The Great Driving Challenge

...through tinted windscreen

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06:38 PM

01 August 2009

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Ecstasy of .st !!

Posted By Amit Singh

This blog is dedicated to the people with not-so-good memory, like me. We believe in the power of the suffix ‘st’ or rather I should say that our brain reads/remembers only the files with an extension ‘.st’
Well I don’t remember my friend’s birth dates and at times it gets tough to even recall their names. I DO NOT REMEMBER.….i'm not guilty but my brain is not programmed in that way. Forgive me guys, my ‘no calls’ on right days to you is not my fault.

Some memories are etched forever just because of this extension,like.....my first date…..my longest kiss…..my first school…..my cleverest friend…..my wickedest teacher…...my lamest excuse…..the croakiest singer…..my prettiest neighbor …..my highest marks in a subject ever.….my last day at school/college …..my highest cricket and goal score…..my first interview …..my latest trip to Goa…..my detest for the dentist…..my dumbest moment…..

So how do I remember things that doesn’t have that extension?? It’s easy....to remember our wedding anniversary, I have to add '.st' extension to it. I think of the 'best' day of my life....and voila!! 21st oct. flashes like a watch-tower light in my brain. Or to remember any moment cherished with my parents, all I have to think is about the 'best' parents in this world....and the unending clips of those lovely moments just play like a flash presentation in front of my eyes....see, I said it’s easy

Well you might be thinking how is this blog related to travel…..well it surely is.…do u remember your first car/bike…..your fastest / swiftest drive.….your first Mumbai local ride…..your costliest stay…..the yummiest food at a road-side dhaba …...the wildest terrain you’ve been to..…your craziest stunt…..the absurdist map ….your highest speed…..your longest ride/drive…..
Yes I do remember all these ‘estees’ and many more;

I do remember my 'longest' ride (5000+ kms)

I do remember my ride to the 'highest' motorable road in the world (Khardung La)

.....and to the 2nd 'highest' motorable pass (view from Taglang La)

.....crossing the 2nd 'coldest' inhabited place in the world (Drass)

.....my 'crazieset' ride ever (Losar to Koksar)

.....and the 'scariest' one (Nubra - Khardung La - Leh)

I do remember the 'highest' petrol retail outlet in the world (Kaza)

.....and being at the 'last' point of a border, till where civilians are allowed (Nagasti Post, Chitkul)

.....my 'first' stay in a tent dormitory (Pang)

.....the 'highest' village in the world with motorable road & electricity (Kibber)

.....the 'first' sight of Bactrian camels (Hunder, Nubra Valley)

.....and the 'weirdest' end to a spiralled mountain road (More Plains - around 40 kms of flat land)

Well a not-so-good memory is not-so-bad if it gives a different perspective to look at things around, and life in general.

09:04 AM

01 August 2009

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Two minutes!!!

Posted By Jace

From the horrifically narrow roads, to the highest peaks, from the deserts to rafting creeks...... something which has traveled India as extensively as none of us, is this wonderful two minute recipe.

In places which were dependent only on solar energy, where cigarettes to find were only IMPACT and not any familiar looking thing but for the orange candies which reminded me of my childhood days. There lay a thing on the shelves, dwelling as if it were home....
The wondrous little yellow packet almost smiling as if to an old acquaintance, and I returned the gaze with a surprise of "hello buddy! you? here? how come?" .... Quite a magnificent job done by the distributors, its almost like finding Indians in India,
This is a dedication to this old friend, which has been loyal from our school days when we were so in love with singing "badi zoron ki bhookh lagi maggi chahiye mujhe abhi" while it was cooked.
To the days of the hostel, where we weren’t allowed to keep any electronics, not even an electric kettle. We cooked maggi almost soup like, by filling it a flask, with the hot water from our bathroom geyser.
When maggi was sometimes distributed at school, (promotion of course) we couldn't ever wait to get back home & eat it cooked. We tore the packets after crushing the insides into the smallest possible bits and adding the masala. As a child I found it too spicy, but I still couldn't resist eating it.
As we grew up, my boyfriend cooked maggi for me sometimes when I went to meet him, and I thought he could cook.
Dumb! DUMB! D.U.M.B! who couldn't cook maggi?
and even today with a tough day at work or when TGDC keeps us so engrossed, maggi becomes our saviour for the midnight meals.
Surprisingly It just doesn't take two minutes only to cook, but also to get consumed.
Hail maggi! from the smallest villages, to the college canteens, to some hip cafeterias we loved you raw, cooked, buttered, souped and cheesed.....
we've loved you for many two minutes in our lives.

04:11 AM

01 August 2009

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Lifeline…

Posted By Jace

I have just got conceived,
and not all sperms are lucky to have made it!!
A little nudge, a little push and a little lullaby
a distant whistle, a cosy seat….
I think of the past & then the future & what lies ahead
I hear murmurs…sometimes I eve’s drop….
I hear some jokes….I chuckle
I see colors don’t ask me how…
trimester after trimester… I look for the right time
And then there’s a halt….
they say it’s a delay
I want to make up fast as if in a relay
I get to explore my humble and rowdy side
sometime I wonder if I’ve got a twin beside
I get squished…sweaty am I?
And then there’s noise…shouting, screaming,
I tell you it’s a laborious pain….
Trying to push my self out
Ah!… I got delivered, just out of the fully pregnant train

Mumbai locals- rightly called the lifeline of Bombay, carry almost sixty six lakh commuters everyday. Its magical to see the stations swarm with people every two minutes. All kinds of people. All classes, creeds, intellects and variations of the poor and the affluent. Local trains are the mightiest levelers, they do justice, sometimes they are mean......but thankfully, no one is spared.
They are the living for many: beggars, vendors, pickpockets & thousands of people who wouldn't make to their destinations without them.
Locals, have some eternal songs, few almost programmed fights, some fish stink wrapped in the scent of a floral gajra, several devouts deep into prayer, someone sitting in the corner & smiling, observing the one sitting beside, deeply snoring.......children crying, shopper's buying & people engrossed in books or mobiles through these turbid times.
Local trains are such an integral part of many lives, wonder how many people are an integral part of the local train's life.

01:47 PM

31 July 2009

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[kaleido-INDIA] TIMES : ISSUE 5 (Sayonara till the auditions!!)

Posted By Amit Singh

QUOTE FROM THE ROAD

BHOLUNATH and CHATURNAAR

Part 5 Bholu gets his Cedia

There is a feeling of exuberance as I share this note with you today; remember Bholu & Chatur, how they aspire to have what most of us ( the big city guys) dream of. Well they surely studied us keenly and realised how our lives revolve around Cedia right now; not only us but of all of our friends n folks too. Guess what....Bholu and Chatur have bought their very own Cedia!!! ...... the urban dream car (am little sad too as they sold a part of their land for an industrial area coming up around their village). They have gone back....happy, satisfied & elated.
We had planned to take them along with us on the drive, if we get through the grilling auditions ; and now when these guys have a Cedia..... we already have an offer from them (but i guess we won't fit into their car.... so we'd rather wait for ours)
We surely wouldn't get to see them through the auditions, but hope even our dream comes true. Amen! We'll share their perspective of modern developed India along with ours of unadulterated India.....till then.....Sayonara

TRAVEL FROM THE PAST

Pin Valley - 'eXODUS to the dESOLATE Lands'

'a wALK with the sHADOWS' - an early morning walk with the goats in Teling

‘the land of Ibex and snow leapords’….that’s what Pin Valley is known as. Though we had to make-do only with red fox and mountain goats….nonetheless their sight was equally fascinating (see the video).
Meandering its way off the Tabo-Kaza highway, crossing over river spiti, the dusty road rolled into a new world- an exodus from already afar lands to the desolate ones. Saw edged mountains covered with fresh snow, stood tall, seemingly threatening for the tiny white-washed villages of Pin valley.

.....a wind eroded mountain line near Lidang

bridge near Sagnam Village - Pin Valley

The dream run to our destination, Mud village, was halted abruptly by road block, due to landslides after heavy snowfall for 3 continuous days….’yeah that crazy after-snowfall ride from kibber to kaza still glistens like fresh snow in my mind’. We took a detour from Sagnam village to Teling, a small village with just a few lucky (if I may say so!!) families. Surrounded by chain-sawed mountains from one side, big boulder like hills on the other and a river slithering silently along, Teling is like a meditation haven….and no need to close your eyes for this one. Though it doesn’t need a mention but yeah there was no guest house or any commercial place to stay….but the wanderers do manage a night stay with local families for a small sum….like we did. This was another experience added to the list of night halts in tent, tent dormitory, monastry, army cants and dingy guest houses ( even the PWD ones).

Teling Village shadowed by a saw-edged mountain

Few steps in a narrow alley of a mud and stone house led us to a small room packed with 3 beds and an old wooden coffee table. A wooden pillar in the center appeared to be holding up the roof…washed out paint…a small boat painting and and an old calendar with a vintage photograph pasted on it…added up for a complete new wonderous experience…craziest was the loo with just a hole dug in the centre, in front of a haystack…and a rope hanging from the roof (god knows for what)…everything was so alien (it was our introduction to the cess pool) ….so we all resorted to a leak in the nearby fields. That night was bone-chilling cold and sky completely star studded….glitzier than the covers of ‘STARDUST’….and density more than the population of Mumbai.

....the room we stayed in

.....and view from it's window

Jace sewing up my torn denim

An early morning walk with the family out to graze a herd of goats n sheep was purifying… .a nice custom where-in everyday a family takes the complete herd of the entire village out for grazing.

'fAMILY of the dAY'

'tWIN - tROUBLE'

'HOrrrrrNY'

'sMILES and mORE'

Why so sERIOUS !!

'sPINNING dREAMS'

....the family we stayed with

Hop on to our side car and feel the journey from Kaza to Teling (pin valley).....an exodus to the desolate lands.

FEATURED FOLLOWER (read: companion)

Name: Manoj
Check out some gr8 pics by Manoj at;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40230852@N02/

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From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 17th Aug 09 12:59:02 PM

Beautiful drive from Nashik to Bombay, one of THE best roads we have driven on!

From : TWaC

Sent : 17th Aug 09 12:40:00 PM

Had fallen in love with Cedia. Now, it s time for detachment.

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 16th Aug 09 03:20:55 PM

Bright, blue sky.. Cotton candy clouds.. We head to Nasik

From : TWaC

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Heavy rains in Konkan. Near zero visibility.

From : TWaC

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Back to Maharashtra

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on the road again, heading from udaipur to baroda

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Rain welcomes us at Goa

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Sent : 15th Aug 09 03:54:33 PM

In pot-hole territory. Thank god we are on empty stomachs!

From : TWaC

Sent : 15th Aug 09 03:36:16 PM

Now on the fringes of Western Ghats

From : TWaC

Sent : 14th Aug 09 04:05:56 PM

Touched Kerala once more. At Bekal Fort

From : TWaC

Sent : 14th Aug 09 04:02:45 PM

Morning drive through misty Coorg

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 14th Aug 09 01:31:24 PM

just reached jaipur... Its super warm here

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 14th Aug 09 01:17:21 PM

300km from home! :) :) racing to indore!

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 14th Aug 09 12:18:33 PM

Still pouring, hoping its also raining in MP where the soyabean farmers are looking up hopefully at the sky

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 14th Aug 09 12:08:08 PM

2361 Shivpuri

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 14th Aug 09 11:51:43 AM

Pouring all the way from Agra into Jaipur

From : One Foot Wild

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On our way to Jaipur

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Blogging! The bed beckons..

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 13th Aug 09 07:46:54 PM

Just out after seeing the taj mahal!

From : TWaC

Sent : 13th Aug 09 04:51:36 PM

Madikkeri - Ghats, rains and pot-holed roads

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 13th Aug 09 04:10:44 PM

10km from Gwalior, pulled over by the police to be asked Kya yeh sports gaadi hai? ;D

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 13th Aug 09 03:43:28 PM

Had breakfast AND lunch today! Niiiice! :D

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 13th Aug 09 12:38:26 PM

Still on the road to Agra...

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 13th Aug 09 08:04:32 AM

Heading to Agra. Its going to be a long drive..

From : TWaC

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On our way back to Mysore

From : TWaC

Sent : 12th Aug 09 05:35:06 PM

In Wayanad. Western Ghats Kerala episode

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 12th Aug 09 02:42:18 PM

Tan! Tandan!! .. Aaja aaja dilli chhodein! .. Delhi dropped from plans. We head straight to Agra!

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 12th Aug 09 01:46:03 PM

It s hot at the Hawa Mahal! :|

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 12th Aug 09 12:59:33 PM

In Varanasi, walking along the ghats and looking at the Ganga

From : TWaC

Sent : 12th Aug 09 11:48:58 AM

Through Nagarhole National Park

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 12th Aug 09 11:41:21 AM

At Akad Cars, the Mitsu showroom. Mr. Abhinav, the MD, is tellim us the best way around Jaipur.

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 12th Aug 09 09:13:27 AM

Good morning world! We are in Jaipur! Today s objective: getting Joe a pink shirt/kurta ;)

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 11th Aug 09 10:20:04 PM

In Varanasi, just got back to the room after the ganga aarti. Stunning.

From : TWaC

Sent : 11th Aug 09 09:03:36 PM

Swine flue alert in Hassan. We cancelled our stay and hit Mysore.

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 11th Aug 09 07:55:47 PM

On NH8, long day comin to an end.

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 11th Aug 09 04:51:56 PM

Dust storm outside, but IIM Outdoors is snugly cocooned in the Blackhawk :)

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 11th Aug 09 04:06:41 PM

30kms from Varanasi and its pouring..

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 11th Aug 09 01:51:31 PM

Leaving Jodhpur ... On our way to Ajmer.. Hoping to visit the dargah today .. Jodhpur was beautiful! *sigh*

From : TWaC

Sent : 11th Aug 09 01:40:47 PM

Cedia Sports turns its SUV mode on. Climbs Kemmana Gundi peak.

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 11th Aug 09 12:28:05 PM

Superbly bad roads on route to Varanasi. Soaking in the last sights of Madhya Pradesh.

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 11th Aug 09 12:20:07 PM

Just had a long conversation with Mr.Brijraj Singh - great-grandson of HRH Ratan Singh .. Visit to Mehrangarh Fort delayed

From : TWaC

Sent : 11th Aug 09 12:20:02 PM

Driving through coffee estates to Kemmana Gundi peak

From : TWaC

Sent : 11th Aug 09 10:23:44 AM

Bhadra dam & WLS. Touch & go.

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 11th Aug 09 08:52:51 AM

Just got up, not a single post been uploaded so far, gotta hurry.. ttyl :)

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 11th Aug 09 08:31:52 AM

Passing through the Panna Forest Reserve..stopped on a bridge..

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 11th Aug 09 08:01:54 AM

Heading from Khajuraho to Varanasi..

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 10th Aug 09 08:43:24 PM

Sitting at Raja Cafe having a European thali.. :)

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 10th Aug 09 07:56:44 PM

In Jodhpur old markets - SHOPPING!

From : TWaC

Sent : 10th Aug 09 07:50:45 PM

At Shimoga after a rainy day in rain forests

From : One Foot Wild

Sent : 10th Aug 09 07:40:11 PM

Back at the hotel after seeing the absolutely stunning temples of Khajuraho.

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 10th Aug 09 06:47:10 PM

As the sun sets, we enter Jodhpur, today s travel - 396km, but not feeling blue at all :)

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 10th Aug 09 04:50:05 PM

100 km away frm jodhpur, horrible truckyktraffic on the way. Had lunch for the second time in four days! :)

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 9th Aug 09 02:27:22 PM

Just had tea with Mr.Dhanraj Mallik, Rann veteran & advisor to the BBC. Right now, on our way to discover some salt pans, thts how we spend our Sunday! ;)

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 9th Aug 09 12:05:24 PM

On state highway 07. Namrata s driving while I m writing and Enrique s crooning.

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 8th Aug 09 07:30:34 PM

At the Vintage Villa of classic cars, droolin over the sports tourers. Got here after blastin the 88km NE1 Expressway in 42mins! Cedia, take a bow!

From : TWaC

Sent : 8th Aug 09 12:01:23 AM

Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary A manmade forest spread over 84 sq km A haven for deers peacocks an many birds

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 7th Aug 09 10:25:40 PM

Ab hum bhi poore punjabi! ... Current track: Kangana .. For Gaurav from Chandigarh :)

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 7th Aug 09 09:56:45 PM

Just discovered d USB connector for the blackhawk s music sys... one of d best moments of d day! :D

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 7th Aug 09 05:28:25 PM

Reached our first destination Daman, it even has its own airport! :)

From : TWaC

Sent : 7th Aug 09 04:38:22 PM

We haven't heard the 'Suprabhatham' chant for many many years. While we were in Chennai and Kerala we used to hear that quite often. First day morning. And as we walk into this nice restaurant at Vashi for breakfast, the 'Suprabhatham' chant welcomes us. Perhaps a good omen on the first stop on first day.

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 7th Aug 09 04:19:19 PM

Just drove 21 km in our cedia, for the very first time! This vehicle is just so smooth!! :) 50 km from Daman. Joe s taken over coz we have to reach by 12

From : IIM Outdoor

Sent : 7th Aug 09 03:09:15 PM

Good morning! :) on our way frm thane to vapi. Jus done upma n rawa dosa at Kamat Vithals. Catch the pic on our flickr n twitter!

About us

Amit Singh ( read: the tranquility of the Himalayas) Jasleen Chopra (read: the effervescence of the Ganges) In the little journey of knowing us better that we are about to take you through, we hope to give you a reason to hook on to us.

This Dehradun guy has a keen interest in photography & observations he always seems to have a new muse. Travel albeit has remained a constant. Jasleen, a chatterbox, is happy with whatever comes her way.

Ecstasy of .st !!

Two minutes!!!

Lifeline…

[kaleido-INDIA] TIMES : ISSUE 5 (Sayonara till the auditions!!)

QUOTE FROM THE ROAD

BHOLUNATH and CHATURNAAR

Part 5 Bholu gets his Cedia

TRAVEL FROM THE PAST

Pin Valley - 'eXODUS to the dESOLATE Lands'

FEATURED FOLLOWER (read: companion)

About us

Followers

Other Teams

Recent Posts

Ecstasy of .st !!

Two minutes!!!

Lifeline…

[kaleido-INDIA] TIMES : ISSUE 5 (Sayonara till the auditions!!)

QUOTE FROM THE ROAD

BHOLUNATH and CHATURNAAR

Part 5 *Bholu gets his Cedia*

TRAVEL FROM THE PAST

Pin Valley - 'eXODUS to the dESOLATE Lands'

FEATURED FOLLOWER (read: companion)

About us

Followers

Other Teams

Recent Posts

Part 5 Bholu gets his Cedia