[ambarish6]

Hello everyone. This is my first travelogue in this forum. Though I have done some road trips in the past couple of years, yet I haven't been able to pen those down here. The opinions mentioned in this travelogue are absolutely my personal and can vary from that of others which is but obvious and quite natural.

The decision of this short road trip of approximately 290 kms was taken by both my better half and myself unanimously when we came to know that 2 of her aunts (maasi) would be visiting us for a fortnight in April 2023. My mother in law is staying with us so all of us were really happy and excited to welcome and entertain our relatives.
Vehicle was my faithful Renault Triber RXZ 2020. This short trip would be a piece of cake for Triber as it has already done some long trips in the past few years namely
1) Guwahati - Kolkata - Shantiniketan - Kolkata - Guwahati in November 2021
2) Guwahati - Sivsagar (Assam) - Guwahati in May 2022
3) Guwahati - Kolkata - Puri - Kolkata - Guwahati in July 2022
4) Guwahati - Bhalukpong (Assam-Arunachal border) - Guwahati in October 2022
5) Guwahati - Kolkata - Guwahati in December 2022
In all the above trips my Triber has been a faithful, diligent and trustworthy friend as it has never ever let me down with any issues on the road.

7th April 2023 being a holiday on account of Good Friday, we decided to visit the Maha Mrityunjay Temple near Nagaon in Assam. "Live to Drive" and seek blessings of Lord Shiva simultaneously.

Triber being a 7 seater, accommodated both my sons in the last row seat, my mother in law and my aunts in law in the middle row seat and my wife and I in the front seats. All of us were extremely comfortable. Renault really has carved a niche in designing this sub 4 metre MPV wherein the comfort and legroom in the last row of seats is commendable even when an adult is seated there.

We started from our residence in Guwahati at 0715 hrs and expected to reach the temple by 1030 hrs because of the bio breaks and breakfast stoppages as we were traveling with senior citizens and children. Since it was a holiday, driving through Guwahati Bypass (NH 27) between Jalukbari and Khanapara was smooth and without any traffic congestion. Otherwise on working days this stretch has become a nightmare for motorists because of diversions and traffic snarls due to the ongoing highway widening and flyover construction work under the Bharatmala project.

There are a lot of myths around Renault Triber regarding its engine power in 3 cylinder 999cc engine. Some people even say that it is a 7 seater MPV with the engine of Renault Kwid so there is considerable power lag especially in uphill areas and while overtaking also I didn't find any instance where I had to rethink my decision of doing so and that happened in 2 lane highways too. After 2 years of ownership experience, I can say that those myths are far from reality. With 7 passengers, both ACs running I did not feel any power lag while negotiating the curves, uphill and downhill location on the highway anytime including on this trip between Khanapara to Sonapur. The car performed well and in most uphill movement, it ran smoothly. Yes, it is unfair to compare Triber with other MPVs of this segment but what Renault has given us at this price point is value for money with practicality and that too within 4 metres of space.

Moreover I consider the journey to be important over destination and I enjoy it to the fullest by driving with a light foot, starting early and reaching the destination at a leisurely pace. So in my opinion and as per my needs my Triber is definitely not underpowered.

We reached Anuraag Dhaba on Nagaon Bypass NH 27 at 0940 hrs and had breakfast there. I had previous experience of having food at this place and it is indeed a good, hygienic place with tasty food and very fast service with reasonable pricing. Washrooms are clean as well. Breakfast episode with puri sabji / paratha sabji and tea was wrapped up by 1020 hrs and we started again for Maha Mrityunjay Temple to reach there at 1040 hrs.

This Shiva Linga shaped temple is the largest Shiva Linga in the world and is frequented by lot of devotees everyday. There are many private parking spaces very near to the temple and people start calling you out and request to park the car at their parking free of cost but there is a catch. Car can be parked free of cost at their ample parking spaces free but one has to buy the Puja samagri from their adjoining shops. The ladies in my family bought the Puja samagri and we went inside the temple premises. Same as the temple itself, the area is quite a huge one. After entering the premises, we walked for sometime and then climbed a flight of stairs to reach inside of the temple where Shiva Linga is worshipped. Photography and / or videography is strictly prohibited inside the temple. We offered Puja and came outside. Clicked some photographs and then returned to the car in the "free" parking.
Petrol tank was half full when we started and I decided to refuel while returning. My car gives a mileage of 16 kmpl on the highways with both front and rear ACs running. The moment we entered Morigaon district, the fuel tank indicator was at the last bar and so we refuelled at Raha.
While returning, it has now become a practice and a quintessential requirement of having tender coconut water from one of the roadside stalls on NH 27 after crossing Ahatguri and parallel to Thekeraguri Railway station and this time was no exception. Enjoyed it thoroughly under shade of trees amidst the scorching heat.
We stopped at Iora Food Court, Khetri for light lunch. Clicked few pictures and then moved on. Thereafter the drive was uneventful and we reached home at 1640 hrs.
End of a short yet memorable road trip.