The 3 ‘MISS’keteers

Seventeen countries, 95 days and three women behind the wheel of a car, these ladies had a life changing tryst with travel

These three women travellers who have returned after an adventurous road trip from London from Delhi confess that they have the soul of a nomad. Nidhi Tiwari, Soumya Gopinath and Rashmi Koppar are the first ever to have done this road trip traversing through China, Kygyzstan, Uzbekistan and then to France in an Indian car. Their bags are always packed and they believe that the world is their oyster. We speak to this first all-women group on the challenges they faced and their daredevil attitude on this super adventurous trans-continental expedition.

Nidhi Tiwari of Women Beyond Boundaries (WBB) has had many years of long-distance, high-altitude driving and off-road jeeping experience, while Smita was working in the development sector for over 15 years. Nidhi states, “When we were planning this expedition, we were looking for like-minded travellers. When I shared this with Soumya and Rashmi, who have been long-time friends and travelmates, they jumped right in. I’m an outdoor educator and am currently consulting for an education-based project.”

Hospitality and tourism educator and a PhD scholar, Rashmi Koppar chips in saying, “The challenge was getting the paperwork in order. From the time we crossed the Indian border, up until Finland, communication was a major challenge, especially while ordering food. Also, dealing with the sub-zero temperatures was a major test.” For Soumya Gopinath, a physiotherapist, mother of two young boys, who also runs an outdoor biking gear company and a campsite in the Western Ghats, it was an extension of her passion for trekking that started in her school days. “I was introduced to trekking when I was in Class 5. With travel, once you start, you can never truly finish. Before going on this journey, I was wondering whether my family would be able to manage in my absence and during the trip, we faced challenges in terms of knowing the local languages. Three women in a car, for close to 10 hours a day would sometimes get a bit stifling, so the challenge lay in terms of keeping the atmosphere in the car congenial at all times,” says Soumya.It was about pushing boundaries both within and outside for the girls who clocked 23,800 km at the wheel, 17 countries and 95 days on the road.

“I loved the changing landscapes; flood plains of Myanmar, to the Tibetan plateau in China, to the Tien Shan mountains in Kyrgystan, the fertile Fergana valley in Uzbekistan, dry, desert lands in Kazakhstan, then to the flat, yet green pastoral lands in Russia to finally reach the coniferous trees and pretty European meadows in Finland,” says Nidhi in awe of the beautiful world.” Agrees Rashmi who found this trip life changing among many things. “I am humbled by the sheer helpfulness of people we met on our journey. Once we were stuck between landslides, at a small village called Chamol in Manipur. Apparently, there was no electricity and no inflow of groceries and goods for days. We spend the first night wet, cold and hungry. A local lady named Chongpi, physically handicapped was distressed at our plight and invited us over to her house, shared what meagre food she had and gave up her bed for us.”

Recalling another incident, Soumya adds, “Driving from Kohima to Imphal, we were stuck one day due to a strike and all the roads were blocked with nowhere to go, watching the protesters pass us by. One of them told us that it was not safe for us to be sitting in the car and urged us to come to his house where he could organise lunch for us. We were in a dilemma, but just trusted our instincts and drove behind him. He urged us to come inside his house and with a lot of trepidation we gave in. We were greeted by the most welcoming smiling faces of his mother and two sisters who cooked the best Manipuri food for us, played the guitar for us, sang songs and made us feel at home.” Looking forward to her next trip, Nidhi reveals, “We are planning a couple of drives in north-east India with women drivers who can push their driving limits in difficult terrain.”