A travel of 280 kms from Bareilly to Lucknow, mostly along the butter smooth NH30 - driving could not get much better for a slightly jaded amateur driver like me. Restful is the word I am looking for. We left Bareilly at 8.00 am and reached our place on the Outer Ring Road of Lucknow at 1.30 pm.
Yes, it was hot. We did not feel it that much when leaving Bareilly at 8.00 am, but when we reached Lucknow, it was 40 degC, beyond the range of clinical thermometers. There were stretches on highway which were indeed dry and dusty, and we could feel the flavour on our tongue even when sitting inside in an AC car.
Leaving Bareilly (8.00 am):
We had made the mistake of not intimating our resort one day in advance about our plans of leaving at 8.00 am, because, for us, 8.00 am was pretty late. Not so for the staff of Green Farm Resort who had been arranging a poolside dinner and had gone to sleep at 2.00 am. We literally had to shake them awake in order to pay the food charges and push off.
Since we had picked a place on NH30 itself, we could zip off at a pretty pace right away. (Incidentally, NH30 is a 2000 km long road that stretches from Sitargunj in Uttarakhand to Vijayawada in AP. We just rode along a small piece of it.) Road condition was very good, both tarmac and concrete, and we made good time.
Pro driving tip: An issue which used to plague me in the mountains (less in the plains) was the right blind spot. It exists anyway, but affects much more when there are continuous right turns. You know, the right hand pillar of the windshield (also called the A-pillar), hides a large portion of right hand traffic, particularly incoming traffic from a right hand curve, from view, especially in a Tata car, where, in order to make the car sturdier, the A-pillar was thickened as well. Two-wheelers are totally hidden, cars 70% hidden, even trucks need some attention to be noticed beforehand. On a right turn, I used to bob my head left and right in order to ensure that I was not missing anything. Many a time I was blindsided and it was only co-pilot Panna’s warning that saved the day.
Breakfast at Stiswa (8.40 am):
We are not equally lucky in hitting a good breakfast joint every time. The one we chose today, with a petrol pump attached, named Heritage Dhaba, had an impressive though derelict facade, and we were the only customers there. We ordered toast and masala omlette. Though the food was by and large okay, Panna’s omlette had a slightly rancid odour as if it had been cooked in old oil. The restaurant did not agree, insisting that they always used the best butter, freshly milked and whipped, and the chef personally tastes pieces of food before serving. I am sure even the paranoid Aurangzeb had not got such service from his khansama. We let the issue go, together with some unfinished omlette, and proceeded to feed the Punch instead.
Reaching Lucknow (1.30 pm):
Following my route planning philosophy, I had chosen a place, the Dolphin Club, on the Outer Ring Road of Lucknow, so much away from the heart of the city that the area was called Anora Kala instead. We were shunted out from the NH30 onto the ring road while we were still 30 kms away from our destination, but getting into the ring road needed some manipulation of traffic, since the interchanges were still being given finishing touches by the town fathers. In fact, after we managed to climb onto it, we would see some motorists driving totally the wrong way, a sheepish, bewildered look on their faces, looking for a quiet exit.
We had thought about catching a bite of lunch before checking in, not ignoring the possibility that our Dolphin Club might be in the middle of nowhere, a feeling that strengthened into apprehension as we drove along the elevated expressway with nary a soul or building in site. However, a locality popped up as we crawled down the ramp, and a couple of turns later, our stay appeared at the end of a narrow road.
The Dolphin Club looked like a swank condominium complex. Enquiries revealed that it had owned apartments as well as rooms for rent, but sorry, no club! Not too worried about the misnomer either. We were led upstairs to a pretty nice well-appointed room, with excellent bed, linen and washroom (our basic need). Monogrammed cups and napkins, I kid you not!
Lunch at the restaurant (2.00 pm):
We had been shown the restaurant while checking in, but there was no menu in the room, which arrived on request as a booklet, as thick as a CBSE text book. Staying on a remote ring road, I was a bit sad that Panna would miss out on the gastronomic delights that Lucknow usually offers, but this menu ran the whole gamut, at least on paper. Anyway, she ordered a bhuna gosht, and I… let’s not get into that. We had our lunch down in the restaurant and Panna put her stamp on approval on the uniformed chef. Now she has serious plans for dinner.
Dinner in the room (9.00 pm):
This deserves a separate heading in order to celebrate a further stamp of approval, if not certificate of excellence, that Panna extended on the Awadhi mutton biriyani (Lucknowi style) that she had, while I had my usual veg hakka noodles. I think we had the best of both worlds - being away from the hubbub of the city but close to the food. We will go to sleep and see Nawabi menus in our dreams, I am sure.
We drive to Azamgarh tomorrow, just a break since Patna is too long a drive.
Photo credits: Panna Rashmi Ray
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