You know how they constantly feed you the idea that once you get hitched and start a family, the fun stops? Well, guess what? An Indian family just blew that notion to smithereens.
Meet the Baid family. Earlier this year, Anand and Punita Baid, along with their kids Yash (12) and Dhriti (8), went on an epic trip travelling through 11 countries over 111 days. And they did all of that in one car!
The planned route.
They exchanged countless emails with over 12 embassies and even convinced the kids’ school principal to grant them the extra leave.
The journey started on April 8th.
At first they trudged through familiar scenes within the country.
But as they were making their way through Nepal, the earthquake hit.
The white dot shows their location, which was scarily close to the epicenter.
Even though they were stuck in Nepal for 5 days, after the quake, this didn’t dull their spirits.
Lacking warm gloves, the family improvised and used socks to counter the cold.
And soon they found themselves in the vast open expanse that is Tibet.
This was an important trip for the kids, who probably learned more about the world on this trip than anything the school could have taught.
This is also why their school principal granted them the extra leave.
“Enroute to Korla. These dunes are easily over 20 floors high. One of those pictures that the actual scale does little justice here. And these ran for a few kms. atleast. Unbelievable sight!”
As a vegetarian family, China and Central Asia would always be a challenge. Which is why they also carried a portable stove and some utensils.
And yes, they used them a lot.
They got to see the “Door to Hell” in Turkmenistan.
Which looked even better at night.
Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, has some of the cleanest and flattest roads you’ll ever see.
Kyrgyzstan showed them how the landscape can change within hours.
” One of the most memorable sight this will be…made our day! Free horses running in the open! Ahhh! Remided me Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. “
They experienced surreal moments when in the midst of silent open country, huge sculptures would adorn the highway.
Some things never change. Kids, eh?
Nope, this isn’t wildling territory beyond the Wall.
The crystal clear waters of Issyk-Kul Lake.
Yash, Dhriti and the 5th member of the family – the Fiat Linea.
The trip wouldn’t be possible without it.
Apparently, Iran has no concept of vegetarian food. Sometimes, they had to show pictures of vegetables to the chefs.
The majestic Registan in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Turkey was full of wallpaper moments.
And so was Greece.
They even got their car serviced in a Fiat service station in Turkey.
If you want to see more photos of their adventures, visit the Facebook page of Overland Stories , which they set up to document their journey. At the time of writing this post, the Baid family were yet to upload the rest of the pictures from Europe.
They flew back home from Paris.
They got the car shipped back, and a month later, the Baid family was united once more.
We have massive respect for the Baids, for successfully pulling off what can easily be called an epic journey. Hope this inspires the rest of us to set out for quests towards unknown lands.
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