Remember the time when we simply did as we pleased — before a certain virus rode roughshod all over us and brought our lives to a screeching halt? I have had to bid goodbye to the road in general, and a Himalayan summer in particular — an otherwise annual affair that had long coincided with rising mercury levels. Prepping the car and whizzing off to mountain adventures had almost always been a part of my life.
The summer of 2020, however, was largely expended in vicarious travel, nostalgic reminiscences, and the hope that the monsoon would usher in a further easing in inter-state travel regulations. After all, rain-drenched drives along mountain curves (and almost everywhere) are just as memorable as sun-soaked ones — be it in the Himalayas; the Nilgiris in South India, dotted with pretty tea-estate towns and biosphere reserves; or the moss-green Sahyadris in the West, with lakes and abandoned forts. The charm of stopping by villages — where one can find the warmth of no-frills hospitality and beverages — makes the rainy-day drive even more enticing.
As we cautiously steer ourselves towards feel-good activities, self-driven holidays are being viewed as the safest and most Covid-19-appropriate. With intra-state movement being permitted, exploring or rediscovering the backyard is increasingly catching the fancy of the activity-challenged, and is by and large being enjoyed as a day excursion.
The relatively intrepid are zooming off further afield, to destinations employing less stringent border-crossings; Rajasthan, for instance, for those based in Delhi NCR and nearby towns and cities such as Chandigarh. Which is why — coupled with effective communication of safety standards — Jaipur’s The Tree of Life resort has found family-filled cars drawing up to its porch since mid-June. Not as often as they’d like, I suppose, but the irresistible allure of the Aravalis bathed in monsoon showers is likely to change that.
The open spaces of Punjab, at the end of a six- to eight-hour drive from Delhi NCR, beckon just as invitingly. Slicing through its vast countryside, as the rain beats down to rejuvenate the land, is a delight. One never tires of the sight of dexterous farmhands, shin-high in water, transplanting saplings from paddy nurseries.
The once-frantic highways have begun to breathe again, allowing for acceleration that matches Eddie Rabbitt’s I Love A Rainy Night on the CD player. I found that Citrus County Firdaus, a farm stay in Hoshiarpur, ensures physically distanced parking for guests’ cars, alongside sanitised private cottages and appropriately attired staff.
- Timely car service is important.
- Tank up a day prior to departure.
- Check tyre pressure and tread.
- Ensure electrics — lights, indicators, wipers et al — are in working condition.
- Seatbelts should be in peak condition.
- Stack the glove compartment with relevant documents (insurance, pollution check, registration), charged flashlight, hand-wash/sanitiser, face masks and a first-aid kit.
- Keep handy an Eicher road map or/and a GPS.
- Complement the tool-kit with an electric pump and puncture sealant for tubeless tyres.
- Plug in a car converter to charge devices.
- Stock up on trash bags to avoid littering.
As we eagerly wait for the Himalayan states to let us cruise up to their remotely located villages and rain-washed valleys, let’s veer towards the atmospheric ravines of the Chambal. Reached in under a couple of hours from Agra, these lend themselves to memorable off-piste excursions. Besides, there is a certain je ne sais quoi quality to the petrichor that emanates, and lingers long, from its sandy floodplains. And although river safaris will be off the charts — watercourses are in spate during monsoons — the temples of Bateshwar, banked on the Yamuna less than a half-hour drive from Mela Kothi in Jarar, Agra district, are more than worth a visit. It is time now, don’t you think, to slap on that mask, get behind the wheel, and step on it?
(Please look up state-specific travel advisories and stay options ahead of planning a visit)
Puneetinder Kaur Sidhu is a freelance writer based in Chandigarh