Category Archives: Fun

ABC Trekking -# 1 Excitement Ahead!

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Come 16th November, I will be out for for my next expedition. This time it will be a a trek to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) in Himalayas in Nepal which will last till 26 Nov 2018. The Annapurna region is regarded as one of the best trekking destinations on the planet.

Three years back, in end April 2015, I planned for this expedition. But just a week before I was to leave, there was a severe earthquake in Nepal, killing almost 10,000 people. All tourist activities were closed. Next 3 years kept me busy in other expeditions like Drive from Road to London, solo drives to Iceland, Yellowstones in USA and Candian Rockies. I am now attempting to trek ABC again. Like the trek to Mt Everest BC, again I will be trekking all alone, of course with a Sherpa as a guide.

I wish the various authorities consider the energy level as a criteria to assess the abilities of a person rather than the age. Some of the initial challenges I am facing are due to my age factor of 73+. I expect to resolve these issues in the next 2-3 days and be ready to commence my journey on time.

I hope to share my excitements and anxious moments with you as I keep moving.

In the meanwhile I certainly need your good wishes and blessings for smooth completion of my dream.

Road to London # 8 – The Influential Hidden Character

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In continuation of earlier blog RTL # 7 – The Route Across India

It is not the first time that she influenced me to take on an adventure. She has supported all my crazy endeavours. She may not initiate the trips. But if I proposed one, she would be enthusiastic about the tour, even for the most complicated and risky ones.  Pushpa, the wife, is not my better half, she is the first half!

In fact, she just might be better qualified to undertake adventure and risky trips. She takes over the gadgetry, which I have never understood.  It is a family joke, particularly by Anand, that it is  because of her I can handle my mobile.

Pushpa Sliding on Australian Sand Dunes 2011

She maintains her cool during testing times of the tours. She accepts that adventure trips have inbuilt calculated risks.  There were times when we had no shelter, but she had no problems. No food, it hardly made a difference to her. She has understood and adjusted to the whatever the situation has demanded.   There have been occasions in our trips together when we had no water to drink, but she didn’t complain.  She prefers tap water to bottled, mineral water wherever she is.  You and I fall ill, not her!

Once when we were in Tibet, our vehicle stalled in a murky place.  It was the dark hour of midnight.   There were no villages for 20 kilometers in any direction. The temperature was minus 10-15 degrees Celsius. And there was a slight drizzle. Every drop of rain felt like a needle piercing your skin.  Boots were getting stuck in mud with every step. And here she was helping me push the vehicle out of the muck.   Ultimately,  we had to walk cold and wet for about a km, in complete darkness. We rested in a road side godown (if we could call it that!) where even a beast would be scared.  The place had a strong stink. It was badly maintained alcohol den, full of beer and was scattered with used cans and bottles.  She has never tasted onion or garlic, let alone alcohol.  But she didn’t even wrinkle her nose when she had to lie down there for a couple of hours of much needed rest.

And oh! That place was owned by a man in his 80s or so. He looked like he was straight out of a western movie, a cowboy, only with horrible, excessive make-up.  He had a spear in his left hand, instead of a gun. Long salt-and-pepper hair and beard – probably unwashed for a long time. He covered it with a cowboy hat.   He was probably wearing new clothes, only that they were bought years ago. His face showed his age in wrinkles. He had extra skin hanging from his cheeks, large red eyes set just above them. Sharp long grey eye-brows.  The place had no lights, it was almost all dark. Just a small dim lamp gave the scene a horror movie feel.  I was outside, in that freezing rain with a driver-guide to see if the car could get on the road. When I returned, the face of the owner, with extra wide eyes, was almost a foot from Pushpa’s face. She was speechless. I dropped in and engaged our host in slow motion, sign language. Pushpa did not complain even about that day ever.

The moment I ask her opinion about a trip, she always has a positive answer. To the extent that some times I take her for granted and forget to even take her consent. Ghar ki murgi daal barabar!

Once in 2012, on a flight to London I mentioned to her that I wanted to drive one day from home to London. She just replied with a “hmmm”, that too forcibly, knowing that it was one of those improbable dreams. However, I knew it is not unachievable, particularly since she would be with me.  She used to drive way back in the 80s when we lived in the Middle East.Quad Driving in Tangalooma Island 2011 With Pushpa as Co-driver

 

A few months ago, she was travelling elsewhere, I called her, “we have a chance to drive to London. Are you interested?”  Her reply was the as quickest as it can be “Grab it”.  It is all through now to make the dream come true.   She is not my better half, she my best half,  Pushpa!  I am really lucky to have such a lady as my companion for these exotic journeys.  She would be my co-driver for “Road To London”!

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited : Meeta Kabra

                                                                                                To be continued …………………

Road to London # 10 – Setting New Records Adds Thrill

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In continuation of earlier blog RTL # 9 – My Brave Bachchus

Once I decided to go for this journey, I was reading through the experiences of people who had been through similar journeys, in the past.

There are a few who have driven from London to Delhi.  There is also the story of three friends who started from London and got stuck in Afghanistan – they were sent back after a week’s experience in an Afghan prison. There are some who had to return halfway due to health or political problems.

Tushar Agarwal has a series of Guinness and Limca records for his driving achievements.  Amongst several others, he drove from London to Delhi with his wife.  He and his friend Sanjay Madan also have to their credit,  a 70,000 kms self-driving trip through 51 countries in 6 continents!  Whoa!

I wanted to make a record too!  But it is absolutely difficult to beat their records.  But I am heads up on one factor.  Being senior in age has its advantages.  I beat them hollow in age. While interacting with Tushar, he realised and hinted that I would be the senior most person to take up such a long self-driving trip.  That aside, Pushpa and I could be the senior most couple to achieve this.  That we could attempt to establish these new records added to our excitement.  Yes, if I am fit and confident enough to do it and face the problem in the process of achieving it!

That would be another record for us!

When Nishi agreed to join the expedition, I realised that it would be an another record.  She would be the youngest to take such a journey. We should be celebrating her 10th birthday on the way, if all goes well, in China.

Possibilities of setting these three new records – (a) senior-most individual  (b) senior-most couple and (c) youngest individual boosted our spirits even further.

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited : Meeta Kabra

To be continued…………………..

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Road to London # 7 – The Route Across India

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In continuation of earlier blog RTL # 6 – Family consent

All the expedition participants have to assemble at the exit point from India,  Imphal, Manipur.  This is where we will leave India on 17th April, 2017.

This means, before crossing the Indian border, I have to drive across India from Mumbai which is on the west coast to almost the eastern end of India – crossing 10 Indian States.  A straight drive from Mumbai to Imphal is about 3,300 kilometers and can be done in about 10-12 days.  Google maps showed our initial route within India as:

I haven’t travelled to the North Eastern States popularly known as “Seven Sister States of India”. Or their brother, Sikkim.  I haven’t been to Bhutan either.  Since I have the luxury of a car while driving to those North Eastern states, we decided as well visit some interesting places like Darjeeling, Sikkim, Bhutan, Kaziranga National Park on our way to Imphal.   Some of these places need an extra stay of at least one day each. This adds to 17 days and 4,000kms drive.

As we were finalizing the itinerary, Pushpa revealed that it was her childhood dream to visit Cherrapunjee, the wettest place in India.  I would like to spend the rest of my life with her!   A good husband that I am, I had no option but to add Cherrapunjee to the itinerary.

A few hours from Cherrapunjee is the cleanest village in Asia – Mawlynnong.   There are many other interesting places around like unusual caves, various natural earth formations, double decker bridges naturally-formed out of tree stems and multi-stage waterfalls.  The world famous Shillong also falls on this route.   How can you be so close and miss all of that? Another 3 days and 400 kilometers.

Just to make sure that I do not miss any interesting places on the route, I collected tourist maps and literature of each of the states I would be passing through.  I noticed that there are certain  other important places on this route.

Deoghar in Jharkhand drew my special attention.  There are twelve religiously auspicious Jyotirling locations in India.  We had visited all of them except Baba Baidyanath at Deoghar, at the extreme east end of Jharkhand.  We are not sure when we will visit that area again.   We added Deoghar.   This takes us very close to Varanasi on the Ganges, Gaya-Bodhgaya where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment, Sarnath where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon,  Jalmahal, Pavapuri where Lord Mahavira attained salvation,  Nalanda University claimed to be the first university in the world.  You got it right. I could not ignore any of these places when they mean just 3-4 more days.  By increasing our daily drive we should be able to squeeze in these places with 21 days to Imphal.

There are many more interesting places, but I froze it to 21 days. For now!   The map at this staged looked like:

                                                                                                To be contd…………...

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited  : Meeta Kabra

 

Road to London # 11 – Driving Duration a Day

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In continuation of earlier blog RTL # …………………………

Having decided to make this trip, I had to plan my itinerary.  Once a date is frozen, planning various aspects of the travel becomes even more energised.  It inspires you to study and enjoy planning.  We would cross the Indian border from Manipur to Myanmar  on 16 April 2017.  Keeping a buffer for unexpected events, we plan to reach there a day in advance.  I back-calculated to fix a departure date from home.  I laid down some basic principles:

  • No night-driving.   Of course, we drive carefully.  But we cannot control how others on the road drive. It is said that the highest number of drunk drivers are on road between midnight and 3AM. Supposedly, fatal crashes are four times higher at night than during the day. Right from the time I started driving in 1973, I have preferred to drive only in daylight.   On rare occasions,  I drive at night, that too only on well lit roads that have dividers.  For long drives, I make it a point to start early in the morning and break for the day by 3 or 4PM. So, you safely reach the destination by sunset, even if there is any delay due to congestion.
  • Comfortable number of hours per day. I initially considered driving 8 hours a day.     Normally, for a full day’s drive you need an extra 30-35% of drive time for rest and food breaks.

    Pushpa Getting Ready to Drive to London

    That would mean a total travelling time of 10 to 11 hours a day.   A 6AM start gets you to the destination by 4 or 5 pm.  This is not difficult.  Especially, with Pushpa taking up a couple of hours of driving, it seemed quite comfortable.

Once Nishi confirmed to join us, I revised the drive time.  8 hours in the car for two and a half months is a bit much. To maintain excitement till the end, I had to make it interesting and not tiring for the child. Till we reach the Indian border, I revised the drive time to an average of about 6 hours per day. Including breaks, it would still add up to 8 hours a day.  A little delayed start every morning, say at 7 or even 8AM would take us to the revised destination by 3AM. That gives us enough time for a comfortable breakfast, have lunch on the way and reach the destination by the time we are ready for a mid-afternoon snack.  It also left scope to spend about 2-3 hours to visit interesting places around the destination or on the way.  Or just relax.

  • Break from driving. After every 3-4 days, I scheduled a day’s rest. At most, we could go for nominal sight-seeing.  I’ve made a list of interesting sites on the route.
  • Booking accommodation – tricky business. Our dates of travel coincide with peak holiday season: March-June.  Choice hotels during this period are booked well in advance particularly at tourist cities, forest resorts and sanctuaries.  It is important to have right spots to stay in places like Darjeeling, Gangtok, Cherrapunjee, Kaziranga etc.  The earlier one books, the better the options.
    • Selecting accommodation for the 24 nights in India was a little tricky.  It was necessary to consider certain important factors.   I prefer hotels on the highway rather than those in the city. That would save time of negotiating downtown streets.
    • If we find out about spots worth visiting but unknown to me as of now, we should have the flexibility to change the itinerary.  That would mean changing hotel bookings. Therefore, even if it meant paying a little more, I opted for bookings that allowed cancellation or changes free of cost.
    • We need a decent hotel each day. If we are tempted by a good hotel, and cut our journey short on a particular day, it will be difficult to cover the extra distance, the next day.  At the same time stretching longer on a particular day to get to an attractive hotel can make the journey tiring.
    • We know many people who live in towns that are on our route. They have graciously asked us to stay with them. It is always a pleasure to stay with relatives and friends.  Staying with them give us time to interact on the local conditions, activities and culture.  But many a time, a lot of time is lost in formalities.   Excessive insistence in eating is a problem that disrupts the digestion system – which we cannot afford.  Hence, we have chosen to decline some of these offers.

After considering these parameters, I booked accommodation.  I had a real tough time to fix locations on certain stretches like Mumbai to Ayodhya and Varnasi to Darjeeling.

Of course, there have been many revisions in the itinerary.    And every change in itinerary, even it is of a single day resulted in a series of changes in accommodation.  With every change, I changed hotel bookings.  I don’t want to miss out on any sites, just because I had to put in some extra effort. I did not lose my patience. Though confusing and complicated, I started enjoying and learning out of it. It is good I had ‘free cancellation’  terms in my bookings!

I have revised my itinerary almost 10 times and I had to change hotel bookings on all 10 revisions!

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited  : Meeta Kabra

To be continued……………..

Road To London # 9 – My Brave Bachchus

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In continuation of earlier blog RTL # 8 – The Influential Hidden Character

The route I planned for my route within India, from Mumbai to Imphal would pass through places of historical and religious importance, national parks and sanctuaries, entertainment centers and caves, toy trains and ropeways etc.  These are the places which would be of special interest to children.  We would also be embracing through some of the most beautiful places in the world.  Any one passing through these would develop a special relation with nature.

Generally the inbuilt dangers of adventure travel are hyped.  They are projected as much more dangerous than they actually are.  This discourages youngsters to take such trips.

One of my grandchildren Nishi was with us in the 9-day Iceland driving trip.  Inspite of

all the known fears, Nishi joined us for Iceland.  During problematic situations there, Nishi proved to be the calmest and bravest amongst the three of us.  Any problem we had, whether it was on top of a lava or an ice mountain, mobiling on glacier, running around huge waterfalls, she smilingly enjoyed facing them, as if she was playing a new game. I realised during that trip that kids are in fact, more mature in handling problems!  I was wondering if I could create some interest in such travels in the youngsters of our family.

I have four grandchildren.  One is just 3 years old and the other three are in the 9-14 age range.   I thought it would be great if the children joined the journey.  It would be a life-time experience for them at such a young age.

I sent a message to my children, inviting any one grandchild to join us.

Yes, “any one” was for a good reason. The travel is scheduled at exam season. Naturally they hesitated.  We got “no” as an answer from all of them. Never mind!

After a week or so, Nishi and her parents, Nilesh and Seema, probably re-thought about the opportunity. They asked if it was too late to for Nishi to join us, subject to her permissions from her school.

Nishi lives in Chelmsford, Essex, UK.   Her school authorities were extremely excited about the experience she would get in this trip!  They were thrilled in an instant and granted her special permission. The Head of Academics wrote, “What a fantastic experience (it would be)! Nishi’s teachers are aware that she will be absent and nearer the time I will liaise with them in order to ensure work is provided for Nishi whilst she is away…..We very much look forward to hearing all about Nishi’s travels when she returns!”.  Fantastic!  What a positive approach and support from the school! Nishi confirmed to take the journey with us.

Once I had the confirmation from Nishi, I added a few places en-route which would be of special interest to her.  But I did not extend beyond 21 days. I deleted some of the places of lesser importance.  I revised my itinerary.  Probably, by now it has had 10+ revisions.  I back-calculated and provisionally fixed 26th March 2017 as the day for departure from Mumbai.

Thereafter my other grand daughter Ruhi, settled in Pune, also expressed her interest to

join us.  We reconsidered, if we could accommodate her too.  But, then we had to be practical.  It was a long journey.  We weren’t comfortable with the idea of more than three persons + luggage to survive for that duration, in one car!  Pushpa and I are in our 60s and 70s.  Managing ourselves and our health itself is a good enough challenge!  We could manage one child.  Managing two children and their health could potentially become difficult on a long journey. Against our own wishes, we had to restrict to one child only.

A week after, I sought the blessings of our Guruji, Jagathguru Sri Sridharacharyaji of Ayodhya.  I explained our plans.  He called back to say that I should change the date of departure.    I could not have shortened the number of days as it was already hectic.  Nor did I want to miss any of the selected places.  Undoubtedly, leaving a day or two earlier would provide a slight relief to the itinerary.  Guruji therefore, fixed the flag off time as 10 am on Friday, 24th March 2017 as auspicious!

So it is now 23 days of travel from West to East of India, before we cross Indian borders.

That is not all,,,,,, abhi picture baaki hai!

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited  : Meeta Kabra

  To be continued …………………

Road to London # 5 – Fitness Matters

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The decision was made. But, but, but….  Would the group be comfortable to take a 72-year old person on such a trip? After all, it is a 2-month long trip with lots of potential for things to go wrong. Each participant’s fitness is key to the success of the trip.

I realised the importance of this particularly when I organised the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in 2010. There were at least 4 people (out of 98) who had difficulty in adjusting to the high altitude. Emergency arrangements were required and two of them had to make an early exit. The other two took an additional day to acclimatise. But again separate arrangements had to be made for them to join the group.

When travelling in groups, transparency on health issues is extremely important. In the same trip, one of the participants was shy and did not mention his discomfort (health-related). This proved fatal. We lost him forever.

My co-travellers ought to know my age from the outset. I was determined that if people from the group had reservations about my age, I would organize the trip for the two of us, myself. My contingency plan was ready.

Tushar and Sanjay

I called Tushar and Sanjay to tell them about my driving trip to Iceland last year and about the trekking expeditions I had made after 60 years of age.  They appreciated my enthusiasm and said that I didn’t even sound like a senior citizen. They were happy to have me!

It is the spirit and fitness that matter and not age!

While both Pushpa and I have been lucky to enjoy good health, we do take special efforts to stay fit. Often fitness is a topic of conversation in many social and even business meetings.  Every one has their own “funda” to maintain fitness.  This includes diet, regular walks, playing proper sports, etc.

Normally 6 to 8 in the morning I keep busy with my yoga meditation.  I don’t even take phone calls during these two hours.  Art of Living needs special mention here in maintaining my health and boosting my spirits.  Sri Sri Ravishankarji’s Sudarshan Kriya has been a part of my daily, morning routine for the last 9 years.  Similarly, Pushpa does her own yoga and kriya routine.

As far as diet is concerned, we come across the popular quote, “”Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper!”  However I have been following for the last few 40-50 years, “Apple a day for breakfast, two chapattis for lunch and a full for dinner.  For any reason if I am awake till midnight, a midnight snack is not uncommon!  This works for me!” Pushpa, on the other hand, has her own diet regime which includes fasts and carb-free days.

Never sleep immediately after lunch is the normal advise.  I somehow got accustomed to a regular nap or relaxation of 10 to 15 minutes immediately after lunch.  This keeps me fresh and fit the entire day.

Considering my lower back spondylitis, cervical and knee joint problems, 15 years ago, doctors advised me to discontinue playing sports that involve any sudden jerks. I got back home and sobed. I couldn’t imagine life without my regular dose of squash. After a week or two, I begun to feel sick.  I restarted playing squash and recovered.  Of course, I restricted it to 2 or 3 times a week.

Pushpa’s knees took a heavier toll so she had to stop trekking. However, she is extremely disciplined about her therapy exercises and does whatever walking/other yoga her knees permit.

That aside, both of us love our 2 to 6 km a day walk.  This has gone a long way in keeping us fit.

We’ve maintained this routine for the last 40+ years, that it doesn’t feel special any more. We listen to all fitness advice and pick what we think suits us best. But whatever we did, we maintained regularity.

The main factor though I think is I try to follow timeliness as sincerely as is possible, be it is food, exercise, sleep or wake up time.  This consistency is the secret to good health, according to me. Further, we give more importance to listening to our own bodies compared to external advice.  We follow what suited us the best even if it meant exactly contradictory to norm.  Stubborn as it may sound, it works!

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited  : Meeta Kabra

Road to London # 13 – The Route

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                            Continued from Road to London # 12 – “Soham”, the Companion….

Right from the beginning, we knew that driving to London through the Western borders would mean going through Pakistan and Afghanistan, which might not be the safest route. The Himalayan mountain range on the North and oceans on the South rule out those routes. That left only the Eastern route through China.  There are roads linking from Nepal and North-Eastern parts of the Indian border, but entry is restricted only for the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage.   Thus we had to cross China, some parts of the old USSR, now countries like Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, certain European countries before we reach United Kingdom. This is a drive of about 45 days from the time we cross the Indian border.  This itinerary was considered as almost final for the tour.

Pushpa & Badri Baldawa with Soham

Pushpa & Badri Baldawa with Soham

Myanmar is a country I have been wanting to visit for long.  I heard of it as Burmah where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose founded the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) to fight for independence. The ruling military junta changed its name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989.

However there was an update that though the entry point in Myanmar is safe, the exit point, Muse was not very peaceful.  Therefore the route to China had to be changed.  The best practical alternative was to drive to Thailand, cut across Laos and then enter China. This added two countries to the itinerary and increased the overseas travel from 45 to 47 days and the number of countries from 14 to 16.

We need to drive for a fortnight to cross the Chinese territory and reach Kyrgyzstan.  I was very happy when I realised our next destination country was Uzbekistan. It would give us an opportunity to visit Tashkent where our former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri breathed his last. From there on to Kazhakstan before we touch the border of Russia.

As per the original plans we planned to enter Belarus through the Kurgan border from Moscow. It

From Mumbai - Road to London

From Mumbai – Road to London

was not possible to get vehicle permits for Belarus from Russia.  In October 2016, the Belarus–Russia border was closed to foreigners.  Therefore, the itinerary had to be re-routed again.   Instead of entering through Belarus, we would now drive further north and enter European Union through Latvia and Lithuania.  The onward drive thereafter is easy through Czechoslovakia, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France and finally to The United Kingdom.  Once we enter UK at its South East, we would drive to London.  This revision added two more days to the itinerary.

However this created another technical problem.  If we left the Indian border as per original schedule on 16 April 2017, we reach the China border on a Sunday.  The border is closed on Sundays. Hence the departure from India was postponed to 17 April 2017.

All these changes made the total countries visited from the original 15 to 18 (excluding Bhutan).   The total number of overseas driving days increased from 45 to 49.   Add to that the 23 days drive to reach the Indian border. The total duration of the tour now is at a total of 72 days!

The action begins in less than 10 days on 24th March 2017. We would love to see you all cheer us when we leave at a small flag-off event. Please do come!

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited  : Meeta Kabra

To Be Continued ………….

Road to London #3 – Day Dreaming

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An email to me on  20 May 2016 read:

We are finally ready to execute the most extraordinary road trip that without a doubt is going to be a journey that you will go on telling your grandchildren about!

Can you handle the thought of a road trip from India all the way to London?

……… unknown, unheard of villages and towns on the way, forests, deserts, mountains, rivers, high altitudes, remote terrains, bustling cities, new cultures, exotic foods…

If you are still interested in doing a road trip from India to UK, here is your chance to join us on this mother of all road trips!

A quick look at the route and I figured that from my place in Mumbai, it meant a distance of 20,000kms, across 15 countries, over a period of about 70 days in 8 time zones. In fact, it would be more thrilling as the route would pass through more geographical variations and include areas inhabited by Bodos, Naxalites and Maos even before I cross the Indian borders!  Wow!

I was super excited!

Around 2010, on a flight to UK with Pushpa, I looked outside the window through the flight.  I could overlook the city of Mumbai, the vast seas, mountains, dense clouds and then the shining, snow-topped Alps and finally the British channel and the city of London.  I told Pushpa how interesting it would be if we could drive from Mumbai to London one day!

“Yes, exciting!  Why not we do it?”  she replied as if it was a casual drive from home to the movie theatre!

“This is what people call day dreaming” I laughed out.

I studied the atlas, glanced the globe in my office and did a bit of Google mapping.  The only route I could think of was to pass through the western borders of India, through the Middle East and Meditarrean countries, reach Europe and end up in London via the English Channel.

There was a small problem on this route.  One could cross borders and get lost for ever!  Because it meant passing through countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Syria, we might not be seen again!  Too big a risk.  I had also heard of the unsuccessful incident where three Indians who had tried this.  For some technical reason they were arrested as they entered Afghanistan and were sent back after a week’s experience in prison!

What were the alternatives?  While Himalayan Mountains would not permit to drive through the North, the Indian Ocean would obstruct in the South.  The very realisation that going through the East would more than double the distance, I did not even consider that route.   I gave up at that time but always felt one day I would be able to make that trip.

In Nov 2012, I read that one Tushar drove from London to Delhi.with his group.    They opted for the Russian countries, China and then to India.   I figured that I had not completely explored the route though the East.   Though longer, it is a feasible one.    In fact, that would make travelling in a small group more fun.  I contacted Tushar and his colleague Sanjay in case they had plans to make a similar trip again.

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited  : Meeta Kabra

Road to London #4 – An Impromptu Decision

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“Pushpa, there is this road-trip, self-drive to London from India.  It is about two and a half months long.  Should we?”  I called Pushpa within moments of getting an email to the effect on 20th May 2016.   She was on a train from Rishikesh.

“Yes! Let’s do it!” she said without waiting even for a second. A green signal from my better half and I was confident of convincing other members of my family.  Within a few minutes I gave our provisional confirmation to join the expedition – “Road to London”.

As I confirmed, I wondered if this was a hasty decision. My memories reeled me back.

Over fifty five years ago, near my native town Bellary, the Tungabhadra dam was inaugurated.  Anyone who visited the site came back only with praises. I too wanted to visit the place.  I was school-going child back then.  My mother gave me Rs. 5 for the trip.  Bus or train was unaffordable.  I convinced some friends to pedal the total distance of 130 kilometers on rented bicycles.  To make the trip affordable, we decided to ride “double seat”.

Since the load of two people would be difficult to take through, the person at the back had to help peddle along with the main rider – two legs pedalling on each side!  If anyone was tired of pedalling or plays smart and say he was tired, he would have the comfort of sitting on the front pipe and get exemption from pedalling – a smart punishment we thought to have the bottom hurt by the pipe.  It was two days full of fun!  It was a thrilling to try to do the unexpected!  It was a challenge!  And I was crazy to accept and face the challenge!

Later in life, my wife and I wanted to watch the midnight Sun and fulfil my childhood dream.  I figured that it could be best watched from Nordkapp (North Cape) in Norway.  In 1983, I decided to reach Nordkapp on the midnight of 25 July.  I reached Narvik from Oslo by a luxurious train.  There was no regular public transport facility from Narvik to Nordkapp. But hey, I could enjoy driving that distance on an European road.  By the standards of European roads, I could drive those 800km in say 8 or at the most 10 hours.  I planned accordingly.

Those were the days when there were no internet or Google or GPS.

As I started driving from Narvik, I was surprised with the shocking road condition.  It was all  broken,  narrow single,  rugged, kutchha roads.  It was inevitable, since most of the year those roads were covered with snow. I was determined to be punctual for my date with the midnight Sun.   Not just that.   I had my flight booking for my next flight from Oslo.  I had to reach Nordkapp and return by the same road in time.  I’d have to drive continuously for 46 hours without sleep or break.  It was a thrill to reach on time to enjoy the best.  It was a challenge!  And I was crazy to accept and face the challenge!

A few years later, missing a train turned out for the best.  We planned a Badrinath Char Dham Yatra.  We were to travel by train upto Delhi and then engage a cab to complete the rest of the journey.   Our shipment (business) was delayed by a day due to some objections raised by the Customs department.  Despite having buffer time for contingencies, by the time the shipment was completed, we missed the train.  It was difficult to get new reservations as this was peak travel season  We decided to leave by car within the hour.  Just five of us, Pushpa, our children and me. No driver.  We drove right upto Badrinath temple via Rajasthan, a round trip of about 6,000 kilometers.   We faced problems and we learnt how to resolve them.

On that journey, there was an incident that inspired me to start trekking.  I will leave that incident for another time. After that trip, we started trekking to various places including Amarnath, Hemkund Saheb and Mt Kailash Parikrama.   Meeting Peter Hillary, the son of Edmund Hillary inspired me to trek to Mt Everest.

Except Mt Everest, Pushpa and I trekked together.  After 55, Pushpa developed a knee joint problem.   It became difficult for her to undertake long and steep treks.  Without her I did not feel like going for treks either.  We switched over to driving expeditions instead of trekking.  I had heard that driving in Iceland was extremely difficult and risky.  We went for driving adventure with our granddaughter Nishi, Seema’s daughter in Iceland.

You see the pattern? Whenever I hear of a particularly difficult trip, I like to take up the challenge.

It is no surprise then, that the very idea of driving for over two months in unknown and diversified territories was something I’d want to do. Maybe that is why the impulse decision.  I couldn’t control my excitement joined the “Drive to London” group, as if it would have slipped away if I had delayed confirmation for a few minutes!

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited  : Meeta Kabra