Photos by Clint Thomas
As
the stroke of midnight rolled across time zones, sounds of fireworks,
music and shouts from revelers dominated the otherwise unruffled
ambience of Gajner Palace. Often referred to as
a jewel in the Thar, Gajner Palace is indeed an oasis in the barren desert, enchanting
in its green contrast to the sprawling sand dunes. Built on the edge of
Gajner lake, this heritage property is also surrounded by a wildlife
sanctuary, making it a traveler’s utopia.
Gajner Palace
At
one of the lakeside terraces of the palace, jubilant yells of folks who
decided to spend their winter holidays with a good dose of adventure
ushered in the New Year 2015. Standing by the lake in the
teeth-chattering midnight cold was an adventure in itself, but the
adventure I’m talking about had started a week earlier in Delhi, when
Mahindra flagged off the Royal Escape 2014. I had all my New Year plans
in place when Mahindra invited me to join the Royal Escape media team,
but having partaken in many Mahindra Expeditions before and witnessed
how
impeccably organized they are, I didn’t have to think twice of junking my plans.
The convoy
While
the rest of the world was sleeping off the Christmas Day hangover, I
joined a group of 23 families and friends in Delhi to embark on the
six-day Royal Escape to Rajasthan. A brigade of 27 Mahindra SUVs –
Scorpios, XUV 5OOs and Ssangyong Rextons along with two Thars - were
ready for flag off and I was handed the key to one of the two Thars.
Although Thar was not the ideal car for the 2000 odd kilometres drive
along highways that merge into the horizon, I knew that I would have the
most fun on the sand dunes. So, with a wicked grin on my face, I joined
the tail of the convoy.
In
fact, driving isn’t the best part of the expedition because it is
mostly about disciplined convoy driving, adhering to the instructions
from the lead car. Yes, the participants certainly get their share of
off-roading thrills, but the Royal Escape is all about royal boarding
and lodging at genuine palace hotels and lunch halts at centuries old
havelis characterized by their grandiose carvings and frescoes, for an unparalleled regal experience.
A Royal Affair
Alsisar is a small town that lies in the heart of Rajasthan's Shekhawati region, renowned for its painted
havelis and charming rural landscape. A narrow road meandering through the town led to Alsisar Mahal, an epitome of Rajasthani royalty.
Built
in 1892, Alsisar Mahal has been restored in a more magnificent but
traditional Rajput style. It now welcomes guests to flamboyantly
decorated suites, grand banquet halls, tranquil alcoves and voluminous
courtyards, all reminiscent of those used by the royals of Alsisar.
The royal suite in Alsisar Mahal
Mahindra
didn’t want the participants to begin the expedition with a tiring day.
So Team XSO (Xtreme Sports Organisation), Mahindra’s partners in
organizing adventures, planned a short drive of 250 kms on Day 1. XSO
leader Raj Kapoor and his enthusiastic boys had done some meticulous
planning, which saw the convoy reach Alsisar in a little over 5 hours.
After a royal lunch buffet and an evening stroll down the alleys to visit the
havelis,participants
made new acquaintances over a drink. With live music by folk singers to
set the mood, we treated our taste buds to dal baati, churma, laal
maans and roti, all cooked to perfection in a traditional way.
Grand banquet hall for the royal dining experience
Temperatures dropped to near-freezing levels at night and we retired to the luxury of the royal suites
Glamping Under the Stars
The second day of the Royal Escape saw the convoy drive past the lush
mustard fields before hitting the signature terrain of Jaisalmer – the
bushy sand dunes seamlessly disappearing into infinity. A good 550 odd
kilometres were to be covered on the second day, but the muscular SUVs
from Mahindra made light work of the longest drive of the expedition.
Rextons, XUV 5OOs and Scorpios drove like a dream on the smooth highways
of Rajasthan. Being part of the Mahindra off-roading fleet, my Thar had
an added ride height and I had to take it easy around even the
slightest of corners. Yet, the Thar kept good pace with the convoy,
sometimes cruising even at 140kmph comfortably. I had already fallen in
love with the raw and rugged nature of the Thar – the loud engine, tough
gear shifting and steering offering plenty of feedback.
XUV 5OO passing by a mustard field (Photo by Mahindra)
We reached Bikaner by noon and in keeping with the royal nature of the expedition, lunch was arranged at the Lalgarh Palace.
built by Maharaja Ganga Singh between 1902 and 1926, this oriental
fantasy made of red sand stone flaunts a mix of Rajput, Muslim and
European architecture. With a long distance yet to go, we couldn’t spend
much time admiring the majesty of the Palace.
Every vehicle was fitted with a wireless unit for the organizers to
communicate with convoy members and vice versa. For most participants,
it doubled up as a means to fight the afternoon slump. The ‘radio chats’
ranged from fun to informative; from cricket score updates to knowledge
sharing by experts in the group– automobile engineers, doctors, pilots
and whatnot.
Sleeping under the stars
Two
nights of seclusion and solitude awaited us in Jaisalmer. Somewhere in
the midst of the desert, a dozen tents have sprouted up like a cluster
of huge mushrooms. The tents, too, are in line with the theme of Royal
Escape, complete with all luxurious amenities. Above the tents there are
the desert stars -
tremendous, bright, blinking, inestimable.
Once in a while, one detaches itself and shoots across the sky… I simply
gawked at them till my neck hurt.
Cocktails and dinner by fire was a great way to unwind after a
tiringly long drive. The circle of acquaintances has grown broader and
conversations friendlier, and the party continued a little longer that
night before sleeping
under a heaven full of stars.
Conquering Thar with Thar
The day driving enthusiasts have been looking forward to has finally
come. At the Sam sand dunes base camp, a stone’s throw away from
Jaisalmer, Mahindra’s off-roading guru Vinod Nookala explained the
basics of sand dune driving to the participants. Meanwhile, the service
team reduced the tyre pressure to 20psi to ensure maximum traction on
the sand. They had even removed the front bumpers of the Scorpios for a
tension-free off-roading experience. Only the SUVs equipped with t
he 4L mode
(4×4 low
range)
made it to the dunes while the AWDs (XUVs and Rextons) stayed back.
There were two Boleros equipped with winches to rescue stranded
vehicles.
Mahindra Thar tastefully modified by XSO
The
key here is to keep the momentum going as smoothly as possible.
Aggressive throttle inputs and braking cause the tyres dig deep into the
sand, making recovery very difficult. Another thumb rule is to traverse
the dunes straight up or down, because the downhill wheels dig in deep
even on a slight angle, leading to a potential rollover.
Mahindras kick up a dust trail to the dunes.
When
talk came up of Rexton’s off-roading abilities, most of us were
apprehensive about this two-tonne AWD SUV making it up the dunes.
However, Vinod looked pretty confident about it. He turned off the ESP,
slotted the auto box into manual and stormed up a
dune causing sand to arc up in spectacular fashion. That was pretty
impressive for a heavy all wheel drive SUV without 4L mode. With its 184bhp and 402Nm of torque on tap, the Rexton proved all non-believers wrong.
Rexton kicks up a wall of sand
However,
the real show stealers were the Thars - one in stunning Red colour and
the other tastefully modified by XSO team. Both of them looked
absolutely stunning in the backdrop of pristine golden sand dunes.
Mahindra
Thar’s relatively light kerb weight worked in my favour and it never
got bogged down in sand. I cut across the mounds of sand, kicking up a gritty orange trail. Although
some Scorpios got stuck while attacking the dunes, the rescue vehicles
pulled them out with ease. All participants had a riotous time on the
dunes and most of them have now become experts in sand driving. There
was too much fun to be had that we drove and drove till the sun
descended beyond the horizon, painting the golden dunes in red.
The
icing on the cake was a fun-filled night in the middle of the dunes.
Revelling and merrymaking continued well past midnight as drag sensation
Queen Harish stunned everyone with her moves. Live folk music and
dinner with traditional delicacies followed by some night off-roading
made the day something to remember over the years.
All set for night off-roading
After the party, we returned to the tents in
the pre-dawn hours of the next day. With the drive scheduled to start late, everyone managed to get some good sleep, too.
An Oasis in the Barren Desert
The Gajner Palace surrounded by water and dense greenery in the
middle of desolate desert still remains a wonder to me. However, one
leisure day at this serene environment was a much-needed one after
seeing nothing but sand for almost five days. It was a day well spent in
the midst of history and nature as some took a cruise in
the lake in a solar-powered boat, some enjoyed a safari in the
surrounding sanctuary, some went shopping to the Bikaner market, some
luxuriated in the opulence of the palace and some simply sat on the park
benches enjoying the stillness and laziness of the day.
Gajner Palace boasts wildlife galore
The
setting couldn’t be any better to step into the New Year. A grand New
Year party followed by a seven-course dinner marked the culmination of
Mahindra’s Royal Escape 2015. On the New Year’s morning, as I woke up to
the birds singing and sunlight streaming in through the palace’s
stained glass windows, I had no reasons to regret being away from my
folks for the New Year.
New Year party at Gajner Palace
Royal
Escape is just one of the many activities Mahindra Adventure organizes
every year. The Mahindra Adventure calendar comprises a series of events
throughout the year such as the popular off-roading event, the Great
Escape, several Challenges (sporting events in keeping with the
company’s promise of providing adrenaline pumping challenges), Multi-Day
Escapes, such as the Monastery Escape (10 days) & Royal Escape (6
days), the Tri- Nation Escape (Bhutan, India & Nepal- 14 days) &
Authentic Goa (4 days).
