Our Travelogue

With us it started off early in life. The first half of eighties saw us getting married (4th May 1984), we spent our honeymoon in the snow tents at Mana near Badrinath. It was forty-five days of out of the world experience that encompassed rock climbing, rappelling, trekking in the high altitude mountains with the blessings of LORD BADRINATH under the famous Neelkanth mountain ranges. MANA - is the last village from the Indian side short of the famous Silk-Route to Tibet and China, what a cultural variation one could see in Mana. Trek to NITI PASS was treacherous, wind speed was enough to sweep one off his feet, but, the view of the Tibet Valley from Niti Pass was an out of this world experience that can only be felt. From Niti Pass one could see the general alignment of the famous Mt Kailas. Other places that we visited and stayed were - Joshimath or Jyotirmath as locally called- entry point to the famous Badrinath. AULI -ride the ropeway or trek/drive to reach the lovely Ski - slopes and witness the breath-taking mountain ranges of Nanda Devi, Hathi Parbat and the Ghori Parbat. The places like Malari and beyond was restricted for civilians movement then, but for the locals. One has to live there to feel the purity of people and the environment. This was followed by visit to the Heaven on Earth- the Kashmir Valley. The law and order situation was good then, one could freely move around and feel and live life naturally. We would get a case of freshly picked apples from the gardens at a cost that one could never ever think of i.e. Re one only. Very aptly someone said if there is heaven on earth it is there. The Chikara ride in the Dal around Char-Chinar in the moon-lit night can only be dreams come true. The apple orchards of Pattan and Baramulla, smell of the Conifers and the taste of Gustavas still linger in our taste buds. We had the opportunity to visit the infamous Zojilla Pass enroute to Leh and Ladakh, this treacherous pass remains slightly short of Kargil and is known as DRIVERS DREAD. Then on the 10th of Sep 1986 we were blessed. There arrived our son whom we named as Angad. With him being just a year old we trekked from Somnamarg to the Amarnath shrine with my son on my shoulders all along the journey. Now, with the blessings of God Almighty he is embarking into his own journey of life. If J & K was beautiful then Himachal Pradesh was the Mountain Glory. The attire ,food, traditions in the higher reaches seemed so familiar that one could easily get confused, but, as one got down to the lower heights the differences corresponded to the closer plains. In 1975 the drive from Dharamshala to Kullu Valley & Manali-Rohtang Pass was really thrilling. We trekked from Bhuntar (Airport) to Manikaran (Gurudwara) as there was no road. The same route we travelled in the year 2002 and we found a beautifully laid out road from Bhuntar to Manikaran. It will take me volumes to express my travel experiences in which I have had the opportunity to visit the Seven Sister States in the North -East. A totally different experience to have known the various tribes in Nagaland, their inter-tribal relationships, their culture and the food habits. The Assamese culture and tradition. Hindu Raj in Assam to the Buddhism in Arunachal Pradesh. All is a life - time experience. On the 13th of Mar 1992 the good GOD filled up our happiness by completing our family. Our Barbie doll was born. We moved to Chennai. This launched us into visiting the Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands and the South Indian States. Travelling to the Andamans can be difficult, as there is only one flight that lands there daily. The flight either lands from Calcutta and takes off to Madras or lands from Madras and takes off to Calcutta. There are ship services from Kolkata and Chennai too. The Andaman Islands are a group of several islands so most of our sightseeing was by boats. There are a total of more than 356 islands there. The Cellular Jail - a must visit; will raise hairs of all Indians after seeing the light and sound show. Jollybouy Island- a beautiful island just a kilometre long, Ross Island which was where the British used to live. It is very closely associated with Indian freedom struggle thus, a must see. South Indian roads are excellent and a driving pleasure. What a magnificent Nation that we are blessed to be citizens of, you name it and we have it. From the icy peaks to the Lovely beaches and from the primary jungles to the golden deserts. It indeed is INCREDIBLE INDIA As for the driving experience is concerned we have driven on 90% of the places mentioned above. A few long hauls includes:- 1. Ferozepur in Punjab to Patna (Patna Sahib) - approx 1600 Kms in three days. 2. Tinsukia in Assam to Chennai via Jamshedpur, Bhubneshwar (Orissa) , Trivandrum- approx 2400 Kms in seven days. 3. Seven days south India Visit from Chennai to Pondicherry- Madurai- Cape Comorin and back. 4. Four days from Chennai to Pathankot. 5. Two days from Pune to Mumbai to New Delhi We would continue to do so in times to come. In all my driving ventures my wife and family have most of the time been my company. GOD BLESS