[supreddy77]

I would start with a salute to Indian Army and our great nation before I start this trip log. This might be one of the numerous travelogues of a road trip from Bangalore to Leh-ladakh, for us this was an epic journey of about 8100 kms. The kindness and hospitality of Ladakhi people made this trip more memorable for us.



A big thanks to HVK sir, without whose help, we would not have been able to find good accommodation not only in Ladakh but also along the highway while traversing the plains, navigate through the tricky high passes, the water crossings etc. Would also thank all the BHPians who helped in providing information and moral support.

Convincing the family was an obstacle I guess everyone needs to go over, but we planned the trip such that the we got help from parents with managing kids and other logistics were worked out with the school for pick ups and drops. Big thanks for our families for making this possible.

Now to the beginnings and the planning phases -

1) Physical fitness : We spent over 6 months trying to trim up and become fit. Morning jogs, long walks and controlled diet. It is not only about the altitude in Ladakh region, but it is also to do with driving for 14-15 hrs with 3-4 breaks at the most,

2) Sleeplessness : This is one factor we hadn't considered much. We had early morning (5 am) starts almost every day. So, we had to finish dinner early and go to bed by 10 at the latest. You need to practice to do with 5-6 hrs sleep and yet stay active. Quick power naps can be done while your partners drive,

3) Itinerary : Don't get very hung up about the itinerary or the exact route plan. Things will change along the way. That's where HVK's Chalo Ladakh is very handy. Don't make hotel bookings in advance, enjoy the roadtrip as it should be done!! Here is the itinerary we had made -




4) Small purchases : Another fall out of early starts was we couldn't find shops/super markets which were open to buy even water bottles. So, we started loading up whenever we got a chance and also, we had taken a 10 ltr water can to fill from RO where ever it was available,

5) Car : Your car is your best buddy on the road, take care of it and it will serve you well. Get the full checkup and service done. The roads are pretty bad in once you enter the Ladakh region especially with the high passes. Don't attempt heroics - I saw quite a few 4x4s getting stuck or taking massive under body hits. Here is a list of things for the car, that we carried -
a) I had taken engine oil, brake and coolant fluids, fuses etc (nothing was used),
b) Duct tape for fixing any breakages (not used),
c) M-seal (not used),
d) Air pump (used numerous times) - I had got a puncture fixed in Bangalore at Michelen tyres a few days before the trip, they had done a shoddy job and that was leaking. Finally got it fixed in Leh,
e) Puncture repair kit (not used),
f) First-aid kit (not used),
g) Jerry cans - More on this later,
h) Tow-rope (not used),
i) Jump start cables (again not used)

I got the roof-carrier removed (had heard that it is illegal in some states) and removed the rear seats completely to accommodate luggage for 19 days of journey. At the end, my packed silver cheetah looked like this:



Next I will give day wise details

Day 1:
Bangalore to Kolhapur
(630 kms)

The clock struck 10 in the morning, we had completed all the necessary preparations for the trip. We loaded the car with our luggage, we started from home and entered Nice Road from Hosur road side. The plan was to reach Kolhapur today. With some delay in Kamat, where we stopped for tea and some more before Tumkur where even the onward traffic was diverted to our lane, we crossed Chitradurga at 1:30 pm. The windmills welcoming us. However time taken was much more than my expectation. Or was I being too ambitious? Anyway, a quick packed lunch under a tree helped.



Continuing our journey, we were greeted with some fresh light rain. Traffic was also light. There was some magic in the whole setting as if setting the mood for the trip, the running late schedule, intermittent rain, multiple diversions on the road, clouded sky with intermittent sun, and top it with light music playing. It was perfect. Hoping to reach Hubli by 5 pm. And we did. Only to miss next target again. We decided to enter Hubli to taste Thakur peda and have some tea. Again our selection of hotel and Hubli traffic made us lose 45 mins. Peda was yumm though.

With rain thrashing on us, and Ashwin on the wheel, we got back on highway and crossed dharwad highway. It continued to rain and get dark early. We hope to reach Kolhapur and have light dinner before reaching our hotel. And by the way, Kolhapur being a familiar territory and we had a friend there, we had stayed at Hotel Pavilion nearby.

And what a way to end the day with it raining all the way. And a yummy dinner at hotel Gokul. We tried local delicacies like pav bhaji, misal and dahi vada. All dishes were tasty. We finished it quickly as the service too was quick.




Reached hotel by 9:30 pm and crashed by 10:30 as next day we were planning to wake by 3:30 am to start by 5 am. Yah.... Day 1 was done.

[supreddy77]

Day 2:
Kolhapur to Dhule
(677 kms)

With the aim of leaving by 5am, woke at 3:30. Partially because of less sleep and some because of continuous rains, the mood was dull in the room. But the plan was to not stop unnecessarily and be ambitious in the first stretch. Got started at 5:10 with everything set.

I was at the wheel and with a decision to not stop till Pune, we sped away with just a refueling + bio break in between. Road traffic was pretty less thanks to the early hours. The road conditions were still good as rains had not set in fully.



Reached Pune and on bypass took HVK sir's suggestion to stop for breakfast at Sree Radhakrishna veg.



Had poha, misal pav, some pineapple sheera with vada pav. It was good with decently clean toilets. Next aim was to cross Mumbai before 12 pm. And we did. Can you believe it? Thanks to my persistence to continue driving as traffic is bad on these roads. Light rain continued to visit us in regular intervals. But because of these rains we got to enjoy beautiful scenery, everything was soo green in the Lonavla Mumbai stretch. We were also lucky to have some small water falls. It pepped up the dull mood and we were back to our original joyous self.




Once Mumbai was behind us, we were tempted to stretch, but then if we had to, we will have to go to Ratlam which is a good 5 hrs additional. After yesterday's sleepless night and the next day being the big day, we decided to stick to Dhule and get some rest instead.



Did we think we could reach Dhule by 5? Soo wrong, we were. By the time we had lunch and got on the road at 2 it said 3:30 more hours to reach Dhule.



And near Nashik, we got stuck in small jam which refused move. This piled up and a few more jams added, we were hoping to reach by 6, realistic would be 6:30.



Four lanes, rumblers or whatever they are called and the small road humps were slowing us down. In the meanwhile, the plan for the next day trip started off. According to the plan we are supposed to do Dhule to Jaipur which is 836kms in 15hrs. From our track record post lunch speeds have been bad. We hoped tomorrow would be better.



Finally we reached Dhule at 6:30. Had light salads and soups for dinner. Early to bed and early to rise. We went to bed hoping someone takes care of India winning the match today. Day 2 done, good night!

Day 3:
Dhule to Jaipur
(845 kms)

This being a long day, we woke up and got ready quickly. We got got the knack of getting ready fast by now. We got onto the road by 4:48 am. We wanted to reach Jaipur by end of day today. It's 836kms, 15hrs. Doable? Not sure.



Plan was to reduce the number of breaks and time taken for each, spend less time rotating the wheel. Today, we would be going across 3 states. Starting with Maharashtra, entering Madhya Pradesh and ending in Rajasthan. None of us had ever been to Madhya Pradesh and had our reservations. But we were pleasantly surprised, MP was far greener than we had thought.




Firstly when we stopped for breakfast after entering Madhya Pradesh before Indore, we found lots of restaurants open for breakfast at 7. Yesterday in Maharashtra, we could not find any open restaurants for breakfast till 8. Here people seem to be early risers. And what greenery we were presented with, amazing. Small hills here and there. All full green. Good roads, 4 lane but good ones. We could easily cruise on 80-100. Breakfast was a simple affair of Indori poha and some kachori. Bought some bananas at toll. We were hunting for fruits yesterday as it help in keeping our diet for the day. Saw more fruits in Madhya Pradesh than Maharashtra, surprisingly. Probably it's all about the road you take.

We started rotating drive and small stop only for fuel. Aim was to cross Mandasaur by 12. We crossed by 11:35. We were doing excellent timing, so we were all excited. We were doing good on time and my hope to catch some shopping in Jaipur was starting.😝



Next aim was lunch on Chittorgarh bypass by 1:30 pm and Bhilwara by 3 pm. Jaipur by 8. Let's see how we do? Stopped for lunch at Tamji Ka dabba at 1:30 just before Chittorgarh. Was able to cross Bhilwara soon, but then started getting the bad roads and heavy truck traffic. The road expansion was being done. It completely slowed us down and the next marked town Kishangarh refused to get near. At one point, maps was showing 3 more hours for like 45 mins. Soo frustrating after doing soo well on time. Road diversions every where. Yet to reach Kishangarh at 6:30. Finally made it at 6:50.

One strange thing we noticed on the highway is the percentage of trucks to cars was soo high. Probably 10 trucks for one car if not more. That shows the amount of commercial activity in the area. Another interesting and unique feature of Rajasthan is that even a small building will be designed like a palace. Now less than 2 hrs to Jaipur. Booked Ginger hotel for a comfortable night after the tough day.



Reached Jaipur and hotel by 8:40. Yahhhhhh. What an achievement! And damn tired and hungry. My wife was like we reached Jaipur and can't shop. What a punishment.



Now for dinner, got tempted and took pretext of the restaurant not having good salads to have roti and some chicken finally...Yumm. felt good and direct to bed. Such satisfaction.

[supreddy77]

Day 4:
Jaipur to Amritsar
(720 kms)

After achieving the 15 hrs stretch yesterday, we were soo laid back today, we got up at 4:30 planning to start at 6. Once we got to the car, we detected some decrease in tire pressure (this was a leak from the shoddy puncture job done at Bangalore). Used the air pump to increase the pressure. Hoping there is no puncture. Probably will have to get it checked at Amritsar. It got pushed to 6:15 with car cleaning. The silver car was beginning to look brown by this time We started and got onto the highway easily. The truck traffic kept us alert.




We drove carefully amidst the zooming cars and ambitious trucks. I have never seen trucks change lanes the way they were doing. Crazy... After a quick breakfast of also pyaaz paratha at highway king restaurant, we were back on the road and ready to enter Haryana.



Haryana just bought in more mix of cars. Roads too were broad but uneven. This stretch was known for highway patrol and speeding if caught has 1000Rs fine. So we tried to keep within the speed limit of 90kmph.

Once we got off NH48, the road was very good and hardly any traffic. The only scare being the misbehaving two-wheeler drivers who can take turns anywhere. But it was beautiful. The best part of the whole drive has been us getting to see the change in nature, the culture, the surroundings. It's an experience onto itself. Wish we could have more time to do it at a leisurely pace. The road upto Patiala was four laned with tall trees on both sides and large paddy fields after those trees. It was as though we were in some other world.




After hitting Patiala, we got onto THE GRAND TRUNK ROAD. It was interesting to see cars from soo many states in that lane. We had cars from Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and of course Haryana. Add our Karnataka to it. Strangely everywhere people were asking if we were from Kerala. I was like... people here know Kerala more than Karnataka. Why and how? Still don't know.



We had lunch at a mediocre dhaba just after Patiala. Started towards Amritsar. We had Ludhiana and Jalandhar on the way. We were doing fine so far to reach by 7. Then came the big jam. We are jinxed post lunch. We were stuck for 1 hour at a diversion in Ludhiana bypass. More than that while taking the diversion we got stuck in mud puddle and the clutch started emitting burnt smell. This was serious as any repair of vehicle will mean we will be set back by a day.

We stopped for some tea after Ludhiana to relieve the stress. I called up the service advisor in Bangalore and he said we should do fine if we don't use half clutch too much. So slightly relieved we started towards Amritsar. The smell persisted. So did our worries.




We crossed Jalandhar without any incident which was relieving. It was strange that it was 7:30 and we still had daylight. We had experienced the same thing yesterday as well. Finally we reached Amritsar after missing quite a few turns, having to do an U-turn everytime. It was 8:30 pm. The hotel didn't seem to have parking. I was surprised as we had specifically checked for it while booking. Then we saw a gate beside which was locked. It was like a storage area inside and with some space in it.

When we approached the hotel guys, they confirmed that the parking area was behind those locked gates. We took some time to park. But our muddy car after all that driving, fit well into the surroundings. Funny. Now we were concerned about the hotel and if we made a mistake as we badly wanted a good sleep. But the room was good and bathrooms were neat. We were happy.



Since next day we didn't have to wake up early, we thought of going out to have some dinner. Some chicken if possible. And the lighting of Golden temple if in mood as it's supposed to be very beautiful with all the lighting.









One of our friends had suggested Bharwan da dhaba which happened to be famous on net too. With lots of anticipation and an opportunity to walk, we reached in few minutes. We were staying in a treebo hotel which was in walkable distance. As we walked, we landed in the main tourist area. It was soooo good. I had not expected something like this. I was missing my DSLR. Large walkways, small shops along and lots of tourists. No vehicles were allowed but we could still see some two wheeler and rickshaws here and there squeezing between people. Rules did not apply to them. All sight seeing places were nearby. It did look like a foreign location. The dhaba was also close by. We went ready to order, only to find it to be pure veg restaurant. Later we got to know that non-veg, cigarettes, alcohol is not allowed anywhere near the temple region. Anyway we ordered some kulcha thalis and some lassi. We were prepared to eat more, but what we got was way too much. Food was very good. But was very heavy. We could only finish two-thirds. Every item was topped with lots of butter. Finally we finished it.

We wanted to see the lighting of the golden temple and started walking. It was huge crowd of people all walking towards the temple and shopping places all along. Intermittently we saw some lassi and kulfi stalls. Hoping to try them tomorrow we went ahead. But to see the lighting we needed to enter the golden temple. And we guys were in shorts. So we retreated back and went walking back to the hotel. That was the end of the day. Hoping the clutch problem goes away!

Day 5:
Amritsar to Jammu
(214 kms)

Good morning @7. It was soo good to sleep for long. With all the time today, was very laid back. Yesterday we had decided that we will go off to Jammu today, so will skip the wagah parade. Then the hotel guys suggested that if you are skipping the parade then there is nothing to see there as they would not let you go nearby. So we had decided to skip wagah completely. Actually it's Atari. Wagah is in Pakistan side. On Indian side it's Atari border.

After breakfast in hotel, we went to get the vehicle works done at Mahindra First Choice. The vehicle needed some brake pad changes, wheel balancing and tire checks. We decided to skip the clutch plate change for now - as advised by my service advisor.








We got back at 11:45 after the car checks. Freshened up and left for Golden temple. As we entered the premises, we realized that we might have to skip entering the inner sanctum. It was too crowded and there was a long queue. Probably will take around 2 hours. Liberty with time was not there for us. So went around, took prasad and left for Jalianwala Bagh. There some restoration work was going on. So we could not see half the stuff. Skipped shopping for lack of time. We got back to hotel checked out and left by 1:45.





Jammu was the target for the day which was 4 hrs away. Our drive after getting out of Amritsar was pretty smooth. We stopped for lunch at Daani Paani dhaba. Food was very good and fresh. Met a police officer there. The roads were pretty smooth and did not hit any major roadblock.






After Pathankot bypass, we entered J&K. We were stopped by police to enquire where we were heading to. Once we told them that we were going to Leh, they asked us to go. Except for stopping by for tea, we just traveled enjoying the views and good roads.



Finally we reached Jammu without any traffic jams, probably fate is giving us a break before the big day (Jammu-Srinagar stretch with the Amarnath yatris) tomorrow. Our accommodation was at one of the CHD hotels - it was really a fab hotel and the room was too good and big. We thought of checking out the local cuisine at the nearby Pahalwan's. Initial plan was to just have little before heading back to hotel for a proper dinner.



But by the time we had some of it, we realized that one more dish and we are done for the day. So we continued. Initially we had sweets rasmalai and Jamun. Both were yumm. The flavours were fresh. We also tried the local champ masala which was good. Got back to hotel to hear that the semifinals where India was playing New Zealand was stopped due to rains.

We need to be super alert tomorrow.

[supreddy77]

Day 6:
Jammu to Srinagar
(270kms)

Woke slightly early by 5. Lots of excitement about the tunnels, entiring the valley and also staying in the house boat today. They do not let vehicle till 6:30 am beyond Jammu CP. So we didn't have alternative but to start then. So we started by 6:15 am. Hit the first jam, a small one just outside Jammu. It was informed that till Udhampur it will be light traffic and beyond that till Banihal, there will be heavy traffic and after Banihal again some light traffic. It's 270kms and should take about 7 hrs ideally, but.... We will be happy if we can do it in 10 hrs. Let's see.











Drove till some time before Udhampur. Stopped for breakfast. Some basic aloo paratha and we were back on road to drive aggressively. There was heavy landslide areas on the way. Hence it was all bad roads and going was slow. Just before Udhampur, the army folks stopped us and put a RFID tag on our car. Very humbly they informed us to contact them on the number in the tag in case of any eventualities. They are always there to help us and take care of us. Soo sweet of them.

We deliberately didn't take any photo of any army personnel or army vehicles. It is quite sensitive and can compromise their security.











But the highlight was entering the Chenani tunnel. It was too good and very beautiful. We met a few soldiers from Karnataka multiple times. They were soo happy to see a KA registration and have some small talk with us. Till Banihal roads got better. Once we were inside Banihal we thought we will make it according to Google time. But then started the jam. We were stuck without moving because of high number of Yatra vehicles. Amaranth Yatra was going on during this season. There was heavy military presence everywhere. We were hoping we would not get more delayed as there was a time restriction on entering Jawahar tunnel.












After an hour or so, traffic moved slowly and we entered the tunnel. Once we got out, they let all non-yatra vehicles to leave. So on the tough roads, we moved ahead happy to leave without issue. We stopped at Qaziqund for lunch. This was a big mistake. Once we got out big good roads welcomed us. Just as we were joining the highway, they stopped us. There was a military convoy taking Yatra vehicles. Soo many vehicles, it took almost half an hour for them to let us go. As we went a little ahead, again we were stopped for sometime. Once we went a little ahead, again they stopped all out of station vehicles which were non-yatra ones. This time we told them, sir please let us go. We have been stopped soo many times. He replied smilingly, it's for your own security madam. Immediately an armored vehicle came and all army personnel ran to it. They asked us to follow the armored vehicle. That's when we realized, we were bypassing Anantnag. Hence this special security for us. We felt privileged and grateful to Indian army. They do soo much for our security. After we crossed Anantnag, we just drove straight to Srinagar. Army personnel were there for every 1 km. We felt safe.








Once we reached Srinagar we checked into a CHD houseboat. It was very good. A stationary houseboat though. The host spoke to us and we had a Shikara ride which we could do. We took the Shikara ride, it was very beautiful and calm. The only thing that spoiled the entire mood was India losing the Semifinals match. Did some shopping of saffron etc on the houseboat itself.










We got back and went out to taste the famous Rogan Josh. We had also ordered wazwan chicken. These guys did a very bad job of it. The result, my wife had an upset stomach and fever started the next day. The highlight next day was that the mighty Zojila pass waiting for us.

[supreddy77]

Day 7:
Srinagar to Kargil
(202 kms)

Today is one of our first adventure days as we were crossing Zojila pass, one of the toughest. The distance is small but roads are bad. Because of possible timing restriction at Sonamarg CP, we left at 7 from the houseboat. Roads inside were small and lots of army vehicles and Yatra vehicles, our progress was slow. We got out of Srinagar and expected some traffic till Sonmarg. Scenery across both sides of the road was very good. We got our first glimpse of snow topped mountains. At some towns the municipality was collected green tax from non-local vehicles. Unfortunately, my wife was having a bad day and slept through most of it (and hence, less photos).

We stopped at Sonmarg for breakfast and enjoying some beauty. The snow peaked mountains looked awesome. We got onto the car ready to face Zojila which was 20kms away. As we hit Zojila, the rough road started but it was not too much. May be because the ice had not started melting yet for the day. We were like this is more like Bangalore roads . Some places they even had paved roads. After about 2 Kms, came the rocky terrain. The next 9-10 kms was a nightmare. The XUV had no trouble, but one point I had to climb the mountain back in reverse as there was a truck coming up in opposite direction and the road was just too narrow. The pass itself is not too high compared to other passes in Ladakh, the problem with Zojila is the narrow roads and frequent landslides.

The road just got bad to worse and further. We started looking out for the end. At every turn, we would hope it ends. But it continued and started daring us more. Luckily for us, there were very few water crossings and none too dangerous. Finally we reached zero point. The place where Zojila ends. There was a relief in all of us. We stopped for some tea and Maggi.

Since we hit zero point, we expected to hit the highway soon. But the bad roads continued. Only relief being, we were descending. After some time, the road got better and we were off to Drass. Drass claims to be the coldest village to be inhabited on this planet. Except for when the wind blows which was cool, it was pretty hot. We were planning to bring out our jackets for Kargil. Let's see.



















After crossing Dras, one of the places from where the Kargil war was fought, we reached Kargil war memorial. Kargil war memorial is a memorial meant for all the war heroes who had sacrificed their life while fighting the Kargil war. They had India flags on both sides of the road and a big flag at the centre of the memorial. Behind it was the Jyothi and beyond that was the names of all the soldiers. Besides this were all tombstone of the same heroes. Felt patriotic and lucky to be an Indian. The armed forces are there at the border because of which we sleep peacefully now.











With the patriotic feeling at the heights we drove towards Kargil. We checked into the CHD arranged hotel. The hotel was decent and the rooms were quite good. We had basic dinner and went to bed. End of day 7. Tomorrow we will be entering Leh.

Day 8:
Kargil to Leh
(217kms)

We had decided to have a late start as the journey was short. It was known to be one of the most beautiful drives in the Himalayas. We started around 7.45 am, late by 15mins of the targeted time. As we left Kargil, we saw the beautiful Suru valley.

As we climbed higher we could start seeing the change in the landscape. The mountains were barren! But very beautiful. Each mountain/hill had its own colour; blue, red, green. We were spellbound by this. If the green valleys of Kashmir was beautiful on one side, the Ladakh region presented us a different unparalleled beauty.






As we were enjoying the first views of landscape we came to our first stop at Mulbek to see the future Buddha - Maitreya Buddha. We offered our prayers at the temple and started our onward journey towards our next stop - Lamayaru.





We visited the Monastery at Lamayaru, it was a calm and beautiful place. We had a break at a nearby restaurant had light food (and the ginger lemon tea my usual favourite in this region). A little distance ahead, we landed on the 'moon land'. A landscape very similar to that of the moon. (I hope the US didn't use this place to land the first man on moon ).






Ladakh had its own beauty! The more we moved towards Leh, it just got better. The attractive mountains kept us occupied all along our drive. We had to cross the Namki La and Fatu La, with a quick photo session in the chilling winds at Fatu La. We missed to go towards Chiling, to the Sangam of Zanskar and Indus.





However, we did see the Sangam from the view point. A disappointment! The rivers weren't in their true colours of blue and Torquise. They were close to cement/greyish colour. Thanks to the melting ice and the mud those streams carry!



We approached the Magnetic hill, which had nothing 'attractive' about it anymore. The commercialization with ATVs etc had made a mess of the Magnetic hill.


Soon after the magnetic hill we reached the Gurudwara Pathar Sahib. A Gurudwara maintained and managed entirely by the Army. We offered our prayers and decided to have food at the Langaar. Finally, having food at Langaar! They even served tea! It was comfortable to have the hot tea in the chilly conditions. We didn't take photos of the Gurudwara on purpose.




After this last stop we entered Leh and was received at our hotel - it was a CHD hotel and the hosts were just awesome people. We decided to take rest that day after an early dinner. We had Thupka and Thentuk at the 'Tibetian Kitchen'. They were made of fresh vegetables and tasted good. We left the place making a note to visit it again.

[supreddy77]

Day 9:
Leh local sightseeing
(45kms)











Today was the day of relaxation and acclimatization (hence, not so many photos). So woke up leisurely. Got ready leisurely. Had some Aloo paratha again. I took the car for servicing and maintenance. My wife and Ashwin went out to search for some rental scooters. We were not able to find even one. We searched in many places. The hotel guys also took care of our permits.

Most of them were saying, one should go either in previous day evening or early in the morning. Because of sudden demand for scooty, they were not finding any. We got some good news from that his car work might end sooner. Finally, we managed to find one scooty. We decided that we will go ahead and start our sightseeing with Hall of fame.

Hall of fame was very nice and informative place. It talks about all the sacrifices many of our soldiers did during various wars. How we won each of the wars. And also about history and culture of Ladakh. Some displays were also there to show the various arms captured, tools used in siachen areas etc. We had still not completed when they said that they were closing for lunch. So we had to leave earlier than planned.

Car servicing also was done by then. So we went to have lunch at Gezmo restaurant. It's a reputed one. Some of their items were good and some not so great. After lunch, I and Ashwin went to do sightseeing of Thiksey monastery and Shanti Stupa. Both of which I had seen earlier. Ashwin liked both. They got diesel filled in car and cans as we would not get clean fuel for next few days. We had got water during lunch.

Once back we went to Leh bazaar as we were having tough time enabling data on BSNL postpaid. We had some minor shopping to do and we needed to return the bike. Ashwin went and returned the bike, which was least used. Then we got some help to know the process to enable BSNL data. Finished rest of shopping and had dinner. It was 8:30 by the time we came back.

The diesel cans were leaking. It's going to be a problem because bad roads are accepted norm for next 5 days. Luckily, some of our hotel guys helped us get some new cans from the market - thanks for the CHD hotelier we were saved a major pain for the rest of the journey in Ladakh region. Rest of setup took some time. It was 10 when we got to room and 11 by the time we slept.

A piece of advise, please carry new cans when you go on these trips. The old/leaky ones can cause a lot of trouble.

Next day, was the climb upto Kardungla

Day 10:
Leh to Diskit
(137 kms)

Left by 6 am as we wanted to cross Khardungla pass- the highest motorable road (which again is not true anymore) before ice starts melting and also nurtured ambitions to reach Turtuk and come back to Diskit by evening.




We took the wrong road to exit Leh and got onto a muddy track. After that the ascent was smooth. We were stopped by the tax union guy to check the RC. Yes, that still happens sometimes to check if you are using rental self-drives. After South Pullu the road was a muddy road. If there was one place, where the XUV felt lacking in power, it was on the climb to Khardungla.









We reached Khardungla by 8:20 am. Felt like an achievement. While coming up, there was strong winds and light rain and snow. So didn't want to spend more time here and then hit more bad weather going down.




While descending, we hit few water crossing but nothing major. Some places there was snow on the road, hence road was getting slippery. Finally we made it down. We faced some army truck traffic. Due to some incoming traffic and hilly terrain, we could only reach Diskit by 12:10 pm. We wanted to see the Diskit Gompa and check out the surrounding views. So we went there and spent some time. The Buddha statue is very huge and looks soo calm and peaceful in this serene environment. We could see the entire valley from here. After that we had lunch on the highway as we were all hungry.










After lunch, we went to Hunder for bacterian camel ride. Big mistake again. 12-3:30 pm was their lunch break. We reached at 2:30 pm. Since we didn't have much time to go back and come back later, we decided to wait it out. Hunder is famous for its Sand dunes and bacterian camels which are only found in this part of the terrain. We were resting on the sand dunes while waiting for the camel ride. Within minutes small sand storms started because of the heavy winds blowing. We were all drenched in sand. It started drizzling after some time. We went and sat under a shade near the ticket counter not ready to give up. The camels did not come even by 3:40 pm. After people went and asked, the owner went and called the camels and their caretakers. By the time the camels came and the seats were setup it was 4:15 pm. Luckily we were little ahead in queue. They charge 300 Rs for 25 mins ride. The caretaker let's each person ride a camel and joins 6-7 camels for a single ride. The camel ride was nice and a unique experience. It's majestic in itself. Only care needs to be taken that people with back problems need to avoid it.



Once that was off the list, we got back to our CHD Hotel for night halt. We refreshed, actually took bath as we were all covered in sand. We ordered some dinner. We were to leave early again tomorrow by 4 pm as will be having major water crossings tomorrow. During dinner time, the folks there explained that because of the rains and winds, the water crossings have reduced. So it's much easier to cross now. They suggested we could start a little late as well. We were tempted, but just in case they were misinformed, we thought we will start by 4:30 pm. Once back from dinner, we finished necessary activities and hit the bed by 7:45 pm. Good night.

[supreddy77]

Day 11:
Diskit to Tangtse (Pangong lake)
(190 kms)

We got up by 3:30 in the morning and quickly got ready. It was pretty cold. We packed all our stuff and got out. It was pitch dark. We used our camera phones torch for light. Once in the car we noticed that the gates of the hotel was locked. So we had to go hunting for the guy who could open it. Finally we found him and got him to do the needful. We got out, put on full beams and were off.




Roads were not too good not too bad. We did decent speed till Khalsa. After Khalsa we took a diversion off Leh road to go towards Agham. Sun had started coming up and we could see the river shyok running parallel to us. Small streams were joining Shyok from every side, sometimes even running across the road for it. River Shyok is a dangerous river, it's called the river of Death or Sorrow. The reason behind it is that it could change its direction of flow or the speed of flow (based on various natural factors like melting snow, rains, mud collected in flow, etc.,) without throwing any warning. Hence it also has a large basin to flow and people stay away from it.

The surroundings as we were heading towards Agham was very beautiful. Majestic hills, streams here and there, flowering trees in some places. It can only be experienced, no amount of writing or photos could do justice to it. Hit few bad stretches of road. We crossed Agham. We were getting a bit hungry. We found a shop which was just opening up, so we asked them if they could make some tea for us. We didn't want to trouble them much because many of the staff were still sleeping. We had tea and even there they said, no problem with water crossings. With that happy note, we started towards Shyok town. Yes both river and town have same name.





Road was starting to get bad in some patches, water was running on the road in some places. Then we hit our first water crossings. Water was flowing a little fast and it was muddy. So it was tough for us to understand the depth in the stream. Ashwin got out with his trousers up and shoes changed to slippers. He had to walk across to gauge the depth and direct us accordingly. He ran through the water. And asked us to follow. We followed with the car in the same path. It was a little rocky but we made it through. Once we crossed, Ashwin came running into the car crying of pain. The water had been too cold to put his bare foot. Soo cold that bones were paining from it. He started rubbing with a towel, some tissues and took some time to warm up. Our first water crossing successfully completed.




Road continued to be bad in patches, some parts washed away and fully rocky, some parts muddy. Some areas were landslide prone, where we had move cautiously. Finally it started getting better when we suddenly saw there was no road ahead.

The road was blocked by huge boulders after which was a strong stream of water flowing. We were lost completely as there was no signage or any other path in view. No vehicles were coming in any direction. So that option also was closed. Then on close monitoring we saw some small stones kept in nearby gravels, as if for a road. I and Ashwin went ahead to check on that route. There seemed to be some good amount of water crossing involved in this bypass too. I got back while Ashwin was monitoring the depth of water by throwing stones in different portions. After reaching there they discussed and Ashwin had to run through the water again to check the level and show the path. This water crossing was a tougher and longer one than the previous. The road also was turning drastically so we had to be very careful of the markings for the path. Finally we made it through and got on the tar road. It was a real adventure.


When we thought we were in the vicinity of Shyok with few Kms left, we got the third one. This one was a stream of water which had cut through the road. The stream itself was not a problem, but after that there were huge boulders on which was a steep climb to get on to the road. So the momentum and speed should be set before we enter the water and maintained till we get onto the road. To add a little drama to this, there were a few bikers and a 4-wheeler (same gang). The bikers were going one by one. The driver of the 4 wheeler was a local, so our plan was to just follow him. The 4 wheeler started and with some good maneuvering got onto tar road. We quickly followed in the same path. In between we see that the 4 wheeler hasn't moved and there is no place on tar road for us. We can't stop on the boulders nor in the water crossing where we were just now. The reason for the 4 wheeler stopping there was some stupid bikers who had parked their vehicles blocking the road. Luckily the driver asked them to move and he too moved just in time. We got on the boulders and small stones were hitting the vehicle and some boulders slipping under the tyres too much. We could feel all this, but kept going. Finally made it on the tar road. A big relief. We went a little ahead and stopped to check on the car. There were no under body hits. This was good. But we didn't take any photos.



So we started off. After all this, we were too hungry. We badly wanted some breakfast. Finally we reached Shyok town and found some restaurant. There was a check post at the junction near the restaurant. We had breakfast and started towards Durbuk. The terrain was very beautiful and at the same time very dominating. From then on to Tangtze and later to Pangong itself the road was a mix of good and bad patches. Most of the parts were narrow and we were seeing slightly more traffic now.





We reached Pangong in slight drizzle and cloudy conditions. The water was slight blue and mostly reflective. We spent some time playing around searching for the blue stretches, waiting for sun to get out of cloud cover. The drizzle was no longer there but it was still cloudy. We took photos whenever the sun came out. After some time we went to have lunch in one of the restaurants there. After lunch, the true colours of Pangong were coming out in all shades of blue. It was very beautiful. But we were tired and wanted to head back. After some photos, we came back straight to Tangtze. Got into our CHD hotel - which was amazing on given the altitude we were at.







We rested for sometime. Later we realized that our BSNL messages were not going. We had to get information about the next day. So after repeated trials, we decided to drive to Durbuk in search of signals. We went to Durbuk, even then our messages were not going. After some time, we got a call from home, that bought in some relief. We made all necessary calls. Only SMS was having problems. Finally relieved we had dinner and headed back to our Hotel to retire. We got instructions that they will knock on the door when hot water is ready for bath. Hoping that to be after 5 we slept off.

[supreddy77]

Day 12:
Tangtze to Hanle
(200 kms)

Everything in Tangtse is driven by when what is available. So though we were not needed to wake early today as ours was 7 am departure, we had to wake up at 4:40 am because hot water was available then. (Majority of the other inmates were leaving early and wanted that. There is no electricity here. So they use generator for lighting and hot water.) Quickly one after the other, we took bath and got ready.

We had an hour before breakfast. It was terribly cold. Probably around 2-3 degrees. So we got under the blankets. After some time, we got ready, packed everything and went for breakfast. Breakfast was Aloo paratha. Quickly we finished and got started by 7.









We had to go back to Pangong and beyond. We reached Pangong in an hour. We saw marmots on the way. Once we crossed the Pangong view point, the non-tar road started. It was only tire tracks from here. Road was very unstable. All our definitions of bad roads were nothing. This was the stretch of only bad roads. It's 49 Kms to chusul. So no idea how long we are going to take. The maximum speed we could do was 15-20kms. We went on and on... Still the road continued. The terrain till Mann was the worst stretch. The only relief in the whole stretch was that Pangong was always on our side. This lake is sooo huge. We crossed Mann, Merak and Pangong continued to be by our side. Chusul was 29kms when we crossed Merak. It was the bylanes in Mann and Merak which confused us for the route to take. We asked around and managed. A word of caution, not many people were around in the villages too.














After some time dirt road slightly improved. Though not like tar road, but atleast it was rock sand track. We saw some kiangs grazing. But they were too far to take photos. Finally we reached chusul at 12:20. But got lost in the labyrinth of Chusul. Didn't know where to turn as the usual road was blocked and no directions put up. Any inner road we take ended in dead ends or into someone's house. We were totally confused. There was no one in sight nor any vehicle moving around.








After a lot of time going forward, reverse and misdirected we were back on track. Time was 1:30 and no restaurant in sight. We started towards Tsaga assuming atleast the road will get better. But the dirt road never seemed to end. The next 34kms we drove was all dirt road, some real bad patches and one major water crossings. There were many water crossings but one was very deep on one side. Finally we reached Tsaga at 2:45, found a small restaurant. Ordered some Maggi and rice. Gulped down quickly and started by 3:10 towards Hanle. We were stopped immediately at checkpost for permission. Since we had relevant documents for all our trips, we presented them. Once that was done we were on our way to Hanle via Loma.




We reached Loma in 20 minutes where we crossed the bridge over the Indus. After this it was straight to Hanle which was about 50kms away. Road was very good and a big relief. We zoomed and reached Hanle by 5pm. It was very cold. Checked into our CHD homestay. Had some tea and relaxed.




By the time we checked about the observatory, it had closed. So we went for a casual walk. Hanle was very beautiful and different than what we had seen of Ladakh, so far. Once it started getting cold, we got back. Lights had come up by then. Here electricity is available only from 7pm-11pm. We had dinner by 8 and called it a day.

[supreddy77]

Day 13:
Hanle to Korzok (Tso Moriri)
(150 kms)

Today Hanle to Tso Moriri is 166kms. Should take about 4-5hrs as it has some bad patches. We woke leisurely as we had lots of time. The plan was to visit the observatory before we leave for Tso Moriri. Since the observatory opens only by 9:30am, we had enough time to spare. For second day, we had breakfast in the guest house. It was Aloo paratha again.







We started by 9:15, reached gate and waited. Once the incharge came, we followed him into the observatory. He explained how it works and how it is remotely controlled from Bangalore. He answered couple of our questions. Took some photos outside for the panoramic views. We started towards Loma, followed by Nyoma.

Road as we knew till Loma was good. But from Loma some road works was going on so it was dirt path, though marked this time. Till Mahe the road continued to be bad. We stopped for lunch at Nyoma. After Mahe the road got a bit better. It again got bad from Puga Sumdo.





Literally there was no path from there till Tso Moriri and then Korzok. We crossed Tso Kiagar lake. It was a small one but a very beautiful one. We drove without stopping to reach Tso Moriri. We stopped for sometime to check out Tso Moriri lake. With sunlight shining, the lake was looking very pretty. By the time I could get ready to click, it got cloudy again. We reached hotel - tented accommodation - by 4:30 pm.








We had some tea and went for a walk to the lake. It looked calm and peaceful. Only if sunlight would have come out. It would have been icing on the cake.








We got back and rested for sometime. Dinner was ready by 7pm. There was some tomato soup which helped build heat. Quickly had dinner and got back to room. Freshened up and got to bed. The next day was going to be a long day...

[supreddy77]

Day 14:
Korzok (Tso Moriri) to Sarchu
(214 kms)

Good morning. Woke up by 4am. Today is the biggest challenge. We are passing through some of the toughest terrain including 3 mountain passes, Sarchu and covering some major water crossing sections. Total distance is about 330kms. We need to do this before water crossings get bad post lunch.




Did basic freshen up and was out of hotel on road by 4:50. First milestone is Puga Sumdo. When we stopped for nature break, we realized that one of the tires showed low pressure. With not much light and temperatures below 5, we just used the pump to add air. Got started again and reached Puga Sumdo by 5:40. Next point is Debring.

Road got bad again and Debring seems to be 50kms away. After some distance the road got better. We knew that if we reach Sarchu too late, we wouldn’t have a choice but to stay at Sarchu. Seeing our slow progress we were for the first time in the entire trip skeptical of reaching our destination for the day. It was somewhere before Debring that we met with a small accident (don't want to go into details here) and that delayed us quite a lot.




We stopped for lunch at one of Debring’s dabhas and then drove towards Pang. The road was really like a highway till Pang. After Pang, there were no roads.

We made very little progress on the Lachunglung la pass and the roads after that. We were stopped by the BRO road repair guys and lost more precious time there. We, originally, hoped to reach Sarchu by lunch, but all our hopes were dashed by the accident and after that the road conditions and the wait time at the road repair crossings.













These were some of the worst roads we had seen in our entire journey. It was all that and steep climbs on rocks and boulders with truck traffic on both sides. We had to cross two high passes before we could reach Sarchu. Lachunglung la and Nakee la. To add to this there were Moore plains and Ghata loops. The roads were getting bad, but thankfully there weren't any major water crossings before Sarchu. We crossed some points were water was flowing heavily on the road, but it was the terrain that was getting tough. All turns at high altitudes and steep climbs. Local vehicles were cruising it as if it was a cake walk. Probably if you do this stretch for few months one would know where to make each turn and how to drive without losing momentum.

Finally we reached, Lachunglung la. The roads were both scary and scenic. But all we wanted to do was reach Sarchu. Our average driving speed was less than 20kmph. We slowly moved towards Nakee la, the last pass for the day. Once we crossed Nakee la we started seeing some tar road and road got a bit better. Sarchu's cold winds and subzero temperatures were already playing in our minds. We pushed along passed through the continuous loops of Ghata loops. They never seem to end. Some of the vehicles were off-roading in those altitudes and slopes. We didn't dare to try. We just moved along. Sarchu started showing up on the other side of the bank. We had to go a long way across few hills to reach the bridge to cross on the river. Once we crossed it, we had to again drive across the same stretch now on the other side. Once we reached, we had a police check post. That's when we remembered that Sarchu is in Himachal and we were crossing a state border. A kind of smile spread at the achievement.

Next we went hunting for tents. First set of them looked like tin sheds and we did not dare to check them out. We went ahead and crossed the border.






The tents started getting better. The wind also started getting wilder and colder. Finally we found one good one at the base of a mountain, Himalayan Routes camp. They charged about 1200 per head including dinner and breakfast. We had some bananas in the evening, but that's all. So we were all very hungry.

The tent luckily had more than few warm blankets and it was a relief. It also had an attached bathroom and toilet. We could not touch the water as it was too cold. We asked them for early dinner. But since all of us were on the spot booking, dinner was taking time. Cooking in such altitudes and cold temperatures takes more time than normal. All of us were very sleepy and hungry. We requested them again to give us anything they had even if it was only rice and dal. We told them we were planning to leave early the next day, so wanted to sleep early too. It was already 8:30 and they tried to help us which took another 30 mins. They got the Dal from afternoon and some rice for us. It was tasting good as rice was fresh and hot. We just gulped it and went to bed by 10. Since it was per head charges and they had enough empty tents, we took two tents for 3 of us. This helped in getting some space and decent sleep. This is was also the day, we kind of took least number of photos.

[supreddy77]

Day 15:
Sarchu - Mandi
(332 kms)

Woke up and got started by 6. Yesterday, the road was horrible. Today we will be crossing Barchala la and Rohtang. We have a long way to reach Mandi. Just hope we get good roads. Barchala la before and after is famous for bad water crossings. We had picked up some bread jam to suffice till we stop for breakfast. The plan was to stop only after zing zing bar for breakfast.







After some sets of bad roads, some terrible water crossings, we got onto Barchala la. One of the water crossings we could cross only because there was a local vehicle in front of us which was guiding us. Always follow the locals when in doubt. They know those roads better. Barchala la was cold, we didn't stop for anything as we had to make up yesterday's lost distance.






We managed most of the small water crossings that we hit while coming down. There was one major one yet to come. We reached zing zing bar but just before that at a check post one local had said there is one major water crossings after few Kms. So we pushed our plan for breakfast and went ahead. We hit the next water crossing. This looked dangerous but luckily we followed guys ahead and went in momentum without breaking. So we made it across. It had started raining. We stopped at Darcha for breakfast. Last of the Maggi for me and he had spoiled it by adding chilli powder.










We reached Keylong in slight drizzle. After this we went ahead to Rohtang and Manali. The plan was to cross Manali and stop for lunch. We were doing good on time. The roads also looked good after the terrible roads we had seen last few days. But then they put diversion for a broken culvert. The road got bad and it started raining. Since it was all mud road, slush had started to form. The traffic also was building up.

There was a huge slush formation ahead and a vehicle had broken down. We were all in queue waiting. The broken down vehicle was moved and vehicles started moving, then an Ertiga got stuck. With this it created a big jam as vehicles from the top were also trying to descend. We had to wait 45 mins for our turn. The slush was bad, but we made it through with our expert driver. Finally in the rain we made it to Rohtang top which was full of tourists. Now we were just 60 Kms from Manali. Time was 12. Aim was to cross Manali by 3pm.

While descending, road was getting bad in some stretches. Again we hit one major jam because of slush. Now they were letting traffic that was moving up. Since most of them were heading to Rohtang, the traffic was more. We lost time again. We waited an hour for our turn. Finally we made it through and continued on our journey towards Manali. Roads was bad, it was raining and there was heavy traffic. All these slowed us. We reached Manali at 4. We stopped for lunch. Now the big question was can we push ourselves to Mandi.

Since I had been driving for past few days continuously as roads had been bad. So, others said that it was my call. Maps showed 4 hours more. We decided to push as else it will get tough for next two days which are again longer. We had lunch and started off. As we just got out, we got stuck in bad traffic jam. Lost precious time.

Luckily we took some internal village roads till Kullu, thanks to the RoutO App and this saved some time as we hit less traffic. Of course we could not speed like we could on highway. We got onto Kullu bypass. Now it was straight to Mandi. Roads had diversion and it was not truly an highway. It was two lane road and we were losing light. Since it was all hill terrain, we were going slow. Finally we reached Mandi by 9:10. Got into a CHD hotel which was very basic. Had our first bath in 4 days. Ordered for some salads and lassi and settled the bills. Slept off ignoring the outside noises.

[supreddy77]

Day 16:
Mandi to Agra
(670 kms)

Got up by 5:30 after yesterday's late drive. Plan was to leave by 6:30pm. We would be back in plains again and needed to cover lot of distance. Almost about 12 hrs drive crossing Himachal, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and UP.

We started by 6:30 as planned. There was still some hill terrain left till Kiratpur Sahib. It was taking quite some time. We stopped for breakfast a little late around Bilaspur by 9:30 at HPTDC. We noticed that the vehicle's engine guard screws had fallen, so it was hanging down on the back side. So it needed to be fixed before it got worse.

We started from there thinking of getting it done in Punjab. We crossed Kiratpur Sahib and the hills ended but roads continued to be 2 laned. So speeds were contained. We asked in some small shops. They could not help but directed us to shops further 20-30kms where they could raise the car on a ramp to fix the issue.

We continued and just before Ambala we found one such place. They made a make shift solution till we could reach Bangalore and give it for servicing. They also helped us with some tasks. Once all this was off the plate, we got onto the highway.

We stopped for lunch at Haveli after Ambala as it was lunch time and we were not sure of getting good dhabas till Panipat. We finished lunch and got onto the highway by 1:40. Now straight to Delhi and later to Agra.
It was pretty smooth till Panipat, but after that got stuck badly in a big traffic jam. Lost close to 45 mins. Reason for jam was some water on the road at a diversion.

Once out of it, we took the EPE which was very good and we zoomed till Greater Noida. The speed limits were also high and traffic was manageable. So we made up on time. Exiting and then going through Surajpur to enter Yamuna express highway was a bit complicated. But once we got onto the YEH, roads were smooth. We stopped at 7pm to have some dinner and tea. It was pretty smooth ride till Agra. YEH is very good and very strict on speed. They fine heavily for overspeeding and display the vehicle number with the speed publicly on billboards. We got out of YEH at Agra and straight to hotel by 9:20.



Took bath and slept by 10:15 pm as we needed to leave by 5:30 next day which was 15hrs drive.

Day 17:
Agra to Nagpur
834 kms

Got up early and started by 5:30. Plan was to cross Gwalior and stop for breakfast. We crossed Agra and saw lots of people crossing over on roads with either a bottle or mug in hand for performing morning activities. No sign of Swatch Bharat here. To add to this, there were many cows actually bulls on the roads. This slowed us a bit. We crossed from UP to Rajasthan to MP, crossed Chambal river. Things got better by 7. We were going good, till we crossed Gwalior.

There were no sign of any open restaurants. We were hungry. After some time we got stuck at a two laned road leading to a toll. The traffic was not moving at all. Toll booth operators were having shift change which further added to the delay. Finally after 30-40 mins we got out of it, searched for some dhaba which had just managed to open. They said it will take some time. By then we finished our minor vehicle tasks. They got Aloo parathas and we had our breakfast. We left to get onto the road. The road continued to be bad with diversions till Jhansi. We bypassed Jhansi by 11. Till then we kept going from UP to MP and back.





After that the road got better and we were able to drive smoothly till Sagar. The main deterrent for driving smoothly was the entry of cows from any direction onto the road. I now understand why India is branded to have cows on the road. This is not soo common on other highways. We stopped at a highway place for lunch in Sagar bypass. It turned out to be like a resort and they delayed service. We lost time there again. We got back onto the road and reached Narsinghpur by 4:30. After this we took the Seone route to Nagpur. This passes through Pench National park.

The road was good till we entered Pench national park. There were lots of diversions inside the park as they were expanding the road. Since we were in South, it started getting dark earlier and navigating the diversions with bright headlights of the trucks in opposite direction was getting tough.

Luckily, the road ended soon and once we were out of the national park, we got four laned road. We continued on the Nagpur outer ring road. We wanted to pick up some sweets for back home. Haldiram's was the only one open at that time. The road and diversions thanks to Google was very confusing and more so in the dark. Finally we reached to find that we can't have dinner there as the waiting time was very high. So we just picked up the sweets and headed straight to hotel.

We checked into the CHD hotel. We had a bit of a problem to find Parking. Finally we managed and got settled, ordered some dinner and had it. We slept off after that as next day was a delayed start because of relatively smaller distance.

[supreddy77]

Day 18:
Nagpur to Hyderabad
(530 kms)

We got up leisurely and started by 7:30. The breakfast that comes with room would only be ready by 8 and that would delay is further. So we skipped and started. On the way, there were not any decent restaurant. So we stopped at roadside eatery and had some poha and tea. We paid Rs. 15 for 3 pohas, can you believe it? And it was decent.

The plan was to reach Hyderabad before return office traffic. Hopefully by 4pm. The roads were decent but the cows entering the road continued for sometime. Lots of butterflies were flying across the road and getting hit by vehicles. This was spoiling the windscreen as it was leaving marks. It would create problems during night when visibility is bad.



Slowly we entered Adilabad in Telangana. We didn't want to run the risk of bad lunch like the previous day. So decided to search for proper restaurant even if required a small diversion. We found one at Armoor needing some diversion called Geeta Bhavan. We were tempted by idlis and dosas being served. But we resisted and ordered Thalis. A good decision as were hungry too. South Indian thali felt good. We enjoyed it thoroughly. Again we got back and continued till Hyderabad. We got onto to Hyderabad outer ring road which was 12 laned and very good.

We reached Gachibowli side area where we caught up with a friend after 3 years. After 6 pm, we got back to our CHD Hotel which was close by many famous restaurants. So we freshened up and decided to walk 1.5 Kms to Paradise Biryani. Biryani was good and we also tried some Qubani Ka meeta with ice cream. We walked back to hotel. It felt good to walk after soo many days. We called it a day since we wanted to leave early the next day so that we could reach Bangalore before the evening traffic starts.

Day 19:
Hyderabad to Bangalore
(590 kms)

We wanted to reach before office traffic. So we started early by 5am from Hyderabad. After an hour of drive, we stopped at CCD for breakfast and clean toilets.

It's about 570kms in all, so should be done in 9 hrs if the roads are good all through. We drove smoothly without much problem. We stopped for some tea again. Time was not passing for us as we were nearing Bangalore. We continued driving and stopped in few more hours after we crossed into Andhra Pradesh. We wanted clean toilets. So stopped at a coffee shop.



After soo many stops we decided not to stop till we get into Karnataka. We crossed Kurnool and Anantpur. We finally entered Karnataka. We wanted to have masala dosa after soo many days, so went ahead and crossed chikkaballapur and reached Nandi Upchar by 1:30pm. The masala dosa followed by Masala vada tasted heavenly after so many days of Aloo parathas.

Finally we crossed Hebbal and got onto outer ring road. Hit a bit of a traffic at K R Puram but nothing that would bring our spirits down. Reached home by 3:30pm comfortably after that. Wow! What a trip. All came to an end with mixed emotions. The joy of reaching back home to our families mixed with the feeling of ending a wonderful journey.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Jeevan Sukumar]

Congratulations for your great achievement. The travelogue also deserves 5 star rating since it contains lots of useful information. I would like to know about your XUV's overall performance during the trip because I am also planning this dream trip with my XUV.