Driver's seat: Romancing the hills in an Omni.

MANY a time have I heard the expression, "Driving on the hills is an experience by itself". I had never seriously considered this thought till I found myself on the driver's seat of a Maruti Omni van en-route to Gangtok in Sikkim from Siliguri.

The 110 km drive into this Himalayan kingdom was picturesque, serene, breathtaking and above all, incident free.

I have never ever doubted Maruti's capabilities but was surprised no doubt at the ease with which the four-speed transmission vehicle climbed pass after pass which no doubt puts any of the 4x4's to shame.

My driver-cum-guide, Kumar Dorjee didn't believe in seat belts. (He had already got them removed and was using it to tie his bedding - at least this is what he told me).

Hindi music according to him was the fuel for nerves and we drove with the lilting and at times …