Friday, September 27, 2013

Before the Continental Drift - A Journey Back in Time

Planet Earth, Mother Earth as we call is a treasure. The more you see of it, the less you know about it. And the treasure an adventurer seeks is not monetary. The desire to know the external, which ultimately leads to the discovery of the self, is what drives a true adventurist.

The oceans have been dissected. Columbus did it. The mountains have been conquered embraced. Tenzing and Hilary did it. Offroading - Jungles, Swamps, Wild Streams. A quest to find a link between two far-off lands. And that’s what a Tata Safari Storme is designed to do. This Offroading Beast is what makes these exploratory journeys awe inspiring.

The mission is simple. Go Find Yourself. Like the mountain Gods’ do. Mountains Gods - The good old shepherds in the Himalayas. They find a way, always. Atop the sky reaching mountain passes and at never-seen-before lands, they always find a way. Why? Because they consider themselves a part of the Mother Nature. Inseparable.



What should a new ride feel like? The sandy dunes of Kutch? The vast barren fields of Ladakh? Or the unheard roads of Pangi Kishtwar[cue: Sach Pass and Beyond] What about a combination of all three? A long sandy road that suddenly turns into a Ladakh like miracle, which then turns into a forgotten land of Pir Panjal Himalayas.

Road Less Traveled?

What about a journey that takes you back to the time when this earth we live on was unified. Prior to the Continental Drift. Back in time.

You might say that humanely such a place is not possible. Who is talking about humans here? An adventurer is a Spirit, Storme is a Machine God, and Planet Nature is the Creator. Creator is not bound by any rule.

So be it. The game is on. A road never seen before. A story never heard before. The Continental Drift.

Submerged in the Oceans

A journey back to time when probably the Himalayas were surrounded by Oceans, Oceans by deserts, deserts by grazing grounds. And in between meeting new people, new cultures. So much to learn from, so much to see.

Snow Bound Desert

A new culture, which is often called primitive. What if that myth is broken? What if they were not living in the caves? What if they could actually speak to animals and plants alike? There is no bound to imagination. 

There is no bound to the miracles thrown at us by the Mother Nature.

The Colors Of Nature - Magical Mother Nature

The journey would be difficult. Every new journey is difficult. But it’s only these difficulties that make a journey memorable. In retrospect, without difficulties, road-blocks, obstructions, even a journey to the heavens will sound boring.

Like walking across a 4700 meter (15420 feet) after surviving flashfloods was a problem when it happened, now it sounds nothing less than an achievement.



Driving with a worn-out car to the treacherous Spiti Valley and leaving the car behind was a pain when it happened, now it all sounds like fun.

Like riding to the Pangi Valley was a nightmare, but now all it brings back is smiles and happiness.



And that's how you meet new cultures, new people. By facing difficulties only, something valuable is achieved. 

Travel, as they say dispels our illusions and that’s what a journey like this would certainly do. A journey like this happens once and that’s what it must do, dispel all your illusions.