The lifetime journey that spanned 97 days and around 22,000 km was carried out by three best friends Rashmi Koppar, Dr Soumya Goyal and Nidhi Tiwari when they embarked on their childhood dream. With no back-up vehicle, the mothers in their mid-30s pushed all boundaries to create awareness on women empowerment. Nidhi who conceptualized the trip was also the only driver at the wheel of the vehicle that was sponsored by Mahindra First Choice.
The journey started in June and came a full circle in October, crossing India, Myanmar, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Finland, Czech Republic, Germany and the United Kingdom. The car which kept the friends company happens to be the first Indian vehicle to cross the Arctic Circle, they maintained.
Rashmi Koppar, who is a hotel management professor, recalled the remarkable voyage for Times of India, "The first thing we did while entering every country was to buy a local SIM card. However, we couldn't book accommodations in advance as our schedule kept changing." The trio drove close to 600km a day. "It was only in India and England that we spoke in English. In the other countries, we used sign language and Google translator," added Dr Soumya Goyal, therapist at MS Ramaiah Hospital.
"We avoided driving late at night, instead, spent evenings exploring the cities. In fact, we didn't find a single woman driving on the highway till we reached Europe," said Dr Goyal. Uninhabited zones, non-tarred roads, rocky terrains, forests, streams and dunes greeted the women at every turn, giving them the kind of high they always craved for. All three took a sabbatical from their jobs to realize their dream.
Trip itinerary (one way)
Day 1 to 7: Delhi andndash; Kanpur andndash; Siliguri andndash; Guwahati andndash; Imphal andndash; Moreh/ Tamu border point (Myanmar) andndash; Monywa (Distance: 2,403 km)
Day 8 to 14: Monywa andndash; Mandalay andndash; Lhasa andndash; Muse andndash; Ruili andndash; Dali andndash; Xichang andndash; Chengdu (Distance: 1903 kms)
Day 15 to 21: Chengdu andndash; Ruoergai andndash; Xining andndash; Jiayuguan andndash; Hami andndash; Turpan andndash; Kuerle (Distance: 3,520 km)
Day 22 to 28: Kuerle andndash; Akesu andndash; Kashgar andndash; Sary Tash (Kyrgyzstan) andndash; Osh andndash; Tashkent andndash; Samarkhand andndash; Bukhara (Distance: 1,964 km)
Day 29 to 35: Bukhara andndash; Khiva andndash; Nukus (Khazakistan) andndash; Beyneu andndash; Atyrau andndash; Astrakhan (Russia) andndash; Volvograd (Distance: 2,352 km)
Day 36 to 42: Volvograd andndash; Kamensk andndash; Kharkiv andndash; Kiev (Ukraine) andndash; Lviv andndash; Karkow (Poland) andndash; Prague (Czech Republic) (Distance: 2,589 km)
Day 43 to 54: Prague andndash; Frankfurt (Germany) andndash; Brussels (Belgium) andndash; London (UK) (Distance: 1,269 km)
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