I took the risk and drove from Delhi to Gangotri, India

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This year, I travelled to India for three weeks with my family but before embarking on this trip, I was quite undecided about whether to rent a self-drive car or to book a car with a driver. Last year, I booked a car with a driver and we were limited in every sense. The driver would decide what we must visit and when. Even if we would come across restaurants when we were hungry, he would go by the proper lunch timing and would politely tell us that it would be better to eat some miles ahead. When we would pass by a nice viewpoint, he would tell us that there are better viewpoints ahead. We were not free, but well it was an experience. Bearing this in mind, this year I took the risk to rent a self-drive car. I did the needful to obtain my international driving permit and set off for this big adventure with my family. Driving in India is no joke. It is a big challenge, especially on the mountainous and hilly regions. I drove all the way from Delhi to Gangotri, with several stops in between. I must admit that the roads were not in good condition on the mountains and hills. There were many rocks on the roads which fell from the mountains and hills. I was fortunate enough that rocks did not fall on the rented car while I was driving. As I progressed with the road trip and went to higher altitude, the mobile network grew weaker until it disappeared completely. The car's tyre got punctured twice and luckily we sorted the problem. But putting aside these challenges, the road trip is a school without wall. I am glad that I took the risk. I could stop wherever I wished, eat wherever I wished, visit all the places I wished and stay at any hotels I wished. I was free with my family. But my advice for anyone who wish to drive on the mountains and hills of India is to be careful, stay alert, drive slowly, respect people on the way and stop as many times as possible to gather enough energy to pursue the journey. Increase water intake, take spare car tyre and ensure that the car basic maintenance tools are in the car. Drive during the day to benefit of the daylight. Last but not the least, ensure that your fuel tank is full and that you have spare fuel. I will tell you more about my trip in my next posts.