[ampere]

You sure know how to enjoy a vacation! Very nice, very detailed and very colorful indeed!

[PointZero]

Thanks Saurabh ,

Originally Posted by Saurabh M

Lovely travelogue and excellent pictures. Loved it.

Thanks Samba,
Just for info, last week I went for a trip to Sikkim Sharing a snap from the trip, hope you will enjoy it.

Originally Posted by Samba

What a wonderful travelogue! Rated 5*.
Each of the pics shared here are drool worthy. Your Bolero looks to be playing in its home ground!
You just enhance the bar of penning down your travelogue's with the latest ones!

Keep travelling & keep on gifting us with such amazing travelogues.

Thanks VKumar.

Originally Posted by VKumar

Bookmarked it, this one looks just too good to be left without thoroughly going through everything it contains.

Thanks drbones.

Originally Posted by drbones

Superb travelogue and amazing pictures. This travelogue deserves 5 stars. Enjoyed reading every day details of the drive.

Yes, I agree. Journey in a Bolero is not that much comfortable. However, when i see many brothers of Lazy Turtle roaming around even in rural areas and remote hills then I feel very confidence about the vehicle. And its really a practical car for a traveler like me.

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

The Bolero seems to be the perfect vehicle for this sort of trip! Practical, reliable and simple - it may not be the most comfortable ride but it'll get you there.

Thanks ampere,

Frankly speaking there was no such plan for the trip. Knowing that the Spiti circuit was not possible in this season, I kept the entire trip plan opened. And most of the places we have visited was planned the night before. We messed-up couple of days as there was no plan, but surprises has it's own adventure.

Originally Posted by ampere

You sure know how to enjoy a vacation! Very nice, very detailed and very colorful indeed!

[SS-Traveller]

Both you and your wife did a splendid job of recording & penning down such an extensive travelogue in such great detail. Brought back many memories of many of the places we'd visited in years past, though unfortunately we do not generally look forward to trekking up and down steep rocky pathways on foot - so we haven't been to most of the destinations you actually trekked to!

Covering parts of the Spiti Valley, Garhwal and Kumaon, all in the same 2.5-week trip from Kolkata, takes some serious guts, especially hen done in December-January.

Presume you did not have any cold start issues with the BG additive, both on this trip as well as to Sikkim later on. Glad to have been of whatever help possible when the leaf spring broke.

Look forward to your Sikkim-2018 travelogue!

[BlackPearl]

An epic travelogue to say the least! Rated 5 stars. What a trip and that too in two and half weeks. I could not cover all these areas in spite of being there 3 times! On top of that you are taking your 2WD Bolero to places where I would think several times before taking a 4WD one, proud of you! Keep it up.

[noidea]

Brilliant travelogue and photography. I have never been to that part of India but you have opened it up for me. Thanks and keep up the good work !!

[Relax&Cruise]

@pointzero
Beautiful pictures and such a vivid description makes me feel I was there.

You have a wonderful imagination as well "rainbow shaking hands with the lazy turtle."

Lazy Turtle, nice name but you must tell if there is a story behind the name.

Will search for your previous travellogues if any.
Had a wonderful time reading this one.

[SJM1214]

An amazing travelogue with beautiful pictures.

Visiting Spiti, Kumaon and Gharwal in one trip and that too during winter was an amazing feat. IMO, Balero is a perfect vehicle for mountains.

[ARAY]

Neither the ice nor the rocks can stop you if you want to move ahead
Mirror mirror everywhere ! Come and visit like I'm here.
Wonderful lines ,must say.

After studying the driving pattern of all the drivers, I choice a sweeper car and followed it maintaining a safe distance gap. From nowhere an Innova entered and spoiled the resonance.
Thats how its done in foggy situation. Loving the narration.
Correct me if I am wrong but in these situations is it not better to follow a vehicle of a bigger dimention , eg- the Volvo in the video ?

Near Rakcham Guest House - Bolero looks at its home ground.
Sarahan to Narkanda via Kinnu - The image below this heading is mind blowing.

youtu.be/koLvav5JdJk

- Beautiful hill driving, I wish people on flat lands were so understanding.

I was carrying my sleeping bag but renting a porter to carry them uphill is more expensive than renting a tent with sleeping bag there itself.- Tent being the variable here, the situation is almost common at all hill stations. Locals are hell bent on milking tourism. But we can't really blame them.

My friend has asked me to get up early morning to checkout the sun rise and so I followed the good habit of “early to bed early to rise” just kidding the actual reason is that we were tired to death. - Epic, truth nothing but the truth.

Is that lord Shiva carved onto the smoking pipe of the old Stag ? The guy has a completely different level of dedication.

youtu.be/NMQFkWZuSJk

- Thanks for sharing this with us.

Loved the narration and the pictures are perfect, not overly edited, brings out the natural essence. Lots of video and loved all of them. Wondering , do you collect GPX data on these terrains. It could be supremely helpful for fellow travellers. Moreover you could render the GPX data to 3D terrain mapping and relive the experince. Thanks again for sharing your experience. Much deserved 5*

[PointZero]

Thanks SS Da

It would not have been possible without your guidance. Your contact person for BG conditioner is such a gentleman that with just a single phone call, he shipped the containers to Kolkata bearing the entire cost himself. And when I asked him for account details to pay him, he took 3 months to share it after repetitive requests. He was more concern that I am able to use it and not faced any issue in the trip rather than sharing the a/c details.

About the trek, I wish to continue it as long as my knees does not give up. Though am not an expert in it, just trying to do as much as possible.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Both you and your wife did a splendid job of recording & penning down such an extensive travelogue in such great detail. Brought back many memories of many of the places we'd visited in years past, though unfortunately we do not generally look forward to trekking up and down steep rocky pathways on foot - so we haven't been to most of the destinations you actually trekked to!

Covering parts of the Spiti Valley, Garhwal and Kumaon, all in the same 2.5-week trip from Kolkata, takes some serious guts, especially hen done in December-January.

Presume you did not have any cold start issues with the BG additive, both on this trip as well as to Sikkim later on. Glad to have been of whatever help possible when the leaf spring broke.

Look forward to your Sikkim-2018 travelogue!

Thank you so much BP Da for such appreciation. However, the Mustang Valley(Nepal) was really tough for a 2WD Bolero. Had it been raining, I would have got stuck then and there.

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

An epic travelogue to say the least! Rated 5 stars. What a trip and that too in two and half weeks. I could not cover all these areas in spite of being there 3 times! On top of that you are taking your 2WD Bolero to places where I would think several times before taking a 4WD one, proud of you! Keep it up.

Thanks Noidea.

Originally Posted by noidea

Brilliant travelogue and photography. I have never been to that part of India but you have opened it up for me. Thanks and keep up the good work !!

Thanks Relax&Cruise,
Its Turtle because it is always a follower of rabbits on highways . Its Lazy as it has no hurry to reach any destination as it is driven by another lazy driver .

Originally Posted by Relax&Cruise

@pointzero
Beautiful pictures and such a vivid description makes me feel I was there.

You have a wonderful imagination as well "rainbow shaking hands with the lazy turtle."

Lazy Turtle, nice name but you must tell if there is a story behind the name.

Will search for your previous travellogues if any.
Had a wonderful time reading this one.

Thanks SJM1214.

Originally Posted by SJM1214

An amazing travelogue with beautiful pictures.

Visiting Spiti, Kumaon and Gharwal in one trip and that too during winter was an amazing feat. IMO, Balero is a perfect vehicle for mountains.

First of all thanks for such beautiful words.

Please see my comments inline -

Originally Posted by ARAY

Neither the ice nor the rocks can stop you if you want to move ahead
Mirror mirror everywhere ! Come and visit like I'm here.
Wonderful lines ,must say.

After studying the driving pattern of all the drivers, I choice a sweeper car and followed it maintaining a safe distance gap. From nowhere an Innova entered and spoiled the resonance.
Thats how its done in foggy situation. Loving the narration.
Correct me if I am wrong but in these situations is it not better to follow a vehicle of a bigger dimention , eg- the Volvo in the video ?

[Point Zero] - I agree with you, but its not about only the man behind the wheel. I believe its a combination of man and machine. Being in a Bolero and following a VOLVO is really tough as I have cognizance of the braking of VOLVO though I love Lazy Turtle very much. Maybe in a vehicle with better braking it could have been possible for me. Also, following a oversize vehicle increases blind spot.

Near Rakcham Guest House - Bolero looks at its home ground.
Sarahan to Narkanda via Kinnu - The image below this heading is mind blowing.
.. - Beautiful hill driving, I wish people on flat lands were so understanding.

[Point Zero] - Me too (I wish people on flat lands were so understanding)

I was carrying my sleeping bag but renting a porter to carry them uphill is more expensive than renting a tent with sleeping bag there itself.- Tent being the variable here, the situation is almost common at all hill stations. Locals are hell bent on milking tourism. But we can't really blame them.

[Point Zero] -Absolutely true. I don't blame anyone for this. Just shared the fact so that other people can plan accordingly. Someone who is planing only for Deoriatal, need not carry the sleeping bag and tent.

My friend has asked me to get up early morning to checkout the sun rise and so I followed the good habit of “early to bed early to rise” just kidding the actual reason is that we were tired to death. - Epic, truth nothing but the truth.

Is that lord Shiva carved onto the smoking pipe of the old Stag ? The guy has a completely different level of dedication.

[Point Zero] - Yes, it is.

.. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Loved the narration and the pictures are perfect, not overly edited, brings out the natural essence. Lots of video and loved all of them. Wondering , do you collect GPX data on these terrains. It could be supremely helpful for fellow travellers. Moreover you could render the GPX data to 3D terrain mapping and relive the experince. Thanks again for sharing your experience. Much deserved 5*

[Point Zero] - Thanks for rating. Unfortunately I do not have any such device which can capture GPX data in the rural areas. Till now I mostly refer to Human GPS and Signboard for navigation and I wish to have a good device soon.

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[Moto_Hill]

Beautifully written and very detailed travelogue buddy Thanks for sharing.

I belong to uttarakhand (Garhwal to be specific). You refreshed my sweet memories when I used to frequently travel these places. Its been 6 years since I have moved too far from the mountains.

Guess the reason of metal band

The metal band is to protect the neck of the dog from Baagh (Tiger/Leopard) attack. There is Baagh menace all over the Garhwal region. They even turn to be a man eater at some places.

Coming to your shared photo. Looks like this is th same dog I clicked five years back at same place. Here's the picture I took.


While you were in Chopta valley, did you not go to Tungnath and Chandrashila? It's a 5 km trek from Chopta base. Those are the blessed places.

Sharing some pictures of my last visit 5 years back.

[PointZero]

Hi Moto_Hill,

Thanks for the compliment. I also heard the same from many people there about the metal band. Regarding Tungnath and Chandrashila trek, it is in my wish list. Till now I did only some easy trek, and Chandrashila comes in the list of moderate terrain as last couple of KMs is full of slate stone. Frankly , trek to Chandrashila that too after such long distance drive was beyond my capabilities . However, I have seen many trekking videos of Chandrashila which are simply amazing. Wish to be there in some days.

Regards -
PointZero

Originally Posted by Moto_Hill

Beautifully written and very detailed travelogue buddy Thanks for sharing.

I belong to uttarakhand (Garhwal to be specific). You refreshed my sweet memories when I used to frequently travel these places. Its been 6 years since I have moved too far from the mountains.

Attachment 1753269


The metal band is to protect the neck of the dog from Baagh (Tiger/Leopard) attack. There is Baagh menace all over the Garhwal region. They even turn to be a man eater at some places.

Coming to your shared photo. Looks like this is th same dog I clicked five years back at same place. Here's the picture I took.
Attachment 1753268

While you were in Chopta valley, did you not go to Tungnath and Chandrashila? It's a 5 km trek from Chopta base. Those are the blessed places.

Sharing some pictures of my last visit 5 years back.
Attachment 1753266Attachment 1753267

[Subroto Bhowmik]

Wow what amazing pics and videos. Thanks to you I had an online experience of all these wonderful locales which I can only dream of visiting! Really great narration and this can serve as a guide for anybody wishing to replicate your itinerary.

Waiting for your Sikkim travelogue now, don't mind spending 1.5 hours reading your write up and getting immersed in the photography.

[shashanka]

Hello PointZero,

That was one epic travelogue/photologue. I envy your enthusiasm, energy and planning (both of you) - to stick to the itinerary & schedule despite the really adverse circumstances you faced at times! To be honest, we love our creature comforts so much that the idea of not having a proper bed to sleep on at night is deeply discouraging - kudos to you.

We have been going to Uttaranchal regularly over the years (Naukuchiatal usually) & we feel a kind of kindred tug for all folks who have taken the pains to scratch below the surface of this splendid part of our country. I know I won't be able to do justice to the place the way you have done!

Thanks again for a great experience.
Regards,
Shashanka

[PointZero]

Thank you very much Subroto. At the same time I am sorry for taking 1.5 hours from your life .

Sikkim Trip link- http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...xperience.html

Originally Posted by Subroto Bhowmik

Wow what amazing pics and videos. Thanks to you I had an online experience of all these wonderful locales which I can only dream of visiting! Really great narration and this can serve as a guide for anybody wishing to replicate your itinerary.

Waiting for your Sikkim travelogue now, don't mind spending 1.5 hours reading your write up and getting immersed in the photography.

Thank you very much shashanka. The discomfort stays not only provide the natural serenity, it also allow me to save some money for the next trips .

Originally Posted by shashanka

Hello PointZero,

That was one epic travelogue/photologue. I envy your enthusiasm, energy and planning (both of you) - to stick to the itinerary & schedule despite the really adverse circumstances you faced at times! To be honest, we love our creature comforts so much that the idea of not having a proper bed to sleep on at night is deeply discouraging - kudos to you.

We have been going to Uttaranchal regularly over the years (Naukuchiatal usually) & we feel a kind of kindred tug for all folks who have taken the pains to scratch below the surface of this splendid part of our country. I know I won't be able to do justice to the place the way you have done!

Thanks again for a great experience.
Regards,
Shashanka