We are partners in life and travel! Born in Himachal, mountain love runs replete in our veins! Staying creative and on the move is our soul food. The Himalayan Twain is our darling child begotten of our two eternal loves!
Beautiful vlog. I have a question which is not related to this vlog. I'm asking u since u r from Shimla. What is the present condition of Shimla-Kaza road? Is it open or still closed near Nigul Sari and other places? I'm starting a family road trip from Kolkata to Zanskar, Ladakh n Spiti very shortly. Should I plan the Shimla- Rekong Peo- kaza-Kunzum- Gramphoo loop or totally bypass it? Thanks.
Thank you 🤗 Although it’s open but Nigulsari is still risky ! It again collapsed 2 days back ! So the shimla Kaza route is best bypassed for now. However, if I may add humbly, dear Subrata, are you sure you’d like to cover Zanskar and Spiti in one go? I mean those are 2 ‘massive’ tracts of land! I’m very sure you have something figured, because you’re one of those sorted types who always have their homework done, but our 2 cents would be that you may not be able to do justice to either locales because this is a lot of mileage. Moreover, shinku la has received fresh snow and the part from the pass up until kurgiak is rather challenging at the moment.
@@Thehimtwain Thanks for the info. Yes, I know it'll be challenging n we maynot be able to do justice to both the places. As you've advised, we'll omit Spiti Valley this time due to frequent road blocks. Due to our work schedules it's very difficult to manage 20-25 days' leave at a stretch and every year one can't plan for Ladakh alone. If one plans a round road trip from Kolkata to Ladakh, he must arrange that kind of leave, since Kolkata-Manali-Kolkata alone takes 6 days. I'm already 50, so I know that not much time is left for me for this kind of adventure. Hence trying to make the most of the remaining life. Thanks again.
Thank you so much! Your wishes mean the world to us, dear sir/ma’am! 😇🙏 Honoured to have you for our audience! ❤️ Grateful for the love and the blessings! Sending you lots of love and regard from India 🙏 Welcome to our humble little family on RU-vid 💐
Beautiful vlog… once again another masterpiece showcasing beautiful Ladakhi hinterlands. I wish u had started vlogging a few years early, we wouldnt have missed so many places when we travelled Ladakh. Keep up the good work, u people are doing a lovely job.😊
Thank you so much for your continuous support 🤗 We would’ve started way back in 2017 when we started exploring Ladakh ! That’s on me 🤣 Mohit always wanted to do this. I kinda hesitated and wasn’t up for it ! Now I love it, too 😬😁
Wow, what majestic views! Our country truly is a treasure trove of surreal beauty. I commented in one of your old videos that I was planning a road trip, along this circuit and I am thrilled to say that I am about to embark on that journey soon. I can't wait to witness these pristine landscapes firsthand. Your blogs have been a constant source of inspiration, keeping my wanderlust alive. I will be sure to share my experiences with you all!
Absolutely, Kamal! No place like this! 🤗 It’s India’s crown jewel! 👑 Yes we remember having heard for you earlier and we’re thrilled you’re about to make tracks for Ladakh! Our best wishes! Please feel free to ask anything you wish; we’d be happy to help, and thanking you heartily for the kind words! ☺️❤️✌🏼. Yes, we’d love to hear from you about your experience! Hope you have a memorable one! Bon voyage! ☺️✌🏼✌🏼
Thank you so much, Boudhayan! You’re always there for us ☺️🙏 We’re dying to go to Spiti! ☺️It’s just that with the rains, the route from shimla is rather treacherous for the moment! Hoping to go soon. Thanks so much for the support ☺️🙏💐
@reachnag Yes, for the larger part, it is. 30% of the strech is where it’s narrow and one has to premeditate a spot for allowing a pass to the larger vehicle behind. But as Boudhayan pointed out correctly, you have wee-bit heavy vehicles: the occasional BRO truck or travellers for the tourist troupes. You never need to feel obliged to give a pass immediately; do it as per your comfort. Drivers generally understand in that zone ☺️👍
With everything that you capture and share, I only wish more and more to visit Zanskar some time 🤩 Wonder when it will happen! We are lucky to have folks like you who share their travels in such a beautiful way. Watching your vlogs makes Monday mornings just a tad bit easier 😅
I would say it is ‘us’ who are luckier, dear Shubham ☺️ getting to read such words full of such warmth that can only come from a very kind place! We wish you get to go real soon! Best wishes and lots of love! ☺️💐 Delighted if we’re able to chase away the Monday blues😀 Haha 👍
After taking a long break from RU-vid, I was pleasantly surprised to see your video in my feed. As always, it was amazing! I’m excited to binge watch all the videos I’ve missed in the series so far.
Another beautiful vlog. Thank u. I wanted to ask u one thing, since u r from Shimla. How is the condition of Shimla - Kaza road now , after the cloud burst at Rampur? Planning to have a road trip in mid September. We'll follow the kolkata- Delhi- Shimla- Kaza- Gramphu- Darcha- Zanskar route. Is it still possible after the devastation in Rampur area? Or do we need to plan via Manali?
Thanks a lot, Subrata 🙏🏻🤗 We’re pretty sure by mid September the roads should be good ! Right now, yes, the roads are not in a very good shape. That’s also in some areas not everywhere. Manali route is also bad right now! Especially near Pandoh dam! You needn’t plan it via Manali. The roads should be good via Shimla by the end of this month. Unless it rains again! We pray the monsoon gods show us some mercy !
I'm getting info that homestays at Padum r costly n mostly booked during season. Are there homestays available between Kurgiak n Padum? What price per person per night can I expect in September, with n without food? Do I need to bargain? My idea is to stay at less crowded places at a reasonable price. Thanks.
You’re right, we did find Padum costly ourselves, especially given the quality of the accommodation. It’s not in keeping with the times, I’d say , barring a few. We put up at Hotel Potala. It came to 2500 for the stay. They usually quote per person charge including food, which comes down to 2k per head at times at good places. Best to get food outside cause there are some good eateries around. You can clock this charge down by 700-800 rupees in September. Bargaining works, yes, to a reasonable point of course because unlike the more renowned hill stations, these Himalayan stays don’t overquote at the outset. Umm…we didn’t see anything significant between kurgiak and Padum. Mostly camping and shack stays. You could find stays offering solitude in Padum’s outskirts, for example, Sani village. ☺️👍
You’re very welcome, Subrata! ☺️ Thank you for always watching 🤗 Appreciate it! Well honestly, in all the trips, I haven’t. I usually time the journey after a service or I go for a general check up to get the status of the filter beforehand. So I can say, so far so good without a filter 🤗
Beautiful video. Thanks for choosing the road bypassing Purne. Not many travellers opt for this route. I've heard that this road is narrower and more difficult than its counterpart (the one through Purne). Is that true? Thanks once again.
Thank you again, Subrata! ☺️ Can always count on you for a pleasing comment 🙏 Yes, you’re spot on; narrower it is indeed and it winds much more, but the condition of the surface is markedly better than its counterpart, which makes it more comfortable. Purne road was tottered in comparison, I’d say. Plus, this one is angled more steeply vis-à-vis rivers Tsarap and Kurgiak, which maintains the river-view throughout even if it comes with deeper gulches, but that’s a plus, you’d agree, because it adds to the thrill. 😊 As for the difficulty posed by the lack of width, I’d say we found it rather fine because we didn’t come across a single vehicle all along except the one that you saw 😀 so the room was enough for one vehicle throughout. I guess you could also chalk up our comfort to the fact that we’ve driven in Himachal all our lives and are rather used to the single lane. You’re an enthusiast, I’m sure you know exactly what I’m saying 🤗 Gauging the space beforehand, letting the other vehicle go, and then resuming the journey… so I’m sure when it comes around to you taking this road, you, too, will find it a breeze 🤗 No substitute for driver’s attention, of course! 🤗 Rest, the remainder of the road is coming up in the next video! Thankful to you for being with us, dear Subrata! Cheers to you 🤗
Hi, dear Subrata! ☺️ Always a delight to know that we’ve had the pleasure of your viewership 🤗. That’s a very good question! 👍 It’s not easy, I’ll that you that 😄. We’re online language trainers so our work goes with us. 😃 We take halts to teach; sometimes we teach at odd hours to make up for any session missed. It gets taxing at times, but this crazy love for travel’s got no chill 😄 So we try to make it work one way or the other 🤗
@@Thehimtwain From day one, i see mastery over your eng language. Nice to know you teach language online. I checked your other channel too. Keep up the great work.
valleys are extremely hot , only 5-10 km at top is cool from June 23 , travelled Manali Leh Nubra Pongong. Srinagar , Even Nubra. Valley is too hot to venture outside before 5 pm
Well, yes, valleys are bound to be so in the summer, dear brother, especially the sandy Nubra. ☺️ Which is why we took on Zanskar; it remains cool throughout the year because it’s Ladakh’s closest region to the Western Himalayas and gets the maximum snow. Srinagar is much lower down so heat is a given. Being a cold desert, the days indeed feel hot because of insolation. Luckily, the cool winds that deflect from the peripheral mountains keep Leh moderate. Nubra doesn’t have such mounts around it, hence the heat. But you’ll find Zanskar pleasantly cool in this season as well. Cheers 🤗
How is your driving experience of the Gurkha? On highways of the plains as well as on hill roads? How long have u been owning this and How many km have u driven it? I know everybody prefers to say great things about the cars they own n normally doesn't want to mention the minus points. I want to know your honest opinion. Thanks.
Well then I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed with this answer as well, dear Subrata 😀 because the gurkha is the prime reason why we’re able to pull off these expeditious outings with not a care on our minds! We just know each time that it’ll get us through. Granted people have had different experiences but ours has genuinely, and I mean ‘genuinely’ been delightful. We got this in April 2022, and 30K kms down the lane, we’ve pushed it in every possible terrain…even on cruel uphill tracks wherein once you commit, hitting the breaks or rethinking is not an option until you hit the top, and it’s always come through for us. On a couple of occasions the rear tyres got smothered: once in deep snow and the other time in deep sand. That’s when the manual differential locks came into play and pulled us as if by a magnet from above! 😃 The ride quality is very satisfying; you’re just rolling on highways with not a care. It’s surely not for those who want to dart past others because on highways, it begins to choke after 80, but the boost to that point is rather hearty because of the healthy torque. Interestingly, they’ve taken care of that too in the 2024 BS 6.2 variant that’s been juiced up to 140 bhp from 90 bhp that you see here. This is why the gurkha was always our choice. 😊 So like I said, dear Subrata, you may be disappointed but these are true feelings! I make car reviews on another channel of mine and I’d have punished the car for any serious shortcomings had there genuinely been any 🤗. It’s just that the company is often negligent of its parts and accessories. Apart from that, we don’t even mind the spartan interiors. In fact, we feel, that’s how a rugged 4 x 4 should be on the inside. Cheers 😊
@@Thehimtwain Well, I'm not disappointed. All I wanted was an honest opinion. I own Jimny automatic n a Fortuner manual 4x4. I know the shortcomings of Jimny. I've not found any fault in performance of the Fortuner so far. Earlier I had a Tata Safari 3.0 dicor. It had it's own flaws. All based on performance parameters. It's good that u r completely satisfied with your Gurkha's performance. Thank u anyway for ur opinion. By the way, what's the name of your car channel?
Wow! Subrata, you’ve owned quite a fleet of off-roaders there 😍 It’s funny that we haven’t already met in Ladakh or Spiti 😃 Haha! Hoping to, soon ☺️ Oh well the fortuner is a proven machine 👌 no doubt! Well currently the channel is a mixed bag of this and that with a few car reviews but I’m trying to turn it into a complete car review channel. 😊 Here’s the link: youtube.com/@mohitsgoodstuffreviews?si=l5iJjvLd3oLmV-5y Thanks 😊
@zenwithzoey: here you go, brother ☺️ youtube.com/@mohitsgoodstuffreviews?si=l5iJjvLd3oLmV-5y It’s a mix bag right now, trying to slowly turn it into a car review channel ☺️
