[hvkumar]

One more "what-a-trip" to the interiors of India. Roads less travelled. Destinations never heard of. Great planning. I love your choice of hotels. Lots for foodies and wives! (now we all know that your TLs should never be shown to mothers, wives & sisters!) Great time to go to MP - green landscapes, lots of water bodies - but equally depressing to be going on some bad roads.

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

That was an awesome trip and awesome log. You have nicely constructed the logue - will be a good reference for anyone wanting to visit any of the spots named.Waiting for the rest.

Thank you sir. I hope i won't dissappoint you.

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

Fantastic TL - Fauji! I have driven to MP quite a few times for occasions and the tourist circuit always seems to be the next trip, but never happens. Your TL will provide the required impulse.

You also picked the right time for MP. First half of the year, it's a very dry seemingly barren landscape.

Thanks for sharing these wonderful pictures and keep 'em coming!

Thanks for your kind words. I envy you Puneites for whom these distances are much lesser than we in south. You are right on spot - MP is best enjoyed after rains, except of course the national parks where spotting is easier in summer.

Originally Posted by Indian Ranger

WOW... Great travelogue Fauji. Fantastic snaps and coverage. Eager to know more. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Indian ranger. Yes, this is going to be a long one and hope i won't dissappoint.

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

Cool, this is surely a diversified travelogue! Great sights and narration. And tips on the food joints are always useful.
I saw this rock formation atop the hill when our train to Goa stopped in the middle of nowhere and gave us great views all around, way back in 2001. IIRC, it looks a lot like a thumb. In fact, it resembles the gesture of thumbs up. And that's what other passengers in the train had mentioned too. We'd thought that it's a nice piece of nature's artwork via wind erosion but some folks around told that they think it's man made.

Thanks. You bet. We both are fooddies and love local cuisine. You will see lot of these tips here

You are correct. This is hill is an amazing formation. Hope Maharashtra tourism does something about it.

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Good trip and a lovely thread.

Wow, isn't that the best part of a trip for a man...

Really, all mapmyindia stuff is quite pointless in India unless they can track the actual surface conditions! I found this on my Tamilnadu trip in a harsh way.

He he he

Perfect, Sir ji.


Cheers!

Thanks Anand. You bet. I was meeting my friends after our training days in Officers Training academy, Madras in 1985!!

OMG, Driving in UP towns needs lot of courage - More so in allahabad and Banaras

Originally Posted by Night_Hawk

Sir Ji,
Hats off to your meticulous planning. The way you have planned your trip with complete details is amazing. IMHO, this will be the key for any successful long drive. I will keep these points in mind for reference.

Btw, pictures are amazing. Thanks for sharing

Thanks Night Hawk.

Originally Posted by NPV

Wonderful, Awesome, Thanks for sharing !
Excellent trip, travelogue enriched with great level of detail, narration, pictures - "Poorna Saar Ad Bidhe !".
I was wondering why there were not many posts from you during Sep / Oct and now found the answer.

Thanks Narayan. Ille yello swalpa suttadoke hogidvi ashte

Originally Posted by hvkumar

One more "what-a-trip" to the interiors of India. Roads less travelled. Destinations never heard of. Great planning. I love your choice of hotels. Lots for foodies and wives! (now we all know that your TLs should never be shown to mothers, wives & sisters!) Great time to go to MP - green landscapes, lots of water bodies - but equally depressing to be going on some bad roads.

Thank you sir for all the help without which this was not possible. Oh, No, you should allow your your wives to read so that you will be well prepared when you go on such trips!!

[faustus77]

Fauji
Hi
A newbie here.Great to go through your TL.
Look forward to a lot more.
Happy diwali and prosperous new year
Regards

[abheekg]

Originally Posted by Fauji

I give a call to Abheek (abheekg) - our tiger guy - in Nagpur to check on Pench. A fantastic guy, he confirms that the park will not open before 15 Oct. He also says that all national Parks in MP will open only after 15 Oct. What a damper to start with. I am back to planning board now that we are not doing national parks. I need to look for places to fill in those days.

Never knew that phone call was so important. Seems like you had an awesome drive. Will be closely following your exploits. By the way we had an awesome start to the season in Pench.

Dr. A Ghosh

[v&v]

Nice log and writing style. Beautiful pics too. You log will be very help full for my forthcoming GQ trip. I have some official business in BLR during first week of Jan. Planning to drive via Kolkata - Blr and return via Blr - Pune - Jhasi - Delhi.

I am hooked.

[Fauji]

We would have loved to see such welcome board while entering Indore. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any. But that didn’t reduce our enthusiasm for culinary adventure in the Holkar city.

One of my best memories of my stay in MHOW in 86 was the “out of the world” Kulfi an old man used to bring to our barracks on his lamby immediately after we returned from lunch. I am not sure he is still alive of his family still continues in that business. Indore also kindled my memories of roaming in Rajwada/Sarafa snapping up gol guppas, tikkis etc.

We both believe in “Eat like an Indori in Indore”! We love local cuisine and believe that it does not make sense to eat Masale Dose in Delhi but Paratha in Paratha Wale galli. We had done some research on what was to expect on our plate in Indore – unfortunately we had only one evening – and wanted to make best us of our time. Sarafa Bazar and its mouth watering chats, was to be our destination for the evening today.

We come out of hotel and catch an auto rickshaw. I don’t want to take out the Scorpio after seeing the traffic and also for the fact that Sarafa bazaar has narrow lanes which will not help either. Also, driving in city not well signaged by asking locals for directions is a painful exercise as well. The hotel security gets us a rick and our journey to “Gourmet land of Indore” starts.

We had already prepared the list and raring to go!

1 Coconut patties at Vijay Chaat
2 Ghamandi Lassi
3 Shikanji
4 Bhutte ki Kees
5 Kachoris
6 Gulab Jamuns
7 Jalebis
8 Garam Badam Milk
9 Yam chaat
10 Poha – Jalebi
11 Saabudana Kichdi
12 Egg banjo

It is a short drive from the hotel and we reach Sarafa Bazar around 8 PM. The legendary food streets of Sarafa Bazar become alive after 8.30 PM when eateries are set up on the road after the shops are closed and these eateries continue till wee hours in the morning.

To give a perspective, this possibly rivals Paratha Wala gulli and surroundings in Old Delhi and many times bigger than “Namma own Thindi road or our own food street” in VV Puram, Bangalore. The variety on the plate is mind-blowing – All kinds of chaats, kachoris, dahi vada, hot jalebis, Gulab jamuns, malpuas etc etc…..

Sarafa Bazar in action





Even cows love this place!!



But there is already action and the aroma of kachoris is inviting. I look at my list and see Vijay Chaats in the Chouraha of Sarafa bazaar. Our journey begins now.

I ask the cook who is frying a small ball sized item. It is deep fired like “Pakodas”. He says it is “Coconut patties”. Yes! This was the one we wanted. We ask for two plates of patties. Served in leaf bowls with green chutney and sweet chutney, it melts in your mouth. My wife wants another plate and I go in for hot kachoris. The kachoris are crisp and taste lovely with chutneys.

Vijay Chaats famous for Coconut patties



We strike conversation with Vijay Sharma standing next to us, He is an Indori but who has business interests in Bangalore. He travels to Bangalore every month and loves Masale Dosey in Udupi Krishna Bhavan in Balepet. We tell him what we are after. He asks us to try Dahi vada at “Joshi Dahi vada” which is possibly the best. This is the season of Bhutta, the fresh corn. Indore is famous for Bhutte Ki Kees and Vijay ask us to taste it in Joshi Dahi vada. I remember “Highway on Plate” book also recommends Joshi Dahi vada.

Joshi dahi Vada is few steps away from Vijay chaats. We walk down the road and see eateries being set up on it. We notice a halwai and ask what halwa is in kadai. He answers “Moong dal” and we order for a serving! Prepared in “Desi ghee” it is sinful.

Halwai shop with Moong dal halwa


We reach Joshi dahi vada and Joshi saab is sitting in the middle and distributing dahi vada like an assembly line. There is already a crowd. We tell him that we are from Bangalore. He loves it and welcomes us in Kannada! I am surprised and ask him how he knows Kannada and he says he has picked few words.

Joshi at his hot seat



He explains why his “Dahi vada” is not like others. The vada is not oily, soaked in water and dahi is really thick. To top it all he has a secret Masala powder which he sprinkles on the vada adding to the taste. He throws the dahi vada bowl in air to prove how thick the dahi is and ask us to watch if there is any sprinkling of dahi. We don’t notice any as dahi is thick.

Joshi's vada trick!!



He gives us two plates of Dahi vada and it is delicious. It is also very filling. We then ask for Bhutta Ki Kees and finish off that as well. This is the first time we are eating it and it tastes good. The sweetness of fresh corn mixed with mirchi and lemon gives a sort of Katta – Meeta taste which leaving a tangy taste in the mouth. We bid good bye to Joshi saab – an amiable and talkative man –who will gift us a packet of his secret Masala to be carried back home!!

Brinda with Dahi Vadas - Notice thickness of Dahi!



We are now on the lookout for the famous Shikanji of Nagori sweets . We meet the owners of the stall and they say that this is not the season for Shikanji and is prepared in Summers. Bad luck. We gulp couple of Gulab jamuns and jalebis on the way and now on the lookout for famous “Ghamandi Lassi” of Indore.

We check with people around and they suggest us to go to the outlet near railway station. We catch an auto and move towards railway station and there we are in front of the famous shop. The menu is varied but we settle for special Lassi. The Lassi is served – thick with malai and rabdi. The quantity is huge and Brinda could drink only half.

Ghamandi Lassi parlor




“What next ?” I ask Brinda.

“I am full, let us go back to Hotel”

“What about Egg Banjo and Badam milk”

“No space baba, let us go”

“Let us try “Poha –Jalebi” for breakfast tomorrow”

“Ok, let us go now”

We don’t do justice to Indore. We don’t have time to go to “Chappan Dukan” another foodie area. We may have to come back some other time for completing the unfinished task. I am not sure how famous is Indore for Non veg items. being veggies, we did not explore on this. But there must be variety for Non Veggies too.

If you are a foodie, you have to visit Indore. You will love it

But tomorrow in Bhopal we want to visit the famous bye lanes of old city to see those popular Kabab –Bun joints.

[faustus77]

Fauji
Hi
You must love street food rather than food.
Ghamandi lassi is better than Ahuja lassi,amritsar which was considered the best in india by NDTV.I personally liked Ghamandi more.Also I found Kailash at Dadar staion(CR) better than Ghamandi.
Joshi is very good.When i was eating there a local came to him and asked the price of dahi bhalla.His comment on hearing:Ever since you have been on TV you have jacked up your price.
Regards

[C300]

Excellent narration and photos Fauji.
The Baneshwar temple complex is a find for me. Our architectural heritage is unique and beautiful. Attention to detail and craftsmanship is of highest standard.

[motomaverick]

Mouth watering travelog, thats a nice trick to show the tickeness of dahi, have to visit Indore for the food, atleast thats nearer than Delhi

[DieselDestiny]

Hey Fauji, loosk like you had an excellent trip, keep missing the invites from you to join . Probably the next one you do on the 2 wheeled black beauty..

[akbaree]

@Fauji - excellent trip route. I am loving your log and looking forward to rest of the story.

I went to Maheshwar in 2008 and what a trip it was. I am not sure if you met this interesting pandit who belongs to the lineage of care takers at Ahilya bai's personally worshipped temples. Here's the link to the story

P.S.: The maheshwari sarees can do a lot lot of damage financially. We had ended up buying a whole lot of them.

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by faustus77

Fauji
Hi
You must love street food rather than food.
Ghamandi lassi is better than Ahuja lassi,amritsar which was considered the best in india by NDTV.I personally liked Ghamandi more.Also I found Kailash at Dadar staion(CR) better than Ghamandi.
Joshi is very good.When i was eating there a local came to him and asked the price of dahi bhalla.His comment on hearing:Ever since you have been on TV you have jacked up your price.
Regards

You are right. Specially so in North India where the street food is better than the one served in restaurants. The local guys are very friendly with Joshi and we could see many of them are regulars who eat out everyday. Though Ghamandi is really good - i haven't tasted Kailash and is on the list when i go to Bombay (can you give me the address pls) - I still feel the best lassi without any add ons is savoured on the streets of Mathura opposite Krishna temple wheere the Lassi is freshly prepared and served in tall kullads. Another excellent place to have "world calss" lassi is in Banaras. Wait till we reach there

Originally Posted by C300

Excellent narration and photos Fauji.
The Baneshwar temple complex is a find for me. Our architectural heritage is unique and beautiful. Attention to detail and craftsmanship is of highest standard.

Thanks C300. You are absolutely correct. I am astonished to see the graduala refinement of our scultural heritage from Sanchi to Khajuraho and then down south in Belur-Halebidu and Hampi. Wait till we reach Khajuraho which is an outsanding example of our great Heritage. The sculptures here is labelled more as "Erotic" which is nothing but belittling the great heritage you see here. The erotic pieces are possibly 15% of overall sculptures you see here. We will reach there soon in our journey.

I also understand from one of the blogs that the Ahilya fort guys conduct annual cultural festival at Baneshwar temple when water levesl are low by building stage etc. That should be fantastic. Need to know more details.

Originally Posted by motomaverick

Mouth watering travelog, thats a nice trick to show the tickeness of dahi, have to visit Indore for the food, atleast thats nearer than Delhi

Thank you Motomaverick. If you are foodie, Indore should be on your list.

Originally Posted by DieselDestiny

Hey Fauji, loosk like you had an excellent trip, keep missing the invites from you to join . Probably the next one you do on the 2 wheeled black beauty..

Yes sir. Next time do join us. Dont give excuses!!

[ku69rd]

Fauji,
Amazing review as usual your language and flow of things are simply too good. Why don't you seriously consider doing a highway on plate yourself? Will be following your thread till you reach Bangalore. Thanks for those pointers you have given me will share the finer details of my TL once it has been completed.

Quick question: Would you want to share the Finance details around the Fuel/Accomodation?

[creative420]

Just got back from Bhopal-Indore trip. Had the egg banjo. And Poha Jalebi. It's simply out of the world. Bring Bhopal on!

[Fauji]

Total Distance - 270 KMs
Departure time -9.45 AM (Indore)
Arrival time - 5 PM (Bhopal)
Road condition - Excellent
Breaks - Ujjain (one and half hours)
Max speed - 130 KMPH (I never crossed this limit throughout the trip)
Best stretches - Throughout



We get up lazily knowing well that distance will not be much. We think of going to Indore city for Poha – Jalebi breakfast, but drop the idea as it would delay our departure. We have breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel. The preparation is excellent and surprisingly, the chef has also prepared “Bhutte ka Kees” which is really done well. We have a good breakfast and depart for our journey to Bhopal via Ujjain.

The road to Ujjain from the hotel is easy - i think the traffic builds up only from 11 AM as most are into trading here - and soon we are at the toll plaza. From the toll plaza to Ujjain is a beautiful stretch and we reach the town within an hour.

Ujjain is one of oldest and ancient city in the country and was once upon a time a cultural and education hub. Mahakavi Kalidasa was based here and wrote his plays from this place. This is also the place famous for “Dhrupad” style of Hindustani classical music. For someone who is interested on more details about the place here is the Wiki link.
Ujjain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As we reach the outskirts of the town we inquire about the “Mahakaleshwar temple – one of the twelve Jyotirlingas”. The locals correctly guide us. I negotiate narrow roads and come to the chowraha. From the chowraha, the temple is another two KMs. I don’t want to take a chance and try my luck in the narrow roads. We call for an auto and hop into it to be taken to the temple.

The main chowraha of the city with trishul and Kailas!



The temple is big and surroundings are surprisingly clean. We leave our slippers in a stall selling Pooja items. We buy flowers and Pooja items. The favourite flower for Mahakaleshwar is Lotus. We are skeptical of crowds being Navaratri time. We ask the stall owner if there is any special darshan counter. Fortunately there is one and we pay Rs 150 each and enter the temple. Thanks to special darshan we join the queue well ahead of others.

We are not allowed to take cameras inside the temple. We don’t get our cell phones thinking that it is not allowed. But there is no restriction for cell phones like in Shirdi or Tirupati. We couldn’t take any picture of inside of the temple. There is a huge holy pond inside the temple the water of which is used for abhisheka of Mahakaleshwar.

We reach sanctum sanctorum in thirty minutes. The sanctum sanctorum is large. The Shiva ling is of moderate size – must be two and half feet tall. Four Pujaris are sitting at four corners. They are busy in performing special poojas for pilgrims. The good thing about temples in North India is that you can worship the deity yourself unlike in South india where you are not allowed deep inside the Sanctum Sanctorum.

Lord Mahakaleshwar (downloaded from net)



We offer lotus flowers to the lord and come out after a good darshan. As we come out we see a navagraha temple with a Pujari performing rituals. Brinda wants to go there and perform puja. It is Tuesday, Mangalvar - special day for Mangala. He gives me a lota of milk and asks me to do abhisheka to Mangala and I follow the directions. We leave after paying “Dakshina” to Pujari.

We walk around the temple to take few pictures but we are not allowed. I tell them I am a fauji and then they relax.

The temple gopura as seen from outside



We get into an auto and ask the driver to take us to Ram Ghat where we had left our Scorpio. It is already 12.30 in the Noon and is pretty hot. We don't go to the riverside. We have another three hour drive to Bhopal. We say bye to Ujjain.

Ujjain, in the hindsight looks like a mini – Banaras with ghats, river, temples and ashrams. It is also the place where Kumbha Mela is held every 12 years. Ujjain is also famous for its “Bhang Thandai” which we dare not experiment! If one wants to do justice, it requires at least a day. We could not do that and we hit the road.

The road from Ujjain is fantastic and after Dewas till Bhopal it is possibly one of the best roads in the country. Four laned road with not much of traffic, we drive into Bhopal around 5 PM and check into lovely Noor-Us-Sabah palace – A Heritage hotel by Welcome group.

In front of the Palace hotel



The hotel is located on a small hillock and belongs to erstwhile royal family of Bhopal. It is palatial though not grand. The hotel has a charming restaurant named “Marble arch” on the lawns with a panoramic view of the city and lake. One can enjoy beautiful sunsets over Bada Talab sipping Suleimani Chai. Sadly, it is under renovation. Also Cloudy skies spoil chances of a nice sunset.

The view of the lake from Marble Arch



The Central garden of the palace



The Royal Insignia



This city again brought back nostalgic memories as I was selected from the Services Selection Board in Bhopal in 1984. Naturally, the city has changed in the last 27 years but has not lost its charm.

Bhopal is a fascinating place. To me it looks like a mix of Bangalore and Hyderabad. Bangalore from Geography, greenery and lakes perspective; Hyderabad from nawabi – architecture and cuisine -perspective. It is still as small city and is more laid back as it is mostly a “Sarkari” city. We need to thank for that as it still retains the charm. VIP Road in Bhopal must be one of the most scenic roads in the country. The road hugs the fringe of Bada Talab or Big Lake and is very picturesque. A massive statue of Raja Bhoj is installed in the lake. Tall geysers in middle of lake add to its beauty especially at night.

Lake as seen from VIP road



The statue of Raja Bhoj



Another interesting thing I observed while driving around the city is Bhopali’s fondness for Jeeps. I saw many jeeps in the city as well as some of them getting restored. Later, in the hotel I noticed this Austin champ jeep by the Nawab of Bhopal. I happenned to notice this thread on the forum on this
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-w...ab-bhopal.html

For all the Jeep aficionados, Bhopal is THE place. I also happened to see this nice article on the net on Jeeps of Bhopal.

In Bhopal families still drive vintage jeeps that give 7km/litre mileage | Culture | Bhopal

The Austin Champ jeep @ Palace hotel - Notice Royal emblem on the vehicle





There were couple of things on our agenda in Bhopal
a) Boating in the lake
b) Visit famous Mosques
c) Visit Bharat Bhavan
d) Visit Dhrupad academy run by Gundecha brothers
e) Eat chaats in Manohar
f) Drink Suleimani chai in Chatori galli

We had survived the afternoon on Biscuits and Rave Unde and we were now getting hunger pangs. First things first. We had to eat something. I looked at the room service menu and it looked drab. We checked with the hotel till when will the boat ride on the lake will be open. I get the answer as 6 PM. It was already 5.30 PM and there was no question of us going there without eating something. Thus we drop the idea of boating and go straight to Manohar which is Hamidia Road.

Hamidia road is a mess of a place with heavy traffic. We reach Manohar and order for their Dahi Papdi Chaat, Chole bature and finish off with hot Malpuas. The chaats and Chole-batur e is excellent. But malpuas are OK. We are actually spoilt as far as malpuas are concerned after eating them in Pushkar where you possibly get the best Malpuas in Halwai ki n Galli!!

This is the picture we had taken in Pushkar during our trip in 2008

Yummy, hot malpuas



Halwai ki galli - Notice the board which says the sweets are made in Desi Ghee!!



The next stop should be Chatori galli for Suleimani Chai. I don’t want to take my Scorpio into the old city. I drive on the VIP road, stop the car in a strategic place and get into an auto rickshaw.

The evening street food scene



We are now going to taste the famous Suleimani chai – the sweet/salt and creamy chai of Bhopal. It is a taste that will grow on you and it is just too good. We have three cups each!!! More than me, Brinda was floored by the taste.

I notice very closely, how this is prepared. They have a big boiler – similar to the one we see in Tamil Nadu – which is used for tea decoction. The glass is filled half with decoction and remaining half is filled with milk and mixed. The chai is served with a dash of malai!!. I am not sure whether the salt is added to tea decoction or milk. Who cares!!

Here comes Suleaimani Chai!! - Notice boiler in the background



It possibly goes very well with “Bade ke Kabab” tucked in a bun or “Kabab buns” as it is known. It is supposed to be very delicious and next only to kebabs from Tunde Miyan’s in Lucknow. Bhopal is a feast for Non-veggies. You can feast on Jameel’s Biryani, Nalli ki Nihari, etc…..

Kabab Buns of Bhopal





Bhopali roti being prepared to be savoured with meat kebabs fried on tawa



It is nearing 9 PM and we decide now to return back to the hotel. Noor-us-Sabah is famous for its Bhopali Khansama specializing in mouth watering non- veg delicacies. Not for us as we retire with an aim to have Poha-jalebi for breakfast with a quick trip of Bhopal’s famous Masjids in the morning.

the journey continues.......