Author: Dev

Behind the Glamour: The Other Side to Travel

Published by Dev

There’s nothing like the glitz and glamour of a life on the move. Exotic locations, delicious food, one-of-a-kind experiences, and incredible vistas— all this and more are what you can get from a life spent exploring the best of what the world has to offer if you know where to look. From exploring the cobbled streets of Old Europe to motorbiking through the most unexplored regions in the Himalayas, there are a million and one new experiences you can unlock when you travel the globe. But travel isn’t all about the glamour, and long months spent traveling from one place to the next can take its toll. As any globetrotter will tell you, travel isn’t easy, and it can impact both you and the places you go to. All of the incredible sights and sounds you can experience from journeying all over the world have their price, and either you or the local communities you visit will end up paying for it. While tourism may seem like having your cake and eating it too, the …

Shinkula Pass: Keylong To Kargil Itinearary

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Looking for a new adventure trail in Ladakh region? Try Keylong to Kargil, via Shinkula (or Shinku La) Pass, and explore the unexplored Zanskar!  But before we start with the article, here’s a quick video of my Shinkula Pass Adventure, from Keylong. This is Day 1 of the trip… from Keylong to Kurgiakh! Thanks to the Border Road Organisation, Manali to Leh highway is no adventure anymore. The (nearly) 450km stretch of the road (that connects Manali to Leh, via Keylong) remains so perfect throughout the season that Formula 1 circuits around the world can take shame from it. So what should adventure/thrill-seekers do if they’re heading that way? My suggestion… Do Keylong to Kargil, via Shinkula Pass, and explore some of the most isolated villages, unforgiving dirt roads, deadly river crossings – all bundled in an epic 5-day epic road adventure! Shinkula Pass: Connecting Keylong And Kargil Before Shinkula Pass, it was only possible to drive into Zanskar from Kargil, do until about halfway to Keylong, and return to Kargil following the same route. …

Bairagarh To Killar Via Sach Pass: Itinerary

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Planning a road trip to Sach Pass? Here’s an ideal Bairagarh (or Bhairagarh) to Killar, via Sach Pass, itinerary… But before we start, here’s a quick video of my Bairagarh to Sach Pass ride. For some reason, Sach Pass has become the new favourite among the Indian motorcycle community. I’ve heard many adventure riders sharing their stories of how Sach Pass gave them more thrill and adventure than other circuits including Spiti and Nubra valley.”Spiti Valley circuit is only longer, but the real adventure is in Sach Pass bro,” I remember someone saying so proudly that his statement, in fact, forced me to plan Sach Pass myself. Naturally, I took my Jawa 42 in Sach Pass and it took me 3 days all the way from New Delhi until I reached Keylong and concluded the journey. To be honest, Sach Pass was a good adventure but there was nothing extraordinary about it. The route was not confusing, the river crossing was livable and the road conditions were quite similar to what I found last month …

Ladakh on Jawa: In Pictures

Published by Dev

I know most of my blog-readers will hate me for this title. “Ladakh In Pictures was okay”, they would say, “but what’s with Jawa? This man is so obsessed with his new Jawa motorcycle.” In my excuse, I will say… “You wouldn’t say so if you read the comments on my previous Youtube Videos“. Since I’ve started making Youtube videos showing you around the world, keeping a motorcycle ‘Jawa 42’ as the center of attraction, I’ve got more people asking me when will I take that center of attraction to Ladakh. So dedicated to those comments, this is ‘Ladakh in Pictures’, with my Jawa 42 in some of the frames. Those who want to see Jawa, see Jawa, those who don’t, these pictures speak more than just what the title says… Ladakh On Jawa: In Pictures Picture was taken between Kargil and Lamayuru (halfway to Leh, from Kargil) near Fotu La Pass. Fatu La Pass is located at nearly 4100m above sea level altitude where you get some amazing Instagram perfect shots. Just only keep …

Visiting Chanshal Pass, In Pabbar Valley

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“Shimla district’s highest motorable pass? Are you sure? Where is it? I’ve never heard of this name Chanshal Pass before.” I remember fairly well how my friend responded as I told him about our plan of spending a few days together in Pabbar Valley, and visit Chanshal Pass. I was on a (nearly) 1-month solo road trip across the Shimla district, in Himachal Pradesh, the last few days of which I carefully planned with an old school friend. I started my (solo) trip from Shimla and wandered across the Shimla district, visiting places like Chail, Mashobra, Neldehra, Cheog, Kotkhai, and a few more, before meeting my friend and concluding the trip at the highest motorable pass in Shimla district – the Chanshal Pass. To be honest, when I left home, even I didn’t know about Chanshal. In fact, the name was only introduced to me a couple of days before I visited Chanshal. I was having dinner with my host in Kotkhai and told him how I am meeting an old friend over the next …

Leaving For An Epic Motorcycle Adventure TOMORROW: Sach Pass–Zanskar–Kargil–Leh

Published by Dev

Update 25-October-2019: I am back from the ride and successfully did a part of the journey with friends, and a part of it, solo. Here’s a link to the blog post I wrote about Sach Pass (Sach Pass Motorcycle Itinerary). If you’re interested to read about Shinkula and Zanskar, Read: Shinkula Pass Zanskar Road Trip Itinerary. You can also watch the entire series (everyday vlogs) on my youtube channel. Here’s the link to the Sach-Pass-Zanskar Playlist. Now, continue with the article I wrote before the commencement of my Sach Pass–Zanskar–Kargil–Leh journey. Enjoy the blog. Happy travels… Until now, motorcycling seemed like an utter waste of effort to me. I always thought, what thrill do these so-called bikers get in riding across a place for weeks. I mean think of it this way: when you travel from point A to point B in a bus or, say, in a train, you get to see and do so much than when you do the same journey riding a motorcycle. When you’re on a motorcycle, all you do …

Staying In A Tree House Near Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

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Want to experience a tree-house in Himachal Pradesh? Try Ojuven Resort, in Kotkhai, near Shimla! Out of all the experiences I’ve had during my previous 4 years of nomadic life – from experiencing luxury train in India to volunteering in Germany – if there was one experience that was missing, it was, staying in a treehouse. A place tucked away in between branches, far away from the real world; a place for shelter or just to see the earth from another perspective. And this time, as I planned a (nearly) one-month motorcycle ride across the Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh, I succeeded to tick off that wish from my bucket list. But before I go ahead and tell you how and where it happened, I want to disclose that this isn’t a sponsored post. I know it’s rare for me to talk about a hotel or a guest house, and so far I’ve written only one more article on my blog where I openly and dedicatedly promoted a homestay (this village homestay in Uttarakhand) sometimes, …

Looking For Village Experience Near Shimla? Visit Cheog

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Want to spend a holiday in a village in Himachal Pradesh and get real local experience? Try village Cheog in Shimla district! For a traveler like me, understanding local culture and getting a feel of the local way of life is just as much a part of the travel experience as visiting new places or meeting new people is. If I didn’t have any local interaction in a journey, the journey feels incomplete. This is perhaps the reason why I prefer homestays over hotels, and that I, every now and then, try volunteering while travelling. If I talk about my previous motorcycle trip, for example, that took me around places in the Kumaon region in Uttarakhand for about 20 days, the most memorable experiences I had was eating in someone’s house in a small village called Naikana, and not when I camped in the wilderness one of the nights, or when I first saw the Panchachuli peaks in Munisyari. Similarly, this time as well, as I motorcycled across the Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh, for …

Why Monsoon Is The Best Time To Visit Shimla

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What’s the best time to visit Shimla? I say “Monsoon!” For a long time, I kept myself away from traveling to Shimla, and this was for one reason – Shimla is a popular tourist destination and remains crowded for most of the time of the year. Hill-stations and mountains, for me, are a synonym to peaceful, and if I know that I am going to find a big crowd to wherever I am going, I stay away from it. But then, a part of me also always want to visit the crowded places and see what actually made them so popular in tourist charts in the first place. So this time, as monsoon hit Himachal Pradesh hard, and the news made people stay away from it, I found myself the perfect time to go and explore some of these top tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh. And Shimla was one of them. Shimla In Peak Season Despite being born in Shimla (and not staying there for long before my family moved out) I never felt an …

Chail Or Shimla: Which Is Better?

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Struggling with the idea of whether you should visit Chail or Shimla on your next holiday? Wondering which one is better among the two? Well, this blog is for you! During my recent 1-month monsoon ride across Himachal Pradesh, I happened to visit both Chail and Shimla. And it was my second visit to both the places. Where I loved Shimla for it wasn’t overwhelmingly crowded (for a change) as I never hit anyone’s shoulder despite wandering around on its mall road for about an hour, I adored Chail for an even more peaceful experience. During the months of monsoon, Shimla and Chail felt (almost) equally enjoyable. But, for a different reason! The First Visit The first time I visited Shimla, it was during the peak tourist months of May and June. I had just returned from the UK (after living there for 3 years) and wanted to see what Britishers have left behind in India. It was a solo backpacking trip – the kind that starts with exploring a place in the morning and …