OverlandSphere
Overland Travel, Expedition & Adventure Information for 4x4, motorcycle and truck overlanders
Tweet The amount of distance that needed to be covered in the South was intimidating! We had to haul some ass and get this trip on the move! Getting out of Goa we headed out into Karnataka. All this time Nick’s thumb was hurting, especially over the combination speed bumps…7 speed breakers in a row? What’s the point??? That little…
Stone age and future, culture and chaos, nature and rubbish, wealth and poverty – all this is India. It is a country that is extremely difficult to describe, just as difficult as it is to understand it. You could probably spend years in India, and you still wouldn’t be able to understand the country and its people completely. In the…
During our tour through Rajastan and afterwards in Agra we went for some cultural sightseeing. We visited the impressive fort and palace in Jodhpur, and the colourful Havelis in Mandwa. We went to Pushkar to see the Brahma temple and the pilgrims. And finally, in Agra we visited the famous landmark of India: the Taj Mahal. The colourful Havelis are…
The differences and the changes you experience when driving from Leh to Delhi could not possibly be bigger – the culture, the landscape, the living standard – everything changes on this route. There are deserts, glaciers and subtropical forests, uninhabited areas and the always chaotic Delhi; it was freezing cold and extremely hot, and all this on the way from…
In the far north of India lies Ladakh. It is located in the middle of the Himalaya – between the disputed border with Pakistan and the border with China, respectively Tibet, which is disputed, too. The landscape of Ladakh is stunning with passes up to a breath-taking altitude of more than 5300 m. But also the district-capital Leh is already…
If you missed our third installment of our 18 day driving tour through Rajastan catch up with it here. Now, our final post on this amazing journey. By this point in our drive we were, quite frankly, fed up with India. The crowds, cow traffic jams, garbage everywhere, open sewers, bad roads and chauvinistic men had caused my temper to…
The first 14 days in India passed really fast. We have seen a lot, and we had quite some experiences – some were nice, some not so pleasant. But it definitely wasn’t boring so far. The border crossing from Pakistan to India held no problems for us, and we could finish all the paper work pretty fast. But we also…
It is well known that Pakistan and India are not the best friends. But nowhere else this is more celebrated than during the daily ceremony when the border between the two countries is closed just before sunset. Stands have been erected on both sides of the border, which are filled with spectators, and the Indians and Pakistanis support their respective…
Udaipur, most famous for it’s Lake Palace, was the next stop on our route. It does, of course, also have an impressive fort! Built in 1559, and fort is massive with many overlapping courtyards, terraces, and gardens and set overlooking the lake and the Maharaja’s current residence on the far side. We spent several hours wandering freely and then did…
If you missed it, make sure to catch up with part one of our Rajastan journey (http://thenextbigadventure.net/a-timeless-journey-through-rajastan-or-what-happens-when-youre-scammed-in-india/) We continued on from Bikaner, further into the desert west towards Jaisalmer. Located near the Pakistan border, Jaisalmer has a significant military presence and an impressive fort.Built in 1156 and massive, the 20foot sandstone gates hide dozens of hidden corridors and alleyways, all…
Rajastan – The name along evokes images of camel caravans, bearded desert Bedouins touting sabers, and incense soaked markets. I’ve split our story of Rajastan into four separate posts, the area is too overwhelming to be confined to just one. We arrived in India at midnight, the unfortunate time of many international arriving flights. After two hours in the dank,…
Some Numbers Days in India: 61 Distance driven: ~3,000 kilometers Number of times I had to veer to avoid an elephant: 1 Shocks Replaced: 4 Sensors broken by Nissan mechanics while replacing the shocks: 2 Amount they wanted to charge me to fix their mistake: $400 Prison sentence if I had acted on my fantasy of strangling the service manager: …
Kolkata is one city that has always interested me! It definitely did not fail once we got there. We attempted to cross the New Howrah bridge only to be entangled in a neverending jam with buses and the famous yellow ambassador taxis. After what felt like forever we made it across and found ourselves surrounded by amazing architecture…sometimes Kolkata looks…
Visiting Patna Sahib Gurudwara was an amazing adventure. I know that technically going to Gurudwara and especially one of the 5 Thakts should be something calming and spiritual, but for us it was a whirlwind! The streets near the Gurudwara were congested and tiny with every vehicle (that means ox driven carts too) that you can think of trying to…
We left Shillong and had to make a side trip to Guwahati on the way to Kolkata because we were having some trouble with our SIM card and internet that we had bought there. That made us a little late and by the time we hit a little outside of Nalbari it was around the time we usually start to…
Our goal was to get to Shillong…and from there regroup…if we wanted to go to Patna or on to Kolkata. Our nerves were getting best of us and we were banking on getting to Kolkata as soon as we could. On the way to Shillong we passed a few coal mining towns. Which meant we were stuck behind huge, overloaded…
By Paul Archer Bombay Mix I outlined in my last blog (in rather embarrassing and graphic detail) the events of one of the worst days of my life, but the next morning, as it always is with the expedition, we had to move on. So I curled up in a ball in the back of the cab underneath my…
By Paul Archer Kids in Jaipur I’m sitting in Singapore airport as a I write this, and the city’s clinical atmosphere bears stark contrast to the contents of this blog. Although muggy outside, my feet are cold thanks to the over zealous air-conditioning; next to me, a ‘Harrods’ mini-store sells over priced cookies and handbags and an attractive and well…
By Johno Following the trials of Southern Iran and Pakistan the team were looking forward to entering India and relaxing a bit… In the car we tend to read trashy Andy McNabb novels found at hostel book exchanges or old copies of The Economist brought out by visiting friends. They sound pretty dull but they actually provide a really good…
Day 15, 01.10.2011: Leh – Khardung La Khardung La on Google map and Wikipedia The highest motorable pass in the world - 5359m altitude … and the day I lost my left pannier. I meet with Simone & René for breakfast. Originally they planned to join me for the ride up to Nubra valley, but changed their plans last minute.…
Day 13+14, 29.9. + 30.9.2011 Leh Ladakh I reach Leh on the 28.9. about 5 p.m. and look for a guesthouse. I find only crappy places or they are fully booked. I was told the best place to be in Leh is around the “Main Market”. On my way there, I hear two guys calling me. I turn my head around…
Day 13+14, 29.9. + 30.9.2011 Leh Ladakh I reach Leh on the 28.9. about 5 p.m. and look for a guesthouse. I find only crappy places or they are fully booked. I was told the best place to be in Leh is around the “Main Market”. On my way there, I hear two guys calling me. I turn my head…
Day 9, 25.9.2011 Khoksar – Keylang This morning my Israel friends will go back to Manali, heading south via the Rothang Pass, so we will go separate ways from no on. We share photos and videos while Einav brings some breakfast to our room.Einav is a bit worried about the Rothang pass, as it is often muddy. However, locals tell…
Day 12, 28.09.2011 Pang – Leh (Manali – Leh Highway part 2) It was a freezing cold night in the tent up in 4600m altitude! I set up my camp next to a restaurant, as this was the only place to protect from the icy cold wind. I check the dashboard of BigBertha. it’s – 6°C at 7 a.m. Fortunately…
Day 11, 27.09.2011 Manali – Leh Highway (part 1): Keylang – Pang I take off around 10 a.m., after breakfast at the guesthouse. The condition of the road is great! There is much roadwork going on, which makes me hope that the highway up to Leh might be in excellent condition. However, it will get worse soon. Men at work.…
Day 10, 26.09.2011 Break @ Keylang My BSNL 3G Data connection works fine today, so I update my blog and talk to friends and family on Skype. I enjoy Momos in a local restaurant, get a haircut & shave, get my laundry done and buy some “Old Monk”, an Indian rum. Not a special day, but you need some of…
Day 9, 25.9.2011 Khoksar – Keylang This morning my Israel friends will go back to Manali, heading south via the Rothang Pass, so we will go separate ways from no on. We share photos and videos while Einav brings some breakfast to our room. Einav is a bit worried about the Rothang pass, as it is often muddy. However, locals…
24.09.2011 Lossar – Kunzam Pass – Khoksar As usual by now, I get up early to capture the morning scene. This is the attached Dhaba of our guesthouse: A quick look at the dashboard of BigBertha shows 0°C temperature at 06:00 a.m. It’s freezing cold up here in 4500m altitude. I watch the happenings in the ktichen as the first…
22.09.2011 Nako – Mudh (Spiti Valley) Janine and Fabian make homemade breakfast. We make decent coffee and enjoy muesli with fruits. Indian breakfast is normally veg and paratha, eventually you can get eggs. As they have a similar route, we discuss where we potentially could meet again, maybe in Nepal? From Nako, they need to proceed to Chandigarh, as they…
Today I get up early to take photos of “Mud” and it’s citizens in the morning sun: One of the Guesthouses up here even offer Internet via Satellite: Breakfast takes long to get prepared. The people up here don’t seem to be in a hurry. But that’s ok, as we are waiting for the air temperature going up. This is…