PLEASE READ TILL THE END
When I made my first and introductory post here on Steemit 5 months back, I did mention the fact that I have a Guinness Record under my belt - read my introductory post. However, I did not get into finer details which I will do here.
L to R: Guinness official, Honda Cars India President, me, Shantonil Nag
I have been an automobile journalist here in India since 2005 and we sold an idea to Honda Cars for a great marketing initiative for their sedan offering, the 'Amaze'.
AIM - To break the (then) current record for the longest journey in a single country
FINE PRINT - This had to be done by the same team, in the same car, without taking the same route twice
With media (mumbai) and Honda officials
VERIFICATION - We had to get two witness signatures per day, make videos of every single day and ofcourse have a GPS device monitoring our every move. Partner in crime for this epic drive was close friend Shantonil Nag.
RESULT - We covered 23000 kilometers in 55 days by driving around India. From smooth expressways to freezing Himalayas, from sand dunes to coastal roads, we did it all
Splashing it up on the West Coast of India
MARKETING - We met customers at Honda showrooms on weekends and though this slowed our overall pace, this was essential for the 'connect' factor. Plus these meetings also allowed us to interact with the local media.
With the ship of the desert
This happened in 2014. The record has now been broken and belongs to someone in the States. Driving around India for 55 days wasn't easy. Spending 8-10 hours in the car on a daily basis started showing its negative side. Eating out every single meal made us put on weight and other issues. No workout time, daily blog deadlines and natural calamities kept us on our toes.
Freezing Himalayas
However, in the end, it was oh so completely worth it. Proud to have this title. We had to roll out videos on the move every week. Here are some examples!
First Leg
Second Leg
Thanks for tuning in. Feels great to refresh old memories :)
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Cool, noted
Wow! That must have been one hell of a ride! Congrats to both of you guys. Nice video too. I'll take some cues from your video for making my next few travel videos! ;)
Keep me posted. I have some plans to capture the North Indian snowfall this month. Lets see :)
And no words for your better half? Who allowed you to be away for so long? #notgood #notdone
Did you ever have any issues with the car? Did you take extra spares and did you service the car on the road or at one of the Honda dealerships that you stopped it? Obviously 23,000km would be well over what the manufacturer recommends for service intervals. Sorry for the 1000 questions, just really interested :)
No issues with the car - serviced every 10000 at Honda workshops. Didnt take extra spares but had a back-up vehicle with video camera person. No issues on the questions :)
PS: Lovely profile picture @nelkeljdm
Wow that is awesome, was the backup vehicle a Toyota? Hehe! Thanks man, that's my GT-R :) There's a bunch of pictures and videos of it and my other JDM cars on my profile :)
How in the world did you know that? Yes, the backup vehicle was the Toyota Innova MPV!! And yea, checking out your profile right away. Followed you as well
Haha, every backup vehicle is a Toyota! :)
Welcome to Steemit from Indonesia, this is an amazing platform for creativity and imagination. Share, comment and make friends
Been doing that for the last 5 months :)
welcome from another newbie ;)
!originalworks
That sounds like an awesome adventure. You should be proud of yourself for sticking with it and not giving up. :) I'm sure being in a car so much was probably rough. You have some great photos too. India looks like a beautiful place. :) I'm from the U.S. and haven't had the chance to do much traveling, but I would love to see the world someday. :)
Hey @kristyleann, thanks for dropping in.
India is HUGE and full of surprises. Make a plan once to drop in someday in your life. Cheers.