Bengaluru to Assam road trip (3000 Kms) - Unlocking Lockdown

Route :
Bengaluru | Vijaywada | Visakhapatnam | Odisha | Kolkata | Bihar | Siliguri | Guwahati
DAY 1 : Rumble
Bengaluru 5 PM

With rain pouring down the car's engine rumbled and we are all set. OK wait! Here we means me and my younger brother. We planned to drive till Vijaywada and halt there. It was a 600+ kms drive. We crossed KGF and were about to enter Andhra Pradesh. It was around 10 PM when the border police stopped us. It took them by a surprise when they came to know we were heading towards Assam. Not bothering much and wishing us luck they let us enter AP. We got hold of some dry foods along with fruits from a shop near to the border.
Due to heavy rain and rare visibility we managed 500 kms and stopped there. We chose a fuel refiling station to take some rest for the night. Since I was the lone to control the steering wheel for the next few days, I was offered to sleep in the back seat of the car. It was somewhere in Andhra Pradesh.



DAY 2 : Speed
Andhra Pradesh : 4 AM
A nap of 4 hours and I was fit to hit the road again. We were in the Golden Quadrilateral in India somewhere near to Vijwada. The finest roads of India were deserted. Speed was thrilling us. We recalculated the distance and google says we have 800 odd kms to drive for the day. In sometime we came across one of the many toll gates. Significantly, the roof of the toll gate was utilized as a restaurant. Done with breakfast there. It was a bright and sunny day unlike last night. We were driving through the coastal area, heat was expected. After driving for a few hours we were looking for some place to have our lunch. Most of the restaurants were closed and it was a bit difficult to hunt for food. Google showed us a home hotel somewhere 20 KMS inside a village. Amazed to see the clean food and hospitality. We had our lunch there and also packed our dinner.

In Pic : The rooftop restaurant, the golden quadrilateral and the home hotel in the village.



Driving further we reached Srikakulam around 8 PM in the night. Mid way we crossed the beautiful Vizag. With only four hours of nap in the last 2 days I was quite tired and needed a sleep. We started to look for a homely stay. Keeping the Covid 19 pandemic in mind, it was quite tough to find a stay. Who knew we had such luck. We found a stay alongside the beach with the best possible view. So, day 2 comes to an end after driving 800 kms.
In Pic : Me and the morning view



Before I proceed to day 3, it just crossed my mind how my loved ones were tracking me on live locations. Multiple calls were made asking for whereabouts and the situations.
Day 3 : Stable
Odisha : 5 AM

I had a good sleep of around 6 hrs. We started our journey with the scenic beauty. Home was still 1800 KMS away. The next destination was Kolkata and my map says 800 KMS again. Ignited the engine and started the journey again. We entered the beautiful Odisha. The roads near Chilka were amazing with its own scenic beauty. It compelled me to halt and take some snaps.



We were stopped by the Odisha police at some check post. They were gentle and issued us a pass to drive through Odisha. We crossed a beautiful city like Cuttack, however it was deserted. Unlike yesterday it was easy to find good and sanitized food.

It was around 4 PM now and we were in Kharagpur. Since we were nearing the city of joy, a cup of tea(Bharer Cha!!) was mandate.

There was no police check done in west Bengal Odisha border. So by 7 PM we are in Kolkata now. The plan was to park in some refueling station, however the city traffic took me by surprise. I was a bit tired as the drive was a bit rough. We managed a stay. It had a pleasant little corner.
In Pic : Bharer Cha and the lovely little corner!!



Day 4 : Nooooo!!!!!!
Kolkata : 5 AM
It was hot and humid as Kolkata has always been. I took a cold water bath and started the day's voyage. Ok! who does not like the Kolkata food. I had to stop for the authentic bengali luchi alur dom and a cup of tea. This made my morning. But who knew what I had ahead.
Crossing Bardhhaman we took the road to Murshidabad. Nooooooo. I never expected such roads. It was more like a tiny lane with people playing merry go rounds on their own. The worst part started. I had to cross village roads with huge trucks ahead and back of me. The map was showing a 100 km of bad road and then we will hit the NH. I was in the intention that my pain was about to diminish.
Surprise!!! Surprise !!! We landed on the moon.

In PIC : The amazing roads I referred to.



Considering the road conditions, I could manage to drive 550 KMS on the 5th day. It was 10 PM in the night and had to halt somewhere in Bagdogra. I parked the car in a restaurant, and we had our dinner there. I hopped into the back seat of my car to take a nap. It was pouring heavily.

Day 5: The final Stretch
Bagdogra: 4 AM
Luck with the bad road was continuing till the time we crossed Siliguri. Post Siliguri we had single lane roads still we were back to earth. Lesser potholes were making me dive towards home a bit faster. We covered the 250 KMS stretch to Assam border in another 5 hrs. Rain was a true friend guided me till I reached home making sure that I drove slowly.
After the government formalities I entered my State and then it was another 250 KMS from there. We did not feel anything on the last few KMS as we the excitement of reaching home got on our nerves.



So, we can say it took me 4 and a half days to drive from Bangalore to Assam. Indeed, it was an amazing experience. A journey to be reminisced.
Me: Saurav Chakraborty (Software engineer, Bengaluru)
Reach Me: sauravgora@gmail.com