When one evening over tea, we were contemplating a vacation, Rohan said ‘Pick a place and we will drive there’. After considering a couple of places I came across pictures from Leh and I was hooked. I told Rohan, we should visit Leh and he very casually said again ‘Ok then, we will drive to Leh’. Having often seen Rohan’s passion for driving override his rational thinking, I looked up some articles and blogs about driving to Leh. There were many who had started the drive from Delhi but just a few driving enthusiasts who had actually attempted the journey from Mumbai. But the stories of the few who had were enough to get our hearts racing and we decided it would be a trip worth the risk.

Over the next two months we began to put together everything from the travel itinerary, maps and potential hotels to getting our leaves sanctioned, going for walks and building our stamina. A lot of the nitti gritties like jerry can for petrol, non perishable foods, suitable clothing etc. were checked off the list.

We were able to manage only 16 days (25days would have been ideal) of leaves. The car serviced, bags packed and itinerary in place, we were ready to embark on what turned out to be an absolutely fascinating journey.

I could write about every place we visited, every river that flowed by and every mountain that we rode through, but no words can do justice to the raw beauty of nature that we were so lucky to experience. Yes, it can only be experienced not described!

I have therefore put together a photologue to remember this trip. I am in no way claiming that these photos can fully capture our experience, but this is the best I could do. I hope you enjoy this photologue as much as I enjoyed clicking the photos and I sure do hope it inspires you to take this trip because it will be worth it!

Dargah Sharif of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti, Ajmer, Rajasthan.

The Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar, Punjab

Jallianwala Bagh and Flag Lowering Ceremony at the India-Pakistan
International Border Wagah, Amritsar, Punjab.

Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.

Dal Lake, Srinagar,Jammu and Kashmir.

Sonmarg, Jammu and Kashmir.

Srinagar-Kargil Drive and The Kargil War Memorial

Drass(World's Second Coldest Inhabited place), Srinagar-Kargil Drive and Kargil Stay

Kargil-Leh Drive

Magnetic Hill and The Future Buddha, Leh, J&K.

City of Leh, J&K.

Shanti Stupa and The Thiksey Monastery

Enroute Khardungla Pass, Ladakh, J&K.

Khardung La Pass (K-Top or ‘Pass of Lower Castle’) - Worlds Highest Motorable Road (18380ft), Ladakh, J&K.

Ladakh-Manali Drive

Ladakh-Manali Drive

Ladakh-Manali Drive

Ladakh-Manali Drive

Stay at Sarchu, Leh-Manali Highway,On the border of Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.

Ladakh-Manali Drive

Ladakh-Manali Drive

Ladakh-Manali Drive

Rohtang Pass, Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh.

Manali, Himachal Pradesh.

Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Through the eyes of the ride!

This trip has been beyond all our expectations. Yes, I take credit for putting the itinerary of the trip together. I had researched the drive so intensely that we had information on almost everything- Maps to permits, ATMs to petrol pumps. However this ambitious drive would not have been possible without Rohan’s exemplary driving skills. Let it be the smooth highways or the treacherous mountain, he has driven through it all with his usual unaffected calm.

The hero of our trip however, is our car Maruti Swift Dzire Tour-MH02CR294. It has driven steady through some of the most unsteady terrains. We were told several times before and during the course of the trip that a Dzire is not cut out for this trip. But Rohan was determined and our car did complete justice to the risky task we put it up to.

We cannot ignore the thread of divine intervention that was woven through our entire trip. From Siddhivinayak-Mumbai to Dragah Sharif-Ajmer, Golden Temple-Amritsar to the Monasteries of Leh, it is always heart warming to see the faith running amongst the visitors but it is humbling to experience it. We were alarmed by the news of the floods, the stories of travellers who were stranded on the unpredictable roads for hours for various reasons and our determination was often shaken! But fortunately, we have faced absolutely no hindrances on the trip and every day has gone as per our itinerary.

We always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. Even the normally angry Zojila and Rohtang Pass embraced us with open arms. They say faith can move mountains, but in our case it helped us move through the mountains. One sentiment that this trip has re-inforced is Patriotism for our country. We were lucky to hear the Kargil story from the soldiers at the War memorial and were fortunate to experience the exquisiteness of India. We can now comprehend fighting for our country, for a land this beautiful and bountiful can only belong to the great India!