Bob Rupani – a pioneering Indian automobile journalist and Executive Editor of Auto India – was part of this overland expedition and shares some of his amazing experiences
It’s my belief that one of the best ways to see the world is through the windscreen of an automobile. And amongst the greatest drives is the historic ‘Silk Road’ trade route. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and this dream came true when I was invited to be part of the Silk Road 2013 Expedition organized by Land Rover Experience Germany. The 11 expedition vehicles crossed 11 countries and drove 15,000 kilometres from Berlin to Bombay in 50 days.
I drove from Astrakhan in Russia to Taskhent, the Capital of Uzbekistan. When I met the group in Astrakhan, I realized I was also the only non-German participant (apart from British photographer Craig). There were two people to a vehicle and our convoy consisted of 4 Land Rover Discovery’s and 7 Range Rover Evoque’s, with 4 of them being 2014 under development models fitted with a 9- speed automatic gearbox. Land Rover says this is the world’s first 9-speed automatic transmission for a passenger car.
My co- driver was 26 year old Henning Luke, who is an online social media expert and a qualified Land Rover instructor. The other participants included some select German print and online media, a television crew, few senior Land Rover officials, invitees and a group who won a contest to go on the expedition. About 35,000 people applied, and, after several tests 12 contestants got selected. The criteria for selection were things like driving skills, ability to adapt to situations, leadership qualities, ability to work with others, etc.
On 5th September morning, the convoy started moving at 4am sharp. By 6am, we were at the Kazakhstan border and soon crossing a long pontoon bridge. We had 786 kilometres to drive that day, and when I got behind the wheel, the Evoque instantly felt very smooth and refined. The 9-speed auto quickly upshifted into a higher gear, and at 100km/h, the engine revolutions were around 1,300 to 1,400 rpm – just a little over idling speed. This resulted in not just better refinement, but also improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions. Over the next 8 days, we followed a fixed pattern. Henning would take the wheel at the start of the day. I would drive a longish middle stint and he would again take over towards the end.
The roads in Kazakhstan were really very bad – even worse than some of our worst roads. But the complete absence of traffic made it easier. Kazakhstan is larger than Western Europe, but only 17 million people live there. What’s even more important is that its population density is less than 6 people per square kilometre! Compare this with India. Ours is the seventh-largest country, and the second-most populous one with over 1.27 billion people (by a recent estimate). But, more significantly, population density is almost 400 people per square km! Which means that when you travel in a country like Kazakhstan, you wonder where the people are? In between cities, you have vast stretches of desert flatlands and steppe grasslands with not a soul to be seen. You can drive for 500 kilometres, and not see even 5 people! In fact, while driving we saw more camels than people in the countryside. Simply unbelievable. What’s also amazing are the Russian cars, like the Lada’s that you see everywhere. Some are old enough to be classics, but are used on a daily basis.
Surprisingly, we did not see a single tree in Kazakhstan and no land being cultivated either. But we did see some horses and horsemen herding sheep. This desert land is barren and bare, but still beautiful. We also came across many Bactrian double humped camels – heroes of the historic Silk Road that connected Hindustan (India) to Rome. Stretching some 10,000 kilometres, the Silk Road gets its name from the lucrative trade of Chinese and Indian silk. Along with silk, many other goods were traded and various technologies, religions and philosophies, cultural practices, languages, recipes, etc, also travelled via the Silk Road. The Bactrian camel was the main pack animal for the caravans, because of its ability to withstand cold, drought, and high altitudes. They carried loads of up to 250kgs, and travelled 50 kilometres a day. And thanks to the Silk Road, some Bactrian camels are still found in the Nubra Valley in Ladakh.
Everyday we would typically drive for about 8 hours, but one day we ended up driving for some 14 hours – and this was because of a bureaucratic problem we had at the Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan border. Getting out of Kazakhstan posed no problem, but entering Uzbekistan proved to be a big one. The immigration and custom officers confined us to a barbed wire enclosure in no mans land for some 12 hours. Simply because we had lots of gear, which they were not sure could be brought into Uzbekistan. While confined to the enclosure, I had a strong urge to defecate. But there was no toilet. Nature waits for nobody, so I finally grabbed some toilet paper, went behind a wall in no mans land and did what had to be done. No kidding-in, no mans land. Crazy shit!
By the time we crossed the border and entered Uzbekistan, the sun was setting and we soon found a nice camping site. Dinner was a pre-cooked meal of pasta from a ‘travellunch’ packet, and then I spread out my sleeping bag under the amazingly clear desert sky. Not only could you see millions of stars, but the Milky Way was also very clearly visible. A truly starry night.
The next day was again an early start, as we had to drive about 800 kilometres. We first drove to the Aral Sea, which was once one of the four largest lakes in the world, with an area of 68,000 sq kms. Since the 1960’s, it’s been shrinking rapidly because the rivers that fed it were diverted by the Soviet government for irrigation projects. By 2007, the Aral Sea had become 10% of its original size! This is ‘one of the planet’s worst environmental disasters’ that’s resulted in the creation of a desert on the former lakebed. Fishing boats now lie scattered on the dry land, and it’s a very depressing sight.
Fortunately, as soon as we entered the ancient city of Khiva that is now on UNESCO’s World Heritage list, our spirits started to soar again. After a quick sightseeing tour the next morning, we hit the road for Bukhara. After about just 50 kilometres, our Evoque’s air-conditioner packed up. It was the peak of summer, and we had the formidable Kyzylkum Desert to cross. We drove with the windows rolled down, and by about 2.30pm it was 43.5 degrees! The others were driving in cool comfort, but Henning and I were being roasted red. To stay hydrated, we were drinking over a litre of water every hour and still laughing and joking – because, while the others were just seeing the desert, we were actually experiencing it.
On reaching Bukhara, I spent an hour under a cold shower and then Henning and I quenched our thirst with several cold beers. Bukhara is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the minarets, mosques, markets, mausoleums, madrassas, etc., all have a distinctive architectural style with decorations highlighted in shades of turquoise. Samarkand was also spectacular, and the food in Uzbekistan was fantastic too. The kababs, naan, pilaf (similiar to pulao), and somsa (baked samosa), were all truly delectable. You get ‘halva’ for desert and a piala of chai after that! What was strange, though, is when asked where I was from; if I said India, it evoked hardly any response. But when I said Hindustan, there was instant recognition and I was often greeted with a ‘Namaste.’ In fact, a local FM station also plays Hindi film songs on a show called ‘Namaste Hindustan.’
I flew back from Tashkent to Mumbai, and promised Dag and Henning that I would join them again for the last leg from Udaipur. At Jaipur, Land Rover’s Silk Trail 2013 Expedition, which was running a day behind, also caught up with the Silk Road Expedition. The Silk Trail Expedition included 3 Range Rover Hybrids, and travelled from Solihull in the UK to Mumbai, and visited 14 countries in all. This journey was the final test for prototypes of the new Range Rover Hybrid that will be available from early next year.
On this 53-day development test drive, the Range Rover Hybrids were driven by teams of Land Rover development engineers and some special invitees, as well as the media. The hybrids powertrain is a combination of Land Rover’s familiar 3.0 litre SDV6 turbo-diesel engine and a 35kW electric motor that’s integrated with the 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. Total power generated by this hybrid combination is 335bhp and 700Nm of torque, and Land Rover officials say that the fuel efficiency and emissions levels are significantly better.
Udaipur onwards, where I joined the expedition again, we were a convoy of 18 stunning vehicles and, en route to Surat, we dropped into Dungarpur – where Yuvraj Harshvardhan Singh showed us around his superb palace and the astonishing Dungarpur Mews that houses many classic cars, various automobilia, and also some guns, cannons, and carriages. The finish in Mumbai on the 12th of October was also a very colourful affair with a Bhangra band giving a rousing welcome to all the participants. For me, it was very poignant that ‘this voyage of delight and discovery’ ended in my city. Jai Ho!
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