[PapaBravo]

Fantastic Travelogue AnishRanjan. Hats-off to you for completing the trip in a Vtec. The truck jams out here are pretty bad. But we have got used to it now and know the tricks & time to avoid them. I would never take my Vtec on a trip like this. My choice of car for my trips is my trusted Duster AWD.

My Vtec. Don't plan on taking it on a trip like this.



My trusted choice for these trips in Bhutan



Enjoyed reading your TL. Keep travelling & Keep Writing !!

Cheers,

Pawan

[AyushB]

What an amazing travelogue of an epic Journey. Felt like I was making the trip with you.

I sold off our 1st Gen Honda City a couple of years back and still miss the car. Wish Honda would go back to their roots and again give us cars like these.

[AnishRanjan]

Originally Posted by carrot_eater

Thanks for sharing - well written travelogue with great pictures.

Brought back a whole lot of memories from my Bhutan trip in April 2019.

The detail of Phobjikha valley is interesting. Probably I should have planned for this and Haa Valley.

Cheers
CarrotEater

Thank you for your kind words. Good to know you have visited Bhutan as well.

Phobjikha valley is really beautiful and one must visit it when in Bhutan. The roads are also quite good and you need not be worried about anything. Haa Valley I also missed. There is always a next time hopefully.

Originally Posted by ad_ccu

Awesome post AnishRanjan. As you experienced, the stretch between Cuttack or Kharagpur and Siliguri has been a nightmare, whether you take a detour via Ranchi or otherwise. Loved your dedication to your machine, your narration and your photographs as well. Hope to hear more from you. Cheers!
AD

The traffic there is a nightmare and one has to experience to understand the scale of it. Thanks for your feedback and will start blogging all my further drives for sure.

Originally Posted by Abhinav V

An absolutely epic travelogue.
Rated a well deserved 5 stars. I have no words to express appreciation for your Honda City.
Your car is evident enough to show that a car well maintained serves loyally for ages...
Do open a thread and share your ownership experience with your beloved City.
Looking forward to reading many more travelogues with your City.
Cheers.

First of all thank you for your 5 star rating, it means a lot. Thank you for spending time and going through it in detail.

Any car well maintained should last a lifetime. But cars back then were simple and didn't have too many fancy gadgets and electronics in them. They were built for one purpose that is to be reliable and for driving only.

You will surely be hearing more from me in the future.

Originally Posted by Horizon85

Many congratulations! You have done an amazing trip.

I really envy you for the ivtec though. It is really difficult to find a stock old gen Honda City these days.

Thank you so much. Just a small correction, mine is not an ivtec its a vtec. I agree that finding a good stock vtec is difficult these days.

Originally Posted by tanaysn

Lovely write up AnishRanjan and a brave decision taking an 18 year old Honda on a 6500kms road trip on not just smooth tarmac but through mountains and places where roads didn't even exist !!

I can imaging what would have gone through your mind when,
1. you saw men with AK47 on the lonely road in the forest
2. A man stopping your car (CAA protest) in a totally new area/state with no one to help you should you land in an trouble.

You are lucky and I am sure its your "stars" that helped you in these situations as they say fortune favors the brave.

Thank you so much and I knew its going to be a big adventure in the start and I was prepared and confident of my car. So good roads or bad roads we conquered it all.

Those tricky situations are times which bring the best out of you. You have to stay calm and think rationally with a cool head. If you start to hesitate and get restless you might end up being is serious trouble. That's what I have learnt through these experiences.

My stars did help me and I am lucky to have made it back in one piece with all that was happening back then in the country.

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Fantastic Travelogue AnishRanjan. Hats-off to you for completing the trip in a Vtec. The truck jams out here are pretty bad. But we have got used to it now and know the tricks & time to avoid them. I would never take my Vtec on a trip like this. My choice of car for my trips is my trusted Duster AWD.

My Vtec. Don't plan on taking it on a trip like this.

Attachment 2043848

My trusted choice for these trips in Bhutan

Attachment 2043847

Enjoyed reading your TL. Keep travelling & Keep Writing !!

Cheers,

Pawan

Thank you so much. I was visiting these places for the first time and although I had seen and read about them on team bhp I had no one to go to or had any first hand knowledge about all the information that you have stated. So it was an adventure and a big unknown for me. Looking back it was all worth it though.

I'm glad to know you own a vtec as well and I would definitely suggest you to take it with you on long drives. It will definitely not let you down and you should enjoy driving it.

Thanks for sharing pictures of your Duster in Bhutan. I'm sure it must have been a breeze for the Duster.

[avinash_m]

Brilliant thread Anish!!

Congratulations and hats off on completing such a beautiful journey with your trusted VTEC!
It is pleasantly surprising to see the word VTEC being used in context of a road trip, and that too, of this scale and kind! Usually, its in the mods context, this car is mentioned about.

While the excellent writeup and pics will serve as a ready reckoner for folks wanting to undertake such a road trip, I just love the way you've kept your VTEC absolutely bone stock! I mean its a first gen VTEC - yet, there's not a misaligned bumper, no faded lights, nothing which looks out of place (at least to my eye); kudos to that and a true testament of your love for the car. Please keep it the way it is and cherish it for as long as you can.

CHEERS!!

[Cessna182]

Superb journey. Your car is the exemplification of a true enthusiast. It would be great if some day you could share a review of the last 20 years of ownership as well.

The incident where your vehicle got stuck at the railway crossing was shocking. Glad to know that there was no damage.

Your travelogue shows that a machine like the OHC can last forever if maintained.

[AnishRanjan]

Originally Posted by avinash_m

Brilliant thread Anish!!

Congratulations and hats off on completing such a beautiful journey with your trusted VTEC!
It is pleasantly surprising to see the word VTEC being used in context of a road trip, and that too, of this scale and kind! Usually, its in the mods context, this car is mentioned about.

While the excellent writeup and pics will serve as a ready reckoner for folks wanting to undertake such a road trip, I just love the way you've kept your VTEC absolutely bone stock! I mean its a first gen VTEC - yet, there's not a misaligned bumper, no faded lights, nothing which looks out of place (at least to my eye); kudos to that and a true testament of your love for the car. Please keep it the way it is and cherish it for as long as you can.

CHEERS!!

First of all thank you for your kind words. The world vtec is kind of become non existent now a days and its only the enthusiasts who know and talk about it, so I fully agree with you on that.

My car is not perfect and I will not claim that, but I have tried to keep it as original as possible. I will keep it with me for times to come as no other car simply comes as close to it in terms of driving pleasure for me.

Originally Posted by Cessna182

Superb journey. Your car is the exemplification of a true enthusiast. It would be great if some day you could share a review of the last 20 years of ownership as well.

The incident where your vehicle got stuck at the railway crossing was shocking. Glad to know that there was no damage.

Your travelogue shows that a machine like the OHC can last forever if maintained.

Thank you so much. Unfortunately I din't own the car for eighteen years, I simply don't want to take credit for that. It was owned by a gentleman for 15 years who took really great care of the car and I happened to spot it three years back and decided to buy it. I have just carried the good work of that gentleman and preserved the car as best as possible.

Absolutely old honda's and toyota's are indestructible.

[DBeast]

Thats one hell of a drive!! Kuddos to you to complete it in 14 days. I have book marked your thread for training myself as this Bhutan bug has been been biting me for a long time now!!
Rated it 5 star!!

Cheers!
-DB

[HappyWheels]

That was one heck of a travelogue!!! Thank you for sharing the trip with us, @Anish!

I can relate to the feeling of fear when you have the car parked in a very cold place and you head down to it in the morning with the concern weather it will start or not! And then the inner peace, when it does start!

Your long drives got me thinking if you are pushing it, but good to know that you took power naps in between those long stretches.

Originally Posted by AnishRanjan

...
Bhutan is a fantastic country and is a good place if you want to drive internationally with your own car. Good mountain roads and less traffic makes it a drivers paradise...

Bhutan surely is a beautiful country!

[ash22]

Excellent thread indeed! 5 Stars!
Heared a saying like this,
If you take care of your car, She will take care of you as well
True to that, the maintainance of the car till date made the car to perform a journey like this.

[AnishRanjan]

Originally Posted by DBeast

Thats one hell of a drive!! Kuddos to you to complete it in 14 days. I have book marked your thread for training myself as this Bhutan bug has been been biting me for a long time now!!
Rated it 5 star!!

Cheers!
-DB

Thank you for your kind words. If the Bhutan bug has hit you, I'll suggest go for it and you will surely not be disappointed at the end of it. Its really worth driving to Bhutan.

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

That was one heck of a travelogue!!! Thank you for sharing the trip with us, @Anish!

I can relate to the feeling of fear when you have the car parked in a very cold place and you head down to it in the morning with the concern weather it will start or not! And then the inner peace, when it does start!

Your long drives got me thinking if you are pushing it, but good to know that you took power naps in between those long stretches.



Bhutan surely is a beautiful country!

Thank you for your kind words. The fear of the unknown is sometimes a little difficult to handle and that too in alien conditions far away from home. It teaches you a lot about mental strength and in blocking negative thoughts.

Power naps is absolutely necessary as driving with sleepy eyes is not a good idea at all. Toll booths are the safest palaces for a quick nap according to me and I regularly do that on my long trips.

Originally Posted by ash22

Excellent thread indeed! 5 Stars!
Heared a saying like this,
If you take care of your car, She will take care of you as well
True to that, the maintainance of the car till date made the car to perform a journey like this.

Thank you for the five star rating, it means a lot.

Yes the saying is true. If you take care of your vehicle with love and respect, it will also serve you in the same manner.

[dgoyle]

A very well illustrated travelogue. Enjoyed it too! I was taken aback on the observation of empty water status of the battery. How did this happen without it coming to your attention. In subzero temprature it would have surely given an indication. Also you were regular about morning inspection - was battery water level not a part of the check list?

[AnishRanjan]

Originally Posted by dgoyle

A very well illustrated travelogue. Enjoyed it too! I was taken aback on the observation of empty water status of the battery. How did this happen without it coming to your attention. In subzero temprature it would have surely given an indication. Also you were regular about morning inspection - was battery water level not a part of the check list?

Thank you so much for your comments. Unfortunately I missed on inspecting the battery and that is something I will be putting in on my checklist on my future drives.. A lot of people including me neglect battery inspection and this incident surely taught me a lesson. In sub zero condition, starts were with me I guess I feel I was really lucky. If indeed something went wrong there was no one and no service stations ( I mean absolutely none ) to help, but thankfully sensing this I had carried jumper cables and always have it with me in my car.

[hothatchaway]

I enjoyed reading your log. You have been brave enough to bring a 18 year old low slung sedan and honest enough to admit your numerous moments of trepidation. I am a bengali raised in Kolkata who spent almost a decade in Bangalore before returning to his roots. Bengal, especially the northern part is a beautiful part of the country, in addition to being the gateway to the north East and Bhutan, which are treasure troves of nature. There is certainly a case to return and explore more. I decided to get my Alto k10 from Bangalore to Kolkata. Have since been to Sikkim, meghalaya and two trips to Bhutan.

The highway from Kolkata to siliguri is certainly not for the faint hearted but you certainly get a high once the boondocks of sujapur and kaliachak are behind you when you are racing down mahananda wildlife sanctuary, your lungs full of fresh air from the hills, the Himalayas beckoning you, with an embarrassment of riches to pick from : Sikkim? Bhutan? Arunachal? The north east?

I have two trips in successive years to Bhutan in my k10, covered paro along with the tigers nest trek and haa valley last year and phobjikha this year. Photobombing your log. Hope you don't mind

[Yakuza]

Hats off to you Anish for doing this trip in your Vtec. I own one as well and it is a very special car for me, but prefer our other cars for long trips, as mine is built for a different purpose (performance mods).

[lejhoom]

Thank you very much, Anish Ranjan, for this beautifully illustrated travelogue. It was a pleasure reading it. To be honest with you, it also offered me a kind of vicarious pleasure after each of your anxious moments (far too many for sure) that I feel your system must have had a hard time coping with the surge of adrenaline. No doubt you have given me ample impetus to plan a trip for myself.