Destination Chadar

Prelude

The countdown has started. Officially it starts from today. I just booked the tickets for Delhi to Leh and Leh to Delhi for 30th January and 9th February, 2016 respectively. I sent the screen shot to Rohit (Rohit Khattar runs the agency I am going with) and he said you are confirmed.

Those who might not know, the river Zanksar in Ladakh runs through a canyon of sorts where it freezes in winter months. For many locals this is the only opportunity to come to the town of Leh when they walk on the blanket on the river. (Rest of the year they stay marooned in their villages as there is no bridge or the land route is very very long. ) This hike has become quite popular of late with trekkers. The extreme cold climate and rough terrain is both a challenge and intensely beautiful to the non-Ladakhis like us.

Most trek till a point called Nerak. I will be going to a village called Lingshid, reputed as the remotest village in India. Some spend as many as 15 days on the full chadar going right upto Padum. This trek is threatened and its future is uncertain as a new road is being buit, which once completed, will take the mystery and remoteness out of the walk. That's one of the reasons why I want to complete this as early as possible.

I haven't felt so excited about a trek in a long time. Of course I am going alone. The official leave was sanctioned today. I didn't waste a moment to book the basic ticket after getting that. I will do the Calcutta-Delhi sector later. 

There are many possible dampeners that might crop up and ruin the trip. I am well aware of that. For example, fog in the Delhi area in winter often causes havoc and sends flight timings haywire. Last year a landslide ruined the Chadar trek altogether. Yet keeping my fingers crossed. Anything can happen. But if all is well I am determined to go. 

I have to do some equipment shopping. I have been doing the window shopping for long because I knew such a day would come. Now is the time to get down into the act of buying them up.

First in the list is a down sleeping bag. I am going to procure it from a store in Rishikesh called Adventure Axis (click here to go to their site). I have already spoken to them. The guy's name is Nitin Goel. I just need to put the money into their account. They will ship it to me. I guess, once it comes over I will get a liner too and a few other equipment as well. But let this most important item come over safe and sound. 

Let me write down all the items I need to take. And then I can work out what all will be needed and what all need to be bought. 

1. Air mattress 
   
2. Sleeping bag
3. Sleeping bag liner
4. Socks (six woolens to be bought)
5. Long socks for the night (I have)
6. Thermal inners (two sets)
7. Kappa trousers
8. Max trousers (to be bought)
9. Spencer's trousers
10. Rainwear lower (Wildcraft)
11. Full sleeve t-shirts (four - perhaps will need to be bought)
12. Inner vests (four at least)
13. Briefs (as many as I have)
14. Quechua fleece
15. Columbia fleece
16. Marmot raincover
17. Marmot down jacket 
18. Warm balaclava
19. Headwear 
20. Quechua sun hat
21. Timberland shoes with Goretex lining 
22. Gum boots (to be bought from and sold back in Leh)

November 26, 2015

Today I put money into Adventure Axis's bank account and sent them my address. They are couriering me a black First Ascent Ice Breaker sleeping bag (here is the link). It's a down bag and hopefully should keep me sufficiently warm and serve me in other treks in future. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will reach me safe. First Ascent is a South African brand. I read up on them. The reviews are fairly good. Many who go to Kilimanjaro somehow buy this brand :-) Probably because they are big in SA. 

Today I also bought a pair of base layer Quechua gloves from Amazon. I think I am going to use two pairs of gloves for the trek. 

I am wondering what to wear during the trek. That is, when I am actually walking. My plan is this. First wear a drifit T-shirt. On top put a thermal. On top my Quechua fleece. Over that Proline sweater, followed by Columbia fleece. Top all this up with the Marmot rain cover. If that does not suffice, put the down jacket on. Rohit says use the down jacket as your outer layer. 

The only problem with doing that is that the rucksack straps will have an abrasive effect on the shoulders. I thought I would use that when we stop for the day. 

I am wondering whether to get a hardshell. Bobby says the hardshells are uncomfortable. We will chat about it around the end of the week when he has more time. He has promised me a thermal when he comes to India in early December. 

For the lower part of the body, my plan is to wear a pair of synthetic trousers. Like my Kappa. This will obviously be over the base thermal. Over the Kappa I intend to wear the Wildcraft water proof trousers. The only problem with that is that it is a little too heavy. Can I walk in them the whole day? 

I have to actually wear these all and test them out in Calcutta !!!! 

November 29, 2015

The First Ascent Ice Breaker arrived at my office last night. In two days flat. I am really impressed. I had left office in the afternoon. The courier left it with our security guards. Monisha and I went at night to fetch it home. My prized possession !!!

I am really impressed by Nitin Goel, the owner's professionalism. He packed it well. As soon as he got the courier's consignment note number, he sent its image to me by whatsapp. Overnite courier also delivered well. Fantastic all round service.

I have yet to take the bag out and test it out. Let me see, when I get the heart to take it out of its packaging.

I have a few other things to buy. A liner to sleep in inside the bag. A pair of good expedition grade socks. A trekking pole. An insulated pant, perhaps Columbia. Bobby has offered to bring me a thermal base layer. If he misses it, I will get one of those as well. 

After The Unpacking

I took the sleeping bag out of its pack just now to first of all see what is there inside and also to let it spread out in the open so that it gains back some loft. It must have been sitting in the shop in Rishikesh for long and God only knows for how long before then.

Three or four individual downs were sticking out just a microbit. I pulled them in. Apparently it is normal in a new bag. it's good that the colour is mostly black and blue. White down sticking out is easily visible.

The principal colours of the bag are blue, black and some red. After Mampu's joy ride in the bag, I went in. Within a couple of minutes my legs started sweating. But that's Calcutta in autumn. I doubt if this will be enough in Chadar. I think I am mentally comparing it to the expedition grade bag that I had since mid 80s. I had bought it second hand in Thamel. It was definitely an 8K expedition material. If this bag's fill is 850, that bag was perhaps 3000 :-)

But this will have to do for me. Actually the agency will give us the bags. Perhaps I will use one from them and this as the base layer. They recommend two bags for Chadar.

Let me see how much loft it gains back (it already has some). I wonder if it will ever match my image of a sleeping bag, given that I had started with an 8K expedition quality one. 

Columbia Bugaboo II Pants

I went to the Columbia store in South City Mall to take a look at the Bugaboo Pants. They didn't have one in my size but only in XL. Nevertheless, I checked it out in the trial room and indeed it was pretty big for me. But it's a fantastic pair of trousers and will eminently suit my need in Chadar, for sure, in terms of warmth. I asked them if they can get it for me in size L. They said by Wednesday. Keeping my fingers crossed. I told them clearly that I don't want to buy it online just to encourage their outlet and keep it going. Let's see wht happens. 

November 30, 2015

Today my base layer for the gloves has apparently arrived in office. I was out of office the whole day, busy with preparing the art work for the calendar. Will check it out tomorrow to see how it is. I will need something over it. In Kathmandu, 30 years ago, Nabab-da and I had bought a pair of Tibetan woolen gloves. They were absolutely brilliant. I don't know if they would be enough for Chadar but if you pair it up with another something, it should be enough. I still have them and will check them out. Just for kicks :-)

December 2, 2015

I did check out the pair of gloves. A little thicker than an ordinary pair of socks. Fits me very well. I hope it works as a good base layer. It should be fine to use it as a base layer. But I will definitely need something substantial over it.

I had a discussion with Nitin Goel of Adventure Axis on the subject of sleeping bag liner. He said silk, which is more than Rs 3500, is definitely more comfortable but not easy to handle - both within the bag and outside. Cotton at Rs 1500, is much easier to handle. I am going for a cotton one. I am also going for an expedition grade pair of socks and a walking stick from him.

December 8, 2015

Today there was a good news and a bad news. Good news is that our board meeting for 3rd quarter will happen on 21st January. That's great. Because last year it happened on 30th January and I was a little worried about it. But that was more of an aberration than a norm.

The bad news is that due to an earthquake in Tajikistan there has been a small landslip near Manali. I called Rohit to find out what is the news from Leh. He said he was right now in Mandi where the landslip has happened. And nothing much has happened in Chadar.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

I also booked the Delhi-Calcutta flight. Actually Monisha did the booking. While booking the Calcutta-Delhi flight the price increased during the process of transaction. So we stopped the booking. Let me see what happens tomorrow or later in the night.

January 9, 2016

I have recently purchased a few items for the Chadar trek. Few more are yet to be finalised. The list is as follows

• Two pairs of Teko Merino expedition grade socks
• One trekking poleRab cotton sleeping bag liner
• Columbia base layer - both upper and lower
• Columbia fleece trousers
• A Petzl head torch. The most basic model

I need to buy a pair of hand gloves and a balaclava (monkey cap). Have to visit New Market for this last item.

January 13, 2016 - Testing Time

Last night I tried some of the items on to see how they fit when worn with other things. I did it only for the lower body items.

The Teko Merino socks are superb. They are thick. Expedition grade. I was a little worried that my shoes might not fit when I wear those. But I found the Timberlands are fitting perfectly. The Quechua felt a little tight. But nothing very uncomfortable. I am going to take the Timberlands in any case. On Chadar one walks with gum boots on that you buy from Leh. But I want to carry the Timberlands in case we have to climb the hills. So, the Teko issue is sorted.

Next I tried out the layerings on the legs. First I wore the Columbia base layer. On top I wore the Columbia fleece. Over it I put the Mountain Hardwear on. All three felt perfectly fine. If this feels a little too much warmth, then I can take the fleece off an put the red Kappa on. If it does not feel adequate, I can add the red Kappa to the three but under the Mountain Hardwear.

I have packed all these into a plastic bag already.

1. Columbia base layer lower
2. Old silk base layer lower
3. Red Kappa track pants
4. Columbia fleece lower
5. Mountain Hardwear pants
6. Teko Merino socks - two pairs
7. Technical wool socks old
8. Striped cap
9. Beige cap
10. Gloves inner layer

January 25, 2016

I have packed the other items in another plastic bag. The list is as follows

1. Old base layer upper
2. Columbia base layer upper
3. Bobby's black zip full sleeve
4. HD Lee
5. Max half sleeve striated
6. Black Quechua fleece
7. Marmot Precip rainwear

Apart from these I have put in the walking stick, the Rab sleeping bag liner, the sleeping bag itself inside the sack. I am also taking Mampu's rucksack. Because I will have to offload some load with a porter. 

Items that are yet to be loaded are as follows

1. Pure wool monkey cap
2. Two pairs of pure wool socks
3. Marmot down jacket

On the trip to Delhi and Leh I shall be wearing the Timberland shoes with Bobby's socks, For pants I will go with the olive polyester pants from Spencer's. Above I shall wear the black Max, maroon Adidas full sleeve and the black Australia hoodie.

I checked that it is quite possible to wear the hoodie over the down. So I will carry both of them.

I have to pack three important things now. A. Camera and associated electronics B. Medicines C. This and that.

January 26, 2016

Today I laid out all my items on the bed for a final check up. Here is what I am taking for this trip

1. Sleeping bag - First Ascent
2. Sleeping bag liner - Rab 
3. Walking stick (hardly visible)
4. Quechua fleece 
5. Columbia base layer lower
6. HD Lee upper
7. Columbia fleece pants
8. Bobby quarter zip
9. Technial wool socks (for sleeping in the night)
10. Striated Max (half sleeve T-shirt for emergency)
11. Teko Merino expedition grade socks (two pairs)
12. Pure wool socks for emergency (made in India)
13. Columbia thermal upper
14. Pure wool balaclava
15. Beige faux wool cap
16. Mountain Hardware trousers
17. Marmot down jacket
18. Marmot Precip rainwear
19. Old thermals for lower (emergency)
20. Old thermals for upper (emergency)
21. Cotton towel
22. Kappa track pants

A few notes on the equipment - I am not taking the air matress. Because of its bulk and weight. I am also taking two rucksacks. Mine and Bebu's. I will give Bebu's to the porter and carry mine. I checked the weight of the sack. I don't think I want to carry that, given that there is an option to offload it to the porter.

I would rather take two lenses - the 24-70 and 400. I will be carrying substantial quantity of food and snacks. The Warmee itself is pretty heavy.

I have been sick for the last one month or so. Got bogged down by a series of different diseases. Right now the problem is I have taken so much anti-biotics that all the gut flora is dead. I am on a strict diet and taking Econorm - two sachets twice daily. Let me see how I keep.

Bastar By Car October 2015

 Prelude

Before Durga Puja the one question that all Bengalis ask each other is “so where are you going this time?” This year, when I said, “Chitrakoot Falls and Jagdalpur town in Chhattisgarh” all of them without fail said, “isn’t there any Maoist threat in that region?”

To be honest, after a while even I started to get worried and my confidence almost began to shake a little. I know there is at least one traveller who went from Calcutta in this same route earlier with his wife and daughter. In fact I got the idea of the trip from his travelogue. There was another guy who had come in a self drive trip from Bombay with his family. So it must be quite safe.

I had also been told by a guy I met on HVK forum and team-bhp who lives in Jagdalpur that there is absolutely nothing to worry about on the road.

Yet, when every one you talk to mentions only Maoists or “long desolate stretches with nothing around”, you do feel a little concerned, if not worried. Someone even told me precisely where the last famous ambush happened that wiped out some 24 people, including several heavyweight politicians of MP and asked me to find out how far my route was from here.

The worst was reading a report in The Telegraph that mentioned that Sunabeda Forest had been taken over by the Maoists some time back (the report was on Tikarpara and how Maoists have infiltrated there and normal tourism has been suspended). This I read just a few days before my scheduled departure. I just pretended I had not read it. Sunabeda would come sometime around 2 pm on my second day of the drive. I did not want to believe it was under Maoists.

As good luck would have it, a few days before the trip I got a phone call from a customer in "HAL Koraput". I said, "so are you in Sunabeda?" He was pleasantly surprised that someone in Calcutta had heard the name !!! I asked him about the route and he said, "the rains have stopped. Water has subsided. The roads are fine. So there should not be any problem." I didn't raise the Maoist issue. He didn't seem to know about the supposed threat.

We had already paid the entire booking amount in Chitrakote !!! It was too late to call the trip off, despite all the scare mongering.

I got some confidence from my office network. The head of our national customer service gave me the mobile number of our guy in Orissa and said contact him if you are stuck anywhere in that region. In remote regions that means a lot.

Now that the trip is over without so much as even a tyre puncture, I am going to write about it so that other motorists from this part of India go there without fear. I do not know what will happen in future but believe me, on this trip I did not face any problem whatsoever. There was no Maoist hold up anywhere. There was only one stretch in the hills where we saw a lot of security personnel travelling on motorcycles with light machine guns in the ready but they did not stop us for even a routine security check. They did not even look suspiciously at us.

There was one point where some boys were collecting money from the traffic for Muharram; even they were very benign kind of people. I told them, “come on, this is collected from commercial vehicles only and not from private cars.” They just withdrew meekly and did not bother us any morel!!! Yes, there were stretches that were desolate but nothing compared to the stretch of road from Jhansi to Kota in central India.

As of today, it is a beautiful road. It is safe to travel. It offers some of the most scenic drives possible in eastern India with hardly any traffic. There is scarcely any pot hole on this entire stretch of some 1100 km. The only problem stretch from a motorist’s point of view is the one from Chilakapalem to Salur (about 50 km or so) where all the milestones are written in Telugu. But then it is a ram rod straight road with a billiard board top. So you do not really need to read the road signs. Just blast through this section.

The other such state highway stretch is the road from Jagdalpur to Chitrakote Falls. All of 40 kms but it has more than 40 speed breakers perhaps. So that is another red flag to remember.

For two-wheeler riders with a small tank, like my Duke, there are more than adequate petrol pumps all through the route. Just remember to tank up at Salur if you have a really small tank, because the mountain stretch starts from here and there is no petrol pump before Pottangi. It may not be a good idea to get stuck in the hilly roads.

The other problem that no one told me about was the fact that there is no mobile network for Airtel or Vodafone customers in Chitrakote. Only BSNL and Reliance had working connectivity there. Things might improve in future but be prepared for this. The nearest point with connectivity is about 10 km from Chitrakote. And all the waiters at Dandami resort in Chitrakote have working phones but no balance. (I wonder what use the phone has to them. Do they communicate just through missed calls?)

In modern day’s connected world that’s indeed a problem. Our relatives at home expect us to call and inform them about our safe arrival every evening. On the next day we had to go out of the guest house area in search of network. After about 7 km we spotted a shop selling mobile recharge vouchers. He let us use his phone to inform Monisha’s mother, who promised to inform my mother. This gentleman, incidentally, refused to accept any money in exchange for doing this favour.

The Route

In Google maps, write Calcutta, Bhubaneswar, Srikakulam, Salur, Jagdalpur

My route from Calcutta was simple. Drive down the main 4-lane highway going to Chennai upto a point called Chilakapalem which is just after Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh. From Chilakapalem turn right to go to Salur, Koraput, Jagdalpur and Chitrakote. One way, it is about 1100 km. If you type these names in Google maps you get the above picture.

We broke up our trip into two days. On day one we stopped at Balugaon, beyond Bhubaneswar. There is nothing much to talk about the road upto this point except that Bhubaneswar now has a long flyover and if you just stick to the main road you will come out of the town without entering it.

One must also mention the complete mess that Jaleswar was in when we crossed, due to an under construction toll plaza. Millions of trucks were lined up trying to enter Orissa through a single lane. The truckers, gentlemen that they are, made way for our “small vehicle”. We broke the one-way restriction with impunity and crossed into Orissa. Thankfully they have stopped the illegal collection of some tax from West Bengal vehicles that they earlier used to.

The rooms aren't as plush as the exterior. But fine for a night. Secured covered parking available

We stayed at hotel Digantika in Balugaon town, as the Panthanibas (OTDC Guest Houses) Barkul and Rambha were full. Digantika is a decent private hotel with adequate safe parking space for your vehicle. We got an AC room for Rs 800. Mampu didn’t like the room as it was very basic. But being seasoned traveller, I am okay with such basic hotels for spending just a night. Mampu, hopefully, will grow up soon.

We had reached Balugaon by afternoon. In retrospect, I think we should have proceeded further and spent the night somewhere in Behrampore or Gopalpur. That way one gets a headstart the next morning. But then Balugaon’s Digantika was a known devil to me as opposed to the unknown devils of Gopalpur. If one wants, one can even perhaps drive as far as Baruva on day one. Baruva is a new beach that is being promoted by AP Tourism. They have a resort there. But then these are a little off the highway. 

At Balugaon we had a hearty dinner at the street side dhaba called Chilika Dhaba, just across the road from the hotel. Shrimps at Rs 90 a plateful was cheap and well made, though on the "needlessly spicier" side. Monisha did some basic shopping for food like bananas and bread for the next day’s drive. I found a newly made watering hole just across the road.

The next morning’s drive again was completely uneventful. Behrampore is now called Brahmapur. In 2006 when we crossed this area we hardly noticed any town from the highway. We were told it was a few kilomters from the road. Now we saw phenomenal urbanisation along the highway – probably a result of the Tatas’ entry there. I hope the quality of life for the average Behramporeans has improved.

After Behrampore one comes to the border town of Ichchapuram. This is the border between Orissa and Andhra. There were trucks lined up on either side of the road but there was adequate space for our vechicle to pass and no pandemonium, like in Jaleswar.

From Ichhapuram it is again a straight forward journey to Srikakulam and then Chilakapalem. 

Somewhere along the road we saw a huge statue being built. I suspect it is a hanuman statue and I am sure they are trying to create some record of sorts in terms of size. It is seriously large. It had scaffolding all around but I am sure once it is inaugurated it will draw some curious tourists just because it is large. I thought it was obscene.

Immediately after the Chilakapalem toll gate there is a right exit towards Razam. This is the AP state highway I talked about earlier. Coming from a four-lane modern highway, entry into this road might seem like you were entering a small bylane but this indeed is the road to Chhattisgarh.

Keep following this road through Razam to a place called Rambhadrapuram. Here you will find a couple of roads. The one going left goes to Vizianagram. To the right two roads go in a fork. Take the one that goes to Salur – about 5/7 kms from this point. Curiously enough, there were lots of foreign liquor stores at this point. I have no idea why.

This travelogue will be incomplete without telling you about what I saw in Razam. It is just a dot on the road. We cross many such dots while going to Katwa in Burdwan. Bhatar, Balgona, Nigon etc. Razam was a different dot. It had most of the private banks on either side of the road, the eateries were housed in buildings that looked almost similar to the Exide head office in terms of size. There were a few shopping malls too. I thought one of the eateries was Pizza Hut but on closer inspection it turned out to be some local bakery.

We saw two or three two-wheeler showrooms along the main road. In fact we could not see many small bylanes or other roads – which are signs of a slightly larger town. For the life of me, I could not understand the real story behind Razam’s wealth.

There is another state highway that cuts this road in the center of the town. The traffic jam there was simply phenomenal. Millions of motorcycles, buses and rickshaws were trying to cross from all the four corners in a complete free for all. A few helpless policemen were trying to control this mass of people in various forms of vehicles on wheels. Needless to say quite unsuccessfully. Being a Calcutta driver with a 15 year experience, I am not easily scared by such jams. Somehow I managed to cross it without a scratch on the car. On the return journey this crossing was a breeze. Probably because it was in the afternoon.

The next stop was Salur. I am told this used to be a pretty little town with one small Lutheran church and a Leprosy Mission hospital. The town has grown into something dirty, dusty and chaotic with nothing much to write home about. We completed our lunch over here from a street side dhaba called Jansi Dhaba. Food was decent but the ambience may not suit everyone’s taste unless you were a seasoned trucker. We took a “thali” and fish curry. The fish tasted really nice. I am sure it is wild local fish, as opposed to the tasteless commercially cultured fish that we are so used to here in Calcutta.

Needless to say Mampu didn’t like the ambience and didn’t eat with us.

Monisha bought fresh Aata (I think the English name is custard apple and Hindi is Seetafal) from a streetside vendor here who sold her 5 of those delicious fruits for Rs 10. This deserves mention because it is ridiculously cheap by our Calcutta standards. We had a similar experience while buying jackfruit from a local girl during our 2006 trip to Araku. The girl gave so much of it for Rs 2 that we got embarassed and paid her more.

After Salur the hilly road starts. In terms of steepness of the climb the road is just as good or bad as the ones in Darjeeling. But the road surface is quite good and there is hardly any traffic here. We saw quite a few autos and local motorcycles. Soon we started seeing these security force guys in their camouflage uniform. They were on motorcycles. Each motorcycle had a rider and a pillion and both were carrying open light machine guns (LMGs). The guy sitting pillion was holding it ready to shoot.

We saw at least 50/60 of them. But surprisingly they just didn’t bother us. I had expected some heavy search and checks of our vehicles and papers. But they didn’t even look at us. They were more busy looking out over the valleys, possibly for some movement of terrorists.

There is just one small hamlet on the mountain section (locally called “ghati”) named Sunki. The circuitous mountain roads end at a place called Pottangi. Somewhere in the mountains you cross from Andhra and get into Orissa. The border is well marked with street side signages.

If you have mountain motion sickness please go adequately prepared with proper medicines. Eastern Ghat mountains may not be as high as the Himalayas but the roads are just as bad when it comes to circuitous swithcbacks.

It will be unfair to write about this area and not comment on the scenic beauty of this road. I have been to various corners of the Himlayas. I have been to Western Ghats too. If we had an important city like Bombay in the vicinity, there would be many Khandalas and Panchganis in these mountains of Orissa and Andhra as well. It certainly has the potential. The Eastern Ghat mountains are simply beautiful, serene and green with a bluish tinge. It is a pity that there is hardly any tourist infrastructure here.

After Pottangi the next important town is Sunabeda. But it is just a dot really on the highway. Sunabeda’s only claim to fame is the HAL workshop that they have there. Otherwise it has virtually nothing. Similiguda before Sunabeda in fact is relatively larger. There is a beautiful large lake in Sunabeda. Other than that there is hardly anything else. The next stop is Koraput followed by Jeypore. Just in case you might need, there is at least one decent hotel in Koraput and Jeypore each.  There might be more but we saw only one each. Koraput is a very sweet little town. Relatively neat and clean.

The short stretch from Koraput to Jeypore is through the mountains again. But this is relatively short and the road is more driver friendly.

After Jeypore comes the small town of Borigumma and the Orissa border is crossed sometime after this, I think near a town called Kotpad. Jagdalpur town is a matter of 20/25 kms from the border. The Chhattisgarh Tourism sign boards are there all along this way upto Jagdalpur town. If you are going to Chitrakote, you need not enter the town. Just keep driving with the main city on your right hand side and you should be there in Chitrakote after 40 km.

The road of course is full of speed breakers. Mobile connectivity is lost some 10 km before Chitrakote. The road incidentally ends at the Dandami Resort.

Chitrakote

In Chitrakote there are essentially three things. One waterfall. A large and obviously new Shiva Temple with a huge black phalus and a loudspeaker on top blaring out loud music. And the Dandami Luxury Tourist Resort. Dandami, if I am not mistaken, is the name of a local tribe of Bastar. There is absolutely nothing else in Chitrakote.

Narayanpal temple. About 3 km across the river

We sought out a local temple here called Vishnu Mandir or Narayanpal. Because beyond a point you do get bored by just a water fall – no matter how large it is. We kept on pestering the resort manager and he suggested this temple for a short visit. It’s about 5/6 kilometers into the wilderness, across the river Indravati. The temple is beautifully ancient. About thousand years old and apparently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. I say apparently because there is no sign of any maintenance except for a boundary wall, a signboard and an information plaque. There is a Vishnu idol inside with two of his hands missing. Other than that there is nothing else. Virtually no tourist. No local population. Strangely enough we discovered a faint mobile signal here.

Dandami Resort

The cottage where we stayed for 2 nights. A much better bet as opposed to the tents

The Dandami Tourist Resort is highly over rated. Except the first eight cottages, you cannot see the water fall from your room or balcony. Not even from the tents that are more pricy than the cottages. Staying in the tents is a complete waste of money. They are small. Crammed with silly, unnecessary furniture (very good quality teak though). The toilet is only a narrow section of the tent with no ventilation of its own. The cottages, in comparison are much more spacious, have their own balconies and cheaper than the tents by Rs 1000 !!! It should have been the other way round.

I could talk about both because we stayed in both.

The food at the restaurant is nothing great to write home about. Everything is served with that horrendously over spiced, reddish brown, cover-all curry that is the all time favourite of all cooks in India’s mid-sized restaurants. I am yet to meet anyone who says he likes it but yet that is what is being served for ages now.

We only ordered rice, daal and French fries with the occasional egg curry or fish. The fish or eggs had to be just rescued out of the curry and eaten alone.

The waiters are well meaning but completely untrained local tribal boys. They have no clue about the demands of the modern hospitality industry. Very polite and nice boys but they are totally untrained for the job. The rooms don’t have any intercom. So you cannot order a tea in the evening from the comfort of your room. Electric kettle in the room is not an option. The rooms have functional TV sets but none of the channels worth seeing are subscribed to by the management. So it was a waste trying to surf. The geysers were functional in both the tents and cottages. Thank God for these small mercies.

In front of our tent. A ridiculously expensive trap for tourists. Eminently avoidable

If you want my advice, stay there for just one night and a day. It is not worth beyond that. And avoid the lure of the tent like plague. Jagdalpur, in comparison, is a much more interesting town.

If going on a self drive or if you have a car at your beck and call, Naman Bastar I think is a better option. I haven't stayed there though. It is closer to the town, on the way to the falls.

Bastar Dussera

We were in Jagdalpur town on the day of Dussera. The day when the 75-day festival of Bastar Dussera comes to an end in front of the Danteswari temple. We had no clue about this and kept two days in Jagdalpur because we had nowhere else to go. Thanked God we did that.

I think they were formally dressed for some dance party scheduled for later in the evening

Our friend from the town, Avinash Acharya, arrived like a God-sent to us. He took us around town. Showed us all the temples, the important shopping areas, the right shops for sarees and artefacts etc etc. He even told us a little bit about the history of Jagdalpur town. Without him our trip of Jagdalpur would have remained incomplete.

There is a small anthropological museum outside Jagdalpur town. It could have been better kept. But as with most government establishments, the management seemed more perfunctory than proactive. Most of the tribal societies are changing fast. The museum can play a very important role in preserving some of them. But I wonder if they have enough funding support and management skills to do that. They don’t unfortunately have any souvenir shop selling tribal art or artefact. But what is available for viewing is good enough to give a visitor a basic glimpse into the lives of the tribals. It is certainly worth a visit.

Tribal art on display on a wall in a demo hut inside the Anthropological Museum campus

We ended up not buying either Kosa silk saree – a local speciality – or bronze artefacts. We thought they were really overpriced. Monisha did not like the designs of the sarees vis-a-vis price. So we gave it a pass.

Guiding grandpa to the Danteswari temple

The Danteswari temple that is there in Jagdalpur – alongwith the royal palace - is a recreation of the one in Dantewada which houses the real idol. It is also one of the 52 shakti peeths where Sati’s teeth had fallen. According to Avinash it is absolutely safe to go there and I will certainly go there once again in the near future.

Three faces in the crowd. Monisha asked the woman on the right about her anklets and from where she got them. In Hindi, Oriya and Telugu. She kept on smiling at her. She didn't know a word of these three local languages. 

I was fascinated by the tribal fair that we saw infront of Danteswari temple. The tribal shops that we are used to seeing in the cities are essentially tribal art meant for city people. Here we were in a fair that was by the tribals and for the tribals. The most numerous shops were put up by the blacksmiths. Sickles of various shapes, spades, axes of different types, cooking utensils etc. The second most in supply were different tribal drums and ropes. I bought one for myself. But did not buy the rope as those on sale were nylon ropes. I would have preferred a more authentic handmade something.

There was just one man selling tribal artefacts. We thought the items were overpriced. The seller – a man in his 30s – interestingly had a nose ring on. This is something that I have never seen before.

I could not understand much about the puja. It is quite a complicated one and I need to do more research on it before commenting. I can only comment on what I saw. Tribals from many villages were coming and going with their local deities to or from Danteswari Maa. They were playing various musical instruments and making a big show of the journey.

Monisha driving a hard bargain with some rug sellers from Orissa. Hand made rugs cost Rs 100 each !!!

Many tribals seemed to be staying in the royal palace cum temple complex with their deities in palanquins stationed outside the palace. I am told the local head priest on behalf of Danteswari Maata, does an annual appraisal of sorts for the local deities. She rewards some for their good work and punishes some for bad work. The punishment can be reduced against some fines.

There was a huge chariot that was parked outside the temple. I believe the chariot is pulled over many days and the journey ends near the temple on the last day of Dussera. We missed this big event. But there is always another time.

Jagdalpur Accomodation

We stayed at hotel Akansha which is just off the Chitrakote Road towards the temple (if coming from the falls turn left near Anupama Talkies). It is very well located. The temple is just a short walk from here. The hotel has excellent parking facility. Though open, it is within the complex with proper security. Housekeeping is not the best but then in a small town you do not really expect anything much. It was centrally airconditioned and hot water was on tap !!!! These two features were quite unexpected.

We got a suite with an exclusive sitting area for Rs 2200 per night with complimentary breakfast for two (we had to pay Rs 130 for Mampu).

Food was nothing great but okayish. For lunch we went to Mayuri on the Chitrakote Road on day one and Keshloor Dhaba on day two.

Keshloor is on the way to Tirathgarh falls. We went there late on our second day’s stay, thinking that it might be just as boring as the Chitrakote Falls. Turned out it was a very interesting place deep inside a jungle. Next time when I come I intend to spend more time in Tirathgarh and Kanger Ghati National Park where the Kutumsar caves are.

I have just one regret about the trip. I should have gone there after better research. The single most important destination of the trip turned out to be a damp squib but the other places that I didn’t attach much importance to turned out to be a lot more interesting.

A Few Important Notes

• The official spelling of the place is Chitrakoot. The locals write Chitrakote to distinguish itself from the other Chitrakoot near Allahabad. So, theoretically both are correct but it is best to follow any one though
• Salur ghati sees road blocks due to rolling boulders and landslips in monsoon
• In monsoon the entire region gets flooded by Indravati and other local rivers. It is best to enquire locally about road conditions and flood situation before planning a road trip in high monsoon. 
• 
  

Kaziranga - January 2015

Kaziranga National Park is a forest that lies between the river Brahmaputra to the North and National Highway Number 37 to the south. This highway connects Guwahati and Jorhat and runs in an east-west orientation or direction. Kaziranga is closer to Jorhat (2 hours by car via Numaligarh) than Guwahati (5 hours by car via Nagaon). The roads in either direction are excellent – at least when I travelled there in late January 2015.

There are four entry points or gates to the National Park to go to the different ranges within the forest. These are all a little to the north of the main highway ranging from a few hundred yards to a few kilometers. These are named Central (near Kohora), Eastern (near Agoratoli), Western (near Bagori) and Burapahar which is to the west of the Western Range. Although these are all parts of the same forest, in terms of flora and fauna they are a little different.

Burapahar

Between Burapahar and Agoratoli it is a distance of about 25 to 30 km or so. Most of the hotels are on or near the highway. We stayed in a hotel right on the highway near Kohora. This is where there are some small shops for basic grocery shopping, if you need anything or medicines etc. Several shops here sell mementoes like wooden rhinos or elephants. Hathikhuli Tea Estate, which is on the other side of the highway, has a nice little shop for their tea.

Crested Serpent Eagle

The safari in Kaziranga happens twice a day. Morning and afternoon. You have to hire open-hood Gypsies. There are only a few points in the route where you can alight from the vehicle. Otherwise you have to be seated in the vehicle all the time. Under no circumstances can you get down anywhere else. Beware of dust and the petrol exhaust. These are two major menaces you have to deal with and be prepared for in Kaziranga NP. No one talks about these in their reports on Kaziranga but these are two real issues. If you spot a bird and ask the driver to halt he will never brake at once because that raises a huge dust storm behind. Cover your head all the time with a cap and wear a synthetic outer jacket from which it is easy to brush off the dust.

One-horned Rhinoceros

Elephant rides are popular with the general tourist. It is a one hour ride. We didn’t take it and cannot comment on it. But generally you are advised to take the government elephant rides only which is available in Central Range. You can discuss this with your hotelier or the Gypsy driver.

Spot-billed Pelican

We stayed for three days in Kaziranga and this is how we planned our days. Day one, we started at 7 am with packed breakfast given by the restaurant. Went to Central Range first. Came back to the hotel for lunch at around 11:30. Went to the Western Range for the second half.

Bar-headed Goose

On day two also we started at around 7 am for Agoratoli with packed breakfast. We came out at around 12 noon to a resort near the gate called Agoratoli Resort. Had our lunch there and went back inside the same forest once again. The lunch at the resort is quite expensive but basic. It’s quite a luxury hotel in terms of looks but nothing much in reality.

Black-necked Stork

On the third morning we went to Burapahar. We had planned to go for the Western Range in the second half but had to leave for Guwahati in the afternoon as someone informed us there was a bandh declared the next day.

Northern Lapwing

These five safaris for the three of us with our two still cameras cost us Rs 12,000 – all inclusive. Not very cheap.  But since we had spent a lot of money to go and stay there, thought might as well utilise it to the fullest extent possible.

Red Jungle Fowl

I have no idea about the other hotels in Kaziranga but the one we stayed in turned out to be really very basic and therefore quite expensive at Rs 2000 per night. I would never stay in Agoratoli Resort even if it comes free. I didn’t like the surroundings in the immediate vicinity of the hotel.

If money was not an issue, I would probably stay in Borgos, which I am told is very expensive.

 

Brown-headed Fish Eagle

Sadak e Azam 2014

GT Road holds a special place in my heart. When I was about ten years old, my father first showed it to me while we were going to my aunt's house in Howrah. He said if you walked along this road you would reach Delhi, Lahore and even Kabul. I used to feel fascinated by the idea. As I grew older I took this road to go to various places. First real long distance travel on this road was when I went to Benares a few years ago in my Esteem. Next I went to Rajasthan in 2011 but I left GT Road a little ahead of Kanpur and went towards Jhansi. While coming back I took GT Road from Agra (where I came in via Jaipur). In fact the photograph of camels in the banner of this blog was taken on GT Road in Jharkhand during our 2011 Rajasthan trip.

In September-October 2014 the call of the road once again became strong, particularly after purchasing the Duster. So off we went. The final trip became something like this. Day 1 Calcutta to Benares. Day 2 Benares to Agra. Day 3 was devoted to Agra city and I showed my daughter the wonders of the Taj, Agra Fort and Sikandra. Unfortunately I couldn't manage Itmad-ud-Daula. On Day 4 we went first to Fatehpur and Sikri and then off to Bharatpur's Keoladeo National Park. Day 5 was spent in the park. Day 6 we went to Noida via Agra and stayed with my friend Dadu (Abhijit Majumdar). Day 7 and 8 were spent in company of them visiting various historical monuments like Purana Qilla, Qutab Minar, Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb. Day 9 we drove from Noida to Benares. Day 10 was Benares to Calcutta.

Bharatpur was not in my initial target list. I had wanted to go to Jarar near Chambal. But the climate being quite warm I decided against it as there would hardly be any bird around this time of the year and spending Rs 7500 for just one night in the resort there would be pointless if there was no bird. So we chose to go to Bharatpur instead. I was very happy about the decision. Saw a few lifers like Grey Nightjar, White-eyed Buzzard and Eurasian Spoonbill (funny but true I had never before seen this last bird in the wild). 

I want to write down the various sectors of the road so that friends who want to take this journey can benefit. One word on fuel consumption. I had kept copious details of the journey as derived from the trip computer on a daily basis. It is mentioned here too. However, I find that my total fuel consumption is 204 liters, as per actual bills, as opposed to 180 liters as per the trip computer. It can mean two things. Either the trip computer is a little off the mark. Or the petrol pumps have doctored meters. It could be a little bit of both as well. I will check my trip computer in the city and give a better opinion on it later. 

At Purana Qilla parking lot 

September 28, 2014. Day One. Calcutta to Benares.

Total Distance: 699 km
Average Speed - 54 kmph
Fuel Consumption: 38.1 lit
Average FE: 18.5 kmpl
Driving Time: 5:30 am to 6:30 pm
One line sum up: Very clogged highway. Very slow average speed. Six laning is an immediate priority.

We started early from Calcutta. The highway was absolutely clogged with trucks, moving very slowly. I knew the reason. Just too many overloaded slow trucks. The agony ended in a few kilometers after we crossed the bridge near Das Nagar which is operational only on one side. The next agonising stretch was through Panagarh town where the highway goes right through the town and it is a badly damaged road there. I followed a local bus which just jumped the lane and blazed through the opposite lane. 

After Panagarh you pass through Durgapur, Asansol, Kulti, Barakar. This is where you leave West Bengal and enter Jharkhand. There are many trucks parked for the entry tax formalities. But we managed to cross it without getting stuck. 

The journey through Jharkhand was uneventful. But general traffic movement is very high making it impossible to pick up speed. The typical scene is on the first lane there is a slow moving auto rickshaw which is being overtaken by a slightly faster truck. So you have to wait. The important towns that you bypass on this sector are Dhanbad, Bokaro, Parasnath, Hazaribagh. The road is beautiful after Top Chanchi. Hazaribagh district is really very pretty. It is a pity that there is no tourism infrastructure here. 

After Jharkhand the road goes through Bihar. The beautiful Tilaiya lake is on the right hand side. If you are keen to go to Gaya there is an exit here. But our destination is Benares. So we move on through Aurangabad and then Dehri on Sone. It is a very long bridge. My father, I remember, used to refer to Sone as the tears of Bihar. 

Somewhere along the way the exit to Sasaram is also there. But I think I missed the road sign announcing that this time.

The next big town to go through is Mohania which is the border between Bihar and UP. Next meaningful exit is for Mughal Sarai and a little after this comes the Ganga bridge. There is an exit into the town of Benares immediately after crossing this bridge. The road goes down to the left and then winds it way into the town in the opposite direction. I do not take this route (the first time I did) as it goes through winding roads of the town. Instead I go straight down the highway and turn right through the old GT Road as it comes out of the city towards the Allahabad end.

All along the highway outside the city were parked trucks carrying sand. Hundreds of them. I wonder what kind of infrastructure is coming up in the region to require so much of sand every day. We saw the same scene while coming back too.

We were pre-booked in Meraden Grand - Mampu's most favourite hotel anywhere in the world. In the evening we went on our customary trip to Dasassamedh ghat. Ganga Arati was over. Had a total of 250 grams of malai from Pagla's shop in Biswanath Gali. Malai is Rs 400 a kilo and Rabri (which is sugar sweet) is Rs 350.

Hotel Review: On our first trip to Benares we had stayed in this hotel and Mampu fell in love with it for its bathtub. It remains her most favourite hotel anywhere. The hotel is a little expensive but they have a deal with Exide and they give us rooms at a deep discount. If you are going to Benares for Viswanath temple and ghats etc, this hotel is completely impractical. It is quite far from there. It does not have covered parking. But they organise a secure parking lot with 24-hour security. We stay here only because we love Mampu.

On our return trip we didn't get accommodation here so found out a hotel near the station just off old NH2 which is much cheaper, has a basement parking lot of its own and all the other mod-cons. Will review it later in this blog.

September 29, 2014. Day Two. Benares to Agra.

Total Distance: 608.8 km
Average Speed - 56.6 kmph
Fuel Consumption: 33.5 lit
Average FE: 18.1 kmpl
Driving Time: 8:20 am to 7:30 pm
Hotel: Bhawna Clarks Inn 0562 2650400
One line sum up: Kanpur to Ettawah being six-laned with 35 diversions. NH2 through Firozabad and Agra are really terribly jam prone. 

We started relatively late on the second day after the buffet breakfast. Took the old GT Road and then turned right towards Allahabad from the new highway. The stretch from Benares to Allahabad is fairly urbanised. Full of local people, vegetable markets, auto rickshaws and small non-descript towns. Sitamarih is on the way where Sita had to take the test by fire. There are road pointers showing the way to "Sita Samadhisthal".

The Allahabad by-pass is very obvious and you can't miss it. A new development is they have put up petrol pumps there now. It took us about an hour to cross the fully concreted bypass. Till Kanpur the journey is pretty uneventful and there is nothing worth mentioning. It's relatively a little desolate here.

From Kanpur onward the road is being six-laned up to Etawah. There are some 35 diversions due to flyovers (the technical term is underpass). Average speed is therefore affected on this stretch. But once the work is completed I am sure this will be one of the fastest stretches on the journey.

The name Etawah somehow sends chills down the spine. In my school days we used to read news stories of notorious Chambal dacoits surrendering ceremoniously and the datelines of those stories always used to be Etawah or Morena or Bhind. I associate these three names with notorious dacoits of Chambal. Of course now that profession is a dead one. They and their children are all in politics now.

After Etawah I thought driving into Agra would be a breeze. But I wasn't prepared for this small town called Firozabad. It's somewhat like Panagarh in the sense the highway goes right through the town. It's chock-a-block full of traffic. Cart-loads of glass bangles were being taken around. Soon we realised it is a glassware manufacturing hub. Later we learnt it is indeed the capital for this particular industry. There are huge buildings the size of the Exide head office that are selling chandeliers and other lamp sheds - stand alone single shops. I wish there was some decent parking facility. I would have bought some lamp sheds and glasses. But I concentrated on the bumper-to-bumper traffic. I think it took us about an hour to cross the 2 km stretch through the town.

Next agonising part was the drive down NH2 through Agra town. Once again a very pathetic bumper to bumper drive. Finding our hotel Bhawna Clarks Inn was relatively easy. It is just opposite the Sikandra Gurdwara which is on your right hand side a little after the Bhagwan Talkies Flyover (a major landmark in Agra). The entry towards the hotel is via a V-turn to the left and then you get the hotel after crossing the flyover.

Hotel Review: If you are driving in from Calcutta Bhawna Clarks Inn is ideally located. It is just off the highway, albeit after you cross the city. It has a secure basement parking. However, the hotel's rooms are rather cramped and so is the bathroom. Food is very expensive. I think three fresh lime sodas in the room cost us something like Rs 400. The hotel is also located quite far from Taj or Agra Fort. Sikandra is just a kilometer away though. The hotel has its own diesel generator.

This hotel is okay if you are driving into Agra and you don't want to enter the lanes and by-lanes of the city with your car. Otherwise it is eminently avoidable. Incidentally there is another Bhavna on the other side of the highway before the Gurdwara, which is fine for a night too. But it does not have a very robust generator of its own. We had stayed there in 2011 for a night and the experience wasn't very good.

Next time I go to Agra for a few days, I am going to stay somewhere close to Taj. It's expensive though.

September 30, 2014. Day Three. Within City

We went in an auto to Sikandra in the morning. Later we went to Agra Fort and Taj by the same auto, Didn't even look at the car.


October 1, 2014. Day Four. Agra to Bharatpur via Fatehpur Sikri.

Total Distance: 64.7 km
Average Speed - 34 kmph
Fuel Consumption: 3.5 lit
Average FE: 18.5 kmpl
Driving Time: 10:25 am to 2:30 pm (includes time spent in FS)
Stay: Shanti Kutir Forest Rest House
One line sum up: Very nice and quiet road. Very well marked out with prominent road directions for drivers from out of state.

The drive from Bhawna Clarks to Fatehpur Sikri is totally uneventful. You hardly need to ask anyone for directions. Everything is very well marked out. You can take the road in front of Akbar's tomb or the road in front of the hotel itself. We took both. One while going and the other while coming back.

Finding out Shanti Kutir FRH in Bharatpur is a little tricky as we didn't know it was right inside the park (there is another ITDC hotel inside the park). There are many hotels outside the gate. The area is called Sarus Morh. We parked our car outside the park's gate and hired a rickshaw to go to Shanti Kutir for booking enquiries. It is a good one and a half kilometer inside the park. I immediately regretted not getting the camera as I saw a jackal within handshaking distance and a white-eyed buzzard (I saw them later too and photographed as well).

Luckily we got accommodation on the first floor for two nights. Went back to the gate and brought the car in. They allow you to take the car inside only if you have confirmed booking in the FRH.

Hotel Review: Shanti Kutir is not a hotel. It is a forest rest house. Basically a government office with facilities for some people to stay. The room is huge (has a two tonne AC and two electric fans) and so is the bathroom, which has a working geyser. It has a basic generator that will light up one tube light and a fan only if there is a power cut. The bathroom light does not work on generator. So it is advisable to keep a candle ready. 

Food is extremely basic. Just "daal-chawal-sabzi". Eggs are fine in breakfast but not the meat of the bird that lays the eggs or any other form of non-veg food. If there are VIP visitors there during your stay (and Bharatpur is very VIP prone with at least two vehicles with beacon lights always parked there at any given point of time) the cooks and waiters - who are all employees of the forest department - will not even look at you. It happened with me too and I had to lose my temper in a controlled way to get my food at 3 pm (they wouldn't serve me till the VIPs finished their lunch and left). 

But all said and done - Shanti Kutir is true to its name. Very peaceful. You can often hear the trucks on the highway a kilometer or so away but birds and insects can often drown that out.

October 2, 2014. Day Five. In Bharatpur 

The day was spent exploring the park. Got lucky with a Sarus Crane's mating call which I managed to record with my new recording gear Marantz PMD661 Mk II and Sennheiser K6/ME66. Migratory birds had still not arrived. But Eurasian Spoonbills, Black-headed Ibises and Painted Storks or Asian Openbills were found nesting. 

October 3, 2014. Day Six. Bharatpur to Noida.

Total Distance: 268.2 km
Average Speed - 66.9 kmph
Fuel Consumption: 14.3 lit
Average FE: 18.8 kmpl
Driving Time: 9:35 am to 2:00 pm 
Stay: Friend's House in Noida Sect 21
One line sum up: Yamuna Expressway is quite an experience.

The drive from Bharatpur to Noida is totally uneventful except for the Yamuna Expressway, which is quite an experience. It is a 3x2 six laned totally concreted highway with barbed wire fencing on either side and guard rails as well. It is also the country's most expensive road. Toll was Rs 320 for one way journey. There is hardly any traffic on the road though. We saw a maximum of perhaps 30 cars and two trucks. The road starts from Agra and ends in Greater Noida. I think the road was created for the F1 circuit - Budh International. There is a huge sports city that is coming up. It has a cricket stadium too. I wonder if all this is just a bubble. But the road infrastructure as it is now is fantastic. All of this is owned by the Jay Prakash group. I can smell corruption here. But who cares. Even if the company that created this underutilised road goes under, the infrastructure will remain.

October 4 and 5, 2014. Day Seven and Eight. In Noida.

In Noida we stayed at our friend Abhijit Majumdar's house at Sector 21. We also met another school mate Sarit Dutta who lives in Delhi's CR Park. We had a happy time visiting the various monuments of Delhi over the next two days. Together we covered Purana Qilla, Qutab Minar, Red Fort and Humayun's tomb.


October 6, 2014. Day Nine. Noida to Benares.

Total Distance: 787.1 km
Average Speed - 68.8 kmph
Fuel Consumption: 42.8 lit
Average FE: 18.5 kmpl
Driving Time: 6:05 am to 5:00 pm 
Stay: Hotel Jahnavi
One line sum up: Roads were relatively less congested. Probably due to Eid.

The return journey from Noida to Benares was down a road that had considerably less traffic. This is probably because this was the day of Eid. We had hoped to clear Firozabad through the quiet of the morning. However, the highway was closed well before the town and we were made to go through the old state highway. I think it was a good 20 km detour and certain parts of the road was simply pathetic. If I was in a small car the bottom would have given way.

On the Expressway I had kept a steady pace of between 90 to 110. I got a fuel efficiency of 22 kmpl. However, overall FE was 18.5, which is fine.

We reached Benares in good day light. Much to Mampu's disappointment Hotel Meraden Grand was full. We found a decent hotel in Jahnavi near the Cantt station for 2k. Just as you turn right towards Ratha Yatra from the old GT Road, this hotel is on your left hand side.

The hotel has its own basement parking lot, albeit small and an instant diesel generator. The food is also decent. Godaulia is Rs 50 by rickshaw. I went alone for my customary Malai fill.


October 7, 2014. Day Ten. Benares to Calcutta.

Total Distance: 699 km
Average Speed - 63 kmph
Fuel Consumption: 35.9 lit
Average FE: 19.6 kmpl
Driving Time: 9:30 am to 8:30 pm 
One line sum up: Terrible truck traffic in the Burdwan-Calcutta sector

We took it a little casually on this last day's home stretch. Left the hotel at 9.30 am, which was a stupid thing to do. It got dark after crossing Barakar/Kulti. My speed dropped considerably in the dark due to constant light of oncoming trucks. I hate driving on this stretch in the dark.

Anyway, reached home without any fuss.

One funny thing about these long journeys is that once it is over without any remarkable incident there is nothing worth mentioning :-) Prior to the journey your mind is always filled with an unstated, quiet tension. After it gets over you are personally relieved but it doesn't make for any spectacular story. It is just another journey that was completed without anything going wrong anywhere.