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Log 10
An amazing palace in sleepy Datia...Gwalior by nightfall
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Introduction
Meet the people
Route map
Message board
Write to us
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The preparations for a drive
• Planning the route
• The mode of transportation
• What to take
Planning the route
Given that the nature of our trip was to 'discover India', there was no way we were going to be able to draw up a detailed itinerary. However some kind of plan was necessary since there is so much to see in India and we were limited by time. Besides, we have friends, who plan to join us later on in the trip, and they needed dates. So we drew up a rough sketch of the direction we would be heading in with an approximate time scale. If you are lucky enough to be spared these constraints, I suggest you take the following 'path to discovering'
• Do enough research on the options available so you have a general idea
of what each place has to offer.
• Decide on the places that interest you the most.
• Draw a line that best fits these places in and you should have a rough
sketch of your route.
• Plan your drive just to ensure that you have a decent night stop
each day and play the rest by the ear.
In India you would also need to study road conditions. Some of these roads can be bad to the point of ridiculous.
The car
Nikhil:
Finding the appropriate car has been a grand experiment in opinions. Early on people told me to take an Esteem because it would be the most comfy. Then, when word got out that we planned to head up to Himachal Pradesh and Zanskar, the overwhelming opinion was that nothing short of a Tata Sumo or Mahindra Armada Grand would make it. My mother wanted me to take a mini-van so that the truckers along the road would be able to see our adequate size in their rear view mirrors (and thus presumably slow down for us!).
All in all we got more opinions than models of cars available in India.
Jerusha: If I had my way, and the money, my choice would definitely have been the Tata Safari. They definitely named that car well... it reeks adventure... ok maybe it reeks adventure of the luxurious kind.
Nevertheless, called a number of car dealers in Bombay asking for a Tata Safari or a Tata Sierra. Managed to hunt one down. But that's where the money bit comes in... Was told it would work out to more than a Rs 120,000 for two months. After that I guess just about anything, that would get us through the various types of terrain, as safely and comfortably as was possible, would do.
Nikhil: The guys at Autocarindia, one of India's best auto magazine and automartindia.com, one of India's leading auto website, were very helpful in providing summaries of the pros and cons of different vehicles. While detailed reviews of the cars can be found on these sites, the summary of what we considered is as follows:
• Tata Safari: Great looking car. Should do the trip fine. Sometimes gives
mechanical trouble.
• Tata Estate: Comfortable ride. High clearance good for bad roads.
But breaks down often.
• Maruti Gypsy: Great combination of reliability and 'coolness'.
But hard to find.
• Tata Sumo: Reliable but underpowered. Has been known to topple.
Can find service just about anywhere.
• Mahindra Armada Grand: Good car. Serviceable anywhere, sturdy.
Not the most comfortable ride but probably the best bet.
Unfortunately not available from rental agencies.
• Maruti 1000: It's a Maruti. What more can I say! (for non-Indians,
good stable, easily serviceable, reliable).
Finally we settled on a small, fuel efficient car for the relatively flat stretch upto Delhi @ Rs 22,500 for 30 days . Let's see how we feel when we get there. Options for renting a car? Well, there are a number of private operators offering one-offs. For the initial drive we settled on Europcar because they were able to give us an almost new Daewoo Matiz.
Some numbers you could use if you are planning to rent a car.
• Europcar: (91-22) 645 2796, 640 3062, 640 3243
• Wheels: (91-22) 4981941, 4981943, 4945836
• Kent: (91-22) 6400531, 6400634
Most of the above are listed on rediff.com with the range of the fleet, rate cards and telephone numbers. Don't be deterred by an agency if they don't have the car of your choice. Give them a call and they might be able to arrange it for you. We suggest you also try haggling with them for better rates, especially if you want the car for a couple of days.
Do check back with this section later for a summary of road/driving conditions along different stretches of the drive
What to take?
Nikhil: OK, so the cardinal rule of travelling over long periods is to discard anything that is not absolutely necessary. Applying this principle (as I always do), I loaded up the car and drove over to Jerusha's house to pick her up. She seemed upset as I drove up. She peeped into the car and before I knew it she was ranting and raving, hands waving wildly in the air. Puzzled I looked around. There was my stuff in the back, place for her and her stuff in the front seat...aahh... maybe she wanted more leg room (I can't understand why given how short she is). I removed the monopoly board, beach chair, footstool, 18 inch television, VCR, and three pairs of party shoes. But you know women and how they travel... only managed to create enough space to squeeze her bags in. I recommended that we fit a luggage rack for her to sit on. She did not take the suggestion kindly.
What would we recommend taking? We will list out different checklists depending on the particular stretch of the trip. Nikhil's checklist for the
drive is:
• Essentials (clothes, toiletries, etc)
• Books
• Enough music. Don't get overly ambitious in the selection -- stick to your
favourites -- there isn't much place for experiments like that new sound
you've always wanted to check out. A car CD player is a dicey option given
the condition of some of the roads.
Taking a CD player really depends on
where you are driving and the smoothness of the ride. If you are carrying
CDs then take a CD folder/book (available at any major music store);
saves space and makes for easy access to the music available
• Travel info: Visit the state tourism development boards in your city
(if you live in one of the big metros). They have a lot of information on the
places to see in their states and very useful maps.
• Not more than two pairs of shoes
• Insect and other dangerous creature repellent. Get a spray as well
as a skin ointment. You will need both.
• Camera and film
• Hat/cap
• Some form of identification (passport, driver's license)
• Money belt (a little hard to find but can be made easily by any tailor)
• Playing cards, magnetic chess etc
Jerusha's must-have list:
• Sunscreen lotion
• Carry a garbage bag or anything that can serve the purpose
• Sanitary napkins/tampons
• Toilet rolls/paper napkins
• Pen knife
We will follow this up with a section on 'must-haves' for the outdoors section when we get to the north. We will also add in things we missed (when we miss them).
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