The Road North - September 2022 - towards High Altitude
Comes that time of the year, when monsoon in Central India starts to reduce in fury, and the cold of the winters have not yet set into the northern boundaries.
10th September 2022
Headed up the East coast with a leisurely ( from my standards ) start at 0600. Took me over an hour and a half to cross Gumudipoondi. Heavy vehicle traffic was in it's element. Every truck wanted to be on the roads. Some on the right lane, some in the middle, staggered at well placed distances demanding serenity.
The first 200 kilometers took me three hours. Stopped just past Nellore for breakfast. The place was still the same physically from the outside. But, the toilets, once clean, were now dirty. The restaurant, once a fan cooled hall with one serving staff, was now air conditioned, staffed by multiple people. Crowds had done the quaint place in. The dosai took 10 minutes to arrive. It came hot, but have yet to taste a dosai so much like an adai.
The rest of the journey, till then outskirts of Vijayawada, took just over three hours. Traffic had cleared after Nellore, roads had improved. Then, all traffic slowed to the pace of a cow on a lush grass field.
The last 20 kilometers took me one hour, including catching up with a WagonR that had flown past me a while back at a crazy speed of over 130kmph. He had crashed to a complete halt.
The weather was lovely. Overcast with a faint occasional drizzle. Had a heavy shower for a kilometer or so, but that was all.
This highway is the only one where I have experienced the city on either side. From Naidupet, to Nellore, to Ongole, to all the smaller places. The cities have either grown across the highway or the highways which used to run thru the cities have been widened ( which is an absurd thought ). There are traffic police halting highway traffic at each of these intersections. Madness.
Crossed the River Krishna. Tried to take a picture on my phone, but failed. Road was bumpy and other vehicles were not cooperating.
Checked in to Hotel Innotel by 1300. The guys seemed to remember me. Given that last time I was here in 2019, I had freaked out, twice. Once the evening I arrived, then again, the next morning. No hot water.
The guy who checked me in walked me to my room and proved that there was running hot water. He wasted two buckets proving it. Then made sure I understood that they recycled their shower water. Because I had also complained about the 3 buckets that had to run before the hot water made it's appearance from the overhead tank.
Being a Saturday, went to the bar for a beer. Buggers only had KF Strong and British Empire Strong. Opted for a Vodka, decently priced. Then settled for the meals.
Evening I shall taste their Ballantyne, which is also decently priced. Then eat well and sleep. It poured in the afternoon. Tomorrow is an easier start, post breakfast, which the hotel has insisted is part of the cost. The drive is not too long.
11th September 2022
Well, went down to the dark hole they called the bar. Ordered the Ballantyne. Was certain the colourless liquid that came was not Ballantyne, though it could have been some high end malt. Took a sip as is. Tasted definitely like Vodka. Asked the guy serving. He looked at the bar and confirmed it was Ballantyne. My mind started playing up thinking that maybe it was the pitch dark bar that was de-colouring the liquid, just maybe. Just after I poured water into the drink, the barman comes and apologizes. He picked the Vodka bottle instead of the whiskey bottle.
Since it was a continuation of the afternoon, drank it. Then some more. Had them make some zero chilli uralaikazhangu . Had it with a butter naan. The place was served by some young ladies. Polite, excellent service. Told them so.
Slept like a log. Got up, had breakfast and left at 0800. A record of sorts.
The road till Rajamundhry was beautiful. Driving under extremely cloudy conditions with the wind blowing in from the sea, lush green on either side of the road, it was a great run.
Crossed the River Godavari just before Rajamundhry.
The fun ended.
First , the road had pot holes. Second, bikes of all types entered the picture. They rule the left lane. Buses are wary of them. Third, autos appeared, also in the left lane. This would force bikes into the middle lane if it was three lane, or the right lane. Fourth, there was an explosion of villages all along the route.
Put very simply, my average speed came down to a crawl. It made me very happy that a BMW was getting screwed as well. His short distance burst of speed, got him only that far. Kept me entertained.
This continued till 80 kilometers from Vizag.
The time I had made before the river, got me to Vizag by 1245.
Vizag approach traffic starts 20 kilometers before the city. Lanes are forgotten. There are police at crossroads. Traffic lights follow city timings. In short, it crawls.
These buggers are worse than the Bangalore drivers. Trucks, buses, car and bikes drift, they are deaf to anything but the phone to their ear. Their sight is like a horse with blinkers.
Retreated into my inner self. Peace and serenity. Listened to some Carnatic music, crawled patiently.
Those of you laughing, do not. This is true !!!
Reached The Waltair Club by 1345. It is a sprawling place, ancient building. The car park was overflowing. Sunday afternoon.
The Chambers and the people manning it reminds me of Bowring Institute. Ancient, inefficient staff, ruling the desk and service.
Decided to have a beer in the room. The only beer they were serving was Bira Summer !!! Wondered at the crowd. What were they drinking ? Turned out not too bad.
Went for a walk to the beach at about 1645, couple of kilometers each way. The last kilometer is a steep gradient. Worked up some sweat.
Will go to the club bar at 1900. Hopefully in bed by 2030.
Early start tomorrow. Long run.
12th September 2022
Last evening decided to go into the main building of the Club. First walked into the place they call The Pub. Well, by no standards was it a pub.
It was empty at 1845. Had only bottled beer, of one variety.
The barman requested me to go to the reception and get a debit card, if I wanted service.
At the reception, the polite and helpful guy told me to try their main Bar, which was called 1883. And, check out their sprawling lawns.
So, went there, after getting a debit card with some money stuck in. They accept only cash. Makes sense, as they have to give back change.
That was also empty. But on the sprawling lawn, there were a few people at each of the scattered tables, listening to a pink gowned lady try and sing. Not a very good rendition. It took a minute for me to head back into the bar and get a Ballantyne.
As I was nursing my drink, couple of old timers came and sat at the table next to me. Started talking. Turned out one of them had some ancient connections to some of MCC's ancient members. Small world. Was advised to go to the Pub.
All the bar stools at the Pub were now occupied, with the crowd staring at television set - a cricket match.
Had a drink, ate and left.
This morning departed by 0515.
The weather was beautiful. The road a lovely six lane highway, empty of all the normal irritants. Too early for them. The wind was coming in from the sea. The clouds were in, thunder could be heard. But no rain.
The green carpet stretches all the way on the east coast. It is just so good to see.
Reached Berhampur by 0800. 250 kilometers on the National Highway. Then turned west towards interior Odisha.
And, the roads progressively forgot they were supposed to have an even surface, covered with some sort of topping.
Fortunately, that situation was remedied in about 70 kilometers.
Entered what looked like a forest area. And, the roads improved dramatically.
Was surprised to see boards showing the Black buck as a native of the area. Last I had seen them was in the deserts of Rajasthan. Well, no sighting this run. Traffic had picked up, so focus was on road.
Crossed the Rived Mahanadi.
Entered the Ghats soon after. The next 150 kilometers was crossing the ghats in sections. The roads remained classy. Narrow, but good metal tops. There was traffic, as it was school time.
Crossed two forest ranges.
The Dasapalla Elephant Reserve
The Phoolbani Forest Range
Then the ghats ended, as did the forests. Along came the inefficient man, in unplanned erratic development mode.
The vehicle got terribly bounced for the last 60 kilometers. The road was being constructed. There were patches of brilliant concrete top. And, then, holes.
The final 40 kilometers took me 90 minutes of dust and crawls.
Checked in at Hotel Sheetal by 1430. Got sent in circles for a while by Navimaps. The one supplied by Mahindra gave me a different location to the one I downloaded. Well, the one I downloaded was correct.
Had a light lunch.
Will probably sleep early, after a couple of drinks. Beating the morning traffic on state highways makes good sense.
13th September 2022
Last evening went to the Hotel Bar. Nice to see a well lit bar, with a great choice of beer and whiskey. Ask, and they had it. They also had seven guys manning the bar - all the blue shirts and the one in white.
Had the Ballantyne I missed the previous evening. Then went in for dinner. Had a dish called Aloo Chocka, which they told me was local. Basically mashed potatoes garnished with minced green chilli.
Was in bed, lights off by 2030.
Up by 0400 this morning and off by 0500. Good thing I did that.
For the first time in my memory, I covered the distance of 490 kilometers in only one hour less than what google maps predicted.
This run covered every type of road you can imagine.
Early morning the first 70 kilometers was brilliant metal top. Passed by the JSW BPSL plant - a massive steel plant.
Then turned west onto a state highway. Was very pleasantly surprised.
The metal top was still good.
The one thing that did not change was the green cover. The entire run was green - rice plantations, rain forest, sugar cane. It was all there.
And, it drizzled almost the entire run.
After the state highway, as I went deeper into the center of the country, the road deteriorated.
First was this.
As you see, the green remained. But the metal top had started to disappear.
Then came this.
The green stayed to soothe the soul. The tar was vanishing. The width was reducing. The holes were appearing, and getting deeper.
Then came this.
There were holes. There was mud, for sure. Just no tar on top.
Actually, this is not the entire spread of roads for the day. Could not take shots of the roads in the ghats - the good and the terrible.
And, this is not the sequence they came in, except for the first two.
There were great stretches, that just disappeared. And, there were the intermediate. It kept the drive very interesting and in focus. Not a moment to drift away.
Could have done the run on the highway, but that would have added hours.
Drove thru a forested area with different type of trees.
Crossed into Chattisgarh mid morning. Was stopped at the border and asked to open my box. Did so very willingly. Same thing happened when I was exiting Sambalpur, at the first Toll gate. There I refused to answer the guy. He was not in uniform and extremely rude. Fortunately, he did not want to hold up the Toll queue, let it ride.
Passed a Fossil Park on the final stretch to Robertsganj. Never knew a park with Fossils existed. Internet says this is called the Salkhan Fossil Park. Sadly, not enough initiative to stop and discover.
The approach takes you across the River Sone. Then you drive the last 70 kilometers on an excellent tar top to Robertsganj.
The climb is beautiful. The city sits on top of a plateau.
Checked in to Hotel AD by 1530. Place is on the highway. Perfect for food and bed.
Early departure makes so much sense. Beats local traffic. Allows you to pace the drive to reach as you please.
14th September 2022
Had a shower. Water was barely warm. Complained to the hotel. Was told that the electrician would come by. He finally did. Gave me a theory that there was a solar geyser. Since the sun had set, there was no hot water. You can imagine my reaction.
After much, they finally gave me the truth. Since the kitchen needed a lot of hot water, most of it was routed there. And, since no guest had till date wanted to bathe in hot water, it was not an issue. Told them what my opinion was.
Went down for dinner at 1930. Explained to the staff that the vegetables should be spice free. Senior guy looked shocked. Assured me that he would minimise spices.
Ended up with acidity as the cook had put every spice he could lay his hands on into the vegetable. Picked the vegetable pieces. Left the gravy alone. Fortunately had ordered a curd.
Paid the price in the morning.
But, departed at 0450. After a hot shower. Magic, blowing up does.
The exit from Robertsganj was spectacular.
The drive was a comfortable highway run. Traffic at times. Dusty all the while, except when the drizzle was in.
Was amazed to see school kids going to school before 0600.
And, discovered why the women of UP are so tough. They are all on cycles, going kilometers to get to school.
Crossed the River Ganges just as I was entering Varanasi.
Varanasi was chocked. This is around 0630. There were people everywhere, buses all over the place. Traffic crawled. Took me about 30 minutes to wade thru the city, out to the other side.
Crossed the River Sarayu on my approach to Ayodhya.
Got to the Hotel Siyaram by 1030. The initial impression was shock.
But, actually a very nice hotel. Friendly staff. Clean large rooms.
Had carried some aloo parathas to supplement couple of boiled eggs, which was my staple breakfast. Thought I could give it to the watchman. Guy refused to take it. Asked me to feed the monkeys, which are in abundance. As I took the paratha pack out of the car, the watchman started hustling me to toss the pack. I was opening the wrapping. Did not realise why, till I looked up. There was a gathering of the langur war tribe watching me with growing impatience, some even heading purposefully towards me. No hesitation. I tossed the parathas far into a vacant plot next to my vehicle.
The watchman told me that the langur is known to snatch food from people. And, in the process sometimes inflict cuts.
So, if you come here, remember not to display food.
Checked in by 1045. Decided I would head out to the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple. It was a just about a kilometer away.
Walked in the fine drizzle to the temple. Was grabbed by a guide. After we spoke terms, which was a simple INR50/=, he told me that the temple closed at 1100. And, no phones, watches, car keys, cameras, purses. There are lockers that can be used if I so wanted.
And, since the temple was now closed, I would have to come back at 1330 and join the queue to go in.
Waded thru the crowd for a bit. The guide was very upset that I was not doing things to order. Not going into the smaller temples, not visiting Dashratha's palace. Well, the crowd was a bit on the heavy side. He was also upset that I took this picture. Believe the police do not like people taking pictures aimed in the direction of the temple.
Got back to the hotel. My attempt to get to the temple was done. No way I was going back to stand in a queue post lunch. Am positive Lord Rama understands me very well.
Ordered a dal fry, aloo gobi and rice for lunch. Had it at 1245 in my room. Food was brilliant. Best on this run. Wiped the dal and vegetable servings. Gave back most of the rice.
Stepped out to park my car closer to the hotel. It was raining. So, did the parking, got back to the room and decided to snooze till 1545.
Got up and walked towards the River Sarayu. The ghat shown below is on a minor canal. Possibly to ensure the river stays clean.
Got diverted from heading to the main river, as I tried to find my way around the entire Janmabhoomi, hoping to get a glimpse of the temple being constructed. No way. The lanes around are narrow and winding. And, they are clean. No muck, no cow droppings. Clean.
But there is no sight of the temple under construction. Did almost all of it till the road seemed to be winding away. Turned back.
Got back to the hotel. Had walked a total of seven kilometers. Five now, two in the morning.
There is an evening aarathi at 1900 on the banks of the River Sarayu. The thought has been planted. Will attend for sure, as I neither went to the temple nor did I see the river in the morning.
Caught an electric auto to the River. Takes about 10 minutes to get there.
Leave you with the sights. Details so much better than my words.
First, a glimpse of the Aarathi for the River Sarayu.
Then a glimpse of the river at night.
And then a better sight of ghats on the canal built off the river.
Got back by 2000. Had my dinner, a glass of milk and crashed.
Slept very peacefully, what with all the spirituality from the evening.
15th September 2022
Left the hotel at 0500. The guy who opened the locked shutters tried to delay my departure as it was pouring.
Little did he understand my need to get out when the crowds were still asleep.
Got stuck at a manual railway crossing for about 10 minutes.
Took me another 20 to reach the National Highway.
Post that, it was brilliant. Till Lucknow, it was a National Highway. Though it was pouring, was able to maintain a decent speed.
Once past Lucknow, it is a different world.
The Lucknow Agra Expressway is a drive worth doing. 321 kilometers of three lane flat top. It has rest areas, with clean toilets, and loads of food. And, most important, petrol stations.
Once you cross Agra, you get on to the next Greater Noida Expressway, which is as good.
The final sixty three kilometers stretch is the Eastern Bypass. Best part, the speed limit is increased to 120kmph.
In for a three day break at my daughter's place in Sonepat.
And, that was a kilometer off the Eastern Bypass.
Will come on again on the 19th of the month, from the heights.
Till then, have fun. Take a look at the map of our country. See the region covered.
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