I was working as a Business Analyst with Evalueserve, Gurgaon and had resigned . Got a gap of 15 days before the joining of next job – so had to do something special. Now the important question, what to do. A week before I had a trip to Shimla and so dint want to go to any hill stations anymore, although it was hot and humid April. (and a month prior to that I had went to Thailand, so was in mood to spend much !!)
A sudden thought flashed through my mind to plan a Bike trip from Gurgaon to my home town Aurangabad, Bihar (90 kms from Gaya) . Wooooh !! 1000 kms on Bike, are you kidding me ?? Yes, this was the reaction of most of my friends when I had put forward my farewell plan to them.
But I was determined, jumped to the internet to chalk down my plans for a memorable upcoming journey.This is when I came across Ghumakkar.com and read stories of people travelling through this part (Delhi-Patna/ Delhi-Gaya/ Delhi-Kolkata) and it was good to know that the roads as described from their experience were fairly good. And yes, all these stories had one thing in common, the traveling was made on four wheelers ; while I had to accomplish the same on my Bike – Pulsar 150 ,ahhh !!
There I go , a good servicing of bike, bags tied properly to the back seat filled with extra cushions to support my back, and I started my journey at 5:30 AM in the morning on Saturday morning
(19th Apr’14)
The route was – Gurgaon > Agra > Etawah > Kanpur > Allahabad > Varanasi > Aurangabad
The first step is always the hardest step. Thankfully one of my flatmate Vikas agreed to come with me (on his Avenger !! ) upto Agra to see the Taj and then he would return back to Gurgaon .
We didn’t pick the Yamuna expressway since if you are planning to go Agra from Gurgaon, taking AH1/NH2 through the Sohna Road is always a better option. It prevents you from passing through Delhi traffic, plus no tolls to pay like that on Yamuna Expressway ( and no more tyre bursts !!). The road is pretty good upto Palwal, 50km from Gurgaon, from there AH1 meets NH2 which directly takes you to Agra. Although it was mid April, somehow it started raining around 7 AM and weather became very pleasant, what else a rider could ask for !!
We stopped for chai sutta on two occasions and reached Agra by 10 AM. After entering the Agra city , it took us around 1.5 hrs to reach the Taj because of small roads and heavy traffic although it was only 13 kms from the highway. Anyways seeing the magnificent Taj and Agra fort was quite refreshing. Now my roomy Vikas had to go back to Gurgaon and I had to cover the rest part of my journey alone. I was up for it.
Stopping by the beautiful Taj
Started at 4 PM from Agra to Etawah, and reached Etawah by 6:30 PM, travelling 130 kms. Decided to spend the night at Etawah since Kanpur was 170 kms away and didn’t know any other major city between the two.
Sunset on the way
At Etawah, I stayed at Hotel Jai Palace near the Railway station. You can park your two wheelers at the Railway Parking close to it.The next day, started from Etawah at 8 in the morning, yes a bit late than planned, but I always find it hard to wake up early. Etawah to Kanpur was a six lane road, although with frequent diversions as it was still under construction. Nevertheless ,still good to drive. Reached Kanpur by 11 AM and had my Lunch there. Kanpur to Allahabad was a driving paradise, covered a distance of 200 kms in 3 hours, not bad for a Bike rider.
Kanpur Allahabd Expressway
You will get the Varanasi bypass 40 km before the Allahabad city and I decided to go all the way to Varanasi where I would spend my second night. Well if Kanpur – Allahabad NH2 road was a driving paradise, Allahabad – Varanasi Vishwa Sundari Bypass was way above that. Adding to the beautiful road, there was no traffic as most of them take NH2 route which passes through Allahabad.
Well I reached Varanasi by 8 PM and booked Hotel Sahu near the ghats. This hotel provides facility to park your vehicles also, plus proximity to the ghat and temple saves your time. Visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple next day early morning and reached Aurangabad following the NH2 which was 170 kms away.
Overall it was quite an awesome experience seeing the roadsides, beautiful terrains , visiting new places and meeting new peoples.
Some important tips for Bike riders willing to undertake this route :
1. Make sure you carry a bagpack tied well to your backseat, providing support to your back.
2. The roads are good throughout the journey, with appropriate signboards everywhere. Still go through the maps and jot down the name of small towns and cities that would come through your way.
3. Lastly enjoy your ride, there are many beautiful lakes, rivers (Ganga/Son) on the way , you are not there to race with your fellow commuters.
Travelling indeed breeds tolerance and Tolerance breeds peace!!