[SID2997]

Great and Highly Detailed travelogue sir!!(makes you imagine the scenes).Trishul Orchard is a resort/homestay run by Mr Vikram Bhisht.His own house is in the resort.I stayed there in 2005.He personally took care of everything and even organised a rock climbing session in which he made extra efforts to make me lose my fear of heights.I have a lot of good memories of that place.That time they had a dog named Barfili

[StallionAmit]

Very nice TL Pawan Bhai, the Hulk performed very well and you seem to have closed the distance between Delhi and Kolkata. Wishing you may more such awesome trips.

[PapaBravo]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Wonderful narration and photography there - rated 5*. Glad you liked Mukteshwar. My logic for that to be your last stop was to reduce your driving time back to Lucknow.

Thank you !! Staying at Mukteshwar did help us. We were in Lucknow within 9 hours. And place is definitely amazing.

Originally Posted by SVK Rider

Awesome thread....
Lovely pics and narration
Had never been in kumaon in self driven vehicle but always wanted to....
This made me cheer up for planning the same again...
Lovely pics

Thanks SVK Rider. Do plan a trip & write up a log. Ping me if you need any specific details.

Originally Posted by PriyanCAR

The clicks have done true justice to the irresistible beauty of this place ! Rated a well deserved 5*

Thanks a lot PriyanCAR !!

Originally Posted by saket77

Great log. Short and crisp and blended with magnificent pictures. Kudos to you and the star photographer! I see quite some snow in the pictures which makes it a nice time to visit; when did you actually visit the place? And will be great if you can update us about the altitude of the place.

Thanks for sharing the lovely travelogue.

Regards,
Saket

Edit: Rated well deserved 5 Stars!

Thanks a lot Saket !! We were in Kumaon from 14th to 17th Feb. Binsar is at an altitude of approx 8000 ft. whereas Munsiyari & Mukteshwar, both are at approx altitude of 7200 ft. The views from Munsiyari are better since the distance from the snow peaks is the least. It is the closest you can get to the mountains on this side by a car. The highest altitude we hit was on the way to Munsiyari, which was 2680m (8800 ft) as shown by the car's GPS.

Originally Posted by IN-RJ

Is it still NH-2? Mile stone marking not been changed by NHAI?
How was the benefit of AWD on ice roads?


Please provide the link of your Pithoragarh travelogue.

As explanied by SS-Traveller, it has been in some places. But somehow, NH2 is still stuck to mind since it has many memories attached to it. We did not face any ice on the roads. AWD wasn't used anywhere except once in Binsar Sanctuary since the road was dug up & under construction.

For info on how AWD performs on snow or ice, do go through this travelogue .

Originally Posted by catchjyoti

Pawan - excellent short travelogue. And beautiful pictures by both of you. Rated five stars - a well deserved one!

Thanks a lot catchjyoti !!

Originally Posted by A.G.The Rambler

Wonderfully narrated Pawan. The pictures were missing in our last discussion and they are so amazing! Great help for my trip next month and cannot wait to drive there. This deserves a 5* and gladly rated the same.

Thanks a lot !! I am sure you will have a great trip & a wonderful TL.

Originally Posted by //M

Crisp write-up and drool-worthy pictures make this a brilliant travelogue. Moreover it comes bang on time when I was planning a trip to Chamoli, Binsar and Munsyari, the timing couldn't have been better.

This travelogue will definitely help me a lot in planning my trip. Many thanks.

Just a query - I am planning to do this trip on my motorcycle, so how can I explore the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary? Do they have Jeep/Elephant safaris as well? Most likely a motorcycle will not be permitted inside a sanctuary hence the query. Any pointers would be really helpful.

Thanks a lot for your kind words //M. I didn't enquire about the Jeep Safaris since we had our own vehicles. Where are you planning to stay ? KMVN Tourist House, Binsar, is inside the sanctuary. You call call them up & ask whether the bikes are allowed or not. If they are allowed till KMVN, then that means you can take your bike up. If possible, take a Night Halt between Binsar & Munsiyari. Its a pretty long drive/ride for hills. let me know if you need any more details.

All the Best for your trip !!

Originally Posted by TheStranger

Short and sweet travelogue , PapaBravo...alongwith beautiful pics !!

It makes me nostalgic all over....my last trip to the Kumaon range had been over a decade ago.

Rated 5 stars !!

Thanks a lot TheStranger. One of the reasons I write travelogues is too read them again & relive the trip.

Originally Posted by SID2997

Great and Highly Detailed travelogue sir!!(makes you imagine the scenes).Trishul Orchard is a resort/homestay run by Mr Vikram Bhisht.His own house is in the resort.I stayed there in 2005.He personally took care of everything and even organised a rock climbing session in which he made extra efforts to make me lose my fear of heights.I have a lot of good memories of that place.That time they had a dog named Barfili

Thank you SID2997. Unfortunately, Mr. Vikram Bisht wasn't there when we stayed. His parents were equally welcoming.

Originally Posted by StallionAmit

Very nice TL Pawan Bhai, the Hulk performed very well and you seem to have closed the distance between Delhi and Kolkata. Wishing you may more such awesome trips.

Thanks a lot Brother !! Hulk was great as usual.

Originally Posted by DJR

Nice travelogue Pawan with awesome photos.

Thank you DJR !!

[//M]

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Thanks a lot for your kind words //M. I didn't enquire about the Jeep Safaris since we had our own vehicles. Where are you planning to stay ? KMVN Tourist House, Binsar, is inside the sanctuary. You call call them up & ask whether the bikes are allowed or not. If they are allowed till KMVN, then that means you can take your bike up. If possible, take a Night Halt between Binsar & Munsiyari. Its a pretty long drive/ride for hills. let me know if you need any more details.

All the Best for your trip !!

Thanks a lot, I will check with KMVN Tourist House if motorcycles are permitted or not.

Going through your travelogue, I see that you had taken the Binsar - Bageshwar - Mankot - Syoli - Nanet - Thal - Nachani - Tejam - Munsyari route. Any particular reason of not taking the slightly shorter Binsar - Bageshwar - Kapkot - Tejam - Munsyari route? Any idea about the condition of this route?

[PapaBravo]

Originally Posted by //M

Thanks a lot, I will check with KMVN Tourist House if motorcycles are permitted or not.

Going through your travelogue, I see that you had taken the Binsar - Bageshwar - Mankot - Syoli - Nanet - Thal - Nachani - Tejam - Munsyari route. Any particular reason of not taking the slightly shorter Binsar - Bageshwar - Kapkot - Tejam - Munsyari route? Any idea about the condition of this route?

Yes. The road condition of the Kapkot route isn't good. I was told this by bhpian lovecars21 on phone when I was planning this trip. You can refer to this post in his TL. I asked the locals about that route as well & they told me the same. Also, I went thru Syoli since I wasn't able to clear the checkpost in Chaukori. Otherwise Chaukori to Thal is a direct connection albeit less prettier. If you have a bit of time, go thru the Syoli route. No traffic at all.

Regards,

Pawan

[sunil thomas]

Mod note: Please do a preview before posting, post edited to fix Quotes. Also avoid quoting entire large post for short replies. Thanks.

Hi how do you manage sleep during these 24 hour drives from Kolkotta to Delhi? Does wife also drive? Do give some tips on how to remain awake.

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

[u][b]Day 4 : In and around Mukteswar
=============

Signing off till next one

[navsjab]

Superb TL as usual PB, both short and crisp. Lovely pictures, special thanks to Vedika for her contribution to Team-BHP.

Your fauji background is so evident from the TL [reached our home at 2130 hrs]

[gmhossain]

Thank you Pawan for putting up this sweet travelogue with stunning photographs. Initially, when I had just glanced through the photographs in your travelogue, the first thought that came into my mind was: "Is Pawan seriously aiming to beat Samba using camera?"

Cheers,

[siddarthab]

Lovely travelogue and wonderful pictures Pawan. The Duster deserves you

Warm regards,

Siddhartha

[GhostRider28]

Brilliant travelogue Pawan - crisp and fun to read, and the pictures are absolutely stunning! I got all nostalgic and went back to the pictures of our trip back in 2012. Great planning as well within the short window that you guys had! Wish you many more such trips with the Hulk; and will be looking forward to more of such wonderful travelogues!

[Sheel]

Nice Trip Log there, I believe you have been more to the Northern hills than the North eastern despite staying close to NE.

How much has the AWD done? Tire change pending?

[PapaBravo]

Originally Posted by sunil thomas

Hi how do you manage sleep during these 24 hour drives from Kolkotta to Delhi? Does wife also drive? Do give some tips on how to remain awake.

Hi Sunil. I don't sleep. Wife doesn't drive. I try to sleep for more time the previous day. Also, I didn't start these 24 hour drives suddenly. I had also started with 3 hour drives, then slowly & gradually increased the distance over time. I would not recommend any body to do these long drives unless one has good experience with shorter drives. I usually have tea/redbull for staying alert & not to remain awake. Its simple, if you feel sleepy, go to sleep.

Originally Posted by navsjab

Superb TL as usual PB, both short and crisp. Lovely pictures, special thanks to Vedika for her contribution to Team-BHP.

Your fauji background is so evident from the TL [reached our home at 2130 hrs]

Thanks a lot Navsjab. It is difficult to get fauj out of one person.

Originally Posted by gmhossain

Thank you Pawan for putting up this sweet travelogue with stunning photographs. Initially, when I had just glanced through the photographs in your travelogue, the first thought that came into my mind was: "Is Pawan seriously aiming to beat Samba using camera?"

Cheers,

Thank you for the appreciation Hossain Sa'ab. By the way some of the pictures were actually clicked by me.

Originally Posted by siddarthab

Lovely travelogue and wonderful pictures Pawan. The Duster deserves you

Warm regards,

Siddhartha

Thank you for such lovely words !! The bold line made my day.

Originally Posted by GhostRider28

Brilliant travelogue Pawan - crisp and fun to read, and the pictures are absolutely stunning! I got all nostalgic and went back to the pictures of our trip back in 2012. Great planning as well within the short window that you guys had! Wish you many more such trips with the Hulk; and will be looking forward to more of such wonderful travelogues!

Thanks a lot Ghostrider28. Our long calls on planning the itinerary were most useful. The window was indeed very short.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Nice Trip Log there, I believe you have been more to the Northern hills than the North eastern despite staying close to NE.

How much has the AWD done? Tire change pending?

Thank you Sheel. I have actually lost count as to which part I have been more. But I feel I would have been to Eastern Himalayas more. AWD is at 36k only. I am traveling mostly for work nowadays & it sits idle in the garage. Tyre change approx 10-15k kms away. Will upgrade to 235 patch this time.

Regards,

Pawan

[Samba]

Lovely travelogue Pawan da. Your Duster is just looking fab in this territoy. Or shall i say its the home ground for your Duster!
I have been to this part of the Himalayas a decade back. Reading your travelogue makes me feel i should visit again!
Thanks a lot for sharing. Rated 5*.

[DriveTrain]

Great travelogue Pawan, brings back fond memories. Had been there in Dec of 2007 and then again last summer in my AWD from Kolkata. Had been too lazy to write the travelogue.

Did Kolkata - Lucknow , Lucknow - Nainital , Nainital - Binsar (detour via Jageshwar) , Binsar - Munsiyari , Munsiyari - Chaukhori , Chaukhori - Bhimtal (via Mukteshwar) , Bhimtal - Varanasi and then Varanasi - Kolkata.

Sharing a memory from 2007..

[PapaBravo]

Originally Posted by Samba

Lovely travelogue Pawan da. Your Duster is just looking fab in this territory. Or shall i say its the home ground for your Duster!
I have been to this part of the Himalayas a decade back. Reading your travelogue makes me feel i should visit again!
Thanks a lot for sharing. Rated 5*.

Thanks a lot Samba. You should. This place is worth a visit. Waiting for your TL now.

Here is another one for you. Panchchuli reflecting on Hulk.

Originally Posted by DriveTrain

Great travelogue Pawan, brings back fond memories. Had been there in Dec of 2007 and then again last summer in my AWD from Kolkata. Had been too lazy to write the travelogue.

Did Kolkata - Lucknow , Lucknow - Nainital , Nainital - Binsar (detour via Jageshwar) , Binsar - Munsiyari , Munsiyari - Chaukhori , Chaukhori - Bhimtal (via Mukteshwar) , Bhimtal - Varanasi and then Varanasi - Kolkata.

Sharing a memory from 2007..

Thank you Angshuman Da. Please share you TL as well when you have time. That is a lovely capture of the Panchchuli peaks. We couldn't have such an elaborate itinerary since we were running short of time.

Regards,

Pawan