Day Three: Prayagraj to Patna
Fighting sleep, we awoke at 07.00h and considered our options once again. The distance to Patna, as per map was 375 Km, much less than yesterday. It made sense to move on rather than stay. We could afford to start a little late though.
Accordingly, we had a nice breakfast of Aloo Parathas and started for Patna at 09.30h. Exiting Prayagraj through city traffic took an hour. Finally we were on highway to Varanasi.
The drive, though pleasant (except for a nasty diversion in Handia town due to an under- construction flyover), was utterly monotonous. The six-lane Grand Trunk Road was devoid of a single tree or any noticeable landmark. Trucks were lumbering along in their hundreds. Apart from signposts, there was little to see.
At Gopiganj and Varanasi, we again encountered big traffic pile-ups but managed to escape in time.
We tried to look for a place to grab lunch but all wayside dhabas were closed. Thankfully, the morning breakfast had been bountiful.
If it wasn’t for a tersely worded Hindi board warning visitors that there is complete prohibition in force, we would have scarcely recognized that we were in Bihar. The inter-state border with Uttar Pradesh was completely unmarked. There was hardly any change in either landscape or people.
The first town in Bihar was Mohaniya (I love that name). Here we almost took the wrong road heading to Sasaram but realized it just in time. For Patna, we had to quit the six-lane highway and take the state highway to Ara. The Mohaniya– Ara road was a sight to behold. Lush green paddy fields extended on its either side as far as eye could see. Cattle grazed blissfully. Bustling markets marked each town (Covid-19 didn’t seem to be of a concern for anybody).
The road itself was just wide enough to be called two-lane. But traffic being rather thin, it was fun to drive on it. However, paddy was planted up to within just a few inches of both sides. It was simply impossible to pull the car over or park it anywhere. I remembered seeing a big hoarding back in Mohaniya that the road was soon going to be widened.
As expected, crossing Ara town was a nightmare, more so because it was raining and the already broken streets had turned into mini rivers. Somehow, we got past the semi- urban chaos and set off towards Patna. Rain was getting more intense. We crossed what looked like a severely narrow and weak truss bridge (Cops were regulating vehicles, presumably to prevent overloading). The map tells me that it was the Son river, the twin sister of the Narmada which also originates at Amarkantak. Separated at birth, the two take opposite directions to meet the sea.
We reached Patna by 21.00h. To wash away the fatigue, a shot each of Blender’s Pride was par for course, before a quick dinner and bonne nuit.
It was a classic truck driver life in every way. Except for the part where they bathe in open at dhabas!
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Day Four: Patna to Siliguri
The advantage of starting early is that one doesn’t have to deal with unruly city traffic of cars, bikes, carts and pedestrians. Google maps helped us accurately navigate the deserted roads at Patna as we kicked off at 06.15h. In no time we were on the Ganga bridge. Spellbound at the powerful sight of the monsoon-swollen Ganga, we halted for a good 20 minutes to soak in the view and polish our photography.
Having crossed the great river once again we found ourselves in an annoying traffic snarl at Hajipur, though it was still pretty early in the morning. It took a bit of a time to get through it. On the outskirts of Hajipur, I realized that the mud-flap holder of one of my front wheels had lost a screw and was in danger of falling off. Dineshmama simply removed it (using a swiss knife!) and tossed it in the boot. Onwards ho!
The road after Hajipur was good. But at Muzaffarpur we had to enter the city and once again we were in a bitter battle with mind-boggling crowds, vehicles, handcarts and cattle, amid lake-sized puddles of rainwater. Crossing Muzaffarpur really wore us down.
On the other side of Muzaffarpur at 10.30h, we began cruising on NH57. In a few Kms, we were surprised to see a beautiful, upscale resort- restaurant by the name of Blue Diamond. We absolutely hadn’t expected to find one in these parts. It had clean precincts, ample parking, polite staff, a stringent sanitization protocol and even card payment facility. Famished since morning, we broke journey and ordered a hearty quantity of food which was more lunch than breakfast.
Darbhanga mercifully had a bypass so we were saved the torture of driving thorugh the city. The road was also fantastic. It was somewhere here that we saw the first road sign with the name of our destination, Guwahati.
As we passed by Forbesgunj and Araria, the drive was sheer pleasure. Perhaps since this part of Bihar is prone to devastating annual floods of Koshi river, the entire four-lane highway, for miles on end, had been elevated to a great height in what must have been a considerable engineering effort. A green carpet of paddy fields spread beyond the horizon on all sides. The sight was breathtaking and the breeze heavenly. I had to stop and take it in for some time. (Note: I wanted to upload a video here but WordPress is asking for money!)
An observation: Unlike other states we passed through previously, in Bihar we never saw grazing cattle left unattended. Even if it was just a single buffalo, there was always a person (often a woman) watching over it. Some of the guys were having fun riding their buffaloes too.
At Purnea, our dream run came to an end. The road hereafter was of a distinctly inferior standard and the drive once again became drudgery. The sun was setting and the oncoming headlights were proving to be a strain. Our speed dropped drastically and we began to silently wait for Siliguri to come. In Kishanganj, the last major city of Bihar, we once again had a tough time negotiating a massive diversion.
Interestingly, on this road one has to cross the Bihar– West Bengal border multiple times. Kishanganj city is inside a sort of Bihari enclave surrounded by WB.
Somewhere near Islampur (West Bengal), the road ceased to be four-lane and driving became even more difficult. We were also thoroughly tired, no doubt.
At one point, a truck had broken down right in the centre of the road and the traffic had been thrown out of gear, causing massive lines of vehicles on both sides. West Bengal cops in their white uniforms were trying to free up the road. We saw some cars and bikes overtaking the queue by going off road. We couldn’t resist the temptation and followed their trail, a little thoughtlessly I must say. Because after just a few meters, our car’s belly touched a huge mound of mud and the rear wheels started skidding, throwing jets of slush all around. The track wasn’t really meant for cars. Without losing a second, we reversed immediately and came back to the road. Cops helped us join the line again. Overall, the jam set us back by close to an hour.
The road continued to be pathetic. We touched Bagdogra past 21.00h, with sinking spirits. The last 30-odd Kms up to Sevoke Road (Siliguri) were a shade better. Some consolation.
In case somebody is tempted to drive from Purnea to Siliguri, my two-bit advice is: AVOID. AVOID.
Bring on that Blender’s Pride please.
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Day Five: Siliguri to Guwahati
Though still fatigued from yesterday’s ordeal, we were feeling quite upbeat as today was the last day of our adventure. Also, the depressing monotony of the great Gangetic plains was now over and we were expecting the ride to Guwahati to be a beautiful one.
However,we still had to call on good friends Siddhesh and Prajakta who just wouldn’t let us leave without having breakfast. So, it was past 09.00h when we bid goodbye to them and set course for Guwahati. The road snaked through the mysterious forests around Sevoke, leading towards the Coronation Bridge on river Teesta. There were few vehicles. The landscape was magical and rain was making it look even more so. By the way, rain accompanied us throughout the entire journey of nearly 500 Km from Siliguri to Guwahati. It didn’t stop even for a minute.
For a few Kms before Coronation Bridge the road hugs a steep mountainside and turns very crooked. In this stretch, we narrowly escaped being engulfed in an ongoing landslide. A sizeable rock fell from top and rolled across the road right in front of us, into the riverbed below. Without wasting a moment, we pressed the throttle and sped away from the spot. I wish I had the presence of mind to take a video or, at least a picture.
In spite of the drizzle, we halted and even came out of the car for a while to admire the fierce beauty of the Teesta in spate.
The road surpassed our expectations. It was in excellent condition. The traffic was sparse. The view on the sides was unbeatable. The Dooars forests soon gave way to rolling tea estates which in turn changed into gigantic mountains and gushing rivers. Each sight was as bewitching as the other. Tough to choose one over another.
At Hasimara, we were a little careless in reading the signboards and drove in the wrong direction (towards Bhutan!) for a good 10 Kms before realizing our folly. We may have wasted some 40 minutes but got to see these quaint old tea estate bungalows.
We had assumed that Alipurduar lay on our path and it would offer some options for lunch. But we found that it was some 20 Kms off to the South of the highway. Dismayed, we had to drive on searching for some dhaba with a functional kitchen. Town after town, we came up with naught. There weren’t too many eating places to begin with. The ones which existed, were shut.
However, soon after the West Bengal– Assam border was crossed, luck smiled on us at around 15.00h. A ramshackle dhaba comprising of nothing but a row of bamboo sheds, was serving meals. Rain continuously drenched every inch of its unpaved precincts. The hygiene standards looked rather suspect and we were justifiably hesitant to enter. But hunger got the better of us. As a compromise, we chose to go vegetarian, disappointing the enthusiastic Assamese owner- cum- steward. We also satisfied ourselves by spraying sanitiser on every piece of furniture and crockery. Thankfully, the food was piping hot and not disagreeable in taste.
Sun sets much earlier in the North East India. As we commenced again after lunch, we realized that we had just about an hour and a half of daylight left. Guwahati was still approximately 180 Kms away. We would have to drive through darkness AND rain. So, Bongaigaon was the last place which I could record in my log. Thereafter, it wasn’t possible to recognize and write down names of towns. The view of nature was also enveloped in darkness.
But the six-lane road ahead of Bongaigaon was just fantastic. In spite of the weather conditions we could often touch 100 Kmph. At 20.30h, we crossed the Brahmputra and entered Guwahati. Even inside the city, green hills and lakes seemed to be ubiquitous.
Today’s drive had been truly, totally wonderful. No traffic, not too many potholes, awesome views all throughout the journey and a decent lunch! Clearly, after five days on the road our priorities had rearranged themselves.
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Besides, there were many other reasons to be grateful to The God of Road travel. Our car had performed exceptionally. We hadn’t had any mishaps on the road. And, most importantly, in spite of all the delays and digressions, we always found warm beds and delicious food waiting for us everywhere, no matter how late it was. The boon called Blenders’ Pride did the rest.
Apart from Ganga, Teesta and Brahmputra, we had also crossed Kshipra, Betwa, Son and Koshi rivers.
It is said that once you cross Brahmputra, He (yes, it is a male river) ensures that you cross it minimum seven times. I plan to obey the divine command.
Chalat Musafir 