As per the plan it was decided that we move out to Asansol on Friday evening, Sept 26, to my cousin sister's house, thus thereby not only meeting up with her but also going forward some 250 km up on the Kolkata-Delhi GQ road.
As it has to happen, Friday I am swamped with work and it was only around 8 pm that I was able to get up from the desk. But then everything was arranged and taken care of by my wife and after a early dinner by 9:15 pm we start the journey towards Asansol. I then pick up my friend
[from EM Bypass] at around 9:30 pm. As said, though he does not know driving he was accompanying us on this journey via road as he wanted to feel and experience a long distance road journey and he enjoyed it to the max, he was awake the whole time and kept engaged us in conversation time to time. He later separated from us in Manali when he took the train back from Kalka while we continued the road journey via Jalori Pass to Delhi and then to Kolkata.
We hit the GQ in another 40 mts. The Kolkata - Asansol trip took around 4 hours with a break in between and the slow stretch at Panagarh till Darjeeling more where the roads condition has deteriorated considerably.
So by around 2 am on Saturday, Sept 27, we were off to a sound sleep at my cousin sister's house in Asansol. I got up late with a good night's sleep, around 8 am. We all had one good hearty breakfast and started from Asansol at around 9 am and on the GQ to Delhi within 10 mts. The plan was to drive as long it was possible for me and to drive fast with minimum breaks and then take a halt for night as necessary.
Progress was smooth, VTT was going fast and then slowed down [as much as an SUV should in a bad stretch] as we passed the dusty unabuilt GQ portion in Jharkhand [Parasnath stretch]. Lost also some time at the rail gate.
Scenic roads in Jharkhand
But then back to highway reality, GQ, NH2
And sun sets down somehwere in Eastern UP
Have to say that Bihar portion of the GQ is fantastic and we had average speed of around 90 kph.
By around 4 pm we crossed Varanasi by the bypass and the progress was good and Allahabad was the next city to be crossed. Just around 30-40 km from Allahabad the GQ vanishes and it becomes a single road. And the pain starts. It was a evening rush traffic typical of a unplanned city.
Tiredness came up on me fast, all the good thoughts of GQ vanished. I was in the midst of all kinds of vehicles, from cycle rickshaws to the innumerable bikes to suicidal car drivers and it already dusk has set in. Things were not good, just followed the general direction all the
vehicles were going and soon was bang in middle of Allahabad and the traffic became denser. We kept on asking for directions for Kanpur as there were no traces of highway, we are in the city with the traffic that you would expect at around 630 pm.
As we weaved through the city, suddenly on the rear mirror saw two people on a bike waving frantically and asking me to stop. I stopped and one of them introduced me as a policeman. He started ranting about how this black looking Safari with tinted windows, all windows up, and going through a one-way road at full speed created impression of terrorists on move. Of course, Delhi and UP was in maximum security due to the bombings.
Well, I looked around and saw that not a single car had a tint and for the one-way I do remember driving through a small portion of a road that did look unusually less traffic. After a talk and after being satisfied that it was a family, he called back to his superior over at the station confirming so and saying to delete the vehicle number from the computer.
Asked him about directions for Kanpur and he then himself volunteered to take me through the city roads for some 3-4 km through Allahabad. The drama starts as he says he will get down and told me to take the straight road to Kanpur. Now he wants around Rs 1500, as the number was taken out of the traffic computer and as no fine was being imposed on me. We get into a big argument, tempers were rising, and I was tired. He then told me to come to the police station to give the fine which came around Rs 3000 and to have all formalities completed. Said ok and how much time it will take and he says around 4-5 hours. I say I dont have time, going to Delhi, max I can waste another hour but then he knew our weak point and I had a feeling that whatever he was doing had the blessing of the superior with whom he had a talk with. Must have said, "ok leave them but do take out some money". Well many words were exchanged and we were both arguing.
Cutting short, it was settled at Rs 1000 and even now I do feel very bad about it writing. This was the first time I had to pay like this, really wanted to create a scene and go through the whole process, but he very well knew our weakness - time and hours wasted in Allahabad.
So that settled and with a bad, bad mood we headed off towards Kanpur. Around 40 km on either side of Allahabad GQ is not complete and never take it during the evening hours or even in the mornign hours. Trucks are allowed to enter only after 10 pm. I decided after that episode to take Allahabad at dead of the night while going back.
From then it was again a fast journey to Kanpur and everytime I see a police van at a distance I put down the windows. There was not a single car, big or small, with tinted windows. Anyway crossed Kanpur fast over the flyover that totally goes on top of the city. Fantastic roads now, just some occasional diversions that do come up suddenly on you has drive fast.
As you cross UP in the night, you feel darkness both literally and figuratively. The power situation is dismal. Whatever pumps or shops are open, they are running on generator. And then around 2 am looking for a small break at some roadside shop or dhaba, I had to stop at Auraiya and that too as said at 2 am. In fact since ignorance was bliss and did not know about Auraiya's past reputation, I in fact thought this was a more secure place!!! There were two private guards with guns on guard and that what made me stop. Well later on I learn about Auraiya from friends at Mathura Refinery Township. Anyway after a good stop of around 30 mts we took to the GQ again with intention of halting this leg of the drive at Mathura. Mathura Refinery Township[RT] is at some distance from Mathura and on the GQ itself.
My friend who accompanied me used to work at Haldia Petrochemicals and thus he had some good friends at Mathura RT. We decided to halt over there for the night and our host [friend's friend] welcomed us warmly at around 4 am at Mathura.
We all promptly went to sleep and next day for me just lazing out and meeting some of my friend friends and all coming up to see me, almost everyone had a question like why I am doing this by road and not by the Kalka mail. My friend was also very happy that we stopped over here, giving him the oppurtunity to meet all this old friends which otherwise he may not have met for a long long time.
Mathura RT full of domesticated peacocks!!!
Enjoyed the hospitality to the max, in fact we had lunch invitation at another of the friends house and then had good afternoon sleep with the intention of starting around 6-7 pm, entering Delhi around 9-10 pm and then driving all night towards Shimla, making a halt either at Chail or Narkanda as per the situation.
Asansol to Mathura around 18 hours of journey [including break time of around 3.5 hours and precious time lost in Allahabad]