His insatiable appetite has driven him to undertake yet another car expedition.
With passion to meet different people, places, understand culture and relish food, Suresh Joseph, a London School of Economics product, is now on a 22,000-km four-nation expedition on his newly acquired Mahindra XUV 500 W10. He will travel through Myanmar, China and Russia besides the east coast of India.
“Goodwill is not the preserve of any culture or civilisation — it is in the DNA of every person. You have to push your limits to enjoy life to the fullest,” says Mr. Joseph, who is now a Director (Operations) in Kazmunai India Pvt. Ltd after working in Railways, CONCOR, Dubai Port World and other firms.
His expedition which started in Chennai on May 12 left Visakhapatnam on Saturday after a brief stopover. Excerpts from an interview with The Hindu :
Chennai to St. Petersburg how long it will take? What are the places you would cover?
I expect to complete the trip in 40 days, a distance of 22,000 km across four countries. The most thrilling part of the expedition, I expect, will be the 11,000 km long Trans-Siberian Highway between Vladivostok and St. Petersburg in Russia, which is the third longest in the world.
What is the driving force for your motivation?
All through my life I have striven to conquer the fear of the unknown. Every change I have made in my life and career are with this in mind, even the decision to get married! Embarking on tough road expeditions has been a natural extension of the process.
How many expeditions you have taken up? Which is the longest? Which was most difficult and interesting?
Prior to the Trans-Siberian Expedition I have taken up eight expeditions – five of them in India. Seven of them have been done solo and the one to London from Kochi was done with a companion.
The Kochi-London expedition – the first by an Indian and in an Indian registered car – has been the longest thus far, involving about 25,000 km through 27 countries and two continents. The most difficult and interesting expedition so far remains the Trans Himalayan expedition done in August-September 2015 where I was involved in five major accidents.
‘Borra Caves is my favourite’
Asked to comment on his impressions on Visakhapatnam, Suresh Joseph said the city was not new to him and he had been making trips to Vizag for the past five years on adventure trips and work.
Over the past five years, particularly, he has seen complete transformation of the city to one of the most beautiful in the country.
“I love to take idle walks on the Ramakrishna Beach, visit Dolphins Nose and Kailasagiri. However, my all-time favourite remains the million-year-old Borra Caves in Araku Valley.”
