Durgapur - Siliguri

 Departure at 0500 odometer at 31427

The day was a mix of joy and sorrow. Well,  some joy, some sorrow, and loads of cursing and groaning. If I were the Thar, I would line up every road builder in this  belt of the country and hang them by the balls.

Left comfortably at 0500. The run out of Durgapur was clean. Maps as usual had set up a fast route that it wanted me to follow. And, many slower routes that it wanted me to ignore. It specifically stated that the drive on AH10 would have problems due to road blocks. When I got into the hotel at Siliguri, guy at reception wanted to know why I chose a much longer route !!! What could I say ?? In the clutches of the map syndrome !!

Anyways, the first 30 minutes was bliss. The kind of joy you have when roads are smooth, traffic is scarce, headlights are not blinding you, there are no crazies around, that kind of joy. Then past Asansol, maps turned me east towards Bhagalpur.

Now, for all those with a decent memory, Bhagalpur brings one memory that is pretty ugly. 

The road that I was taken on was like that memory. Terrible. Disgusting. Yuck.  It did not exist. I can take roads with no metal topping. I can drive on wet mud. But, roads that have no metal topping and are a series of waves, some large some small, without any rhythm, that is criminal. The waves lasted another 30 kilometres.

It then eased off on my Thar’s soul.  The metal topping appeared. Just as it looked as though there would be a semblance of a civilised driving track, the booby traps started. The topping was gone in places, lots of places. For the next 60 to 70  kilometres.

By this time, daylight had broken. People were crawling out of their huts. I had noticed decorations as I had driven along. It was Chhat Puja. Obviously very very popular in Jharkhand and Bihar.

You read that right. Maps took me thru Jharkhand and Bihar.

I passed thru Dumka in Jharkhand and then on to Bhagalpur in Bihar, passing thru the depths of those two states. Before taking me back into the folds of West Bengal and it’s brilliant public works department who had boards on every road stating they had a hand in laying it. Wonder why ? If it were my department, I’d hang every bugger, myself with them.

Anyhow, entire towns were out on the road. There were fruit stalls, flower vendors, men women and children crawling in the middle of the highway, forcing traffic to stop, till they found their direction. There were young men cleaning water bodies and setting up banana trees, decorating them. Very obviously the Puja was a big occasion this part of the country.

Going past Bhagalpur was interesting. You cross the place and are turned onto a long bridge over a water body, that goes on and on and on, a few kilometres. The extension of that water body carries on for kilometres. That in itself is not what I found interesting. There were hutments all along the water bodies. All celebrating Chhatt Puja. The source of the people is what is interesting.

The road past Bhagalpur improved, just enough to pick up some pace, get the average up a bit, get into Siliguri for lunch. The Bengal PWD did not let me down. It went at my suspension and tires with every trick it had in the books. Fantastic road for kilometres. Then a series of unpainted back breakers. Then some more of the fantastic. And, as you kept your eyes peeled for the speed breakers, they set up a series of holes, placed such that you could not avoid them all. These I had faced earlier. Hugged the extreme right of the road, to stay away from the established pattern. Kept me wide awake.

Passed Kishanganj and Islampur to approach Siliguri. Was delighted at the final approach road. Then hit a kilometre of terrible road, up a slope. It was then that I got my first sighting of the snow clad peaks. The pace was so slow that I could get my phone out for a picture.

Got into Hotel Cindrella well in time for lunch. Checked menu first. Found that pricing was the same as in Durgapur. Looks like a cartel operation. Ate well.

Got the Thar washed. Then stepped out for a walk. Went down to the local booze shop, a kilometre away. Need some stock for Darjeeling.

In that one kilometre, there were two shopping malls. One had a KFC, mini brewery, alll the branded shops and a outdoor kiddies play area. The other was filled with durable showrooms, and a supermarket at the basement. Siliguri is a large Town, very forward looking shops on the long market road I had to drive down to reach the hotel.

Will do the needful before I hit the bed. Tomorrow will be an easy start. Short run. Need the sun up to stop and use my camera.