Garuda Food Courts, near Eluru, AP - Indian Roadie Preferred Cafe

While driving from Vijayawada to Rajahmundry (Vijayawada_Rajahmundry) on NH16, a short distance north of Eluru, West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, there's Garuda Food Courts on the left hand side. Great food and neat washrooms especially if one is accompanied by kids/ women. However, food is somewhat expensive.

Business timings: 6.30 am to 11.45 pm on all 7 days of the week.
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* Garuda Food Courts 
* IndianRoadiePreferredCafe

Pondicherry to Hyderabad - Indian Roadie Preferred Route and Cafe

Indian Roadie Preferred Route for Pondicherry to Hyderabad:
Pondicherry - Mahabalipuram - Chennai - Naidupeta - Nellore - Ongole - NAM Expressway - Ramoji Film City - Hyderabad.

It took a shade lesser than 14 hrs in a KIA Seltos with a 3 yrs old child, wife, elderly parents. Our roadie friend took a total of 2 hrs break for lunch, refueling, biological breaks.

Lunch break was at N5 Food Plaza, NH16, above Tungatur toll plaza.
This only one of it's kind in India restaurant on top of a NHAI toll plaza is open from 7am to 10pm everyday. Plans are there to keep it open for 24 hours.

Rasogollas of Pahal (near Cuttack) by Argha Mukherjee in October 2019

পাহালা/ Pahala - পৃথিবীর সর্ববৃহৎ রসগোল্লা মান্ডি. National Highwayর দুধারে বিস্তৃত এই জগদ্বিখ্যাত রসগোল্লা বাজারে প্রায় 100 দোকান আছে, যার ওপর নির্ভর করে থাকেন প্রায় 400 জন মানুষ.
এবং শুধু রসোগোল্লাই নয় এখানে আরো পাওয়া যায় ছেনাগজা আর ছেনাপোড়া যা প্রতিটিই স্বকীয়তায় অনন্য.
পাহালায় রসগোল্লা দু রকমের হয়ে থাকে, চিনির ও গুড়ের এবং এই দু ধরণের রসগোল্লাও দুই সাইজে পাওয়া যায়. বড়ো সাইজের রসগোল্লাগুলির দাম 12 টাকা আর অপেক্ষাকৃত ছোট সাইজের গুলির দাম 5 টাকা করে.
কলকাতা তথা বঙ্গের রসগোল্লার সঙ্গে কলিঙ্গ (ওড়িয়া) ধারার রসগোল্লাগুলি স্বাদ ও বর্ণে কিছুটা ভিন্ন. কলকাতায় যেমন সাদা স্পঞ্জ রসগোল্লার প্রাধান্য, উড়িয়া মোদকেরা রসোগোল্লায় হালকা ছোট এলাচ ব্যবহার করেন. আর সিরা বা চিনির রসটাও তুলনামূলকভাবে হালকা মনে হলো.
প্রতিটি জায়গায়, বিভিন্ন আঞ্চলিক মিষ্টির ক্ষেত্রে যেমন কোনোও না কোনোও এক "আদি ও অকৃত্রিম" দোকান থাকে, প্রচারের আলো থাক বা না থাক স্বাদে, গুণে যা অন্যদের অনায়াসে টেক্কা দিতে পারে. পাহালায় সেই অর্থে "আদি অকৃত্রিমের" দাবিদার সব দোকানই. ( অন্তত আমার তথ্য অনুযায়ী ...... আমি স্থানীয় একজনের সাথে গিয়েছিলাম, এবং স্বভাবতই তাঁর ওপর নির্ভর করতে হয়. আমি এ দাবী করবোনা আমি যে দোকানে গিয়েছিলাম সেটিই সেরা, বরং আমি নির্ভর করবো ভোজনরসিক পাঠকের অভিজ্ঞতার ওপর. ) আমি গিয়েছিলাম "শুন্য মন্দির সুইট শপে" ( নামটা কেমন haunting না? ) দোকানদারের সঙ্গে যা কথাবার্তা হলো, পাহলার রসগোল্লা মান্ডিতে প্রায় 100টি দোকান আছে. সম্প্রতি ওড়িশা সরকারের তরফ থেকে Higway সম্প্রসারণের কাজ চলতে থাকায় দোকানগুলি বিভিন্ন ক্লাস্টারে ছড়িয়ে পড়েছে. প্যাকেজিং থেকে বিপণন দোকানগুলিতে প্রচুর উন্নতির সুযোগ আছে, মানুষগুলি আশা করেন ভবিষৎতে সরকারের তরফ থেকে হয়তো তাঁদের আরো সুযোগ সুবিধা মিলবে, এমনকি হয়তো দূর ভবিষৎতে পাহালকে কেন্দ্র করে কোনো মিষ্টি হাবও গড়ে উঠতে পারে.
যাইহোক, পাহালায় না থাকলেও ওড়িয়া ধারার রসগোল্লার প্রাণপুরুষ বিকালান্দা করের বিখ্যাত মিষ্টির দোকান আজ সালেপুরের সীমানা ছাড়িয়ে ভুবনেশ্বর সহ ওড়িশার বিভিন্ন জায়গায় ছড়িয়ে পড়েছে.
আমি ভুবনেশ্বরের গৌতম নগর থেকে প্রায় পৌনে বারোটা নাগাদ পাহালের উদ্দেশ্যে রওয়ানা দিয়েছিলাম. কটক রোড হয়ে পাহাল পৌঁছাতে সময়
লাগলো প্রায় 30 মিনিট.
ভুবনেশ্বর ও কটকের প্রায় মাঝামাঝি ( ভুবনেশ্বর থেকে দূরত্ব 11.3 কিলোমিটার ) পাহালা খাদ্যরসিক তথা মিষ্টিপ্রেমীদের কাছে যেন এক কল্পরাজ্যের হাতছানি.
ছোটবেলায় পড়া অমর শিশুসাহিত্যিক গ্রীম ভাইদের লেখা "হানসেল ও গ্রেটেলের" গল্পের মতো আমারও, পাহালা রসগোল্লা মান্ডিতে এসে মনে হচ্ছিলো আমিও যেন হঠাৎ করে সেই ছোট্ট দুই ভাই বোনের মতো হাজির হয়েছি রূপকথার সেই কেক, কুকিজ, ক্যান্ডি ও চকলেট দিয়ে তৈরী বাড়িটির সামনে. কিন্তু, গল্পের সেই দুষ্টু ডাইনি বুড়ির মতো আমার রোগ, Diabetes আমাকে সমানে শাসিয়ে যাচ্ছিলো.

Photo and text courtesy: Argha Mukherjee in October 2019

Road trip to Dagara Sea Beach, 12 kms from Baliapal, Balasore district, Odisha



Indian Roadie Preferred Route from:
Kolkata to Dagara Sea Beach or
Balasore (Remind, NH16) to Dagara Sea Beach.

Irrespective of whether one is driving south from Kolkata or North from Balasore, NH16 is in great shape generally. 

The routes are as follows: 
Kolkata (Vidya Sagar Setu toll plaza) - Kona Expressway (NH117) - Dhulagarh toll plaza - Uluberia - Kolaghat - Debra toll plaza - Kharagpur roundabout - Dantan - Sonakania - exit NH16/ NH14 a little later by turning left - drive on double lane state highway - cross Subarnarekha River bridge - Baliapal - Dagara Sea Beach. 
(Approximately 230 kms max) 

Or 

Kolkata (Vidya Sagar Setu toll plaza) - Kona Expressway (NH117) - Dhulagarh toll plaza - Uluberia - Kolaghat - Debra toll plaza - Kharagpur roundabout - Dantan - Sonakania - Jaleshwar - exit NH16/ NH14 by turning left - drive on double lane state highway - Nimpur - cross Subarnarekha River bridge - Baliapal - Dagara Sea Beach. 
(Approximately 230 kms max) 

Or 

Balasore (Remuna) - Jaleshwar - exit NH16/ NH14 by turning right - drive on double lane state highway - Nimpur - cross Subarnarekha River bridge - Baliapal - Dagara Sea Beach. 
(Approximately 65 kms) 

The double lane state highway from NH16 to block headquarters in Baliapal is reasonably good. From Baliapal upto Dagara beach (12 kms)  is single lane PMGSY road. Heavy vehicles including buses regularly ply on that PMGSY road. Nearest market at Kalipada is 4 kms away from beach. Every grocery items and even Foreign Liquor is available. On the beach, there are several shanties where you can get basic items. 

Dagara Sea Beach is yet to develop as a full fledged tourist destination point. 

Baliapal has a PWD Inspection Bungalow with 2 bedrooms only. Spot bookings are available for only 1 room. The other room is always kept booked for government officials. 

The only other staying option nearby is OTDC Panthasala in Chandaneshwar, about 19 kms north of Dagara Sea Beach. The check out time is 12 noon. It has AC Suites, AC Double-bed Rooms, Non AC Double-bed Rooms. Roadies should check out the OTDC website for tariffs, availability, bookings. 

Bangalore - Tirupati - Vizag - Vijaywada - Chilkur - Kurnool road trip in December 2018

It was December 2018.
A roadie, his 8 year old kid and a close friend drove about 2400 kms in 3 days in his Renault Duster.

Day1: Bengaluru - Vizag.

Route: Bangalore - Kolar - Tirupati - Nellore - Vijayawada - Vizag.

Road status: Bangalore - Palamaner was excellent, Palamaner - Tirupati was under construction, Tirupati - Naidupeta was ok, Naidupeta - Vizag was good road with some bumpy patches but with heavy truck traffic.

Day2: Vizag - Chilkur.

Route: Vizag - Vijayawada - Hyderabad - Chilkur.

Road status: Vizag - Vijayawada heavy traffic, Vijayawada - Hyderabad smooth road with minimal traffic.

Day3: Chilkur - Kurnool - Bangalore.

Route: Chilkur - Bangalore.

Roads: Smooth road with minimal traffic.

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.

Itinerary of a proposed proposed road trip to Daringbari, Jagdalpur, Araku and Vizag by Tata Nano in Nov - Dec 2017

Here is a tentative itinerary of approx. 2750 kms chalked out by IndianRoadie fan/ senior member, Deepak Mitra for a proposed road trip to Daringbadi, Jagdalpur, Chitrakote, Tirathgarh, DumDumaFalls, DeomaliHills, Araku, Vizag and Puri in a Tata Nano in Nov - Dec 2017.
Parts of West Bengal, Odisha, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh will be traversed during the proposed road trip.
Suggestions and comments (if any) are solicited.

01. Kolkata - Cuttack       :          426     Stay

02. Cuttack - Daringbadi :          267     Stay
     *(Via Daspalla, Surada)
2a. Daringbadi sight seeing       ....       Stay

03. Daringbadi - Jagdalpur        358     Stay
3a. Jagdalpur-Chitrakote: 39
3b. Chitrakote-Tirathgarh: 61
3c. Tirathgarh-Jagdalpur : 32   132     Stay

04. Jagdalpur-Gupteswar: 98
05. Gupteswar-Dumduma
                                     Falls: 91  189     Stay

06. Dumduma-**Deomali
                                   Hills:  111
07. Deomali-Araku          :   65   176    Stay

08. Araku-Vizag                             91    Stay
      (via Golikonda, Borra caves)
8a . Vizag sight seeing                 ....    Stay
8b.  Vizag sight seeing                 ....    Stay

09. Vizag-Gopalpur beach :        286   Stay

10. Gopalpur-Puri (2nd half):      131  Stay
      (via Satapada)
10a. Puri & surroundings             .....   Stay

11. Puri-Kolkata                            500
------------------------------------------------------------------
        TOTAL                                   2556 kms
         FOR SIGHT SEEING              200 kms
------------------------------------------------------------------
         GRAND TOTAL    2756 kms  13 days

* Why is he opting for the unconventional route?

To avoid the boring and monotonous NH16 and to explore a new road through hills and forests. And also to see new areas of our grand and majestic country (at least geographically).
And secondly, to avoid not-a-very-meagre amount of toll tax.

** Why has he included Deomali hills?

This hill occupies a very important place in the topographical characteristics of India. It is the highest point in the Eastern ghats. Moreover, Deomali hills is adjacent to the area where people of Bonda Tribe can be seen.

Train passing by Chilka Lake as viewed from NH16 (erstwhile, NH5)

Train passing by Chilka Lake as viewed from NH16 (erstwhile, NH5) over the Eastern Ghat between Barkul and Rambha on 2008-03-13 (Day - 1) during a road trip from Kolkata to Puducherry with family.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mMXKrwt3xU

Road trip to Baruva, Andhra Pradesh

Baruva is a quiet sleepy village and a beach resort located 5 kms off the NH16 (old, NH5) near Sompeta in Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The MahendraTanaya River merges into the Bay of Bengal at Baruva. It is situated 8 km away from sub-district headquarter Sompeta and about 125 km away from district headquarter Srikakulam.

Moreover, this unexplored beach village of Baruva is a comfortable 640 kms (10 - 11 hrs) drive from Kolkata (Vidyasagar Setu toll plaza).
For those driving from Vizag/ Visakhapatnam (Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium), Baruva Beach is about 225 kms (3.5 hrs) away.

Howrah-Chennai main railway line crosses through Baruva village where Baruva railway station is located. Important trains stop at Sompeta and/or Palasa stations. Local transport is available from these stations to reach Baruva.

Baruva boasts of branches and ATMs of State Bank of India and Andhra Bank. About 2 - 3 grocery stores at the village market sell almost every item of daily use. Those with a sweet tooth like me would love to gulp down a couple of bottles of chilled Heritage flavoured milk. These outlets sell Heritage Dairy icecreams, too.

Key attractions on Baruva Beach which literally captivate visitors are the serene atmosphere that takes one close to nature and a couple of famous temples that define the holiness of this region. Greeneries and a clean unpolluted golden beach mesmerizes every roadie driving/ riding to Baruva. I have also heard most Indian Roadie fans/ members saying that that this little known village and beach resort can be termed as 'Goa of the East'!

A holiday/ roadtrip to Baruva is incomplete without a walk up the cleanest Lighthouse in India in the evening. The view of greenery stretching upto the horizon on three sides and the chill sea breeze is enough to soothe nerves.
Baruva Lighthouse was commissioned on 15th May 2014 and is owned/ operated by the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India. The Lighthouse shares a common boundary wall with the Andhra Pradesh Tourism/ Aptdc owned Haritha Beach Resort.

As in July 2016, Haritha Beach Resort in Baruva (thrown open to public in May 2014) is the only place for decent and comfortable stay. There's sufficient space to park over 20 cars, a good reason for every roadie to feel relaxed. The food served at the inhouse restaurant is basic but very tasty. The chicken fried rice served by them deserves special mention. The staff at the resort are courteous, pro-active and ensures that guests feel at home.

Each of the three cottages in the Haritha Beach Resort complex are mounted on stilts with a granite layered staircase leading up to a large rectangular sitting space of approximately 20 ft x 12 ft on the first floor. There are four suites at the four corners of the sitting space. Each suite has a small living room, a large air-conditioned bedroom, a small dressing room, modern bathroom and an open-air sea-facing private balcony of about 200 sq.ft.

Cumulative Distance* from
Kolkata (Vidyasagar Setu toll plaza) -
Kharagpur = 109 kms
Balasore (Birla Tyres) = 234 kms
Bhadrak (Hotel Orion) = 300 kms
Chandikhole = 361 kms
Manguli toll plaza = 386 kms
Cuttack (Badambadi crossing) = 399 kms
Bhubaneswar Bypass for road to Puri, Konark = 409 kms
Bhubaneswar (Vani Vihar, Utkal Univ) = 420 kms
Bhubaneswar Bypass (Rameshwar Chhak) for road to Nirakarpur, Puri = 468 kms
Barkul (OTDC Panthnivas) = 519 kms
Chilka (view from ghat) = 533 kms
Rambha (OTDC Panthnivas) = 540 kms
Brahmapur & Gopalpur on Sea crossing = 582 kms
Roland Institute of Technology, Brahmapur = 600 kms
Ballupada toll plaza = 610 kms
Baruva Beach crossing = 637 kms
Haripuram = 639 kms
Palasa = 656 kms
Laxmipuram toll plaza = 665 kms
Tekali = 685 kms
Madapam toll plaza = 723 kms
Srikakulam (Eenadu) = 732 kms
Chkpalem toll plaza = 750 kms
Nathavalasa toll plaza = 789 kms
Vizag/ Visakhapatnam (Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium) = 825 kms
Vizag (Srinivas Plaza, MVP Colony crossing) = 834 kms
Vizag (Vizag Steel Plant gate) = 856 kms
Vizag (Aganampudi toll plaza) = 859 kms

* All distances are on actuals as noted during multiple drives on this route by Deep Banerjee, Indian Roadie founder.

















































































































































































Route map and distances of locations from Kolkata



Route map from Ichchapuram to Baruva



Route map from Srikakulam to Baruva





Approaching Ballupada toll plaza on NH16 (old, NH5) in Andhra Pradesh after crossing Odissa border







Baruva crossing