"You guys are insane", said my mom when I called her the night before embarking on the journey of a lifetime. "But, I know you'll create crazy memories out of it. Love. Mom.", she said.
Hello, People out there. Before you start reading the journey ahead, do make sure to check out Part I of this travel series where I shared my experience of traveling from Delhi to Mumbai via Rajdhani and exploring the streets of Mumbai like a nomad. Go check it out to make sure you connect the dots right here:
Explore Part II created duly with love.
With excitement and anticipation in our hearts, we kickstarted our journey. I don't know about anyone else but for me, it was going to be the expedition of a lifetime. Driving from Delhi to London is a child-like dream for me, and covering Delhi-Mumbai on a road trip is like a step stone for it.
I closed my eyes, and affirmed myself with an all-time favorite quote, "TRUST THE PROCESS, Janaab".
Seeking the blessing of Lord Ganesha we both embarked on a 1500 KM Drive from Kalyan to Delhi. We woke up at 3:15 AM and were good to kickstart the journey by 5:30 AM. I've never experienced a mix of being calm yet anxious at the same moment. I was confident yet skeptical. I closed my eyes, and said, "ab chaahe jo ho jaye, sipaahi to tayaar hai".
I am feeling short of words to explain how I felt when I experienced the sunrise at 6:15 AM. I can't even recall the last time I saw a sunset with such serenity and stillness in my heart. The steadiness with which the sun came amid the darkness was gorgeous. It was as if it was asking us to believe in the process of "manifesting your dreams with sheer positivity and tranquility in your heart".
We halted for our first stop post 3hrs of driving at 8:30 AM at a Petrol Pump in Silvassa. Since the fuel in Silvassa is the cheapest among all the states/UT in India, we had to embark a bit on this detour which is 3 KM from the Maharashtra-Daman Border.
Remember, cost-effectiveness was something we kept in mind while planning for the trip. Refueling at Silvassa was one of them. Kudos to Jay for being specific about such things.
Following an urge to relax and provide some food to our stomachs, we decided to halt somewhere near Vapi at Heritage (Hotel and Restaurant) and opted for refreshing Chai along with Bread Toast and Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
The entire highway from Maharashtra to Valsad (Gujarat) was a smooth sail barring 25-30 min diversions due to concrete road laying on both sides thus converging traffic to use just 1 lane on each side. Nevertheless, the entire highway was smooth enough to help us reach the capital city Ahemadabd by 5:30 PM.
Note: The fleet of "good" restaurants post-Valsad is quite small. We found Mcdonald's hygienic enough to fulfill us during our Lunch. We took the all-time favorite Eco Meal of Aloo Tikki Burger to satisfy our cravings. Rest depends upon one's taste and requirements.
Note: Do not even try to bring liquor or any other banned stuff in Gujarat. The moment we entered the city post clearing the last toll, we encountered a highway police checkpost. As we were driving an MH Car, we deeply checked the entire vehicle even our packed bags. Be careful as Gujarat is a "Dry State" and flouting this could bring you a hefty fine and unavoidable legal fines.
While cruising from Maharashtra to Delhi, the most common layover is Ahmedabad. And that's what we did. Also, we had a common friend from MBA, Shubham, already working in Gujarat. He helped us with an economical Hotel Stay that cost us Rs 1000/- for a night. It was a 3-star hotel well equipped with basic amenities. I'd highly recommend you double-check the hotel, especially the highway side.
We explored the Sabarmati Riverfront while searching for a hotel. I'd say it was quite similar to what I had experienced at Gomti River Front, Lucknow.
For Dinner, we went to the famous "Deep Singh Punjabi Dhaba", Naroda, Ahmedabad.
The mouth-watering food was finger-licking with freshly cooked desi Kathiawadi Dhaba Style with Makkhan maar ke pyaar. We ordered Sev Tamatar, Paneer Bhurji, Chaach, and 10 Butter Tandoori Rotis. It cost us Rs 850/-. I'd say it's completely a value-for-money hangout place. Do try if you are in Ahmedabad. To add the icing on the cake, we ended our Ahmedabad visit with a cutting chai at the famous Swaad Rajwadi Chai Shop, Naroda.
At 12:30 AM we called it a day and were off to sleep.
Note: You might encounter mosquitoes during night hours in Ahemadabad. Do carry Odomos with you.
The 275 KM Drive.
We had a comfortable sleep at the hotel and kickstarted our journey to our next destination at 7:30 AM. I was quite excited about this particular section because of the changing landscape (from flat lands to hilly views), and the spectacular highway (the Ahemdabad-Udaipur highway offers some panoramic views to your eyes which are worth capturing with your phone/camera.
I was super-duper excited.
We opted for a halt the moment we crossed Gujarat Border (Himmatnagar) and entered Rajasthan. The road to Rajasthan was smooth with hardly any hiccups. We halted for breakfast and stuffed ourselves with Aloo Parantha and Chai at 10:30 AM.
We resumed our journey head-on and enjoyed the beautiful panoramic view of Rajasthan Hills. It was as if we were driving in the European countryside and exploring the changing panorama here. The drive was super smooth.
In Udaipur, we booked our stay at "Shalom Backpackers Hostel". We booked a Standard Room that cost us Rs 1700/- instead of opting for a dorm. Since we had to drive for more than 10 hours the next day, we had to leave early. For that, we simply can't rely on washrooms of mixed Dorms. That's why we opted for a secured option and not to disturb the sleep of others during early morning hours. Anyhow, the dorms too were costing us Rs 900/- for 2 pax per night.
We reached our Hostel which was located close to Lake Pichola and Mall Road at 3:00 PM. We checked in and rested for an hour before setting our foot and exploring the vibes of the city of lakes, Udaipur.
Note: Parking at the Hotel/Hostel might be challenging if you are staying near Lake Pichola. As the lanes are narrow, you could easily find Private Over-night Car Parking spaces. After verifying with nearby locals, we finally opted for one. It cost us Rs 120/- for 12 hours and then Rs 20/- per hour.
At 4:45 PM we started our exploration. We walked and explored Lake Pichola. We took an Auto from Lake Pichola to Fateh-Sagar Lake.
The moment we reached there the sun was about to set. We were stunned by the scenic view of nature. It felt like I was seeing a canvas that comprised of water, sunset, air, breeze, birds, boats, and humans all in one frame. We couldn't resist capturing some beautiful shots of the lake before opting for a motorboat ride of 15 minutes costing Rs 89/- per pax. You could also opt for a Speed Boat ride for 3 mins costing Rs 200/-per pax. We opted for a motor boat one.
Right in front of it, you could spot "Chowpatty" styled street food vending. One could easily munch upon various mouth-watering cuisines there. We again opted for Kadak Chai along with Maggi. We had to do it citing the amazing panoramic view that we were witnessing sitting near Udaipur's Fateh Sagar Lake.
The place also houses the Maharana Pratap Smarak Smriti (right in front of Lake Fateh Sagar near Chowpatty). If one is interested in exploring the history of Maharana Pratap, Maharaj Uday (after whose name the city got its name as Udaipur), Batlle of Haldighati, Kumabhalgarh Fort, Chittorgarh Fort, and the complete history of Mewar the place is worth visiting. You'll find various stunning statues of the brave warriors of that era, a museum explaining the history of Mewar and the battles fought, Gardens to hang out a bit, and the amazing "light-sound" show for 45 mins at 7 PM depicting and transferring you to the era and historical anecdotes of the city. It cost us Rs 200/- per pax and I'd recommend it if you are a history of war buff. Also, you can opt for an aerial dinner in the fort that costs Rs 1000/- per pax.
You can also visit the Jagdish Temple dating back to the 1800s era which has its history of how the temple was established and survived the destruction of Hindu Temples by Mughal Leader Aurangzeb. Visit there and spend some time feeling the ancient history of the place. The Mandir reminded me of the liveliness I had observed at Iskcon Temple, Vrindavan.
Since it was off-season, we could easily observe the area losing its liveliness after 9 PM. It's better to explore the narrow lanes near Lake Pichola and simply embrace the vibes of the historical city. We found it difficult to dine in at any restaurant as most of them shut after 10 PM. We were glad that we found one called "Old Legacy Cafe" and tried the famous dal-batti choorma thali, pasta, oreo shake, and gulab jamun which cost us <Rs 1000/-.
Post dinner, before calling it a day, we went upstairs to the terrace of our hostel to embrace the liveliness, calmness, and serenity of the beautiful Lake City, Udaipur.
With two amigos talking for so long in such a relaxed manner, we called it off a day at noon post wishing Valentine's to our loved ones as we just ringed on 14th Feb in Udaipur.
We didn't plan it that way. 14th Feb just coincided with our plan and we were happy with the way things turned out to be so far in this journey.
That's why they say, "trust the process".
The 682 KM Drive.
We were constantly being told by our parents, friends, and well-wishers to opt for a stay at Jaipur from Udaipur instead of directly reaching Delhi. It's going to be a close to 700 KM drive and will take 11-12 hours on the road. Also, to add more to this, Farmers in Punjab-Haryana declared a Chalo Delhi Protest march a day earlier. We were anxious and scared, but optimistic a bit to reach home by the night instead of taking a layover.
But we were positive and hopeful to cover the longest stretch of this journey amid such tension at the Delhi-Haryana border.
We woke up at 6:15 AM and left the hostel by 7:30 AM. Our car was close to our hostel which added a plus point for us to avoid unwanted last-mile connectivity here.
The last stretch from Udaipur to Delhi was all about longggggggggggg drive. We covered 650 KM in 10 hours. Be it state highways, national highways, or the newly built stretch of NE4 Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi's Dausa stretch, the road was smooth.
Though we couldn't find any exciting stop to eat much, we munched fruits and coffee for our breakfast and halted at Hotel Highway King, Bagru for our lunch. Glad that we halted at such a decent place like a high street where apart from food, one could easily shop for other essentials as well.
I tried Chole Bhature along with Sweet Lassi which I have been craving for a long. Jay tried a Sandwich along with a Red Bull as he was supposed to drive straight home for the next 5 hours or so.
Note: The NE4 stretch from Dausa to Sohna (via Jaipur Bypass) is a smooth ride of 100 km but lacks food options now. There we close to 10 rest points in between the stretch. While most of them were under construction and will get completed in 3-4 months, I'd suggest you have your munching at the 1st rest point as it was filled with a lot of good options. Post it, we didn't encounter any.
The moment we saw "Sohna" and "Gurugram" written on billboards, we took a sigh of relief. It was like coming back home after so long. It was such a homely feeling for both of us.
By 8:30 PM we reached Millenium City Centre and officially ended our 1500-long journey. I was feeling nostalgic and could easily sense a sigh of "victory" in my heart. We both hugged each other and chatted for some time as to how the journey unfolded over the last few days amid quite a few "verbal fights" as well.
I really wanted to capture the moment we "made it", and I did.
I've always dreamt of driving the car on a long trip that spans for days. Keeping the child-like dream alive for Delhi-London, and Mumbai-Delhi has all my heart. We dreamt it, planned it, executed it, and felt the way a child feels after he reaches home from school. Nostalgic, homesick, and adoration to all the loved ones.
Mumbai to Delhi. Thank you for having me experience and create such an amazing memory of a lifetime I'll cherish as long I am blessed to live.
If you've loved the journey I've shared in Parts I and II of this travel blog, then let's connect with me on social media. Drop me a DM and I'll get back to you with utter joy and pompousness in my heart.
After all, we all have stories in our hearts. All it needs a courage to express and an ear to hear.
Stay Purposed!
Cheers!!
Mayank
Connect with me: Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin,Youtube, Podcast- Seek Your Purpose, Tripoto: Mumbai to Delhi: Part I
P.S. Do check out the below unscripted one.
While being in metro, I could easily sense a changed version of "Mayank". Instead of looking at people around me or gauging mindlessly in my phone, I was trying visualising and capturing the essential notes of the entire trip on my Phone because I didn't want to loose out on the freshness of the anecdotes.
The following stuff is completely raw. I have't edit it at all. It's straight out of my heart following the events of the entire trip.
Check them out.
Lessons Learned:
1. Trust/Belief: When fellow passengers helped an uncle to board the correct train. He believed in them.
2. Child-like curiosity: When a 4yr old child uplifts the mood of everyone in the metro coach with his child-like innocence.
3. Story telling: Every one has a story to tell. All you need is an ear. Travelling opens up your mindset. Exchanging insightful life learning experiences with fellow travellers in Rajdhani.
4. Keep your calm: While seeing the water getting back to it’s normal flow after getting disrupted by speed/motor boat at Lake Fateh Sagar, Udaipur.
5. Know Yourself: You’ll get to know and encounter “why do you feel what you feel”? You don’t have to skip it or suppress it rather listen to it, accept it, and smile. 🙂
6. Cranky Me: Sometimes it's quite tough to be with me as I can be a bit "cranky" sometimes. I need to work on it.
How am I feeling?
Before the journey.
I was scared a bit as I haven’t tried any of this ever. Divided this entire trip in 5 phases (Delhi-Kalyan, Mumbai Darshan, Kalyan-Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad-Udaipur, Udaipur-Gurgaon/Delhi). Firstly, yes, I was scared, fear the unknown but kept on reminding that instead of fearing start anticipation “what will happen”. Secondly, Mumbai-Delhi 🚗 trip was always good there in my mind. At the start of the year I made a pact to experience a different form of travel at-least once in a quarter this year. And with this deep feeling of a “purposeful” course of life I hopped on.
After the journey
Feeling accomplished as I concluded a 6 day long trip after such a long time. I am feeling confident, proud (to a certain extent), responsible, and completely new. I experienced a version of Mayank which I am glad I came across. Jealousy (yes), envy (yes), irritability (yes), sulky (yes). But isn’t travelling all about discovering and anticipating the unseen/unknown version of ours. Isn’t it like viewed ourselves in a mirror which is inly true to ourselves? Life is about adjustments right? Adjusting and setting ourselves to a better frequency. Many firsts happened in this trip (local ride, double decker ride, gelling up with unknowns, vibing Mumbai at late night, opting self for many firsts, driving for so long, guiding someone else to drive). What “dreaming, planning, executing and feeling it all looks like, I can easily sense it).
NEXT TRIP? A lot of them are up in mind (Leh-Ladakh, Kedarnath Trek, Nepal Bungee Jump, World's 2nd Highest, and Marathon in NYC'24 )
Need to work upon: Waking up early (4:30 am), getting freshened up smoothly, observation skills, physical fitness (get back to 2018 shape in a much fitter and athletic way), and get into conversation with strangers and be an ear to their stories.
Kabiraaa…..Just Go Out, Play Hard, and WIN!!! 💛
You’ve experienced it. Now time to righty express it. Cheers Janaab 🥂
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