We started on our 27th long road trip on Aug 25th, last Monday. The plan was to reach Kota from Gurgaon on day 1, Bhopal on day 2, Nagpur on day 3, Hyderabad on day 4, stay an extra day in Hyderabad, Bangalore on day 6 and finally reach Coimbatore on day 7, Aug 31st. On Aug 24th we got the message that many areas in Kota were flooded and the route from Gurgaon to Kota was also flooded after we exit the NE4 (Delhi-Mumbai Expressway). We spoke to Prashant and he spoke to his relatives in Kota who advised us not to drive down there.
First change was to reach Gwalior on day 1 instead of Kota.
Day 1 – Gurgaon to Gwalior
Total distance travelled – 473 kms; Start Time – 7.24 am; Reached Destination – 2.55 pm; Total time – 7.5 hours; Drive Time – 6.5 hours.
The route we took was a little longer. We took the NE4 upto Dausa, then onto Bharatpur. From Bharatpur we got onto the old Agra expressway to reach Dholpur. Finally the regular route to reach Gwalior. Stayed at Park Inn by Radisson. It’s a good hotel, rooms are large, and the breakfast buffet is excellent. As with all roads in Gwalior the entry and exit to the hotel is difficult with autos, bikes and every form of transport blocking your way :):).
We stopped for our first break on the NE4. Ate the dosas that Amma had made the previous day. Made tea… yes, with Teafit. It was the easiest thing to do, just pour the contents into a cup and pour hot water. A perfect cup of tea is ready ! Would strongly suggest you buy Teafit and do read my blog Tea Tales and Teafit.
As soon as we left the NE4 and got onto the Bharatpur Agra highway, we had rainwater pools to drive through and so many cows lounging on the highway !!!
A quick video from our drive on day 1.
Day 2 – Gwalior to Bhopal
Total Distance Travelled – 426 Kms; Start Time – 8.15 am; Reached Destination – 3.00 pm; Total Time – 6 hours 45 mins; Total Drive time – 6 hours 15 mins.
This drive was special as we had a tiny bird as our passenger :):). We don’t know when this bird flew into the front grille of the car, but when we stopped in Shivpuri, after a couple of hours, we found it sitting safely inside the grille. I poked it gently with a twig and it immediately flew away. This was also the day we saw hordes of cows on the road…. they nearly occupied a whole lane in the four lane highway.
Do watch the little bird inside the grille and ofcourse the herd of cows on the highway in this short video –
We reached the Airbnb in Bhopal by 3 pm. I had called ahead and requested for dinner to be prepared. Kamal Bhaiyaa’s food must be eaten. The dal and bhindi subzi were outstanding. Shilpa Ji’s Airbnb apartment is also fantastic. Spotlessly clean and all the essentials are available. After the office downstairs was closed for the day, we brought the car inside the parking spot.
The next day’s drive was a short one to Nagpur. So we requested an early breakfast … aloo parathas, that were again outstanding. Missed meeting my dear friend Sharmila in this trip. Will make up for it on our way back.
Day 3 – Bhopal to Nagpur
Total Distance – 352 Kms; Start Time : 9.45 am; Reached Destination : 3.40 pm; Total Time : 6 hours; Total Driving Time : 5.5 hours
We left Bhopal by 9.45 am. It was Ganesh Chaturthi day. The roads were nearly empty. The exit towards the highway was very easy. Within a few minutes we were near Obaidulaganj and onto the Hoshangabad section.
50 kms of the Satpura ghat section has almost no road. So expect to get terribly slowed down in this section. We managed to get onto the Betul Highway around 12 noon. I did speed up a bit as the highway was in excellent condition. Around 12.40 we were stopped by the traffic police for over speeding.
Krishnan argued with the young policeman that the government needs to pay us the fine for the 50 kms of terrible roads and we would happily pay for over speeding. He asked us to speak to his superior officer which we did. When we told him that my 81 year old mother was also in the car, he wanted to see her. As always everyone melts the minute they see Amma. Our fine was reduced to Rs. 500/-.
Do see the beautiful scenic drive on the Betul Highway. It almost reminds you of Scotland, the green grass is so beautiful. All these videos are made by Krishnan.
We expected a lot of traffic in Nagpur but the roads were nearly empty. We reached our Airbnb easily after a stop at the Haldirams outlet that’s on the highway, just before the city of Nagpur starts.
As we did the last time (in Feb) we stayed in Nagpur, we ordered some Shrikhand from Shrikhandwala, Top Tip Bhelpuri got delivered to the Airbnb and Bajra Bhakri (my favourite). This time we didnt order Puran Poli but got two types of Modak delivered.
The next day was the most adventurous… but read all about it on the next post.
#BharatBhraman