Are you going out on a vacation? Time is short and need to reach the destination fast and fund also permits? Take a flight. Not in that hurry, budget does not permit but want to reach fast, comfortably and a risk free journey, then the obvious choice is a train. But if you really want to enjoy your journey the moment you leave your city, time allows, like adventures, then take out your car. Still better, if you are behind the steering.
Do not pack much foodstuff. Keep a soft target of mileage or the time so that you do not feel heat of driving fast or rush through. Do not avoid stopping at the places you wish “ if I can stop”. Drive cautiously, comfortably and enjoy each and every moment, object, and scenery – natural or artificial. Do not switch on the deck or FM as a matter of fact manner. Resort to it, only if necessary or reasons for it. The moment you are out of city traffic and red lights, the mind becomes free and “mastee bhraa aalam chaa jaataa hai”. If you come across anything in route like “ganne kaa ras”, green cucumber, red tomato, “jhaal muri” or for that matter anything else any one in the vehicle feel like having apply breaks. If you realized it only after you drive past it, remember your car has back gear and also can take a U turn. Do it now. As your driving target is soft these stoppages are already built in. If there is any place in route, with little diversion, take diversions, but you need to know about it before hand. A rout guide map should be handy. If you find children playing cricket in the field, take a break. Have two over of batting and bowling. As a fees distribute, biscuits, chocolate, balloon, cloth, reading / writing materials between them before leaving. If you are crossing a village, having only huts, you can distribute the stuff there also. Keep stock of all these before you set out. If your car gets stuck in “maveshiyon ke jhund men”, get out of the vehicle and take photographs; you must be in middle of it. Found some vehicle badly damaged in accident in unrecognizable condition, this is another reason to take the snap with “as you like” pose. Stop at the roadside dhaba for tea and tadakaa, roti and bhaajaa. But all such dhaba must have two things. Shady tree with a “khaat” beneath it. Take a snap and smell the cool breeze. Are you enjoying? We do all these when we are on the highway. Even you may take bath on roadside well in summer.
Take a few precautions. At least two persons must know, before hand, what to do in case of emergency – like breakdown, accident and medical emergency. If you have driver, do not depend on his intelligence for these emergencies. You yourself must be equipped. Map your route. Take a note of all help lines and their numbers, and these must be there in the cell of both of you and also on a paper. There can be another emergency, attack of naxals, maoist, dacoit. Well don’t worry. You don’t have to do much. What is to be done will be done only by them. J And once they leave, you will have either of above three emergencies for which you are already equipped.
For all these enjoyment and adventure we travel on road and enjoy every moment out and in of the city. This was our third journey to Jasidih by road. We stop anywhere at a drop of a hat, too U turns and use back gear without hesitation. The hourly snap shot of the journey is as follows:
Place
|
Time
|
K.M
|
Remark
|
Kolkata
|
6.00 am
|
0
|
Had tea and left home
|
Singur
|
7.00 am
|
46
|
Paid toll at Rabindra setu and Dankuni
|
Shaktigarh
|
8.00 am
|
99
|
Paid toll at Palsit. Had breahfastTook right turn after Panagarh towards Shantiniketan. Road to shantiniketn bifurcates from here. Left four-lane road at Panagarh but road there after is wide enough and well maintained.
|
Ellumbazar
|
9.00 am
|
167
|
Road to Bakreshwar hot spring bifurcates from here. You do not need to turn back from Bakreshwar. The Bakreshwar road meets back to the main road.
|
Dubrajpur
|
10.00 am
|
206
|
Bakreshwar bye pass road meets back near here. After Suri take left from Sewarakuli after a small barrage. Straight road take to Tarapeeth. We erred here. Instead of taking left to bye pass road we drive around 8 km straight before realizing the error. Unfortunately there is no signboard here.
|
Suri
|
11.00 am
|
233
|
Can have rest at the dam site. There is no petrol pump on this bye pass road. Road is double, maintained and traffic is very little. A board tells us that we have crossed West Bengal to Jharkhand.
|
Messenjor
|
12.00 noon
|
275
|
Bye pass road ends. Bad main road starts.
|
Rampurhat
|
1.00 pm
|
307
|
Bad road continues. After Dumka, need to take left towards Jasidih / Basukinath. We again erred here and proceeded to Bhagalpur. When realized the error, we were told to proceed further and take left to through Basukinath town towards the destination road.
|
Dumka
|
2.00 pm
|
332
|
Good road. Had lunch in a dhaba
|
Trikut Parvat
|
3.00 pm
|
378
|
Taken recently started Ropeway. In a shabby condition. No facility at the top of the hill but very cool breeze.
|
Trikut Parvat
|
4.00 pm
|
383
| |
Jasidih
|
5.00 pm
|
406
|
The destination
|
Had wasted around 25 – 30 kms because of errors.
Lastely, we had a special darshan on Holi Day at Baijnath dham. HariHar (Krishn Mahadev) darshan. This darshan is possible once in a year on Holi for an hour in the evening.
