It is a different drive and journey for someone who has been on the political
road.
Imagine what it would be like to have the
experience of driving through countries and continents, checking out a vivid
mix of cultures, witnessing extraordinary sights on an intoxicating
international road drip. That’s got to be a memory of a lifetime and that’s the
dream Giovanni Karl Vaz is chasing.
The Vasco based former politician is
attempting to drive from Goa to London. On April 3, he will set out for what
will surely be an adventure of a lifetime.
Known for his love for cars and
automobiles, be it his first car, a Maruti Esteem, or a Lexus or an Aston
Martin, his love for the fast lane has been constant. He is taking his Range
Rover Sports HSE for this trip. Considering the journey from Goa, it will be
approximately 19,700 km and the estimated time for travel is 60 days.
The route will pass through 18 countries:
India-Myanmar-Thailand-Laos-China- Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-
Russia-Latvia-Lithuania-Poland-Czech Republic-Germany-Netherlands-Belgium-
France-United Kingdom.
Being absolutely passionate about driving,
Karl always prefers driving across states for his business trips. He was lured
by the thrill of driving the challenging and tough roads from Goa to
Leh-Ladakh. Having experienced driving across the mountains and water streams,
he fondly shared the experiences of this journey to his family. Following
which, his eldest daughter encouraged him to take up the’ Road to London Trip,’
to relive the adrenaline rush. This trip has been attempted by a few Indians
and he hopes to find his name in that small set. The 54-year-old businessman
will be travelling along with 14 other travellers across the country for this
trip.
The planned excursion has already garnered a lot of excitement
in Goa; and a lot of well wishers have reached out to express their support to
Karl. At the same time, there have been well wishers, such as those close to
Karl, who have had concerns about the duration,the toll it could have on his
body and his endurance.
However in anticipation of this journey, ever since the planning
had commenced, he had started training himself, to overcome any physical
challenges and sustain eventualities. Karl has embarked on a fitness journey
over the last 4-5months and does cardio and strength training on a daily basis,
which he believes will equip him sufficiently over the next couple of months.
For now though, all he is excited about is ticking of various
items on his bucket list! On this overwhelming drive, he will cross multiple
international borders every few days, take the off-beaten tracks, dirt roads,
mountain passes and smooth tarmacs of expressways and even have breakfast in
one country and dinner in another. He will get the chance to experiencing
varying cultures and languages within a few miles, driving through the 46 Iron
Bridges in Myanmar, meet Giant Pandas in China and drive the ancient Silk Route
throughout Central Asia.
From the thrill of driving on the smooth Autobahns of Germany to
driving through the rubber plantations of Laos, this trip seems to have it all.
For instance, in Myanmar, he will have to cross the 46 Iron
Bridges within a distance of 100 km, and drive on the famous Mandalay Yangon
route. He will also explore the cultural side of things with a ‘traditional
puppet show’ in Bagan (Myanmar).
The trip also involves hiking on the Great Wall of China at the
Jiayuguan Pass, the vital pass to the world’s oldest trading route. He will
have to drive through the off-beaten tracks of China, discovering villages
through beautiful landscapes, mountain ranges, lakes and monasteries and be
able to visit the largest stone Buddha in the world.
Besides driving on the ancient Silk Route in China, Kyrgyzstan
and Uzbekistan, he will visit the historic cities of Tashkent and Samarkand
(Uzbekistan) and drive on the Pamir Glacier in Kyrgyzstan.
In Kazakhstan he will have to drive through long stretches on
lonely desserts and sand dunes.
Latvia-Lithuania-Poland-Czech Republic- Germany-Netherlands-Belgium-France-
United Kingdom: this will be covering 7 countries in 8 days- breakfast in one
country-lunch in the second and dinner in the third.
He intends to cover 450 km each day with 12-hour drives on an
average while taking adequate breaks to look at the places.
In France he will use the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, a railway
shuttle service to cross the English Channel and reach London. From London the
car will be shipped back to India via sea.
This
being his first trip crossing an international border by road, Karl is still
looking ahead at the next adventure and is keen on attempting to drive to
Bhutan in the foreseeable future.
