[Duckdoc]

When you are going to be 60 next year, having missed out on a lot of things others take for granted because of being immersed in 'work' when younger, there is sometimes a near desperation to make up for lost time.

Besides, 'meetings' which had been the bane of my existence the past 4 years kind of wear you down and thankfully, with that period just over, what better way to celebrate than a road trip with my wife to Nepal. In addition, a feeling of being 'free as a boid', as John Lennon might have said, leads you to do something different.

A few advised not to go in September with the rain, landslides and the state of the roads but I wanted to go before the start of the tourist season in October, knowing the monsoon starts withdrawing in the latter half of September. A few others were wondering 'why' but paraphrasing RFK Sr, I was thinking 'why not.'

One way was to go by the shortest route, but we were also interested in seeing places and meeting people who work there and also to see an India away from the expressways and Starbucks outlets, far away from the happening places in our country.


The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.
G.K. Chesterton


With the time frame available, however much we wanted to be a traveller, one had to be a tourist also but we tried to do justice to the first as much as possible.

There was a kind of plan to get to Raxaul and then Pokhara but no plan on how to come back. Besides, one cannot plan excessively for a road trip in our country as so many things can make you change your itinerary or go wrong.

I did a 1 lakh servicing at 98,600 km as well as tyre rotation, alignment and balancing a week before departure, as well.

I was not concerned about the boot space as there were only two of us. Other things were the TUSA tyre inflator, a Swiss Army knife, a windshield breaker seatbelt cutter, a hefty jack and an umbrella. Our lap top bags were wedged between the seats. I had earlier changed the spare wheel from a smaller r 16 to r 17. The TPMS read 37.25 PSI for the front tyres and 36.5 for the rear at 27 degrees C.



The trip as planned was to go to Padhar in MP, then Jabalpur, Lucknow, Raxaul and onto Pokhara.



Day 1

My wife and I left on September 1st at 5.15 am. Driving in Andhra was uneventful especially for a short distance on the fabulous Chittoor Tirupathi highway.


At day break on the Chittoor Tirupathi Highway

We had breakfast on the outskirts of Kadapa. This is when it started pouring and once in Telangana it was running so heavily as to affect visibility.

Crossing the Tungabhadra and the Krishna rivers we could see the muddy waters overflowing their banks.

A short distance from the Hyderabad ORR, we had lunch.

This is when the rain increased. Google maps showed congestion on the ramp to the ORR and instead of going left on the ORR we went right which was an additional 35 kms. However, all the underpasses were full of water, but ultimately got onto the ramp. The ORR was fantastic as usual and having set cruise control at 120 kmph, had an enjoyable drive as well.

The problem was at the exit where there was water flowing well above a causeway and had to use an alternate path through slush and mud.

We finally reached Hotel Krishna in Nizamabad at 6.30 pm.

Dinner was in the hotel.

Distance travelled 859 km
Toll 1185 INR



Day 2

We started at 7.15 am in pouring rain. The countryside was green and all the water bodies filled. Once on the Hyderabad Nagpur highway the going was fast. As pretty as the countryside looked, stopping for photographs was not possible because of the heavy truck traffic and the absence of a shoulder in this road. I really admired the roadworks in Telengana as with such heavy rain there was no waterlogging near the median. I later found that 156 trains had been cancelled because of the rain.




Telengana

However, as soon as you enter Maharashtra, bad roads start and trucks with their heavy load swerving right and left became a common sight. Though there appeared to be a quarter hearted attempt at repair since last year, it was grossly inadequate. Being the main arterial road from the South to Central India, I wonder why it doesn't figure on badly needed infrastructure upgrade.

We stopped at the Vithal Kamat near Hinganghat for breakfast for the 3rd time in 2 years. However, the quality of food had deteriorated since our last visit.

The roads definitely improved near Nagpur and soon we were on the fabulous roads of MP. What with very little traffic, it was fast going and we reached Padhar by 3 pm.





RC and his wife DT were my classmates in undergrad from more than 40 years ago and DT, from school also and we stayed in their house. They had been working in this hospital for more than 30 years, providing much needed quality services in a rural area.

DT's father, all of 95 years and hale and hearty received us warmly. We then had lunch there.

Both RC and DT got back from work at the hospital by 5.30 pm. It also happened to be our 33rd wedding anniversary and they made it a memorable occasion.

Distance travelled 558km
Toll 955 INR



Day 3

All of us went for an early morning walk and after a leisurely breakfast, while RC and DT went to work, we spent our time just lazing.

While my speciality and RC's are different there are certain areas where there is an overlap and that day had one and he invited me to the operation theatre. This gave me a chance to witness his skill as a surgeon and I could only admire his expertise, while my wife went to see a doctor who had done post grad in her speciality.

In the evening, RC's brother, also a surgeon in the hospital and the third owner of a Pajero Sport took me and my wife offroading on a hill track close by which was simply exhilarating and out of the world.

After dinner and swapping stories, we were wondering where to stay at our next stop, Jabalpur and I booked in a serviced apartment called 'unTrained and unPlanned'. I think the name is what attracted my attention.

Day 4

After a leisurely breakfast we left at 10.20 am. There are 2 routes to Jabalpur and I was told to go via the Seoni route as it was more scenic and less cows on the road.

It definitely was scenic and roads good till 40 kms from Seoni.





Once we turned into the NH near Seoni, the first 10 Kms were not great, but thereon nearly flawless, with a sample below:

https://youtu.be/J6ABVdUSJHI?feature=shared

There were cornfields and nearing Jabalpur, teak appeared on both sides of the road.

We reached our destination at the apartment complex on the outskirts of Jabalpur and the owner of the serviced apartment, seeing the car registration welcomed us with a bright smile and a 'Vanakkam'. There was an outlet of Indian Coffee House a km away which was convenient for all our food needs.

Distance travelled 377 Kms
Toll 450 INR

[Duckdoc]

Day 5

After breakfast at ICH, we set out for the Bhedaghat boating point at 10 am and found it closed because of the flood like situation.

We then went to see the Dhuandhar falls.We could see the full fury of the Narmada, muddy and swift.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hObyh1j1...5MHRtl0Ob5o_mE

As Google maps said the cable car was closed we were turning back when we saw the cable car in action.

Fortunately, there were no other takers for the cable car and we could see the entire profile of the falls on one side and the Marble Rocks on the other, while on it.





When we got to the other side we could take an open roof Nano and could see the Marble Rocks which was marvellous with white in most places with a hint of pink. Later on in the year, we could imagine boating during a full moon to be truly magical.

After this, we went to a small hospital in Laknadon where a colleague who worked with my wife earlier was, and we had lunch there.

After that, we went to Bargi Dam which was a small detour of 12 kms on the way back.


Bargi dam

We came back to Jabalpur at 5.30 pm and after an early dinner at ICH, crashed out early.

Distance 219 km

Toll 235 INR

Day 6

We set out for Lucknow at 6 am and soon there were cows everywhere on the National Highway. After a particularly bad stretch at a diversion of mud and slush , we suddenly saw a welcome sight called Wayside Restaurant near Katni around 7.45 am.

We then continued and near Satna the hitherto great MP roads deteriorated.


Near Satna. There was another boy in front.I tip my hat to you, Sir, for the sheer ingenuity

Other than a short stretch on the Bundelkhand Expressway, interior roads were not great till we reached NH 30.

On the way, we crossed the Yamuna and the Ganga at Gangaganj. We stopped for a simple lunch at a hospital in Fatehpur where there were doctors who did their training at the institution I work in

NH 30 was a welcome relief. While nearing Lucknow, a calf standing peacefully near the median suddenly darted across. As I was on the left lane and as both of us braked on time, we both had a fortunate escape.

We stayed at the SGPGI guest house, as my wife's undergrad classmate and her husband were senior doctors there, which we reached at 5.30 pm. After dinner in the guest house and a walk around their beautiful campus, went to bed.

Distance travelled 518 km

Toll 415 INR



Day 7

We missed breakfast anticipating a heavy lunch. Around 9 am we set out to see the must visit places in Lucknow, which was a stunning experience. It is worth getting a guide at Chota Imambara and Bara Imambara.




Chota Imambara

However, photos are not allowed in Chota Imambara, so couldn't capture the chandeliers made with Belgian glass. Moreover, as the Chota Imambara is an active place of worship, I had to lend my wife a hand kerchief to cover her hair, which was fine with them.












Bara Imambara


Clock tower


Rumi Darwaza
Next, my wife wanted to do some clothes shopping and we went to a 'chikan' shop. I sat a distance away and my wife was having a long conversation with the salesman. Curious, I went closer and found they were discussing Tamil movies.

After that, there was this fabulous lunch.





I had a car wash done as it was very dirty. In the afternoon, it was time to visit the Residency, which was well maintained by the ASI. Here, as expected, there is a completely different perspective depending on who is saying it. Besides, I have a special interest in the First War of Independence as the revolt preceding this was in the place I work, in 1806.

Navigating in old Lucknow was interesting, to put it mildly, with my wife admiring the riding skills of the Lucknowite. After an exhausting day, as it was pretty hot, we had dinner with our friends in SGPGI and their house was just opposite the guest house. As often happens, after dinner and conversation it was quite late retiring at 11pm.

Day 8

We set out for Raxaul, Bihar, on the Nepal border at 7.15 am. The roads were reasonable. A couple of kms past Ayodhya, had to refuel. When I said, 'full tank', the guy nodded and filled for 400 rupees. At that moment, another guy started involving me in conversation.
Fortunately, as I had read this thread:https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...how-avoid.html (Petrol Pumps | Full tank scam and how to avoid) and I said stop. Then he started arguing saying I wanted a tank full but I said enough, paid him 400 INR and filled up at the next BP bunk.
I little distance from Ayodhya stopped for brunch with filling aloo parathas and chai.

An interesting aspect of the roads in eastern UP, is that the additional lane over bridges and so on opens up and merges on the right rather than the left which I am used to.

Just before entering Bihar, at a narrow diversion, there was a traffic jam for half an hour as a truck has broken down and had to be moved. Anyways, that was a good time for some shut eye.

On entering Bihar the roads were fine till Google maps took us for a ride through some back roads and the car scraped the bottom on a large granite stone with a sickening screech in Raxaul. However, I found out there was a much better road which we could have used.


First glimpses of Bihar

We finally reached a hospital in Raxaul where we stayed. The senior doctor had trained in my speciality and his wife in my wife's and it was good to see them after a long time. I knew that Nepal was close but it was still surprising that the momos we had had been delivered from across the border.
As the car had become dirty again, washed the car down with a hose.

Distance travelled 516 km

Toll 510 INR


Day 9

The next morning, I had to say a few words to the hospital staff before breakfast, because of my white hair. After that, there was the time to look around the hospital which was doing tremendous work for the people of northern Bihar as well as Nepal.

My wife and I went for a drive and saw a few villages and met a few villagers.






School age children (above) playing next to a school building (below)



As we planned to go across the border the next day we got Nepali currency, which is advisable.

[Duckdoc]

Day 10

We set out early and the border is about a minute away. A young man who was working in Medical Records at the hospital was also with us on this trip to Nepal. As soon as you enter Nepal, at Birgunj there is a Customs Office where one has to get a Bhansar for each day you are there. I got it for one extra day and it was for 4 days. I was told this is the only document you require.

As the server was down, there was a steady increase in the number of cars and we got the document by 9.30 am.

After some tea and snacks at Birgunj, we set off for Pokhara. The road till Hetauda was good. Then we had to turn left while the road to Kathmandu went straight. We saw a hotel sign posted caller Smarak which was slightly off the main road. This place was clean with spectacular views and toilets impeccably clean.


Narrow suspension bridges across rivers and valleys connecting villages, a common sight

After breakfast, we continued as the road steadily deteriorated but still reasonable, till Mugling, where there is a fork turning right to Kathmandu and left to Pokhara. There were multiple check posts where on showing the Bhansar, waved on.

From here on, it was slow going because of the multiple landslides in the recent past, with the roads absent in places. We did refuel here and the cost of diesel translated to 98 INR per litre.

Finally, as were hungry stopped at a road side shack near Jamune Bhanjyang. This is run by an extremely friendly guy who became super nice after seeing the TN registration.



This became a regular feature throughout our stay in Nepal from a lady selling tea near the lake to the waiters as all of them knew someone working or studying in southern India. We were thinking that maybe someone somewhere had been kind to a lonely migrant who had been treated like a human being in a foreign land and we were reaping the fruits of that. We also learned that the previous night all traffic to Kathmandu had been stopped because of a landslide.

We finally reached our hotel near Lake Phewa in Pokhara at 5 pm. The hotel was so reasonable that a similar places in India would have cost at least double.


Lake Phewa

We then walked to Lake Phewa and as there were very few tourists quiet and peaceful. We had dinner at the hotel and went to sleep.

Distance travelled 270 km



Day 11

We rose early and set out to see the sunrise at Sarangkot. We also could admire the mountain Machapuchare which dominates the skyline and the snow capped peaks around.






Sunrise at Sarangkot and Mt. Machupuchare

As my main aim in driving to Nepal was to do bungy jumping, we were picked up from the hotel after breakfast for the 101 metre jump site in a beautiful setting with a steep gorge and a stream below.


More important to live life to the fullest than to just exist

Our young friend from Raxaul hospital went first and I was next. This was an adrenaline rush like nothing else especially when you stand before the jump and look down, but it gets over so fast.

After this was done, we wandered the streets of Pokhara almost deserted because of a very low tourist turn out probably because of a recent air crash and road traffic accidents.




Lovely cafes in Pokhara

Pokhara was surprisingly warm. In the evening we did a boat ride on Lake Phewa After dinner by the lake it was time to go to bed as we had to go to Kathmandu and back to Raxaul the same day.


Day 12

We left at 6 am in pouring rain and had decided to have breakfast at the same shack near Jamune Bhanyang. As we were going past to do a U turn, this guy had already noticed us and was waving. This was a leisurely breakfast while looking at the mist surrounding the hills. When we were leaving, he and his mother came down to the car to bid adieu.

We were making reasonably good progress till Mugling where we turned for Kathmandu and were stopped by cops. Apparently, you need a road permit to go to Kathmandu which I didn't have.
He asked for 2000 NPR and a challan was written without the amount mentioned but not given to us. He allowed us to take a photo of the challan and proceed and if stopped to show that. This encounter cost us an hour. As it panned out no one else asked for this.

I was totally against this trip to Kathmandu as I had read about the state of the roads. https://heenainthewonderland.com/tra...nybody%20alive
kind of describes the condition well. However, it was written in the dry season and going in the opposite direction downhill which should have been much easier.

However much I was against this trip, my wife was likewise adamant as it was to meet a teacher who came to the institution where we studied and work, to do his MS Anatomy in the early half of the '80s. As my wife's batch was very fond of him, having visited his country we had to meet him, even if it was for a very short time.

This road was easily the worst road I had driven on with hardly any reasonable strip of road, with most having disappeared with recent landslides. There were craters filled with water and only when the wheel goes in you know how deep it is. As it was mud and slush with heavy truck traffic, you keep going in 1st gear and 2nd if lucky, for the most part. On top of it, you cannot overtake because of oncoming traffic and as it was uphill it may take 15 minutes before you overtake a truck and get stuck behind another one, spewing black smoke. Adding to this frustration were trucks in the opposite direction splashing mud on the windshield and side.

We finally reached the office where our teacher worked, at the Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences where he was HOD of Anatomy, at 2.30 pm. I was wondering how old he was and he mentioned that the retirement age was 73 and he had 4 years left. Actually, it was emotional seeing a teacher after 40 years, both for him and us. With a mixture of happiness, excitement and bewilderment he blurted out to my wife, 'I told you not to come, the roads are so bad', and we could only smile.


Sticking out like a sore thumb at the Institute parking

After a light lunch there, we set out for Hekauda and onto Birgunj and Raxaul.

During the entire trip to Kathmandu, I was grumpy and cursing throughout while my wife was quiet. Now she asked me , 'Aren't you happy you could drive here and make it' and I had to grudgingly agree.

There are 3 ways to go and I was told to the route taken by Tata Sumos and Scorpios.




On the hills looking down on Kathmandu


Kathmandu Hekauda road


While I was told there would be 15 kms of bad roads and then fine, it had become 30 kms with mud, craters, water crossings and sheer drop on the side. At one point there was a huge pile of mud and in 1st gear was sliding slowly to the precipice but by then one wheel was on terra firma and made it without incident. It was also very lonely, being sparsely inhabited. Though very scenic, I was in a bit of a hurry to cross the border. Once we got to the good part, it was full of very steep, winding curves and hairpin bends reminiscent of the Masinagudi Ooty Road, which I love.

At Hekauda, we were stopped and asked to pay a toll of 200 NPR. This time, they gave a receipt. We managed to reach Birgunj by 8 pm for dinner and reached Raxaul at 9. As the visibility was not good through the mud splattered glass, cleaned the glass in the dark with a hose. After bidding farewell to the doctors we knew and our young friend who accompanied us to Nepal, we retired for the night, knowing it was going to be a long day on the morrow and that we had to start early.

Lessons learnt about driving in Nepal, at least in the monsoon season:

Never be in a hurry. Quite likely, Google maps may read 4.5 hours for 70 kms of travel. It is equally possible that you will actually reach an hour later.

Get a Bhansar for a longer period of time than the expected stay.

Get a road permit especially if going to Kathmandu.

Be careful while overtaking. As you overtake, in all likelihood as you increase your speed and move ahead, the road may disappear.

Having said all this, the drivers don't honk unnecessarily and give way, seeing you in the rear view mirror.

Distance travelled 356 km

Toll 200 NPR

[Duckdoc]

Day 13

While in Nepal, we had sort of planned our return journey. On a whim we thought of going to Jharkhand to see an elderly couple RG and his wife LB, who had been working in a village called Chamrabad, near Chandankiyari in a NGO for the upliftment of the local people, especially the women. We got to know them last year when we visited earlier. My wife and I were very impressed by their simple life, living in a mud house and washing their clothes when younger, with the local women in the village pond.

We started at 6.20 am but first we had to drive through the entire length of Bihar. The roads were good and there was a good roadside restaurant for breakfast at 8.30 am. Nearing Patna, we were again confronted with the paradox in Bihar, of fertile land with an abundance of water, of strict laws for over speeding and on the other, people travelling on top of autos and vans. Sitting in the luxury of our car, one has to feel for them just about managing to live. From 20 kms before Patna, it was a pleasant sight seeing riders and pillion wearing helmets. We could have bypassed Patna, but wanting to see this city, we got in and were going round in circles. A helpful cop got us on the right track. We had lunch before Gaya. We originally wanted to see Gaya as well, but as it was getting late, continued on our way. Near the Jharkhand border, traffic was at a standstill for half an hour.

Entering Jharkhand, the roads were good till we turned near Topchanchi onto village roads with multiple speed breakers and cows everywhere. As it was dark, with all the slow going, we reached at 7.30 pm. After dinner at their house, we slept at the guest house. In spite of a powercut, because of the rain and cool breeze we had a comfortable sleep.

Distance travelled 567 km
Toll 600 INR




Day 14

There was an early breakfast followed by a long conversation with RG, while LB went to work, as to his life and work and the reality of life for the locals.


Courtyard of their mud house

It was always refreshing to talk to people who live in a totally different reality than both of us. One must credit people like this, largely unknown who have reduced maternal mortality and infant mortality rates significantly in that area by improving primary health care and improving and teaching standards for midwifery.


View from the guest house, in the early morning

In the evening, was the main event of the day as the people there celebrate their harvest festival called Karam Puja, where teams of young women come from the village and dance in the courtyard of their house. As it was raining continuously, with a powercut, they danced in the car shelter of the adjoining guest house with illumination from an emergency light. Apparently, the lyrics are made up by the dancers themselves usually on contemporary issues.

https://youtu.be/u0wDvnf-p58?feature=shared

Karam Puja celebration

This was followed by dinner with a few young people who were at the NGO at that time.

Day 15

Our next destination was Bhilai and we had our undergrad classmates only a couple of days prior and said would land up, as our plans were fluid. We started at 4.30 am in heavy rain and were making good time towards Ranchi when the map suggested a left turn away from the main road, which got narrower and narrower till it became a foot path. After extricating ourelves, there was an alternate route and soon were on the ghat road before Ranchi. A short while after leaving the ring road, driving was through a section of mud and slush. We finally saw a road side hotel opening at around 8.40 am. He said there was nothing but idlis, which was a surprise we never expected.



On entering the restaurant, there were 2 guys under a mosquito net just waking up. We had 4 sets of the sliced idlis between us with sambar and chutney along with 2 chais which came to 120 INR.

The countryside was green and lush



and then we entered Odisha on NH 143H, which was bad throughout, finally entering the Biju Expressway with reasonable roads but with intermittent speed breakers. Toll has to be paid by cash.

At long last, we then entered NH 53 with good road and then made a small diversion to visit a small hospital in Jagdishpur, Chattisgarh where we had gotten to know the couple there who were the senior doctors there. I had operated her a while back, and when asked when to come for a followup, I had said I would come to their place and see her and was happy I could make good on that promise. We reached at 2.45 pm and had lunch there along with most of the other doctors.

After a couple of hours, we
started for Bhilai. Past Raipur, there was heavy traffic. On entering Bhilai, with the Ganpat festivities in full swing, with massive traffic jams, we reached our destination at 8.15 pm.

Distance travelled 828 km

Toll 730 INR
Biju Expressway 155 INR



Day 16

As both my classmate and her husband had taken leave, there was nothing much to do other than talk and eat. Their house has a big garden where all their grocery needs are met. I had another car wash done.
After a round of shopping in the evening, we hit the sack.

Day 17

Our next destination was thought up at the spur of the moment, Chitrakote falls in the Bastar area of Chattisgarh, an area which pops up now and again for Naxalite activity.

We started at 8 am. Soon we were surrounded by green fields. As NH 30 had good roads we made good time till we hit some ghat roads, where the rain had played havoc. After passing the ghats, the road improved and we stopped for an early lunch at 11.30 am near Kondagaon at a place with good food and toilets.



We then reached the Chitrakote falls car park by 1.30 pm. While one could see cars from almost every state on the Chennai Kanyakumari Highway, I was wondering what had happened to people from southern India driving to these parts. It was then, I saw a Chennai registered Innova and a AP registered I 20 at the car park.

The falls itself was an amazing sight, especially at this time of year with a deafening sound. With the horseshoe shape of the falls, the mind instantly searches for the Maid of the Mist. However, there were only about 15 others with us at the platform viewing the falls and probably many more Indian tourists at the Niagara than at this widest waterfall in our country.

https://youtu.be/zhmT161KyXU?feature=shared

Chitrakote falls

After spending some time at the falls and surrounding shop we reached our destination 40 kms away in a rustic setting near Jagdalpur.


Bastar woodcraft

The roads were good, with very little traffic unlike most of our tourist places and surrounded by green fields gets you in a good mood and having just seen the stunning falls makes you feel elated.

https://youtu.be/dEUnS_7tkS8?feature=shared

Road near Chitrakote falls

We were the only ones at this place, which was good enough for a night stay. They made some rotis and some chicken side dish for dinner.

Distance travelled 331km
Toll 110 INR

[Duckdoc]

Day 18

Our next destination travelling south was Dindi in AP, suggested by one of my colleagues. We started at 7.15 am, passed through Jagdalpur and passed through a ghat section with damaged roads and lonely stretches of forest with camps of our paramiltary forces every 15 kms or so through Bastar district.

https://youtu.be/mDstVTcwDiM?feature=shared

A lonely stretch in Bastar district

There were no restaurants for breakfast however. At the southern tail of Chattisgarh, heading south, there was AP in front, Odisha to the left next to the adjacent Sabari river and a little further away on the right, Telengana.




Last glimpses of Chattisgarh

Finally, entering AP, the signages on the shops included English and we stopped at a roadside shack at 11 am for a late breakfast.

Then entering the Bhadrachalam Rajamundry highway we saw this narrow stream with clear water.




Soon we were on a hill section with bad roads, very little traffic and without mobile network for about 40 kms. However, after driving to Kathmandu, all these were relative now.

The road became better and soon we were on unbelievable fertile land nourished by the Godavari.



We had booked that morning online for a resort adjacent to the river and we checked in at 4 pm for a late tea and snacks.

We then went boating on the Godavari,which incidentally had opened that day as the waters had receded a bit and saw the sunset.



Distance travelled 432 km

Toll 55 INR




Day 19

After breakfast, it was time for a drive. We travelled about 100 kms in the surrounding area of water, water everywhere with roadside canals, paddy and coconut groves.









In the afternoon, we went to a lace factory in Narsapur from where they export to the EU and Japan.

In the evening, it was time for a boatride again and this time the sky was spectacular at sunset.




Sky seeing red at dusk

Day 20

It was time to head home, leaving at 6.30 am. All the way there were lush green fields and as we neared the Krishna, the lush green continued though with palm interspersed instead of coconut.





Breakfast was at the outskirts of Onglole at 10 am.

NH 16 has to be one of my favourite roads till Nellore where it gets narrower by a lane.

We soon were on the road to Tirupati and had lunch around 2.30 pm on the ring road.

After this, driving was a pleasure as always on the Tirupati Chittoor highway and reached home at 5 pm to be welcomed by our dogs with great joy.

As I was turning into the garage, I was thinking, 'What a beautiful country we live in'.

Distance travelled 657 km

Toll 640 INR

[Duckdoc]

Miscellaneous

Our route back from Pokhara below:



Total distance travelled 6680 km

Diesel used 350.2 litres

Mileage 19.1kmpl

Fasttag 5885 INR
Biju Expressway 155 INR
Krishna river toll 25 INR
Nepal 200 NPR

The XUV 300 was brilliant throughout, with a comfortable ride quality. While I was confident of the Mahindra DNA to get through the rough patches, I was worried about the Conti UC 6 tyres with a 55 profile especially on the Kathmandu Hetauda section with rocks and pointed edges and having run 25000 kms prior to starting, but probably I was fortunate, not even having a puncture. Throughout our trip, other than a couple of days, it was raining and with the mud and slush, washed it thrice in the 20 days.

The day after return , the TPMS read 36.5 PSI at 28 deg C and rear was at 35.75 in one and 34 in the other.

A couple of days later, took it for tyre rotation, alignment and balancing and alignment hadn't changed much.

This entire trip was not only about seeing places, but also meeting people, of renewing old friendships and making new ones. The more one travels, the more one has to marvel at our different cultures, eating habits, religions, languages and dialects yet remaining united and a celebration of our diversity, which can happen nowhere else in the world. When you travel on these roads you see it even on our trucks from the plain looking ones with a TN registration to those from further north with aggressive fronts like out of Mad Max Fury to the decorated ones bearing a RJ registration.


'Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.'
Mark Twain


'Try to travel, otherwise
you may become racist,
and you may end up believing
that your skin is the only one
to be right,
that your language
is the most romantic
and that you were the first
to be the first.
Travel,
because if you don't travel then
your thoughts won’t be strengthened,
won’t get filled with ideas.
Your dreams will be born with fragile legs and then you end up believing in tv-shows, and in those who invent enemies
that fit perfectly with your nightmares
to make you live in terror.
Travel,
because travel teaches
to say good morning to everyone
regardless of which sun we come from.
Travel,
because travel teaches
to say goodnight to everyone
regardless of the darkness
that we carry inside
Travel,
because traveling teaches to resist,
not to depend,
to accept others, not just for who they are
but also for what they can never be.
To know what we are capable of,
to feel part of a family
beyond borders,
beyond traditions and culture.
Traveling teaches us to be beyond.
Travel,
otherwise you end up believing
that you are made only for a panorama
and instead inside you
there are wonderful landscapes
still to visit.'
- Gio Evan, poet and songwriter.
Translated from Italian.


As you age and become more reflective, and you feel the joie de vivre of youth possibly ebbing, you do need bungy jumping to 'light your fire.'

Cheers.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Goandiaries]

What a beautiful travelogue, Duckdoc! I had the chance to cross into Nepal this May, but unfortunately, time was too short. I’m looking forward to your update on hitting that 100,000 km milestone soon!

[Happyrev]

Lovely travelogue. So many pictures and memories.

A silly question, when you travel for 14 days do you keep fresh clothes for each day? Especially when your destination is different the next day. I'm assuming it will mean a lot of clothes and several bags of luggage that may become difficult to manage.

Thanks.

[Duckdoc]

Originally Posted by Happyrev

A silly question, when you travel for 14 days do you keep fresh clothes for each day? Especially when your destination is different the next day. I'm assuming it will mean a lot of clothes and several bags of luggage that may become difficult to manage.
Thanks.

Thanks @Happyrev, not a silly question at all. As we travelled for 20 days, we had to plan a bit for this. We stayed with people whom we knew, at a few places in between, where we could wash our clothes.

[ashokabs]

Very well documented including the human bits of meeting people or catching up with old colleagues. For me it was reliving part of my life in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. We had travelled via Raxah and Birganj from our house in the factory township of Gomia ( not far from Hazaribagh) to Kathmandu. It was in 1975 and we had to go Kathmandu via a mountain pass at Daman at 9000+ feet. At Daman from a small tower we were able to see the grandeur of the entire Himalayas as there were no clouds and the sun was setting behind us. I have never seen anything like that again anywhere in the world!

My father worked at Bhilai Steel Plant so I travelled through MP quite a bit. I was studying engineering at Kharagpur and used to visit Bhilai which was just 6-7 hours by train from Kharagpur.

Unfortunately, in those days we were mostly taking black and white pictures and were quite stingy with the film. Cannot locate the photo now. Roads were so-so in Nepal but better on the Indian side. We were driving a Fiat 1100 (circa 1965) so a lot of adventure with the car itself.

Look forward to more travelogues from you.

[argho]

What a drive - awesome !!!

Many thanks for a beautifully written travelogue. You give courage to us to attempt something similar.

And I must mention - we seem to have very similar taste in music, judging by your YouTube clips :-)

[MDED]

Doctor Aiyya,

Stunning travelogue. I am from Sitamarhi and we do share border with Nepal and on umpteen counts I have visited Janakpur, but never to Kathmandu. Few of my relatives are in Kathmandu, but I shudder to go there thinking of catastrophic earthquake it has faced and unabated landslides and downward spiral of the general rule.

Having studied at UNOM, Chennai and having flair for learning new languages, I totally agree to the lines about traveling. It makes one individual a complete individual and helps in making them humble!

[dgoyle]

It was very nice to read this travelogue. I also plan to visit Nepal; your documentation will be beneficial.
It is always fun to meet colleagues and share experiences.
Practising medicine in the non-city environment is certainly very challenging and the contribution of doctors at such locations - private and public - has never been adequately acknowledged. As you said, they have been the cornerstone for reducing MMR and IMR.

[HIGHWAY_PATROL]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this travelogue. The way map-routes are inserted in the narrative reminded me of a travel programme broadcast decades ago in Doordarshan, titled 'A tryst with the people of India'. Wishing the doctor-couple many more interesting travels and hope you would write and share your future travel experiences with us.