[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Varanasi stopover planned on the way to Kolkata, or on the way back?

Your return journey might coincide with my schedule. We'll discuss this subsequently.

Here's what my replanning looks like
1) ETD: New Delhi 4 AM - June 6. Reach Varanasi
2) June 7. Whole day in Varanasi. Planning to do a morning walk, and evening boat ride with one of the touring companies.
See link here:
http://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction...r_Pradesh.html

Night will be dedicated to the 10 PM aarti at Vishwanath temple. Amazing vibes!

3) June 8. Straight run - Varanasi to Chinsurah.

4) June 22 - ETD Chinsurah - around 6 AM. Destination Bodh Gaya.

5) June 23 - Spend day in Bodh Gaya

6) June 24 - ETD Bodh Gaya - around 7 AM. Destination Kanpur

7) June 25 - ETD Kanpur - around 7 AM . Arrive New Delhi by evening.

Kind of a relaxed pace on the return as you can see from above.

[Baddychat]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

Incidentally , my own Kolkata trip is going to be 10 June. Return to Delhi by 23 June. Not sure what your schedules are looking like at the moment. But is there any possibility that we would be doing this on the same days?
I am planning to stop over at Varanasi for an extra night. Need to really experience the city.

Joy da,
By the looks of it, the June of trip of mine has to e cut short. Hence I would e flying. The October trip is still on. Will keep you posted,
Btw great pictures on your new TL.

Baidurya

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by Baddychat

Joy da,
By the looks of it, the June of trip of mine has to e cut short. Hence I would e flying. The October trip is still on. Will keep you posted,
Btw great pictures on your new TL.

Baidurya

Baidurya... no worries. I will likely be doing this in a convoy of 1 at least on the onward journey. SST did remark there may be some overlap with his return, but given my current plans to stop at Bodh Gaya and Kanpur, probably that won't align with his proverbial cannonball run

[pgupta]

I dream of driving to Kolkata from bangalore one day. Hence it is inspiring to see such long journeys being done by fellow members. Thank you for sharing.

[Inquisitive]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

2) June 7. Whole day in Varanasi. Planning to do a morning walk, and evening boat ride with one of the touring companies.

How about a roadshow?!! That seems to be the craze at Varanasi right now as I write.

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by Inquisitive

How about a roadshow?!! That seems to be the craze at Varanasi right now as I write.

Well definitely a long walk for sure. I am planning to take one of the walking/boating tours that the city has to offer.

[joybhowmik]

And so, preparations are finally on.
Lists of medicines and food/drink to pack - is the first sign of a long drive to come.

D-Day is Saturday , June 7, 4 AM sharp.

Unlike the last time, this time - it will be just the four of us - me , wifey and the kids. Dad was exhorted, nay pleaded with - to take the Indigo flight 7 days later.

Last minute exchanges with a certain D-BHPian - SST who did this stretch last and has the ubiquitous qualification of having done this trip 32 times - with the 33rd coming up. Conditions of roads having been established, and expectations set, preparations continue in right earnest.



The trip related preparations include :
1. 2 toolsets imported from Kuwait - with chillar to spend on my last business trip could not resist the opportunity to pick up these beauties. Though these are meant for a trip that's a far sight more grand in any way one compares them. But unfortunately, the times are not on my side, and that one trip of a lifetime is at least a year away.... a sad consolation (this trip)... but two tools are a good way to celebrate!
A stubby tool set

A glorified swiss-army knife


2. Window shades. the Rs 25/- kind at the traffic lights. And half a dozen of them!!!

3. Nitrogen in all four tyres at the princely sum of Rs 200/-

4. Possible acquisition of cervical support. Still in the market for the ultimate 'neck' luxury. One quoted Rs 300/- and another quoted Rs 450 for a set of two neck pillows ('bone' pillows). Both kinds were meant for the trash bucket. Need some genuine products - that work!



5. About average lumbar support from Amron....Just bought one off my gharwala chemist.

6. Planned - interior cleaning/detailing. But rates from a certain Kajal drycleaners have doubled in the last 7-8 months. At a quote of Rs 1000/- , I decided to get it done when the interiors are besotted with a tad bit more grime - next month!

7. AC service in anticipation of the hot weather. Carried out at Toyota A.S.S.

8. Hotel booking with Rivatas, Varanasi - based on trip advisor rankings. Taj took a solitary back seat despite wifey's predilections to go with the Brand!

And so, preps for this journey are well under way. Despite being a 'consolation' trip , looking forward to the Indian hinterland once again!

[joybhowmik]

At the outset, this trip was different from the earlier one in December, 2013. That was a journey to discover the possibilities. This was to be a journey to savour experiences - visual, auditory, gastronomic, emotional - experiences all.

The night before, had been like any other "night-before-trip-night". The routine visit to the pharmacy, bakery, grocery, petrol pump, atm, and myriad other smaller but significant things.

At 9:40 PM the temperature was a not-so-pleasant 41 degrees in the shade.

The GPS was for a two segment drive-
Segment 1: Delhi to Sengar's restaurant for lunch(near Kanpur) a run of 423 km.
Segment 2: From Sengar's to Hotel Rivatas, Varanasi (another 371 km) was for after lunch.

Unfortunately, the night seemed never to end. Not so much because of the anticipation before a long drive. But because, Delhi seemed to be suddenly afflicted by a spate of electricity outages (load-sheddings). All hopes for a restful night were rudely dashed.

It was with a little tiredness that our trip started at 4 AM on 7th June.
Street lights on Greater Noida Expressway kept us company. The roads were delightfully empty, the Innova's AC was on full blast. The travails of the sleeplessness of the night before were quickly forgotten.

Newly constructed flats whizzed by.

And then in a short while we were on the Yamuna Expressway just as dawn was breaking.

The endless classic tarmac of the YEW is a joy to drive on. This time was no different. It was time for a long-awaited Italian tune-up.


We stopped at Mathura toll-plaza (95 km) for a brief bio-break.

Something new in the otherwise busy cockpit area of Innova- arrangements for QR Droid - the poor man's dashcam on a phone.


Soon after, we approached Agra Toll Plaza (km 150) ,

and despite having kept within the limit and also taken a rest stop right after Mathura plaza, the speed violation citation appears.



It was just after 7 AM , the YEW was coming to an end. Signs of the Taj.

But still a long way to go.

And then the expressway ended

[joybhowmik]

Culture shock.
That's the first thought that grips you , as you get on NH2 after YEW.
And the reasons have been discussed to death and back.
Nevertheless, this early in the morning a couple of pictures to describe the absolute pointlessness of teaching some people road-sense.
Notice the swift without a number plate - and the bikers - coming on the wrong side without helmets

Also notice the minor skirmish to establish right of way at one of the myriad crossings in the Firozabad-Shikhohabad stretch.


The road brings up it's humour as well. This biker has a topaz blade hanging from his erm... back side? Quite good protection - roger that!


A welcome breakfast break and topping up the diesel at Gunjan's Resort (27.065811, 78.698656) , just after the Firozabad - Shikhohabad stretch.



And we knew what to expect what followed: six-laning work that would keep us company all the way to Sengar's.


Well below par expectations had been set by a certain predecessor who drove this stretch a few days before. But, we were happy to report a decent clip and in about two and half hours of reasonably careful driving, we reached Sengar's.... a tad early for lunch ! 11 AM to be precise.

So what if it was too early for lunch. We brunched on yummy chinese!



On the way....
Youngsters with a green shawl, make use of the slow traffic to beg for alms.


Politicians now appear on directions! Well some of the enterprising ones at least?

[JoseVijay]

I was just waiting for this!

Can you please share the performance of the dash cam in your car? If you have recored your drive, can you please process few short videos and post it here.

I am willing to go through the entire video as well

[joybhowmik]

By 12 PM we were back on the road. The heat wave was on. But not a speck of sweat on our brows... the AC was a chiller.

Green bananas on the Kanpur bye-pass. For all the people going mad in the heat.

Two youngsters, sharing a head-scarf for protection against the harsh sun.

Cops and robbers finally meet up on the Kanpur bye-pass.

The road between Kanpur bye-pass and Allahabad bye-pass was sparsely used. There was a heat wave going on. Varanasi is about 250 km away...somewhere around 1:45 pm.

Then the Allahabad bye-pass comes up at 2:45 PM. Well in time...

We zoom through Allahabad byepass - signs for Lucknow, and suburbs of Allahabad flash by.

Finally we are past Handia, and well on the way to Varanasi. An interesting sight - this Scorpio using a lungi as a sun film.


We reached the hotel around 5:45 PM and settled in.

Coming up later : our experiences at Varanasi.... truly an incredible city in Incredible India.

For now - here's the road from Delhi to Varanasi on the poor man's dashcam...

http://youtu.be/PMeQiHaTqQ0

[BUXX]

Just a coincidence that the MID on the Innova reads "Senger" in that 50C pic?
Or does the dash track location??

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by BUXX

Or does the dash track location??

quite a coincidence !. The "senger" that you spotted on the MID is actually the last syllable for the word "passenger". Its printed there to denote the passenger seat belt warning.

[joybhowmik]

And having spent an eventful 24 hours at Benaras - (see photologue here) we moved on towards Chinsurah, WB after a hearty breakfast at the hotel.

Leaving Benaras behind as we cross the Ganga around 8:30 AM.


Ghats far away below the bridge



The journey was marred by the GPS giving directions on GT road via Mughalsarai.
I had forgotten about where the NH-7 connects GT-Road to NH2/AH-1. If only, I had carried a paper map or stopped for directions , it would have been a little easier. Notwithstanding - notice the right turn towards Mirzapur - that I missed.


And that's how I spent inconsolable moments behind slow moving trucks, all the way to a truck lay-bye - where I was stuck for interminable minutes, as some trucker in the opposing lane was trying to make a sharp right, holding up everyone behind and in my lane.


Soon after, this obstruction, we came upon the famous Mughalsarai Junction station, a milestone that marks the halfway point on the equivalent rail journey.


And then came Mughalsarai town, where everything crawls at a snail's pace...

and where rickshaws have established right of way.


We were finally at a narrow bridge that leads out of town around 9:15 AM

And that's where the jostling and shoving ended, and we reveled in the sudden breathing space as we merged onto NH-2.

We crossed into Bihar with scarcely any hiccup. At around 11:15 AM, we came upon a huge line of trucks at the beginning of the Aurangabad bypass

We were stuck behind what seemed like hundreds of trucks!

There was nothing to be done but divert through Aurangabad town!

Very soon , we came upon even more annoying chaotic traffic but at least we were moving!

After we crossed town, and merged onto NH2 again, we spotted a long line of trucks on the opposite side - at complete stand-still.

An enterprising trucker, tries to avoid being stuck endlessly.


Thereafter, it was a quick run to the Jharkhand border at Dobhi (reached 12:15 PM), but on the bridge over the Falgu river , we slammed on the brakes, as the tarmac unexpectedly deteriorated from potholes

to a lunar landscape.

Thereafter, Jharkhand was a breeze to drive through. Miles of runway - where even a small plane will have no trouble landing or taking off!


Still interesting sights to see. Life goes on in mainstream India...
A little too much to carry.


At around 2:10 PM we reached Topachanchi - famous for its arms-bazaar.


and shortly after that, we stopped at the Sher-e-Punjab dhaba for a quick bite to eat....we were so famished - we decided to ignore the rather unhygienic conditions and dug in.


Satiated with our meal, we made light work of the rest of the drive.
Abandoned toll-booth just before Asansol in West Bengal


Hard to miss Durgapur Steel Plant


We reached our destination at 7:00 PM , well within our expected time of arrival.

[joybhowmik]

So after our return back to Delhi in June, 2014; a little bird whispered about yet another trip that is being planned. Ostensible reason is because we missed getting Rajdhani tickets on irctc.co.in the day after school closes for the winter break.

It looks a bit predictable now - being the third time this will be tried in 12 months.

Anyways, watch this space for updates!