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It is probably the driest season of the year in most parts of our country sparing the Himalayas. Maybe it is a good time to publish a long pending travelogue of a cross country monsoon ride with family from Bangalore to Kashmir on a Brezza a.k.a. Nightfury in August 2018.
Teaser Introduction
Like every travel enthusiast, it is a dream to do a cross country road trip. Most of my trips are confined to a radius of 500 km from Bangalore but all that changed in 2018. The first half of 2018 was hectic due to official commitments and I did not take a single holiday. I desperately needed a break and spend good time with my family.
So thought of taking them on a long road trip. I told my wife about the proposal anticipating a sure NO (are you nuts kind of). To my surprise, she was in double agreement. I had deliberately included destinations from her wish list :D.
The theme was to do a monsoon ride covering different geographies of this country.
Plan# 1 : Beach+Western Ghats+Rann+Thar Desert+Himalayas+Cold Desert
It didn't materialize because this would take atleast a month and we cannot afford. Also, the Rann would be marshy and Thar too hot.
Plan#2 : Beach+Western Ghats+Forts and monuments+Spiti circuit
All sounds good, can be managed in a reasonable time and we started our journey with this plan. Fate had something else in reserve.
The route traveled
The pit stop for us is Gurgaon where my brother and parents live.
All things packed we started our journey 10th AUG 2018, the destination for the day was GOA, through molem/castle rock.
Started 05:00 AM and my passengers hit the bed as soon as I hit the pedal. My sleep was deprived too and it demanded a break within 3 hours of the start. I Pulled the car aside and took a power nap.
As we approached Chitradurga, the rains intensified.
The moment we took bifurcation at Dharwad towards Molem, the landscapes transformed.
Micro roof gardens - might help reduce thermal radiation
It was pouring down heavily
The rivers were full
Earthworm hunting, I guess
Mist was thick, it was dark
Every single waterfall was merrymaking.
We reached our hotel Morjim Heritage by 8:00 PM. It was raining all the way, wet and muddy we checked in to our beach cottage. Ordered dinner and called it a day.
Wooden cottage, very basic but neatly maintained.
Next morning my daughter (Mahi) was excited to see the beach which was only meters away from our cottage. The sea was rough. The sand was wet and compact due to rains. The wind was strong. Clouds and sun were playing hide and seek. Patrol was active although no one was there. Fishermen were busy catching from shore as they cannot venture into the sea. They cast giant nets and haul heavy long ropes you see on the foreground. Strenuous teamwork. Mahi was eager to see the catch.
Master camouflage
After a short stroll, we went back, had breakfast freshened up and Mahi has transformed to Moana.
Morjim beach is an Olive Ridley turtle hatching habitat, went there but couldn't find any, they say it would be after the monsoon.
Day 3 | Panvel to Udaipur
Delay begets delay. Started late and Udaipur is 835 km as we preferred via Ahmedabad for eateries. All rivers were flooded, trucks tires splashed mud generously. Along with Diesel, the wind shield water was fast emptying. Lesson: Never drive in night during rains, the headlights take up mud every few kilometers and visibility goes for a toss. To further spice-up things, the news of heavy rains devastating western ghats and lower Himachal was worrying. Tensed and did not stop for photos, reached Udaipur midnight.
Day 4 | Udaipur - Kumbalgarh - Gurgaon
Next morning we were ready by 9:00 AM. Had an excellent breakfast and briefly explored Udaipur.
Next destination : Kumbalgarh
Aravallis were different. The vegetation was arid but not during the monsoon. We cannot believe this was Rajasthan, who said Rajasthan is a desert.
Reached Kumbha at 1:00 PM but traffic jam at the fort entrance took another 30 minutes. Spent some 4 hours, the view of Aravallis from fort walls is amazing. People of Rajasthan have a charm, we came across a group of village women in traditional attire. They were singing folk songs in chorus as were hiking up the fort.
Mahi wanted to ride the ship of desert. She wasn't scared but I was for her, what if she falls 8 feet down. I guess sometimes we need to overlook our fears.
The roads leading to and from Kumbha were narrow but manageable. I was in hurry to get to Highway before sunset. The problem is cattle, they rest on road especially after sunset. Gurgaon was a long way and I decided to stretch because the next day is going to be a rest day with Parents and Brother. Roads were excellent, was easier than we thought, reached Gurgaon 02:00 AM.
Day 5 | rest
Original plan from here is to do Spiti circuit. The news of floods, land slides and road connectivity in Himachal (Shimla and Manali) were worrying. I was unsure to take sound decision. I approached
Tanveer (tsk1979) for a quick suggestion and he was generous with prompt reply. He suggested an alternate itinerary and advised to expect delays and also keep a day spare to spend more in Spiti. But you know we cannot convince our parent's fears especially when all TV channels are going gaga over floods. So plotted an alternate plan, Kashmir. Now there is a surprise, my brother took a week holiday and joined the band wagon. Nexon has joined Brezza for Kashmir. It is going to be a memorable trip, a big family tour.
Day 6 | Gurgaon to Jammu
We started at 06:00 AM and were slow as we are a mix of different age spectrum from 2.5 years to 71 years. The travel here on cannot be hectic. We were at our comfortable pace with adequate breaks for all demands. Reached Jammu at 8:00 PM. The hotel we had booked was a big disappointment. Cannot take family there. Started exploring last minute options and found a decent one.
Day 7 | Jammu to Jawahar Tunnel :D
We were at our own pace, nicely enjoying the views of the first time in Himalayas. The road construction and heavy traffic was hampering. Destination was Pahalgam. But this is Amarnath yatra season. Security was on high alert. We were stopped at Jawahar tunnel citing some unrest in the valley. Along with us there were several tourists stranded and pleading the guards to let us cross.
The guard was patient and replied
"Sir, it just takes a second when that happens, yes a second not even a minute, there is no thinking back afterwards, no point regretting losing your loved ones. please bear with us, come again tomorrow morning when all the security is set, we will let you cross safely." Makes sense...
We went back to Banihal, checked room availability at JKTDC and bingo they had enough rooms and that too on a discount for Amarnath season. I'll vouch for JKTDC rooms, affordable, neat and clean.
Day 8 | Banihal to Pahalgam
Next morning we started around 7:30 AM and reached Jawahar tunnel at 8:00 AM. The guard smiled at me and started conversing in Kannada. He has noticed the KA number plate and assumed some one from his home place has come all the way. The feeling is invaluable. I politely replied, I work in Bangalore, I can understand Kannada but cannot reply. He let us pass and there you go.
Titanic view point
I had always assumed Kashmir valley to be mountainous but to my surprise soon after we cross the tunnel, we felt like we were in Thanjavur rice belt. August is pretty warm in the valley. Crossed the plains and reached Pahalgam. Amazing place.
We checked in to hotel, had lunch and left for Aru Valley.
The roads were steep sometimes scary but its all worth.
We came back to Pahalgam, strolled around rose garden, market place, bought souvenirs, tasted yummy street food, had nice dinner and called it a day.
Day 9 | Pahalgam - Gulmarg - Srinagar
Next morning started from Pahalgam for Gulmarg.
Grave and Beautiful
Gulemarg, true by the name it stands for.
Precautions: We should be vary of rip off while in Kashmir. As this was a big tourist destination not long back, and there is still a significant population that survive on tourism. As they have no other source of income, prepare to get ripped at every possibility. For example, at Gulemarg, touts will convince you for a pony up to cable car lift. It is just a matter of plain 10 minutes pleasant walk.
We headed back to Srinagar for a night at boat house. We had booked using booking.com but the boat house fella refused to honor. Good, I had not paid in advance. I was wondering what to do now. There was another boat owner looking forward to us and asked if we can consider visiting his house boat. We stepped in, negotiated and got a great deal. It was a corner boat, the view from balcony was stunning, especially the sunrise.
The karigari of wood work is exceptional.
The boat owner was talkative. He can remember stories from British era. He narrated the history of house boats. During the British raj, the Maharaja of Kashmir did not allow permanent land for British officers to live. Instead, allowed them to live in temporary shelters such as house boats. The Britishers built lavish boats and since then the culture of house boats started. The boat we stayed, he said is 50 years old, built by his grand father. It seems the dwindling tourism since the unrest has made their life miserable. They are struggling to even maintain the boats.
When you stay at house boat, the morning ritual starts with another string of rip offs in the form of flower vendors, ornament merchants and photographers. Enjoy, take it easy, may be politely refuse, may be negotiate a bit if you are looking to capture your moments.
Day 12 | Jammu to Gurgaon
It was an easy drive we reached home by 07:00 PM
Day 13 | Rest
Night fury, 30k regular service was due. Gave it to MSIL service center. First time since running in I tried synthetic oil.
Day 14 | Gurgaon - Tajmahal - Gwalior
Soon it was pouring down heavily
Mahi was shivering, she is least interested in Taj Mahal. We wanted to head back but the downpour was intense. We took shelter under one of the arches of Taj, an hour passed the rain doesn't seem to stop. We took the brave step to go all wet. Finally got into the car, wiped the hair off, changed dress and headed to Gwalior.
This is supposed to be the
Grand Trunk Road, one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads founded around 3rd Century BCE by Mauryan Empire (
Reference). Some parts of it still exist in original state. Today, it is called NH44.
Day 16 | Jabalpur to Hyderabad
Lond day today, started at about 09:00 AM and were accompanied by rains all the way.
Notice the mud covered number plate, was stopped by traffic cops. I said, sir, it is difficult to clean the number plate every 50 km or so, given the kind of downpour happening and road construction works. Paid some fine as time running out and a long way to cover.
Wild balsam bloom
We reached Hyderabad at about 10:00 PM, had dinner and checked in to some hotel.
Day 17| Hyderabad to Home
Our hotel was closer to Hussain sagar. Strolled around a bit and moved on.
Fun with Pigeons
Krishna was full
There was an arrow straight flat stretch and I noticed a train parallel to us. Wanted to snap a whole train in a single frame horizontally. Pulled the car aside and got this. There are 42 bogies+engine+trail head. It must be about half a kilometer in length.
Kurnool
Another train shot, but the intention here is to capture the arid landscape. I think some parts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu remain barren during the southwest monsoon.
Gooty fort
One last hurdle before Home, the classic Bangalore traffic.
That brings us to the end of this travelog. Western ghats, Aravallis, Himalayas, Beach, Waterfalls, Snow capped mountains, High passes, and a few monuments. It was a trip we will cherish for a long time. I wish you enjoyed the slide show. Looking forward for the next monsoon season.
Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful pictures! clap:
I just love the monsoons, and after going through each post - can't wait for the summer to get over, rain to start - so I can take the bike out and get drenched while soaking in the countryside views! :)
What people like me do in three different trips, you have done it in a single trip! :D
What a marvelous travelogue! Loved reading it thoroughly. Be it Goa, Rajasthan or Kashmir, all the pics you have shared are simply breathtaking.
Rated a much deserved 5*. clap:
Nothing can beat the essence of a long cross country road trip. You get to mix with different people, know different culture, taste different local cuisines. One has to experience it, to feel it. Its like doing a practical session of what we have read in our history and geography books during our school days!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful travelogue.
Wow that is an epic travelogue with superb pictures! The Nexon joining you guys must have been a pleasant surprise. Moreover it is always good to have another car as company. Once again, you capture really nice pictures! Thanks for sharing the travelogue and wish you travel to many more places.
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