba !! Feel bad not taking the opportunity to join the gang. Your photography skills are superb. I feel sad that you won't be giving us company when we make the Ladakh trip next year.

Superb thread & wonderful job by the Kol-Ladakh team.

Rated 5 Stars.

[petrolhead_neel]

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!

Congrats to Kolkata-Ladakh team on successfully completing their expedition. You guys have taken the Kolkata Team-BHP Chapter to the next level!

Samba Da-- that was a wonderful report, the best of whatever little I have read, written by you. The excitement was very much felt and the memories and still afresh! This coupled with made for a great and memorable read. Some of your photos gave me goosebumps!

Query: Why are the Team-BHP stickers removed? "Live To Drive" would have looked superb in these frames.

The cars look superb too! Through these photos, their characters shine through:

Punto: Tough Italian lady, looks gorgeous and ready to take on any terrain. Giugiaro's lines shine even when covered in slush!

Figo: Ford's baby hatch with so much character! Aj-got-BHP's Figo is the best looker of all the Figos on Team-BHP IMO. Looks to be especially prepared for saying hello to Ladakh with those Hellas. Tasteful. Very tasteful Arav Sir.

Swift: Ultra reliable, chuckable, red-coloured Zuki hatch looks like an excited teenager in the photos.

Etios:Etios looks to be most at home among all the other cars except the SUVs. Over time, BHPian Samba has created a unique identity for his Etios. The wonderful TLs with the Etios in varied terrains is to be blamed here. This particular Etios is an inspiration for us FWD low GC vehicle owners who are too afraid to leave the urban jungle.


Scorpio:Scorp too looks amazing. Has the attitude and capability to tackle these terrains.

Thar:The Boss! No two ways about it. Looks so awesome in those frames. Thar screams in some of the pics: "Thar is home!", just like Caesar the ape did in the movie.

__________________________________________________ _________________________________________

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

What an epic report Samba !! Feel bad not taking the opportunity to join the gang. Your photography skills are superb. I feel sad that you won't be giving us company when we make the Ladakh trip next year.

Here's wishing you luck Sir!

P.S.: I had once asked BHPian Samba:"If you were to choose between your camera and your car, which one would you?"

His answer: "I would punch on the guy's nose who dares to give me such options. It'd be like choosing between my Mom and Dad for me."

Cheers,
Neel

[avrendu]

Samba has covered the entire journey through his lens and very ably at that. Its like a pictorial story I felt. However, attached are some images from my side which I personally liked. However, they are in no particular order. But I am sure everyone will understand the approximate location

Thanks
Avrendu

[Samba]

Thanks a lot to every one for the replies.

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Query: Why are the Team-BHP stickers removed? "Live To Drive" would have looked superb in these frames.

Neel a sad incident happened with our fellow Bhpian's from Delhi. You can get the details on this thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...axi-mafia.html

After this incident i saw few local residents of Ladakh retaliating back and and writing few odd's against Team Bhp in some social media sites like what's written in Team Bhp was one sided and its not the actual case and all. So in this mess i thought if i go with the Team Bhp sticker it might irk them, that's the reason i removed the sticker before the trip. After coming back from the trip my car is again sporting back the LTD sticker, you can find it in the last pic of the travelogue.

But after the trip i realized now all is well and there are no problems with any private cars or Team Bhp. I could have very well continued with the Team Bhp sticker.

Originally Posted by avrendu

Samba has covered the entire journey through his lens and very ably at that. Its like a pictorial story I felt. However, attached are some images from my side which I personally liked. However, they are in no particular order. But I am sure everyone will understand the approximate location

Thanks
Avrendu

Thanks and the pictures are wonderful.