Dubai-based couple Rajesh and Rama Soni are in their fifties and vegetarian, but neither the fear of age or thought of lack of food would stop them from embarking on their great adventure.
They travelled 17 countries by road over 83 days battling weather conditions ranging from minus 5 degrees to 35 degrees, sampled several kinds of food, encountered a plethora of cultures and people to reach their destination, London, where they were greeted by both their sons – one who lives there and one who had flown in from Dubai.
First, the couple shipped their Nissan Extrem to Mumbai and started their journey from Hyderabad. It took them nine days in India before they drove off to Nepal, Tibet, China, Kazakhistan, Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia to finally reach Europe. They then travelled across various European countries to reach London. Wherever a country’s land mass ended, they drove the car into ferries to cross over water bodies and continued their unique journey. “People welcomed us everywhere and we could speak to many NGOs [non-government organisations] and [others] on the importance of education,” says Rajesh Soni.
Rajesh, the co-Founder of Blue Chip Real Estate and his wife, Rama Soni, believe that you need a certain level of fitness to embark on a tour like this. While Rajesh is a cyclist, Rama doesn’t miss her daily walks. “You need a fair amount of fitness to weather a trip like this at 50 years of age,” he says.
What prompted them to travel this route? “We are avid travellers but had never considered adventure travel with a cause. We met a couple in Turkey, Cappadocia, who were travelling for a year and a half. They were reveling in their experience. It inspired us to no end,” says Rajesh. So, in August last year they planned their trip. “Our tour would take us to villages, hamlets, small towns and cities. So we decided to speak to people on how important it is to be educated,” says Rama.
As for dealing with a lack of variety for food, they say, “Besides our packed food, we found vegetarian food across the countries we travelled to. We were flexible and open to eat what was available [to us].”
Ask them if they shopped along the trip and they reply in the negative. “We kept the shopping away and stored memories and moments on our phone cameras,” she says. Her most cherished memory was in Russia. “We had driven into a parking lot and I was trying to cook a meal when this Russian couple invited us home. They insisted that we stay with them, cooked us dinner, hosted us for one night and even served us breakfast the next day,” she adds.
How did the trip change them? “We found kindness everywhere. Through the route, whenever we needed help, we got it. We were looked after and that is such a secure feeling for travellers,” adds Rajesh.
“As you grow older, your hobbies should come to the fore. Your children are usually grown up and have a life of their own. Now is the time to live a little for yourself. And there is no age to living your life well,” adds Rama.
Their next big trip will be either Australia and New Zealand or Africa.