KOCHI: TNIE meets a bunch of people who, consumed by wanderlust, have taken to travel in offbeat ways – from a woman who has been exploring India in her lorry to a stunt rider who pedalled from Kanyakumari to Ladakh on a single-wheel bicycle
Exploring the unknown
Arunima I P has loved travelling from childhood. Now 25, she has visited 30 countries and has no intention of stopping until she has explored the entire world. Better known by her Instagram handle, ‘@backpacker_arunima’, she has been travelling for the past four years. “Each day, I feel like a new person. Each day brings a new experience — visiting new places, meeting new people, tasting new cuisine,” she says.
Over the past one-and-half years, she has visited 13 countries in Africa alone. “Once, I got to learn about black magic in an African village,” she laughs. “I stayed with a family for one week and earned their trust. They treated me like family and shared their stories.”
Ethiopia and Angola are her favourites. In India, it’s Meghalaya.
Arunima says she loves connecting with strangers while on solo trips. “I travel by road as much as possible, hitching rides and staying with locals,” she adds. “I always try to make it budget-friendly, as social media promotions are my only source of income.”
One unforgettable experience, she recalls, was walking through an obscure rural area in Angola, about 1,500km from the capital, Luanda. “Vehicles were rare, and there was barely any network. I was wandering aimlessly when two villagers on a bike came my way. They invited me to their home,” Arunima says. “Their hut was no bigger than an average Kerala kitchen. Yet they gave me space and shared their food with me. I will never forget their hospitality. It’s people like them who inspire me to keep travelling.” Where to next? “I will soon be going to Indonesia. And then, I want to cover South America.”
— Niharika Pramod
‘Railway Man’ on road trip
If you want quality time with yourself, travel. That has been Suresh Joseph’s dogma. “I was awakened to this fact by my mother who was passionate about travel,” says the 66-year-old, also known as the ‘Railway Man’ for his long association with the Indian Railways.
Notably, Suresh had played a huge role in setting up the transshipment terminal at Vallarpadam in Kochi, and is now helping DP World set up a container terminal at Kandla Port in Gujarat.
Though he lists ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’ as one of his favourite reads in his blog ‘The Railway Man Who Sold His Maruti’, Suresh still maintains a demanding job and a lovely family. But they don’t curb his wanderlust.
“We give time to everyone but never to our own self. I do that during travels,” says Suresh, who has undertaken several car expeditions, most within India and some abroad.
Suresh holds 18 national and international driving records, including being the only person who has driven solo through the four longest highways in the world — the Highway 1 in Australia, the Trans-Siberian Highway (the world’s second longest), the Trans-Canada Highway (the third longest), and the Indian Golden Quadrilateral, the fourth longest.
His passion was sparked by his grandfather, in whose well-maintained Ambassador he travelled for long. Another memory that he says fuels his car journeys is a family Christmas road-trip from Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram. Almost all his journeys have been on four-wheelers. He has driven from Kochi to London and Singapore, on the trans-Himalayan route, and on a Trans-Siberian expedition from Chennai to St Petersburg.
“When travelling through island countries, I hire a vehicle after reaching there,” he says. “I have so far done 59 countries, 45 of which I have driven in,” he says. He has plans to tick 41 more countries before turning 70 — a goal he calls ‘100@70’. Next on the list, he says, is Iceland.
— Aparna Nair
Pedalling against peddlers
In what is likely the first ride of its kind, Saneed P P, from Kannur, rode a bicycle without a front wheel the entire length of the country—from Kanyakumari to the highest motorable road in the world, the Umling La pass in Ladakh. Nearly 5,000km.
“A wheelie,” Saneed smiles. “That’s what today’s kids call it — lifting the front wheel off the ground and riding on the rear wheel. In my bike, the front wheel was removed,” he adds. “I did it to spread awareness against the great threat to society today: drug abuse. The peculiarity of my journey turns eyes. Not just towards me, but also to the message.”
Indeed, throughout his journey, Saneed has been commended for his efforts and even featured in news programmes. However, the highlight was when the Border Roads Organisation invited him as a guest for a ceremony at Wagah.
“I got a chance to show my skills in front of a crowd there. Along with the soldiers! It is the biggest honour I could have, and I will cherish that memory,” Saneed says.
But the journey was not without its difficulties. “Stiff neck and back pain were constant companions. Also, one time in Hanle, a gust of wind knocked me down and I had to seek medical attention,” he recalls.
Helping alleviate these pains were the wonders that the 23-year-old stunt rider saw on the road. Among them were the Taj Mahal, the Golden Temple, Harihar Fort, and the Konkan stretch. During chilly nights in Ladakh, Saneed spotted Starlink satellites and a shard of the Milky Way. “What a sight it was!”
The journey, which began on December 15 last year, came to a close when Saneed unfurled the Indian flag he had been carrying at the Umling La pass milestone. On the way back, he says, “The adventure is not over yet.” Indeed, the road is long, and there are many more wonders to see. You can follow Saneed’s adventures on Insta at @saneed_dbz.
— Ronnie Kuriakose
‘Where i lay my head is home’
Some journeys can revive you, filling you with new purpose and excitement. That’s what happened to Chithran R from Kannur when, at 24, he set off hiking on November 1, 2022. Two years later, he is still on the road, having explored every corner of India and parts of Nepal. His only fuel is his love for travel.
“Mine is an ordinary family that could barely afford trips even within Kerala. But I always had this big dream of travelling,” he says. “To make it happen, I sold my bike, the only asset I had. I packed just one bag: some clothes, a small camera, a pair of shoes, trekking gear, a small gas stove, a solar panel and battery, and a tent — all adding up to about 50kg. My plan was simple: walk wherever I could, hitchhike when possible, no hotel stays, and cook my own food.”
Chithran says there were days when he walked over 30km straight, sometimes even more. For the past six months, he has been travelling through the remote villages of Nepal, camping in his tent and relying on the hospitality of local villagers.
When no other shelter is available, he would spend nights in bus stands, temples, or gurdwaras. He hikes mostly through hilly regions, remote villages, and forests.
“Once, in a Himachal village named Keylong, I got stuck for nearly a month due to severe cold. All roads were closed. I had to live in my tent, relying on a small gas stove for warmth,” Chithran recalls.
He dreams of walking through European countries and experiencing new cultures. Alongside this, he seeks to share the sights through his YouTube/Insta channels ‘Travelogue by Chithran’.
“Life itself is a journey. Isn’t it better to experience it fully and with joy? I have met so many people and learned so much from each of them. That’s what makes life truly worth living,” he says.
“I often get calls from elderly people who say, ‘Son, we spent all our good years working for money and family…. Watching you travel, we feel a deep longing. Now, even with the money, we can’t live a life as fulfilling as yours.’ Such words keep me walking.”
— Parvana K B
India tour in a lorry
Jelaja Ratheesh has always had a deep-seated desire to travel, especially to explore India’s diverse landscapes. So far, Jelaja has travelled to 22 states and six Union Territories. What sets her journeys apart is that she’s done it in a lorry.
For the past two years, Jelaja has documented her adventures on her YouTube channel, ‘Puthettu Travel Vlog’, named after her family’s lorry business.
“My husband, Ratheesh, is a lorry driver who transports goods across several states. His travel anecdotes spurred my desire to hit the road. He once quipped that I should learn to drive a lorry. That was the beginning,” laughs Jelaja, who hails from Ettumanoor, Kottayam.
Armed with a heavy vehicle licence, she started her journey in 2022, driving to her dream destination, Kashmir, alongside her husband.
Since then, her journeys have taken her across destinations such as Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Nepal, and Bhutan. Now, at 42, Jelaja has just Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram, and Manipur left on her ‘Incredible India’ list.
For Jelaja, what matters most are the people she meets along the way. “I have experienced genuine kindness. Strangers have welcomed us into their homes, treating us like family, especially when we are stranded,” she says. Jelaja adds that for the past 19 years, she was a homemaker whose life centred around family. “I never did anything for myself,” she says. “To be honest, I started my life when I turned 40.”
Her grit has inspired her 20-year-old daughter Devika Ratheesh to also get a heavy vehicle licence and join the lorry trips.
— Mahima Anna Jacob