Ever wanted to pack your bags, jump in your car, and head for the hills after a long week at work? Guess what we did. With the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder at our disposal, we set out from Bangalore on a weekend trip to the quaint little town of Bylakuppe to visit the Tibetan settlement and experience a slice of the incredible culture of Tibet, sans any stamps on our passports. While the destination was quite wonderful, the journey there was no less.
When one hears the word ‘Tibet,’ pictures of monks in red robes, meditation, snow-capped mountains, azure skies, and, of course, soul-warming food come to mind. Often referred to as the ‘Roof of the World,’ it has long been a popular travel destination for travellers. Since we weren’t exactly in the position to just push off across the border, we settled on the next best thing. Starting from Bangalore, we set out on the relatively new Bangalore-Mysore Expressway, enjoying the creature comforts of the Hyryder.
Considering that I am a motorcycle guy, being sheltered from the blistering heat outside was quite a relief, for a change. Not to mention that the car itself is surprisingly convenient to drive, featuring a pretty smooth transmission and hybrid powertrain. Actually, it’s not so surprising when one considers the badge it sports.
As we put some distance between ourselves and the city of Bangalore, we came across a landscape that looked hauntingly familiar. Ramanagara. This was the place where the cult classic Bollywood movie Sholay was shot. We just had to stop and relive the memories of watching Gabbar and his motley crew wreak havoc among these hills. Sure, we’ve come a long way since then, from bullock carts all the way to the hybrid technology hiding under the hood of the Hyryder.
We resumed our journey, seeing that the sun was bearing down upon us with a vengeance, happy to be back in the air-conditioned comfort of the Hyryder. Talking about comfort, the ride quality is quite plush, while still maintaining enough rigidity to handle a little bit of spirited driving. Within no time, we had passed through the city of Mysore, stopping only for a hearty meal, followed by another stint of driving along some beautiful state highways, motivated by the thought of the delicious momos and thukpa that awaited us at our destination.
Since we had some time to kill, we decided to take the longer, more scenic route and head to the Nagarahole tiger reserve in the hope of sighting some of the rich flora and fauna that Karnataka offered. While we were aware of the fact that the chances of a tiger sighting would be very bleak, we did manage to catch a glimpse of some deer and peacocks, not to mention all the langurs running rampant. But none of our striped feline friends, though. By the way I describe them, you can imagine that if I ever come face to face with one, my last words will probably be ‘here, kitty-kitty’. Good thing that I was sheltered within the safety of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder then, right?
From there, we headed to the periphery of Wayanad, barely crossing over into Kerala, heading towards Coorg. It was quite a sight as the scenery morphed from tea estates to coffee plantations. Truthfully speaking, it was more the smell than anything, because we were right on time to witness the coffee flowers bloom, and let me tell you, that is quite an enticing fragrance. The Hyryder made easy work of traversing the tight and sloping roads while still managing a more than decent fuel economy. Displaying a rather generous 26 kpl on the dash, we were pretty impressed by how frugal it claimed to be.
By the time we reached Bylakuppe, the sun had commenced its downward descent, and the evening light did quite a good job of helping to capture the charm of the beautiful little town. Monks draped in red robes, Tibetan handicrafts, colourful prayer wheels around every corner, stunning monasteries,
cuddly mountain mutts, and, of course, the tantalising aroma of their cuisine that beckoned to us. We had arrived in a new land. Full of charm and wonder, it is amazing to see how these people have persevered through persecution and gone on to bloom where they were planted.
It was like we had stepped through a portal to a once-faraway land, where people looked at each other through kind eyes, spoke to each other in kind tongues, and sentiments like love and compassion flowed freely. Isn’t that something? All this and more on a simple weekend escapade with the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder. We were recharged on a whole other level, ready to get back to our lives with renewed vigour.
