Double expedition: 2 Mumbai-Odisha roadtrips in my Citroen C5 Aircross

After we crossed over to Odisha, the road quality deteriorated and roads were narrow at many places.

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"Odisha Encore: A Double Expedition" is the tale of a family road trip that brought us back to the captivating beauty of Odisha, not once but twice. With two kids in tow and the Citroën C5 Aircross as our trusty steed, we set out to explore the state's hidden gems, weaving through scenic country roads, savoring the rich local cuisine, and uncovering new layers of its cultural and natural wonders. This journey wasn’t just about the destination, it was about the joy of discovery and the unforgettable memories created along the way.

The travelogue will be a jumbo one as it is a tale of 2 trips to Odisha from Mumbai, first one was taken in first 2 weeks of Dec 2022. The second trip was in last week of May 2023 to 1st week of June 2023.

Day 1 of the trip, exiting Mumbai early morning:

On the outskirts of Nashik:

Since we were carrying enough food with us, lunch was taken at a road side, under a tree.

During our drive from Mumbai to Nagpur, we hopped onto the Samriddhi Expressway wherever we were allowed (the expressway was not officially open then). This did cut down our travel time by 4-5 hours although we had to jiggle in and out of the expressway multiple times as construction was still on at many places.

On the Samriddhi Expressway:

Day1: drive summary

Day2: The plan was to drive into Odisha. Left Nagpur around 8:30am but progress was slow. Lunch was taken at Sukhchain Dhaba, food was good and looked tempting, restrained not to overeat as we had a log way to go.

The progress got slow and crossing Raipur City took a lot of time due to traffic and flyover construction at multiple places. After we crossed over to Odisha, the road quality deteriorated and roads were narrow at many places. It was post sunset when we entered Odisha, and we were informed that the route is frequented by elephants and that I should be extra careful driving at night. The road construction meant one had to drive extremely careful and slowly. Stopped at a few places, asked the locals about the road, condition, safety, and then kept going.

Our target for night stay was at Hotel M Eleven and we reached there around 11pm. A relative was getting married and the plan was to stay there for 3-4 days and then move onto Angul and Bhubaneswar. The hotel was newly built, clean and tidy. Below picture is clicked next day at the hotel parking.

Day2: drive summary

The surprise item at Hotel M Eleven was their restaurant, which served one of the best dosa I've had. The dosa was crispy, decent amount of spiced potato inside with fresh chopped onion. The breakfast made my day and this was my goto place for food during my stay.

The next week was spent with relatives and a marriage event in the family. We also visited some nearby places and went to our relatives' who stay in the nearby villages and towns.

Shree Jagannath Temple, Angul

Shree Rameshwar Temple

A biriyani lunch served in siali leaf plate and bowl. During any event, for serving food, those eco-friendly leaf plates are used.

Attended another family friend's marriage event. The event in tier 3 town like Angul will put Bollywood marriages to shame. Please click this link to view the video to witness what I'm talking about.

Cow at a relative's village home:

Their tractor-tiller:

Loving the country roads:

OD19, a good restaurant on the way to Bhubaneswar from Angul

Performing a puja of the vehicle at the village temple:

Bangles are offered to the Goddess and couple of them are tied with a red cloth after the puja:

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