Monday 31 December 2018

Chennai (TN) to Pune (MH) to Chennai - Indian Roadie Preferred Route

Drove Chennai - Pune - Chennai in the last week of December 2018.

Chennai to Vellore - potholes have surfaced plus heavy traffic (toll for this road is a licensed fraud)
Vellore to Krishnagiri - Awesome roads as always
Krishnagiri to Electronic city - good roads

Nice road - Nice !

Electronic City to Tumkur - 2 lane with heavy truck and misc traffic

Tumkur to Chitradurga - awesome roads

Chitradurga to Dharwad - 6 laning in progress - lot of diversions and uneven tarmac. Watch out for speed/car breakers.

Hubli-Dharwad - 2 lane "highway" for which toll of 70 Rs is promptly collected (no Fastag option) Got stuck due to a trailer accident.

Belagum - Kolhapur - good roads

Kolhapur to Satara - good roads but watch out for wrong side driving, crazy bikers & tractors - thankfully the tractors (most of them) have a big reflective cloth

Satara to Pune - Not so good roads

Lot of food options once you get into MH - similary lot of food options even in the TN side. The KA side seemed to have lesser options (or maybe it wasnt as well advertised)

Fastag -  MH doesnt have dedicated lines, most of the lines are hybrid. KA - though they have separate lane, not enforced - saw this being enforced only in the Ranipet - Hosur section. Toll collection took time though the lines weren't lengthy  - Govt should re-introduce or enforce dedicated lines.

Saw police cars at various places in KA but didn't seem to intercept anyone - possibly they are now e-challaning.

MH cops stopped outstation cars (got stopped both ways) and check for documents esp PUC.

Stayed at Hotel Naveen Regency, Chitradurga, a good hotel with spacious rooms, during the return journey.

Content courtesy: P. Krishnamurthy.

Friday 28 December 2018

Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) drive by couple Harsha Sharma and Dushyant Mishra in Maruti Ertiga in December 2018

2018-12- to Wednesday, 2018-12-26 at 3.30pm.

15 days, 14 nights.

3 nights in hotel/hostel.

11 nights in the car.

Total 6632 km.

295 litre of diesel consumed by Maruti Ertiga.

Total fuel cost ₹19,701.

Avg per litre cost ₹66.78.

Overall average of Ertiga 22.48 kmpl.
Best average 25.5 kmpl.
Worst average 19.3 kmpl.

Overall cost per km driven ₹2.97

Total food cost for food in restaurant - ₹6392

Per day food cost ₹426

Total stay cost ₹6456

Per night stay cost ₹461.

Toll was paid using Fast Tag, will have to check how much we paid.

442 km driven per day. Total cost of the trip is approximately ₹47,000. This doesn't include any shopping.

Thursday 27 December 2018

Couple driving Bangalore to Mumbai killed after ramming car behind truck at 5am on 2018-12-23

Bengaluru couple dead in a car crash on Mumbai-Pune Expressway; their two sons escape unhurt.
A family of four was headed to Mumbai from Bengaluru when their car crashed into a truck. The couple was declared dead on arrival by the hospital authorities while their two sons were discharged after treatment for minor injuries.
Ankit Bhupendra Singh Tugh (35), and his wife Sanjana (30) were headed to Dadar in Mumbai to Tugh's parents' place for Christmas with their two sons in tow. Their two kids aged seven and four miraculously escaped unhurt while their parents tragically died on the spot.
The accident happened on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Sunday, 2018-12-23 around five in the morning. Tugh was driving the car and his wife, Sanjana was sitting in the passenger seat beside him. Their children were in the back seat when the car rammed into a truck which had reduced its speed suddenly. Their car got stuck to the truck from behind and the truck driver kept on driving with the wrecked car for almost a kilometre and a half. He realised what had actually happened when there was a loud sound of the car detaching from the truck. The scared driver ran away from the accident spot.
The hospital authorities said that the couple could have been saved if they would have been brought to the hospital earlier.
The driver has been booked under rash and negligent driving and other sections of the IPC have been filed against him by the Panvel Taluka police authorities.
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#NoPlannedNightDriving
#ChildrenOrphaned
#StopTheRitualisticRIP

Wednesday 26 December 2018

Biker from Kolar district burnt alive after colliding with bus on 2018-12-26

Neeraj (20), a resident of Vivekanand Nagar of Bangarpet, Kolar district, Karnataka is the unfortunate bike rider who lost his life in this tragic accident on Wednesday, 2018-12-26 morning.
A private bus which came from the opposite side collided with the bike. Due to the impact of the collision, the petrol tank of the bike caught fire and Neeraj was burnt alive within minutes.
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# road accident

Chennai - Srisailam - Hyderabad - Chennai road trip

Madhumita Santra completed her third road trip by car (second inter-state drive) in October 2018.
Covered 1461 km of road in 6 days. Longest distance covered in a day was 668 km in 13hrs with breaks.

Day 1: Chennai - Srisailam;

Day 2: Srisailam Temple and Site Trip; Srisailam - Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad;

Day 3: - Ramoji Film City Tour;

Day 4: Ramoji Film City - Hyderabad main City, Golkonda Fort, Paradise Biriyani, Lumbini Park;

Day 5: Hyderabad local sites - Charminar, Hussain Sagar, Prasads Big Screen (IMAX), Local Shopping;

Day 6: Hyderabad - Chennai.

Bangalore to Chikmagalur (KA) drive during Christmas 2018

Spent Christmas weekend driving in the hills of Malenadu and visited the following places with Chikmagalur as the base.

1. Deviramma Temple, Chikmagaluru
2. Annapurnashewari Temple, Hornadu
3. Kalaseshwara Temple, Kalasa
4. Amba Teertha, Kalasa
5. Vasishta Teertha, Kalasa
6. Mallikarjuna Temple, Hirenallur
7. Hoysaleshwara Temple, Halebeedu
8. Veeranarayana Temple, Belavadi

𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬:

Bangalore - Chikmagalur: Nothing new here to update. Great roads and the distance can easily be covered in 4 hours of sedate driving

Chikmagalur - Mudigere - Kottigehara: Apart from the patchy roads in Hale mudigere and some culvert construction in Mudigere - Kottigehara stretch, roads are decent 2L roads

Kottigehara - Kalasa - Hornadu: Good to very good twisties. Distance on 48 kms covered in about 75 minutes.

Kalasa - Vasishta Teertha: Just follow gmaps and take the road behind the kalaseshwara temple to reach the bridge.

Kalasa - Amba Teertha: Take the mud road next to prince of kalasa and follow the mud trail to amba teertha. Its almost 3 km of nonexistent  to very bad roads and doable only in a hatchback or SUV. Sedans will find it very difficult to negotiate the furrowed surface as large stretches are hardened mud tracks.

Chikmagalur - Kadur: Decent 2L roads with a small bad stretch around sakrepatna

Kadur - Hirenallur: Beautiful tarmac 2L road on which you can do tripple digit speeds without any effort.

Halebeedu - Belavadi: Decent 2L road with lots of trees and farms all around

Belavadi - Kalasapura - Kaimara - Chikmagalur: Decent 2L stretch dotted with small villages. Do watch out for the occasional speed breakers and mad red bus drivers

𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬:

Hirenallur has been on the to do list for a while now and finally managed to find some time on Sunday evening to drive down to the temple. Chikmagalur - Sakrepatna - Kadur is ok roads with some bad sections after sakrepatna. Kadur - Hirenallur is beautiful tarmac with fields and trees all around. That section of the road is so good that at one point I was doing 110 kmph and I didn’t realize I was going that fast on a 2L road for many minutes. The temple as such is a relatively small but decently maintained example of Hoysala architecture. More details can be found https://www.teamgsquare.com/2013/10/hoysala-mallikarjuna-temple-hirenallur.html

No introductions needed to the Halebeedu temple. This again was one of the temples that has been on the list for a while but we stayed away because of the crowd. 24th Dec morning wasn’t really a good time to visit as the temple was jam packed with busloads of school kids and tourists. Somehow managed to distance myself from the chaos around me and soak in some of the beautiful carvings engraved on the wall and ceilings. Someday I plan to get there before sunrise and spend a lot of time with all the stories carved in stone.

Some pics from the trip.
1. Veeranarayana Temple, Belavadi. 

2. Enroute to Belavadi Temple. 

3. Hoysaleshwara Temple, Halebeedu - awe inspiring facade. 

4. Hoysaleshwara Temple, Halebeedu. 

5. Mallikarjuna Temple, Hirenallur. 

6. Fog enroute to Kalasa. 



Text & photo credit: Ravinder Janakiraman.

Sunday 23 December 2018

Road trip to St. Lawrence Church, Attur, near Karkala (55 kms from Mangalore)

St. Lawrence Shrine or Attur Church is a Roman Catholic church in Karkala, Karnataka. It was built in 1759 and is purported to be the site of many miracles. It is by characterized its Attur Jatre or Attur Festival.
Attur Church is situated on the outskirts of Karkala in Karnataka, #India. 😊

Route:
Option 1: Mangalore - Moodbidri - Karkala via NH169 = 53 kms.
Option 2: Mangalore - Padubidri (via NH66) northwards drive along the west coast and thereafter Padubidri - Karkala (via SH1) = 60 kms.

Photo & text credit: @justsimple411
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#MustVisit
#MustSee

Saturday 22 December 2018

'Indian Roadie Preferred Hotel' brands near Gangani at Garbeta and Chandrakona Road

Hotel Sonajhuri, Chargora, (2 kms from Gangani), Garbeta.

Hotel Parimal Kanan,  Chandrakona Road (17 kms from Garbeta) .... ambiance is better than the other hotels in Garbeta.

Star Lodge, Garbeta.
Appayan Lodge, Garbeta.
Shyam Bhawan, Garbeta.

Thursday 20 December 2018

Saikat Bishnu, the erstwhile utterly ungrateful IndianRoadie member

Saikat Bishnu, a nouveau rich cheap medicine seller in Khardaha, North 24 Parganas district (in the northern fringes of Kolkata) had been ejected from IndianRoadie (in mid May 2016) for his misdemeanors. He usurped lots of benefits from IndianRoadie during his days in the forum.
After being blocked from the forum, I have found him talking/ writing/ trolling unsubstantiated nonsense on other forums/ platforms on numerous occasions (the latest being on 2018-12-15). 

It was Saikat who would call me up at odd hours and seek driving tips/ suggestions from me. He has gone to the extent of mentioning that I was in fact would disturb him instead of helping.

He bought a White coloured Mahindra Scorpio around March or April 2015. He would call me up every 2nd day and tell me that his 'new acquisition would be blessed if only I touched it'. A couple of months later, another well regarded gentleman from Mumbai, a great roadie visited Kolkata. The guy met him & told him the same words. Saikat has been writing a whole lot of nonsense about the other gentleman, too.

It's now my open challenge to the uncouth rogue to swear by his little daughter that every word that he has been uttering against me everywhere are NOT fabricated. He should have the courage to list out all the benefits that he derived from IndianRoadie and myself till mid mid-2016.

Wednesday 19 December 2018

Women dragged out of cars at night and gangraped in Murthal in February 2016

Haryana goons dragged stranded women to fields, gangraped them near Murthal.

Unidentified goons attacked vehicles and commuters going towards the Delhi NCR. Reports said that at least 10 women were pulled out from cars, molested, stripped and raped by the goons.

Murthal (on NH1) is one destination Delhiites make impromptu travel plans to - be it for long drives or for Sukhdev Dhaba's delicious food.

Women commuters were harassed and even raped near Murthal in Haryana. Vehicles with women passengers were stopped on the National Highway 1 during the early hours of Monday, and women were dragged to nearby fields where they were raped, reported The Tribune.

The Haryana Police, however, dismissed the report as rumour, but eyewitnesses say at least 10 women were sexually assaulted. To make things worse, victims and their family members were advised by the district officials not to report the incident so as to safeguard their 'honour'.

The report throws more light on what exactly happened - 30-odd goons attacked commuters travelling towards Delhi-NCR, set their vehicles ablaze, pulled out women who couldn't flee the car, stripped them and raped. They laid nude in the fields till the time men who accompanied them could find them. The residents of Hassanpur and Kurad rushed to bring clothes and blankets for the victims.

A witness who wanted to keep his identity confidential told The Tribune, "Three women were taken to Amrik Sukhdev Dhaba and united with their families in the presence of senior police officers. They appeared lifeless. District officials who arrived there, instead of investigating the matter, persuaded the families to take the women home. Many were provided transport."

Sukhdev Dhaba was targeted by the goons and tried to set the eatery on fire, but were resisted by the villagers from Hassanpur and Kurad. These people have been camping at the dhaba since Sunday.

Elders from these villages, Hari Krishan of Kurad and Zile Singh of Hassanpur, said there is no point talking about the incident "as the police are sure to shield the criminals and nobody, not even the locals, are safe."

Another dhaba owner, Jai Bhagwan, said four women took refuge inside a water tank near his dhaba. Many victims say senior officers dissuaded them from complaining as "what happened can not be undone". A senior IPS officer rubbished all this as rumours and requested media houses to refrain writing about these incidents.

Source: India Today dated 2016-02-24. 

Location of Heritage Foods dairy plant & Parlour at Bayyavaram village, near Anakapalle crossing on NH16 in Andhra Pradesh








Given an opportunity, I'd love to drive in excess of 900 kms all the way from Kolkata to the Heritage Foods dairy plant in Bayyavaram village, Andhra Pradesh (beyond Visakhapatnam) and it's adjoining milk parlour only to sample the wide variants of Kalakands, Shikanjis, Flavored Milk, Creamy Ice Creams to fulfill my desire.

Vizag is 850 kms from Kolkata.

The Heritage Foods dairy Plant & Parlour at Bayyavaram village on NH16 is exactly 28 kms south of the Vizag Steel Plant arch-gate.
The said Parlour is 7 kms south of Anakapalle crossing, where there's a flyover which takes heavy trucks towards Vizag city bypass.

For roadies traveling from Chennai/ Bangalore/ Hyderabad/ Vijaywada, it would be worthwhile to mention that the Heritage Foods dairy Plant & Parlour at Bayyavaram village on NH16 in Andhra Pradesh is exactly 338 kms north of Benz Circle and 335 kms north of The Kay Hotel crossing in Vijaywada. It is 71 kms north of the south gate of the temple town of Annavaram.

Monday 17 December 2018

Old Mahindra Jeep being used as home roof at Sonam Wangchuk's Himalayan Institute of Alternatives

Old Mahindra Jeep used as home roof in Ladakh institute leaves Anand Mahindra impressed.

The pictures in which an old Mahindra Jeep has been used as a home roof are from the Sonam Wangchuk’s Himalayan Institute of Alternatives and are creating a lot of interest on Twitter. Here's why the idea has generated a lot of interest of Twitter. Anand Mahindra reacted by tweeting about it. 

You must have come across a number of innovations on the internet and some of them are indeed worth noticing. Now Anand Mahindra is one such personality who keeps motivating the creative talent and leaves no stone unturned in appreciating and supporting such people time to time. Mahindra's chief recently got a set of images by his friend in which an old Mahindra Jeep can be seen being used as a home roof. Applauding the effort, Anand Mahindra took it to Twitter and tweeted "Well this will compete with our auto-shredding venture but it’s far more creative!” The said pictures are from the Sonam Wangchuk’s Himalayan Institute of Alternatives. In Delhi NCR, where cars having over 15-years of age won't be allowed to ply on the roads, the aforementioned institute has indeed set an example of how such cars can be used innovatively.

The idea has generated a lot of interest on Twitter and for obvious reasons, many people are appreciating the effort. The Sonam Wangchuk’s Himalayan Institute of Alternatives is famous due to the fact that nothing gets discarded here and hence, it believes in pure recycling. Multiple studies have proved that vehicles more than 15 years of age lead to serious air pollution. Hence, there has been a huge debate on how such vehicles need to be recycled or the waste generated from them need to be disposed off in a way that should ensure that there is minimal harm to the environment.

Source: Financial Express dated 2018-12-16.

YouTube viewers hate to read or hear the following - "Please don't forget to subscribe, share, like my YouTube channel"

As a senior corporate marketing strategist & a b-school faculty pan-India, let me tell you that extensive research has revealed that people get mad seeing the closing line ...... "please don't forget to subscribe, share, like my YouTube channel".

If your content is good, people will automatically do all that. You don't have to 'beg'!

Sunday 16 December 2018

Ahmedabad (GJ) to Jaisalmer (RJ) - Indian Roadie Preferred Route



* Indian Roadie Preferred Route between Ahmedabad_Jaisalmer.

Ahmedabad, GJ ------ Adalaj (Gandhinagar) ------ Mehsana ------ Siddhpur ------ Palanpur (intersection of SH41 and H27) ------ Deesa ------ Tharad (intersection of NH27 and NH68) ------ Sanchore, RJ (NH68) ------ Bridge over Luni River ------ Dhorimana ------ Barmer ------ Devikot ------ Jaisalmer, RJ (NH68).

Distances:
Ahmedabad_Sanchore = 273 kms.
Sanchore_Jaisalmer = 295 kms.

There's an Indian Roadie Preferred Hotel brand in Sanchore.

Thursday 13 December 2018

Vanlife for 60 days a year makes one pragmatic in life



Lead a vanlife within India for atleast 60 days every year.
Your children, spouse or mate will stop cribbing about the otherwise small issues which we face in daily life.
How will you overcome the predictable hindrances?

Road trip to Joshimath in Uttarakhand during a Chardham drive







Joshimath to Badrinath via landslide prone NH58 = 43 kms.
Joshimath to Govindghat via NH58 for onwards trek to Valley of Flowers = 18 kms.

Wednesday 12 December 2018

Sonia Jain with her ride at Mana, the last Indian village in Indian territory, Uttarakhand



Motorcyclist and marketing professional Sonia Jain at Mana, the last Indian village in Indian territory on NH58.
For the uninitiated, the quaint village of Mana is only a couple of kms from the holy Hindu shrine of Badrinath, Uttarakhand.
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#IndianRoadieWomen
#SoniaJain
#Mana
#LastIndianVillage
#Badrinath
#Uttarakhand
#respect

'No planned night driving' neither for fame nor for brickbats



A quintessential fetish of some roadies for 'planned' driving in the night might earn those same people lots of kudos from friends on Facebook and other Social Media platforms if everything goes fine.

However, their dear ones will earn a lot of brickbats if something goes terribly wrong in their 'josh' of demonstrating their driving/ riding prowess.


* No Planned Night Driving
* I Hate Night Driving
* Indian Roadie Safety Tips

Driving destinations to the lower Himalayas in Uttarakhand in December 2018 and January 2019 to welcome 2019

The view is better outside of your comfort zone.
Welcome 2019 in mountains with your friends, family dancing to the music in a serene environment.
Choose from multiple options (3D/2N)

1. NAG Tibba : Climb to the summit of Nag Tibba, the highest peak in the lower Himalayas, Uttarakhand. Suitable for beginners as well as children, this trek will greet you with summer blossoms, and will let you see the Gangotri group of peaks when you reach the summit.

2. Tirthan Valley : This New Year's take an adventurous trip to Tirthan Valley and give yourself a recharge. Visit Jibhi, Serolsar Lake, Chaini Kothi, and Jalori Pass.

3. Auli : Auli is a canvas of glistening snow-laden meadows. And it just happens to be the premier ski destination of India, and boasts of the world's highest man made lake, that is bound to leave you speechless! And if you love everything to do with snow, then there's nothing better than a trip to Auli. Go on an amazing trip and give a beautiful end to 2018!

4. Jim Corbett : Welcome your new year in midst of jungle. Dance to the music with your friends till midnight besides bonfire.

100+ humps on 42 kms of West Bengal State Highway between Burdwan and Arambagh



100+ humps (of varying dimensions) on 42 kms of double laned West Bengal state highway between Burdwan and Arambagh.
That's how Bengal tries to make road travel safe. However, there's no respite from the daily bloodshed that continues unabated.
All such utterly stupid moves lack involvement on the part of West Bengal Police and is taken to appease ONE single political boss in the state.
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#IndianRoadieNews

Friday 7 December 2018

Places to see and visit during a road trip from Bangalore to Hampi via 3 route options



Route 1: The Hospet Route
Route Map: Bangalore → Chitradurga → Hospet → Hampi

This route takes about seven and a half hours on NH48 and NH50, a distance of about 360 kilometres. This is a popular route for most road trippers.

Chitradurga Fort: Built in a series of seven fortification walls; thus the name ‘Seven Circles Fort’. It also has eighteen temples.

Ankali Mutt: Located just 3 kms from Chitradurga, it boasts a temple between huge rocks and underground carved out caves.

Chandravalli: A couple of kilometres from Chitradurga, this is a gorgeous archaeological site in an area formed by three hills.

Tungabhadra Dam: This dam is worth stopping by for its spectacular views through its watchtower and its aesthetic beauty.

Vijayshree Village: Right before reaching Hampi, one can visit this heritage Rajasthani style village, for a little bit of a culture mash-ups.




Route 2: The Hiriyur Route
Route Map: Bangalore → Tumkur → Hiriyur → Challakere → Rampura → Hampi

This route takes about 7 hours for a drive of 400 kilometres (approx) via NH 48.

Vani Vilas Sagar Dam: A 30-minute detour from Hiriyur will lead you to this pre-independence era dam, with calm and clean waters.

Ajjanagudi Temple: Make a quick stop to Challakere if you want to visit this quiet temple.

Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary: Around half an hour before Hampi, visit this fun place to gaze at bears and other animals doing their thing in all their glory.




Route 3: The Anantpura Route
Route Map: Bangalore → Lepakshi → Anantapur → Bellari → Hampi

This route of 400 kms also takes about 7 hours. This route is preferred for its smooth driving conditions.

Lepakshi: Famous Nandi statue, the Veerabhadra temple, and the famous Shiva Linga inside.

Gooty Fort: This fort makes for an interesting trek uphill, with an amazing vantage point to capture pictures from.

Bellary Fort: Built atop huge boulders, this Fort has a haunting appeal, excellent for pictures or a peaceful walk.

Chintala Venkataramana Swamy Temple: The temple has a mix of South Indian heritage architecture. It's located about 50 kilometres from Anantapur.

Hampi Hippie Island: A good place for bouldering and rock-climbing fans, people interested in souvenir shopping, or coffee shops.

Tuesday 4 December 2018

Road trip to Bhutan (29.05.2018 – 08.06.2018)

Road trip to Bhutan from Agra and back from 29.05.2018 to 08.06.2018.

Narrated by IndianRoadie Ghanshyam Gandhar, Chief Engineer in Merchant Navy by profession and a resident of Agra.

Our Group: 10 people  inclusive of 7 adults & 3 kids (1.5, 2.5 and 6.5 and years). All are family member.
Vehicles used: Nissan Sunny (Petrol) & Hyundai i20 (Diesel).

Initial Plan for trip:
29.05.2018: Start from Agra at 03:30 Hrs. and to reach Muzaffarpur around 18:00 Hrs. (with breakfast and lunch stops).
Route planned:  Agra - Lucknow (via Agra- Lucknow Expressway) -Faizabad - Gorakhpur bypass - Muzaffarpur
30.05.2018: Start from Muzaffarpur 06:00Hrs. and to reach Jaigaon (via Lataguri as suggested by Srijan Roy Chodhury) around 18:30 Hrs.
Route planned:  Muzaffarpur - Forbesganj - Araria - Purnea - Kishanganj - Islampur - Ghospukur Bypass - Lataguri - Nagrakata - Birpara- Jaigaon.
Hotel bookings done in advance for Muzaffarpur and Jaigaon.

Journey as happened
29.05.2018  @ Agra: Started at 03:30 Hrs., but after couple of KM's from home one fuse blown of my car and I didn’t have spare for that fuse so resulted in delay. After getting things done we finally started from our home at 10:30Hrs. Driving on Agra-Lucknow expressway was awesome like always. (Best part of this road is that we don't feel any jerks while passing over any underpass or bridge which is common on other highways including Yamuna Expressway, it’s just smoooooth). Entered Lucknow around 13:20 Hrs. It took little more than 1 hour to cross Lucknow. After crossing Raunahi Toll Plaza, stopped for first refuelling at Abhay Fuel station (BP) before Faizabad and a tea/snacks break. As per our position at this time, ETA of Muzaffarpur was around Midnight. Our next day departure was around 06:00 hrs. and rest period would be max. 4 hrs., so it was decided to cancel night halt at Muzaffarpur and continue directly to Jaigaon. Our group had total 4 drivers so rest was not the issue. (This we discussed with one of my friend's friend posted in Katihar for safety and assistance confirmation.) This Lucknow –Gorakhpur stretch is also famous for mango plantations and this being the peak season, tress were fully laden with mangoes and their branches were touching the ground. On this stretch, NHAI has provided washroom facility on every toll plaza, which I look forward to be implemented on all highways.
We continued with our journey via Gorakhpur bypass (4 Lane Toll road), it looks newly built. Our next stop was after Gorakhpur, 5KM before UP- Bihar border, for dinner (1930 -2040). It was a small but clean, pure veg.  dhabha, food was good.  After an hour, we continued our journey with change of drivers in i20.
On the Lucknow –Muzaffarpur stretch , many vehicles drive on wrong side  so need to be more cautious between Lucknow-Muzaffarpur stretch.
Our next refuelling was at Ambay Filling station (BP) approx. 50 KM before Muzaffarpur. In the Lucknow - Muzaffarpur stretch, fuel stations are not available at regular intervals as elsewhere, so it’s better to refuel the vehicle with keeping 80-100KM reserve fuel. After entering in Bihar and till Muzaffarpur, there are two ROB’s under construction and temporary road are in poor condition.
We reached NH 27 T-point outside Muzaffarpur@ 23:40. From this point, NH 27 is also known as E-W expressway/corridor and here we stopped for driver-change in both vehicles and to have a quick tea (10 min.)  at our supposed to be 1st day stoppage. Now my wife was commanding our Sunny. Around 1:30 we encountered heavy rains, so I was back on driving seat and we had to take shelter on very next filling station with several other vehicles. While waiting for rains to slow down we chatted with other people there and the staff. After discussion, decided to change route from Araria and go through Bhadurganj-Thakurganj instead of Purnea-Islampur. This route is approx. 70KM shorter than the original route.
This Araria-Thakurganj-Siliguri route was shown as SH 63 on Google maps, so avoided it due to previous experiences of state highways. But after suggestion from people(during last stoppage) decided to follow the same as it saved approx. 50 min. Once the rain slowed down, we started again but with speed   under limits.
Driving on E-W expressway was a delight. Only intercity buses and fewer trucks and all driving safely, not what we encounter in our side. Even after such a heavy rain there was no water accumulation on the road. All of the towns/villages enroute are passed by flyovers so no issue of crossing traffic. Rain gave us company till Thakurganj with intermittent stops.
We started on SH63 at 04:30Hrs. SH 63 is approx. 92 km long and out of this around 25 km(in parts) is not in good condition, two bridges have collapsed and road approaching to them is closed temporarily by just putting some sand on half width of road and no warning notices. On the first collapsed bridge we almost crossed that sand as Google maps was showing straight way and due to rain we missed the temporary way constructed. Same was the condition with very next bridge. Other bridges on SH 63 are also under renovation by closing half width, but their approach have potholes so automatically reduced our speed. This total 25 km poor patch has some potholes and bad road surface, otherwise remaining 67 km is in very good condition. In whole 92 km stretch traffic was less. Reason may be the rains and the time we were driving. While driving on SH 63 we were face to face with the unspoiled beauty of rural West Bengal
SH 63 meets Rishi road at Khoribari which further meets  Ghospukur Fulbari bypass. 1Km after Fulbari Haat crossing we stopped for breakfast and the much needed rest at J.K. Family restaurant on Fulbari Ghospukur Bypass/Canal road @ 0715 Hrs.  It had well maintained and hygienic washrooms. Their tea and mix veg pakodas were really good. We stayed 30-40 min. extra to recharge our tired body. Their air-conditioned dining area and makeshift bed of chairs provided the much needed rest to the drivers, while lady gang was happy to have another round of tea and chit-chat with lady at reception and kids were playing around in the restaurant with the friendly staff (mostly female), Actually kids were enjoying at that place, like a person who got free from captivity.
After 1.5 hr. we started for LATAGURI (52 Km) as suggested by Srijan Roy Choudhary (Indian Roadie member) and we drove as per Google Maps and inputs provided by restaurant staff. We followed Ambari Canal road with few diversions on that, After Gajaldoba market canal road passes through tea gardens on either side so no traffic at all, road was also not in good condition for approx. 15 KM. Canal road meets Highway 717 (coming from NH 27) around 4 KM before Lataguri.
As Lataguri is surrounded with Gormura National park, there are many resorts for a laid back holiday. Highway 717 passes through Gormura National Park and drive is beautiful. 2 Lane road without any median, well maintained and the greenery adds charm to the drive.  We stopped at the entry gate of the national park, for some pics and to absorb the ambience. Thanks Srijan Roy Choudhary for adding Lataguri to our trip. This stop lasted for 30 min.
We resumed our drive on 717 and met the NH 17 at Chalsa. Here we refuelled  our vehicles at Chalsa Petrol pump. (300 mtr. from  junction of 717 & 17).  Now its straight road to Jaigaon but the higway number changes from 17 to 317 at Birpara. NH 317 passes through Jaldapara National park, so drive is beautiful all the way to Jaigaon. Just before  Jaldapara National Park, at Madarihat we got stuck (approx. 40 min.) in Road block, set up by locals as a kid was hit by Bolero Pickup. Luckily he was not at fault and 2 traffic police guys saved him from angry locals. Road was cleared only when  kid was declared safe in hospital and its already 1300 hrs.  By this time I was desperate to reach our hotel in Jaigaon, and sleep.
At Hasimara, a road on left cuts for jaigaon  and takes us straight to Jaigaon. Hasimara also serves as nearest railway station for Jaigaon. When we reached Jaigaon,  our phones stopped working as no network for Jio, Idea, BSNL, Vodafone. Airtel had network but not working.  Jaigaon does not look like a tourist place, very poorly maintained. In Jaigaon I felt why we need Swachta Mission.
Finally we reached our hotel (Hotel Satyam)  in Jaigaon @1400 Hrs. Hotels in Jaigaon don’t have dedicated parking so vehicles are parked on road and its chargeable 100Rs/day. Bhutan Gate was in front of our hotel.  Hotel was nice with good food.  In evening we went out for some snacks as Bengal is famous for its street food. We were hoping to get the same taste as of Kolkata but it was nowhere near to that. Same was the story with sweets.

Time log – 29.05.2018 & 30.05.2018 (Agra to Jaigaon)
10:30 – Started from Agra.
13:20 – Entered Lucknow.
16:00 – Crossed Faizabad .
18:10 – Crossed Gorakhpur.
19:30 – 20:40 – Dinner, 5 KM before UP – Bihar border
23:40 – Crossed Muzaffarpur
01:42 – 02:25 – Took shelter from heavy rains.
04:30 – Crossed Araria  and Started on SH 63
07:00 – Crossed Ghospukur on the outskirts of Siliguri.
07:15 – 08:20 – Breakfast, near Fulbari haat crossing.
10:05 – 10:30 – Lataguri / Gormura National Park.
14:00 – Jaigaon

Refuelling.
Started with topped up tank from Agra.
1st Refueling : Abhay Fuel station (BP) before Faizabad.
2nd Refueling : Ambay Filling station (BP) approx. 50 KM before Muzaffarpur.
3rd Refuelling : Chalsa Petrol pump. (300 mtr. from  junction of 717 & 17).

Distance covered : 1412KM.

31.05.2018
Day reserved for permits and Phuntesholing.
To move beyond Phunetsholing (entry point to Bhutan) we need entry permits and driving permits for our vehicles. Only private vehicles areallowed.
Entry gate for vehicles and pedestrians are separate. So we walked through the gate behind the SSB check-post. Immigration building is next to the BPCL filling station and was just a 5 minute walk. We reached immigration office at 10:30 and our permits were ready by 12:10. Next thing was to get the local sim cards as our phones were not working.  Tourist sim cards are pre activated, they come with some balance for calling but need to be recharged with net pack. Mobile internet is slow in Bhutan or may be JIO has spoiled us with 4G.
It was our first day in Bhutan so had lunch in a Bhutanese restaurant. For vegetarians there are not much options in Bhutanese cuisine. So we restricted ourselves to Indian food and for our surprise it was quite good.  After lunch dropped everybody in market and we(2 of us) reached RSTA office for vehicle permits, We got our vehicle permits before 15:00. Now the remaining day was to chill out in Phunetsholing and do some shopping. Shopping is a lot cheaper in Phunetsholing compared to Thimpu and Paro.
Note for tea lovers: The chaiwaala outside Hotel Satyam makes superb tea.
The difference between India and Bhutan is clearly visible. In Jaigaon roads were filled with garbage but it was perfectly clean. Bhutanese are very particular about cleanliness  and their culture.
Traffic rules are strict with no leniency even for pedestrians. Honking and overtaking is not allowed in city limits. Speed is limited at 50KM/Hr. Pedestrians have the first right to cross the road but road crossing is allowed only from zebra crossings. There are no traffic lights in Bhutan and traffic is managed by traffic constables. Overtake the vehicles only if cleared by the vehicle ahead. This is  indicated by the left indicator light and right indicator light is used for “Don’t Overtake”.  In Thimpu and Phunetsholing most of the road are “One Way”.
Immigration office working hours: 0900Hrs. to 1500Hrs.  Lunch time: 1300 Hrs. to 1400Hrs. Immigration office is closed on weekends and govt. holidays.                                                       Document required for entry permits:
Passport / Voter I card + Hotel booking confirmation for Bhutan stay +Itinerary.
If carrying any other ID, then no worry, just go to Indian embassy, give any two ID and address proof (e.g. Aadhar and College ID) and get the ID certificate issued for the purpose of entry permit. Indian embassy charge Rs.135/- fees for this certificate and it takes only 5 minutes. We did same as one of our group member was not having Passport or Voter ID.
Entry Permit is issued free of cost. Fill the form, attach itinerary, Xerox of ID/address proof and give them to the official at the desk for checking. Photographs and fingerprints will be captured at the counters located at 1st floor and in 15 minutes entry permits are issued. Permits are valid only for Paro and Thimphu and for 7 days max., if want to travel further and extend the permit, then it can be done at Immigration office in Thimpu, which is approx. 1.5KM from clock tower  on the same road. After extension of entry permit, vehicle permit also need to be extended and is done at RSTA base office located at ground floor of Thimpu bus station.
Vehicle permit is issued by RSTA base office located at 1st floor of Phunetsholing bus station. Form is available at the Xerox shop on the same floor. Attach Xerox of Vehicle RC, Insurance, Pollution certificate, Driving Licence and the entry permits issued by immigration office. Base office closes at 1500 Hrs. (Bhutan Time), and whole procedure takes approx. 30-45 minutes, so reach there by 1400Hrs. For vehicle permit fees is Rs.100/day.
Indian Currency above Rs.100 denomination is not accepted in . offices but shops usually accept upto Rs.500/- denomination and sometime Rs.2000/- too.
To avoid any issues we changed our larger denomination at the hotel and kept fewer higher denomination.

01.07.18 : Phunetsholing to Thimpu
Phunetsholing –Thimpu is 165 Kms.and takes approx. 6 Hrs. so it’s better to leave early and reach Thimpu by 17:30 as sun sets earlier here.
As mobile network is always an issue in hills, I use SYGIC offline maps and it worked perfectly in Bhutan also. Our first stop was just 10 minutes from Phunetsholing at a store. This place gives marvellous view of  Torsa river and Jaigaon.  There are 2 immigration checkpost between Phunetsholing and Thimpu where we need to register our entry permits and vehicle permits. First checkpost is about 5-6 km after Phunetsholing.
In Phuntesholing – Thimpu  section, approx. 40-45 kms is single lane, where 2 vehicles cannot cross each other while remaining on road and sometime we have to stop before at suitable place to pass an upcoming vehicle. Rest all part is well maintained and 2 lane higway without median. At present an alternate route for the single lane portion is under construction, and expected to complete by Dec.’18.
We checked out of our hotel (@ Jaigaon) at 10:30 and started for Thimpu. Immediately after entering in Phunetsholing, we refulled/topped up our vehicles at B.P. filling station next to immigration office. Fuel is cheaper in Bhutan by around Rs.15/litre. Petrol and diesel are priced at almost same rate. Our main stop was at DANTAK canteen (run by Indian Army) for lunch. We reached Thimpu around 19:00. Its more quieter than Phunetsholing. Every circle on road is adorned with beautiful statues.  A big gate welcomes you to Thimpu. Big pictures of the King, Queen and their son can be seen at several places in Thimpu. Nearly all establishments have their pictures in their premises. Although Bhutan is now a democracy but people still love the royal family and always shows their gratitude towards them.
We have booked our stay in Thimpu for whole trip as all places are within 2-2.5 hr. drive from Thimpu. We booked JIGME SUITES through Expedia. It’s basically an apartment type hotel and located in TASHU LAM. Hotel is managed by all female staff.
We kept 3 days for Thimpu excrusions. (02.06.18/04.06.18/06.06.18)

02.06.18 – Thimpu – 1st day
Buddha Doderma: Huge Buddha statue (golden colour) sits on top of a hill in Mediatation pose. Below the statue there is a temple. As found in all Buddha temples, here also it’s a soothing feeling inside.
Clock Tower Square: It’s in the main market area, surrounded by hotels, coffee houses. Locals come here to enjoy their evenings. While we were here some festival was going on so every day there were live music and cultural shows. Sitting arrangement is just like open theatre.
Weekend Market: Little ahead (north side) of the football stadium is the location of weekend market (Friday – Sunday). Beside other things (dried meat, incence etc.) it is the ideal place to buy clothes and handicrafts. Bargaining is quite welcome here unlike other markets in Thimpu.  But for people (especially vegetarians) who have problem with smell of fish and meat, better to avoid this. Only four from our group of 10 went to this market.

03.06.18 – Thimpu – Paro – Chele La - Paro – Thimpu.
Left Thimpu at 09:30 for Paro. Roads here are good and can touch easily at 70Km/Hr., but being in hills it’s better to remain below limit of 50km/hr. The road to Paro goes along Paro – Chhu river.
Paro Airport is approx. 6 KM before Paro. Airport building is built beautifully. It’s the only point of entry in Bhutan by Air. Paro is a small but beautiful town, 2 parallel roads running along the length of city.
The main attractions in Paro are: Paro Dzong, National Museum, Tiger Nest Monastery, Bondey Lhakang and Chele la pass.
Paro dzong: Its known as Bhutan’s most impressive Dzong. Perfect example of Bhutanese architecture. Its built on the foundation of monastery built by Guru Rinpoche. This Dzong is just 2KM before Paro.
National Museum : Its located at the top of hill above Paro dzong. Its at walkable distance from Paro Dzong so no need to take a drive of approx. 30 min. It was initially housed in a clock tower on top of the hill but due to damage suffered to the clock tower, another small building was constructed on side of clock tower to house the national museum. It has an impressive collection of thangkas, dance form and details of wildlife.
Chele la pass : It’s the highest point on Paro – Haa road, at the height of 3988mts. (approx. 10 mtr. higher than Rohtang Pass near Manali). Chele la is approx. 38 KM from Paro and 34 Km from Bondey. Chele la is famous for the magnificient view of Paro and Haa valley. Here, it was quite cold and windy. Our saviour in that cold were 2 food vans serving hot masala tea and noodles.
We skipped Tiger nest monastery and Bondey Lakhang because of rain.
By the time we returned to Paro from Chele la, it was already 19:30hrs.We had Dinner at Hotel Seasons, All diner here were Indians. Food was pure veg. and tasty. This hotel is near BP fuel station on the south end of Paro city. We reached our hotel in Thimpu at 22:40hrs.

04.06.18 – Thimpu – 2nd Day
Memorial Chorten: It was built as a memorial to the 3rd King and is the most frequented religious place in Thimpu by locals as part of their daily worship. Locals be it elderly, middle aged or young, all were busy with their prayers, whirling the prayer wheels,  kids going to schools were also paying homage. None of them were bothered with the presence of tourists clicking photographs, or the kids running around. 
Postal Museum: After spending approx. 2 hour in Memorial Chorten, our next stop was at Postal museum located at the ground floor of Thimpu Post office.  It has Bhutan’s eclectic philatelic collection. History of Bhutan post and developments. Here we got clicked our photo stamps, the real ones and used them on a postcard to India.
Entry Permit Extension: Our next day plan was for Dochula pass and Punakha. So we needed extension of our entry and vehicle permits. Entry permit extension was done at Thimpu immigration office located on the clock tower square road, approx. 1 KM from the clock tower. For extension Xerox of all entry permits are to be submitted along with the extension application form. We got our extension entry permit  in 2 hrs. and then we proceded to Thimpu RSTA base office located at the ground floor of Thimpu bus station. For extension of vehicle permits we submitted Xerox of extension entry permit and vehicle permits. Extension is granted in 2 minutes by putting a stamp and putting a remark on Original vehicle permit. So job done and we were ready for Punakha. Parking for vehicles is in front of Main RSTA office located at top of  Bus station. While coming from Immigration office, take the bridge  and right turn after it.
Just above RSTA base office, there is a canteen. It serves delicious noodles, momos, thupka and tea.

05.06.18 – Thimpu – Dochula pass – Punakha – Dochula Pass – Thimpu
Dochula Pass:  It’s the highest point on Thimpu – Punakha road, at the height of 3150mtrs. Here 108 chortens were built to honour the soldiers who attained martyrdom in war (2003) against assamese insurgents/rebels who had set up camps in Bhutan and were fighting with forces in Assam.  Opposite to chortens, there is a temple known as Druk Wangyel Lhakhng built to celebrate 100 years of monarchy.
Royal Botanical Parl: It  is about 10 KM from Dochula pass. It’s a mini version of Botanical garden in Howrah, but still it is worth visiting.
Punakha Dzong : It was the second Dzong built in Bhutan.  This dzong is located at the junction of river Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu. It’s said that Punakha Dzong is most beautiful dzong in Bhutan. It was the capital and seat of power before Thimpu was given the honour of the Bhutan’s capital. It houses the massive gold statues of Lord Buddha and Guru Rinpoche. Guru Rinpoche was an Indian Buddhist master who came to Bhutan from Tibet. He is also worshipped as second Buddha.

06.06.18 – Thimpu – 3rd Day
Textile Museum: It was set up to introduce the Bhutan’s national art of weaving to the tourists and young Bhutanese. It showcases the types of textiles, style of local dresses, weaving techniques. It features the weaving patters associated with all regions of Bhutan.  On the ground floor, opp. to reception , there is a souvenir shop where textile products and other souvenir are on sale.
National Library: It’s approx. 1.5 KM (north side) from textile museum. World’s largest published book (Guinness world record, 2003) is kept here.  It has 114 pages. It opens to 5x7 feet.  This book was designed by Michael Hawley of MIT, Boston, USA. Every month one page of this book is turned. Library is a fine example of Bhutan’s traditional architecture. This library was established to preserve traditional books and historical manuscripts. Most of the books are written on long strips of handmade paper stacked between pieces of wood and wrapped in silken cloth. There is a photo of our first P.M. Jawahar Lal Nehru and young Indira Gandhi with Bhutan royal family, taken on their first visit to Bhutan.
Trashi  Chhoe Dzong view point: The view point is at the trisection, couple of KM’s ahead of National Library. From here the  view of the Dzong with river wang and farm fields in backdrop is magnificient.
Trashi  Chhoe Dzong : This Dzong is on the northern side of Thimpu. It’s a massive building. The coronation of present king took place here. It houses secretariat, Kings office and ministries of home affairs and finance. Other miniestries are in small separate complexes (better to call set of rooms) on both sides of the Dzong parking Area.. On weekdays visiting hours are 1700 – 1800 hrs. and on weekends 0800 – 1800 hrs.
Changlimithang Stadium  & Archery Ground: Regular football matches are there in the stadium between local teams. On the south of Football stadium, there is archery ground, where archers are practising every day. When we reached there, a competition between teams of Paro, Thimpu and Punakha was in progress. Archers were aiming at a target 150mtr. away. I was not able to see the target even, but they were hitting the target with quite ease. It was amazing.
As we were leaving next morning so we topped our fuel tanks.

07.06.18 – Thimpu –Jaigaon – Siliguri
So it’s time to say bye to Thimpu. Checked out our hotel at 08:30 and started for Phunetsholing. Again stopped at Dantak Canteen for a quick Tea. Reached Phuntesholing  at 14:00. Stopped here for lunch, refuelling and some souvenir shopping. At 16:15 left Phunetsholing with beautiful memories of Bhutan – The Happy Nation. Approx. 10 – 12Km after Jaigaon, our mobiles started working. We reached Siliguri at 21:30 hrs. Hotel was booked through OYO rooms.  It was OK for a night stay.  Luckily linen was clean. In house restaurant served hot and good dinner. Next day plan was to leave early around 04:00 so refuelled our vehicles.
Distance Covered : 338KM

08.06.18 – Siliguri – Agra
We started from Siliguri at 04:30hrs. Route decided for return was exactly same that we followed while coming. As its early morning, so there was hardly any traffic on SH63. At Araria, joined NH 27. First stop was approx. 25 KM before Muzaffarpur T point, for refuelling.
At  10:30, we stopped for brunch at Vishwakarma Family restaurant, 40 km after Muzaffarpur. I recommend this restaurant for vegetarian food. It’s really good. Started from here at 12:10 hrs. Till Gorakhpur traffic was not much. But immediately after Gorakhpur it increased suddenly. Next refuelling was just  before Lucknow at Chinhat. We entered Lucknow at 18:05 Hrs. As it was peak rush hour so it took almost 1.5 hour to cross lucknow. We reached Agra –Lucknow expressway at 19:30 Hrs. Had a quick tea break at the starting of expressway. We reached  our home at 22:30hrs, little before our estimated time.

Time log :
04:30 – Started from Siliguri.
06:30 – Crossed Araria.
10:00 – Crossed Muzaffarpur.
10:30-12:10 – Break for brunch.
03:10 – Crossed Gorakhpur.
18:05 – Entered Lucknow.
19:30 – Exited Lucknow.
22:30 – Reached Agra.

Distance Covered :  1251 KM

Refuelling ---
1st Refuelling –  Indian oil Petrol pump, 25Km before Muzaffarpur T point.
2nd Refuelling –  HP petrol pump Chinhat, before lucknow.

Trip figures :
Toll Tax : 6600/- for both vehicles.
Fuel cost : 20,055/- (Petrol) + 15,920/- (Diesel) = 35,975/-
Total Distance covered : 3687KM

While driving on Agra Lucknow expressway , need to take some precautions.
During night lot of insects strike the vehicle, had to clean the glass after stopping. Stop only at places where Police vehicles are standby or the junctions.
During Night long route buses stop on the expressway for small breaks for passengers or for some minor issues. Passengers usually come to the middle of road for selfies or just for a walk. Several accidents have occurred in last 2 months due to this. So need to be extra cautious. 
Before getting on Lucknow expressway, fuel tank must be topped up as no filling station on it (still under construction) and it’s hard to avoid temptation to go at 130-140 km/hr. 

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#BhutanConquered 
#RoadtripToBhutan 
#Bhutan

Sunday 2 December 2018

Agra - list of must do, see, visit, eat

When in Agra, the places for a must visit are:

Taj Mahal,
Agra Fort,
Fatehpur Sikri,
Dayal Bagh,
Mehtab Bagh during sunset,
Sadar Bazaar,
Sikandra Tomb,
Mariam Tomb,
Keetham Lake,
Taj Shilpagram Area.

Sweet shop 'Panchhi' near the Taj Mahal gates is famous for pethas.


If time permits, also visit:
Mathura,
Vrindavan,
Gwalior Fort.

Photoblog of a road trip to Gobindgarh Fort, Amritsar

Photoblog of a road trip to Gobindgarh Fort, Amritsar, India in end November 2018.
Photo credit: Shaba Binte Anni.