Home Away From Home

The Terra Home Car from Paracoat has been built on the Mahindra & Mahindra Geneo and is also available on the Toyota Hi-Lux and the Isuzu D-Max. We took the Geneo version of the Home Car and we were actually surprised by the power and pickup this vehicle offered. The Mahindra Geneo version of this car is available for a cost of approximately Rs. 32 lakh in Delhi, while other models are more expensive. If you are not so keen on owning one you can always rent it at the price tag of 10,000 per day not a bad bargain considering what you are getting in exchange. Fuel consumption on the vehicle is not too good as it returns only 8-9 km to the litre but none-the-less it is too comfortable to crib about anything. The two separate air conditioning units on Paracoat’s Home Car serve a dual purpose. While the vehicle is in motion one air conditioner runs on the vehicle’s engine and when the vehicle is stationary the other air conditioner will run on the generator’s power. Both air conditioners are equally effective. The fridge has ample of storage space for food items and water or other liquids if you know what I mean. The microwave can only be used to warm precooked food but there is enough space to store a barbeque grill to cook your own food. The television is a bit small but then again when you are in the outdoors would you really need to watch TV? Besides these are all custom built options so you can choose to put the kind of accessories you require. The bathroom in the Caravan is comfortable it is bigger than the ones you have on an airplane and you can easily shower in it without banging your hands and legs on the sides. The vehicle has two ventilation exhaust systems one for the bathroom and one for the main cabin. The Home Car also has three windows, two large ones on the sides and one small one at the rear. There is also a window in the front to communicate with the driver of the vehicle which rolls up to become sound proof as well.

We left for Jaipur from DLF cyber city at around eight in the morning and within an hour’s time we were hit by a series of traffic jams after Daruhera, which ran for almost 2km but we cleared it in a span of 20 minutes. At about 10 AM we reached the toll at Shahjanpur which was very close to our decided stop point for breakfast. On the route to Jaipur you will come across many boards which say Hotel Highway King, the location is about midway to Jaipur. Hotel Highway King is a small motel with a restaurant and some factory outlets of Adidas, Nike and Reebok. The food is decent and the sanitation levels are manageable. At about 2 PM we hit the outskirts of Jaipur City.For those of you who don’t know Jaipur is the capital and also the largest city of Rajasthan. It was founded in 1727 AD by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. With a population of 3.1 million Jaipur is also famously known as the Pink city of Rajasthan. Today, of course, the pink is overshadowed by several other colours!

When you travel in something that is just short of an innovation and looks smart on the road as well you tend to have people ogle at you. We were even stopped by some to enquire exactly what our caravan was, as the whole concept is a new one in India. When we finally entered the city of Jaipur one of our first concern was where do we park this, you would not exactly want a road side location. Soon the explorer in me was waking up. So I began asking some locals of forest locations and scenic places to visit in Jaipur. What came up a lot was the Nahargarh Fort which was the old residence of many Maharajas of Jaipur. So we made our way to the Nahargarh Fort which is on the outskirts of the city. The Fort at Nahargarh is nestled in a corner of the Aravalli Range surrounded by a lush green forest and a manmade water body. The location is actually a wildlife preserve in the amber hills at Jaipur and you will need special permission to camp there. We found a quiet little spot for ourselves at the edge of the forest from where we could view the fort as well. Let me see you get that kind of a premium location from any five star hotels or resorts. Well a long journey deserves some rest and we had earned it, so cut off from the world in our own small corner we set up camp and got a good nap. We woke up to the evening calls of the birds and animals in the amber forest which beckoned us to rise. Soon we were roasting some chicken (not hunted we bought it from a chop-shop) and assorted veggies on my barbeque grill. After a lavish dinner in the outdoors we sat in the pleasant surroundings of our caravan camp just admiring the night sky.

Early next morning by quarter to eight we were all showered, shaved and ready to hit the road again. About an hour later we were out of Jaipur and making our way back to Delhi. At heart I am a person who loves being one with nature and this Terra Home Car which has been created by PCP Motors is really a dream come true for me. There are endless possibilities for one to explore with this vehicle and something I would really look forward to is a trip to Leh & Ladak in this home-away-from-home. I think for someone crazy about road trips and exotic locations where you are cut off from the world this would be the ultimate weapon which will allow you to just simply break free from all bonds and really bring out the explorer in you.