Day 8 -- Kargil to Leh

22-September-2017
6:00AM We started from the hotel, the idea was to reach Leh as soon as possible. We were little worried because since last night all data networks had died.

This sector probably has most picturesque landscapes as you are driving around. The trick is to slow down, not rush and enjoy.

Kargil Town

9:20 AM We crossed Futula, which is the highest pass on Kargil Leh sector. Although it is a modest 13479 feet.

Highest pass on Kargil Leh Sector

There are monasteries and other building which just look amazing. One wonders, "How did they build it there?".

Feels right out of LoTR

12:10 PM We reached Magnetic Hill. There is a cafe here where one can have Pizza, Sandwiches, Pasta and other stuff. It is a great respite from Maggi only eatries around this place. Once can take a ride on Quad bikes also there.



1:40 PM We reached Leh, there was no data network anywhere in town since we had not booked any hotel in advance, it was a challenge to find a place to stay. After driving around for a while and making some calls, we found out Hotel Shangri-La on old Leh road.

Day 7 -- Srinagar to Kargil

21-September-2017

9:30 AM We left our houseboat and started driving towards Kargil. Early morning there were many houseboats selling stuff. We did not stay at the Dal Lake but adjoining lake called Nigeen Lake. The lake seems to be a living market. Early morning there were multiple vendors selling their wares, we politely told them that we were in a hurry and continued on towards our journey towards the car.
We had planned on leaving much earlier and we were significantly late. Last day's messy traffic between Jammu and Srinagar was in the back of the head. So we decided to not take many breaks and cover as many kilometers as possible.
The roads are narrow hill roads but the surface quality is good in most places, we did not encounter much of the traffic on our way. We did hear the stories of bad traffic on this road but our experience was very pleasant during the drive.
11:35 AM We arrived Sonamarg town. We would have stopped for some time here if we were not pressed for time. The town seems to have developed into a  nice tourist attraction.

This segment is probably the most picturesque drive in the country. The barren mountains are beautifully laid out on both sides of the road.

1:50 PM We reached a sleepy little town which had a dhaba in it, so we stopped for the lunch. The place on Google seems to be marked as Halqa Panchayat. Not really sure of its real name. It had few houses and few shops.

2:50 PM We started after Lunch and continued towards Kargil.
3:45 PM We reached Kargil War Memorial.
The memorial is open to visitors. One has to present a proof of identity and then you can go inside.  The first sight as you enter the memorial is the large tricolor at the end of the complex.

What you see as you enter the memorial

There is a wall behind the tricolor that mentions the names of the soldiers who were martyred fighting for the country.

On the left of the complex, there is a small museum specifically dedicated to the details of Kargil war.

We spend around two hours at the memorial, there are a canteen and a souvenir shop near the main gate. Finally we left towards Kargil town.
6:30 PM We reached our hotel in Kargil. We stayed in Hotel D' Zozilla, Here is my review of the hotel.

Summer 2017 -- Back to the nature

The summer vacation was upon us and this year, nature seems to be calling. We made a plan to drive to Madhya Pradesh and visit national parks.

The drive was spread over three weeks with approximately one week stop to take care of some things.

• 08-April-2017, Day 1 -- Bengaluru to Nagpur
• 09-April-2017, Day 2 -- Nagpur to Pench National Park
• 10-April-2017, Day 3 -- Pench National Park to Kanha National Park
• 11-April-2017, Day 4 -- Kanha National Park
• 12-April-2017, Day 5 -- Kanha National Park to Bandhavgarh National Park
• 13-April-2017, Day 6 -- Bandhavgarh National Park
• 14-April-2017, Day 7 -- Bandhavgarh National Park
• 15-April-2017, Day 8 -- Bandhavgarh National Park to Jabalpur
• 16-April-2017, Day 9 -- Jabalpur to Bhopal
• 17-April-2017, Day 10 -- Bhopal to Omkareswar, Maheswar, Mahakaleswar and back
• 18-April-2017, Day 11 -- Bhimbetka, Manav Sangrahalay
• 19-April-2017 to 20-April-2017, Day 12 & 13, Break from Travel
  
• 21-April-2017, Day 14 -- Bhopal to Delhi
• 22-April-2017, Day 15 -- Delhi to Bhopal
• 23-April-2017 to 28-April-017 , Day 16 to Day 21, Break from travel
• 29-April-2017 Day 22, Bhopal to Bengaluru

The trip lasted 22 days with 12 days of active driving days. Total distance covered was 6402 kilometer with approximately 650 liters of diesel consumed. The tolls paid during the travel were approximately Rs. 3500/-. FastTag was accepted in most tolls with significant haggling and it saved no time. Most places FasTag took longer than regular queue.

Day 22, Bhopal to Bengaluru

29-04-2017
04:30 AM Started from Bhopal
5:45 AM Just after Budhni, stopped for breakfast, poha and chai.

7:28 AM Stopped at Hotel Meghna just around Betul for a bio break.
10:17 AM Stopped at Hotel Le Meredien, Nagpur for a brunch. Total one hour break.
12:04 PM Got stuck at Hinghanghat railway crossing for 10 minutes.
1:09 PM Stopped at Hotel Rahul in Pandharkawada, found out that the restaurant is closed because of ban on bars near highway.

2:45 PM Stopped at Singh is King Dhaba for lunch near Nirmal.

5:55 PM Entered Hyderabad Outer Ring Road, exited on Bengaluru road at 6:45 PM.
7:27 PM Stopped at Cafe Coffee Day near Hotel Hill Park food court.

11:14 PM Stopped at Royal Dhaba near Karadikonda.
03:30 AM Reached Home.

Day 15 -- Delhi to Bhopal

23-04-2017
Even though we had planned on starting early, by the time we started it was already 8:30 AM.
09:45 AM Stopped at the rest area in the middle of YEW.
2:00 PM Stopped at Barista Gwalior
4:45 PM Crossed Jhansi
5:00 PM Stopped at Mamta Resort near Jhansi

8:00 PM Stopped at Radisson hotel bina kurwai road. This has nothing to do with popular Radisson chain of hotels.
10:00 PM Crossed Sanchi
11:00 PM Reached Bhopal.

Day 14 -- Bhopal to Delhi

22-04-2017
This was an impromptue trip to Delhi and back.
5:30 AM Started from Bhopal, took the Sanchi Road.

09:10 AM Reached Radha Kunj Dhaba near Lalitpur. I pretty much always stop here for breakfast. Not great, but a typical highway dhaba.

10:50 AM Turned towards Gwalior at N-S corridor.
11:55 AM There is a Reliance Petrol station in Dabra, they accept credit cards, stopped there for filling up the tank.
12:41 PM Stopped at the Barista Gwalior for a small snack and coffee break.

2:20 PM Crossed Chambal Ravines

3:30 PM Entered Agra.
4:00 PM Entered Yamuna Expressway
6:00 PM Reached Noida.