[sudsan]

It was a trip I had thought would never happen. Ladakh had always been in my bucket list but given the complexities involved in planning and organising a road trip from Bengaluru, it had seemed a distant dream. Till it actually happened.

We (meaning three of us, two 72 years old, one of which was me, and the other 65 years young) soon found ourselves driving a ten year old Scorpio Getaway pick-up truck all the way from Bengaluru to Ladakh. We had two others on motorbikes as part of the mixed convoy .

The route we had planned was Bengaluru – Thane- Udaipur- Mohali – Patni Top- Srinagar – Leh. We started off on the 9th of June 2022 at 0530 and finally returned to Bengalure on the 26th .

We skipped going via Srinagar because of a stone throwing incident and curfew, and instead went to Ladakh via Manali and Jispa. In Ladakh we went through Padum, Kargil, Dras, Leh, Tso Moriri, returning to Mohali via Jispa, Manali and Nalagarh crossing many passes at heights of 1600 feet and more. We also drove through snowfall on our way to Kargil.

Overall we experienced the drive of our lifetime, practically over non-existent roads everywhere. It was mostly rubble, boulders and dust which our pick-up truck did well in negotiating and handling, and though it was a rough ride, it was indeed exhilarating to experience it in the extreme, and like no other.

Here are some pictures taken by us.

Lunch Stop after Udaipur (The guy on the extreme right being the writer)



Manali



Heavy traffic enroute Rohtang



Rohtang Pass



Downtown Manali



Entrance Of Atal Tunnel



Restaurant at Padma Lodge Jispa



Unloading baggage at Jispa




Surreal landscape




Shinkula Pass



Prayer flags at Shinkula



Wild Horses



Zanskar Valley



Hotel at Kargil - Chutuk heights



Kargil War Memorial



Main gate Kargil War Memorial



Kargil War Memorial Grounds




The famous Tiger Hill



Indo-Pak LOC



LOC Viewpoint



LOC Panoramic View



Fotula Top



View from Fotula Top



Army Gurudwara outside Leh



Magnetic Hill near Leh



Hall of Fame in Leh



Shanti Stupa



Leh Market



Shey palace



Khardung La





There are more pics in the video below approximately 25 minutes long, and which summarises our entire trip in a nutshell..

https://youtu.be/icqEE9VkTY0

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[Kosfactor]

The first photograph should be motivation enough for those who are sitting on the fence about such expeditions. Congratulations, it is indeed a trip of a life time, glad you all had fun.

[ajayc123]

This trip at your age is no mean achievement. Congrats and wishing you many more.

The only question:
What is the fitness mantra for the three of you?

[PhoenixInRising]

This is really an inspirational travelogue for all of us here. Many of us have aspired these kind of trips sitting on the fence and counting the days.
This travelogue serves as a beacon that it is never too late.
I shared this piece with my Dad(same septuagenarian age group) so that he also gets the confidence in joining for long road trips of this kind.
You have shared your route details. Can you please also share the itinerary if it is possible? If you can roughly cover the night halt points that would also help. How many kms did you cover per day on an average?
Congratulations once again for a memorable drive trip of a lifetime. Glad you all stayed fit and enjoyed the trip. Hoping to see/read more about this kind of trips in future.

[edunata]

Congratulations for completing this looong trip and proving again that 'age is only a number'.
Kodus to the team.

[megazoid]

Lovely little thread. The video was nice and tad alarming. Khardung la had so many visitors that these gentlemen could not even get a snap with that BRO signboard. Phew!

There is picture of a motorbike on the loading bay of the getaway. How did you get it up there? Part of your group?

[Chimera]

Great achievement sir, Its an inspiration for all us young'uns.
Quick question is that an xpulse in the back of the pickup and did you ride it anywhere in Ladakh?
Thank you and have a nice day.

[Ragul]

Interesting - so Rohtang pass traffic jams have not ceased after the Atal tunnel was commissioned?

[chinchu.c]

Kudos to you three!
Nice write-up and photos.

Loved the Scorpio Getaway. I have been a fan of lifestyle pickups, especially the non-elite ones such as Tata Xenon and Getaway, and it brings a special kind of joy to see a Getaway in action.

Wish you many more miles ahead.

[supertinu]

Kudos to you and your friends Sir and the high spirits. It surely is a trip of a lifetime and a big accomplishment. I see all of you carrying SLRs, please so post more pictures.

I did the same trip with my family from Bangalore in May, and as much as its a doable trip but absolutely not an easy one. Needs both mental and physical stamina.

[Ikran]

Amazing. It is wonderful to see you guys driving a pickup truck this distance and enjoying a delightful drive.

And as they say, "Age is just a number." Happy motoring and stay healthy.

Mod Note : Please avoid typing with excessive dots.........like................this.

Thanks.

[aveoman19]

What a great Travelogue to read Good Sir! A quick question. Your tyres/wheels seem to be non-standard. Did any cop stop you on the way to ask about it? Rated your thread a much-deserving 5 Stars

[dr.dre]

So very inspiring, at the same time a humbling read. Admire the grit and zeal it takes to venture on a 18 day road trip in India and at your age.

Thank you for choosing to share your journey with us. Someday I hope to venture on your footsteps with my buddies... Hopefully within the next year or so.

May god bless you all with many more miles of memories!

[sudsan]

Originally Posted by ajayc123

The only question:
What is the fitness mantra for the three of you?

Honestly, no fitness mantra as such. Just a prayer on our lips perhaps helped !

Originally Posted by PhoenixInRising

If you can roughly cover the night halt points that would also help. How many kms did you cover per day on an average?

Stayed at 1) Suyog Residency, Thane (One night) 2) Hotel Hilltop Palace, Udaipur (1N)
3) Soham's Chateau De Naggar, Manali (1N) 4) Padma Lodge, Jispa (1(N) 5) Zambala Hotel, Padum (1N) 6) Hotel Chutuk Heights, Kargil (1N) 7) The Shanti Nest, Leh (2N) Paradise Cottages, Tso Moriri and then on the return leg Shanti Nest again as well as Padma Lodge and then Nalagarh Fort Hotel, Nalagarh.

n.b these were all hotels used regularly by motorbikers and recommended to us by the biker in our group.

Distances covered every day varied from 1000 kms in the plains to 200- 300 per day within Ladakh (point to note - even a 300 km drive within Ladakh is equivalent to about a 1000 in the plains in terms of time required).

Originally Posted by megazoid

There is picture of a motorbike on the loading bay of the getaway. How did you get it up there? Part of your group?

Quite correct. It belonged to the motorbike rider in our group. Sheer muscle power was used for hoisting it up into the cargo bay.

Originally Posted by Chimera

Quick question is that an xpulse in the back of the pickup and did you ride it anywhere in Ladakh?

Well identified ! Yes, it was used by one of the bikers in our group after being unloaded in Mohali.

Originally Posted by Ragul

Interesting - so Rohtang pass traffic jams have not ceased after the Atal tunnel was commissioned?

The traffic jams were largely due to tourists thronging Rohtang Pass. The through traffic to the other side of the range used the Atal Tunnel.

Originally Posted by aveoman19

A quick question. Your tyres/wheels seem to be non-standard. Did any cop stop you on the way to ask about it?:

Very correct. They were non-standard and extra broad. No we were not stopped anywhere by the cops though another group from Bangalore was stopped outside Mumbai on the highway, for carrying a motorbike in the cargo bay of their Tata Xenon pick-up.

nb And thank you all for your general appreciative comments