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Unforgettable road trip to the mountains in a rented Maruti Jimny

The Hyundai Venue I had booked hadn't arrived as the previous renter had extended their booking. So I was offered a choice between the Toyota Innova, Kia Seltos, Toyota Rumion, and Jimny 4x4.

BHPian Abhinav V recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Sometimes we all need a little nudge to get started with doing things in life. This trip was one such experience.

The plan was only for Vrindavan to attend an event, but monkey-minded me couldn't resist the urge to see the mountains.

Driving, for me, is the most soul-satisfying activity, and driving on curvy roads, chasing the apex, and following the racing line excites me more than anything else. I wasn’t going on this trip unless I drove the Himalayan roads.

This led to the plan getting delayed. But everything changed when my aunt gave us the nudge and my mom finally relented to the idea of going to the mountains. That was when the trip looked like it was meant to happen.

However, Dasara was just around the corner, and I hate crowds. I hesitated to travel during the holiday rush. After everything was agreed upon, and the dates set for Diwali week, I started to do serious planning and made bookings on Gandhi Jayanti.

For the rental car, I chose RBTS car rental. After reviewing their catalogue, I decided on the Hyundai Venue. It was compact enough, and I wanted to drive a manual transmission, something I missed back home. After sending them a booking amount of ₹5000, I turned my attention to flights and hotels.
I booked with Air India, hoping for a chance to fly on the new Airbus A350.

Then came the hardest part – waiting for D-Day.

Unexpected Twist with the Rental Car

Just hours before we were to leave for the airport, I received a surprising message from RBTS. The Venue I had booked hadn't arrived, as the previous renter had extended their booking. I was offered a choice between the Toyota Innova, Kia Seltos, Toyota Rumion, and Jimny 4x4. The Innova seemed like overkill, and while the Rumion was within budget, I wasn’t keen on driving it.

At first, I opted for the Kia Seltos, a diesel, but something didn’t feel right. The Seltos was nearly five years old, and the other cars were all under two years old. The car choice was crucial to me as the entire trip depended on it, and I couldn’t imagine sitting in a taxi the entire time. I chose Jimny, which was newer, and after a bit of negotiation, we agreed on a price that worked for both of us.

With that sorted, it was time to set everything in motion and get some sleep before the trip.

During the planning phase, two members of Team-BHP provided invaluable support—Distinguished Bhpain SS Traveller and Kashi053.

Kashi053’s experiences with RBTS gave me the confidence to choose them for the car rental, while SS Traveller helped with route planning to exit and enter Delhi as smoothly and as easily as possible and also suggested Surkanda Devi temple. I’m immensely thankful for their guidance.

The Journey Begins – October 29th

Our flight was scheduled to depart at 5:45 AM.

This was our first time using the newly added Terminal 2, and it looked lavishly built. The only holdup came at the entry, where the CISF personnel manually checked our IDs and boarding passes since we hadn’t opted for Digi Yatra for seamless entry. After that, we went to the self-baggage drop kiosk, and the staff assisted us. We were done quickly, and to my surprise, we had been upgraded to premium economy.

After clearing security, I received a call from Air India staff informing me that boarding had begun and would close in 15 minutes. They asked if I needed assistance with anything, which I found surprisingly thoughtful. We reached the gate with only moments to spare and boarded the plane. Although I had hoped to fly on the new A350, we ended up in an older Airbus A320 with the old Air India livery. But that didn’t matter much because the flight took off on time.

On the Flight

Once settled in our seats, the crew handed us hot and cold towels to freshen up. The sun was rising on our right side, and the orange rays of light were piercing through the windows. On the back of the seat in front of us, we found the menu cards with options for North and South Indian breakfast. As we reached cruising altitude, the captain announced that the crew could begin the food service.

We all opted for the South Indian breakfast since we planned to have North Indian food later in the trip. The food tasted good, and the sambar really stood out. After breakfast, we had coffee, which kept me awake for the remainder of the flight. I tried hard to sleep knowing fully well that I had a really long drive ahead but to no avail.

The flight was smooth, and time passed quickly as my book kept me engaged. The captain announced the start of our descent, and before long, we were landing in Delhi, 20 minutes ahead of schedule. After landing, I received a call from the RBTS driver, who was waiting for us with the car at the multi-level car park.

We freshened up and made our way to baggage collection, where we were in for a pleasant surprise. All of our luggage had already been taken off the conveyor belt and placed together, waiting for us. Air India’s efficiency really impressed me. After collecting the bags, we headed to the car park, where the black Jimny was parked and ready for our journey.

We finished the paperwork, I transferred the remainder of the rental amount, and the driver helped us pack the luggage into the boot. This turned out to be a handy move, as we would soon find out. I paired my phone, connected it to Android Auto, and installed the dashcam I had bought for this trip.

Thanks to SS Traveller, who had sent the pre-loaded route to Meerut, all I had to do was touch the link, and it loaded instantly.

As we exited the airport, everything was going smoothly, but as soon as we left Aerocity, the environment changed.

I took it easy, ignoring the occasional rerouting prompts from Google Maps. Driving in Delhi’s rush hour was hectic, but I wasn’t too nervous. I was more concerned about making a wrong turn, and sure enough, I did! I ended up on a different road, entering some colony before finally rejoining the main road.

Google Maps had a moment of its own when we approached the underpass near AIIMS. It kept rerouting, not recognizing that I was already inside the underpass, and only stopped once I emerged on the other side.

Finally, we reached the Meerut Expressway, and the drive began to settle into a smoother pace.

With the arrow-straight roads of the expressway and the speed restrictions, our stomachs started to grumble. Although we had had breakfast on the flight, the hunger pangs were hard to ignore. The first rest area came into view, and I quickly exited the expressway to park at the food court.

Jimny getting pre heated

Haalat Kharaab!

There were many options, but we headed straight to a Udupi restaurant. We filled our stomachs, and timing was crucial—any longer delay would have caused a headache. Once we were done, we stepped out of the restaurant and encountered the blazing heat of North India. The heat was intense, and the black car was toasted. I cranked up the A/C to full blast and continued our journey.

We continued with the journey. The traffic thinned the moment we crossed Muzaffarnagar, and the pace picked up. We entered Uttarakhand at Roorkee, and I felt a sense of happiness entering Devbhoomi. It was special because I was driving myself.

The road widening work was underway, but soon, we were back on wide, smooth roads till Haridwar. As we entered the flyover that would bypass Haridwar town, we caught a glimpse of the grand Shiva statue at Har Ki Pauri. The sight was refreshing, and with the evening sun now behind us, the weather had cooled down, lifting my spirits. Crossing the statue helped ease the headache that had been bothering me earlier.

As we continued our drive, the mountains began to make an appearance far ahead. The first glimpse was enough to make me feel like a little kid jumping for joy after finishing his homework. The excitement was palpable, but it didn’t last too long.

We exited Haridwar and entered Rishikesh, only to be stuck at a junction. It was Ganga Aarti time, and all the traffic was heading to Triveni Ghat. The chaos at the junction added stress, but I remained calm, finally crossing the stretch and making our way to the hotel in Tapovan.

Absolute chaos

After checking in, moving our luggage, and freshening up, we decided to head to Triveni Ghat, hoping to reach before the end of Ganga Aarti. However, the scene was chaotic—there was so much traffic that we had to park the car somewhere far and take a rickshaw to the Ghat. When we arrived, the Aarti had just finished, and most of the crowd had already dispersed. Still, the atmosphere was surreal despite the tiring journey and long day. We sprinkled some water and took in the surroundings.

It was time for dinner.

The experience at Kake Di Hatti wasn’t as good as what I had in Bengaluru, but no complaints about the taste. We finished our meal and called it a day. We were exhausted, but I couldn’t help feeling grateful for the experience so far.

Jimny at Kake Di Hatti

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