Roads

Delhi to Kedarnath, a long and arduous journey

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The continuous rains had made the final climb even tougher. While I waited with the kids, my husband and Ajay bhaiya went in search of a tented accommodation put up by GMVN. I was told that there was a long queue even for this basic accommodation, however Ajaybhaiya managed to get 5 beds for us in tent no C80. The accommodation was very basic and each bed meant a foam mattress and a sleeping bag.

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Pune to Bangalore Road Trip

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There were many Kamat Upachar all the way through, but we chose to stop near tumkur. Immediately after the tumkur toll there was this Kamat. The lunch was excellent . They also serve in the traditional banana leaf. Enjoyed the food, the quality was very nice. We took quite sometime at this restaurant and left by 2 p.m. to Bangalore.

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Bhalkimachan – the royal bear hunting grounds

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The Zamindars and the royal family members of Burdwan used this place as a hunting spot and constructed several Machans for their convenience. Thus Bhalki and Machan combined to give the place its current name Bhalki Machan. The etymology can be broken down into Bhalu ki Machan. Bhalu means bear. Machan means an elevated resting place for the hunters to hunt down wild animals.

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Gurgaon-Lansdowne Weekend Road Trip

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I will finish the story with few words about the Oak Grove Inn. The hotel is running for past one year and after an initial slow take off it remains full on most of week ends now. The normal rooms are small but very clean. I would recommend the family room as it is huge in size but there is only one available. Next time I go there I will ask for the top floor rooms which have a wide balcony (ideal for playing cards or chatting in a group) in front

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Delhi to Lucknow in 5 hours via YEW and Agra Lucknow Expressway

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It was a pleasure driving on this road. I counted 57 vehicles while going towards Lucknow on this expressway which means a lot of people are still unaware of it. I tried to maintain a consistent speed of 120 kmph on this road, but to my surprise I found I was driving at 130-135 kmph. There is very little noise while driving on this road. I encountered total 4 small diversions (diversion means when you have to drive on the wrong side of the expressway).

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Goaing – from Goa to Delhi

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After the mandatory getting-lost-and-going-round-in-circles-before-finding-the-destination that we seem to do in most new cities, we reach our destination after 2 solid hours of wandering the drowning streets of Ghatkopar in a downpour worthy of …. Mumbai! The thing to note is that more time was spent in negotiating the traffic (read: stuck in traffic) than driving!

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Travel reminiscences from the 1970s …

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рдЕрдм рдХреЗ рдмрд┐рдЫрдбрд╝реЗ рддреЛ рд╢рд╛рдпрдж рдХрднреА рдЦрд╝реНрд╡рд╛рдмреЛрдВ рдореЗрдВ рдорд┐рд▓реЗрдВ,
рдЬрд┐рд╕ рддрд░рд╣ рд╕реВрдЦреЗ рд╣реБрдП рдлреВрд▓, рдХрд╝рд┐рддрд╛рдмреЛрдВ рдореЗрдВ рдорд┐рд▓реЗ

While recently listening to the above gazal of Ahmad Faraz,by Mehdi Hassan,the line тАЭjis tarah sukhe hue phuul kitabon mein milenтАЭ jogged my memory about the old faded travel photographs of years gone by lying, for decades, in the trunk in the basement.

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The road less travelled – Kolkata to Kaluk

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At about 1 p.m. Tara took his first halt at Teesta Valley. Very near to this place is the point of White Water River Rafting on Teesta. The area is dotted with a few small eateries run by the local villagers. Tara took us to one named Tashi Restaurant. All the eateries here, as this one, are very basic. I am a bit apprehensive about eating at small joints as the hygiene factor is low, but had no other alternative here. However, the good food coupled with the beautiful Teesta flowing beside the eatery made me set all thoughts aside for a few moments. Had it been some other place, such a beautiful locale would surely have been commercialized and turned into a Mc DonaldтАЩs or KFC with the wealth again going to the rich hands.

Our car moved on towards Jorethang. Tara was true. The stretch from Malli to Jorethang was in really poor condition. Although it was for wider and better roads in coming days, the ride was extremely stressful for us. Clouds of dust engulfed us at short intervals. We are much more impatient than our counterparts residing at higher altitudes.

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рд▓реЗрд╣ – рд▓рджреНрджрд╛рдЦ

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рдЖрдпреЗ рдЗрд╕ рд╕реБрдЪрдирд╛ рдХреЗ рд╕рд╛рде рдХрд┐ рд╕реБрд░рдХреНрд╖рд╛ рдХрд╛рд░рдгреЛрдВ рд╕реЗ рдЖрдо рдЬрди рдХреЗ рд▓рд┐рдП рдиреБрдмреНрд░рд╛ рд╡реИрд▓реА рдХреБрдЫ рджрд┐рдиреЛрдВ рдХреЗ рд▓рд┐рдП рдмрдВрдж рд╣реИ рдЕрдд:рдЦрд╛рд░реНрджреБрдиреНрдЧрд▓рд╛ рд╕реЗ рд╡рд╛рдкрд╕ рдЖрдирд╛ рд╣реЛрдЧрд╛ред

рдКрдкрд░ рдЬрд╛рдХрд░ рдпрд╛ рд░рд╛рд╕реНрддреЗ рдореЗрдВ рдХреБрдЫ рднреА рдирд╣реА рдорд┐рд▓рддрд╛ рднреЛрдЬрди рдХреЗ рд▓рд┐рдП рддреЛ рдкрд╣рд▓реЗ рд▓рдВрдЪ рдХрд┐рдпрд╛ рдФрд░ рдлрд┐рд░ рдереЛрдбрд╝реА рд╣рддрд╛рд╢рд╛ рдХреЗ рд╕рд╛рде рдЪрд▓ рдкрдбрд╝реЗ рд╡рд┐рд╢реНрд╡ рдХреА рд╕рдмрд╕реЗ рдКрдБрдЪреЗ рд╕рдбрд╝рдХ рдорд╛рд░реНрдЧ рдкрд░ рдЬреЛ рдХреА 18380 рдлреБрдЯ (5602рдореА) рдХреА рдКрдВрдЪрд╛рдИ рдкрд░ рд╕реНрдерд┐рдд рд╣реИ,рдмреЗрд╣рдж рд╕рдВрдХрд░реА рдЙрдмрдбрд╝ рдЦрд╛рдмрдбрд╝ рд░реЛрдб рдЬреЛ рд▓реЗрд╣ рд╕реЗ 40 рдХрд┐рдореА рджреВрд░ рд╣реИ, рднреВрд░реЗ рдирд┐рд░реНрдЬрди рд╡рдирд╕реНрдкрддрд┐ рд╢реВрдиреНрдп рдЗрд╕ рдорд╛рд░реНрдЧ рдкрд░ рдЪрд╛рд░ рдкрд╣рд┐рдпрд╛ рд╡рд╛рд╣рди рдХрдо рдФрд░ рджреЛ рдкрд╣рд┐рдпрд╛ рдЬреНрдпрд╛рджрд╛ рд╣реЛрддреЗ рд╣реИ,рдореЛрдЯрд░рд╕рд╛рдЗрдХрд┐рд▓ рдФрд░ рд╕рд╛рдЗрдХрд┐рд▓ рдЪрд╛рд▓рдХреЛ рдХреА рдпреЗ рдкреНрд░рд┐рдп рд╕рдбрд╝рдХ рд╣реИ рдФрд░ рд╣рдореЗрдВ рдЕрдкрдиреА рдЧрд╛рдбреА рдЗрдирд╕реЗ рдмрдЪрддреЗ рд╣реБрдП рдЪрд▓рд╛рдиреА рдереА,рд▓реЗрд╣ рд╕реЗ рдХрд┐рд░рд╛рдпреЗ рдкреЗ рдорд┐рд▓рддреЗ рд╣реИ рдпреЗ рд╡рд╛рд╣рдиред

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рджрд┐рд▓реНрд▓реА рд╕реЗ рд▓реЗрд╣-рд▓рджреНрджрд╛рдЦ – рд╕рдиреНрдирд╛рдЯреЗ рдХрд╛ рд╕реМрдиреНрджрд░реНрдп

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рдЗрд╕ рд╕рдм рдЬрдЧрд╣реЛрдВ рдХрд╛ рд╡рд░реНрдгрди рд╢рдмреНрджреЛрдВ рдореЗрдВ рд╕рдВрднрд╡ рдирд╣реА рд╣реИ,рдпреЗ рдЖрдк рдЗрд╕ рдпрд╛рддреНрд░рд╛ рдХреЗ рджреМрд░рд╛рди рдЕрдиреБрднрд╡ рдХрд░рдХреЗ рд╣реА рдЬрд╛рди рд╕рдХрддреЗ рд╣реИредрд╡рд┐рдорд╛рди рд╕реЗ 4 рджрд┐рди рдореЗрдВ рд▓рджреНрджрд╛рдЦ рднреНрд░рдордг рдЖрдкрдХреЛ рдЬрдЧрд╣ рджреЗрдЦ рд▓реЗрдиреЗ рдХрд╛ рд╕рдВрддреЛрд╖ рддреЛ рджреЗ рд╕рдХрддрд╛ рд╣реИ рдХрд┐рдиреНрддреБ рд╡рд╛рд╕реНрддрд╡рд┐рдХ рдЦреВрдмрд╕реВрд░рддреА рдХрд╛ рдЖрдирдВрдж рд▓реЗрдирд╛ рд╣реЛ рддреЛ рд╕рдбрд╝рдХ рдорд╛рд░реНрдЧ рд╕реЗ рд╣реА рдЬрд╛рдИрдпреЗред

рдХреЗрд▓реЛрдВрдЧ рд╕реЗ рдзреАрд░реЗ рдзреАрд░реЗ рд╕рд░рдЪреБ рдкрд╣реБрдЪреЗ рд░рд╛рд╕реНрддреЗ рдкрд░ рдФрд░ рджрд┐рди рдХрд╛рдлреА рдмрдЪрд╛ рдерд╛ рддреЛ рд╕реЛрдЪрд╛ рд░рд╛рддреНрд░рд┐ рд╡рд┐рд╢реНрд░рд╛рдо рдкрд╛рдВрдЧ рдореЗрдВ рдХрд░реЗрдВрдЧреЗ,рдЖрдЧреЗ рд╡рд┐рднрд┐рдиреНрди рд░рдВрдЧ рдХреЗ рдкрд╣рд╛рдбрд╝ рд╣рд░реЗ ,рдиреАрд▓реЗ ,рдкреАрд▓реЗ,рднреВрд░реЗ ,рд▓рд╛рд▓ рд╕рднреА рд░рдВрдЧреЛрдВ рдореЗрдВ рд░рдВрдЧреЗ, рдЕрд╡рд░реНрдгрдиреАрдп рд╕реБрдиреНрджрд░рддрд╛ рдЪрд╛рд░реЛ рдФрд░ рдмрд┐рдЦрд░реА рдкрдбрд╝реА рд╣реИ рдФрд░ рджреЗрдЦрдиреЗ рд╡рд╛рд▓реЗ рдЧрд┐рдиреЗ рдЪреБрдиреЗ рдпрд╛рддреНрд░реА рдмрд╕ред

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