Road Trip to Heaven...(Part 1)

Sep/Oct 2012

Looks like it has been a loooong week (refer to our post Revitalising)! Also, we have not traveled much since our Wellington trip two years ago L.  

To catch you up, G and I have relocated to Chandigarh and believe me, it is a weekend trip heaven (long or otherwise). So far, we have visited Shimla, Kasauli, Amritsar, McLeod Ganj and Kashmir.  To help us travel to these places, we have on board this absolutely beautiful and stunning beast called Bolero. Oh! We love the vehicle, and it shall be our partner in crime for travels in the hills and beyond.

The road trip + details of the places we visited will become very lengthy for a single post. So, we will be presenting Kashmir in two parts.
Kashmir Part 1 - The Drive
Kashmir Part 2 - Three Exotic Destinations 

Considering our previous track record of posting consistently, prayers are in order for the subsequent posts I guess!!

Kashmir Part 1
The Drive

How it came about
Our initial plan for the Gandhi Jayanti long weekend was Dehradun and Mussoorie. However, a colleague who had planned a trip to Kashmir asked us if we would be interested. My conversation with G went something like - “Wow, Kashmir will be beautiful!– hmmm, Srinagar has a direct flight from Chandigarh. Or, do you think we can drive down?.... Possible, but we don’t know how it is to drive down to Kashmir na?” 

Well, the flights were filled up. So, we decided to do some G&R (Googling & Research LoL. I am mighty pleased with the acronym, so please don’t burst the bubble!).

Shikara at sunrise at Nigeen Lake
More about our boathouse experience in Part 2

Planning the road trip

This was our first long road trip. G&R came up with 665 km from Chandigarh to Srinagar; according to Google Maps that’s a cool 11 hrs. Well, we knew from experience we had to add what we call Google Maps Factor (GMF) to this estimate since we will not be able to travel 60 kmph throughout the trip. A quick calculation and further G&R gave us an estimate of 16 hrs. We decided to split the travel over two days (6 hrs + 10 hrs).
We were met with concerned apprehension from people who learnt about our trip; not safe –need to travel by convoy with security during night– nakabandhi – road opening units that will make our journey slow and painful. But we were sure we wanted to take the road on the simple (maybe naive) logic – (1) People do live in Jammu - Kashmir and lead normal lives (right?). Worst case we will be delayed (2) (Read point 2 in a whiny tone) How can we leave our Bolero behind? (Ya, that would be me!) 

Packing for the drive

Since we knew the route was entirely a National Highway, we were not too stressed. However, packed basic essentials.

BRO Entertainment!

- Torch and additional battery.
- Music that will keep you entertained if not for the BRO signages

- Newspaper and soft cloth to clean windshield. Cigarette in case the windshield fogs up. Also, carry couple of bottles of water for cleaning etc.

- Cool drinks, drinking water and wafers

- Stay option details. As in list of hotels in cities you probably will stop for the night. This was very helpful when we decided to halt in Jammu City instead of Pathankot. Feed numbers on to your phone if possible. - Navigation tool (we used Google maps on our BB)
- Vehicle mobile charger   

Route 

Chandigarh – Hoshiarpur – Pathankot – Jammu - Patnitop – Peerah – Ramban – Jawahar Tunnel – Qazigund - Anantnag - Srinagar

Onward Day 1:

Plan: Drive to Pathankot and halt for the night

Actual: Departed Chandigarh at 3:45 pm and we did good speed. We were at Pathankot at 8:30 pm and decided to drive to Jammu City for the night. We reached Jammu at 10:15 pm. A good decision because Jammu - Srinagar estimate itself was 10 hrs. 

Notes: If you have no plans to enter Jammu City, we suggest you take the NH44 Jammu – Kunjwani bypass.  It will save you a neat 30 minutes.  

Eat: McDonalds and CCD at Dasuya after Hoshiarpur. Comes on to your right side while you drive up. Punjabi dhabas are available throughout the route.  

Rajma-Chawal-Desi Ghee at Pheera

Onward Day 2:
Plan: Pathankot to Srinagar and arrive late in the night.

Actual: Started from Jammu City at 7:45 am and reached Srinagar at 5:15 pm. Hurrey! 

Notes: Drive from Jammu to Katra diversion junction road is bumper to bumper traffic and slows you down due to the Yatris heading to Vaishno Devi. After Jammu, ahead of Nagrota, do not take the Nagrota bypass since the road is still under construction.

Eat: Punjabi Haveli at Katra. Other major towns enroute - Patnitop, Peerah for the famous Rajma-chawal-desi ghee. You can stop at Kud before Patnitop for some yummy Patisa. Ramban is a district HQ and has decent options.

Driving Experience

Kashmir from Titanic Viewpoint

Jammu and Kashmir valley are connected by Jawahar Tunnel built by Project Beacon of Border Roads Organisation. Roadall the way up to Srinagar is a National Highway and the road condition is good. Breathtaking beauty - Army/CRPF  presence is a constant all through the drive.  One will see zillion army and CRPF  convoy movement with men and material, and loads of civilian lorry and fuel tankers. Fresh vegetables, milk, meat, fuel ply on these roads to feed and run Kashmir valley. Now we understand the magnanimity of a road blockage due to land slide and snow in this region! The presence of security forces may be constant, but, there was no random nakabandhi. However, during our early morning drive back from Patnitop, we did see road opening units sweeping the roads for mines . I guess the threat still lurks in the background! 

Once you cross the Jawahar Tunnel, pull over for a few minutes to take in the beauty of Kashmir at the Titanic Viewpoint. 

Getaway from Srinagar  

View on Apple Orchard Road 

• Gulmarg is a 90 minute drive. Head West from Srinagar on NH1A and get on to Srinagar - Gulmarg road (SG) about 15 kms on to the NH. There is a prominent signage for you to take left. SG is a well laid out 4 lane road and the drive is a breeze.
• Pahalgam is a 3 hr drive. It is a base camp for the Amarnath Yatra. You drive South to Anantnag and go North East on the Khanabal - Pahalgam Road (KP Road). However, we recommend you take what is called Apple Orchard road. To get on to Apple Orchard road, take left at Bijbehara before Anantnag. The road is newly made, is less crowded and scenic. Though the top layer work is happening for the last 3-4 kms, it is motorable. This route is not mapped on Google maps.

The return trip

The return trip was pretty straight forward. We started from Pahalgam at 1:00 pm on the KP Road since it connects to Anantnag. We reached Patnitop at 6:30 pm and stayed at Hotel Alpine run by Jammu Kashmir Tourism Dev. Corp. We started at 7:00 am on day 2 and reached Chandigarh at 5:30 pm.

The road trip was definitely a memorable one. 6 days, 1644 kms, 3 exotic destinations! What more can one ask for. 

In the next post, we will talk of our three destinations, things to see, stuff to do and more. Stay tuned and drive safe!!

Congrats Top 100!!!

We made it to the Top 100.

Thanks a bunch for your help!

Cedia Freedom Trail: A Preview

Our earlier posts (The Concept of the Trail, What is Freedom?) have presented that we will embark on a 'Freedom Trail' on The Great Driving Challenge. The drive is taking place in August and culminates a day after Independence Day. The natural thing to do was to base our travel plan theme around Indian Independence. However, we wanted the theme to be broad and inclusive. Hence, we decided to focus on ‘Freedom’ – in it’s various forms as we experience it, and aspire for.

Selecting the cities / towns we would visit was the next big thing. The organizers have set a parameter with respect of minimum distance and maximum distance per day, and start and end point to be Mumbai. So, the outer limits were defined. We had a choice of going down South along the Konkan and visiting hometown Bangalore and our present home, Hyderabad before heading back to Mumbai, via Nagpur. Having evaluated quite a few options, we converged on one thing – we should follow the route of the Salt Dandi March from Sabarmati to Dandi, the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement lead by Gandhiji which took the Indian Freedom Struggle to a climax. In fact, we wanted to end this drive tracing the path of Dandi which has made freedom of many kinds possible. We started working backwards - Ahmedabad, Indore, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Sholapur, Pune, Mumbai.

Each of these places on The Cedia Freedom Trail represents a different facet of freedom we would like to focus on. Baramati – providing a ray of hope to sugarcane farmers; Basavakalyana – a place named after the revolutionary social reformer Basavanna who propogated social equality in the 12th century; Hyderabad – a city that was known for its laidback attitude till very recently but today represents the progressive India that we all are part of; Basara – a temple town dedicated to the Hindu goddess of learning Saraswati the only in the South; Nanded – the city that became the permanent abode of Guru Gobind Singh; Tadoba – part of Project Tiger Reserve and is a relatively less popular tiger reserve; Nagpur – the central city of the country housing the Zero mile marker; Betul – experience the richness of central India’s tribal culture; Mhow – synonymous with the Indian Army and housing some of the Army’s finest training establishments; Godhra – look at the healing process in this infamous town; Ahmedabad – Sabarmati and everything else to do with Gandhiji; Daman and Diu – the only union territory on our itinerary; Nashik – the vineyards capital of the country.

Each of the cities that we are passing though has something unique to offer. It also represents a different facet of the concept of Freedom that may not be mainstream, but significant none the less. We present to you The Cedia Freedom Trail at The Great Driving Challenge on a canvas that is wide, vibrant and fresh.

Enjoy the ride with us! We look forward to your company as we seek to understand ‘Freedom’!

PS: We are yet to agree whether this post should have been so philosophical in nature or not. Sowmya feels that we should let you guys know of all the fun elements right away while Guru feels that it should be saved for the drive! Like with any couple, the argument continues :)

What does travel mean to me?

By Guru

What does travel mean to me? As a child, I remember vividly that travel entailed visiting my grandparents in Bangalore during the summer and Dasara holidays. These trips were something we looked forward to eagerly – an opportunity to meet with our cousins and extended family, attend weddings and generally run riot. It also meant a lot of packing and being repeatedly told, what to do and more importantly what not to. When we eventually moved to Bangalore in 1985, travel was limited to an occasional day trip to a nearby place. Having lived in five places across three states, from small town Hiriyur to our present home Hyderabad, one gathers fond memories and varied experiences.

When I entered high school and joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC), I got an opportunity to go on my my first ‘big’ travel - a 10 day National Integration Camp in Himachal Pradesh. Over the next 5 years, More camps were to follow - Bangalore, Tumkur, Mysore, Delhi, Tirunelveli. By the time I was 18, I had calculated that I actually had spent 5% of my life in NCC camps! My first trip abroad too was a NCC Camp, if I could call it that. I was part of the Indo Canada Youth Exchange Programme – a 6 month programme where one was paired with a buddy, had to stay with a local family and also undertaken voluntary work. We spent 3 months each in British Columbia, Canada and Haryana, India. I can today claim to have homes of my own in Haryana and Canada. NCC has given me several opportunities to a RJ at the Canadian First Nations Radio to build additional rooms for the government school in Haryana. I have made friends for life, with whom you can pick up a conversation after several years as though it were yesterday you met them last. Ability to appreciate alien culture and alternate thinking and adapt oneself to local conditions and practices is one of my biggest takeaways from the programme, something that helps me in my ravels even today.

RJing at CFNR radio station in Terrace, British Colombia

With Gill, Daniel and Taylor of host family in Canada and Canadian parter Steve

My work with the Jain Group of Institutions in Bangalore has taken me across the country and abroad - either to conduct road shows, setting up new projects or taking students educational trips. From Vapi in Gujarat to Silchar in Assam; from Kanpur in UP to Port Blair in Andaman these trips were enjoyable since it gave me an opportunity to interact with a wide cross section of society and also savour the local delicacies. When you travel with a group of 70 teenagers on international tours, you have to be on your toes, always! I have had my share of thrills – a student detained in Singapore on suspicion of carrying a banned weapon, spending four nights in a hospital in Pukhet with two students with broken leg and an arm each, making sure that our guide wasn’t kidding when he broke the news of the 9/11 attacks while we were blissfully posing with panthers in South Africa. More enjoyable and fulfilling were the numerous day trips to the villages in Kanakapura Taluk as we went about in a missionary zeal implementing the Kanakapura Cataract Free Project.

My stay in Jamshedpur as a student at XLRI gave me a rare opportunity to experience firsthand the vision of Jamshedji and the concept of labour welfare, Tata style. Probably the only town in India with tap water being potable and practically 24 hours power supply, Jamshedpur is truly a model industrial town.

TATA Steel plant view from XLRI hostel roof top

My present home, Hyderabad is a city that offers a very endearing mix of the laidback and progressive. My current job at the Indian School of Business offers me diversity and challenges that are hard to come by and an opportunity to associated with the biggest educational brand in this part of the world. I travel a fair bit and these are invariably short business trips. Business travel is very different, yet can seem to be just the same, no matter where you are going. Airport lounges, cabs, hotels, meetings, dinners, travel lite – the same routine typically. The experience can sometimes isolate you from the reality outside. I consciously try not to colour my opinion about the city I am visiting, based on the hotel I stay in. Believe me, it is very easy to let that happen. Especially, when you have run out of dinner time talking points!

Staying away from Bangalore also means that Sowmya and I make frequent weekend trips back home to meet with our families. Train nos 2785 and 2786 have become an integral part of our lives.

I have two complaints though –
a) My work in Hyderabad has never taken me to Bangalore. Darn!
b) We somehow have never gotten to travel in Andhra Pradesh – my recent acquisition of the Outlook Traveller’s 45 Weekend Getaways should change that soon.

In between, we have had our share of leisure travel. Our pursuit for a good holiday has taken us to Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Konark, Puri, Ahmedabad, Kumbalgarh, Kumarakom, Goa, Shantiniketan, Kolkata and we have only returned home happier.

Sunset at Kumarakom
So, what does travel really mean to me? I am no thinker. However, I think the great poet T S Eliott sums it up best – “The journey not the arrival matters”.

The Great Wall of India!

March and April of 2009 had been two very busy and stressful months for both of us at office. At the end of it, the urge to put on our wander hat and take a break was at its peak. And, we were yet to use our 3 year old Club Mahindra membership and some holi‘days’ were about to lapse.

It was a deathly combination to not take off on a trip. We picked up the phone and called Club M to make a reservation either in Madikeri or Thekkady or any resort in the cooler climes to beat the Hyderabad heat. “Madam, the resorts are all booked up to mid July. Do you want to make a reservation in July?” Of course not…. We wanted to go NOW! NOW NOW NOW!!!

We make a last attempt and say “Is there an opening in any of your resorts in May?” After putting us on hold for what seemed a lo(oo)ng time, the customer service executive replies “We have 5 days available in Kumbalgarh”.

The ignorant me “Where is this?”
Reply “Rajasthan Madam”

Rajasthan? In peak summer. You must be crazy…….
Hmm....what the heck… Let’s take a shot. (As Guru reasoned out, 42 degrees cannot be worse than 40 degree!). We sought our friends opinion on Facebook for our plan and got a thumping ‘Thumbs up’.

Fort Kumbalgarh
Location: 85 km from Udaipur, Rajasthan
Built in: 15th Century AD
Popular as: The second most important fort after Chittorgarh Fort in Rajasthan
When to visit: October to March

‘Impregnable’ that’s the description that crossed our minds when we first caught the glimpse of Fort Kumbalgarh. It had to be. Built on a hilltop at 1900 m altitude, the fort has a protective perimeter wall of 36 km. In fact it is the second largest after the Great Wall of China.

The fort was built by Maharan Kumbha in the 15th Century AD and houses 365 Jain and Hindu temples within its area. The design of the entire fort is very strategic with the intent of confusing and foxing the enemy. The person standing on the fort can easily see the approaches made by any individual from Ajmer and Marwar making it practically impossible to approach the fort in stealth. Its strategic location and structure helped the fort to withstand the offensive of invading armies for several decades except once, when it fell to the combined forces of Akbar, Malwa and the Sultan of Gujarat!

Atop is the Badal Mahal built by Rana Fathe Singh in the 19th century and is believed to be the birth place of Maharana Pratap the Great King and warrior of Mewar.

A visit to the fort is incomplete without catching the sight of this magnificent fort at night – all lit up – in its resplendent glory! A sight, I promise, you will remember for years to come.

What else?
If you are the type to get up early in the morning, you could also visit the Kumbalgarh wildlife sanctuary which covers an area of about 57,778 Sq Km and is an abode to a huge variety of wildlife as well as several exotic birds. Also, you could visit the Haldighati, the place where the heroic Maharana Pratap lost his fabled loyal horse Chetak, while fighting the forces of Akbar.

How we got there?
We took a flight from Hyderabad to Ahmedabad and after spending two nights, we traveled by a half AC / half non AC / half sleeper / half seater bus (no kidding!!) to Udaipur. We had asked the resort car to pick us up from Udaipur for the onward journey of 85 km. One also has the option of flying in directly into Udaipur. If you are travelling on a shoe string budget, you can take the road transport corporation buses from Udaipur to Kumbalgarh which plies quite frequently.

Stay options
Club Mahindra has a new resort which is built to depict the space, luxury and art of the Rajput era. Club M takes bookings from non member also. For bookings call their central reservation number 3988 0000 or log on to http://www.clubmahindra.com/

The Aodhi, Kumbhalgarh is a sanctuary-resort which is run by HRH Group of Hotels belonging to the Royal family of Rajasthan. If you are looking for an authentic heritage property, this is the one for you. For bookings call +91 294 2528008 or log on to http://www.eternalmewar.in/

There are many budget stay options that can be explore.

When to visit?

The climate of Kumbhalgarh is tropical. Summers are warm with the maximum temperature climbing up to around 42° C. Kumbhalgarh weather experiences delightful and pleasant winters. The average temperature in the winter season falls in the range of 25° C (max) to sometimes 2° C (min). The climatic conditions of Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan during monsoons are quite humid. The annual total rainfall averages around 88 cm. The best time to visit the city of Kumbhalgarh is during the months of October to March.

Reference: kumbalgarh.in, wiki page on Kumbalgarh

Campaign Trail

Elections: Mitsubishi Cedia - The Great Driving Challenge
Party Name: Freedom Trail
Candidates: Sowmya & Guru
Party Sign: Cedia Sports
Constituency: India and beyond

It has been a journey of 1344 votes and hopefully many more as you read!
Well our “Good Morning, how are you?” at office over the past few days has changed to “Hey! Did you get my email about the Driving Challenge? Have you voted?”

As we race towards the finish line and hope to clear Phase 1, let us introduce you to our committed party workers, who are toiling day and night.

Door to Door campaigning by our party workers….

Party workers cheering after achieving the 1000 vote land mark. Thanks to real time counting the party knows the exact position of the candidates. Lessons for Election Commission!
As a pan India party, our workers are spread across the country. Seen here are party workers mustering at the regional campaign head quarters in Bangalore for another day of hard work.

Thank you all and keep voting!!

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Two for the road

Ergo has featured The Great Driving Challenge which finds a mention of our profile. We are excited that the 'Freedom Trail' is catching on....
Ergo is a Chennai based tabloid from the publishers of The Hindu.
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By Liffy Thomas
Posted on July 8, 2009
www.goergo.in

The road not taken… Sounds clichéd? Well, the much-loved poem of Robert Frost sums up our life story in more ways that one. Our work, passion and interest have taken us to places far and wide. Be it rugged NCC camps or a sophisticated business trip, our travels have given us rare and interesting insights into myriad forms of culture.

Our travel plan: We are working on a concept of a ‘Freedom Trail’ covering five states and one UT, starting from Mumbai. The last leg of the trip will follow the famous Dandi March route from Sabarmati in Gujarat to Dandi in Maharashtra. During the course of the trip, we aim to celebrate our freedom movement and pay tributes to the scores of inspirational individuals who led from the front.
– Sowmya and Guru

A passion for the roads, curiosity to explore inaccessible places and an undying spirit to travel, to name a few, have brought thousands of couples like Sowmya and Guru to the Mitsubishi Cedia Sports Great Driving Challenge, organised by Hindustan Motors Limited.
If we believe what the organisers have to say, the challenge has so far attracted around 10,000 registrations from across India, with Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi topping the participants’ list.
Vroom…

The Great Driving Challenge (TGDC) is a Web-centric campaign for couples. The challenge is to drive 3,000 km in 10 days and tell the world about your travel in the most interesting way by tweeting and blogging about it. But, for that challenge you need to cross various hurdles (read stages).

Starting from completing the registration form answering questions in the most creative fashion to gathering the maximum votes and writing the best profile of the couple, it’s a long process before three winners are short-listed to vroom on the sports car. So, essentially your passion for driving comes later, before which you need to impress the jury with the best credentials and testimonials.

“You need to be a travel and automobile enthusiast, plus harness the power of technology to win the challenge,” says Rajesh Chokhani of Experience Commerce, the campaign designer. “This is more a Web-based reality show conducted for the first time.”

Write your way
You have to read to believe some of the applications. Like, a 65-year-old Captain describes his 30 years of experience driving in 42 countries treading thousand of kilometres. Another talks about going on a ‘Biriyani Trail’ and yet another couple plan to capture the interiors of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Mudumalai National Park and Periyar National Park and show to the world how small steps by mankind can save the flora and fauna.

Chennai-based couple Harsha Koda and Prabha are busy mobilising votes by emailing and SMSing friends and relatives. Though the two have taken part in many drives, including The Raid-de-Himalaya and Airtel One India Challenge, they probably for the first time are participating along with other couples.

Their journey: “Prabha and I have driven so many times as driver (me) and navigator (Prabha) that we almost know what the other one is going to say or do. I’m a bad navigator. I can’t read maps.

Most of the time I just follow Prabha’s directions blindly. If we ever reversed the roles, we might get lost! And for someone who travels so much by car, let me tell you a secret. If I’m not driving I get car sick. It’s almost like… I was born to drive.”

The big draw
Another attraction of this challenge is that unlike other rallies, where the route is fixed by the organisers, here the participants get to choose the route he and she would like to trail through. Get-set-go!

Source: http://www.goergo.in/?p=4517

Youth Hostels

By Sowmya

As Aditi mentioned, treks organized by Youth Hostels are affordable and safe. In fact they are an easy way of beginning trekking…

Youth Hostelling
The Youth Hostel movement was begun in 1909 by Richard Schirrmann, a German schoolteacher, and Wilhelm Münker, a conservationist, who saw the need for overnight accommodation for school groups so that they could experience the countryside. This started with schools being used during the holidays. Therefore, Youth Hostelling provides overnight stay facility in hostels to youth all over the world to promote travel, tourism and sense of adventure.
Youth Hostel Associate of India (YHAI) is an associate member of Hostelling International and is a Non Government, Not for Profit organization. Apart from adventure sports YHAI also organises national level Seminars and Integration Camps, Cycle Rallies and Camp Leaders Training Courses, Tribal Youth Folk Festivals and Republic Day Camps for the border area youth, Yuva Milap Camps and Workshops for Wardens and Assistant Wardens of Youth Hostels.

Trekking
The YHAI treks are organized throughout the year. They typically last for 10 days excluding the reporting and debriefing days. Trekkers have to report at the base camp and undergo acclimatization. Trekkers are given then given back packs to pack for the trek (please cross check this).

The trekkers are not required to carry tenting and cooking items on the trek. YHAI sets up camps along the trek path for the night halts and the trekkers are given packed lunch. However you will be required to carry water and fill them along the trek path.
The trekkers will have to follow marked path. Typically you will be required to trek anywhere from 10 to 20 km a day.

What to pack?
On the trek please remember to wear comfortable fitting cotton pants and shirt (tees are fine). In case you are trekking in cold weather wear inners and pack monkey cap, woolen gloves. Light raincoats - compulsory. You don’t want to get drenched….

Remember to pack minimal clothes. Every ounce will weigh you down. Remember you want to enjoy the trek. Enough socks in case your feet get wet, a first aid kit and medicine which you normally use at home. Other things you will have to pack include Sleeping Bag, Inner Garments, Trekking shoe and chappal, Sun cap, Towel, Sun Glass, Torch, Water Bottle and water purifier, Plate, Mug and Spoon, Packed Lunch Box, Needle and thread with spare Buttons, Toilet papers, Vaseline (especially for cold weather), Soap, Pen and Note Book to make notes for your travelogue JDo take a camera to capture the scenery and musical instruments for the camp fire. This is optional, though.

How to book?
To go on a YHAI treak you have to be a member. In case you are not, don’t worry you can take a membership when you sign up for a trek. Please look out and book your trek on their website http://www.yhaindia.org/

So, if you have always wanted to trek and have never had an opportunity, YHAI is definitely a good option. Believe me, I am a convert!

Sources: Wikipedia, yhaindia.org