Anyone from Varanasi/Allahabad here?

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Friends
Looking for a chhora Ganga kinare wala for some advice!! Going with wife, daughter and another friend and his wife to Varanasi and Allahabad for 4/5 days in October. I plan to go to Allahabad just as a day trip from Varanasi.
Is there any member from this region who can tell me the do's and don'ts of Allahabad? I just want to go and see Prayag there. Have lunch somewhere and come back. I know nothing about the city and need help.
I know the bare bone minimum things about Varanasi since I have been there before. However, any additional info on that city will help as well.
Looking forward to good local tips and advice
Sudipto

[gd1418]

I'm a Banarasi and have been to Allahabad also many times in my childhood, but don't know much about that place.

One word - beware of the Pandaas.

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

Friends
Looking for a chhora Ganga kinare wala for some advice!! Going with wife, daughter and another friend and his wife to Varanasi and Allahabad for 4/5 days in October. I plan to go to Allahabad just as a day trip from Varanasi.
Is there any member from this region who can tell me the do's and don'ts of Allahabad? I just want to go and see Prayag there. Have lunch somewhere and come back. I know nothing about the city and need help.
I know the bare bone minimum things about Varanasi since I have been there before. However, any additional info on that city will help as well.
Looking forward to good local tips and advice
Sudipto

[amohit]

I've also spent first 20 yrs of my life in varanasi.
Tough have forgotten almost everything aboutt that place....but let me know whatever you want to...i still have a few friends living there.

Regards,

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Originally Posted by gd1418

One word - beware of the Pandaas.

That's true wherever you have pandas - like Puri, Deoghar etc.
I want to know things about Allahabad like where exactly is the Prayag - going from NH2. Where to park and where to go etc. The basic things that you need to know.
Regards
Sudipto

[hvkumar]

Look forward to hearing your account of road conditions. Am told that it is a great drive all the way from Calcutta.

[drive_factor]

I am not a banarasi bhaiya but recently did what you intend to do. I drove in from Chitrakoot reaching Allahabad about 10.00pm. Took a dip at Prayag and then drove onwards to Varanasi.

Once you reach Allahabad you don’t need to meander a lot to reach Prayag. It’s a pretty straight forward short drive from highway. You will need to ask directions. I found folks in Allahabad area quite help as they guided me to Prayag. But your time could be wasted at the toll gate just after the big bridge on ganga and one traffic light at the civil lines(??) area. Sorry I don’t remember all the landmarks but do recall that it was a relatively quick drive right up to Prayag. Roads are extra wide and smooth. Remember this is Kumbh mela territory so the infrastructure is made to handle the rush.

For food there are several nice family type dhabas in outskirts of Allahabd as you are driving back to back to Varanasi.


I am putting my perspectives as an outsider just to tell you that its relatively easy. NH2 is excellent all the way. Just be advised that in case you are planning to take a nigh break there is nothing to recommend between Dhanbad and Aurangabd. So plan accordingly. The road otherwise is very safe.

[adc]

Originally Posted by drive_factor

The road otherwise is very safe.

This is reassuring to know and also in the one previous post you did say about night interstate bus running through Bihar and Jharkhand.

I am scheduled as of now to go to shimla/narkanda via this NH2, starting at around 8 pm on the Sept 26th night and thus going through Jharkhand, Bihar and East UP in the dead of the night and crossing Varanasi early morning .

Will update on the route if able to connect to internet through mobile.

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Drive factor, thanks for the dope. I thought the same that getting to Prayag in Allahabad should not be much of a problem. Thanks again. And I don't intend to take any night break anywhere on the route. Start at 4 am from Kollkata. Hopefully reach before sundown.
ADC when are you back? Will look forward to your post on the route condition. I am told it is virtually complete. Someone went last year. I had driven from Delhi to Kufri in 1999 with my wife in a Cielo. Of course we bypassed Shimla and went to Kufri via Chail. Beautiful private road kind of feeling. I would strongly recommend the drive.
Sudipto

[adc]

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

ADC when are you back? Will look forward to your post on the route condition. I am told it is virtually complete. Someone went last year. I had driven from Delhi to Kufri in 1999 with my wife in a Cielo. Of course we bypassed Shimla and went to Kufri via Chail. Beautiful private road kind of feeling. I would strongly recommend the drive. Sudipto

I am starting from Kolkata on sept 26th night and back on Oct 15th early morning. I will update on the road condition once I reach Narkanda on Sept 28 or Sept 29, hopefully will get internet connection through the mobile USB modem.

Definitely, I am bypassing Shimla to go through that scenic Chail road to Narkanda where most probably I will make my first stop.

[Sudipto-S-Team]

. Go ahead. You will love it. You have a liking for off-beat places. Are you going to just stop at Narkanda and come back, or go further up like Sangla/Kalpa etc ? Will wait eagerly for the travelogue. Sarahan around this time would be lovely too. I stayed in a hostel kind of place behind the helipad way back in the mid 80s and the view was simply fantastic.
Wish we had enough time at our disposal to do this trip that you are doing. Probably next year.
Sudipto

[adc]

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

Are you going to just stop at Narkanda and come back, or go further up like Sangla/Kalpa etc ?

We have plans to go through the Sangla/Kalpa surely, and then proceed to Spiti and Lahaul to come back via Jalori Pass to be back to Shimla side. However, just plan to take each day as it comes - no hotel reservations anywhere --- Stress of travel and altitude being the factors on how much we [wife, me and 4 year child] can cover.

As said, will try utmost to update on the NH2 once I reach Narkanda.

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Great. Your attitude and approach to life is somewhat similar to mine. I travel with wife and now 5 year old daughter.

[drive_factor]

Considering you are travelling with your wife and child let me qualify that “safe’ statement:

-I did this circuit twice in last 2 months.
-There is night traffic in the Bihar stretch. Lorries, buses and a few small vehicles. But as typical will all highways, the traffic volume takes a natural dip after 1AM
-In Bihar GT road passes throu fairly dense population. These are agricultural belts and the people are quite well off.
-I asked at the dhabas about the safety situation. They mentioned it was safe and they seldom hear any untoward situation. I don’t have reasons to doubt this.

Why not depart Kolkata late afternoon and break for the night at Dhanbad? Starting early next morning you can pull throu a great distance toward your final destination.

But departing CCU at 8PM will put in Dhanbad – Barhi stretch about 1AM. That I think is relatively unsafe. Not that someone will waylay you but population density around NH2 at that area is sparser than in Bihar.

I would not worry if 4 male adults were in car. But considering your travelling party please take an informed call on this. Rest assured you will enjoy your drive on GT road.



I am sorry to sound like a spoilsport but its always better to be keep safety above else.

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Drive Factor
I don't think you are being spoilsport. You are being cautious and concerned and I appreciate that. I intend to start at 4 am from Calcutta. Reach Barakar at around 8. Cross Jharkhand by 12. Cross Bihar by 4. Reach Varanasi by 6 evening. These are approximate figures and assuming nothing goes wrong on the way. Since we will be two families in two vehicles I am not too worried.
On the way back I intend to go to Jhumri Tilaiya It will be a 30 year old dream fulfilled.
Sudipto

[Saurabh M]

Sudipto, where are you putting up at Varanasi? There are not too many good hotels around the ghats except the one by Scindhia' I guess (not sure if I am correct with the name). Moreover, the lanes being narrow, it might be a problem to take your car to the hotel. If you are not keen on staying near the Ganges, then you may try Hotel Ginger. Its from ITC and on NH2, I guess.

This is what I felt when I visited Varanasi last in 2004. I had thought of driving from Kol, but my daughter was 6 months old then.

I wish you a very nice and safe trip. Will eagerly wait for the travelogue.