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Prologue

It’s Dusshera 2020, a light north wind is blowing with a chill of 6-7 °C, as we stand awestruck in Sach Pass in front of Sach Mata temple with an absolute silence prevailing all around. We are ‘socially distant’ from the nearest human being by a km or more - perhaps in the car which left for Killar few minutes back or perhaps in that odd car which is still crawling up towards the Sach Pass.


Sach Pass with Jeep Trailhawk

Planning

As India was coming out of lockdown and travel restrictions were getting eased, we and our Jeep Trailhawk were becoming increasingly restless to escape into the arms of Himalayas. Since there was uncertainty over Spiti & Ladakh we decided to go to Chamba side of Himachal and attempt Sach Pass if possible. The planned route will be Kolkata-Durgapur-Allahabad-Zirakpur-Dalhousie-Dharamshala-Agra-Lucknow-Raeberaily-Varanasi-Kolkata covering about 4500 km in total.

Preparation

In 2020 our life is getting hyphenated with COVID. So we made a charter of dos and don’ts and packed additional stuff for COVID protection. Some of the precautions we decided to strictly follow are - a) avoid crowded place b) not to avail any housekeeping service c) ensure that we sanitise all surfaces immediately after we checkin d) to use our own bed sheets, blankets etc e) use paper plates and cups and cutlery f) use Camping chairs and tables in roadside Dhabas g) use a pouch for exchanging changes during cash transactions in tolls or otherwise. Also we are carrying Ad-blue as this is a BS6 car.
We topped up diesel, did all the checks in car and made sure all necessary things for the road are there - washer fluid, critical fuses, Jerry can, adapter for fuel nozzle, Tire deflator / inflator, Swiss knife, Head lamps , Puncture repair kit , Jumper cables to name a few. Mounted Go Pro on windscreen and attached a polariser filter to cut-out any glare.

22nd October Kolkata-Durgapur

It’s Durga puja time in Kolkata. To our pleasant surprise, we came to know that all truck movements from Dankuni to Kolkata was restricted till 4 PM next day which will make travel till Durgapur easy. We started at 8:30 PM from south Kolkata . The streets of Kolkata were lit up in all its glory with colors of festivity. We crossed Vidyasagar Setu over river Ganges, lit up on both sides with various hues. After paying toll we continued our journey through Kona expressway and merged on to NH 19. Crossed Dankuni toll at 9:20 PM and reached Shaktigarh, the home of Bengali sweet ‘langcha’. Reached our hotel in Durgapur at 11:30 and called it a day.

23rd October Durgapur-Allahabad

Started at 5 AM with packed breakfast. It was showing 621 km and 13 hours to go. Truck movement has now increased as there is no restriction beyond Durgapur. Many trucks drive with no lights or lights off without any fluorescent reflectors. That’s the reason people need to keep on high beam even though it’s not desirable. As dawn started to break, we crossed Asansol and continued our drive towards Jharkand border.

At 5:40 we crossed Barakar river to enter into Jharkhand and got caught up in a severe traffic congestion at Dhanbad toll gate. After a hold up for 1 hr 15 minutes finally we crossed toll gate. The landscape started changing to lush green forest dotted with small hills on both sides as we reached Topchanchi. Topchanchi is a lovely scenic destination with lake and sanctuary. Road surface is excellent to drive on with scenic view on both sides. We stopped at Topchanchi and had breakfast. We resumed our drive, passed Parshvanath hill on right, crossed Bagodar, Hazaribagh area towards Chauparon. Road started to degrade along with diversions as we moved towards Chouparan . This is the land of Khirmohan - teeming with shops selling Khirmohan on both sides. What Shaktigarh is to Langcha, Chauparan is to Khirmohan. At Chauparan, construction work is going on for a flyover, which has shut a major section on both sides causing traffic congestion.

TopChanchi

Jharkhand

We reached Bihar-Jharkhand border check post at 10:45. Here, unlike Bengal-Jharkand border, process was smooth as all the trucks were diverted to left lanes and small vehicles are allowed to go straight through right lane. Aurangabad is 62 km from this point. On entering Bihar, we crossed Falgu river twice - before and after Barachatti. Then we crossed Morhar river and passed a junction from where the exit road goes towards Gaya and Bodhgaya on right side . We continued straight towards Aurangabad - favourite stopover for all travellers . Crossed Son river over Jawahar setu at about 12:15 PM. This bridge is known for notorious traffic jam but today we are lucky. Sasaram Toll is another 50 km away and is infamous for its long traffic jams.Much to our delight, there was no congestion at Sasaram and we crossed the toll gate at 12:45 PM. Soon after the toll we stopped at RPS Food plaza on the left side for lunch. Since it was early for lunch there was no crowd and the dhaba was very clean with proper car parking. We had quick vegetarian lunch using our own paper plates and cutleries and started at 1:30 PM. Crossed Mohania toll at 2:30 PM and started approaching UP-Bihar border. We saw signs of Hotel Kaimur Bihar which was on the other side where many travellers prefer to stay.

Jawahar Setu over river Son

On entering eastern UP we were greeted with numerous diversions due to 6-laning work. Just before Chandauli there is a detour over a makeshift bridge over Karmanasha nalla. Some months back the actual bridge collapsed leading to lot of traffic congestion in this area. At 3 PM we reached Chandauli . NH19 here is nice and wide with 6 lanes and excellent surface. We crossed Ganges at Varanasi and soon faced a huge traffic congestion at Varanasi toll for about 30 minutes. We continued making our way through traffic congestion by mostly taking service roads. After Pratappur exit, traffic becomes much easier. Its 5 PM, as we continued our drive in golden rays of setting sun. We crossed Handia and reached the bifurcation where NH 19 becomes Allahabad bypass. At this point we left NH19 and took Allahabad-Varanasi highway at 6: 30 PM. It’s completely dark by now. Allahabad-Varanasi highway does not have any divider and there was a continuous traffic from opposite side all with their high beam on. To add to the fun, we were all on a sudden stopped by an intoxicated person coming on to road. Somehow we managed to dodge the crazy guy and continue our drive. Crossed Ganges once again to enter Allahabad at 7 PM. Allahabad is a city combining history and modern lifestyle . This is the city where Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati meet and the city of Kumbh mela. Reached hotel at 7:30. The hotel kindly allowed us to park near the gate so that we can easily go out in the morning. We had a sumptuous meal and went to sleep. Tomorrow will be a long journey but we are excited that we will be crossing 3 famous expressways of India.

24th October Allahabad to Zirakpur via Kanpur

We started at 4:30 AM as we have to cover a whopping 925 km. G-maps was showing 15 hrs. We took Allahabad-Kanpur highway which is much better than Varanasi-Allahabad highway. Also it’s too early for any traffic and hence we cruised smoothly and merged on to NH 19 again at about 5:20 am. Our next major city will be Kanpur about 200 km from Allahabad. Kanpur is the largest city in UP and often referred to as India’s Manchester by old timers. Though the road condition is good there are too many diversions between Allahabad and Kanpur which will not allow you to maintain a high speed continuously except in few stretches. As we drive further, the first light of dawn begins to set in and the landscape also becomes much flat and wide with wheat , sugarcane and paddy fields on both sides.

NH 19 runs through Kanpur city as a 4-lane flyover thus bypassing city traffic completely. It’s length is about 20 km. If anyone wants to stay in Kanpur it’s always advisable not to get into the city - but stay in some place after crossing the flyover. The flyover soon takes a left turn and continues with the historic city of Kanpur on right. In Western UP roads are much better . We crossed Kanpur towards Etawah. Here NH 19 is 6-laned with excellent surface. We entered Agra Etawah toll road and after driving for sometime we reached a fork where NH 19 goes straight towards Delhi and the left exit goes towards Agra Lucknow expressway. We took left and reached ALE toll gate at 10:15 am.


Kanpur Bypass


Kanpur to Etawah

Since we will be crossing only a 65-70 km of ALE we paid 165/- instead of the full toll. We were thrilled to drive on ALE. This is arguably the best expressway in India built as per international standards with all facilities including rest areas, emergency assistance . It’s a 8 lane road . Max speed is 100 km and right lane is for overtaking only. Even fighter aircraft can land in some portions of this expressway. We set cruise control at 110 and started to enjoy the road . However there is no rest area on this part of ALE between Etawah and Agra . We heard that in ALE they note down the entry and exit time based on which they calculate average speed and then impose speeding fine . Not sure how much of this is true . We saw police vans at certain intervals. We did not want to take any risk and so maintained a speed of 110. After 70 km there is a fork where left exit goes to Agra and the straight road goes to Yamuna or Taj expressway (YEW) .


Agra Lucknow Expressway

We entered YEW at 11:10 am. Soon we took lunch and toilet stop at the first rest area . Got some veg pizza from Yamuna expressway cafe. Here the choice of food was limited and there was no non-veg either. But we did not want to wait till the next rest area. YEW is also a 8 lane highway with max speed of 100 and all facilities. YEW is older but shorter than ALE. We had to cover a distance of 165 km till Noida. Paid a cash toll of 140/- at entry and then another 275/- cash at Mathura toll. When we asked why FASTag is not operational here, we got a reply that as this is a private road and hence FASTag is not implemented. We exited YEW to Greater Noida and then onto Bulandshahar road.


Yamuna Expressway

We merged into Eastern Peripheral expressway at 2 pm . Here we need to drive for another 73 km till we merge into NH 44 , the longest highway in India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, at Sonipat. This is again a 8 lane expressway with speed limit of 120 km. We soon set our Trailhawk at 120 cruise control . It’s unimaginable that you can drive at a cruise control of 120 in any Indian road. At last we completed all 3 expressway and eventually took Panipat exit and merge on to NH 44 - another lifeline road for India.

Eastern Peripheral Expressway

There are numerous diversions on NH44 till Panipat as express way is getting constructed. Crossed Sonipat toll at 3:25 pm which was a completely mismanaged toll with cars and trucks switching their queues at will. From Panipat, NH 44 becomes 6-laned. Crossed Panipat toll and Karnal as the sun started setting and continued towards Ambala. We are still about 140 km from our hotel. Before reaching Ambala we took Chandigarh exit and merged onto Ambala Chandigarh highway. NH 44 went straight towards Ludhiana and beyond. We continued on Ambala Chandigarh highway and subsequently exited at Zirakpur to reach hotel Radisson at 7 pm. There was a Punjabi Roka ceremony going on in the hotel. We took some non veg Punjabi delicacy and called it a day. Tomorrow we will be transitioning from plains to mountains.

25th Oct Zirakpur to Dalhousie

Today we will be taking NH 44 but much ahead from where we left it yesterday while coming to Zirakpur. We started at 05:30 am. It was still pitch dark. Time to Dalhousie was showing as 7 hrs. We took NH7 towards Patiala, crossed the non functional toll gate and topped up fuel from IOCL COCO pump. Then at Rajpur took a right to merge into NH44 at about 6:05 am.

As we drive towards Pathankot, the first light of dawn started breaking in. Traffic is sparse, road surface is good and visibility is also good with just a touch of haze. As we drove, the landscape around us kept on changing to typical lush green pastures of Punjab in rhythm with random Punjabi songs beamed by car audio. Crossed Ludhiana, river Sutlej on Punjab side & Phagwara. Flyovers are built across all these big cities so that you don’t have to get bothered with city traffic . We were getting hungry - and though there are many good joints - none of them opens before 8 am . We crossed Jalandhar leaving the city on our left . As the flyover ends, there is a signpost showing Amritsar straight, Jalandhar on left and Pathankot on right . We took right towards Pathankot.

The road towards Pathankot is very scenic dotted on both sides by Eucalyptus trees. It gives a feeling of driving through a landscaped garden. Just after crossing Dasuya and driving for another 2-2.5 km more we found a Mc Donald’s on the other side. You can easily go to the other side. It has a drive thru facility along with a petrol pump. We picked up 2 whopper meal and had it in parking lot.


Road to Pathankot

Crossed Beas and entered Himachal Pradesh. Just before Chakki river, there is a big signpost which tells you Amritsar is 110 , Jammu 110 and Srinagar 409 km. Another sign shows Bhadroya on right. After crossing Chakki river, which is a tributary to Beas, NH 154 takes right and goes through Pathankot. It’s a lovely winding road and a pleasure to drive . We went through Pathankot city with Chakki on our right . Then we made a mistake. We were supposed to take a left near Mamoon cantt and take NH 154A which goes to Dalhousie via Dunera , the border town between Punjab and Himachal. But we missed the intersection and continued on NH 154 ( also known as Mandi Pathankot road) which crosses Chakki again and goes all the way towards Dharamshala via Nurpur. Realising our mistake, we reached Nurpur and then took a left to SH 28 leaving NH 154. SH 28 is a narrow road and it goes through many settlement areas . But it’s a nice road dotted with forests on both sides and traffic and crowd being sparse we didn’t mind driving through this at all.

After driving about 7 km from Nurpur, there is a bifurcation where the left one goes up to Chamba and the straight road goes to Mandi. We took the left road towards Chamba. Continuing our drive we crossed Chakki ( 3rd time ) through Himachal-Punjab bridge where it was written ‘Punjab se sasti aur thandi beer’ and entered Punjab again. We continued towards Dunera through narrow roads and settlements coupled with some nonsensical parking. Finally we merged to NH154 at Dunera, entered Himachal and topped up at a IOCL pump using fuel nozzle adapter for the first time. Soon, the mountainous landscape of Himachal slowly started to unfold before us accentuated with its hair pin bends, valleys, Eucalyptus and Devdaru Cedar trees and mountain slopes .

About 10 km from Dalhousie another winding road started dotted with coniferous forest on both sides.This is Kugti wild life division . We came across signposts indicating that it’s a bear territory - especially the one with a bear on a scooter being the funniest. We were entering cantonment area - saw a big banner ‘Dogra warrior will kill for the nation’. Crossed cant. area and entered into Dalhousie city limits at 12:20 pm. Our hotel Grand view parking was in Dalhousie club opposite to the bus stand . We reached Dalhousie club and called up the hotel . They immediately sent porters to take our luggage. We parked our car and went to hotel which was a bit of climb from here - difficult for elderly people.
After having a good lunch and some rest we set out to explore the town. Went towards Subhash Chowk. Then took the road left from Subhash Chowk towards Gandhi Chowk. Remember that here you need to keep your hotel balcony doors locked due to monkey menace.


Dalhousie Landscape

26th Oct Sach Pass

Today we will go to Sach Pass. We checked from hotel staff after checking in that Sach Pass is still open. There was mild snowfall few days back but nothing to worry. Locals advised us to be very careful as any small mistake could be fatal. Indeed, a valuable advice.

Sach pass connects Chamba with Pangi valley. It is situated at a height of 14,500 ft and the road from Bairagarh to Sach Pass is considered to be one of the most dangerous roads in India to drive on. You can go to Keylong, Spiti or Kishtwar via Sach Pass. So it’s a very important pass from logistical and strategic point of view.

The estimated time of a round trip to Sach Pass from Dalhousie is about 12-14 hours. We started at 5-20 am. There was a light chill in the air as we started our journey. Distance to Sach Pass was 145 km. We took the Chamba-Dalhousie road that went upto Chamera lake. We made a mistake by going towards Chamera tunnel. But soon we came to know from a local that it’s a longer route and we should cross Chamera dam instead. We turned around and crossed the dam at 6:30 as sun rises.

Chamera lake is the reservoir of Chamera dam on river Ravi located at 33 km from Dalhousie. We were stopped by the security at the gate. Hearing that we are from Kolkata, he was very happy as he was earlier posted at DVC, Mejia, WB. We crossed to the other side of the lake , drove past Chamera tunnel on our left and continued to drive alongside beautiful Chamera lake. Bairagarh was another 83 km from here.


Chamera Reservoir on Ravi

We drove past a road that went to the Bhalei Mata temple. About 10 km from the dam, we crossed Chamera lake again by Kandi bridge. After about 4 km, we reached a crossing, where one road went towards Chamba and the other went towards Bairagarh. We turned towards the later. The road was not bad, though some parts were uneven. We stopped for a while to have coffee with biscuits and eggs.

21 km from Bairagarh we filled up tank from a HP petrol pump which is the last one before Sach Pass. However, soon we got some anxious moment as our car MID was showing “service engine, check DEF”. DEF level was above 50%. We called up service centre. They could not diagnose the problem but told us there is nothing to worry if I don’t face any issues while driving. I remember reading somewhere similar about false DEF warnings and took a decision to move on as I am not facing any issues while driving.

We reached Bairagarh at 10:50 AM. It’s a small village. One can stay at Chamunda hotel which looks like a decent place for night halt. At Bairagarh check post, we were asked to show our ID cards and driving license and give personal details like name, address, contact no. etc. Then they took our photo by a camera that was hanging from a tree. We were car no.10 to cross the check post that day. We would need to mention this no. while coming back. Sach Pass was 30 km away but it might take 2 hrs to reach there.


Approaching Bairagarh

Upto a few km from Bairagarh road was in good condition. But soon after, the road condition became bad. We had to wait at some points where JCBs were clearing the road from boulders. Another car, which was going to Keylong was right behind us. Gradually the tree line vanished and the view became divine. The mountains looked magnificent against a clear blue sky. The last 5-6 kilometres were tough. There were patches of snow at a few places and some small water crossing as well. It was gravel road though not too steep.
We reached Sach Pass at 1-15 pm. Besides the Sumo, there was no other car and the Sumo was already leaving for Keylong when we reached the pass. It was a wonderful feeling to be at 14,500 ft amidst the mountains. We went up to Sach Mata temple. As we stood in front of the temple, we felt truly blessed. We roamed around the pass for some time and embarked on our return journey.









The return journey was less exciting. We passed the villages of Chilli and Tissa once again. It was almost 4 pm. We stopped for a late lunch with packed sandwiches. We hoped to get a glimpse of Chamera lake once again before it became dark. But it was past six when we reached Chamera lake and the light was gone. At 7-15, we reached Dalhousie club. The day had been hectic but rewarding. If we were certain that Sach Pass would be open, we could have planned to go to Keylong.

27th Oct Khajjiar & Dalhousie

This morning we met up with an old family friend while going for breakfast. In the afternoon we started for Khajjiar. Reached Gandhi Chowk, turned right towards Khajjiar which was 23 km from our hotel and would take an hour to reach. Soon we passed by Dalhousie Public school.
After 20 minutes we reached Lakkarmandi, where the road bifurcated. We took the one on left which goes towards Kalatop and Khajjiar. The road on right went to Dainkund. Then we entered through the gate of Kalatop wildlife sanctuary. From here the road left goes to the Forest rest house. We went straight towards Khajjiar. Road is very scenic with good surface - running through the forest. Saw signs indicating that this is a bear territory.
We reached Khajjiar - a small town with a lake at the centre surrounded by cedar trees. But there was not much water in the lake and the whole place had turned into a marshland. Nevertheless, the trees were beautiful and because there were not many people around, we could walk along the deserted road till the end of the town where the road turned towards Khajji Nag temple. This vast grassy land would look lovely when it gets snow in winter.






After a while, we started our journey back to Dalhousie. It became dark as we were approaching Dalhousie. We stopped at Gandhi Chowk. There was no parking space. We requested a security personnel and then parked our car near the centre of the Chowk. It was a congested place... bakeries, coffee shops, restaurants, shops selling woollen garments...even in times of COVID this place is bustling with people, both locals and tourists. We did not spend too much time in this crowded place. Took some cakes, biscuits, rolls and then returned to our hotel. Today the owner of this hotel had requested us to come to the dining room as a local singer will be performing. So we went to the dining hall taking all precautions. Had biryani and kabab and were just about to sign the bill when the hotel owner came to our table and told us that this dinner is a gift from him as a token of gratitude for making the first booking after months of closure due to lockdown. He said that we proved to be lucky as things started improving from the day we called up for booking and now it’s almost normal. We thanked him for his generosity.

28th Oct Dalhousie-Mcleod Ganj

After breakfast, we started from Dalhousie Club parking for McLeod Ganj at 10 am. We took Dalhousie-Chamba road, went through the Cant. areas and merged into NH154A at Banikhet bus stand. It’s a trail of winding mountain road canvassed on both sides by coniferous forest. At 11 we reached Dunera and entered Punjab. From Dunera took a left turn towards SH 28 , retracing the same way we came . From Dunera, NH154A goes towards Pathankot and Dharamshala is 82km. At 11:20 we crossed the same Himachal Punjab bridge and entered Himachal again. Reached Nurpur at 11:45 and then turned left to merge into NH 154 .
At 12:15 we crossed Kotla bridge over river Beas and continued our journey. Passed through Chhetru and Shahpur. Faced some traffic congestion in Shahpur which has narrow roads. At 12:50 we reached a T junction. From here NH154 goes right towards Mandi. We took left towards Mcleod Ganj. We got stuck up for 10-15 mins in a major traffic congestion at Chhari. Gradually the road started winding up to Mcleod Ganj and finally we reached our hotel on Jogiwara road. Our hotel had an excellent view of the valley. But it’s a bit of a climb to city center. We took rest and had lunch in hotel and then went out to explore the city.
Jogiwara road is a steep winding lane that goes to the main chowk of Dharamshala. It is a bit difficult to walk on this road, not only because of its steepness but more due to it being narrow. This is a one-way road and there is a continuous rush of cars. Moreover, due to its slope, small cars has to come up with lot of momentum. Hence you need to be very cautious while walking on the road especially around the bends.
We walked slowly past little joints like Crepe Pancake Hut, Woeser Bakery, Lungta cafe, Peace Cafe and other such places. We walked straight upto the main square which is the most happening place of McLeod Ganj. On the way we crossed Kalachakra temple which was closed due to COVID. Dalai Lama temple complex, which is the most famous attraction here, was also closed due to COVID. Bhagsu falls and Bhagsu Nath temple are the only places open and hence too crowded now. So we decided not to go to Bhagsu. We tried out some pastries and cream roll at the square. Two narrow road goes towards north from main square - one on left which is flat having benches where one can sit and relax, another one just beside it which goes uphill. We went through the steeper road to Common Ground Cafe but found that it is closed on Wednesdays. So we came back to the main square and then to Jogiwara road once again. There were lovely handicrafts and antique shops on this street. We avoided going inside these shops due to COVID. Soon, we came across a small joint called Four Seasons Cafe where we had capuccino and chocolate pastry. After spending some more time around the town, we returned to the hotel. We ordered Pizza from Dominos for dinner. The night was not very cold and the sky was clear with few stars.

Kalachakra Temple

McLeod Ganj Main Chawk

29th Oct Mcleod Ganj

Today is the last day of our forward journey. We wanted to enjoy the beauty of the mountains as much as we could. So we went for a nature walk. This 5 km nature walk was our first outdoor activity since lockdown. We met our guide at the main square. What is noticeable about the main square is the presence of a lot of policemen whose job is to ensure that all are wearing masks and there is no gathering anywhere.
We went up the path we took yesterday for the cafe. As we went up, the mountains became more clearly visible. We followed the Triund trail. We crossed the Regional Mountaineering Centre and Tushita Meditation Centre and turned left into a forest path. Till now it was a motorable road, though not a smooth one. But from here the path became narrow - at places we had to jump over tree logs. When we reached opposite McLeod Ganj, we could see Triund Mountain. We went towards the village of Naddi from where the sunset looks lovely. As the rays of the setting sun fell through the trees, we were reminded of our last trek to ABC. COVID has jeopardised all our trekking plans this year. But no fretting ... enjoy what you have now. We came down the hill and walked upto Dal lake. It was a medium-sized lake lined with trees. There was no one except few locals. It was not as vast as the Dal lake of Kashmir, but it had a serenity of its own.

We took a cab from Dal lake and returned to the main square. We decided to go to Tibet Kitchen and have some momos. And we had one of the most delicious momos - Mutton Tandoori steamed momo. The chef told us that he had been experimenting on momos for the past 2 months and this is the result of that effort. On the way we stopped at Woeser Bakery and bought some cakes.

Tomorrow we will start our return journey. Himachal has never disappointed us. There was so much to see here. Of course, due to COVID, we could not visit all the places, but a touch of the Himalayas is all it takes to rejuvenate you. And it did that. Filled our heart and mind with fresh energy and hope of a world without COVID.

Walking tour at Mcleod Ganj from Naddy to Dal Lake

30th Oct Dharamsala-Agra

For return, we decided to take a different route via Agra, Lucknow and Raeberaily. Today we will be going to Agra. Started from our hotel at 5:15 am. It’s almost 700 km to our hotel in Agra and arrival time is showing 5:30 pm. As Jogiwara road is one way we have to go upto the main center point and then take a left.
We took NH503 and passed through Chetru and Kangra. Then with the first light of dawn we had our breakfast. Crossed Beas at about 7:10 AM. From here Delhi is 443 and Chandigarh 193 km. We crossed Jhot and Una and then entered into Punjab. We drove past Bhakra Nangal dam, Sutlej river, Anandpur Sahib and merged into NH 205 . This entire area is quite close to Himachal border on the Punjab side . After passing Rupnagar on NH 205 we picked up some snacks from BK outlet. While coming out of the parking lot we were excited to see a XUV 500 test mule. For quite sometime now, car MID was showing a warning message about DEF and that the car will not restart after some 400 km.. At 10:15 we crossed Khara where NH205 intersects NH5 and kept on driving on NH205. We topped up fuel at a IOCL fuel station near Chandigarh and then charged 2 remaining AdBlue containers after which all warnings were gone.
Soon we crossed over to Haryana and merged into NH44 just before Ambala. Crossed Pipili and reached Karnal at 12:20 pm. We found a Burger King at a Haveli hotel complex which was absolutely empty. So we decided to dine in. This complex has clean toilets - one of the best. We started again at 1 pm. Reached Murthal, the home of parathas at 2:20 pm. Saw the famous Amrik Sukhdev on the other side. G maps was not showing EPE but Noida expressway. We thought that since we came by EPE let us try Noida Expressway. So we skipped EPE exit after Sonipat and continued straight on NH 44. At 3 pm we reached a junction at Delhi where the road right goes to Delhi city. We went straight, took NH9 which becomes outer ring road running parallel to river Yamuna. Finally we merged into Greater Noida expressway which is also a fantastic road to drive on, dotted with trees by the side and max speed limit of 100 km. At 4:15 pm we entered Taj Expressway. From here it will be about 180 Km till we exit to Agra . It was dusk - we stopped in one of the rest areas and took some coffee from Starbucks. Soon it became dark . We exited expressway and reached our hotel at 7:30. We heard that the Tajmahal is closed for visitors due to COVID. Anyway, we walked in the lawn post dinner, saw a marriage party being held and called it a day.

31st Oct Agra-Varanasi

Today we are going to take ALE-Lucknow-Raeberaily-Unchahar-Kunda bypass-Allahabad bypass-Handia-Varanasi. We started at 6:20 AM for Varanasi, merged into Inner Ring road and subsequently into ALE at about 6:30 am. Next 300 km we will be driving on ALE. Paid full toll of 595/- . At 7:20 we crossed Etawah exit from where we entered ALE while going to Dalhousie. Topped up fuel at the 2nd rest area, had some breakfast from Costa coffee. At this time we ordered a drive-in pizza delivery from Dominos in Raeberaily so that we don’t need to wait once we reach there. At 10:15 we took the Lucknow exit and bid goodbye to wonderful ALE.

From the big signpost showing distances till Charbag, Alambagh, Hazratganj we took right towards Lucknow merging into NH28. Drove through Lucknow , saw Kanshi Ram memorial and UP assembly. Recalled memories of our trip to Lucknow in 2013 & 2012. It’s the historical place of Bara Imambara and Residency, home of famous Lucknow Chikan. But above all its street food which always mesmerised us - mouth watering Malai at Rumi gate, Sevak Ram’s Kali gajar ki Halwa, Viswanath Kachori, Sri Hari lassi, Idris Biriyani, Tunde Kababi - to name a few. From Lucknow we took NH30 towards Raeberaily. It’s about 70 km from here. Road to Raeberaily is good but there are towns, settlements and market area in between which slows down traffic considerably. Just before 12 noon we entered the city of Raeberaily .

We took a right on NH 30 after reaching a roundabout and picked up pizza from Domino’s. However, a few minutes later we had to take a detour from Civil Lines Chawk as NH 30 is closed due to construction of a flyover. Took a left from the Chowk, then a right after about 3 km. Crossed a make shift bridge on Sai river and continued till we reached junction of NH 31. NH 31 is also a route preferred by many to go to Varanasi from Raeberaily. Once you reach NH 31 and take left then it will take you to Varanasi via Machhali Sahar and Jaunpur. But we chose to stick to our plans and took a right on NH 31. After 2.5 km there is a left turn and you can see NH 31 going straight. Took left and then merged into NH30. As we drive we crossed small towns and villages. The view was scenic and dotted with greenery. Road surface is good. I would not recommend this for night drive as here it will be difficult to find any help at night and also since there is no divider you can be blinded by a variety of jazzy high beams from opposite side. Soon we crossed Batohi which has many dhabas and then reached Unchahar.

Stopped at Unchahar rail gate which was just shut for a train to pass. There is a flyover being constructed over the rail line. However, locals advised us to take 2nd rail gate. 1st rail gate has bad roads and congestion even after you cross due to the construction of the other end of flyover. So we took a left by Unchahar road and just after 2 mins we found the 2nd rail gate where traffic is less than the first one. We crossed rail gate, drove straight, right and then left to meet NH 30 again. After sometime we reached Kunda bypass which is a 2-laned but extremely scenic road with good surface. Kept on driving straight through NH 30 till we saw signs for NH 19 which is the Allahabad bypass. Reached a small toll booth on NH 30, paid toll and merged into Allahabad bypass at about 2:40 pm. Allahabad bypass is a lovely 6 lane road. There is a light drizzle outside with cloudy sky providing a perfect weather for driving. Driving is enjoyable though at some parts you will find cars coming from opposite direction. At 3:15 pm we crossed Handia and continued towards Varanasi. Compared to the huge traffic we faced while coming, today’s traffic is sparse and driving is simply effortless. Saw a huge queue of trucks and cars at Varanasi toll on the opposite side - similar to what we faced while coming . Crossed Varanasi bridge over Ganges. Took left exit for Ramnagar after the bridge and reached Hotel Grapevine at 5:10 PM. This hotel has its own car parking inside the property. We thought of going to ghats but refrained from doing so due to COVID.

Route we followed : https://goo.gl/maps/abxzCtQ94HRm6LeD7

Sunrise at ALE

UP Assembly house in Lucknow

Between Lucknow and Raeberaily on NH30

Ganges at Varanasi from the bridge

1st Nov Varanasi-Kolkata

Today is our last day . We started at 4:35 am and soon entered NH 19 retracing the same way we came to hotel yesterday. It’s about 680 km to Kolkata. At 5:45 we crossed Mohania toll and saw huge traffic on the other side. At 6:20 we reached Sasaram toll and faced some traffic, but only for 10 mins . We are lucky that both times Sasaram did not pose any problems in terms of traffic which is so common. Crossed Jawahar Setu over Son river at 6:50 and then faced heavy traffic. There were all sorts of vehicle in traffic. We followed a tractor on the left-most lane and freed ourselves from the jam.

Reached Aurangabad and stopped by a hotel named Aakash Ganga . It was a small hotel - nice and clean with clean toilets. Packed some omelette and toast and had it after sometime in the car by a paddy field. Kolkata is another 520 km. Crossed Morhar river and Falgu. At about 9 am we crossed over to Jharkhand. Passed through Chauparon and it’s Khirmohan ‘hub’ once again resisting temptation to buy some. We got some scenic views dotted with forests and hills - typical Jharkhand landscape. Soon we passed through Hazaribag and Giridih districts. At 11:45 we reached Shaan-e-Punjab hotel in Topchanchi where we decided to have lunch . It’s a nice place but too crowded. So we took our own camping chairs and sat in the open garden. Food was very tasty and serving was quite fast .

After lunch we started our drive at 12:20 pm. Crossed Barakar toll at 1:30. Then we crossed Barakar river and finally entered our home state of West Bengal. A unique and annoying feature of West Bengal highway is that you will find barricades every now and then near localities to slow you down. Not sure whether it serves the intended purpose. Soon we started driving through Durgapur expressway. NH19 here is fabulous. We crossed Asansol and reached Durgapur at 2:15. We continued to enjoy our drive with lovely blue skies with bits and pieces of floating clouds and a velvet smooth road dotted with greenery. Crossed Burdwan and at 4 pm we crossed Azad Hind dhaba. We thought of stopping at CCD but decided against it as traffic will increase exponentially as it gets into evening. Reached Dankuni toll at 4:20 PM. Witnessed lovely sunset with red hues all around. We exited NH19 to Kona expressway and drove towards 2nd Hooghly bridge.
It’s almost 5 PM. As we crossed the 2nd Hooghly bridge the view of the entire city of Kolkata, lit up in the dusk with last rays of sun, looks enchanting as if the City of Joy is welcoming us back in its fold.

Jharkhand

Durgapur Expressway

Kolkata from Vidyasagar setu

Epilogue

It’s been a wonderful journey. And truly, it’s the roads that remain etched in our memory more than the destination. The excitement of crossing numerous fields, jungles, villages, towns, cities, rivers and mountains to reach a new destination often surpasses the joy of reaching the destination itself. In a way it resembles the journey of life. True that we missed chatting with strangers, roadside Dhabas, trying out local things. But, nevertheless, this trip brought some fresh air to our soul. Hope, next time we will be travelling in a COVID free world.
It’s been 3 weeks since we returned from the trip. We can confirm that it is possible to travel safely during pandemic if you take necessary precautions.

[Sreesh1009]

Rated 5 Stars. What an incredible and refreshing travelogue. Himachal is something else, I've never had the chance to visit but the amount of videos and pictures I've seen of the place increases my urge to travel. I've heard that the COVID cases have started increasing due to increased travel, hope you guys are doing fine!
Congratulations on the new car by the way, hope you get to take it around the country more often

Hope to hear from you!
All the best
Sreesh

[pineapple_ameet]

Congrats on what looks like a great journey.
You must have experienced best of both worlds - great weather and absolutely zero traffic. Must have felt surreal!
Cheers!

[blackwasp]

Great trip report there. You have used the Trailhawk for the right purpose. I test drove the Compass multiple times and have come to the conclusion that it is the only logical upgrade from my Abarth.

Seeing your Trailhawk in such picturesque locations is only tempting me for an upgrade at the earliest.

Cheers.

[Amukherjea]

Hi, such a lovely travelogue.
Just a question where did you get the fuel nozzle adopter?
A photo will be welcome. I have never heard of such a thing. Always first question I have been asking at any enroute pump is " patla nozzle hai kya?"

I have done the route in bits and pieces. 2005 july was the first time to Mcleod gunj and Dalhousie. I had a Nissan Xtrail then. We actually had gone to Spiti valley.
On return route at Mandi spur of the moment decision turned towards Dalhousie.

We spent a night in Khajjiar. It was wonderful then no crowds and the meadow with little lake in the center really was romantic mini Switzerland.

Another question are all the diversions on varanasi to upto Jharkand border still there?

Last year in November while driving a VW Tiguan, we got fed up after starting from Allahabad for Kolkata rather late and did a night stop at Hotel Kaimur Vihar. Discovered it on the net. The manager was very helpful. When he discovered that I was ex IAF we got room upgrade.
There were no sign boards about the hotel on the Highway then. Google auntie came to the rescue.

Hope you do many more trips like this. Maybe will meet somewhere.
Once again a great travelogue

[Mustang Sammy]

Nice write up and lovely pics. Thanks for posting.
Just curious whether you were able to use the full capabilities of the Trailhawk during the journey.
Cheers and wish you many more miles with the Jeep. It’s a great vehicle to drive.

[The Traveler]

This is a beautifully written travelogue. And a great car to accomplish it in. Wishing you a many more successful miles. How was your experience using the 4*4 on this route? Especially since you were travelling with family and on some great strech where you can test the trailhawk capabilities.

[Air Cav]

Awesome travelogue. Amazing flow, sequence and detailing.
My mind went back to Oct 2004. Was stationed close to Pathankot then as a very young bachelor with a new Pulsar 180. Had wrangled a 14 day leave on Durga Puja and started my Pulsar with the intention of seeing the Kullu Dusshera. The 14 day solo trip expanded into probably the most memorable one till date. Pathankot-Dalhousie-Chamba-Sach Pass (which was a Devil's Cauldron then compared to the pics u have shared)- Keylong-Kaza-Rohtang Pass-Palchan-Manali-Manikaran-Kullu(on Dusshera day)-Pandoh-Mandi-Palanpur-Yol-Dharmshala and McLeodganj-Kangra-Pathankot.
Thanks for sharing.

[brownianmotion]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Great trip report there. You have used the Trailhawk for the right purpose. I test drove the Compass multiple times and have come to the conclusion that it is the only logical upgrade from my Abarth.

Seeing your Trailhawk in such picturesque locations is only tempting me for an upgrade at the earliest.

Cheers.

In fact a part of credit goes to you because of the brilliant review report on Trailhawk published by you and bhpian Samurai which I referred so many times before deciding on Trailhawk.

[brownianmotion]

Originally Posted by pineapple_ameet

Congrats on what looks like a great journey.
You must have experienced best of both worlds - great weather and absolutely zero traffic. Must have felt surreal!
Cheers!

Good weather - yes. But zero traffic - not always - we faced 1 hr hold up at Dhanbad toll , huge traffic between Varanasi and Handia , and detour at Raeberaily. Plus lots of diversions due to 6 laning work

Originally Posted by Sreesh1009

I've heard that the COVID cases have started increasing due to increased travel, hope you guys are doing fine!
Congratulations on the new car by the way, hope you get to take it around the country more often
Hope to hear from you!
All the best
Sreesh

If you take all precautions meticulously, compromise on few things and don’t get lured by things which you should not do due to COVID , then your own car is the safest mode of travel . We are doing absolutely fine .

Originally Posted by Amukherjea

Just a question where did you get the fuel nozzle adopter?
A photo will be welcome. I have never heard of such a thing.

I have done the route in bits and pieces. 2005 july was the first time to Mcleod gunj and Dalhousie. I had a Nissan Xtrail then. We actually had gone to Spiti valley.
On return route at Mandi spur of the moment decision turned towards Dalhousie.
Another question are all the diversions on varanasi to upto Jharkand border still there?
Last year in November while driving a VW Tiguan, we got fed up after starting from Allahabad for Kolkata rather late and did a night stop at Hotel Kaimur Vihar. Discovered it on the net. The manager was very helpful. When he discovered that I was ex IAF we got room upgrade.
There were no sign boards about the hotel on the Highway then. Google auntie came to the rescue.

Hope you do many more trips like this. Maybe will meet somewhere.
Once again a great travelogue

Trailhawk has fuel inlet with a non return valve and without a traditional screw type fuel lid. Only the outer lid is present. The fuel nozzle goes directly into the inlet . At Dunera and while going to Sach Pass the fuel nozzle has larger diameter than what can be fit into the inlet. So I used the adapter which is supplied by Jeep for these situations. Will provide a picture.
Our first choice was Spiti but it is not yet open and there are conflicting reports. So we decided on Chamba.
Still there are diversions but lesser than before. However Karmanasha nulla , parts before Chandauli, Chauparon and parts of Hazaribagh are still problems.
Saw Kaimur Bihar - probably found it as I already knew about it. Heard many people stayed there due to sever traffic beyond Mohania .
Happy to meet . Thanks for the nice pictures .

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy

Just curious whether you were able to use the full capabilities of the Trailhawk during the journey.

Originally Posted by The Traveler

How was your experience using the 4*4 on this route?.

I did use 4x4 at some parts in Sach Pass on gravel roads and a ice patch - but it was more to try it - not that it was necessary. I used 4x4 in snow mode in one of the few ice patches. However power to weight ratio is superb and I never felt lack of power and that’s more than enough. Tried braking differential by going intentionally over a rock on the hill side (not required at all) just after Bairagarh with one tire in air and faced no issues. Since Sach pass was not that steep you won’t need big momentum either .

Originally Posted by Air Cav

The 14 day solo trip expanded into probably the most memorable one till date. Pathankot-Dalhousie-Chamba-Sach Pass (which was a Devil's Cauldron then compared to the pics u have shared)- Keylong-Kaza-Rohtang Pass-Palchan-Manali-Manikaran-Kullu(on Dusshera day)-Pandoh-Mandi-Palanpur-Yol-Dharmshala and McLeodganj-Kangra-Pathankot.
:

Had I have a longer leave and sure that Sach Pass will be open , I would have surely taken this route - one of my favorites.

[Vipin Kumar]

Great travel and travelogue! So many days, driving and activity! Congrats. Trailhawk in the right territory

Early start from Varanasi on your return...and reaching Topchanchi at 11.45, mean that you did not really have any long traffic blocks en route. That is good news.

If you don't mind, that picture is not from in front of UP assembly house in Lucknow, but from Ambedkar Maidan here. UP Vidhan Sabha is near Hazratganj. Ambedkar Maidan comes on the side of the main road that connects you from ALE to Raibarelly road.

[brownianmotion]

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

Great travel and travelogue! So many days, driving and activity! Congrats. Trailhawk in the right territory

Early start from Varanasi on your return...and reaching Topchanchi at 11.45, mean that you did not really have any long traffic blocks en route. That is good news.

If you don't mind, that picture is not from in front of UP assembly house in Lucknow, but from Ambedkar Maidan here. UP Vidhan Sabha is near Hazratganj. Ambedkar Maidan comes on the side of the main road that connects you from ALE to Raibarelly road.

You are right . Seems my memory of 2013 faded a bit . Somehow i was thinking assembly house is adjacent to Kanshiram memorial. Thanks for correcting.
Starting early from Varanasi really helped . Also that being a Sunday after festive season, may be traffic was less - just guessing .

[M00M]

Thanks for sharing such a great travelogue. What was the error you kept getting DEF ? How was it rectified ?

[manchandap]

A detailed write up

Originally Posted by brownianmotion

Prologue

24th October Allahabad to Zirakpur via Kanpur

Before reaching Ambala we took Chandigarh exit and merged onto Ambala Chandigarh highway. NH 44 went straight towards Ludhiana and beyond. We continued on Ambala Chandigarh highway and subsequently exited at Zirakpur to reach hotel Radisson at 7 pm.

Out of curiosity, why did you choose Zirakpur for night stay? You could have gone towards Rajpura-Ludhiana-Jalandhar from Ambala. These places offer decent options for night stay.

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by brownianmotion

Prologue

Today we will go to Sach Pass. We checked from hotel staff after checking in that Sach Pass is still open. There was mild snowfall few days back but nothing to worry. Locals advised us to be very careful as any small mistake could be fatal. Indeed, a valuable advice.

It’s been a wonderful journey. And truly, it’s the roads that remain etched in our memory more than the destination.

Thanks for the wonderful report and photos. My 2 questions are:-
1. How did the ZF gearbox behave during the highway runs and while climbing up the hills.?
2. When u were going up to Sach Pass was the response of the gearbox seamless or did you have to use manual mode?