BHPian KharbandaKartik recently shared this with other enthusiasts: I became a dad to a cute son this August. We’ve named him Karam Ever since we got into the journey of parenthood our spontaneous road trips were put on hold. While we were still adjusting to this new life, we planned a week long trip to the mountains, only important factor to consider was the altitude as new born lungs are still developing. We first planned Theog (30kms from Shimla) but changed it to Manali at the end moment. I’ve not been very active on the forum since a while now and I really want to get back to this and other things which I’ve been missing on. This write-up is more of “getting back to it” rather than an elaborate travelogue. This trip was all about settling at one place and keeping it easy and relaxed. I am located in suburbs of Delhi now, and from here to Manali it should take around 11-12 hours. It took us around 16 hours because of longer breaks and slower speeds. To each one of you wondering if it’s difficult, yes it absolutely is. There are just so many things to carry with an infant, I was simply amazed when I thought about this, our Kodiaq was almost full. Plus the constant anxiety of having an infant at the backseat can really wear one out. First picture of the trip. I am fond of dogs but I keep my distance always. No interaction at all unless the owner suggests. We had no itinerary at all for this vacation, we did whatever we wanted to at the moment. Somewhere on NH-3, this is the highway which goes to Atal tunnel, also the same route for anyone travelling to Leh. We didn’t cross the altitude of 2500 metres just to be on the safer side. A hotel close to ours was hosting the guests for a Fans of koda drive to Leh, they also had an Octavia VRS parked on a flatbed truck with a body cover, I guessed the model by the silhouette first and the news of the launch doing rounds, so could connect the dots, just to confirm I checked the exhaust setup as well. I think they’re taking it to Leh for some photoshoot. Have no photos because I didn’t click any. Spent some time here relaxing, clicking some pictures, chit-chat, etc During one of the evening drives. Nothing like an early morning walk in the mountains An entire section of highway washed away in recent rains Some more pictures With this our 2024 Kodiaq has also completed 30,000 kms, almost, and is going to go for it’s second service within a few days. This is after reaching home, there’s something really good about dirty cars Safe motoring everyone! Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.
