Jared takes the Tata Aria on an adventure through Himachal Pradesh and discovers not only great sights, but also just how capable the Aria is. And oh, on the way AutoX’s Dragon Warrior strives to attain some inner peace too!
We just wrapped up our issue closing and though I was leaving office after midnight, nothing could dampen my spirits as I was off to the hills. I jumped into the Tata Aria’s driver’s seat and was all set for a long peaceful drive. The reason why I was leaving at this time was because I didn’t want to get baked in the scorching heat. And call me a hopeless romantic but I wanted to see the beautiful sunrise in the mountains. The plan was simple – head to McLeodganj, get some fresh air and if possible attain inner peace. However, first I had to reach Dharamshala and as luck would have it the road was newly laid and in excellent condition. It was smooth sailing. So, I managed to keep my date with sunrise as I reached Dharamshala, roughly 13 km from our destination, just after the break of dawn and the scenery was simply breathtaking.
From here, the climb up to McLeodganj was only 30 minutes. Thankfully, I arrived early and avoided this hill station’s hustle bustle. Therefore, I was able to drive the massive Aria on these tiny roads without a bother. My destination was the ‘Tushita Institute’ in Dharamkot, a place where I was to undertake a three-day meditation course in the endeavour to find some inner peace.
After my short stint at Dharamkot, not to mention failing miserably in my quest for inner peace, I decided to come back to the real world and head to one of the most sought after places where one can enjoy paragliding –the towns of Bir and Billing. Contrary to popular belief Bir and Billing are not the same place. Actually Billing is located at a much higher altitude and it is the take off point for the paragliders. The drive from Dharamshala to Bir was just over two hours, and the roads were meandering through picturesque tea plantations. In fact this part of Himachal was like ‘New Foundland’ for me as I had never seen it before. Here too, the Aria once again proved its worth as it never gasped for power on inclines, but the soft suspension did make it bounce around a lot.
I reached Bir, picked up my paragliding pilot and we made our way up to Billing to take off. One caveat though, I have to admit I was a little concerned about the whole gliding because I do have a minor fear of heights. Once I reached the top of Billing, I had no time to think of anything as I was strapped to the parachute and waited for my turn. Once the wind was strong enough my pilot shouted at me to run as fast as I could over a steep cliff. Before I knew it, I was ‘up, up and away’ and was gliding in the air. There were no words to describe how awesome it felt to be airborne. After my adrenaline rush settled down, I jumped back in the Aria and drove away with the biggest smile on my face.
My next destination was the ancient village town of Kasol, which is situated in the Parvati Valley. To get to Kasol we had to drive down through the Kangra Valley towards Mandi and then drive up the Kullu Valley towards Bhuntar. The roads are not the best, but the drive was spectacular and the Aria made the drive as fun as ever. In terms of ride quality and engine performance, the Aria was very enjoyable to drive and it felt right at home on both the highway and the twisty mountain road.
The sun was setting now and I still had about a hundred kilometers to cover to reach Kasol. To make matters worse, it started pouring hard. I managed to slowly make my way through the deep valley and finally made it to Kasol around 9 pm.
The next day was beautiful and as the sun rose, I was greeted with the most fulfilling view yet – snow capped mountains, a fast running river and thick pine forests. Picture perfect! I spent the next few days wandering the numerous trekking trails around Kasol and soaking in the the Himalayas’ natural wonder. The handful of restaurants in Kasol will leave you lip smacking as they serve delicious Israeli and Italian cuisine. My favourite amongst them was Evergreen, mainly because it has the best views of the valley and, of course, the food is fantastic.
Days pass by slowly in the Himalayas but unfortunately it was time to leave this paradise and make the long twelve-hour drive back to Delhi. By now I was familiar with the Aria and it certainly made those twelve hours very comfortable. There is plenty of space in the car and the music system was my entertainment throughout the entire drive back home. All-in-all, the Aria is a vehicle that I would love to go on another road trip with.
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