[btirthankar]

This is Part 2 in continuation to (Part 1)


The Surprise
As soon as I reached Kolkata on the 10th May 2008, my parents appreciated my feat and immediately proposed that they will return to Hyderabad with me. That was the surprise.


Here is some basic facts:

Journey: CCU-HYD (Via BBSR, Vizag, Khammam)
Vehicle: Innova
Pax: 3 (Me+Parents)
Time: 26 Hours Driving + 2 Hours (Toll etc.) + 2 Hours (Mealstops) = 30 Hours (Door 2 Door)
Start: 5 am 14 May 2008 End: 11 am 15May 2008

[arunmur]

Great writeup, loved your pics.

Just out of curiosity is the timing given by you correct, it says start time from Kokata as 5pm but your pic says 6am.

[btirthankar]

Back in the 80's me and my parents used to do long train journeys on vacations and this road trip they really enjoyed it...esp the scenery and the food.

..and all these months they thought I was crazy... driving pointlessly on highways.

My parents are old but though I was concerned and asked them to carry essential medicines, their health went fine and nobody suffered a cramp even.

Anyways... we are all in Hyd now and they will be taking a flight on the way back to CCU next week.

The Khammam Road I took earlier, I did not remember a thing as it was dark.. here are the photos now.

[btirthankar]

Originally Posted by arunmur

Great writeup, loved your pics.

Just out of curiosity is the timing given by you correct, it says start time from Kokata as 5pm but your pic says 6am.

Regret the typo... it was 5 am start.... droped wifey at airport (for CCU-HYD) and take the new bridge.,...at 6 am (what a miss..... she could not join us as usual this time too)

[akroy]

Nice one Basu !! Great going !! It must be very satisfying to take parents for such a long drive.
Orissa stretch of GQ is really unmarked. Out of nowhere u will find a blockage/diversion.
I sincerely hope the GQ gets complete very soon in Orissa.

Just out of curiosity which route did you take from Dum Dum Airport to NH6? Did you take the Belghoria expressway-Dakshineshwar bridge-NH2-NH6 or the ParkCircus route?

Abhi

[watashi75]

Nice travelogue and pics! By the way what is the state of the road constructions? Are they likely to be finished this year?

[btirthankar]

Originally Posted by akroy

Nice one Basu !! Great going !! It must be very satisfying to take parents for such a long drive.
Orissa stretch of GQ is really unmarked. Out of nowhere u will find a blockage/diversion.
I sincerely hope the GQ gets complete very soon in Orissa.

Just out of curiosity which route did you take from Dum Dum Airport to NH6? Did you take the Belghoria expressway-Dakshineshwar bridge-NH2-NH6 or the ParkCircus route?

Abhi

Thanks Roy. You have always been an inspiration.

But Dangers are lurking at ever corner in the journey:

In this trip:

• I saw a damaged truck blocking the road in the dead of night at at curve.
• One cyclist suddenly crossed the road and blocked it halfway.
• One truck swerved badly while I was overtaking missing me by a foot or so.
• One trailer in front braked suddenly (and they do brake real hard)
• NH9 was again the second worst experience in my life with the miles long jam and crazy vehicles overtaking.

I guess challenges are everywhere, whether journey or life in general. We have to tread carefully and take calculated risks to survive.

My parents had never been in this new car. Also they never thought it is actually possible to do long trips comfortably by road.

I took (Belghoria expressway-Dakshineshwar bridge-NH2-NH6)

The GQ completion in Orissa is uncertain (see the NHAI website). Else if all roads are without barriers then one day technically it will take 16 Hours!!

[btirthankar]

Originally Posted by watashi75

Nice travelogue and pics! By the way what is the state of the road constructions? Are they likely to be finished this year?

Road Constructions are incomplete. The NHAI website shows the status of tenders awarded. Many of them are over-over-overdue. Actually the problem seems to be land acquisitions and encroachments. (u cannot build roads in sharp angles and steep elevations)

The NHAI initiative seems to be very complex.... Gram Panchayats, Central Govt. State Govts. MLAs, PWDs, Farmers/ Landowners ... everybody is involved.. and not to miss local goons who siphon off construction material (esp. in West Bengal)

The best way is to call the army... bulldoze and build roads on war footing with steel guard rails and a ready patrolling. (Patrolling is very necessary)

Then the issue of sales tax and RTO check posts where parking is necessary but not there.

Our country is in a mess still...

[btirthankar]

One day this crossing will be History.

[phamilyman]

naish pics, but the truckie pics are the reason I love touring on bikes

That being said, amazing stuff man - gr8 on part of man and machine both. Gotto look y'all up when I come next to hyd!

[aaggoswami]

I wonder how you managed it! What was fuel effeciency of Innova, because afterall, you must have refueled 2-3 times.
Great, this time more of man than machine.

[btirthankar]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

naish pics, but the truckie pics are the reason I love touring on bikes

That being said, amazing stuff man - gr8 on part of man and machine both. Gotto look y'all up when I come next to hyd!

Those mighty trailers with 20 something wheels and multi-tonne load, torquing a climb at 1000 something rpm gives me adrenalin rush.

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

I wonder how you managed it! What was fuel effeciency of Innova, because afterall, you must have refueled 2-3 times.
Great, this time more of man than machine.

It was an endurance test for me and I did not have to push my limits. I realized its easier doing these long trips

• alone (less stops)
• less food (eating increases metabolism and reduces activity)
• loud music (more if u are alone)
• alone (again, less talking and more concentration.... I have been telling stories to my wife to keep her entertained on occassions)
• perfect climate control (with heater sometimes)
• lots of water (keeps the blood flowing to the brain)
• perfect timing (u gotta time it right to achieve escape velocity (of a city's traffic)) generally it would be afternoons or 3 am

The benefits: while going (HYD-CCU) Hundreds of miles passed like a conveyor belt below me.... time shrank.

On return the same stretches became hell:

• congestion (wrong timing)
• fatigue (could not even press accelerator properly, let alone have the right mindset to overtake.... was just lugging behind other vehicles like a railway bogey)
• a 10 km felt like a 50 km

If the mind is right.. u can take on anything... u really have to be full with the right spirits, focus and motivation to sustain high average speeds from beginning to the end.

Overtaking is important as they are like barriers to your performance and mileage... an occasional high rev smoke billowing overtake is better than lugging at 40kmph for an hour getting 10kmpl instead of 14 kmpl and losing an hour as a result and effectively losing 100 bucks of fuel.

stoppages are harmful...rule of thumb... every hour of stoppage increases the distance by 100 kms.

I'd say no matter what u do within the journey other than driving.(photos, food, pee breaks),.. they all expand the journey time on total like an elastic and u may end up driving the last leg in fatigue condition having a cascading effect on your performance and making a mess out of the whole thing.

[liberal]

Just wanted to say Thanks for sharing.

Enjoyed every bit of your both posts detailing your trip with wonderful pictures.

[huntrz]

Excellent pics mate. you seem to be equally well versed with your camera as with your car.

[btirthankar]

Originally Posted by huntrz

Excellent pics mate. you seem to be equally well versed with your camera as with your car.

Thanks, but I am just an amateur photographer with an eye for shots which people generally ignore.