BY DEVIKA C. MEHTA
SAN CLEMENTE, CA - Age is just a number and an Indian-American doctor couple just proved the same! 63-year-old Dr Rajesh Kadakia and his 60-year-old wife Dr Darshana Kadakia are poised to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for driving from California to India- a journey not yet attained by any.
SAN CLEMENTE, CA - Age is just a number and an Indian-American doctor couple just proved the same! 63-year-old Dr Rajesh Kadakia and his 60-year-old wife Dr Darshana Kadakia are poised to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for driving from California to India- a journey not yet attained by any.
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Age is just a number and an Indian-American doctor couple just proved the same! 63-year-old Dr Rajesh Kadakia and his 60-year-old wife Dr Darshana Kadakia are poised to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for driving from California to India- a journey not yet attained by any. The husband and wife duo from Orange County drove from San Clemente, to Hyderabad, India and covered nearly 3,400 km, through 19 countries, in 62 days in a modified Toyota SUV.
They are now looking forward to creating yet another feat by entering the Guinness Book of World Records, but are still awaiting a response.
Talking to IJ about their overall experience, Rajesh mentioned, “We drove from San Clemente to New York City, transported the vehicle to Paris, and then drove to our home country - India. The journey took us through Europe, Russia, and across all of China! After having covered the extreme distance, we finally arrived in Hyderabad on June 13.”
Expressing their pleasure on completing an incredible journey, the doctors informed, “The first phase of the trip was called `home run.’ Not only was I born in Hyderabad, my mother still lives there in our traditional home. It was to pay homage to my parents and my in-laws. We went to Bombay and finally to Hyderabad. It is also important to note we went to Ganeshpuri in Maharashtra to Shree Muktananda Ashram at Gurudev Siddha Peeth to pay respects to our guru Shree Swami Chidvilasananda. We also had a charity in mind for which we made the maximum contribution we could.”
Their journey was also full of dangers. Sharing some threatening experiences, Rajesh recalled, “The risk of engine failure and freezing to death were very real. A car heats up in freezing snow in negative temperatures on a running engine. The battery life is only so much even if you had an electric blanket with an inverter. So, we were in negative temperatures many many time throughout the journey especially in Nordkapp, Norway and also the Himalayas at certain elevations and locations. We also had freezing temperatures in Mongolia and Siberia. So if your car engine fails at locations where there is no support system in terms of phone, GPS, or Google not working in these respective remote places you could be stuck for 10 hours which would be pretty close to a frozen death.”
Even the regulatory requirements of the countries that they passed through imposed serious checkpoint challenges. At one point all their stuff was taken out of car by Russian authorities and thrown on the road. They also faced grilling situations at the entry and exit points of Mongolia and other countries.
However, it was their family and mother who kept them going. “ My 83 year old mom kept on saying come home safely and don’t take much risk and she was watching over us. Also, my wife of 37 years showed her true courage, true colors and tenacity in both protecting me and the trip. I am thankful to these two ladies and my family for keeping us going. On the fun side and beautiful experiences, it was interesting to chase double humpback camels in off-road mode which were wild in Mongolia. Also, the sunset at Mt. Kailash crossing the Khardungla pass in the Himalayas and the Tthongula pass in Tibet were the highlights where we saw the stars with such clarity it felt like we were sitting in a planetarium. To top it all off, at least for me, at the Sunauli border of India and Nepal we saw the “Welcome to India” sign which put tears of joy in my eyes.”
On support from children, the doctors mentioned, “During the whole trip, my family was very happy that both grandpa and grandma after 37 years were able to go and enjoy themselves on an epic journey. On a side note, my kids when they were young successfully attempted to jet ski from San Francisco to San Clemente, so this trip is not inconceivable in our family.”
Among other issues that they faced during their trip was that they had a tough time getting vegetarian food in Mongolia and China. To top it all, their pressure cooker and electric heater did not work at the high altitude. However, they kept going and survived on raw foods alone. Being doctors also helped them treat their own altitude sickness. Despite hardships, the road trip has made a lasting impact on the couple.
Next, they are getting their car prepared in India and will continue on next year as work permits to head to Australia via Singapore. “We have this in four phases and will complete the world tour and bring the car back to California.”
They are now looking forward to creating yet another feat by entering the Guinness Book of World Records, but are still awaiting a response.
Talking to IJ about their overall experience, Rajesh mentioned, “We drove from San Clemente to New York City, transported the vehicle to Paris, and then drove to our home country - India. The journey took us through Europe, Russia, and across all of China! After having covered the extreme distance, we finally arrived in Hyderabad on June 13.”
Expressing their pleasure on completing an incredible journey, the doctors informed, “The first phase of the trip was called `home run.’ Not only was I born in Hyderabad, my mother still lives there in our traditional home. It was to pay homage to my parents and my in-laws. We went to Bombay and finally to Hyderabad. It is also important to note we went to Ganeshpuri in Maharashtra to Shree Muktananda Ashram at Gurudev Siddha Peeth to pay respects to our guru Shree Swami Chidvilasananda. We also had a charity in mind for which we made the maximum contribution we could.”
Their journey was also full of dangers. Sharing some threatening experiences, Rajesh recalled, “The risk of engine failure and freezing to death were very real. A car heats up in freezing snow in negative temperatures on a running engine. The battery life is only so much even if you had an electric blanket with an inverter. So, we were in negative temperatures many many time throughout the journey especially in Nordkapp, Norway and also the Himalayas at certain elevations and locations. We also had freezing temperatures in Mongolia and Siberia. So if your car engine fails at locations where there is no support system in terms of phone, GPS, or Google not working in these respective remote places you could be stuck for 10 hours which would be pretty close to a frozen death.”
Even the regulatory requirements of the countries that they passed through imposed serious checkpoint challenges. At one point all their stuff was taken out of car by Russian authorities and thrown on the road. They also faced grilling situations at the entry and exit points of Mongolia and other countries.
However, it was their family and mother who kept them going. “ My 83 year old mom kept on saying come home safely and don’t take much risk and she was watching over us. Also, my wife of 37 years showed her true courage, true colors and tenacity in both protecting me and the trip. I am thankful to these two ladies and my family for keeping us going. On the fun side and beautiful experiences, it was interesting to chase double humpback camels in off-road mode which were wild in Mongolia. Also, the sunset at Mt. Kailash crossing the Khardungla pass in the Himalayas and the Tthongula pass in Tibet were the highlights where we saw the stars with such clarity it felt like we were sitting in a planetarium. To top it all off, at least for me, at the Sunauli border of India and Nepal we saw the “Welcome to India” sign which put tears of joy in my eyes.”
On support from children, the doctors mentioned, “During the whole trip, my family was very happy that both grandpa and grandma after 37 years were able to go and enjoy themselves on an epic journey. On a side note, my kids when they were young successfully attempted to jet ski from San Francisco to San Clemente, so this trip is not inconceivable in our family.”
Among other issues that they faced during their trip was that they had a tough time getting vegetarian food in Mongolia and China. To top it all, their pressure cooker and electric heater did not work at the high altitude. However, they kept going and survived on raw foods alone. Being doctors also helped them treat their own altitude sickness. Despite hardships, the road trip has made a lasting impact on the couple.
Next, they are getting their car prepared in India and will continue on next year as work permits to head to Australia via Singapore. “We have this in four phases and will complete the world tour and bring the car back to California.”
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