City couple returns after 240-day road trip

The duo covered 28 states and 6 union territories of India

Priyanka and Nishith Jois travelled to Siachen base camp, the northern-most point of the country.

In August 2022, Priyanka and Nishith Jois set out on a journey with no fixed return date. Eight months later, Nishith, an entrepreneur who shut down his factory to embark on the expedition, says, “We always wanted to travel without a rigid schedule.”

The couple has undertaken multiple roadtrips previously. Their longest one prior to this was an international sojourn where they drove to London and back. This time around they were keen on exploring India. “We told our friends and family we would be back in five months, but we didn’t have a fixed time in mind,” reveals Nishith who returned to Bengaluru at the end of March 2023.

The duo chalked out a skeletal map — a rough blueprint of the general direction of their drive. “For the first 6,000 km, we drove through extremely heavy rains,” he recalls. From Bengaluru, they headed north, covering Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland and West Bengal before moving back down to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Their hotel bookings would be made 15 minutes before arriving at the destination and if locals suggested a unique place to visit nearby, they’d happily take a detour, even if it took an extra day or two. “We didn’t start to complete, we started to explore,” states Nishith, a rally driver.

On the road

They visited multiple international borders, from Wagah-Attari in Amritsar to the Siachen base camp in Ladakh. While driving on the world’s highest motorable road in Sikkim, Priyanka passed out because of the high altitude. But they were equipped with oxygen canisters that were immediately put to use. They were also able to save the life of a girl who had fallen unconscious. “On a deserted road, we were stopped by some men. Their friend had fainted and they wanted help. We had spare oxygen canisters and were able to revive her,” he recalls.

Home on wheels

To make room for their clothes, food supply, emergency equipment and medical essentials the back of their SUV was converted into a storage area. In remote places, where tourism is yet to pick up, they cooked food in their car.

Wine and dine

In Sikkim, they sampled some locally made whiskey called Kukri, which is sold in a bottle shaped like a kukri knife, he reveals. In Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh,
they tucked into the most delicious smoked pork. They also enjoyed an authentic meal in the home of a former head hunter of the Konyak tribe. They also met the king of the tribe. “His house straddles the India-Myanmar border. So half his kitchen and living room are in the neighbouring country,”
he shares.