Going Flat Out!

Cyrus Dadachanji & Mohit Midha
23^rd March, 2007, Siliguri-Pokhara

It's 3.45 a.m. We have been forced to wake up at this unearthly hour in order to make it in time for our departure at 4.30 a.m. After a long drive last evening, and completing our respective duties, we barely managed to get a few hours of sleep. Fuelled by steaming cups of tea, we groggily loaded the cars and set off in the early morning. The 2 kilometre long convoy, speckled with flashing hazard lights was a truly magical sight.

The cool early morning breeze wafting through the cars drove the last vestiges of sleep away, and an energised convoy drove towards the Indian border. We arrived at Pani Ki Tanki, the last town on the Indian border on the West Bengal side by 6 a.m. to find a group of enthusiastic organisers waiting for us. They had been here since 4 a.m. and there was no way we could possibly zoom off without accepting their best wishes. We spent the next half hour at Pani ki Tanki, where we were welcomed warmly, felicitated, entertained with local dances and plied with refreshments before moving on.

Although it was only 7 a.m., we still had a long way to go. In fact, we were expected to cover 650 kilometres today, all the way to Pokhara in Nepal. Our border crossing was absolutely seamless and we soon found ourselves at another reception across the border at Kakkarvita in Nepal. It was our first encounter with Nepal and the warmth of the Nepali people. What the reception lacked in pomp, it made up for in sincerity and simple affection. The entire town and residents of the surrounding areas had come to shower their blessings on us. We had representatives from the Government, Ministry of Tourism, Mechi Chamber of Commerce and our Rally Team on a dais.

One of the most poignant sights was a 4 - year old Nepali girl, dressed in local costume, sitting on the lap of a Bangladeshi team member. She was so comfortable, that she had to be coaxed away to pose for a picture. That's the SAARC magic at work.

Now, we were running an hour behind schedule. While we were being feted and treated like royalty, most of the Autocar and Tata Motors team members were busy changing the stickers on the cars. It's a tough job keeping our local sponsors in mind, while we are on the move. Old stickers off and new ones on in an hour, with a million curious onlookers. Hats off to you guys!

We made an enthusiastic start from Kakkarvita, taking off on the East West Highway or Mahendra Highway, named after the late king Mahendra. We will be travelling on this highway right up to Mahendranagar in Nepal. As we sped off from Kakkrvitta, the this dream highway enticed us to speed up and enjoy the ride. Mile upon mile of forest land, eucalyptus plantations and dry river beds sped past. We were really enjoying the drive, but the warm weather prevented us from keeping the windows open for long periods of time. Our Nepali hosts had referred to their country as the 'World's largest Aircondtioner'. Today, it seemed as though the air-conditioning could do with some servicing though!

We were zipping through the countryside, enjoying the scenery, when a distress call came over the radio. One of the cars had a puncture. The Tata Motors team rushed to the rescue as the rest of the teams rushed to relieve themselves in the countryside. Our Security leaders started getting a little nervous as we had stopped in a rather sensitive area, vulnerable to attack by insurgents. The team fixed the puncture in record time and we were off again with a sigh of relief all around.

It was along, long drive to Hetuada, our lunch halt. By the time we arrived there, the drivers were starting to get a little exhausted. As we drove into Hetuada, around 4.30 p.m, after having been on the road for 6 hours post breakfast, we received an overwhelming welcome. We were engulfed by people trying to greet us, shake hands and shower us with petals. At the same time, a live radio broadcast from the venue was being broadcast. A media team on a motorcycle was going through the crowds, interviewing people on a miobile and relaying it live. So, as we gave our comments on Nepal, we could hear ourselves on the radio.

We had a long overdue lunch halt, showered with all the love and affection this town could muster, and took off again. We were still around 175 kilometres from Pokhara. On this stretch, we tried to make up for lost time and literally go 'flat out' within limits, through towns, villages and into the hills. Just as this term came to mind, and dusk fell, we had another flat - yet another victim of relentless driving and probability of problems with 30 vehicles! So, yet another unscheduled halt allowed us to enjoy the cool breeze, a smoke, some idle banter and rue the fact that we would be spending the prettiest part of the journey in darkness!

We arrived in Pokhara at 10.30 p.m, 17 hours after we had left India. It was a long, tiring drive, but the sight of our resort was enough to cheer us up. Enjoying the luxury of a warm bath, an aperitif and a leisurely dinner, we set off for our rooms. Today we had literally gone 'flat out' across Nepal, traversing 650 kilometres in our day - the longest stretch so far. Even making history is a job in itself. But the perks more than make up for the load!

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