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Exploring East India – Day 10,11 & 12

Day 10 : 14^th June, 2019

Started early morning from Joka had tea in a local shop, bought Poori and Sabji in a local shop in howrah and proceeded towards Bubaneswar. Had lunch on route. Reached Bubaneswar by 5 pm and visited Lingaraj Temple. Kalinga Architecture . Main lord is both Shiva and Vishnu.

Had a great time in admiring the architecture. A poojari there enquired if we were from Tamil Nadu. He had our former Chief Minister Ms.Jayalalitha’s photo in his box. Was really surprised to see that. There were lots of Shiva lingams in that temple. There was a smiling Sun God. You smile he smiles more. Such a divine beauty. After enjoying we needed rest and planned to stay in Bubaneswar itself. Handy came our apps and booked a room. Got a good room on the NH12 itself . Availed room service dinner and went to bed.

Total Kms. Travelled :513 Kms

Total Toll paid :Rs.580.00 approx

Day 11 : 15^th June, 2019

Started by 6 am and back to home journey started. We wanted to visit Chilika lake (India’s largest Salt water lake)but felt it may take lots of time. But on seeing the sign board we couldn’t resist. The car choose the path towards the lake. Took a Boat ride for almost 3 hours(Rs.2000 per Boat) and visited a Kali temple and shiva temple. Enjoyed the trip.

With full satisfaction of a complete trip had a lychee fruit juice and started.

Stopped for lunch in a Dhaba . Byepassed Visakapatnam , had dinner in a small hotel (had idly and dosa after 10 days)and reached Rajamudry by 11 pm. Had good rest.

Total Kms. Travelled :619 Kms.

Total Toll paid :Rs.745.00

Day 12 : 16^th June

Final day of our trip. Started by 6 am had tea and breakfast in a local hotel . had plans to buy some sweets in Vijayawada and luckily found one good shop. We wanted to enjoy the real authentic Andra meals and our car took an detour inside Ongole. Found one nice crowded hotel near the Busstand and had full Andra meals. Awesome. Next stop was to purchase Banganapalli mangoes in the plantation area. Got few kgs and reached home by 7 pm.

A great trip of total 5058 Kms and had great experience. Thanks to our car for this great trip.

Total Kms. Travelled :655 Kms.

Total Toll paid :Rs.770.00

Total Kms travelled : 50058 Kms.

Total Toll Paid : Rs.4892.00

See you in my next trip !!!!

Exploring East India – Day 8 & 9

Day 8 : 12^th June, 2019

Started by 5 am in Kishanganj and proceeded towards Kolkatta. Heavy traffic in Dalkola . Via Rainganj, Itahar, Malda, Sujapur ,Palassey(had lunch) and reached Kolkatta. Stayed at a hotel in Salt lake city.

Total Kms. Travelled :491 Kms.

Total Toll paid : Rs. 250.00

Day 9 : 13^th June, 2019

Planned for local tour. Took Ola taxi and visited Kalighat Kali temple. It is one of the Skathi peeth. Beware of money grabbing pujaries there. We were not allowed to pray near kali. You pay them you can stand there. Or else you need to move. But somehow Kali gave us very good Dharshan and we came out happily.

Then we went to Victoria Memorial Hall. Huge palace buit in memory of Queen Victoria with white marble . Very beautiful. The guide explained us everything we need to know. Gave us a clear picture of East India Company . The photos and paintings showed how Kolkatta was years ago.

Had a wonderful time enjoying it . Outside atmosphere was so humid that we sweat a lot. Came to a hotel had lunch and went to see Howrah Bridge. One marvel it is. From Howrah took a Ferry across Hoogly river to Kolkata Millennium park. Spent some time and then went to New Market. Not much to purchase . Took a cab to Joka had dinner and stayed in a hotel there for the night.

Total Kms. Travelled :Not much as we hired a taxi (73 Kms)

Total Toll paid :Nil

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Exporing East India – Day 7

Day 7 : 11^th June, 2019

As per plan decided to start by 7 am . Had good sleep and morning tea at the resort. Decided to have breakfast somewhere outside we started our car. As the climate was good and had clear sky we decided to go to Tiger hills before we started downhill. Wow ! Kanchenjunga(world’s 3^rd highest mountain) view point – mesmerizing with snow covered mountains. Luckily had my binoculars and enjoyed the view with nice chill weather.

It was 9 am and decided to go downhill. Had breakfast at a restaurant on our way. Journey started and the view was excellent. We choose the other route to come down. As we wanted to visit Mahanand wild life Sanctuary near Siliguri we decided to travel via military base . But we missed the safari and travelled further north to view the Coronation Bridge. Had lunch in a hotel. We saw the Sevoke military base and the coronation bridge. It is an Engineering marvel. The Coronation Bridge, also known as the Sevoke Bridge, in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India, spans across the Teesta River, connecting the districts of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri. National Highway 31 runs across it. Since it was not possible to obtain support from the Teesta river bed due to the depth and current of water, the entire bridge was supported by a fixed arch, which had its two ends fixed on rock layers on either side of the river.

After enjoying the view and walking across the bridge we started our journey back to Siliguri and to Malda. We had to take a slight detour as there was heavy traffic and came into Bihar state. Decided to take a break in Kishanganj. Were able to see the villages and the amount of hard work they put into farming. They were working late night to pack and load the corn in the truck.

Got a good hotel in Kishanganj and took a family room . Had dinner in their restarant and took good rest.

Total Kms. Travelled :200 Kms

Total Toll paid :Nil

Exploring East India – Day 6

Day 6 : 10^th June,2019

Morning as decided wanted to start late. So, sat on the balcony enjoying the passing cloud and the drizzling with a cup of hot tea. We started by around 7.30 am . Planned to visit Pasupathi Market which is in Nepal. Had to park the car in the Indian Border show our ID cards and were allowed inside Nepal. Spent an hour in the market. Nothing to buy (full of cosmetics, dress and electronic goods)but was a different experience.

From there up to Darjelling the road was packed with Pine trees on both sides . Had lunch on route and checked into the hotel by 4 pm. There is this toy train safari inside Darjeeling and we were excited to see the train going . The tracks are on the road and one can see the train going now and then with loud siren sound. The resort we booked was below the road level. We had to walk 50 steps down are more to reach the hotel. Rooms were cozy and beautiful. The entire town of Darjeeling has narrow roads and steep hills. Driving was a real challenge. Really I should mention that the people as well as the traffic police there were real friendly and guided us very well. We were surprised to see police or local public coming out of the way to help us . Without them Darjeeling traffic would be a mess.

The manager himself took us to Japanese Peace Pagoda . Beautiful Monastry and participated in the prayer. Visited the Buddha statue and his life sculptured up on an elevation.

He then took us to the local market. Just walked by and had dinner.

He picked us back to the resort and had good sleep. There was heavy thunderstorm and rain by midnight . Weather was so pleasant. We couldn’t remove our winter clothes . Enjoyed thoroughly.

Total Kms. Travelled :100 Kms

Total Toll paid :Nil

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Exploring East India – Day 5

Day 5 : 9^th June, 2019

Today we want to reach Darjelling via Siliguri before sunset and started an early journey. Via Raiganj, Dalkola, Islampur we had to reach Siliguri. Dalkola is a bottleneck [Dalkola is a city of Uttar Dinajpur in the state of West Bengal. It is the second most important Commercial city in WB] the road are always flooded with heavy lorry/truck traffic. There was an accident and trucks were parked for nearly 2 to 3 kms. We had to travel on the wrong route and reach the spot. Somehow they were clearing the area and we were allowed to pass through. No vehicles behind us for nearly an hour. Ha ! ha !

lorry traffic

Accident

We had to check our vehicle in Siliguri as we felt the clutch was bit tight. Went to Maruthi Service centre and had a speed check. Thanks to the Service manager for responding immediately.

Of course special thanks to Google for guiding us to the service center.

On route we decided to stay in Mirik as rooms were not available in Darjelling. Mirik is a small town and a municipality of Darjeeling District in the state of West Bengal, India. Mirik has become a tourist destination for its climate, natural environment and easy accessibility.

The centre of attraction is Sumendu lake surrounded by a garden. Booked a nice Hotel in Mirik which had a great lake view. Had lunch on the way up hill. The roads to Mirik was wonderful and broad enough. We stopped in few places, enjoyed the scenic beauty, the clouds passing by …..Had tea in a local Nepal shop . Found lots of Nepalese and common language was Nepal. They were also speaking Hindi. Were able to understand English though. Checked in the Hotel which was steep uphill and was adventurous driving. The hotel had a beautiful view to Bokar Monastry and Sumendu lake . Checked In refreshed and went to Bokar Monastry. The full name is hard to pronounce and remember – Bokar Ngedon Chokhor Ling monastery. This is located at the highest point of Mirik at an altitude of 5,800 ft. A must visit place. Full of positive vibration and energy.

Spent few hours there and came to the lake. It is 1.25 Km long. The lake has 80 Ft. long arch footbridge across the lake called Indreni pull. Horse riding, shopping, boating can be done here. There is a floating market also. As we were late we just had tea and momos(which is a local food there).

Spent few hours and walked around the lake and enjoyed the scenic beauty. Came back had dinner and went to bed. Sat on the private balcony and enjoyed the pleasant chill weather and the view of the lighted Bokar Monastry and lake!

Planned for a late start next day …

Total Kms. Travelled :200 kms

Total Toll paid :Rs. 180.00

Exploring East India – Day 4

Day 4 : 8^th June, 2019

The sun rises very early and by 5 am it was bright and shine. We started early and via Dumdum airport proceeded towards Malda. We were proceeding via GT road . Took a slight detour into Singur to have breakfast. Found a sweet stall and enjoyed local flavor sweets and kochori sabji. Ate rabdi, Milk sweets and got some for our travel too. The shop owner was very nice and friendly. When he understood that we are from Tamil Nadu he really was surprised . The entire town of Singur had potato storing facility.

Again came back to the main road. Somehow Google got us into a village road. With lots of speed breakers, and curves. But with less lorry traffic. Via Rajipur, Burdwan, Palitpur, karimbridge we joined Baharampur highway.

Reached Malda by 6 pm . Lots of eateries were there just outside our hotel and enjoyed local bhelpuri chat and pani puri etc., Did little shopping and went back to room.

Total Kms. Travelled :337 Kms

Total Toll paid :Rs.270.00

Potato Storage facility

Exploring East India – Day 3

Day 3 : 7^th June, 2019

Plan was to reach Kolkatta today via Konark. Started by 5 am and drove via Puri – Konark Marine drive. All the trees along the cost were uprooted and it will take years to revive back the beauty. Fani has totally flattened everything. Reached Konark by 7 am . Konark Sun temple is a 13^th Century temple at Konark about 35 Kms north east of Puri. Dedicated to Sungod Surya, the temple has the appearance of a 100 foot high chariot with immense wheels, all curved from stone. The Sun Temple was beautiful with 24 wheels. There is a mandapam with beautiful sculpture depicting the various dance muthdras. The Architecture was unimaginable. The restoration work of the damaged parts are underway. We were wondering how this temple would have been when it was built. Part of the sculptures were damaged. But still it had its own beauty.

Had breakfast near the temple in a Marwadi hotel. Poori and Subji. Was delicious. We actually enjoyed the local flavors very much. Was very different from south Indian food. Found lots of lychee fruits sellers on the road and that was our lunch. Mangoes and lychee. Via Cuttack , Panikolli, Bhadrak, Baleeshwar we entered into West Bengal. At the checkpost we had to face some culprits. Few men stopped our car and demanded Rs.3000 . Asked for reason and they said ‘no proper documents’ (without out even checking). We whisked away when the guy went to stop the next vehicle. Ha ha ! narrow escape. Via Vidyasagar Bridge entered into Kolkatta and checked in a hotel which was in Salt lake city. As we were planning to proceed to Darjelling via Malda we preferred staying in Salt lake city. Had dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Total Kms. Travelled :579 Kms

Total Toll paid :Rs.590.00 approx.

Exploring East India – Day 2

Day 2: 6^th June, 2019

We wanted to start early so that we can reach Puri by night. We started by 5 am . Had a nice tea in Tea Time in Rajamudry. We took a slight detour in Visakapatnam to see the port . Beautiful city with hills on all sides. Enjoyed the view very much. Via Srikakulam entered into the next state, Odissa.

Beautiful state with greenery everywhere. We had tea in a small tea stall. Had some discussion(with my broken Hindi and with the help of Google translate) about Cyclone Fani. The boy said you will see along your route to Puri. Via Chhatrapur, Chilika lake we took the Jananathan road towards Puri. Alas! a road with lots of restrictions. We had to drive through lots of markets, speed breakers, villages etc., But got a real feel of Odissa. Locals were very friendly . We had to cross check with them to confirm the route here and there. As the boy said we could see the devastation of Cyclone Fani along our route. Most of the trees were uprooted and houses were roofless. It has hit the coastal town on 5^th May. Even after a month normal life has not been restored. No electricity along route and restoration works were still going on. We reached Puri by around 6 pm . Booked a OYO room in Puri. Was good. Had a good bath . Found out that the temple timings are up to 11pm. Along with my parents took an auto and went to the temple.

Swami Vivekananda

Company owned outlet

Beautiful view

Beautiful temple. Had good Dharshan . There are few astonishing facts about Jagannath temple. The Sudarshan Cakra on the top of the temple look just the same from every direction. Jagannath is workshipped as Vishnu or Narayana or Krishna. Visit www.jagannath.nic.in to know more about the timings and dharshan. Mobile is not allowed inside the temple. There is a place where we can leave our mobile and slippers for a reasonable fare.

IMG_20190606_214404 Wooden Chariot is getting ready for the Car festival/Ratha Yatra/Gundicha Yatra(Every year New chariot is made). It happens in the month of June-July. Chk out the temple website for more details. Came out by 10.00 pm and had dinner in a nearby hotel . Went to room by auto and had a wonderful sleep. Quite a number of hotels are there in this temple town. Temple Devasthanam also has its own accommodations. If you plan well in advance you can book online in one of their Yatri Nivas.

IMG_20190606_164809

Total Kms. Travelled : 636 Kms

Total Toll paid :Rs. 642.00

Exploring East India – Day 1

Hi All ! It may sound crazy but we wanted to explore India by car. It all started with just a spark saying why not ? We wanted to travel across East India. (We have already travelled by car up to Pune, most of Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Kerala.) So this time we selected West Bengal.

Planned for 10 days but extended up to 12 days. I checked with my parents who are in their 70’s and believe it or not they were really excited of the idea.(My father used to travel from Chennai to Neyveli by Scooter in those days). So no doubt of him enjoying this trip. List started getting ready and I put things in place. Got service done for my car.

Packed dresses for us two, winter clothes for Darjelling, Umbrellas, medicines etc.,My parents came to Chennai the next day itself and yes we made an outline plan.

Day 1 : 5^th June, 2019 -Km reset to 0

Started by 7 am from Chennai. Locked Google map on to our Dash Board. Took the Bye-pass road via puzal, Red hills, Karanodai reached Andra Border. Our plan was to reach Visakapattnam for night stay. I packed idli with podi for breakfast and dinner. Packed curd rice for lunch . ( My parents are old and thought may be one day can avoid outside food).It was very helpful as we could not find any good hotels on our route.

Gudur, Nellore, Kavali, Ongole, Guntur, Vijayawada, Eluru, Rajamudry. We had to travel through Vijayawada town and could see the town was very well maintained with lots of trees and neatly arranged garden along the route. The trees were thematically

IMG_20190605_091615

painted and huge sculptures were made out of waste material along t

he pathways. It was 7 pm when we reached Rajamudry and decided to break for the night. The roads were good except few diversions. Big Hanuman(Anjaneyar) statues along the route welcomed us. Few hundreds were paid for Toll plazas .For every 2 hours break was required to refresh ourselves.

We did not book any hotels as we were not sure about our destinations for each day. Planned to book then and there. Make my Trip, Goibibo, Agoda came handy. Checked in a hotel in Rajamudry by 8 pm. It is a decent small town in the banks of Godavari in East Godavari District with quite a number of hotels to suit everyone. Almost everything is available in the bazaar. Good tea shops (Tea time, Tea tree etc., where we can get snacks and tea(Rs.10)).The hotel we checked in was good for a night stay. Thanks to Make my trip ! Clean and neat bed and bathrooms. What else do we need !

Total Kms. Travelled : 655 Kms

Total Toll paid : Rs. 865.00

Hotel Alankar ( near Rathinagiri Murugan Temple)

Hi all!

Today had an opportunity to visit Rathinagiri Murugan Temple. The darshan was very nice and divine. It is a Murugan Temple on a small hill close to Chennai Vellore highways before Vellore.

After the darshan we came down ans went to Hotel Alankar which is located near the entrance opposite to canara bank.