Canadian Rockies #3: Planning

Posted on April 29, 2018 by badri

During our driving in first half of May, the winter snow will still be there. Some lakes will still be frozen in Canadian Rockies and a few roads in Yellowstone will still be closed. But the snow all around will have its own charm and excitement. Considering these closures, I worked the route, keeping maximum time on road to be 10 hours per day.

Against the expectation of 30-45 days for Canadian visas, we got our visas in less than 2 weeks.

To ensure that the car has enough space to carry the baggage of all four of us, I selected a compact SUV after assessing its cubic feet storage capacity. I opted to hire it from an agency a few km outside the airport as it reduced my rental cost to less than half with hotel pickup facility.

Hotel bookings were done at each location, giving preference to “free cancellation” option terms. That gave me scope to change the route to certain extent while finalizing the plans.

Bags are packed and all set to go on tomorrow, the 30^th April !

If you would like to receive more frequent (almost daily) updates of this trip here are the social media links: Facebook, Instagram.

Canadian Rockies and Yellow Stone Drive #2 – Why ?

Posted on April 24, 2018 by badri

Why Canadian Rockies and Yellowstone NP?

On one of my business trips to the U.S.IN 2008, a prospective customer asked me about my recent trek to the Mount Everest Basecamp. It turns out he was a regular trekker. He told me about his favourite hike-and-drive: the Canadian Rockies. That’s what created the spark to explore this Range.

Research revealed that it would be thrilling to go from Vancouver to Alaska via the Canadian Rockies. However, I had other trips lined up, so the Rockies had to wait.

In 2014, I went to Alaska. Though I wanted to drive to Alaska, I soon realised that taking a cruise to Alaska would be an equally exhilarating experience. So, we took a ship, and once more, the Rockies were put in the back seat.

After Alaska, I drove in Iceland, and completed the epic 22,000 kilometer ‘Road to London’ drive, I began to contemplate the big question: what’s next? I didn’t want to stop. This world is too beautiful to not explore! After some research, three options presented themselves: Egypt and Jordan, an African Safari, or the Canadian Rockies. Pushpa and I also desired to take some of our grandchildren on this trip.

Nishi, who was with us for the ‘Road to London’ drive, was going to begin her 5^th standard in a new school. She didn’t want to miss the last few days in her current school, so she passed on this trip. Aarya is just 4, so she was out of the question. That left my other two grandchildren Arsh and Ruhi, who instantly consented to join.

I presented the options to them. Arsh was totally indifferent. Ruhi, however, was all for the Rockies, owing to the abundance of snow. She said, “I just love snow. Traveling in snow sounds really exciting to me.” The grandchildren had spoken. Rockies. Looking to their other educational commitments, early May appeared to be the only possibility.

Normal season for Rockies is July to October. May is an odd season as some of the roads would still be blocked with snow and the lakes at higher altitudes would still be in frozen state. But the month of May gives us an advantage. More of snow everywhere. Hiking and trekking on snow covered mountains, frozen lakes and river glaciers would be a real fun. Driving around these mountains during that period would be an added excitement.

Bingo! The plan was set. Pushpa, Arsh, Ruhi, and I were going drive around the Canadian Rockies. But as the title of this blog suggests, we are also going to Yellowstone National Park. Where did that come from?

Arsh and Ruhi’s educational commitments in India were very complicated. After factoring in these commitments, and the correct season, this is what we came up with: we had to start the trip on any day between the 1^st and 3^rd of May and continue for two weeks before returning to the motherland. For the Rockies, 8 to 10 days were adequate, but we wanted to spend the maximum of available time with the grandchildren. So, we had a few more days in hand. Hence, I decided to put in the Yellowstone National Park. That takes 7 days. We’d be done 3 or 4 days too late. I dropped Vancouver, and instead we would land in Calgary, and do a sort of circle, south into the U.S., to visit Yellowstone, and then back up north into the Rockies, making the most efficient use of our time. That was it! A drive through the Canadian Rockies and Yellowstone National Park was decided.

I will try to keep you updated on this trip. If you would like to receive more frequent (almost daily) updates here are the social media links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Canadian Rockies & Yellowstone NP Drive #1

Posted on April 24, 2018 by badri

It is time, once again, to leave the comforts of home, and venture into the hills. On the first of May, 2018, Pushpa and I will be going to the Rockies in Canada, and Yellowstone National Park, in the USA on a solo self-drive. We will be travelling with our two grandchildren, Arsh and Ruhi, who will be 16 and 14 respectively on the day of our departure. I hope to share everything from planning to execution, including pictures of the best-looking snow capped mountains (apart from the Himalayas, which always hold a special place in my heart), frozen lakes, glaciers, high rising geysers, hot sulphur springs, and wild animals in their natural habitats. Stay tuned for further updates.

Our Chinese Drivers Made the Night Exciting

Posted on December 5, 2017 by badri

A memory of crossed by and I thought of sharing it with you.

“Mission Accomplished!” No, I am not referring to ‘Road to London’. This is a flashback after completing the tough Parikrama of precious snow mountain Kailash in 2004. It meant trekking at an altitude of over 20,000ft above sea level. It was a 3-day steep climb which my wife, 4 other devotees and I took up to Mt Kailash in Tibet.

3 Land Cruisers waited for us. 9 of us, including 3 trek staff with their stove, gas cylinder, utensils and food supplies. After a short drive, the vehicle, which was carrying our cooking material and tents, ran into some technical problem. We decided to adjust in the two other vehicles. We had to leave the camping and tent material behind because we were not expecting to need them till we reached Kathmandu. We moved all other materials for cooking to our vehicles.

Along the way, there were no teashops or restaurants, so dinner had to be cooked by the staff. At that stage, we realised that we had forgotten to move the gas cylinder! We had to satisfy our appetite with biscuits and dry snacks. We found a Tibetan teashop only the next afternoon. In its display, it had cooked rice with meat. Being vegetarians, we requested him to serve us the rice with curd. He obliged by removing the meat from the rice. We couldn’t bear the thought of touching the rice, let alone swallow it. We requested him to make just plain rice for us. He had already cooked all the rice he had with meat.

We made a meal out of snacks yet again. The stock of dry food was near exhaustion too. By evening, we were still looking for a place that would serve us anything vegetarian. It was getting colder; we were already at 10ºC. Heavy winds made it even colder. Thank God, we were inside a vehicle.

It started raining, taking the temperature further down. The route we were on, was completely isolated and was monitored by armed Chinese soldiers. We reached near a check post where a nominal toll had to be paid. Trying to save on that, our Chinese drivers took a ‘short cut’ – an unpaved, dirt road. We were completely unaware of the drivers’ decision because we didn’t understand their language.

When our vehicle made sounds but wasn’t moving, we figured something was wrong. What a wonderful scene to be stuck in – absolutely dark, deep mud, rains, heavy wind and very low temperature made extra special by a grumbling, hungry stomachs in tired bodies. Using sign language, the drivers assured us that we needn’t worry because the other vehicle would pull the stuck one out. Instead of bringing the second vehicle behind the first one to pull it out, drivers organised the other vehicle to drive to the left of the first one so that they could pull out the stuck vehicle from the front. Before we realised what was happening the second vehicle found itself stuck in mud – much deeper mud. Both vehicles were stuck with super-intelligent drivers and stupid passengers!

We all had to get down in the muck to push the vehicle behind. No more protection from the covered vehicle. This hardship was unnecessarily when they could have been driven on good roads for a nominal toll.

Now the car had to be pulled backwards by another vehicle. It would be a few hours or may be the entire night before another car passed by around that isolated area. We were told that we couldn’t sit inside the vehicle. The good thing is that be it good times or bad, they are never permanent. Our Sherpa set out on foot and came back within half an hour having found a structure, half a kilometer away. One of the drivers went there to check it out. He came back in 15 minutes with permission from the owner of the structure to stay there till we got help for our vehicles. Ha! At least we had some protection from the freezing night.

Since we had three women amongst us, I went ahead to check if the place was safe. As soon as I entered, there was a strong, sweet smell of alcohol. Hundreds of beer cans were scattered around. A large stock of liquor bottles and hundreds of used empty bottles were stacked on the side. I knew Pushpa would not be able to tolerate the smell. But then, we didn’t really have an option, did we? To make things a little comfortable for her, I kicked the empty cans aside. There were 3 benches with thin mattresses over them – good enough to lie down for a while. I could sit and share Pushpa’s bed.

There were 3 more chairs. My co-passengers could use two empty ones. The caretaker of the place already occupied one. He was an elderly face, full of wrinkles, large wide red eyes, long beard, a conical cap. It would be fine with us as long as he didn’t use the long gun in his hand. Pushpa tried to relax by lying on the bed. His chair was very close to Pushpa’s bed. He probably had weak eyes and time and again bowed down inches away from Pushpa’s face. That scared her. She asked me to tell him to look the other side. I told her, “I dare not say that as it was not a very bad situation as yet! After all he had gun in his hand!”

After an hour and half, we had our vehicles back and continued our journey by the proper road. At the check post, the army guy checked the vehicle, asked a few questions and allowed the vehicles to pass. There was no toll to be paid!

That was the occasion when we practically had to starve for cooked food for 3 days.

Experienced and Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

Road to London – Week 8

Posted on May 19, 2017 by navin

Come on a photo journey with me from Kyrgyzstan, to Uzbekistan, to Kazakhstan…

Road To London – Week 7

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Meeta Kabra

When you have a list of 250 items to pack, you might forget your moustache trimmer. The good thing is, India or Bhutan, Bhutan or China – every man needs a moustache trimmer. So, in Hami, China, we were trying to cross a huge intersection to get to a store on the other side of the road. There was heavy traffic and crossing the road was confusing. Fortunately, we saw a couple of policemen at the corner who we reached out for help. Unfortunately, we didn’t speak each other’s language and we were swiftly taken to the police station. A couple of hours and intervention by our ever-helpful guide later, we were out of the police station. We are yet to understand the exact reason but what we know is any uncommon behaviour is treated with suspicion and the police play it safe. It is a rather sensitive area and they are extra careful there. Who knew a moustache trimmer would take me to the insides of a Chinese police station.

Anyway, on the road we were next morning.

Packed lunch because there is no restaurant for a 400 kilometer stretch! And off we went again at a speed of 120-170 km/hour.

The Police in China are friendly but they are very wary of strangers and foreigners. There is a lot of checking on the road and each major stop took about 30-45 minutes extending the day by that much longer. On Sunday, one of the cars in our group, found itself stuck on the road and we waited for it to be cleared. By then it was 10 PM, and we had a good couple hours to drive to our destination. The car was cleared but since it was night the police got stricter with its checking.

The roads became plainer and straighter and we took to speeds of 140 to 180 km/hour. As is possible with speed a bunch of us ran into the risk of meeting with a bad accident, after which we decided to restrict speed to a steady 120 km/hour.

And we stop for gas under surveillance.

This day, 10^th May started at 8.30AM. We drove 12-13 hours and had a 8-hour stopover for exit from China and entry into Kyrgyzstan. We reached our destination at 2AM local time (4AM China time!). But what a beautiful welcome it was. Not by hotels, but by mother nature!

And now we are enjoying a rest day!

Looking back at how far we have come! 47 of 72 days, 7 of 10+ weeks, 13,500 of 21,000 kilometers…

Road To London – Week 6

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Meeta Kabra

You would think the best thing after 9 days of driving 10-12 hours without break would be the “rest day”. No, sir! The best thing that can happen to a parent who is on a long, long drive is a surprise visit from the son!! We just stood there at the room door in the middle of the night, unable to believe it was him. Were we missing him so much that he is in our dreams? No! It was him!

Oh and look what Anand brought along. The much looked-forward to batch of theplas! We can’t remember the last time we ate a chapati. Who knew the Chinese for “thepla” is, “a bright ray of sunshine.”

The rest day took Pushpa and Nishi to panda park while Anand and I took Sohum out for servicing.

Meanwhile, along with Sohum, I went for an over-alling too.

Rest day done, we visited a park which exhibited the oldest irrigation system known.

This sight-seeing meant an additional 3 hours to our usual 12-hour drives. So, we reached 1 AM of the next calendar day, after having left at 8 AM. A lot of fun, challenge and thrill was added to the dark-night drive with winding roads … and … wait for it … snowfall!

This is what most days this week were like. Through a variety of landscapes …

through snow, snow, and more snow …

and did I mention winding roads? Not enough.

Some times a picture just isn’t enough.

10+ days in China and no “Great Wall of China”, you must wonder where did the wall disappear. It is there, alright!

Along the way we crossed the halfway distance mark, 10,500 kms up!

Equally mesmerizing is landscape of this area…

That’s most of what we have been upto this week. Let us leave you with this merriment on the road side. Our group was singing and soon enough we gathered some bystanders. And India or China, everyone needs just a little push to join in the fun. And join he did!

Oh, just in case you are wondering if all is going well. We had a little bit of an upset – I lost my phone. Just in case, anyone is trying to get in touch, that’s why I haven’t responded. Oh well…only a small hiccup!

~ ~ ~

If you would like to receive more frequent (almost daily) updates here are the social media links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you would like weekly updates, please send an e-mail to badribaldawa@gmail.com.

Road to London – Week 5

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Meeta Kabra

Looks like it is right out of a Rohit Shetty film, doesn’t it? But, that’s us. This is the “Road to London”ers on the 20 lane road mentioned last week. You can’s see all 20, but we could and boy, what a sight it was!

Little did we know that, this would be just one of the many incredible sights we would see this week. First off, each of the first four nights, we spent in four different countries.

4 days 4 countries…in a car! From left-hand-side driving to right and back. Can’t say this enough – this is what we thought a real road trip is all about!

And isn’t this what a milestone should really look like?

And we had a birthday in the gang! Our own Ninni turned all of 10 this week! Words like these (her latest blog post) don’t really sound like they are from a 10 year old, right? Or they maybe do 🙂

Now that we are in China we are going to be here for a bit – 6,000 kms. We are quite literally driving through the ins and ins of China. Chiangkong, Kunming, Jing Hong, Jinghonj, Kunming, Xichen and you thought China was only Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou!

Those earth formations look like man-made cathedrals, don’t they!?

We have picked quite some pace now. We are driving at 100-120 kmph on winding mountain roads. The Chinese ghat roads have good surface and are divided. Such a new experience!

It is getting colder too. In a way, this is the other side of the Himalayas.

Oh by the way, just in case you are wondering, our staple diet these days is rice and mango pickle or groundnut chutney. Thankfully breakfast buffets have abundant fruits, cheese and breads for us! But when the company is so much fun, who cares about food. Presenting to you, “The United Colours of #RoadToLondon”

We leave you with some abstract fun for you. Not always, does everything need to make sense. Like, does it make sense that we are already done with half the trip! By the end of today, we would have finished half the number of days and weeks and yet we would have covered 41% of the distance. A lot of fast driving on our way! By God’s grace all is well and as per schedule so far…

Road to London – Week 4

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Meeta Kabra

We started this week being just one stop away from the Indian border crossing and now we are over 1000 kms away! Whoa! Let that sink in….wo-wo-whoa!

After some lovely orchid park siteseeing near Kaziranga, we left for Kohima, Nagaland.

The road to Kohima and onwards to Dimapur was quite awful with some holes about 6 to 8 inches deep. One of the worst we came across. At times we were driving at 5-10 kmph. Some of the worst we’ve seen so far. Thank goodness for Anand’s selection of a 4WD. God bless! And all is always well when the sun rises so…

In Nagaland we also passed through a village which has minimal new construction – a green village of sorts.

Now, we were on our way to the final destination before crossing over to another country. Meanwhile, another landmark crossed, we are at 5,000 kilometers! Along the way now we started meeting other members of our #RoadToLondon trip. 13 cars and 27 participants would soon be on our way to London…by road! Whipppppeeeee! It was lovely to meet new people. A jovial bunch, we are! It is positively a fun time ahead.

And it is finally happening! We are crossing the boundary. None of us can believe that we are crossing the Indian border in a car. Today is the beginning of our journey eastwards to go to Europe.

We go eastwards because going directly west means crossing through Pakistan and Afghanistan. That can get pretty dangerous, and is not an ideal experience for someone who still has their entire life ahead of them at the young age of 72.

So! Onward to Myanmar, and from there to England! To the heart of the British empire, to the land where the sun never sets. There’s no turning back now.

It’s not like we could have turned back before, but for some reason, this feels different. It feels as if this is the point where I must look back at the ground I’ve covered and smile victoriously. The point where I look forward, and see the beauty of the rest of the world.

Today, I leave my motherland with hopes to have the best experience of my life. Of course, my companions cannot be spared! Beware, Pushpa and Ninni, and the gang of 24…for here come my jokes!

After a wait of a few hours the entire crew crossed immigration and we were now in Myanmar. Earlier it was states, now its countries – here is a mouthful for you, Myanmar (Kale, Bagan, Kyaikhto, Namsang, Kent Tung), Thailand (Chiang Khong) and Laos (Boten and Mohanzhen).

1,800 Kms to be covered in the next 7 days!

It is amusing how we tend to not think much of practical issues like, how long will it take for 13 cars to fuel up at a one-pump gas station or how long will a washroom break be. We had 2 back-to-back days of being on the road for 12+ hours, give or take. Now, this is the real meaning of a road trip!

On the road we saw a row of Buddhist monks and nuns on a peaceful march. That reminded me that Kohima, Nagaland is a 98% Christian town. The thought of this combination of religions brought a smile.

And finally we reached break day at Bagan, Myanmar!

After a lovely rest, we were on for another 12+ hour day covering 600+ kms yesterday. People ask me, “am I tired?” and I say, “Do you know me?” The zeal is never-dying. I have travelled the world but I saw a 20 lane road in Myanmar! How can I be tired?

Sure, it has been 4+ days since we’ve had a chapati, but this is only the beginning. And what’s to worry when we can customize a bit here and there by taking over the kitchen. The chef at our hotel thought papad can only be fried, the record had to be set right. Pushpa demostrated the roasting of a papad.

We are on our way to Tak, Thailand as you read this post. It is beginning to feel real now. Thank you all for your company so far! Until next time…

Road to London – Week 3

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Meeta Kabra

Week 3 started with a 2 day stint in Bhutan. After overcoming a few “permit-related” challenges, we were well on our way to Thimpu, Bhutan. After having been through some internal parts of the country, days in the city seem … well … lame. While Thimpu was a shade better Darjeeling was quite disappointing. There are only so many ways modern buildings can be made interesting.

Thimpu, Bhutan

Bhutan and India – this week we saw a handful of animals. An unusual crocodile park in Phuentsoling, Bhutan crocodiles are breeded for distribution to zoos. Elephants along the road in a forest and rarities like One-horned Rhinos at the Kaziranga National Park.

Crocodile Park, Phuentsoling

Rhinocerous, Kaziranga National Park

Deer, Kaziranga National Park

Elephant, Kaziranga National Park

Ninni, Kaziranga National Park

Speaking of animals, you should read a bit about Ninni’s tryst with the insect folk of Buxa forest on her blog. “As many insects as there are leaves in a dense forest”, was the description. Top it off with no power, closed windows because there weren’t netted. It was a restless night in the forest.

Buxa Forest

We next made our way to Mawlynong. Here’s a “Did you know?” for you. Did you know that Mawlynong, Meghalaya is known as the cleanest village in Asia.

Cleanest village - Mawlynong, Meghalaya

Imagine this! A foot bridge made with roots! Can carry elephants too!

Foot Root Bridge, Mawlynong

The rest of the week was full of caves and waterfalls.

Buxa Waterfall

Mewsmai Caves, Meghalaya

Arwah Caves, Meghalaya

Nogkalikai Falls, Meghalaya

On the roads of Assam, we also saw a disciplined protest by NGO representatives and women workers who were raising a voice against an unauthorised protection fee of Rs. 10 per week being charged.

Bongaigaon, Assam

This is something we have seen through and through. No matter what their problems. Genuinie smiles to welcome you, everywhere.

Local from Mawlynong

Local from Buxa

We made it to Cherapunjee! You know what that is, right? Pushpa’s dream come true! Yes, it was raining when we got there. But we saw a clear sky too.

Cherapunjee

We are now going to spend a few days in Nagaland and Manipur before we join Adventure Overland to head out of the country. There is limited connectivity in these areas, so updates are sparse.

Know we are safe and you keep safe too!

Until next week, then…if you would like to receive more frequent (almost daily) updates here are the social media links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you would like weekly updates, please send an e-mail to badribaldawa@gmail.com.

Badri's Blog

Badri Baldawa's adventures and wisdom

Category Archives: Adventure travel