Thread Starter
#16
that would have been fun...
Ladakh Ride From Pune 15th September To 02nd October
- Thread Starter kinshuk.arya
- Start date
Thread Starter
#17
Hello All,
Chittorgarh, 18th September 2019.
Today we were not in a hurry as we just ahd to cover around 250kms from Chittor to Jaipur, and meet with our trip partners, who were waiting for us to resume our journey by happily doing touristy things in Jaipur.
We started off from the hotel at around 6:30 am had some amazing Poha and chai opposite district hospital in Chittorgarh, as that was the only eatery we could find which was open at that time.
We had gotten the update from our hotel manager the roads till Kishangarh (approx midway to Jaipur) are not that great as there is 6 laning work going on. Apart from the lot of diversions due to road construction we also found a lot of wildlife on the road just sitting there chewing and digesting and chatting with other members of their species. Sneha was driving today as she didnt get any chance to drive the previous day as we were in a hurry and I was getting bored on the navigator seat handing out money for toll booths, changing music etc. etc. I had to devise an evil plan to get back in the driver’s seat.
The plan was put in action after we took a detour inside Naseerabad to have a snack break for the famous Naseerabad ka Kachora and Jalebi.
For those who dont know Kachora is like a Kachori but at least 10 times as big, and it is served either full or in small pieces, the diameter of the Kachora is pretty similar to a Medium sized pizza.
So for the Kachora we went inside Naseerabad to the famous Chavannilal halwai, we were able to see the making of the Kachora first hand, the jalebis on the counter were looking too tempting and so we got a piece each of Dal and Aloo kachora and a plate of Jalebi, now comes the plan they also had Lassi, after such a heavy snack stop I was sure that Sneha will sleepy and that would mean keys back to yours truly, but I didn’t want to leave anything to chance, so I also offered a full glass of thick Lassi but she denied, still hell bent on the plan I offered her the other option they had Badam milkshake, and as expected she fell for it, after the kachora and jalebi and badam milkshake she gladly handed over the keys back to me, and then she realized that why was I so hell bent on offering her milkshake and Lassi, there goes my plan for the future had to think of other stuff to get the keys back from now on.
We started off again for Jaipur after the snack break and reached Kishangarh after that the highway was smooth as butter uptill Jaipur. reached Jaipur met a couple of relatives on the way and had lunch.
After lunch we met up with our friends at the Birla temple, Birla temple is a Hindu temple also known as the Laxmi Narayan temple. Its made of marble with intricate carvings everywhere.
Post the visit we went for a round of shopping at the famous Bapu Bazaar in the old part of the city. After a couple of hours buying souvenirs and other stuff as now we had a car which can also be used a transport carrier.
After spending money and time in Bapu Bazaar we headed towards our hotel, Hotel Shahpura House, the building was once an old house under the rule of a Lord which has now been converted into a hotel. It was decked up with vintage stuff and relics but had all the modern amenities, had our dinner and off to bed as the next day was a long day.
Thanks for reading.
#traveldiaries, #aryastravel
Regards,
Kinshuk
Chittorgarh, 18th September 2019.
Today we were not in a hurry as we just ahd to cover around 250kms from Chittor to Jaipur, and meet with our trip partners, who were waiting for us to resume our journey by happily doing touristy things in Jaipur.
We started off from the hotel at around 6:30 am had some amazing Poha and chai opposite district hospital in Chittorgarh, as that was the only eatery we could find which was open at that time.
We had gotten the update from our hotel manager the roads till Kishangarh (approx midway to Jaipur) are not that great as there is 6 laning work going on. Apart from the lot of diversions due to road construction we also found a lot of wildlife on the road just sitting there chewing and digesting and chatting with other members of their species. Sneha was driving today as she didnt get any chance to drive the previous day as we were in a hurry and I was getting bored on the navigator seat handing out money for toll booths, changing music etc. etc. I had to devise an evil plan to get back in the driver’s seat.
The plan was put in action after we took a detour inside Naseerabad to have a snack break for the famous Naseerabad ka Kachora and Jalebi.
For those who dont know Kachora is like a Kachori but at least 10 times as big, and it is served either full or in small pieces, the diameter of the Kachora is pretty similar to a Medium sized pizza.
So for the Kachora we went inside Naseerabad to the famous Chavannilal halwai, we were able to see the making of the Kachora first hand, the jalebis on the counter were looking too tempting and so we got a piece each of Dal and Aloo kachora and a plate of Jalebi, now comes the plan they also had Lassi, after such a heavy snack stop I was sure that Sneha will sleepy and that would mean keys back to yours truly, but I didn’t want to leave anything to chance, so I also offered a full glass of thick Lassi but she denied, still hell bent on the plan I offered her the other option they had Badam milkshake, and as expected she fell for it, after the kachora and jalebi and badam milkshake she gladly handed over the keys back to me, and then she realized that why was I so hell bent on offering her milkshake and Lassi, there goes my plan for the future had to think of other stuff to get the keys back from now on.
We started off again for Jaipur after the snack break and reached Kishangarh after that the highway was smooth as butter uptill Jaipur. reached Jaipur met a couple of relatives on the way and had lunch.
After lunch we met up with our friends at the Birla temple, Birla temple is a Hindu temple also known as the Laxmi Narayan temple. Its made of marble with intricate carvings everywhere.
Post the visit we went for a round of shopping at the famous Bapu Bazaar in the old part of the city. After a couple of hours buying souvenirs and other stuff as now we had a car which can also be used a transport carrier.
After spending money and time in Bapu Bazaar we headed towards our hotel, Hotel Shahpura House, the building was once an old house under the rule of a Lord which has now been converted into a hotel. It was decked up with vintage stuff and relics but had all the modern amenities, had our dinner and off to bed as the next day was a long day.
Thanks for reading.
#traveldiaries, #aryastravel
Regards,
Kinshuk
Enjoyed your travelogue so far, please keep it coming! :)
Thread Starter
#19
Hello All,
After the Land of Maharajas we finally started our drive towards the Valley of Gods, Manali.
Started off from Jaipur at around 4:30-5:00AM as we wanted to cover the distance till Rewari before the heavy truck traffic starts on the Jaipur Delhi highway, the roads on that highway are simply butter smooth and one can easily maintain speed limit, however the truck traffic starts as soon as sun rises so it fills up pretty quickly and then on top of that there are schumachers of the world, surprisingly their population is quite high in the northern part of India.
Had breakfast at a roadside hotel, comprising of some Idlis, wadas, paranthas etc. etc. The resto’s name was Prem Bhog and they also had a separate parking for Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Post breakfast we headed towards Rewari took the left turn towards Rohtak and then we were traffic free. Stopped a couple of more times for snacks and tea breaks, once after Rohtak bypass, from there we headed on towards Panipat, had lunch in a restaurant which was more like a food court but you can sit and order no self service. Had our lunch and after that one of the most amazing bites of Gulab Jamun, sweets in the northern part of India are at a level above than what we are used to in Maharashtra, same goes for butter and the masalas, now mind you the masala doesnt just mean chilly but overall the entire palate rises a couple of notches when you are eating in North. Infact I can do a road trip just for the food in the Northern part of India, be it the Parantha and butter of Punjab or the street food of Delhi or the world famous Butter chicken and Dal Makhani.
Post lunch we took a small break for photoshoot and just loitering as we were only a couple of hours away from Ambala, our next stop.
We reached Ambala at around 2:00-3:00PM and started searching for the hotel whichw as booked by us, but unfortunately the hotel was deep in Ambala city without any parking space, so ditched that hotel and landed at Hotel Clarks Inn a couple of kilometers ahead right on the highway, Clarks inn was a small city by itself, it was a place which had moving traffic 24hours a day. We talked to the head of security over there for a good parking spot as we had to stay the night and plus the motorcycles needed some good security.
After securing the vehicles and checking in we went ahead to meet a college friend of ours who lives in Zirakpur and the other 2 slept off, we returned late in the night by the time our friends were still sleeping as we also had some heavy snacks at the friend’s house we also slept off without dinner.
In the morning when the alarm rang we woke up to start towards Manali. When we met up with our partners in the morning we came to know that those buggers had been sleeping since evening without food or anything else. Anyhow checked out of the hotel, packed up and loaded the vehicles and started towards Manali, again somewhere around 4 o clock in the morning. Took the left turn after Shambhu Barrier and now we were in Punjab. Punjab roads are a treat to drive on except for a small stretch between Bilaspur and Swarghat, even though it has improved a lot from the last time we were there.
Today was the birthday of one of our friends and we came to know that when we stopped for breakfast somewhere in the hills at a small roadside breakfast place. Inquired about the breakfast menu and we came to know that from now onwards that will be our breakfast for the entire trip, the menu was Maggie, Eggs to order and Paranthas (aloo, paneer, gobhi etc.)
As we didnt have any cake or any other similar stuff with us we quickly ordered 4 paranthas stacked them, decorated the savory cake with dollops of butter and carrot pickles, and behold we had a cake. After a brief photo session, breakfast of parantha cake and a lot of orders of tea and coffee we were off towards Manali. The food from now had become real Value for money, where breakfast for 4 costing less than 300rs. This was somewhere around Swraghat, we had just crossed a police checkpost. Thankfully no random police checks till now.
After that it was full on ghat roads, with unaccounted blind turns, and scenic views, the traffic up there is much more sensible then what we find in the plains, that said there are still some idiots with egos bigger than Mount Everest who think that they can overtake a couple of trucks in one shot when there is another truck coming from the other side.
We stopped at a small water reservoir near Bilaspur for another photosession, by then rain clouds had started looming on us, and it started raining after sometime, got stuck in a traffic jam as road widening work is on in the region, after riding in the rain for sometime the riders with us wanted a break and even we also were tired because of the roller coaster drive due to bad roads, found a nice little stop where the traffic was anyways at a stop as the earth moving machines were at work, the shop had assorted pakoras to offer along with tea and coffee. What more does a group of travelers need in a rainy weather, Tea and couple of plates of hot pakoras.
Post that lunch break and traffic stop we finally got some good roads after the Kullu bypass all the way till Manali, stopped at another tea shop for a small break, got to taste the first apples of the season and one of the best ones till now in a long long time. The shopkeeper even gave us some apples complimentary.
Reached Manali late in the evening, paid the environmental fee, topped up the xuv, and started searching for our hotel, HVK sir and team had already booked our rooms in a nice little Hotel called Ride Inn, with detailed instructions we reached the road leading to the hotel. The road was nothing but a rickety old metal bridge not much wider than my car, fearing the width of the bridge we started on it and even the bridge began to move with the weight.
Finally we reached the hotel, the hotel was a nice little place with limited rooms, ample parking and an apple orchard with place for bon fire. Only issue with the place is that the reception is on the 2nd floor which is fine if you are staying there but when you have reached there after a day of drive or ride going to the 2nd floor feels like a pain, but once you reach the second floor all the tiredness disappears, they have the best of the dining room decked up in a motorcycle theme along with the reception. Pics below.
Well done interiors with the biking theme (which gave us ideas for our dining table), gracious host Godwin, who had already arranged our Rohtang permits and had kept it ready. There were many Royal Enfields parked outside. The weather had turned nice and chilly and all of us got our winter wear out
Oh yeah and they have a very limited menu but everything on the menu is amazing. We again had a party, this time sponsored by the birthday boy. After a hearty meal we all retired to our rooms.
All in all an amazing drive and amazing place to stay.
#traveldiaries, #aryastravel
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Kinshuk
After the Land of Maharajas we finally started our drive towards the Valley of Gods, Manali.
Started off from Jaipur at around 4:30-5:00AM as we wanted to cover the distance till Rewari before the heavy truck traffic starts on the Jaipur Delhi highway, the roads on that highway are simply butter smooth and one can easily maintain speed limit, however the truck traffic starts as soon as sun rises so it fills up pretty quickly and then on top of that there are schumachers of the world, surprisingly their population is quite high in the northern part of India.
Had breakfast at a roadside hotel, comprising of some Idlis, wadas, paranthas etc. etc. The resto’s name was Prem Bhog and they also had a separate parking for Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Post breakfast we headed towards Rewari took the left turn towards Rohtak and then we were traffic free. Stopped a couple of more times for snacks and tea breaks, once after Rohtak bypass, from there we headed on towards Panipat, had lunch in a restaurant which was more like a food court but you can sit and order no self service. Had our lunch and after that one of the most amazing bites of Gulab Jamun, sweets in the northern part of India are at a level above than what we are used to in Maharashtra, same goes for butter and the masalas, now mind you the masala doesnt just mean chilly but overall the entire palate rises a couple of notches when you are eating in North. Infact I can do a road trip just for the food in the Northern part of India, be it the Parantha and butter of Punjab or the street food of Delhi or the world famous Butter chicken and Dal Makhani.
Post lunch we took a small break for photoshoot and just loitering as we were only a couple of hours away from Ambala, our next stop.
We reached Ambala at around 2:00-3:00PM and started searching for the hotel whichw as booked by us, but unfortunately the hotel was deep in Ambala city without any parking space, so ditched that hotel and landed at Hotel Clarks Inn a couple of kilometers ahead right on the highway, Clarks inn was a small city by itself, it was a place which had moving traffic 24hours a day. We talked to the head of security over there for a good parking spot as we had to stay the night and plus the motorcycles needed some good security.
After securing the vehicles and checking in we went ahead to meet a college friend of ours who lives in Zirakpur and the other 2 slept off, we returned late in the night by the time our friends were still sleeping as we also had some heavy snacks at the friend’s house we also slept off without dinner.
In the morning when the alarm rang we woke up to start towards Manali. When we met up with our partners in the morning we came to know that those buggers had been sleeping since evening without food or anything else. Anyhow checked out of the hotel, packed up and loaded the vehicles and started towards Manali, again somewhere around 4 o clock in the morning. Took the left turn after Shambhu Barrier and now we were in Punjab. Punjab roads are a treat to drive on except for a small stretch between Bilaspur and Swarghat, even though it has improved a lot from the last time we were there.
Today was the birthday of one of our friends and we came to know that when we stopped for breakfast somewhere in the hills at a small roadside breakfast place. Inquired about the breakfast menu and we came to know that from now onwards that will be our breakfast for the entire trip, the menu was Maggie, Eggs to order and Paranthas (aloo, paneer, gobhi etc.)
As we didnt have any cake or any other similar stuff with us we quickly ordered 4 paranthas stacked them, decorated the savory cake with dollops of butter and carrot pickles, and behold we had a cake. After a brief photo session, breakfast of parantha cake and a lot of orders of tea and coffee we were off towards Manali. The food from now had become real Value for money, where breakfast for 4 costing less than 300rs. This was somewhere around Swraghat, we had just crossed a police checkpost. Thankfully no random police checks till now.
After that it was full on ghat roads, with unaccounted blind turns, and scenic views, the traffic up there is much more sensible then what we find in the plains, that said there are still some idiots with egos bigger than Mount Everest who think that they can overtake a couple of trucks in one shot when there is another truck coming from the other side.
We stopped at a small water reservoir near Bilaspur for another photosession, by then rain clouds had started looming on us, and it started raining after sometime, got stuck in a traffic jam as road widening work is on in the region, after riding in the rain for sometime the riders with us wanted a break and even we also were tired because of the roller coaster drive due to bad roads, found a nice little stop where the traffic was anyways at a stop as the earth moving machines were at work, the shop had assorted pakoras to offer along with tea and coffee. What more does a group of travelers need in a rainy weather, Tea and couple of plates of hot pakoras.
Post that lunch break and traffic stop we finally got some good roads after the Kullu bypass all the way till Manali, stopped at another tea shop for a small break, got to taste the first apples of the season and one of the best ones till now in a long long time. The shopkeeper even gave us some apples complimentary.
Reached Manali late in the evening, paid the environmental fee, topped up the xuv, and started searching for our hotel, HVK sir and team had already booked our rooms in a nice little Hotel called Ride Inn, with detailed instructions we reached the road leading to the hotel. The road was nothing but a rickety old metal bridge not much wider than my car, fearing the width of the bridge we started on it and even the bridge began to move with the weight.
Finally we reached the hotel, the hotel was a nice little place with limited rooms, ample parking and an apple orchard with place for bon fire. Only issue with the place is that the reception is on the 2nd floor which is fine if you are staying there but when you have reached there after a day of drive or ride going to the 2nd floor feels like a pain, but once you reach the second floor all the tiredness disappears, they have the best of the dining room decked up in a motorcycle theme along with the reception. Pics below.
Well done interiors with the biking theme (which gave us ideas for our dining table), gracious host Godwin, who had already arranged our Rohtang permits and had kept it ready. There were many Royal Enfields parked outside. The weather had turned nice and chilly and all of us got our winter wear out
Oh yeah and they have a very limited menu but everything on the menu is amazing. We again had a party, this time sponsored by the birthday boy. After a hearty meal we all retired to our rooms.
All in all an amazing drive and amazing place to stay.
#traveldiaries, #aryastravel
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Kinshuk
Thread Starter
#20
DRIVE TO THE LAND OF MONASTERIES — PART 6: REACHING ROHTANG
Hello All,
21st Sep 2019, Manali to Keylong.
The night halt in Manali went away too quickly with the great food and company, after a proper birthday celebration in the Ride Inn Hotel we retired to our rooms, the next was supposed to be a leisurely drive of 4-5 hours to Keylong, as we had decided not to do the Manali-Leh stretch in a single day.
Manali-Leh stretch takes around 16-17 hours and can be done in day but that would have required a very early start and a lot of driving in the hills in dark.
I woke up pretty late that day, by that time my wife had already locked me in our room and went out for a stroll in the nearby apple orchards. Below are the words from her diary.
“This is quite relaxed day with target of just about 4 hours of drive.. We had the option of sleeping till atleast 8 am, but the apple trees were calling, so I woke up at 6:30 and i freshened up quickly and got out of the room (locking a sleeping Kinshuk inside) to visit the trees!
What an amazing garden! With trees laden with apples and small wooden benches combined with the lovely weather and view of mountains… Wish we could wake up to such a view everyday.”
After a hearty breakfast and some selfies we set off, fueled up the bikes and off we went, the time was 12:00PM. Started our climb towards the legendary Rohtang Pass, the snaky turns with a lot of u turns unruly cab drivers, and a path which had one of the most mesmerizing views till now.
Stopped for a small photoshoot after the check post and found a friendly dog at the same place, the little bugger also knew how to pose and smile for a camera.
Reached Rohtan pass top at around 2:30 PM. Great weather and amazing views greeted us at the top. Had lunch of Chole Kulches, Steamed Momos and Maggie with one of the most amazing ambiance one could ask for. Started off again towards Keylong at 3:00 PM from Rohtang Pass top a after a mandatory photo session.
Soon after descending from the Rohtang top we met a traffic closure as the road widening work was going on, got stuck there for an hour 45 minutes, got to view the first twin rainbows while we were waiting.
After a lot of waiting the traffic started moving again, found some really bad roads soon after that, but fortunately the bad roads were there only for a couple of kilometers, after which there were some really good roads, reached the Khoksar checkpost and took the left turn towards Leh, somewhere around 5:30PM, from there on wards it was smooth sailing all the way towards Tandi, reached Tandi at around 6:30PM, topped up the bikes again. XUV didnt need a top up as it gives a range of around 1000kms in one fuel up.
We also realized that somehow the mileage of the vehicles had actually increased, which was quite unexpected. Anyhow reached Keylong sometime around 7:00PM but we didnt have any idea where to go for the stay. Tried to contact our friends but coudnt contact them as there was no network. we finally got through HVK sir, who had already booked our stay in the hotel Tashi Deleg in Keylong, started towards the hotel in what could be the narrowest lane in the town, the lane was so narrow that we didnt know what to do if any other vehicle comes from the other side.
Reached the hotel and checked in, they have a really good parking and good rooms, and also really good food.
This was the end of our day, thankfully no surprises, a couple of water crossings on the way but there was water in them, so crossed them without any issues.
#aryastravel, #traveldiaries, #themisfit.world
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Kinshuk
Hello All,
21st Sep 2019, Manali to Keylong.
The night halt in Manali went away too quickly with the great food and company, after a proper birthday celebration in the Ride Inn Hotel we retired to our rooms, the next was supposed to be a leisurely drive of 4-5 hours to Keylong, as we had decided not to do the Manali-Leh stretch in a single day.
Manali-Leh stretch takes around 16-17 hours and can be done in day but that would have required a very early start and a lot of driving in the hills in dark.
I woke up pretty late that day, by that time my wife had already locked me in our room and went out for a stroll in the nearby apple orchards. Below are the words from her diary.
“This is quite relaxed day with target of just about 4 hours of drive.. We had the option of sleeping till atleast 8 am, but the apple trees were calling, so I woke up at 6:30 and i freshened up quickly and got out of the room (locking a sleeping Kinshuk inside) to visit the trees!
What an amazing garden! With trees laden with apples and small wooden benches combined with the lovely weather and view of mountains… Wish we could wake up to such a view everyday.”
After a hearty breakfast and some selfies we set off, fueled up the bikes and off we went, the time was 12:00PM. Started our climb towards the legendary Rohtang Pass, the snaky turns with a lot of u turns unruly cab drivers, and a path which had one of the most mesmerizing views till now.
Stopped for a small photoshoot after the check post and found a friendly dog at the same place, the little bugger also knew how to pose and smile for a camera.
Reached Rohtan pass top at around 2:30 PM. Great weather and amazing views greeted us at the top. Had lunch of Chole Kulches, Steamed Momos and Maggie with one of the most amazing ambiance one could ask for. Started off again towards Keylong at 3:00 PM from Rohtang Pass top a after a mandatory photo session.
Soon after descending from the Rohtang top we met a traffic closure as the road widening work was going on, got stuck there for an hour 45 minutes, got to view the first twin rainbows while we were waiting.
After a lot of waiting the traffic started moving again, found some really bad roads soon after that, but fortunately the bad roads were there only for a couple of kilometers, after which there were some really good roads, reached the Khoksar checkpost and took the left turn towards Leh, somewhere around 5:30PM, from there on wards it was smooth sailing all the way towards Tandi, reached Tandi at around 6:30PM, topped up the bikes again. XUV didnt need a top up as it gives a range of around 1000kms in one fuel up.
We also realized that somehow the mileage of the vehicles had actually increased, which was quite unexpected. Anyhow reached Keylong sometime around 7:00PM but we didnt have any idea where to go for the stay. Tried to contact our friends but coudnt contact them as there was no network. we finally got through HVK sir, who had already booked our stay in the hotel Tashi Deleg in Keylong, started towards the hotel in what could be the narrowest lane in the town, the lane was so narrow that we didnt know what to do if any other vehicle comes from the other side.
Reached the hotel and checked in, they have a really good parking and good rooms, and also really good food.
This was the end of our day, thankfully no surprises, a couple of water crossings on the way but there was water in them, so crossed them without any issues.
#aryastravel, #traveldiaries, #themisfit.world
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Kinshuk
Thread Starter
#21
DRIVE TO THE LAND OF MONASTERIES — PART 7: FINALLY REACHED LEH
Hello All,
22nd Sep, Keylong to Leh.
Started off from the hotel in Keylong, Tashi Deleg, at around 5’o clock in the morning after having a small breakfast of dip teas, coffees, biscuits and Dimox tablet. When we woke up we heard the sound of the rain which thankfully was just the sound of the nearby water stream.
At around 6:15AM we reached the town of Jispa, the roads till now were pretty smooth not a issue with them. Jispa is a small town with some hotels and multiple tents alongside the river. September being one of the dry months there wasnt much water in the river.
Moved ahead from there and stopped a little ahead of place called Patsio, took a small detour to the river bed for a photosession and to check if the water is cold or not it was ice cold.
The beauty of that almost dried up river bed surrounded by towering mountains which were covered half by sunlight and the other half by the shadow realm, the peaks covered by clouds and the bright blue sky above cannot be put in to words.
After a brief halt we started and stopped for breakfast at a small hut which also had a makeshift accommodation, the owners of that place were very friendly. It was a single room that was partitioned in 2 parts with a curtain, had a hearty breakfast of Maggie omelette.
There were couple of bikers as well who had stayed there the previous night and were getting ready to leave. They had some Manali ka Maal with them, and someone from our group decided to try it out just half a drag after which the person started coughing and as it tasted like dried leaves the Maal was given back.
Breakfast done and dusted we reached Baralacha La which is a high altitude pass at a height of 15912 feet, was crossed at around 9:15AM. After Baralacha La we started the descent towards Bharatpur Nala one of the most challenging drives uptill now, as it was September and we had reached there around 9:30 there was no water in that place just a long stretch of loose and big stones, one needs to be very careful during this portion as I managed to get even the XUV scrapped a couple of times, totally my fault in that.
From Baralacha all the way till aprox 15kms from Sarchu the roads were really bad, got stuck in a traffic jam right before Sarchu as the only bridge to cross the water stream was getting repaired, there was a minor water crossing there but nothing big.
Sarchu is a another small town on the Manali Leh highway and is the exact mid point between Manali and Leh, but even though it has a lot of tents, staying overnight in Sarchu while going towards Leh is not advised as it is at a high altitude of 13580ft.
Post Sarchu the roads were really good all the way till Leh, barring a couple of sections.
Started the ascent to Gata loops at around 12:15PM. Gata loops is a series of 21 hairpin bends where the road takes you from 13780ft to 15502ft in a mere 19 minutes that too when we were driving at a very sedate pace.
There was a strange place at one of the bends where there were a lot of plastic bottles accumulated we thought that it was some kind of dumping place but later on while having lunch someone told us that it was not a dumping place but an offering place as that bend had some haunting story attached to it.
From Gata loops the drive towards Nakee La at an altitude of 15547Ft was quite scenic, Nakee la was the second high altitude pass that day. From Nakeela it was towards Lachungla which is at an altitude of 16616ft. The roads till now after Sarchu had been good.
After Lachungla we descended towards Pang alongside a river, taking in the views where one can easily shoot a Hollywood movie based on alien attacks and such. Reacehd Pang at around 2:30PM where we had lunch at a small resto called Potala Pang, a hearty lunch of rolls, dal rice, and omelettes. The owner is Dorje Angchuk he cautioned us about a big dip in the othewise smooth road on a curve where many people tend to loose control of their vehicles because of the deceptive nature of the road, that part is approx 30kms from Pang.
After the flat straight roads of Pang it was time to again climb towards the last pass of the day called Tanglang La at a height of 17480ft. We were warned at the lunch stop of snow on the road towards Tanglang La and a military vehicle blocking the road due to a mishap, many people had returned back to Pang to find accommodation for the night but we decided to move on towards Leh, when we reached the spot we saw the vehicle blocking almost one lane of the pass and hanging very dangerously over the valley, we inquired and the big crane was on its way to clear out the road. There was some space there from where the local taxi drivers were taking their Boleros so I thought why not give it a try, we were able to cross that part but with a big battle scar on the XUV where we hit the bumper of the stuck military truck. Again my fault, but we had to cross that as it was already 5:00PM and we still had 3-4 hours of drive to reach Leh, so took the chance which in hindsight I shouldnt have taken as we later realized that the path was cleared 1 hour after we crossed.
Anyways after the mishap at the Tanglang La Road we were at the home stretch towards Leh, couldnt see much at the entrance of the Leh Valley as the sun had already set and darkness had started to creep in. We reached Karu petrol pump at around 8:30PM where we filled up the vehicles and met our friends, Karu is also the place where you get connected to the rest of the world again, so we got the directions to our stay in Leh in Karu.
Reached the hotel Mandalchan House in Leh at around 10:00PM had our dinner of chapatis, rice, some kind of mixed vegetable and dal, all very homely cooking and slept off, as it was a long and adventurous day.
#aryastravel, #traveldiaries
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Kinshuk
Hello All,
22nd Sep, Keylong to Leh.
Started off from the hotel in Keylong, Tashi Deleg, at around 5’o clock in the morning after having a small breakfast of dip teas, coffees, biscuits and Dimox tablet. When we woke up we heard the sound of the rain which thankfully was just the sound of the nearby water stream.
At around 6:15AM we reached the town of Jispa, the roads till now were pretty smooth not a issue with them. Jispa is a small town with some hotels and multiple tents alongside the river. September being one of the dry months there wasnt much water in the river.
Moved ahead from there and stopped a little ahead of place called Patsio, took a small detour to the river bed for a photosession and to check if the water is cold or not it was ice cold.
The beauty of that almost dried up river bed surrounded by towering mountains which were covered half by sunlight and the other half by the shadow realm, the peaks covered by clouds and the bright blue sky above cannot be put in to words.
After a brief halt we started and stopped for breakfast at a small hut which also had a makeshift accommodation, the owners of that place were very friendly. It was a single room that was partitioned in 2 parts with a curtain, had a hearty breakfast of Maggie omelette.
There were couple of bikers as well who had stayed there the previous night and were getting ready to leave. They had some Manali ka Maal with them, and someone from our group decided to try it out just half a drag after which the person started coughing and as it tasted like dried leaves the Maal was given back.
Breakfast done and dusted we reached Baralacha La which is a high altitude pass at a height of 15912 feet, was crossed at around 9:15AM. After Baralacha La we started the descent towards Bharatpur Nala one of the most challenging drives uptill now, as it was September and we had reached there around 9:30 there was no water in that place just a long stretch of loose and big stones, one needs to be very careful during this portion as I managed to get even the XUV scrapped a couple of times, totally my fault in that.
From Baralacha all the way till aprox 15kms from Sarchu the roads were really bad, got stuck in a traffic jam right before Sarchu as the only bridge to cross the water stream was getting repaired, there was a minor water crossing there but nothing big.
Sarchu is a another small town on the Manali Leh highway and is the exact mid point between Manali and Leh, but even though it has a lot of tents, staying overnight in Sarchu while going towards Leh is not advised as it is at a high altitude of 13580ft.
Post Sarchu the roads were really good all the way till Leh, barring a couple of sections.
Started the ascent to Gata loops at around 12:15PM. Gata loops is a series of 21 hairpin bends where the road takes you from 13780ft to 15502ft in a mere 19 minutes that too when we were driving at a very sedate pace.
There was a strange place at one of the bends where there were a lot of plastic bottles accumulated we thought that it was some kind of dumping place but later on while having lunch someone told us that it was not a dumping place but an offering place as that bend had some haunting story attached to it.
From Gata loops the drive towards Nakee La at an altitude of 15547Ft was quite scenic, Nakee la was the second high altitude pass that day. From Nakeela it was towards Lachungla which is at an altitude of 16616ft. The roads till now after Sarchu had been good.
After Lachungla we descended towards Pang alongside a river, taking in the views where one can easily shoot a Hollywood movie based on alien attacks and such. Reacehd Pang at around 2:30PM where we had lunch at a small resto called Potala Pang, a hearty lunch of rolls, dal rice, and omelettes. The owner is Dorje Angchuk he cautioned us about a big dip in the othewise smooth road on a curve where many people tend to loose control of their vehicles because of the deceptive nature of the road, that part is approx 30kms from Pang.
After the flat straight roads of Pang it was time to again climb towards the last pass of the day called Tanglang La at a height of 17480ft. We were warned at the lunch stop of snow on the road towards Tanglang La and a military vehicle blocking the road due to a mishap, many people had returned back to Pang to find accommodation for the night but we decided to move on towards Leh, when we reached the spot we saw the vehicle blocking almost one lane of the pass and hanging very dangerously over the valley, we inquired and the big crane was on its way to clear out the road. There was some space there from where the local taxi drivers were taking their Boleros so I thought why not give it a try, we were able to cross that part but with a big battle scar on the XUV where we hit the bumper of the stuck military truck. Again my fault, but we had to cross that as it was already 5:00PM and we still had 3-4 hours of drive to reach Leh, so took the chance which in hindsight I shouldnt have taken as we later realized that the path was cleared 1 hour after we crossed.
Anyways after the mishap at the Tanglang La Road we were at the home stretch towards Leh, couldnt see much at the entrance of the Leh Valley as the sun had already set and darkness had started to creep in. We reached Karu petrol pump at around 8:30PM where we filled up the vehicles and met our friends, Karu is also the place where you get connected to the rest of the world again, so we got the directions to our stay in Leh in Karu.
Reached the hotel Mandalchan House in Leh at around 10:00PM had our dinner of chapatis, rice, some kind of mixed vegetable and dal, all very homely cooking and slept off, as it was a long and adventurous day.
#aryastravel, #traveldiaries
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Kinshuk
Thread Starter
#22
November 17, 2019
DRIVE TO THE LAND OF MONASTERIES — PART 8: LEH TOURISM
Hello Readers,
23rd and 24th September, Leh and around.
Today was our first morning in the land of the monasteries, Leh, the capital of Ladakh, the newly formed union territory of India. Us all being bhukkhads of the first order the first thing on the agenda was to have Wazwani feast, or the dishes that are served in a traditional Wazwan, for which we inquired from our Hotel manager to which he duly informed that it will be best to have during dinner and not for breakfast. Slightly heartbroken we decided to wait till dinner time and have the regular fare of Omelette and Poha for breakfast along with some paranthas.
Post breakfast we got ready for the local sight seeing tour, places to be covered today were, Shey Palace, Thiksey Monastery, Shanti Stupa, Mall Road and end the day with dinner in Wazwan planet. But today the Car gods had a different plan for us, XUV failed to start after staying out in the cold for the entire night, as per our hotel manager it was because of it being diesel engine, but I suspected some issue with the battery. We managed to get it Dhakka start with the help of a bike group which had also come in last night from Kerala after trying all the other methods to start, we even tried by jump starting the XUV with the help of the hotel’s Scorpio but couldnt get it started.
After the car finally started we had already lost almost 2 hours of our sightseeing time and reached Shey palace somewhere around noon. Post the Shey Palace visit we visited the small Tibetan market right outside Shey palace where we again spent around an hour shopping for prayer flags and souvenirs for family members. Shey palace visit ended with us shopping a lot as now there was a car to carry all the stuff.
Thiksey monastery was next on the list, which is a regular monastery with a Buddha statue inside and some amazing views on the outside. Had our lunch in the resto in the monastery itself, the lunch consisted of some indo chinese dishes and a tibetan dish called thenthuk or rather a cheesy version of the Thenthuk and a bottle of Apricot Juice, which honestly we didnt like much.
From Thiksey it was off towards the Mall Road and Wazwan Planet for dinner. Again a bout of shopping ending in dinner at Wazwan planet. If you guys are not pure vegetarians a visit to Wazwan planet is a must. There are other restos on the Mall road serving you are regular Punjabi and south indian affair along with some continental ones, but if you are in the region one should try out the local cuisine as well. We were so glad we made that decision the Roganjosh there is one of the best I have ever had. After the heavy dinner took a stroll on the Mall road again by now the shops had pretty much closed, came back to the hotel and slept off.
As the car had given issues while starting decided to park it outside the hotel on a downward slope so that in case the trouble comes again it will be easier to do a push start. Thankfully on 24th the car started up without any issues, we started towards Lamayuru, planning to visit the Magnetic Hill, the confluence of Zanskar and Indus river and Lamayuru monastery.
We crossed Magnetic hill and since it was still before opening time the adventure sports shop was still closed, we took a couple of pics there got disappointed on the marketing gimmick of the Magnetic hill and started ahead towards the confluence. It being one of the dry months even the confluence was pretty underwhelming and since we did not want to climb uptill the Lamayuru monastery we decided to come back to Leh.
After the incomplete visit to Lamayuru we reached our hotel kept the bikes in the parking and started back towards Thiksey monastery, and the Rancho school.
The actual name of the Rancho school is Druk Padma Karpo school and was currently under reconstruction, the school authorities have stopped tourist activities inside the school during school time as it was disturbing the students but they have made a false wall outside the school campus where you can do the 3 Idiots photoshoot along with a small resto which do serve some good snacks and Tea Coffee.
While returning towards Leh we again stopped at the tibetan market outside Shey palce for another bout of incomplete shopping, from there it was towards Leh Palace and Shanti Stupa.
Leh palace is an architectural wonder and should be on the must visit list of every traveller. The various floors had rooms designated for the patriarchy based on the social status.
Reached the top of Shanti Stupa just before Sunset, got to see the sun set from there. There were some pre wedding photoshoots happening at the same time as we reached which took a lot of time to get a couple of clear shots of the monument from our cameras. Shanti Stupa is a must visit place on the visit to Leh city. From Shanti Stupa it was again the time to visit the Mall Road for dinner. Today we decided to try out another place called the Biryani Queen and we liked the biryani there so much that we ended up ordering more and more.
The biryani dinner concluded our stay in Leh.
Reached the hotel again parked outside hotel on a downward slope made preparations for the next day and off to sleep to wake up again early in the morning as we were to cross the might Khardung La.
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Kinshuk
DRIVE TO THE LAND OF MONASTERIES — PART 8: LEH TOURISM
Hello Readers,
23rd and 24th September, Leh and around.
Today was our first morning in the land of the monasteries, Leh, the capital of Ladakh, the newly formed union territory of India. Us all being bhukkhads of the first order the first thing on the agenda was to have Wazwani feast, or the dishes that are served in a traditional Wazwan, for which we inquired from our Hotel manager to which he duly informed that it will be best to have during dinner and not for breakfast. Slightly heartbroken we decided to wait till dinner time and have the regular fare of Omelette and Poha for breakfast along with some paranthas.
Post breakfast we got ready for the local sight seeing tour, places to be covered today were, Shey Palace, Thiksey Monastery, Shanti Stupa, Mall Road and end the day with dinner in Wazwan planet. But today the Car gods had a different plan for us, XUV failed to start after staying out in the cold for the entire night, as per our hotel manager it was because of it being diesel engine, but I suspected some issue with the battery. We managed to get it Dhakka start with the help of a bike group which had also come in last night from Kerala after trying all the other methods to start, we even tried by jump starting the XUV with the help of the hotel’s Scorpio but couldnt get it started.
After the car finally started we had already lost almost 2 hours of our sightseeing time and reached Shey palace somewhere around noon. Post the Shey Palace visit we visited the small Tibetan market right outside Shey palace where we again spent around an hour shopping for prayer flags and souvenirs for family members. Shey palace visit ended with us shopping a lot as now there was a car to carry all the stuff.
Thiksey monastery was next on the list, which is a regular monastery with a Buddha statue inside and some amazing views on the outside. Had our lunch in the resto in the monastery itself, the lunch consisted of some indo chinese dishes and a tibetan dish called thenthuk or rather a cheesy version of the Thenthuk and a bottle of Apricot Juice, which honestly we didnt like much.
From Thiksey it was off towards the Mall Road and Wazwan Planet for dinner. Again a bout of shopping ending in dinner at Wazwan planet. If you guys are not pure vegetarians a visit to Wazwan planet is a must. There are other restos on the Mall road serving you are regular Punjabi and south indian affair along with some continental ones, but if you are in the region one should try out the local cuisine as well. We were so glad we made that decision the Roganjosh there is one of the best I have ever had. After the heavy dinner took a stroll on the Mall road again by now the shops had pretty much closed, came back to the hotel and slept off.
As the car had given issues while starting decided to park it outside the hotel on a downward slope so that in case the trouble comes again it will be easier to do a push start. Thankfully on 24th the car started up without any issues, we started towards Lamayuru, planning to visit the Magnetic Hill, the confluence of Zanskar and Indus river and Lamayuru monastery.
We crossed Magnetic hill and since it was still before opening time the adventure sports shop was still closed, we took a couple of pics there got disappointed on the marketing gimmick of the Magnetic hill and started ahead towards the confluence. It being one of the dry months even the confluence was pretty underwhelming and since we did not want to climb uptill the Lamayuru monastery we decided to come back to Leh.
After the incomplete visit to Lamayuru we reached our hotel kept the bikes in the parking and started back towards Thiksey monastery, and the Rancho school.
The actual name of the Rancho school is Druk Padma Karpo school and was currently under reconstruction, the school authorities have stopped tourist activities inside the school during school time as it was disturbing the students but they have made a false wall outside the school campus where you can do the 3 Idiots photoshoot along with a small resto which do serve some good snacks and Tea Coffee.
While returning towards Leh we again stopped at the tibetan market outside Shey palce for another bout of incomplete shopping, from there it was towards Leh Palace and Shanti Stupa.
Leh palace is an architectural wonder and should be on the must visit list of every traveller. The various floors had rooms designated for the patriarchy based on the social status.
Reached the top of Shanti Stupa just before Sunset, got to see the sun set from there. There were some pre wedding photoshoots happening at the same time as we reached which took a lot of time to get a couple of clear shots of the monument from our cameras. Shanti Stupa is a must visit place on the visit to Leh city. From Shanti Stupa it was again the time to visit the Mall Road for dinner. Today we decided to try out another place called the Biryani Queen and we liked the biryani there so much that we ended up ordering more and more.
The biryani dinner concluded our stay in Leh.
Reached the hotel again parked outside hotel on a downward slope made preparations for the next day and off to sleep to wake up again early in the morning as we were to cross the might Khardung La.
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Kinshuk
Thread Starter
#23
Thread Starter
#24
will upload more pics in sometime.
Why are the pics coming small small?What's wrong with the photo editor?
Such beautiful pics, but spoiled by thumbnail sizes.They can't be "clicked to zoom" too
Such beautiful pics, but spoiled by thumbnail sizes.They can't be "clicked to zoom" too
Thread Starter
#26
the issue comes because of the 1mb rule of TAI. becomes difficult to processs large number of files. I dont know any way around it.
Not sure if I can add facebook link here.
DRIVE TO THE LAND OF MONASTERIES — PART 8: LEH TOURISM
WordPress.com
Not sure if I can add facebook link here.
DRIVE TO THE LAND OF MONASTERIES — PART 8: LEH TOURISM
WordPress.com
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