I had already developed a love for the mountains when I did the Himalayan Spiti Escape with Mahindra Adventure in September 2018, and was already craving for more. So what could be next? My brother, who has been to Leh a couple of times, has regularly been harping about how awesome it is and a must visit. Not to mention, my other friends who’ve been there and all I did was read their experiences and see their pictures. And so, I was itching to go, more so do a road trip cause as they say, the real fun is in driving there. After the Spiti Escape, I had already expressed my interest to be part of another expedition, and as luck would have it, the Mahindra Adventure Team called and asked if I would like to a part of the 2019 Monastery Escape to Leh. ‘Hell Yea’, and I was already looking forward to hit the mountain roads again.

Mahindra Adventure has been doing the Monastery Escape for years now and I was to attend the 12th Edition of this mega expedition. The build up to the trip comprised of an official email giving me a low down of the itinerary of the days to come. The trip would start from Delhi on 5th June 2019 and end on the 15th in Leh. We would be driving on the Manali-Leh Highway via Jispa (or so we thought), and then heading to Nubra Valley from Leh for a couple of days. Additionally, we would be returning to Leh again, visiting Pangong Tso on the way.

Day 1 – Mumbai to Delhi

A WhatsApp group was created a few days prior to the expedition for co-ordination and then, the day of departure dawned. There I was at Mumbai’s T1 airport, waiting to take my flight out to Delhi. The suspended operations of Jet Airways have made the domestic airport a crowded affair, and while I was at the verge of boredom, I happened to meet up with a couple of my fellow participants from the expedition, and that made for light and good conversation. Finally, the flight took off and we landed in a hot furnace like Delhi in the afternoon. A waiting cab took us to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Okha, which would be the starting point of the expedition.

On arrival at the hotel, I got done with the check-in and was handed over the welcome kit that included a camping tool, jacket, cap, small backpack with sipper and a personalized keychain with my name on it. I was also handed over a huge box full of snacks, soft drinks, chocolates etc. that I asked to be placed into my allotted car directly. Got my health check-up done with expedition on-board doctor, and the headed to my room to relax over lunch before the evening briefing.

Everyone gathered at the banquet hall for the pre-expedition briefing in the evening. Introductions of the participants took place and we were given a low-down on what to expect over the next 10 days. We met up with Selvin and Vinod from Mahindra Adventure and Raj Kapoor from XSO along with his team, who would be leading us on this road trip. Here is when we got to know the twist in the tail. The Manali – Leh highway was still closed for traffic due to snow, so a last minute change meant that we would now be doing the route to Leh via Amritsar, Srinagar and Kargil. So with change in itinerary announced, we headed to the lobby for allotment of vehicles by means of a lucky draw. Not for me though. My machine and companion for the expedition was already pre-alloted, a swanky orange XUV300. The other vehicles in the convoy comprised of Scorpio 4x4s, two Thars, a couple of XUV500s, another XUV300 and a Scorpio Getaway 4×4 service vehicle. The allotment was followed by a customary flag-off event and group photos.

Chit chat with other participants followed over dinner, and the best part about these expeditions is you get to meet so many lovely people from all walks of life. We had enthusiasts who had flown down from Thailand and even Denmark for this adventure. Rest assured, this was going to be one hell of a drive. Post dinner, everyone retired to their rooms all set to hit the road the next day early in the morning.

Contd…