Eleven weeks of hectic travel schedule further fuelled the travel pangs of Suresh Joseph, who is all set to conclude his 21,500-km-long drive of ‘South-East Asian Odyssey’ on May 15.
With a mission to tread the unexplored path and get into the Limca Book of Records, Mr. Suresh pulled out all the stops to make his solo expedition as interesting as possible.
As part of his adventurous journey that began on February 28 in Kochi, he travelled across India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos People’s Democratic Republic, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam border, and Singapore, and returned to India on his four-wheeler.
Reaching the port city a couple of days ago, he shared his experiences with The Hindu .
“What appears to be evident in the entire trip is women empowerment. Women work late into the night in a majority of the places I have visited. Commuter-friendly transport system, world-class road infrastructure, and traffic discipline existing across the countries are the other aspects that impressed me to a great extent,” he says.
In 2003, when Suresh visited Myanmar, the roads were in a bad condition.
“The scenario is entirely different now. Moreover, honking is banned over there. But, while I was passing through Kolkata yesterday, I escaped from almost six near-death accidents. When other countries can stick to their guns in terms of road safety, I feel that our country’s National Highway Authority and Boarder Roads Organisation are a little negligent in discharging their duties,” observes the passionate traveller.
Nothing comes without a price, and the trip seems to be no exception to it. The twin expedition, which included a trip to the Himalayas, got cancelled due to multiple earthquakes that ravaged Nepal. “Another disappointment is that, as part of the itinerary, I could not drive into Indonesia as the ferry from Singapore has been discontinued with,” says.
Be it his new friendship with Faizah, an official in Rantau Panjang, or minced-pork laksa soup that he savoured in Penang Hill or handy tips that many shared on his Facebook page or the warmth of the people, Suresh says that this record drive is sure to remain etched in his memory forever.
