Me, Myself & My Journey

Kehathe hein... agar kisi cheez ko dilse chaaho toh puri kayanath... usse thum se milaane ki koshish mein lag jaathey hey! They say... if you wish for something with all your heart, then the whole world.. will start working towards making you meet your goal! -Shahrukh Khan - OSO In 1998 when Mani Rathnam's 'Dilse' was released, one more thing other than Preity Zinda and A R Rehman's music caught my attention... the awesome landscape or rather 'moonscape' of Ladakh! It was unlike any other places I've ever seen in south and believe me, it was the first time I was seeing that part of our own country! Right then I decided I'll visit this place someday. Exactly a decade later, when I made a promise to my Travel Bug , I included Ladakh also my wish list for 2008 . After checking the holiday calendar, I decided October is the suitable month! However, lot of trips in the first 6 months made me over-confident and I didn't do any home work for Ladakh trip....

This is the itinerary given to us by Vishal. I have included a few comments based on our experience which might be helpful for anyone. Aug 08th - Pick up from Delhi (drive to Manali), Aprox - 550 Km/ Leave Delhi early afternoon, so that you can reach Manali early morning, then you will get enough time to rest in Manali (hotel will let u know), Have your early break fast, start your journey towards Serchu. Our comment : If you are starting from Delhi in the evening, after you reach Manali next morning, please consider giving the Driver a good rest. It is very much necessary for the drive ahead! So instead of evening, if you start early morning from Delhi, you can find yourselves in Manali in the late evening. A nice sleep in the night will make you as well as the Driver refreshed and ready for the journey ahead! Aug 09th - Manali - Serchu. ( MAPAI), Approx - 224 Km/ 8 to 9 hrs Arrive Sarchu in evening in the camp site called CAMP BLUE POPPEY, Take complete rest no other work or visit, ...

Coonoor - Ooty June 20 2008 It was friday and I was sitting in my home waiting for my brother to come from Mumbai. He was getting married on Sunday! Most of the arrangements were done already, but still a few were pending. Anyways it had been a bit busy week for me running here and there. Hence when one of my cousin brother John asked me if I would like to join him on a bike trip to his home in coonoor for a day I gave it a serious thought. We can leave early morning, reach coonoor in about 3 to 4 hrs. Have lunch at his place and come back in the evening. Anyways my brother was arriving in the night only. So I decided to go. Requesting my father to take care of the arrangements for a day I started to Coonoor. However, as this was not a sightseeing trip and with brother's marriage in mind all the time, we quickly completed the work in Coonoor and then Ooty, had lunch and hurried back. By the time I reached home, my brother had arrived!!! Yet another much needed break during that hec...

16, 17, 18 Feb 2007 Ukhimat - Uttrakhand 3 days ... Away from the crowd ... A solo trip ... a bit of trekking ... sometime to sit and enjoy the nature ... and to forget everything ! All this and more with something around 1000 Rs in hand. Do u think I am joking? Well I am not! After scanning for a suitable destination around Delhi, I decided to go to Chopta-Thunganath-Chandrashilla .. A little 'geo ghyan' for those who didnt pay attention in Geography! Chopta is located on the Gopeshwar-Ukhimath Road in Garhwal, Uttrakhand. (Ukhimat is like the hub for all tourists going there). Chopta offers some awesome views of Himalayan ranges (I'm sorry I forgot the names of the peaks) Anyways after reaching Ukhimatt, I was a bit disappointed to learn that the road to Chopta was blocked due to snow! Also there wont be any accommodation available there. Then someone i met there, suggested Deoriataal! However this decision proved to be a good one, as there was a great surprise for me @ ...