Uncharted waters

We set off with the new Hyundai i20 to explore places that, until now, had been cut off from the rest of the country during the winter season for a journey that promised sights we’d never seen before. Dhruv Saxena shares the experience

- Dhruv Saxena

Our line of work, fortunately enough, takes us places including ones that aren’t usually on the radar of the general populace. Collectively, there probably isn’t any part of the country the team at Auto Today hasn’t driven to. Consequently, searching for previously uncharted routes, destinations and locations for a new chapter of the Great India Drive proved a bit challenging. So, when I announced I had managed to zero in on roads and places none in the team and most people in the country had never seen before, it piqued the interest of my teammates enough for them to accompany me on a journey to the proverbial uncharted waters.

MILE MUNCHING

A brand spanking new Hyundai i20 for company and the prospect of seeing snow, as it turns out, are motivation enough get people to wake up in the wee hours of the morning and be up and at it by 5 am. What lay ahead of us was an uneventful first leg comprising a 12 to 13-hour journey up to Manali. That and asking my colleagues to pack weather-appropriate clothing were the only hints I had dropped thus far so, they were still blissfully unaware of the actual plan. Despite the best efforts of ongoing roadwork, haphazard traffic and mismanaged tolls to slow us down, progress was fairly brisk thanks in part to the i20’s punchy 1.5-litre diesel. Plus, we had to forego regular coffee breaks in the interest of social distancing. No lunch break either so we had to rely on a buffet of munchies, protein bars and Red Bull for sustenance.