Travel+Leisure India recently got an insight into Fox Life’s new travel show titled ‘Great Escape with Kunal and Cyrus,’ starring the two childhood friends. The show airs at 8pm every Friday. In an interview with us, they reveal how they embarked on this road trip from Dharamshala to Spiti through the arid, but picturesque, route to unravel the mystics of the mighty Himalayas. By Sujitha Sundaram
T+L: How was it working and travelling together?
Kunal: In the city, you don’t get a chance to interact on a deep level. Your bond grows when you spend 10 days in a car together.
Cyrus: We were in a forced capsule that had no distractions. Kunal is zero anxious and with him, everything was an adventure. I don’t know if there are too many people that I’d like to go into that space with.
T+L: What are some of the challenges you faced?
Kunal: Driving on the rugged terrain for long hours and sometimes even at night. The roads were extremely dangerous with some disappearing halfway. It’s beautiful of course, but when you’re travelling in the mountains for days, it starts to feel like Groundhog Day. I think we were all going cuckoo by the end.
Cyrus: He’s right, you can go loopy when you haven’t slept in days. It’s cold and hot and crazy and the altitude shifts constantly.
T+L: Did you experience anything unusual?
Kunal: When we began climbing the ghats, we stopped at a temple where everybody prayed for a safe journey. Now I don’t know if it’s reassuring or scary because they all insisted we pray “properly” before going up.
Cyrus: It was so cold that Kunal tried new, innovative techniques to get warm. One night he put his warmer on a heater at 3 am and it caught fire. There was also this crew member who was convinced that I’d hidden his shoes. But really, Kunal is the one obsessed with hiding shoes.
T+L: Would you do it again?
Kunal: Yes. We travel to places that are ‘typical’ but there’s so much more to see. Culturally, every place is different.
Cyrus: You always think of taking an international holiday when our own country is such a trip. It was lovely and old-school. Like the 1980s—you have each other and silences.
Written By
Pallavi Phukan
Social Media HeadA social media addict and K-drama fanatic, Pallavi Phukan can often be found endlessly scrolling on Instagram for the next travel destination. When not racking her brains for a clickbait caption, you can catch this digital strategy expert dreaming of a beach vacation with her toddler daughter for company.
