[AJ-got-BHP]

Originally Posted by Uprasenjit

Somehow I missed the thread. Congrats AJ da. Mivann is quite a unique name, haven't heard it before.

This travelogue is as extensive as it can be. This thread will definitely help a lot of parents to plan their travel. Few colleagues of mine are already glued to this thread. Rated as deserved.

Good to know that you and your acquaintances liked the Travelogue !! I am elated !!

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Wow! Absolutely fantastic pictures and loved the writeup! I am guessing that we will be seeing MJ in the future TLs too! The Figo looks absolutely gorgeous, as always.

Also, driving downhill with a heavy foot on the brakes seems to be so common. I have seen tons of chauffeurs who mainly drive in urban conditions and call themselves "experienced" do this mistake thereby causing harm to the brakes and ultimately making the drive less safe. It's high time that they are taught their lessons.

Thanks for the compliments Neel !! Glad you liked the Travelogue. Yes, indeed Ishanvi & Mivann will be a part of the travelogues in the times to come; hopefully pretty soon.

The best part about driving is that you keep on having new experiences irrespective of the tenure for which you have been behind the wheel and I bet no one can deny that fact. A lot of surprises comes along one's way and one can never fall short of learning. What mattered here was the willingness to learn and take the corrective measures.

[iconicskies]

Originally Posted by AJ-got-BHP

[*]Bottle of Fire Extinguisher (which supposedly is mandatory in Sikkim)

Hii there, I am from Sikkim and just wanted to let you know that it is not mandatory to have a fire extinguisher in Sikkim. Even seat belts aren't compulsory. But a lot of other stuff are more strict compared to other Indian states. For example, you cannot go park your car anywhere and everywhere you want. And mostly in the town of Gangtok, if you are caught overtaking by a cop, you could land in trouble..

[AJ-got-BHP]

Originally Posted by iconicskies

I am from Sikkim and just wanted to let you know that it is not mandatory to have a fire extinguisher in Sikkim. Even seat belts aren't compulsory.

Even I found this strange when I was informed about it by a fellow BHPian from Kolkata that having a Fire Extinguisher is compulsory in Sikkim. Thanks for enlightening !!

However, I have been used to using seat belts while driving even before the law came into force. I guess I was scared of my own driving I would take the opportunity to suggest you to not let go of the seat belts while driving even if there is no restriction in Sikkim for the same because "Seat Belts does Saves Lives"

[iconicskies]

Originally Posted by AJ-got-BHP

However, I have been used to using seat belts while driving even before the law came into force. I guess I was scared of my own driving I would take the opportunity to suggest you to not let go of the seat belts while driving even if there is no restriction in Sikkim for the same because "Seat Belts does Saves Lives"

Yes, I do wear seat belts all the time. Even for short 10 min journeys. However most crashes in the hills aren't collision types. They are majorly cars going off cliffs and falling off mountains, etc. And very recently after the Nepal quake, few cases of people being entrapped due to falling boulders and mudslides(the upper layer of soil has somewhat destabilised because of the quake).You've travelled the Jorethang-Melli route right? It is notorious for falling rocks and boulders during monsoons. So the mentality here is in such incidents, the occupants tend to get trapped inside. And hence, hardly anyone wears seat belts. But of course I do because statistically speaking, the chances of seat belts saving my life are higher than that of being trapped in my car coz of it. But people here have their own intuitions. Hence...

[Raaj*]

Deserves 5 stars Am sure its not easy to plan for such a long drive with a baby on board. Fantastic pictures of the clean and green. Am sure Ishanvi and Mivann along with Arnav , Aashi and Urvi had a blasting vacation!
Thoroughly enjoyed the travelogue. It was like watching TLC India! Great to see you have already started planning for the next trip. Advance wishes. Btw, your comments are creative! Writing skill Certified, are you?

[AJ-got-BHP]

Originally Posted by iconicskies

Yes, I do wear seat belts all the time. Even for short 10 min journeys. However most crashes in the hills aren't collision types. They are majorly cars going off cliffs and falling off mountains, etc. And very recently after the Nepal quake, few cases of people being entrapped due to falling boulders and mudslides(the upper layer of soil has somewhat destabilised because of the quake).You've travelled the Jorethang-Melli route right? It is notorious for falling rocks and boulders during monsoons. So the mentality here is in such incidents, the occupants tend to get trapped inside. And hence, hardly anyone wears seat belts. But of course I do because statistically speaking, the chances of seat belts saving my life are higher than that of being trapped in my car coz of it. But people here have their own intuitions. Hence...

The next time I plan a trip to Sikkim, will definitely PM you and we should catch up for a cup of Coffee sometime somewhere

Originally Posted by Raaj*

Deserves 5 stars Am sure its not easy to plan for such a long drive with a baby on board. Fantastic pictures of the clean and green. Am sure Ishanvi and Mivann along with Arnav , Aashi and Urvi had a blasting vacation!
Thoroughly enjoyed the travelogue. It was like watching TLC India! Great to see you have already started planning for the next trip. Advance wishes. Btw, your comments are creative! Writing skill Certified, are you?

Glad that you enjoyed the Travelogue !! I am elated with your compliments. The kids definitely had a blast of a time and in fact they were busy amongst themselves for most of the time. Thus, we had our own little free time as well which is usually not the case when a single family travels. As far as the planning part goes, I guess it's all in the mind.

I am NOT writing skill certified for sure by any means. But I will take it as a compliment none the less and may be plan to do something with this skill (if it's there somewhere) once I am close to retirement.