[DriveTrain]

This is a true labour of love - it shows in the planning , the epic trip and the stupendous travelogue. I simply could not put this down and had to read to the finish ! Truly astounding Might I dare say that Sherdil has truly attained Eon Nirvana after this monumental journey Hats off to you and your better half and thank you for sharing this gem.

[drpavan]

Fantastic, Amazing.

I really wonder how much time you put into for bringing this wonderful travelogue. It's not just the destination entire journey was felt in front of the eyes while going through the travelogue.

I really salute your better half Monosree as well for being a wonderful companion and a good guide.

I admire her guts to go barefoot in such cold water.

I too did many trips which had 1000 kms in a day that too in Santro xing. Those trips were from Manipal to Vijayawada. I used to encounter Shiradi ghat near Hassan.

Those were during the years 2006- 10.

Your travelogue reminded me of those journeys, I was a bachelor then. After getting married to be frank I never dared to do long journeys at night along with my wife. Safety and comfort overtook my passion for driving.

As mentioned by you, It's the capability of the driver and his understanding of the situation if the vehicle can overcome the hurdle are more important while doing such challenging journeys.

Moreover it's a car that has done 1 lakh kms. Let your passion for driving continue all throughout your life.

More of an Inspiration story to others than a travelogue.

Thank you,
Drpavan.

[gearhead_mait]

Originally Posted by DriveTrain

This is a true labour of love - it shows in the planning , the epic trip and the stupendous travelogue. I simply could not put this down and had to read to the finish ! Truly astounding Might I dare say that Sherdil has truly attained Eon Nirvana after this monumental journey

Thanks Angshuman da! Regarding Sherdil - He still has a lot to cover before attaining Nirvana!

Originally Posted by drpavan

Fantastic, Amazing.

I really wonder how much time you put into for bringing this wonderful travelogue. It's not just the destination entire journey was felt in front of the eyes while going through the travelogue.

I really salute your better half Monosree as well for being a wonderful companion and a good guide.

I admire her guts to go barefoot in such cold water...

Thank you,
Drpavan.

Thanks drpavan! Feels nice to see such wonderful comments. The travelogue took me 3 months to complete, after managing workplace and home. Still I didn't want to hurry with it. On the contrary, I enjoyed every bit of time writing this travelogue.

I don't have any words for the support Monosree extends in such long trips. With only two of us taking on these kind of arduous journey, with no kind of external support whatsoever, we depend on ourselves only on every aspect of the journey like route planning, hotel booking and every decision that comes forth. The thrill and adventure is immense although we have to agree that there are some risks involved as well.

[Mu009]

Originally Posted by gearhead_mait

Oh! I almost forgot to mention about our interaction with BHPian MU009. He saw the Team BHP sticker on my car, came up to me and asked - "BHPian?"

You remembered just fine sir. Your kind shout-out in this thread plastered a real grin on my face. I clicked on the thread directly I saw "gearhead" in the Author's username, but wanted to reply after having gone through this properly.

As I said that evening, I saw a whole bunch of cars with TeamBHP stickers on that nearly month long outing, but you were the only actual BHPian I met. It was great to see this thread - made me relive my own memories from the trip - especially since my own photographs are still languishing in my hard-drive.

It's fun to see your tan getting darker as the trip progresses in photos - what is a trip to the mountains without the harsh sun? Also, I loved how you really took your time and did each destination justice.

I'll sign off with this - you are the real Sherdil having gone so confidently (and returned so triumphantly) with a low ground clearance car over terrain which leaves even people with high ground clearance vehicles struggling.

Glad to have met you!
Cheers!

[SS-Traveller]

Soumyajit, congratulations on a very eloquently and passionately written travelogue, occasionally flavoured with the many selfies with happy faces. Your feelings of joy come through in every paragraph and photograph you've shared of yourselves. Enjoyed reading it and travelling with you, and rated 5 stars. It's been many years since we've travelled this route, but the intention to go back always remains.

One of the interesting parts was where you decided to cross through Srinagar and Kashmir in the night, and later changed plans to do it in the daytime - both decisions taken after talking to local folks. As road-trippers, it is imperative to speak with the locals and truck drivers despite any language barriers, to find out road conditions expected ahead. I think we are getting too dependent on technology (Gmaps, online remote support, etc.), and pushing away the joy of actually talking to fellow travellers and especially truckers. Like the armed forces personnel you had interactions with, truckers too are lonely souls doing a (generally) honest job, and can be a mine of information on road conditions when required.

[ShivrajG]

Originally Posted by gearhead_mait

I don't quite know what to write in the concluding post. The road trip to Ladakh was our dream, just like many others around the country, even the world.

This is one of the most interesting and lovely travelogue I have read in this forum. You my friend deserve a 10 star. You got me pinned on the screen for last two days (Have to do office work as well in between ). Lovely pics with nice details about the places you visit and the issues you faced while driving SherDil.
Indeed hats off to you two and Sherdil for completing the trip with such ease. A road trip from Pune to Laddakh is on cards for me and this post has just aggravated the itch.

BTW I was with Cognizant Pune for 4 years

[SPB_drives]

I am amazed to notice that Sherdil proved to be such a worthy companion. This is one of the more arduous trip I have read on this forum. Sending you all good wishes. Someday, I hope to traverse this trail.

[Sarkar_ask]

Wow! Kudos to you gearhead_mait. what a neatly composed travelogue. This is really so informative with all the small yet relevant details. Also conquering Ladakh in 'EON' really gives me a boost to take up this challenge myself. Thanks for making this travelogue descriptive enough for our easy grasping.

[1100D]

What a beautiful trip and its subsequent narration! Reminds me of the song "Tere sang, ek simple si coffee bhi kick deti hai"!!

Spirit is all there is to it.

Perhaps also a stark reminder that we spend a lot of effort/money in overequipping ourselves with mightier cars. When the "ticket" to drive to fantastic destinations is available at the most entry level also!!

Wishing many many more miles to all three of you. You're all Sherdill!

[busydrive]

Superb travelogue. I usually read up travellogues in under few hours but this one took me days to really grasp the depth of the story. Felt we were actually following you on the journey. Amazing pictures, details, information for future travellers - this one has it all. Many thanks for taking the time out in writing this. Happy motoring!!

[gearhead_mait]

Originally Posted by Mu009

Your kind shout-out in this thread plastered a real grin on my face.

It's fun to see your tan getting darker as the trip progresses in photos - what is a trip to the mountains without the harsh sun?

I'll sign off with this - you are the real Sherdil having gone so confidently (and returned so triumphantly) with a low ground clearance car over terrain which leaves even people with high ground clearance vehicles struggling.

Glad to have met you!

Thanks Mu009 for reading through the travelogue. The information we got from you indeed proved to be very useful for us. It was nice meeting you as well and your Endeavour!
By the way, what's the story behind your TBHP signature?

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Soumyajit, congratulations on a very eloquently and passionately written travelogue, occasionally flavoured with the many selfies with happy faces.

One of the interesting parts was where you decided to cross through Srinagar and Kashmir in the night, and later changed plans to do it in the daytime - both decisions taken after talking to local folks.

Like the armed forces personnel you had interactions with, truckers too are lonely souls doing a (generally) honest job, and can be a mine of information on road conditions when required.

Thanks Shamindra da! You are absolutely correct. In our every trip, we get help from locals in some way or the other. Still remember clearly the help we received from Sonam and his family enroute Batal to Gramphoo in our Spiti road trip. In this journey to Ladakh, we got help from most unlikely of sources including two truck drivers at Marhi who identified us from WB and made us aware of the road condition ahead. They happily asked us to move ahead and promised help in case we got stuck. Can't thank each one of them enough. Road trips are indeed incomplete without interacting with local people and that's why I mentioned in my introductory post - "Its about the people in Ladakh!"

Originally Posted by ShivrajG

This is one of the most interesting and lovely travelogue I have read in this forum. You my friend deserve a 10 star. You got me pinned on the screen for last two days A road trip from Pune to Laddakh is on cards for me and this post has just aggravated the itch.

Thanks ShivrajG! All my best wishes for your Ladakh journey. Waiting for your part of the story!

Originally Posted by SPB_drives

I am amazed to notice that Sherdil proved to be such a worthy companion. This is one of the more arduous trip I have read on this forum. Sending you all good wishes. Someday, I hope to traverse this trail.

Thanks SPB_drives!

Originally Posted by Sarkar_ask

Wow! Kudos to you gearhead_mait. what a neatly composed travelogue. This is really so informative with all the small yet relevant details. Also conquering Ladakh in 'EON' really gives me a boost to take up this challenge myself. Thanks for making this travelogue descriptive enough for our easy grasping.

Thanks a lot! These kind of words really inspires!

Originally Posted by 1100D

What a beautiful trip and its subsequent narration! Reminds me of the song "Tere sang, ek simple si coffee bhi kick deti hai"!!

Spirit is all there is to it.

Perhaps also a stark reminder that we spend a lot of effort/money in overequipping ourselves with mightier cars. When the "ticket" to drive to fantastic destinations is available at the most entry level also!!

Wishing many many more miles to all three of you. You're all Sherdill!

Haha! Thanks Anirban da.

Originally Posted by busydrive

Superb travelogue. I usually read up travellogues in under few hours but this one took me days to really grasp the depth of the story. Felt we were actually following you on the journey. \

Thanks busydrive!

[mr.sinha]

A very well-written travelogue, Soumyajit. Thoroughly enjoyed, lovely pics, and amazed at Sherdil's feat - definitely carries the spirit of his owner.
5***** quality. Keep motoring!!!

[MadTitan47]

This travelogue ruined my night. I came across it while going to sleep at 3 AM and actually went to sleep at 7:30 AM, engrossed by your journey.
Breathtaking trip and marvelous writing.

[TheStranger]

Awesome Travelogue, gearhead_mait !! The meticulous planning, the attention to detail and the information you have provided is praiseworthy, not to mention the superb pics.

I am sure that this travelogue will also become a reference for those who plan to do this circuit in the future.

Rated 5 stars.

[dgoyle]

Congratulations on the journey undertaken. Very well written out experience.
Did you need to use the Petrol Jerrycans or was the car tank sufficient? Especially from Nubra valley to Pangong Tso and back to Leh?