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Old 16th March 2010, 15:14   #1
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Road Trip of a lifetime...So far

Hi guys!!
This is my first Travelogue ever and I would like to share my experience from this Road Trip, which indeed is the best Road Trip of my life...So far.

I was unable to maintain a logbook due as I am a bit lazy but will make sure I have it in my future trips as I realized now the importance of it.

Some Stats:

Total Distance covered: 5866 Kms
No. of States: 8 (Went to J&K By Flight)
The Car: Mahindra Scorpio Turbo GLX 2.6 2003 Model
Travelers: Me, My younger Bro, My friend and my Chacha Ji(Dad's younger brother). On the way back my cousin joined us from Srinagar.

Trip Itinerary: Plan was to leave Bangalore early on 17th, reach Delhi by 19th as the flight to Srinagar was on the 20th. Then halt at Srinagar for 2 days. Leave Srinagar on 22nd and overnight halt at Delhi. Delhi sight seeing till the 23rd afternoon and reach Agra by evening. Night halt in Agra, visit Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri on 24th and reach Ajmer by evening and night halt at Ajmer. Visit Dargah on 25th and then reach Jodhpur by evening. Halt at Jodhpur on 26th and 27th and leave for Bangalore on 28th morning and reach by evening of 1st March.

So here we go:

As my Dad was in the Army, I have travelled through out India, mostly in Trains. I just loved the thought of traveling in a train and still do. As a kid, when I looked out of the train, I used to see lots of Trucks, and other vehicles and used to wonder whether I would ever be able to travel such a long distance by road when I grow up. It seemed to be a very distant possibility then, but I thought that once you grow up you have the freedom to go anywhere. But I didn't realize one thing that, as you grow up, you get so engrossed in your work life so much that you sometimes forget that there is another life waiting for you which you always dreamed of.

Last year I came across this wonderful site while browsing the net. I was really fortunate to have read some of the best experiences of Road Travel you can find on the net. And then the desire to take the uncharted territory and reclaim that part of your life which you had always dreamt of reignited in me again. I was initially planning for the ultimate destination- LADAKH but got a firm no from my parents, and I had to keep it in the back-burner for the time being. Then out of nowhere got the chance to at least do a road trip to Srinagar as my Cousin sister was getting married in Feb and the groom was from Srinagar.

We had to attend the reception there and everyone was thinking about flying directly from B'lore to Srinagar. But I had other ideas. During a dinner conversation I brought up the idea to travel to Srinagar by Road. But Dad
insisted that it is impossible at this time of the year. Showed him the numerous travelogues of people having gone to Ladakh let alone Srinagar. But he was not convinced saying that at that time, the roads are not good and safe due to snowfall. So, I had to alter the plan and suggested that we can go all the way to Delhi in the Scorpio, park the car at a friends place and take the flight to Srinagar.

Surprisingly, my Mom agreed without any convincing but it was a Herculean task to convince my Dad. He was adamant and was trying to change our mind till the last minute and even offered to sponsor our Plane Tickets from B'lore to Srinagar. But even he knew that we wont fall for that bait.
So after getting the required permission, 4 of us, me, my younger bro, my Chacha ji and my friend came on board. Most of the times things went according to plan and at times we altered the plan on the move. Before we began the trip I was wondering whether it would turn out to be as exciting as the other travelogues, or we would get bored after the initial excitement settles down.

Well, as it turned out this trip was quite adventurous and full of excitement. We learnt quite a few things. My Chachaji for instance learnt how to use the Seat belt, My brother learnt how to remove the stepney from the Scorpio, and I learnt how to remove a tyre which got stuck in the Desert sand. But above all, we all got a first hand lesson on the diversity of our country, where you hear a new language or a new accent every 100kms.
Someone had rightly said that every Indian is a Road map. Whenever we were in a dilemma or confusion, there was someone there to guide us. Through this trip, we found out that India was indeed a kaleidoscope of cultures and traditions.

I would like to thank all my fellow Bhpians for posting their logs and sharing their experiences which in turn helped us a lot. And a very big heartfelt thank-you to the one and only HV Kumar Sir. He is a gem of a person, I have rarely seen a guy who is so helpful and concerned. I was really touched when he not only guided us to the right direction but called up to make sure that we have reached our destination. He helped me even when I called him well past midnight. Hats off to you sir. Only regret is that, I couldn't meet you. Well, I guess, there is always a next time.

So guys, please check out the teaser pictures. More pics will follow soon.
Attached Thumbnails
Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-1.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-2.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-5.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-gulmarg.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-gulmarg2.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-10.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-11.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-12.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-13.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-rajasthan.jpg  

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Old 16th March 2010, 15:24   #2
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Hi Sami, looks like a great trip you had there. Please keep the details coming. The last pic (with the Scorpio in the backdrop) can be named the "Beauty and the Beast", I guess!
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Old 16th March 2010, 16:13   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mooza View Post
Hi Sami, looks like a great trip you had there. Please keep the details coming. The last pic (with the Scorpio in the backdrop) can be named the "Beauty and the Beast", I guess!
So who is the beauty and who is the beast anyways really nice... post more pics...
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Old 16th March 2010, 16:26   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by akaushik View Post
.. post more pics...
Look who is asking for pics. we better have pics tomorrow
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Old 16th March 2010, 16:44   #5
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Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT post one-liners that add little or no informational value to the thread. We need your co-operation to maintain the overall quality of this forum.

Please read our rules before proceeding any further.

Last edited by GTO : 19th March 2010 at 12:48.
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Old 16th March 2010, 17:31   #6
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Excellent Man, More pics please
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Old 16th March 2010, 19:19   #7
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A great start and the snow pictures are lovely. When is the next update happening?
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Old 16th March 2010, 19:27   #8
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Pic No. 8, in front of the Qutub Minar - the 2nd guy (from the left) has got his attire wrong. His underwear should be worn over the pants, not inside.
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Old 16th March 2010, 20:08   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smartcat View Post
Pic No. 8, in front of the Qutub Minar - the 2nd guy (from the left) has got his attire wrong. His underwear should be worn over the pants, not inside.
That's a great catch Smartcat!

sami316: It's a great start and I can't wait for the rest.
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Old 16th March 2010, 20:43   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by akaushik View Post
So who is the beauty and who is the beast anyways really nice... post more pics...
Oops, caught me there, since it's a Scorpio that we talking about, it should be "'The Beast and the Beast", I suppose
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Old 17th March 2010, 12:49   #11
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A great start here. Congrats on the trip guys!!! post some more pics
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Old 17th March 2010, 13:22   #12
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Amazing pictures sami especially the snow carpeted mountains . Keep going..
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Old 17th March 2010, 14:32   #13
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Hi Guys,

Sorry for the delayed response.

Day 1:

Plan was to leave Bangalore by 11:30PM but as usual, got delayed due to some last minute work and finally left at 1:30AM on the 17th Feb. Reached Davangere at 5:30 AM, filled the fuel and had some tea at a road side stall. The Road conditions were quite bad from Chitradurga to Haveri. Crossed Hubli at around 8:15AM. From here on the roads were really awesome. My younger bro who was driving now, really enjoyed driving on these roads.

Entered the Maharashtra Border around 11AM. The road conditions continued to be good. Reached Pune at around 2:30PM and stopped for Lunch for 30-40 mins. Had Vada Pav, Roti and Omlette and then had some tea and pakodas. Reached the Pune-Mumbai Expressway at around 3:30PM and paid 140 as toll fee. We had heard a lot about it and we were all looking forward to drive on this beautiful road. I was the lucky one to drive on this stretch. Really enjoyed going through the tunnels as this was something none of us had done before. Overall, it was a really good feeling driving on this expressway. In between, stopped again to fill the tank. Entered Navi Mumbai at around 4.45PM.

Took out the printout of the Mumbai Bypass courtesy Mr. HV Kumar. Got a little confused. Called him up and he guided us till Ghodbunder. Time now
was around 5:45PM. Saw the signboard and found that Surat was 200-300 Odd Kms. Initial plan was to halt at a hotel near Thane-Ghodbunder but then thought of going till Vapi. The camera battery went dead after we entered Navi Mumbai, hence no more snaps till Day 2. Reached Vapi at around 9:30PM and had dinner at McDonald's. Decided to halt at Surat as it was only 100 odd kms and time was 10PM. Reached Surat at around 11-11:30PM and checked in to a Hotel called Swagath Inn where a room for 4 cost us 1000Rs along with the car parking. The room was really good and spacious. Called up home and informed them, no one believed that we actually reached Gujarat. We called it a day and had a very good sleep. Next day plan was to halt at Ajmer or Jaipur but it was not to be.
Attached Thumbnails
Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08730.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08735.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08760.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08769.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08773.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08777.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08781.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08784.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08787.jpg  

Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08788.jpg  

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Old 17th March 2010, 15:28   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mooza View Post
Oops, caught me there, since it's a Scorpio that we talking about, it should be "'The Beast and the Beast", I suppose
That would be a lot better
keep them (more pics) coming mate...
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Old 17th March 2010, 15:29   #15
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The roads were really good. Check out the snaps.
Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08797.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08809.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08810.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08813.jpg

Entering the Maharashtra Border
Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08814.jpg

Pics as we were passing through Kolhapur:
Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08816.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08821.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08830.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08831.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08838.jpg

Saw a Nano on the way.
Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08842.jpg

Some more pics before we reached Pune
Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08847.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08853.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08863.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08874.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08889.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08896.jpg

Some pics of passing through Pune and having Lunch
Road Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08914.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08917.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08928.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08932.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08933.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08934.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08936.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08940.jpgRoad Trip of a lifetime...So far-dsc08948.jpg

Last edited by sami316 : 17th March 2010 at 15:32.
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