Tiger(s) spotting in Maharashtra, surfing on playful waves in Andhra Pradesh, scuba diving in rough Orissa sea and last but not in any way the least, ghost hunting in a West Bengal hill station – these experiences and a hundred more – I lived them all in one epic road trip that I was fortunate enough to be a part of. And this road trip was Nano Drive with MTV Season 2 – a travel show that involved 21 days of travel across the country in Tata Nano.
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| Nano Drive with MTV – 21 days on the road |
This was the best trip of my life! For one, never in my wildest imaginations I had ever thought that a road trip this long, covering this great a part of our country could ever become a reality for me. But as they say, strange are the ways of the world, I was chosen to be a part of the show with a few other travel junkies and experience India like never before!
The trip started from Nagpur, the geographical centre of India (now, did you know that?) with first pit stop at Tadoba Tiger Reserve, where we made acquaintance with 5 (yes!) Royal Bengal Tigers!
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| Tiger spotting at Tadoba Tiger Reserve |
Thrilling to the core, isn’t it! From here, it was the highway again, with stops at various cities in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Sikkim. Throughout the 21 day long trip, adventure remained out constant companion, pepping us up when the distances between cities became too long and driving became tiring.
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| Eating with the locals near Asifabad, Andhra Pradesh |
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| Emu Farm, Rajahmundry |
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| The mighty Godawari, at Rajahmundry |
What added to the adventure quotient of this trip was the fact that it was not a touristy trip. We stayed off the beaten track, steering away from the tourist spots and instead indulged in crazy antics of our own. Hanging out with the locals, sampling local cuisines, stopping at random highways to take in the landscapes and posing for quirky photos in the middle of nowhere – we did this and lots more! And yes, we also dared to spend an hour in a haunted bungalow! See, I told you, we were never short of crazy adventurous stuff to do!
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| Posing with a Pro, at Vizag beach |
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| All set to Scuba Dive, in Orissa |
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| Picking tea leaves at Bagdogra |
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| (Allegedly) Haunted Dow Hill School, Kurseong |
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| Tathagatha Sthal, in Ravangla, Sikkim |
This adventure-packed epic trip culminated in surreal Ravangla, in south Sikkim, in the midst of dense green mountains and lush rolling tea gardens, with fresh mountain breeze cheering us up to literally face the heat once we headed back down to the plains!
