Bird’s eye view:
Today we travelled 300 km, leaving Lucknow at 7.00 am and entering our hotel at Khatima at 2.30 pm. Not every day has a Jhumritalaiya or Prayagraj break in the middle. This was a straightish drive, consequently more tiring. Nor did we have big breaks for breakfast or coffee, since I was harbouring an indigestion (the bane of bengalees). We just put our heads down and drove, intent on getting to the final destination alone, like Dhoni in the slog overs (oops, did I put my foot in it?)
Leaving Lucknow (7.00 am):
As planned, our choice of hotel allowed us to get out of our Lucknow stable pretty fast, and we hit NH30 again (the one that goes to Delhi). Today we drove mostly in UP and the last bit in Uttarakhand, but I must say that roads in this part of the country, be it NH, SH or simple roads, were very very good. Lot of truck traffic on NH30, of course, and one had to recall video-gaming skills in order to weave between divers vehicles in the three lanes. We faced a couple of road diversions that added around 45 mins to our journey. Crops were mainly pulses, sugarcane, and a bit of corn. This is harvesting time and the fields were a happy yellow colour.
We stopped on a village road to have some snacks from our stored provisions, and I suggested to Panna that muri (puffed rice) was THE thing to have for nourishment during indigestions. But wonder of wonders, neither did villagers and small-towners know what it was, and even if they did (locally known as 'pula'), they raised their palms helplessly. Only with one hour to go to our destination, could this ambrosia be located.
Passing Pilbhit Reserve Forest (1.00 pm):
This popped up as a surprise. Although I had seen on Google maps that we pass close to Pilbhit (that was the town, I now realise), seeing that we were passing through its gates thrilled both of us. We love forests. We were trundling along the road that passes through it, bordering a canal that runs for miles, when suddenly Panna screamed “Rajat!”. I naturally assumed that I had missed seeing a truck or something, as I was apt to do. Once she had quitended down after a minute, she said: “I think I saw a tiger near the water.” We could not reconfirm whether it was one or not, but the possibility of having seen one, was extremely gratifying.
Entering Khatima (2.30 pm):
We had chosen a place slightly (15 km) west of Khatima town, which was next to Nanak Sagar dam (built in 1962). Nanakmatta town is otherwise well-known for a famous Gurdwara - Shri Nanakmatta Sahib. Khatima town would have been an out-and-out commercial place; here at least the Nanak Sagar reservoir was there to provide visual relief (and some pics). In fact, we passed the lake and dam, and stopped there to take a couple of snaps. We were facing north, so the possibility of seeing a glorious sunset in the evening was remote.
We checked into Hotel Paradise, which was more focused on being a banquet place (huge grounds) and a restaurant, than a room-letter. However, the room was pretty decent, though small. At Rs 1400/- per day, it had good value-positioning.
Lunch was in the room and spartan, given that we wanted to straighten out our digestive tracts. I had a buttermilk and a few grains of muri, and Panna had poha (pressed rice) with curd. Then we slept like the dead for 3 hours, missing any possibility of seeing a sunset over the waters. I realised that a small nap after a day’s driving is mandatory, as it gives muscles, mind, and tummy a recovery break. I continued my treatment of abstinence for dinner, having only a shikanji, while Panna upgraded to an egg-biriyani.
Tomorrow we leave for the mountains, which are visible in the distance, climbing to Pithoragarh.
Photo credits: Panna Rashmi Ray
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