The Great Driving Challenge | User Application

Jaishree Agrawal & Sumit Shital

Total Vote(s) : 100 | Total Testimonial(s) : 6

Hi, we are Jaishree & Sumit from Mumbai, India. We are Indians, born and brought up in the city of dreams i.e. Bombay aka Mumbai. About us: Jaishree is the brand manger for 3 channels i.e. Zing, ETC & Zee Trends, basically from Media. You may probably remember me i.e Sumit aka Zulu from my events background of 13 long years! I am also running 4 Juice Bars in Mum called "Juice Lounge", We both are traveling freaks & just too passionate about it :) Well, every year I have been trying to give something different to Jas as in a gift or something that shows how much I care and to make sure she carries the smile at all times! I have been successful each year by doing just that and last year I gave her a personalized Calendar. Yes, I short listed pictures of hers in every mood and look and make a table top (desk top) calendar – printed it on 300gsm glossy paper, and made only one copy for “her” (you can check out the pictures on Flickr) This trip falls before her birthday (22nd Aug) and if we win this trip, it will be the perfect gift for her! This trip is gonna be so much fun! Just drive around from one place to other, take loads and loads of pictures - capture the scenic beauty in a camera, make videos, experience all kinds of food, the stay & live the moment. And of course share the experience with the WORLD. And guess what, we are also going to be mapping “hygienic restrooms” throughout our trip, this is something that we know from our experience - that when u are on the road, the toughest thing for a female is to find a good hygienic “loo” We really hope we get the chance to participate in the Race. Bottom line, guys we want to take part in this, so spare some time and vote for us!!!!

We are the best candidates because...

We love to travel; just on June 28th we drove down to Lonavala, since then we have been busy working and promoting the competition, just hooked up to this since we signed in! We both love to drive and 300 kms is just "Sweet" for us to cover in a day! Let me break it down for simplicity matters - Most of the people who are competing are just doing it for “fun” its exquisite so glimpse such wonderful couples all competing for “the amazing race” for “fun, fame & fortune”. But we comprehend that a lot goes in this “fun”, from changing a flat tyre of the car to knowing what’s inside the bonnet of the car, we are definitely car friendly, coz on a highway anything can go wrong and a little knowledge can be a lot of help for yourself and others. Not exaggerating but we know this is needed, and driving around in August requires great skills, as it rains like crazy, water lashes on from all sides and visibility becomes “Zero”. It’s probably the perfect time for a rain dance with pumping music from the car system but if its night you have to keep moving coz you don’t want to be wedged on da highway! And driving constantly for 4-5 days covering 300 kms each day gives a lot of fatigue to anyone, well we are used to it but what about people who only drive till their office everyday; so we are also wondering how TGDC will shortlist people, but I am sure that anyone who gets selected will get the oomph to go on each day! I wish I could share a lot more pictures but as I have always been using a digital camera from da year 2000 onwards, and in the 26th july 2005 flooding, my old office at Juhu (at Sukh Shanti Building, next to kaifi azmi park) was submerged till 6 ft! Spoiling all my computers, my personal laptop and – well actually everything that I had bought with my hard earned money. Huge loss but it pained more coz my photos and Playstation were spoiled (yes I had a playstation in my office). And that’s the reason my new office is on the 4th Floor! Even now I have only uploaded the pictures with me or Jas in it so that people don’t think that these are someone else’s pictures! We have been traveling to a new location every time and till now locally in INDIA we have covered Delhi, Rajasthan, Manali, Chandigarh, Shimla, & Goa (apart from maharashtra (matheran, mahabeleshwar, panchgani, lonavala etc) - coz we keep going for a drive very often) NEED MORE! Whenever Jas says “let’s go for a drive”, lonavala is the closest place we drive to. But now (last 2 years) after Jaishree started managing 3 channels, she gets pretty limited holidays, it gets very tough to go far, so weekend getaways are still countless, but a new destination is what we long for! And every year we leave for at least 12 days minimum to explore a new destination and this looks like a perfect added holiday and we are both gangho for it :) Both are excellent drivers, additionally I i.e. Sumit is great at photography, and Jaishree loves to pose, so you can look forward to breathtaking picturesque “locations” that will keep you hooked for something fresh each day, and we promise to give you more than expected!

Our Travel Plan

We are looking forward for this, though it looks tough coz its all about the voting! I thought adventure sports and driving challenge required other abilities such as physical ability and skills. I am great at clicking photographs, but it’s a contest and every contest has rules! We have started pretty late, but who knows, we could be the lucky 9, in fact we would rather be the lucky 1! THIS IS OUR PLAN: (please don’t copy) Option 01 Mumbai Darshan (full Mumbai, all the hot spots) Chiplun, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Goa, Karwar Beach, Gokarna Beach, Kollur, Udupi, Mangalore, Kannur, Calicut, Cochin, _____________________ Now the coming back route – from cochin to Coimbatore, Ooty, Mysore, Hassan, Shimoga, Hampi, Badami, Bijaput, Solapur, Pune, Lonavala, Back to Mumbai :) This way we cover our Maharashtra Konkan area, Goa, Costal Karnataka, North Kerala & Tamilnadu! This pretty much looks like 3000 kms but if we have made some mistake in calculations, we even have plan B! Option 2: Mumbai Darshan (full Mumbai, all the hot spots), Chiplun Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Goa, Karwar Beach, Gokarna Beach, Kollur, Udupi, Mangalore, Kannur, Calicut, _____________________ Now the coming back route – from calicut to Mysore, Hassan, Shimoga, Hampi, Badami, Bijaput, Solapur, Pune, Lonavala, Back to Mumbai :) The Voting has not resulted positive for us, as we know only corporate people who are busy all da time ;) but I hope our plan impresses the Judges! We would further have a daily map put up, showing where all we would go and how much area will we cover each day! We are all for burning rubber so more than 300 kms in a day is also fine with us, coz 300 kms is just sweet for both of us! We both are good at driving and I can really relax when she is on the wheels, even on highways so I just can’t tell her “NO” to drive, so if I have to drive only 150 kms per day ;( its way toooooo less! We have also decided that after every 100kms, we will toss, and whoever wins will get to drive! So if she is driving and she wins the toss, she gets to drive another 100kms ;( But these are only dreams and could come to reality because of a kind Judge! Hey Judge, r u reading this, we want to just grab the wheels of Mitsubishi Cedia and go for this dream trip! And we are not even fussy; we are cool with the black colour! Ps: We are even gonna pimp up da car wid a cool music system full of woofers, equalizers and stuff! (if it does not have one)! Well you can check our Maps Day 01 http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?source=s_d&saddr=Bandra-Worli+Sea+Link,+Bandra+West,+Mumbai,+Maharashtra&daddr=Siddhi+Vinayak+Temple,+Maharashtra&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=112072982105636665599.00046e97a9319335f2ade&ll=19.022119,72.827168&spn=0.018663,0.027595&z=15 Day 02 (Chiplun to Sindudurg) http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=112072982105636665599.00046e563e8460e83191c&ll=16.993755,73.380432&spn=2.416362,3.532104&z=8 Day 03 (Exploring Goa) http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=112072982105636665599.00046ebedf89b1731ef7f&ll=15.979813,73.694916&spn=0.607301,0.883026&z=10

Our Travelogue

Delhi Don't let your first impressions of Delhi stick, get behind the madcap facade and discover the inner peace of a city rich with culture, architecture and human diversity, deep with history and totally addictive to epicureans. Both 'Old' and New Delhi exert a beguiling charm on people who come for a visit here. Lose yourself and unwinding the secrets of the city's Mughal past in the labyrinthine streets of 'Old' Delhi before emerging in the wide open spaces of imperial New Delhi, with its ordered governmental vistas and generous leafy avenues. Delhi is the capital of India, and it's also the travel hub of northern India. Places we visited: Qutub Minar (tallest stone tower in India), Raj Ghat(is a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi), Red Fort (built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan) Lotus Temple (The Bahá'í House of Worship, popularly known as the Lotus Temple due to its flowerlike shape), Jama Masjid (largest mosque in India), Chandni Chowk (the main market of delhi) India gate (is one of the largest war memorials in India, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, Rashtrapati Bhavan (is the official residence of the President of India), Akshardham Temple (you need atleast 4 hrs to enjoy this beautiful place thoroughly, but no mobiles or cameras are allowed here), Humayun's Tomb – (build by humayun’s wife) Rajasthan Rajasthan is a harsh, scorched land of savage summer heat but also full of the brightest colours. Countering the barren landscape with vibrant hues in their everyday wear and charming murals painted on their drab sepia-coloured mud homes, for the people, life is one big carnival. Even in the face of sure death. Here are many tales of desperate courage writ. Of men donning saffron robes and riding out to confront the enemy and women folk preferring death to dishonour. Even in everyday life today, the Rajput's sense of honour, family and tradition come foremost. Being a rajput myself, I just had to visit this place and it did turn out an amazing experience for us! We covered on Day 1 - Jodhpur Mehrangarh Fort (one of the largest forts in India), Jaswant Thada (memorial of Maharaja Jaswant Singh), Umaid Bhavan Palace (is one of the world's largest private residences, a part is now managed by Taj Hotels) there is an excellent museum housing models of airplanes, weapons, antique clocks etc. Day 2 - Mandore (old capital of Jodhpur – just 100kms away) the place is surrounded by landscaped Gardens, Bal Samand Lake, Manwar (a treat located in the heart of gently rolling sand dune belt of Rajasthan) Day 3 – Jaiselmer (180 kms) Camel safari in the dunes afterwards just drive around the “Desert Citadel” few cities can match the magnificence of the museum city Day - 4 – visited the Fort that seemed to rise out of the desert haze, its yellow sandstone walls and bastions taking on a golden hue in the afternoon, Manek Chowk, Patwon Ki Haveli, Salim Singhji Ki Haveli. Gadisar Lake (beautiful man made lake surrounded by small temples and shrines) Bada Bagh (the hill with the cenotaphs is an amazing site). Lodruva (important Jain pilgrimages dating back from 12th to 15th century). Drove on to Sam Dunes to get inside into desert life. Camel rides on the sand dunes here are an unforgettable experience. Day – 5: Bikaner (300 ksm drive) this is true desert country and situated directly on the ancient caravan route which linked west / central Asia and North India. Ramdevra temple (en route visited this temple dedicated to saint Baba Ram Dev who took Samadhi in 1458. It was built in 1931 by Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner around the Samadhi). Visited the market and then slept at the hotel! Day - 6: Bikaner city, covering Junagadh Fort (Raja Rai Singh built this impressive fort, it is encircled by a moat and houses many outstanding palaces, pavilions and temples made of red sandstone and marble with kiosks and Balconies) and Lalgadh Palace! Evening did some shopping and went back to da hotel. Day 7: Drove back to jodhpur, gave back the car – went to airport – back to Mumbai Shit, why did we come back! We wanna go back! Goa: We have been to goa 3 times, we have seen Goa from every angle from every corner and even from every hight! Have climbed most of the mountains around the beaches, Have done all water sports, have done paragliding, infact we drove for a whole day looking at the sky for Para gliders, we spotted two at almost 3ish in da afternoon, we followed them and climbed up the mountain, it was almost a 1 hr climb and we finally convinced one of the foreigner for just 1000 bucks for both of us! The other guy was just not interested but finally cracked! It was really funny coz these guys were paragliding in the sky and we were shouting and doing “bhav toll” like the Indians we are ;) from the mountain top! They realized that our nagging will not stop and agreed to our final price of 1000 bucks. After all they were asking for 3000 grands for both of us! The best part was the landing, as it was getting dark and our car was parked below the mountain, they dropped us at the beach. Where most of the girls were, ahem, u know what ;) Well the next thing u see, the para gliding guys are puffing the magic dragon wid our money at a nearby shack! The crowd was just amazing at this beach and we stayed back till 2am, and drove back totally sloshed to club cabana, where we partied till 4.30am! Oh, there is so much to write about Goa! Can’t wait to go back to Goa either!! We still have to write about Shimla, Manali, Chandigarh etc and even Egypt & Rome, is there space here to write more, hello is anyone even reading???? If we are selected, our pictures and videos will be the best among all, now that's not exaggeration, that's sheer confidence, coz the pics and video's that we do have from our past trips have given us much appraisal in our circle of friends. But you can see it all on our FLICKR link, or the SLIDE SHOW!

8th July 2009

Amit Shital

8th July 2009

Manav

8th July 2009

Testimonials

Amit Shital

best of luck, u guys can do it

Radhika Gupta

Yo Sumit, way to go, mujhko chuna hota yaar ;)i hope u win!

Jyoti Pillai

All the best guys !!! come back with the prize money!!!wish you loads n loads of luck...voting n rooting for u. ))

Neeta Gajam Sital

Sumit and Jaishree a truly deserving couple, all the best,must win.

john francis

best of luck.......... i know u can do it ...........

caroline

see u guys at finish line...................

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