A car like the Maruti Jimny makes sense on such narrow roads and busy traffic. I missed my Mahindra Bolero 4WD at that time.
Bhpian Guna recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Nearly a year ago we, a group of friends decided to drive to Spiti valley, Himachal Pradesh . The drive to Spiti was the longest road trip I had ever done. I keep getting flashbacks of the dry and harsh landscapes. I miss the long driving hours amidst what seemed to me like something out of this world. But most of all, I miss the camaraderie I shared with my fellow trip members.
The group consisted of:
- Isuzu v-sross: gunin, reeturaj, nayanjyoti and sudopta.
- White Jimny: Shisir, his better half and priyankar.
- Red Jimny at: Jamini, Prakritij and Prakritij’s Sister.
White Jimny was starting for the trip from Dudhnoi, Assam. Red Jimny started from Sibsagar, Assam. I, in my Isuzu, started from Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh.
Planning for the trip: This one will be short. Almost all of the planning was done by Jamini. The rest of us shamelessly relaxed and just went along. Thank you, brother.
Some pictures from our trip to get the log going:
A journey of being on the road with friends
Watching beautiful sunsets
Being starry eyed kids
Trusting a machine like a friend
Being foodies
Being impressed
Being mindful
And being welcomed back home
This is a short account of one of my most memorable road trips. The photos shared here have been compiled from different cameras of the trip members.
Day 0: Pasighat to Guwahati:
I started at midnight as I could not wait to hit the road. There was quite a heavy downpour. Expectedly, I just had the company of fellow truckers on the road. I spent some time at home playing around with my kids.
Day 1: Guwahati to Purnia
Red Jimny had moved to Dudhnoi the previous day. We started from Guwahati at 4am. We met up with both Jimnys at Bongaigaon. It was a rainy affair all the way for that day. We found both the Jimnys moving along at a fair click. What it lacks in outright power is made up by its filtering (through traffic) capability.
With Nayan and Report
Meeting point at Bongaigaon
Tea break at Dabri
We stopped for lunch near Siliguri. Nayan had made some pork. I broke my vegetarian fast of the past 30 days with it.
I found Bihar to be quite welcoming and beautiful. We got some mangoes at 1/3rd of the price of what we get in Assam.
Tea Break
We lodged in a small hotel in Purnia recommended by Bhpian Sheel. It was a nice place. The weather outside was quite pleasant with the possibility of rains. Reeturaj quite wisely parked the Isuzu so that the loading bay was sheltered from the probable rains. In the evening, we met Sheel along with a friend of his. It was great meeting him.
On the road
With Bhpian Sheel
Day 2: Purnia to Lucknow:
Another long day on the road. I was happy soaking in the rural scenery of Bihar. There was rain in the morning. I thought I would get struck by lightning while taking a pee break.
Heavy rains in Purnia
Enjoying the drive in Bihar
Breakfast
And it was all yellow
Sometime in the afternoon, Reetu and I got behind the wheel of the Jimny AT. Jamini gave us a brief crash course on how to drive it. We didn’t comprehend much but acted otherwise. I told my left leg not to do anything and just repose in itself. Right foot on the gas and we soon found out the Jimny is not a slouch at all, especially with the pedal tuner. Reetu and I left both the Isuzu and the white Jimny behind. We were grinning like idiots. We thought Jamini might be worried about his car.
Nazar heart ..
We were stopped at an under-construction toll gate by some policemen on duty. They were happily watching us drive towards them in the bright red Jimny. It was the first time I did a drunken driving test and everyone, including the encouraging cops, was overjoyed to see I passed.
Happy place
We wanted to reach Lucknow in time for some food at the famous eatery, Tunday Kabab. We eventually made it at midnight. The guys were very excited, even after this long trip, to have food from this place. The food was ok. Nayan explained how the kabab is made by repeatedly beating the meat with a club. Sudipta and I were not very enthusiastic about eating the beaten-up meat once we heard it.
Tunday Kabab Lucknow
Jalsa
Lodged at Jalsa, Lucknow for the night. It is a simple and nice place to stay with a lot of parking space.
Continue reading about gunin’s road trip for BHPian comments, insights and more information.
