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14th of April 2018, it was a Saturday and the eve of Bengali New Year which is also termed as
Poila Baisakh here in Bengal !! Belonging to the so called "Non Bengali" Business Community, it gave me the opportunity to tick off an official pending visit to Tatanagar aka Jamshedpur which I had been delaying for no good reason. I guess this time I was destined to go with Family which would give them a welcome break and enable me to spend some quality time with them. So that was it, the previous night the bags were packed and we were all set to roll.
Although the only change this time would be the car - My Pre-workshipped Ford Endeavour 4x4 !!
Some might think that why this travelogue on Dalma, Dimna & Jamshedpur ? That also for an overnighter !! Yes, a travelogue which reveals some unseen places to eat and explore the area more deeply. Also, taking the lesser traveled route back to Kolkata was the highlight for us on this trip, so thought it is worth sharing.
We left Kolkata at around 07:00am in the morning only to find unexpected claustrophobic traffic at Satraganchi at that hour of the day and simply be helpless about it. We decided to take the conventional route to Jamshedpur and once we hit NH-6, the Endeavour just chased the ORVM's of the traffic ahead of it and grunted past all of it.
A picture of us :
At Kolaghat, do not know why those lines are made in that way ? Very disturbing to the vision of the driver :
The road after crossing Chowringhee More @ Kharagpur :
WIP with concrete being laid :
The Traffic from Lodhasuli onwards upto the Jhargram Exit was snarling and the road condition was also disintegrated due to the work in progress. The exit to Jhargram is an underpass which is under construction. However, once one takes the exit, the state highways are gorgeous to drive on.
The road approaching Jhargram :
A pretty big Ant Hill enroute :
The Endeavour posing amidst the forest :
Exiting Jhargram :
At the Bengal-Jharkhand Border :
In close proximity from the Brubeck Bakery there is this small shop named
Fakira Chanachoor which is apparently very famous in Jamshedpur. So we thought of getting a couple of packets of Chanachoor (Junk Food) packed for Kolkata. A picture of the place :
I had a few hours work in Jamshedpur and decided to drop family to the Resort by checking them in at The Waves International which is located on the Highway. I dropped them to the resort and again headed to the other side of the city where I had some work. After sorting my work, I returned back to the resort in the later part of the evening to find them having fun outdoors.
Ishanvi Cycling :
Mivann in the miniature Jeep Compass :
The Buggy Waiting :
Wanna do some carting ? :
Due to a recent knee injury which was followed by a small surgery, I was unable to do the above and was really regretting it. However, my wife's favourite, the ATV ride was welcoming which we indulged into.
Posing with Mivann :
Us Again :
Post the activities, we again hit the road to try the
Kewat Litti Wala (available on G-Maps also) who is very famous in Jamshedpur. The gentleman has 3 stalls running in Jamshedpur itself. The parent one being in Bistupur, where we landed up going.
A picture of the Man, his Mobile Stall and his offering :
After a light snack we headed back to our resort. Some pictures of the property :
Some family pics time :
According to Mivann, this is how the "Use Me" Hippo at the resort looked like :
We wished the Endy Good Night and retired to our room :
The room was calling :
Our abode for the night :
15th of April 2018, it was a bright sunny morning and we thought of visiting the Dalma Top today for the sake of being in that region. I have been here previously and have had nothing much (as in not much wildlife) to see in the Jungle of Dalma. Anyways, we freshened up and enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast at our resort.
The resort in the morning :
Ishanvi had a Good Night's Sleep :
The kids wanted to play in the Play Area, so we spent some time relaxing with the kiddos. Sharing some random shots :
A creatively done up frog at the resort :
Some Flora as well :
Wildlife at the resort :D :
It was exactly 09:00am and we set sail for the
Dalma Forest. Entry for 2 Adults with the Car and with a Still Camera costed Rs.134/= as the official fees on the Dalma Forest Entrance.
At the time of entrance we came across a few deers. Sharing some pictures :
There was a slight shower on the previous night and we were expecting the forest to be slightly cool. But, the sun was very strong since morning and it was not the ideal weather to be strolling there in the heat.
The Jungle Trail :
Sheep grazing :
The forest :
Driving on the partly rugged track of the forest was a piece of cake for this beast (the Endy) which gave literally no thrill to the person driving it :
The Endy Posing on the Climb Up :
The Endy Posing at the Dalma Top :
The Disinterested Lot :
At the Dalma Top :
The endy crawls down :
And the Monkey Business Begins :
Some last few images of the descent from Dalma Top :
We were lucky to see some wildlife and enjoyed the stroll through the forest. Though an ideal time to be here would be in the rains or during winters to get soaked in the beauty of the forest.
We returned from Dalma back to our resort at around 11:30pm. We requested for a late check out and finally started for Kolkata at around 01:30pm after freshening up and relaxing for a short while.
This boy wanted to be stuck to the resort, spoilt brat :
She was happy to explore more with her scooty :
Finally packed up to leave; a Vintage Snap :
The bold and the beautiful (in the backdrop) :
Instead of taking the same conventional route back to Kolkata we thought of coming back through Midnapore town which would have saved us from the enroute traffic. The advantage of selecting this route was a drive past by the
Dimna Lake which was a beautiful experience in itself.
Some pictures of the drive back through Dimna Lake :
The Endy posing at Dimna Lake :
From this junction we took the following route back to Kolkata :
Dimna-Belpahari-Silda-Dherua-Midnapore Town-Kolaghat
It was a very scenic route with excellent state highway roads. Once upon a time I used to have an office cum warehouse in Midnapore town which used to cater to these regions when the Maoist problems were at it's peak. Very seldom had we been able to visit these areas due to the perpetual problems then. However, there is very scarce traffic in this belt still and it was a pleasure to drive on this stretch. There are operational Army and Police Camps all throughout this belt which ensures safety of the travelers.
Sharing some random snaps of the Journey :
The Endy Posing amongst the woods :
Along side the village roads :
Country roads take me home :
A series of single stories and double storied Mud Houses Enroute :
Nearing Midnapore Town :
The parting shot tells the story of the Red Soil on which the Endy had just traveled :
Being Bengali New Year's Day, I thought of paying a visit to my friends shop in Midnapore to greet him with best wishes for the upcoming year. We reached Midnapore at around 05:00pm and spent around half and hour there before leaving for Kolkata. Felt the real essence of Bengali New Year at his shop which was buzzing with customers. As a kid I remember this happening in our area of residence then. Somehow, it seems lost these days in the city life. I am glad that I made my children experience this first hand !!
Overall, all boxes ticked in this short overnight trip which shall be cherished for long.
Mod's note: Moved from Assembly Line to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful travelogue, arav da! There's no such thing as an unnecessary or short travelogue when it's penned by a passionate car guy as you and garnished with lively and lovely pictures..
"In herds" caption had me in splits.. :-):-)
But I didn't get one thing.. Your car is definitely bold, but the security guard in the background.. He's quite able I'm sure, but beautiful? :-D:-D
Jokes apart, nice thread, thanks a lot for sharing..
It's another excellent travelogue from you, Arav! What makes your travelogue even more interesting is to see how smoothly you can combine some of your work along with your road trip! In any case, it's always delightful to see happy faces of the youngsters on the trip! Keep travelling and keep writing!
Best,
Short and sweet write up Arav. Nice to see 4 smiley faces during the trip. Good to see the interior roads of Bengal in good shape. The ride must have been super comfy in the Endy.
Wonderful travelogue. Jamshedpur is a gem of a city. Minimal traffic/signals, excellent roads and infrastructure, decent amount of commercial structures, and a work-focused citizenbase.
Have spent almost 2-3 months/year in the past 2 years auditing a client there. It felt bliss compared to the commotion in Kolkata.
I too have explored the Dimna lake and Wave, but did not know about the others. Thanks for the info.
If anyone's interested in street-type food, there's a small dead-end lane opposite Hotel Fortune Park, which houses a food joint next to the famous pan shop called "Whatsapp Foods". It has some lip-smacking Desi-Chinese dishes to offer. That place was our post-arrival & before departure ritual for our audit team.
Nice Travelogue & a even nice TRUCK !
I have a soft spot for this generation of the Endeavour & have a strong feeling that in the future a well maintained example of this truck will be a hot collector item for enthusiasts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AJ-got-BHP
(Post 4389007)
The Endy Posing at the Dalma Top : |
Oh wait, thats not the Dalma top!
This one is
Anyway, you are already aware that we were there this December. Coincidentally we took the same route back.
A nice short and crisp travelogue. The best thing about travels like these is that, they recharge your batteries with a good enough drive, you get adequate exposure to hospitality and yet come back and rejoin your work without guilt pangs.
Will look for more of such escapades near to our area.
Rating 5 Stars, although I prefer Mars to 5 stars
Short and sweet TL, Arav.
Beautiful pics and the whole trip looks good enough to be repeated by me too...clap:
Rated 5 stars !!
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