[arindamray]

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

here is my provocation. in fact 300th post in this thread

Just a minor correction: 300th reply and 301st post. Though the number does not matter

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

Without you, this would be the rambling soliloquy to satisfy a singular soul.

More ramblings would follow (if provoaked)

So here's the provocation! Let's have an encore in October...

[rkbharat]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

What would I do different, if I have a choice?

1. Would spend at least 20-25 days on the area between Srinagar and Manali, if wishes were cows.. I'd be owning Amul by now
2. Would choose Aug-Oct, roads and conditions would be better, specially to Padam.
3. Spend about 10 days on the road from Srinagar-Kargil-Padum.
4. If I can find some one or some way to take Wolt up to Srinagar and someone to drive it back from Manali and back, that would be ideal. The interesting part of the drive for me was from Srinagar to Manali, Ahmedabad-Delhi is a boring drive.
5. Take 4x4 into this terrain, fly in, acclamatize of 3-4 days, hire a Gypsy from Leh and try other routes which we could not do this time.
6. Fix a solar panel and somehow charge all batteries, carry more momory, take more photographs and videos. Use it for heating water, food and for light if need for camping out arises. Working on the project right now.....
7. Carry full tents / equipment and camp out, needs right-thinking partners for this and reduce the expenses on stay.
8. Take a BSNL post-paid connnection.
9. Carry a rain coat, just in case it starts snowing / raining heavily, you can get out and enjoy.

What a wonderful wishlist. I am surprised how you missed BSNL postpaid this time. I was surprised to see BSNL tower every village between Srinagar-Leh. I was talking home every hour while doing this route

I am very very keen on point 5 and 7. May be next year I will have my 4X4

[ramkya1]

Originally Posted by rkbharat

What a wonderful wishlist. I am surprised how you missed BSNL postpaid this time. I was surprised to see BSNL tower every village between Srinagar-Leh. I was talking home every hour while doing this route

I am very very keen on point 5 and 7. May be next year I will have my 4X4

Wishing you Godspeed on the 4x4 project, may be we'd do Leh together next time

Buying a Gypsy or a jeep would not be a huge problem, driving it all the way to Udhampur / Manali would be. Wonder if there are options to hire out self-drive Gypseys from Manali or Srinagar?

Yes, BSNL was a big miss, but we managed to get Imran's card from Leh and used that for some time.

Camping out would need camp-thinking partners, after a hard days drive pitching it would need motivation, if it's after dark, that's another complication; but yes with the right planning and more time, that would be a great adventure, would save lots of money.

@ SST: That's an interesting item to ruminate, may be we will.

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[rkbharat]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

Buying a Gypsy or a jeep would not be a huge problem, driving it all the way to Udhampur / Manali would be. Wonder if there are options to hire out self-drive Gypseys from Manali or Srinagar?

Unfortunately I am not in condition to maintain multiple cars, so if I think of a 4X4, I will have to let go the SX4. Then it can not be Gypsy or Jeep as it will be my primary car. So it has to to have the best of comfort and features. And I am not to keen on core off-roading. I want a vehicle which can take me to places which are not possible in 4X2 and still gives me the required amount of luxury

So in nut, it will be between Scorp or Safari, unless something else comes up in similar budget.

And regarding camping, yes you need too much vibes to match to do that. But I am too keen to do that

Lets do it together sometime

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

@ SST: That's an interesting item to ruminate, may be we will.

Great - so join me! 30th September to 16th October are the dates.

[ramkya1]

I had a question to some of the regulars / experts on this route, we took Bilaspur -Chandigarh-Delhi and got caught on traffic jams with the cement trucks around Suharghat.

I wonder if taking the Bilaspur -Shimla - Chandigarh route would have been better? What difference would that make in the distance and timings and how are the road conditions now?

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[tsk1979]

The route is longer, and would involve traffic jams at kalka, as well on the stretch just before Zirakpur(road widening etc.,)
So you won't save much on time.

[ramkya1]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

The route is longer, and would involve traffic jams at kalka, as well on the stretch just before Zirakpur(road widening etc.,)
So you won't save much on time.

Thank you.

In the meantime, everytime I look at some of your photos, here and elsewhere, what I wrote comes to my mind, "the understanding of snowing is good, getting a feeling of being snowed on is what the lines and photos should ideally invoke"

You must have invested lots of time, energy and money into this hobby?
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[StarVegabond]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

Mmmmmmm..that's a prod and a big list, but I'd try, from the top of the mind...
...
....
Started working out 30 minutes daily, used to do it on and off but did that more religiously from May, I think it helped me to counter AMS quickly.
...
Well... that's the top of the mine, organized lists later....

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Thanks very much Ramkya sir
what you mentioned here about the workout and being physically fit for a trip like this is very true.

[tsk1979]

Thanks ramky!
Yes, standing in heavy snowfall is an experience in itself.
On many of our trips, we got snowfall(Manali in may, Kunzum in October, Narkanda in feb...), however, this ladakh trip had mostly rain and sleet. Thankfully, when we did the nubra-pangong-hanle-kyun Tso-Leh circuit, the skies were mostly clear.
The long lonely track of kyun Tso is one place I would like to avoid snowfall!

[f1fan]

Hi Ramkya1,
If you don't mind, can you share the total costs incurred for the trip?

Cheers
f1fan

[ramkya1]

Originally Posted by f1fan

Hi Ramkya1,
If you don't mind, can you share the total costs incurred for the trip?

Cheers
f1fan

Delhi to Delhi, 51000/- inclusive of all for 3 people, about 17K per person. Ahmedabad to Delhi, me and Jiggy were alone and cost us about 8 K, so about 4 k each.

Jiggy was a good accountant and log keeper, had a simple table money system, alternative days each us chipped in 2K, when more was needed, he increased frequency. That way, no complication of keeping all the money, whatever was spent was from the table money, no need to keep individual splits.

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[rkbharat]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

Delhi to Delhi, 51000/- inclusive of all for 3 people, about 17K per person.

hmm, what have costed you more, for us 3, in SX4(petrol), 3600 Km, Gurgaon-Leh-Gurgaon, was 37000/- including everything, fuel, stay, food, snacks, water etc etc.

[ramkya1]

Originally Posted by rkbharat

hmm, what have costed you more, for us 3, in SX4(petrol), 3600 Km, Gurgaon-Leh-Gurgaon, was 37000/- including everything, fuel, stay, food, snacks, water etc etc.

That's a big difference, will have to go into the log books, analyze costs and come back to you. We spent Delhi-Leh-Delhi - 14 days, how many days for you?

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