Total distance for the trip was 3935 kms !

BHPian rohan_2911 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Coastal Travelogue Part 1 - MUMBAI to FORT TIRACOL (Goa)

Prologue:
Our last road trip was a memorable 2,000 km journey from Mumbai to Jodhpur and back, which included stops in Ahmedabad and Udaipur, and even a camel safari near the Osian, about 50 km from Jodhpur. That trip was done in August 2023, and it had been quite some time since we embarked on a long drive. An opportunity arose when my cousin's wedding was scheduled in September 2024 in Thiruthani (outskirts of Chennai) . This provided the perfect excuse for another road trip from Mumbai, allowing us to attend the wedding and spend time in Pondicherry, where my wife is originally from.

The Plan:
My wife and I had previously completed a long road trip in 2022, driving from Mumbai to Pondicherry and back via the Goa-Karnataka route. This time, I wanted to explore new places we had missed during our last trip. Additionally, my parents had always expressed a desire to visit Coastal Maharashtra, specifically Ratnagiri. Therefore, I planned our first stop to be Ganpatipule for an overnight stay and temple visit before heading towards Ratnagiri. From there, we would head to Goa for about two days with my parents before they flew to Chennai.
However, at the last moment, some relatives were scheduled to visit us in Mumbai. Consequently, we modified our plans so my parents could return home by Tain after visiting Ratnagiri while my wife and I continued further on the road trip. I booked tickets for my parents to fly down to Chennai closer to the wedding.

Since both me and my wife have jobs that allow us to work from home - the thought was to make this into an extended trip where we would take the first week off (when the major part of the road trip would be done) and then take a few leaves here and there before coming back to Mumbai. My brother’s place in Bangalore would also serve as a very strategic pit stop enroute!

By my rough estimates this was going to be a > 3500 km road trip and I would be doing ALL of the driving.

The Preparation
The vehicle had already been serviced in May. I had to get the rear right brake lights replaced and also top up the engine oil as well as the coolant which was done. I was also monitoring the tyre pressures closely in the weeks leading up to the road trip and I noticed that the front left tyre was deflating at a faster rate and when I got it checked there indeed was a puncture which was fixed promptly. It had also been close to 2 years since the purchase the car and I was aware that the batteries in The key FOB would be at the end of life so I replaced the battery in the main key that we had and had a spare battery handy for the spare key which my wife had in her purse (more on this later).

Replacing the Key Fob Battery ; Getting the puncture fixed

Day 1 (30th August) (Mumbai - Ganpatipule) :
We started from Mumbai at around 0730 in the Morning of the 30th of August - we were a bit delayed as I had to use all my Tetris skills to make sure all of the luggage fit in the boot since the rear seat was going to be occupied by my parents The first stop for breakfast was at Go Green restaurant near Karnala - it had rained a little and I was very disappointed to see that the sides of the car was already covered in fine mud.

Pantree restaurant at Go Green - You can see the car covered in fine mud spray. Pictures on the right show the weather and drive along NH66

The drive towards Ratnagiri was on NH66 which was a refreshing change from the usual route taken when heading towards Goa (Mum - Pune expressway) - since it was just the end of monsoon season - the surroundings were lush green which made for a pleasant drive
We reached Chiplun around 1:30 -2 pm - we were searching for a good place to eat and finally ate lunch at a restaurant called Swad about 50 kms south of Chiplun.

Left: Parked at Swad, The Thali; Right: Ride along NH66 and Stopped by a cop to check my paperwork and to see whether I had some fines pending

Post lunch we crossed the River Bav at the Parchuri bridge - the location was quite remote and scenic and we stopped to click some photos.

The car parked over the Parchuri Bridge

Some more pictures of the drive from the dash cam

Thereafter there was a slight incline on the road and we actually passed over a tunnel that was a part of the Konkan railway followed by a drive on a plateau region on top of the hill. Finally the coast came into view and we descended towards Ganpatiphule.

We had chosen to stay in a Beachside Hut which was a part of the MTDC resort at Ganpatipule . I was surprised to see how big the MTDC property was - I had to drive for a few minutes to reach the Beachside hut from the entrance of the property. By the time we had settled into the hut it was already around 5 pm. We spent the next few hours by the beachside and soon it was time for dinner.

Car at the entrance of the MTDC Resort, Ganapatiphule

Picture of the drive , car parked at the resort and the beach

I wanted to eat in one of the many eateries near the Ganpatipule temple but my wife had other plans and insisted we go to a restaurant that she had found on Instagram - the restaurant was called Mehendale's Swad Dining which was about 3 kms from the resort.

Cows on the narrow road leading out from Ganapatiphule

Dinner Thali at Mehendale's Swad Dining - easily the best thali we had on the entire trip

Day 2 (31st August) :

We went to the Ganpatipule temple early in the morning and then had a simple breakfast in one of the small roadside hotels surrounding the temple

It was then time to check out and head towards Ratnagiri.

The beachside huts at the resort , me with my Wife and parents

Left: Entrance to the temple; The temple

The drive was on the scenic Arrey Warrey road - I’ll let pictures that we clicked from one of the viewpoints do the talking

The Drive towards Arrey Warrey Road - you are driving along the coast with the sea to your right - there are numerous 'view points' with small shacks serving food

The view from one of the 'view points'

I had my eye on the Arrey Warrey Zipline for quite some time - this is a 400 mtr zipline over the sea. Here, it was by sheer coincidence that I bumped into one of my childhood friends who also happened to live in my apartment complex in Mumbai ! He was with some of his friends in another Skoda Kushaq (yet another coincidence) driving from Ratnagiri to Ganpatiphule while I was going the opposite way.

So me, my wife, my Mom and my friend rode the zipline. Now - I had already done the zipline at Mehrangarh fort in Jodhpur - but this 400 mtr zipline over the sea was a different and thrilling experience. We were ferried back to the starting point by an activa that the zipline operator had for this purpose.

The silver Skoda Kushaq driven by me friend ; My Wife, Me and My Mom on the Zipline

Next stop was the Ratnadurg fort in Ratnagiri - where we could see a rolling mass of clouds heading straight for us - it was surreal to be in an area that is dry and see the approaching rainfront , and in a few minutes the rain was upon us. It rained quite heavily for about 10-15 minutes and then the rain front passed further inland. One advantage of this burst of rain was that it gave the car a free and thorough wash !

Top : The entrance to the Ratnadurg Fort ; Bottom : Rain clouds moving towards us

It was already about 1:30 pm and we were quite hungry - so I found a good restaurant in Ratnagiri and had our lunch.

Some pictures from my dash cam, Top Right shows the car parked on Narrow lanes opposite the restaurant where we had our lunch

My parents were supposed to catch the Madgaon - LTT express from Ratnagiri to Mumbai at 5 pm so we had about 2.5 hrs at our disposal. We visited the Thibaw Palace in Ratnagiri next. King Thibaw was a burmese king who was forced by the British to abdicate his throne and then coerced to move to Ratnagiri around the year 1885. The British built an official residence for the king in 1906 which was the Thibaw palace. The palace was built of lava and laterite rock and cost about 125000 Indian rupees at that time. Although we were not allowed to click pictures inside the Palace, I did manage to get a wonderful shot of the car with the palace in the backdrop.

My Car with the Thibaw Palace in the background

It was already about 3:30 pm and we started driving towards the Ratnagiri Railway station. There was construction work going around the approach Road to the station so we had to park the car and then walk towards the platform. The train was delayed by about 45-50 minutes, so I located the correct coach position and since it was getting quite late me and my wife then proceeded towards Goa.

Left : Ratnagiri Railway Station ; A random beautiful spot with small temple along the shores of a mini waterfall - we didn't have time to dip into the water unfortunately

Goa was about 270 kms away and I did not want to exhaust myself driving all the way there - so we planned to stop at Devgad which was about 130 kms away. We booked a place to stay (Aalayah Stays) as we were driving. This place was a container hotel - basically they had transformed shipping containers into rooms where each room was made up of 2 containers placed side by side.

It was already past 8 pm when we reached Devgad. I took some time to reorganise the luggage in the car till Dinner arrived. We had dinner and slept off by 10 pm.

Day 3 (1st September) :

We woke up by 6:30 - 0700 the next day, had some tea with a nice view of the Kunkeshwar Beach, checked out the hotel and the surroundings now that we had daylight.

The approach to 'Aalayah stays' at night ;few shots of the container hotel room; the hotel is on a cliff overlooking the beach ; the car with the luggage being reorganized

Just a few kms into the drive we stumbled upon the Kunkeshwar Temple - a temple situated right at the coast. We visited the temple - it was fairly early on a weekday ( 0900) so there were hardly any people present. I will again let the pictures do the talking

Car parked along the shore at Kunkeshwar temple

The small eateries that were present near the periphery of the temple were just opening up and we had VadaPav and Misal Pav from one of them - it was just heavenly to eat spicy fast food sitting at the edge of a beach and listening to the sound of the waves hitting the rocky shore

My wife standing in front of the temple entrance ; Spicy Wada Pav and Misal Pav ; The road leading to the temple

Some pictures of the drive along the narrow roads of coastal Maharashtra ; we also came across the Sindhdurg Airport on a nice flat area near the Tarkarli beach

Continuing our journey and searching for other places of interest on Google maps I stumbled upon a ‘Dutch Factory’ that was located in Vengurla. However, on visiting the site we found out that it was closed for renovation by the ASI.

Some pictures from the drive ; Right : Car parked in Vengurla in a random housing complex near the closed Dutch Factory

At this point we were only about 4 km away from the Maharashtra- Goa border and our first stop in Goa was ‘Fort Tiracol’ which is located in Querim and is also the northernmost point of Goa.

Entering Goa - the police check post at the border of the Querim Village

Fort Tiracol is a Portuguese fort and dates back to the 17th Century - the fort has a very rich history behind it and was a part of several skirmishes - most notably it was also the symbolic location where freedom fighters from Goa (after India’s independence) would demonstrate from time to time and protest against the Portuguese. At present the fort has been converted into a heritage hotel with a few rooms and a restaurant. There is also a quaint little chapel inside the fort. Our initial plan was to stay overnight at the heritage hotel, but we decided against it as booking it at the last moment would be quite expensive.

The monument to the Goan freedom fighters beside the entrance ; The entrance to the Hotel

The chapel inside Fort Tiracol

The fort is open for visitors to explore - which is what we did and also had our lunch in the restaurant. We had a splendid view as the fort is located on a hill just at the mouth of the Terekhol River and the Querim beach was on the opposite bank.

Lunch at Tiracol Hotel

View From the Lunch Table at Fort Tiracol

END OF PART 1 . . .

Continue reading BHPian rohan_2911's travelogue for more insights and information.

Total distance covered was about 7500 KMS, got an overall fuel efficiency of 11.67 km/L.

BHPian gypsyFreak recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

After my last Ladakh drive in 2016, I had always dreamt of going back to Ladakh again to drive on the wonderful roads of Hanle.

Since then, life moved on. I changed jobs and careers; my daughter came in while I lost my mother. COVID came and went during which I spent about 4 years in WFH, which gave time to research and plan extensively for Ladakh trip.

In 2021, I bought a RE Himalayan with the idea of riding to Ladakh and toured all over Karnataka to adjusted to the bike.

Until 2024, I was fully busy sorting out issues and problems in different areas of my life and I did not get an opportunity to even think of a drive to Ladakh. However, in mid-2024, circumstances changed which gave me time to finally start putting down concrete plans.

The initial plan was to travel in the end of Aug 2024, I reached out to friends and relatives looking for some travel companions. Nobody responded positively, few were busy while others had different travel plans.

Since I was mostly going to travel alone, I decided to drive instead of ride which meant Kariya would be doing his second Ladakh trip. For the masses, Kariya is my 2012 Scorpio LX 4WD.

With the vehicle finalized, I began preparing Scorpio. The odo reading 1,79,512 I knew it would be a challenge to take the Scorpio on such a demanding trip and that too alone.

The following services were done:

• Full service done at FNG. Oil changed to AMSOIL Signature 5w40.
• Tyres changed to Bridgestone Dueller AT002 in stock size. Spare tyre checked and repaired (it was never touched in about 4 years)
• Battery changed to Exide 85Ah
• Brake pads changed
• 2wd & 4wd Gear oil changed, differential oil changed, drive shaft greased.
• Upgraded headlight to Osram 50W Warm White LED bulbs.

With Dasara vacations in October my daughter and wife were going to hometown for a week which left me alone in Bangalore. I thought this was the time for the trip and decided to start on Oct 6th.

A final round of connects with family and friends did not yield any companions, so it was going to be a solo trip. Somehow, I felt happy within, maybe I prefer to travel alone and travel my way without any dependencies.

With the date finalized, it was time for final preparations. I put an air bed, folding chair, mat, portable stove, groceries, 50-liter Bisleri can, car spares into the Scorpio. Bought 2 fuel cans each of 20L to carry diesel. All these and my clothes for 15 days covered the entire floor area in Scorpio. I did not keep anything on the seats, as I wanted to keep it empty so that the seats could be folded down and the air bed can be quickly put on top to form a queen size bed.

The plan was to do a circle starting from Srinagar side and return via Manali highway. To reach Srinagar, I would be driving 6 am to 8 pm every day and check-in to a room in nearest town. My daughter left to hometown on Oct 6th, wife was finishing her work and was scheduled to leave on Tuesday. I planned to start on 6 am on Sunday, filled diesel into the Scorpio and 20L fuel cans on Saturday night, everything was packed and Kariya was ready. Usually, I wouldn't get sleep if I am travelling the next day, but surprisingly I slept well. Woke up at 5 am, performed morning duties, got ready and said a simple goodbye to my wife and started. It was a very simple bye without realizing the magnitude of the solo journey I was about to start. Maybe she had confidence that I would return safely or she did not want to mood spoiler at the begining itself. Nevertheless, it was a good start.

Day 1: Bangalore, KA to Malegaon, MH. 1050 KMS, ~14 hours

Started at 6 am, went to the next-door Shell petrol bunk and filled air pressure to 34 PSI, got valve caps for all 4 tyres, tipped the attendant and started. This was the only check I did for the tyres in the entire trip, they performed beautifully without a single skid or wheelspin anywhere. Road, offroad, concrete, sand, snow, ice, gravel, loose stones, steel plates everything the tyres gobbled up without any issue.

Google maps my trusty companion started acting wierdly on the Android player. It used to exit automatically after few mins. I tried Android auto on my two phones, unfortunately both did not connect. Wired/Wireless AA, nothing worked. I thought what a start, being solo I had limited options. Finally, I uninstalled Google Maps and installed 2020 version of Google Maps. It worked flawlessly throughout the trip. With Navigation sorted out, I could focus on the road and reached Vijayapura bypass by 2 pm with a quick breakfast stop at a roadside stall.
The route I had planned was via Pandharpur, Shirdi as I wanted to avoid night driving in Kannad Ghat. I enquired about Pandharpur Road condition at IOC petrol bunk, who advised against it. But I still went ahead, which turned out to be a wrong decision and wasted time and effort. From Vijayapur up to Manmad it was bad roads - undivided highway, divided 4 lanes with bad road surface, local traffic and rains made driving a pain. I cursed myself for taking this route, but somehow continued. From Manmad, took left towards Chandwad and joined Nashik - Dhule highway. I had planned to reach Dhule for the night but was feeling tired. So, after a sumptuous Biryani at Malegaon, went to a Jio-BP bunk to tank up. Was feeling very sleepy, asked them I can rest a while, they obliged. After filling diesel, parked the car and prepared the bed. The air bed was ready in about 10 mins and I was in deep sleep within next 10 mins. I had rolled up all windows, locked the car and just kept the butterfly windows open for ventilation.

My bed inside Kariya

Day 2: Malegaon, MH to Bundi, RJ. 680 KMs, ~9 hours

Got up feeling refreshed at 5 am. Utilized the washroom at the petrol bunk to freshen up and hit the road by 6 am. Roads were good from Malegaon onwards. Entered MP and encountered humps at almost every village. I could feel that the brakes were not sharp. At some humps I had to go over the humps at speed as Kariya was not slowing down despite braking hard. There was no tyre skidding as well, so I assumed that the brakes might have caught some dust/gravel and might need cleaning. With upcoming NE4 and other expressway, I thought it would be safe to get the brakes checked and then proceed. So, I looked up Google and found a Mahindra Service Centre at Ratlam bypass which is exactly on my route.
Reached MASS by 10.30 am and explained my issue to the service manager. He was kind enough to quickly assign a technician despite heavy load of cars there. After a test drive, the technician said the brakes seemed normal, but nevertheless, he will check and clean the. It took a while to open a job card and for the technician to start work. The front brake pads were good, they were cleaned and scrubbed with sandpaper and put back. The rear brake liners were found to be worn out at the edges, resulting in reduced contact with brake drum, reducing the effectiveness of the brakes. Although they still had life in them, I got them changed with new ones which improved the braking performance. Got the air filter cleaned and technician cleaned the MAF as well. Kariya was now ready, but billing was delayed as it was lunch time. Completed the billing and went next door to a private wash centre and got the exterior and underbody washed. With everything back in top condition, it was already 5 pm, I decided to drive on till 10 pm and then halt for the night.
From Ratlam, I entered the NE4 and wide 4 lanes with very sparse traffic encouraged me maintain a constant 120 KMPH. At these speeds, the fuel needle started moving towards E. I stopped on the side of the highway to fill up diesel from the 2 cans. Never thought this would be such complex task. As I started pouring the diesel from the can into the funnel, it would go out of position and diesel would spill everywhere.
I thought, so much for solo travelling, I wanted someone to hold the funnel in place. On the expressway there were no cars and no people. Even the occasional cars were doing 100+ and did not bother to stop. I planned to wave down a truck and get help from the trucker, but unfortunately not a single truck came. I decided to take matters in my own hands, i remembered i had packed a brown packaging tape. So took it out and taped the funnel tightly to the tank mouth and then poured the diesel. Lifting and holding 20+ KGs for 10 mins turned out to be very tiring. Finally, it worked and, in the end, I wasted by 500 ml of diesel and hands were smelly. Had soap and water and was able to wash off the smell and hit the road again.
Roads improved drastically from Kota bypass onwards and i was near Bundi around 10 pm. Had dinner at a Dhaba and drove on till 11 pm. Started feeling sleepy, so pulled over at IOC bunk and sleeping on the bed in about 20 mins. Having the butterfly windows open did not help, as the weather was hot and humid. I started the engine and ran the AC in lowest setting and slept.

Day 3: Bundi, RJ to Sissu, HP. 1000KMs, ~16 hours

Woke up at 5 am expecting to see huge movement of fuel needle, but was surprised by how little fuel was consumed (maybe 3-4 litres). Packed up the bed and realized that there was no water the washroom of the bunk. Used Bisleri water to freshen up and then i was on the road by 6 am.

The initial plan was to take the Zoji La route to Kargil and Zanskar. But few calls to home and work changed the plan. Credit to Trans-Haryana highway, such good roads, very less traffic and plenty of time to think and plan. Although some might feel bored, but for a tiring traveller such expressways are a wonderful way to relax and introspect.
So, plans were made on the go. Enquired about road condition of Manali - Leh highway and bookings for stay were made at Sissu. Did not plan stay at Manali as i wanted to gain some altitude in order acclimatize for the days ahead.
Google maps took me through Derra Bassi & Chandigarh which i felt could have been avoided if Shambu border blockage was cleared. Tanked up at Rupnagar and also filled up the 20 Liter cans blissfully forgot about the fuel embargo in Atal tunnel.
Pleasantly surprised by the tolled highway up to Sunder Nagar. Although speed limit says 60 KMPH, i realized that it's not sectional speed limit, still wondered why put so many speed cameras. Traffic was quite less probably because it was late in the day and season was closing. Reached Manali around 8.30 pm, wasn't tired so kept driving towards Sissu. There was zero traffic beyond Manali towards Sissu, except for few trucks mine was the only car on road. I guess the hills shutdown soon after sunset. I could see that Hotels were still open, so i was emboldened to continue on. Reached Sissu hotel by 10 pm and that's when the cold hit me. I checked in, had simple dinner for white rice, dal and omelette and slept. The next day is where the adventure starts.

Day 4: Sissu, HP to Padum, Zanskar, Ladakh. 190 KMs, ~8 hours

Woke up in the morning to realize i was in the Himalayas, surrounded by towering peaks.

View from my room

Changed into winter clothing and started from Hotel around 7 am. Reached Keylong and tanked up Kariya, although i had fuel in cans, i wanted to fill up so that some amount of anti-freeze gets into the tank. Next, was to have breakfast. Found a nice hotel by the Bhaga river and had parottas and tea.

From here on, i decided to take it slowly allowing myself to get acclimatized. Started daily doses of Diamox. This was more of a preventive measure to avoid AMS. One of the virtues of travelling solo is that you can't afford to fall sick. I had taken Jio postpaid from Bangalore which was put into action here. Made calls to my family back home informing about my whereabouts and lack of connectivity from here on.

The weather was very pleasant. It was bright, sunny and clear blue skies. Looks like it was the right time too head into the mountains and fortunately for me it stayed like this throughout my drive in the Himalayas.

Pretty soon reached Darcha and went straight-on towards Shinku La. The road is almost complete and fully tarred except for few places where it was being re-laid, absolutely no problem for Kariya. I was in Shinku La top in no time. Hopped out of Kariya, took some snaps and felt the chill of the wind and hopped back into Kariya and turned on the heater.

Kariya - my Scorpio at Shinku La

Climbed down Shinku La and headed towards Gonbo Rangjon, there were few tents still there which were mostly empty, i did not stop there and just kept driving admiring the beauty and solitude of Gonbo Rongjon in Kariya's mirrors. The road was mostly good with few dusty patches, traffic was quite less and everyone i encountered were travelling in their own pace, stopping for photos and admiring the nature.

One of the many attempts to get a highway wallpaper for my phone

I was stopped at a check post and had enter my details. This was the first of many curios questions on why i was travelling alone and that too from such a far distance. Some thought i was great to be doing this alone and some said i should have some company for safety (more on this later..).
Nevertheless, i carried on, enjoying my solitude and my drive.

In the last couple of years, i had spent countless hours researching routes across Ladakh. I was especially interested in the routes into Zanskar, i could remember myself going over google maps satellite view and looking at the road from Darcha to Padum, had even reached out to BRO enquiring about Shinku La tunnel. Now, all the research was now paying fruits.

Made a lot of stops awestruck by the landscape and trying to take as many wallpapers as possible.

That's me and my Kariya

That's my ride..

By 3 pm i reached Padum, i knew i would not be able to carry on till Leh and looked for a hotel. The main street in Padum was being re-laid so, it was very dusty. It was getting very cold and looking at the locals, i wanted to cover much tighter, so bought a pair of fleece gloves, neck warmer and a headcap. Googled for an accommodation and got a nice deal at Hotel Omasila for Rs 1500/- with buffet breakfast and dinner. As it was getting cold, i knew the night would be even colder so bought a small heater and put it to good use through out the trip. The food was good and called it a night. Tomorrow i had plan to reach Leh, but was told that the shortest route via Chilling and Nimmoo was open only on Sunday and Wednesday, tomorrow was neither so i had to take the longer route via Singe La and Sirsir La. With this plan i hit the bed soon.

Day 5: Padum to Leh, 300KMs ~8 hours

After a good sleep woke up fresh and took a hot bath. Night temperatures had gone down to single digit, cranked up Kariya and he started after a long crank, coughing up few times and then settling to idle RPM. Dusted the Scorpio with the ever-efficient Jopasu duster and Kariya was ready for upcoming photo-ops. Breakfast was ready at 7:30 am, and after a heavy breakfast i left the homestay by 8:30 am.

As i rolled out of Padum, i began retrospection. Thought why i have taken so much trouble to drive to Ladakh into this country of cold and dust. I was feeling tired and lonely, maybe i should head back, No i thought, let me carry on and finish what i started. Soon, i was on the banks of Zanskar river, that's where the beauty of raw and untamed Zanskar hit me. With a clear blue sky, sun shining bright the landscape was surreal. I feel happy and joyful whenever there is clear blue sky, without a spec of a cloud. Call me paranoid or what, but seeing such clear skies lifts my mood. The road was newly laid which also made the drive a pleasant experience. I had stop and soak myself in the moment and that's what i did for the next half an hour. Just breathing the fresh morning air, clicking pictures of surroundings and testing with my phone's zoom.

Parked overnight

Living my dream ... just me and my Scorpio in Zanskar

My only weapon for photography was my phone - Samsung S22 Ultra and it was good, especially 10x optical zoom.

One of very distant peaks

With optical zoom

Up close

Picture perfect desktop wallpaper

Another mobile wallpaper

A Majestic hill or mountain?

More vistas by the river

Yours truly

One of those moments where nature gives you a fresh dose of energy when you are about to give-up. With this renewed energy, i decided to complete the entire trip no matter what comes up.

Continue reading BHPian gypsyFreak's travelogue for more insights and information.

We drove down to the city in our car just to have a meal at a very specific cafe that my brother told us about.

BHPian ashis89 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

A dinner at Moorthy Cafe

After returning from Hyderabad on Wednesday, I did a quick 800 km weekend trip to Pondicherry-Chidambaram and back.

My co-brother has spent a lot of his childhood in Chidambaram. The foodies that we family are, he has always told us stories about Moorthy Cafe, a small restaurant in the town which is heaven for the taste buds. So much so that when me and my wife had been to Tranquebar in 2023, we took a detour to Chidambaram to have lunch there. Alas, the place was closed on the day we went and we were left disappointed. Then brother suggested that we go over a weekend to check out Moorthy Cafe. That plan had been brewing over months and regularly stirred up by him. It was brought up again last week and we all took the plunge. Booked a night's stay in Pondy (the family wanted a visit to the French town as well) on Friday and we were set to start on Saturday.

Picked up my brother and family by 7AM and we left. Per Google's suggestion, we took the Sarjapur-Attibelle road and then Krisnagiri-Tiruvannamalai-Gingee-Tindivanam-Pondicherry. One breakfast break at Murugan Idli and then we reached White Town by 1PM. After a rather heavy breakfast, we chose to skip lunch and retired for a quick afternoon nap.

Street parking in White Town. Feels good to be able to see your car from your room

The hotel was setup at an old French building and had some interesting furniture

Most buildings around have a similar minimalistic and yet beautiful look

Then started again at 4:30PM for Chidambaram. We took the new road which bypasses Cuddalore and it was a smooth drive. First, we went to the Thillai Nataraja temple. We were right on time and got to witness the evening arati. Then we spent some more time there before stepping out.

Then at 7:30PM we went to Moorthy Cafe. The place is near the West gate of the temple and a 5-minute drive. Having arrived early, I was expecting it to be empty but boy was I wrong! Most of the tables were occupied and by 8PM, the place was packed.

Finally!

The local boy placed all the orders and the rest of us just waited in anticipation. Kadhai Chicken, full fried chicken pakoda, Fish 65, parotta and some brownie later, we are converts now. That driving down for a meal at Moorthy Cafe is one of the best ways to spend the weekend!

The Kadhai chicken and the parotta combo were too good!

Just too full, drove back to Pondy and reached by 10:20PM. While everyone crawled into the beds, I walked over to the beach nearby and spent half an hour strolling along it.

End of day 1

Street smart!

Next morning, woke up leisurely and got ready. After checking out and loading our bags in the car, we walked down to the Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar temple. After returning, we had some of the famous hibiscus tea, the lemon paneer soda and then drove away.

For lunch, we couldn't figure out a good option on the way and ended up entering Tiruvannamalai to dine at Darling Namma Veedu restaurant. It was late, my nephew was hungry and impatient. And yet when we reached the place, there was a huge queue of people waiting for a table. 20 mins later, we got a table, 35 mins later we got our meals, biryani, sodas and ice cream. An hour and a half later, we were back on the road. Rear passengers were busy sleeping, brother was tracking the Ind-NZ match which I punched through the busy highway.

Last break was near Hosur, for some karupatti coffee, gulkand butter bun and rose milk. Retraced the Attibele-Sarjapur road again and reached home by 7PM after dropping off my brother's family.

One tankful of diesel had lasted from Shadnagar to Bangalore to Pondicherry, returning 18.32 kmpl over 835 kms. Next one is half used up after to & fro to Chidambaram and returning to Bangalore.

Sun was shining bright almost through the trip. Yet everyone sat and slept peacefully without any discomfort. Even walking into the car when it was parked under the sun for long, my wife could feel Coyote wasn't as hot/warm as she had expected. The verdict was unanimous, the film was an expensive investment but was doing an impressive job. I realized I could drive on a bright afternoon without desperately looking for my sunglasses. But I also felt my headlight to be weaker than earlier and a slight glare from oncoming traffic on single undivided roads. I am hoping to get used to it.

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This place is incredibly scenic in the monsoons, when the hills and the valleys are lush green and the weather is magical. However, this trail become extremely tricky and challenging in the monsoon

BHPian Dr.AD recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Shola Heights (location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/t7WqRmkep63Hgyhh9) is a famous homestay in the offroading circuit. This is located atop a hill, overlooking the majestic Kudremukh Peak (one of the iconic mountain peaks in Karnataka, and a popular place for hiking and mountaineering). In fact, the homestay owner mentioned this is the highest homestay in Karnataka! A nice high altitude place overlooking scenic valleys and mountains all around! This being the highest and the last house on that hill, if offers both a vantage viewpoint as well as total seclusion from the rest of the world.

While the homestay itself is beautiful and a great place for sure, the reason this place is famous in the offroading circuit is because it can only be reached by a 6km of treacherous hill climb on a dirt track where only 4x4 vehicles can ply! Even with a 4x4 vehicle, this trail offers enough challenges and fun, and is a sought after trail for offroading. Rarely do you get a chance to do proper offroading, that too for full 6km, just to reach the place of stay! That is indeed a USP of this place!

For those not going there for offroading, the homestay offers a secure parking space below the hills, where the normal road ends. You can park there and the homestay team will pick you up in the their own 4x4 vehicle. However, most offroading enthusiasts drive up in their own 4x4s, and that drive is often the biggest motivation to visit this place.

This place is incredibly scenic in the monsoons, when the hills and the valleys are lush green and the weather is magical. However, this trail become extremely tricky and challenging in the monsoon. One needs a good support and rescue team to attempt this in the peak monsoon. On the other hand, in this dry month of March, the trail is not that difficult - it is easy enough for a solo traveler, and yet difficult enough to have some good offroading adventure - just the perfect combination for solo offroading.

I love solo drives, as evident from many of my solo travelogues, but solo off-roading is something that one rarely gets to do. Offroading is usually a group activity because of the support (spotting and other help) and rescue requirements. With the point mentioned above, I thought this trail in March would offer me that rare solo offroading opportunity, and I decided to give it a shot on a weekend. Thankfully, it turned out that the conditions were perfect for a solo offroader. Not too difficult a trail where I would need to be rescued, and yet difficult enough to offer me some adrenaline rush and some scary moments. A nice mix of fun and adventure without being too risky!

In this dry month, the main challenge in the trail is that it is full of loose and slippery soil and gravel, and offers very low traction on the steep slopes. Most of the trail is steep slope (it is a good amount of climbing), and some of the sharp hair-pin bends, combined with steep slope, and the loose gravel can become tricky. One needs a 4x4H in the entire trail even when this is dry, and for sure would need 4x4L in the monsoon when this is wet and there is plenty of mud. I climbed the entire trail in 4x4H. I did some driving around the homestay too after reaching there, and it was all in 4x4H. Thus, once I exited the "normal" roads below the hills and started climbing, I had 4H engaged throughout, for the entire weekend, till I got down to the main road the next day!

Given that the homestay is only reachable by that 6 km of treacherous 4x4 trail, the homestay owner described it aptly that it is almost like an island of its own! You are totally cut off from the rest of the world, except for that one link that is that offroad trail. The homestay itself depends 100% on their own 4x4 vehicle (a Mahindra Bolero Camper 4x4) for their survival there. There is just no other option, and no other way.

I loved this concept and the experience! In my entire hill climb to and from the homestay, as well as my local wanderings there on the hills, I did not see any other vehicle, or any other human being other than the homestay owner and the staff. Absolutely alone and secluded time in the hills, and I loved it so much! Just me, my Thar, those scenic mountains and views all around, and that treacherous trail to drive around. Exactly the poetic experience that every 4x4 owner desires to have. I am thankful to this place for offering me that experience!

The drive from Bangalore to Samse, the town where you exit the normal roads and start this hill climb, is about 6 hours drive. The last 100km of the roads, from Sakleshpur to Samse (via Mudigere and Kalasa) is a scenic forest route, with dense forest, green hills and ghats. Even in these summer months, this drive was quite nice and scenic.

However, the biggest fun starts after you exit the tarred roads, and start driving on the trail leading to Shola Heights.

For me, the challenge started with finding the right trail in the first place. Turns out there are two trails to reach this place. The most commonly used is a 6km long trail, and there is another one that is shorter (about 4.5km long), but steeper and much narrower. Google Maps by default gives this shorter trail. However, even worse, it does not show the trail accurately. In general, Google Maps in this area are off by about 200m, and in the hills, that makes them useless. Google Maps wrongly showed that trail at a point where nothing existed, and when I joined the actual trail, it was the longer one (6km long). That was still fine! But now the problem was that Google Maps does not know this trail, and for the entire duration, the maps became useless.

I spotted a couple of old boards of Shola Heights initially, but later they disappeared, and for a long time I kept on wondering if I was on the right trail. So there I was, enjoying my off-roading, tackling the trail in 4x4H, enjoying the views all around, but still a bit nervous that I might actually be lost! Thankfully, and surprisingly, the phone connection worked throughout, and I called the homestay owner a couple of times to describe where I was and used his guidance to find the path forward.

Before I describe the rest, let me mention that my vehicle for this was my beloved "Dusty", my Thar 4x4! Dusty enjoyed this as much as I did. It was these kind of experiences for which I bought the Thar 4x4 in the first place, and I was so glad I was able to do justice to that.

"Dusty", my Thar 4x4, on the trail to Shola Heights:

Most of the trail is dry and dusty (in these summer months), and full of loose soil and gravel. The trail is very steep and slippery. The pictures do not show the slope at all. The pictures make it all look flat. But believe me, the trail was so steep that even walking up and down on the trail was tricky.

The slippery and steep slopes that pictures fail to capture:

One more reason why I loved this trail so much is because in addition to offering a good 4x4 experience, the trail is also very scenic! It is not some boring, artificially created track for the sake of offroading. It is a natural hill path with scenic hills and views and all around. Those landscape views were the icing on the cake for me.

I enjoyed stopping, getting out and looking at such views from the trail:

Although most of the trail is dry and dusty, there is a section where it goes through thick trees, and passes a stream. It was a nice shaded area there, with a canopy of trees covering the trail. The stream was dry now, and apart from a small puddle of water, there was no water. In fact, there are two stream crossings in this 6km long trail, but both of them were dry in this month.

At a stream crossing (which was dry now):

One more photo of Dusty on this trail:

The sharp hairpin bends, with steep climb, were at times a bit tricky. The Thar would not turn that sharply in one go, and I had to take 3-point turns. And when I tried to reverse in those maneuvers, in the middle of the slope (and now reverse would mean I am going downslope), the car would just slide on the loose gravel and steep downslope. I had to stomp on the brakes to stop it, and had a couple of scary moments. I learnt my lesson and later tried to go wide and drive the outside wheel out of the trail just to avoid taking 3-point turns. That turned to be a much better strategy than trying to reverse in the middle of the slope.

Views of the trail and the mountains in the mirror:

As I climbed up, the views in my windshield near the top of the hill:

After enjoying that hill climb, stopping at numerous places to enjoy the landscape views, taking my time, and yet feeling nervous all the time thinking if I was lost, finally I reached the homestay at the very top of the hill.

Arrived, with a sudden view of this beautiful house, after wondering whether I was lost:

This is the house:

I was the only guest in the homestay that day, as has been the case in some of my recent trips, for example, this stay in Konkan. Maybe because I pick these off-beat places, and go there in the off-season, and that too not on any major holidays, I usually find myself the lone guest there.

Dusty being alone there, got this nice parking space:

This homestay is indeed a very unique place. I had a great time there. However, this is a very basic place. The room was as basic as it gets. It was very clean and comfortable, but very basic. The room had just simple cots and a fan (no AC), a clean but again very simple bathroom, and that is it. There are a total of 5 such simple rooms in the house. And there is a common dining area where they serve homemade fresh meals. Everything was clean and comfortable, but as basic as it gets. No luxuries or special amenities anywhere.

However, what makes this homestay so special was the amazing location, the breathtaking views all around, the feeling of isolation and seclusion, the feeling of adventure, and above all, the fantastic team. The owners, Mr. Abhinandan and Mr. Kumar were both there and they were very friendly, polite and nice. We chatted a lot and became friends. And the staff was very good too. They cooked some delicious food, snacks, tea and coffee. Their hospitality and friendliness made me feel right at home there.

After that delicious lunch, and some rest, I headed out again in the evening for the trails, and exploring sunset views.

Dusty heading out in the evening for sunset trails:

Crossing another dry stream:

I parked and climbed a small hill to take this photo:

View of the trail in the evening light:

View of a distant tree on that hill, and the other trail passes by that tree:

As I mentioned, I was there not for offroading for the sake of offroading. But I was there to explore the views and enjoy the landscapes, and I got plenty of opportunities for that.

Sunset in the dry hills:

The dry grass against the backdrop of the mountains:

View of one of the steep hairpin bends against the sun:

View of the trail at sunset:

Finally, a shot of Dusty on that trail at sunset:

After enjoying this sunset trail and the views, I came back to the house and had a great sleep that night.

Continue reading BHPian Dr.AD's post for more insights and information.

We booked a homestay whose location was insanely pretty and scenic, especially for us city people. It's located in the middle of acres tea plantations.

BHPian Electricpig recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Intro

The point of this trip was to say goodbye to my sister, who will be going abroad for higher studies. A sort of a last dance before she leaves. We live in Bangalore and our criteria for the destination were as follows:

• Drive should be less than 8 hours.
• Off-beat/Not a crowded tourist spot.

We were looking at:

• Kodai
• Wayanad(Canned for obvious reasons)
• Coonoor
• Ooty
• Gokarna
• Varkala
• Vagamon

Finally decided that Coonoor/Kotagiri fit our criteria and started looking at home stay options. Found a place in Coonoor-Ghar homestay Coonoor that was away from the main town. More on that later.

Day 1

The plan was to start from home at 4:30 a.m. on the 15th August. Surprisingly, we were only 20 minutes behind schedule, and ended up leaving at 4:50. Crazy traffic at 5:10 near Hudson circle/KR Market.

Cleared the traffic and finally hit the Mysore expressway at 6.

Stopped at one Hari Govindas for Coffee, after the expressway. Nice spot and very good filter coffee.

Some photos from Bandipur/Mudumallai:

On exiting Mudumallai, we were asked to stop and register for a Nilgiris E-Pass. We didn't have to pay anything, but no idea what the point was, since we were never asked to show the pass at any point during the trip.

After Mudumallai, we started the 36 hairpin bends to Ooty within an hour or so.

These mist-covered mountains

We stopped for lunch at one Thalssery restaurant in Ooty, which was on the way to our homestay. I doubt if this restaurant is actually a part of the Thalssery chain. Food was okay. Deserted restaurant. 5/10.

We finally reached the homestay around 3 p.m. The location is insanely beautiful and scenic, especially for us city people. It's located in the middle of acres upon acres of tea plantations.

Sharing some pics from the numerous walks we took around the place.

Day 2

Today, we were supposed to take the toy train that goes from Coonoor to Ketti. However, IRCTC randomly cancelled the train at the last minute so we made alternate plans. First on the agenda was to visit an RC church, say our prayers, and then carry on. After some searching in the Coonoor town, we came to St. Anthony's church, a beautiful and cosy church on a hill top.

From the church, we set out in search of Filter Coffee, a rare commodity in Coonoor (Only instant coffee). In search of our coffee, we had the opportunity to walk through Coonoor's "shortcuts" - flights of stairs that run literally through the city.

The stairs:

Some sights of Coonoor:

After Sim's park, we had lunch at a dosa joint (It had strawberry and dry fruit dosa, and gave us a kallu dosa for Uthappam). This restaurant was on Bedford Road... and as it turned out, Bedford Road had quiet a few interesting places to explore. We checked out one 'Gaia pottery store', a handicraft store which occupied a beautiful house.

Continue reading about Electricpig's road trip for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

The Hyundai Kona stays planted on curves and the phenomenally blistering power when overtaking, is addictive. Suffice it to say that I ‘used’ my vehicle to the hilt and loved every moment

BHPian shankar.balan recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

On this visit to Ooty, after charging the vehicle back to 100%, I covered about 70kms on day 1 (local loafing to Aruvankadu and Wellington and Kotagiri and the Doddabetta stretch back up etc) and another 80kms on day 2 (more local loafing - to Emerald and Avalanche and back to Edakadu and Gandhipettai and Manjoor and Chamaraj and so on, returning to Ooty).

Wonderful twisty roads and ups and downs with the regen settings on Zero.

Having a lot of fun actively working the paddles, to slow down on the downhill stretches and curves and hairpin bends and on zero when accelerating.

Used the vehicle throughout on eco mode with the AC on and the windows down for significant periods so as to enjoy the hill country air redolent with the scent of eucalyptus and pine - with plenty of photography stops.

After all, this was a leisure trip, and I actively kept it completely free from the subtle tyranny of ‘agenda driven activity!

While this is an EV, the joy of driving and the principles of the angles of attack on the banked curves, remain the same and the sheer exhilaration of acceleration on the lovely uphill stretches, makes for a feeling of freedom like no other.

The Kona stays planted on these curves and the phenomenally blistering power when overtaking, is addictive.

Suffice it to say that I ‘used’ my vehicle to the hilt and loved every moment.

At the end of all the loafing - around 150kms local use, the vehicle had drunk up 53% of charge while having done ~ 150kms.

I really think that’s fine and with this, the third medium-long distance trip in my EV, I have decided that I will continue to use my EV just like I do my normal ICE vehicles and attempt to banish the demon of range anxiety, forever from my head.

I charged the car to 100% for the 300kms drive down the hills to Mysore and beyond, to Bangalore. While I believe I will enjoy some regen on the way down, I really don’t think I will be doing any ‘babying’ of the car, so will definitely stop and do a 20-30 min top up at Shell before getting on the Expressway for the last bit of the journey later today.

For now, enjoy a few photos.

Lovedale Tunnel - our own Hogwarts Express.

Lovely landscapes somewhere near Wellington

On the high road

Emerald Lake and Dam….there’s a big hydel project happening and the water release is choked off which is why the level is so low (a local bloke told me.)

Avalanche Ranges

Beautiful Tea-scapes

On the road

Big Brother Browsing Bison

The long and winding road

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Unlike Kathakali, another artform from Kerala, Theyyam is not that popular outside of the geographical area where its performed.

 BHPian mpksuhas recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Theyyam?

Theyyam is an artform of Kerala limited to few northern districts, mainly Kannur & Kasaragod.

Unlike Kathakali, another artform from Kerala, Theyyam is not that popular outside of the geographical area where its performed. Maybe its since Kathakali is more of a story telling medium and is performed nowadays in many tourist locations, while Theyyam is more of a ritual held at village temples or at houses .

Also, many of the characters each Theyyam artist enacts are linked to the locality and many of them has roots in the caste lines which existed in the society earlier.

Those interested to understand about the art form in detail, can go through the Kerala Tourism link.

But a quote from that page will give an idea on the art form -

Quote:

The medieval heroes like Kathivannur veeran, and Thacholi Othenan were deified and worshipped for their heroism. The goddess Puthiya Bhagavathy (new) and Makkam were heroines of tragic stories. Makkam was considered to be an immoral woman by her beloved brothers. The jealousy of their wives made her a victim of their suspicion. The brothers dropped her and children in a deep well. Later she was elevated as a goddess and was worshipped as a chaste woman. This episode has become the theme for a Theyyam goddess. Similarly Puthiya bhagavathi is also a local girl elevated by the local people to the status of a goddess.

Theyyam Calendar

Theyyam is not conducted year around, instead it is held at certain months of Malayalam Calendar which roughly translates to Mid October to Mid May.

Kerala Tourism website has a Theyyam calendar which can be used for reference.

Where to watch?

This is one of the biggest stumbling block, since most of the temples listed in the calendar, though small, gets crowded. Hence if you are planning on visiting just for understanding the artform (and not for religious purpose) it becomes difficult since you will be jostling for space.

The next best option is to visit any of the houses which conducts Theyyam. However, its mostly an event where family & known members from neighborhood attend. Landing there randomly may be infringing on privacy of the organizers.

Also, many of the performances happen early morning / past midnight, hence one has to plan the leaves / stay and visit based on that.

Plan takes shape

During past random discussions with friends, lot many had expressed their wish to experience Theyyam performance. However, it was always an issue of where and when. Meanwhile I was discussing this to a colleague of mine, he mentions that there is Theyyam planned over weekend at his dads maternal house.

We double checks if his extended family is okay with us visiting, they reply its not an issue.

Of the earlier planned, few of the friends were not able to make out due to personal commitments on that weekend.

On final count, it was 6 of us. Apart from myself & wife, a friend of us and 3 other TBHPians / fellow XUV owners group members - Sandeep ( @sandegov) Ajay (@ajayclicks) & Shreyas (@shrk_18)

Final plan

• Six of us will drive down in two cars on Saturday morning to Taliparamb.
• Check-in at hotel there, have lunch, take rest. Evening head to a Kavu (sacred forest) where there is a Theyyam conducted every evening.
• Get back to room, have dinner, catch some sleep.
• Head to house where Theyyam is happening past midnight.
• Watch Theyyam till sunbreak, head back to room.
• Have breakfast, checkout and drive back to Bangalore.

01 - Mar - 2025

We start around 5.15 AM from NICE - Mysore road junction. Our first stop was for breakfast at Ashirvaad Grand just before Hunsur, after an hours break we start around 8.30 AM from here.

Route

Bangalore to Taliparamb route is much discussed in routes thread, hence wont go in to detail of the same. However, the road is overall in good condition apart from few KMs near KL - KA border and also at start of the ghats. However, at locations where its bad, its really bad and one has to be careful if in low GC vehicles.

Bad road section starts

Past KL border, we take the GMap suggested SH 59. This is slightly circular in direction, however it by-pass town of Iritty and also traffic on this road is almost non existent. This road is part of the much talked about hill highway (Malayora highway) being redone around KL.

Place of Stay

We had booked our stay at a homestay in outskirts of Taliparambu. Lakshmi Taravadu Homestay

This is an old house which is now redone as homestay. Surrounded by greenery and frequented by lot many birds, it was an interesting place to stay. However, the place does not have AC and also, apart from two rooms, rest of the rooms felt bit like an afterthought based on size and ceiling height.
Summer has already arrived at KL and it was not a pleasant experience for Shreyas & Ajay who were sharing the smaller room.

Would suggest the homestay if you are a group of maximum 4 members (So that you use only the 2 proper bedrooms) and visiting in months of June - Nov, else do avoid.

Fun fact: Those familiar with KL politics, zoom in to the portrait in the last pic. The house is currently run by that persons daughter & grandson.

Check-in was done around 11.30 AM, after a small session of banter, we decide to head for lunch to nearby restaurant.

MRA Restaurant & Bakery - Had heard about this place earlier, but this was the first time I visited here. Food was good, though bit expensive as per KL standards.

Past lunch we head back to home stay and decide to take rest.

Continue reading BHPian mpshukas' travelogue for more insights and information.

Took the Mahindra Scorpio N on a Weekend Spin to Knakrajhore in the weekend of 8th/9th Feb. Here is a brief account of the journey.

BHPian sayakc recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Winter brings with it a few things in this part of India which I absolutely treasure: mustard fields,date palm jaggery, foggy mornings and a few more things, which I can only mention in Bengali (because I am yet to find their English counterparts that can evoke the same emotion!) joynagar er moa, koraishutir kochuri, notun aloo. Winter, unfortunately lasts only for a debatable 3 months these days and in the last few years, at least in the city, it is a see saw of warm days with some cold ones thrown in between.

In the first weekend of February, as the debatable winter was on its last leg, a friend with whom, I had travelled to the remote villages of Biharinath, Doladanga, Matha, Murguma –before these places became popular - and me went on an overnighter to Knakrajhore. Whereas Purulia, Bankura has gained significant popularity these days, the so called "Wild West" of Bengal - dotting the tribal areas west of Jhargram and bordering Jharkhand, is coming out of the reverie of isolation.

We started around 7 in the morning and after a breakfast stop at Azad Hind Dhaba, Uluberia, we reached the Kurchi homestay at 2 in the afternoon. Post lunch we went on a drive to the Ketki Lake, a very old temple, a dam. Most of the roads were in disrepair and whereas my erstwhile Swift would have tackled these roads any day, I was glad that I was in the ScorpioN.

Out of the 24 hours that we spent at that place, I will remember the evening spent along the banks of the Ketki lake the most. The setting sun cast an orange glow as it disappeared behind the hills, birds were returning home and so were the shepherds with herds of goat and sheep – as we sat under a huge sal tree watching the proceedings across and beyond the placid lake. There were pockets of mustard fields which reminded me of a day spent many years ago in a vast mustard field where as far as you can see, the colour was yellow and that dissolved in the horizon of a thin layer of mist – and the breeze brought with it a smell of the pungent smell of mustard.

At night we had a dinner of Roti, Chicken curry. That being said - it was the tastiest meal of the day - with the other menus, including the local delicacy Sal pata pora chicken being outright distasteful - seems there has been a change of hands at the place.

The next morning, we checked out after breakfast. Visited the Ketki lake once again for the absolute serenity. This time, we took the interior roads, dotted with sparsely populated villages, wavy hillocks, small lakes and finally reached Jhargram through Belpahari and Silda. From Jhargram, it was drive till Hotel Abhijeet where we had a plate of overzealous Fried Rice and Chilli Chicken and then after a tea break in the evening, we were back home.

Mustard fields in the evening

The sun goes down behind the hills

Lunch at Abhijeet

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We were a team of six, and this trip was an absolute test to our physical and mental strength.

BHPian graaja recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

In Search of the Himalayan Ghost - Snow Leopard Expedition to Kibber, Spiti

Recently, I completed a photography expedition to Kibber in Spiti to photograph the elusive Snow Leopard, also known as the Himalayan Ghost. Mr. Vipul of Wild Ark. organized the expedition. This was a 10-day trip that started and ended in Chandigarh - 2 days of travel from Chandigarh to Kibbar, 6 days in Kibber photographing the wildlife, and 2 days of travel back to Chandigarh.

TL;DR:

The snow leopards are called ghosts for a reason. They are elusive and excellently camouflaged in the rocky and snowy terrain of the Himalayas. They stay far from humans and can be spotted mostly at high altitudes. We were a team of six, and this trip was an absolute test to our physical and mental strength. We faced extreme weather, with typical temperatures ranging from -15 degrees in the daytime to -28 degrees at night. We trekked in high altitudes (as high as 15,500 feet) at low oxygen levels, and after such arduous treks, we found the snow leopards too far to reach with even the biggest of the telephoto lenses. But with all this hardship, we also had a wonderful time. We experienced the grand landscapes of the mighty Himalayas, the harsh life the locals lead in these remote parts, and the great hospitality of the people in Kibber. We ate simple yet tasty food and spent the evenings around the warm stove sipping hot soup and having humourous conversations.

To me, this trip was 20% photography and 80% experience. I returned with average (or even below average) pictures of the snow leopards but with a lifetime of memories! So this report will have more pictures of the landscape and the life we experienced than of wildlife.

As this will be a very long report that can get heavy and even boring, I am providing a link to various parts of the thread below. Please skip to the topics of interest.

Table of Contents:

• Preparation, and journey from Chandigarh to Kibber
• Journey from Chandigarh to Kibber Contd...
• Our daily routine
• Day 1: Photographing a single leopard
• Day 2: Chicham Bridge and Himalayan Blue Sheep
• Day 2: A pair of Snow Leopards
• Day 3: Ibexes and Red Foxes
• Day 4: A relaxed day of birding, and Key Monastery
• Day 5: A walk in the village after a night of snow and a game of cards
• Day 5: A snowstorm, an Eurasian Eagle Owl, and a Red Fox
• Day 6: An evening of celebration and the people I met
• The return journey, challenges faced, and conclusion

Preparation:

The Snow Leopard Expedition has been on my wish list for a long time. When I saw the announcement from Wild Ark of one in February, I signed up for this sometime in December. I received a detailed document about preparations. Some of the key points are listed below:

1. Not a Tour: It was clearly mentioned in the document that this is not a tour with luxuries but an expedition with lots of hiking in challenging weather and living it rough for the 6 days in Kibber.
2. Fitness: This is a very important part of preparation. As we expected to do many hikes at high altitudes, cardiovascular fitness is very important to deal with the exertion at those low oxygen levels. I had already started running and continued with the training. I did 3 or 4 runs a week with distances between 15 to 20km a week. And this preparation was a life saver. I was able to manage all the treks and did not face any AMS symptoms.
3. Gear: As the snow leopards and other animals like Ibexes are expected to be quite far, we were told the minimum focal length needed would be 500mm. I had a Canon RF 100-500 zoom lens, and decided to go with this. A good tripod and gimbal mount were recommended if I planned to shoot videos. As I did not have a Gimbal mount, I purchased one. As we expected to shoot at very low temperatures, the batteries will have less life. I already had two batteries for the camera. I bought a third one with a spare charger to be on the safe side.
4. Warm clothes: To deal with the very low temperatures below -20 degrees, we must wear multiple layers of warm clothes - anywhere between 2 to 4 layers, depending on the temperature. I have made some trips to Hanle in similar weather conditions (much warmer compared to Kibber, though), so I already had all the warm clothes required.

Journey from Chandigarh to Kibber:

The starting point of the expedition was Chandigarh. All of us reached Chandigarh one day before the start of the trip. We visited the famous Pal Dhaba in Chandigarh in the evening for a tasty dinner of butter roti, butter chicken, and kulfi falooda.

A Tempo traveler had been arranged for the journey. We covered the distance between Chandigarh and Kibber in 2.5 days. We stayed at Rampur Bushahr the first day, in Kaza the second day, and reached Kibber by about 11:30AM on the third day. We could have directly gone to Kibber on the 2nd day, but stopped at Kaza for some acclimatization to the altitude and temperature. The last bath we had was in Rampur on Day #2, and the next bath would be again in Rampur on Day#9. For me, this was one of the two toughest parts of the tour - the other being the use of chemical toilet and wet wipes in Kibber

The first day was a sort of boring drive from Chandigarh to Rampur via Shimla. The drive from Rampur to Kaza was through some scenic routes, and we enjoyed the grand Himalayan landscape with snow-capped mountains during this part of the journey. We stayed in Kaza in a homestay. We had cozy rooms with electric blankets, and had some tasty homemade food. We left Kaza the next day after breakfast and reached Kibber after an hour's drive. We unloaded our luggage, had some tea and snacks and were ready for our first photography session of the Snow Leopard.

A few pictures from this part of the trip.

The famous Pal Dhaba. There are two hotels in the same complex - The Old Pal Dhaba and The New Pal Dhaba. We had dinner at The Old Pal Dhaba, as this was the original one.

Butter roti and butter chicken with some kulfi falooda to finish. The butter rotis were literally dripping butter!

The journey begins. We left Chandigarh at 5:30 in the morning in a Tempo Traveler.

We stopped for breakfast at the outskirts of Shimla, in a hotel called Sher-E-Punjab. This hotel had an open terrace with a view of the grand mountain ranges. We had some tasty breakfast and resumed our journey.

Puri and tea for breakfast.

The first view of the grand mountains.

Tea with a view.

We stayed at Bushahr Regency, run by Himachal Tourism in Rampur.

Neat and clean room.

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We went to IBW next day after late lunch. IBW location was around 80kms from the hotel and took almost 2 hours.

BHPian Rahulkool recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Hotel in Goa was good, we checked in at mid night, the hotel staff were very helpful and polite. Only issue was that there was no kitchen was in the hotel but quite a few restaurants around.

I have only these two photographs of the hotel.

We went to IBW next day after late lunch. IBW location was around 80kms from the hotel and took almost 2 hours.

We stayed there for couple of hours.  At least there was decent amount of parking space, we parked the bikes near the entrance, lots of free space, although people were riding the bikes inside.

Some random click from the IBW.

Next day we started the return journey, plan was to ride as much as possible comfortably and stay somewhere around Chikkamagaluru.

Srikant and Rajaghuru left early morning for Bangalore as they wanted to be back home by same day. Myself and Swami started around 10am from the hotel.

We took the Goa-Karwar-Gokarna-Murdeswar-Kundapura-Sringeri-Chikkamagaluru route. It was very nice and scenic route, around 450kms. Weather was also good throughout, we encountered some rains after kundapura.

The famous Maravanthe beach.

After lunch we finally booked a hotel in Chikkamagaluru.

somewhere after kundapura, we had to stop for tea and to put on the rain covers.

Sringeri town and temple.

Next early morning we started the ride towards Chennai.

Chikkamagaluru hotel

It was quite foggy for initial few kms.

Stopped for tea before entering Bangalore. Who says only 1300GSA has a place to keep cups.

You can also notice the new windscreen here, another benefit of tall windscreen is that it completely protects the phone, even in pouring rain i could ride with phone mounted and not a single drop of rain on it. I use an old pixel 4a for navigation and it is not water resistant, so earlier i had to remove mobile if it starts raining.

Back on not-so-nice-road.

Had lunch in Bangalore with my cousin, which took quite a while. Upon checking traffic we noticed a huge jam near Hosur, so decided to take a little detour via Rayakottai towards Krishnagiri.

Finally reached home around 10pm, we were riding slow and took few breaks on the way, including light dinner.

Final trip stats. 2125kms.

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