BHPian Karansingh recently shared this with other enthusiasts: After a very long pause, it was time to wake the rhino up for a long journey, this time to the edge of the country, Jaisalmer. With the excitement of planning to visit the India-pakistan border, capturing hundred of beautiful images of the picturesque landscape and visiting historically important locations, we started planning things a month in advance. Being in a corporate meant, readying the car would eat up 3 weekends, one for general checkup, one for cleaning and final one for pre-trip final checks. (3 weeks before we left the rear left Suspension Bush went kaput and had to be replaced.) For the ones who wouldn’t be able to read till the end, below is the route and all the places we visited. Thane – Charoti – Navsari – Palsana (NE4) – Kosamba/Ankleshwar (NH48) – Bharuch (get on the NE4) – Vadodara (get on the NE1) – Ahmedabad – Palanpur – Deesa – Dhanera – Sanchore – Barmer (bypass) – JaisalmerThane – Ahmedabad:Having parents who are 60+ meant taking a pit stop midway. We started from Thane at 7:00 am and took the Ghodbunder road to Fountain Hotel and then took the NH48 all the way to Charoti where we stopped at Ahura for breakfast. We reached Ahura at 9:30pm, the road was broken in some places and right before the Charoti toll naka, we spent 20+ minutes in a Jam all due to road works and A LOT OF STUPID drivers who took the wrong way and started merging from the wrong way. The lack of civic sense was evident as they even blocked the on-coming traffic. Also, the roads show the need for a dedicated freight corridor as the trucks at times block all the available lanes. From Charoti we drove to Navsari and took the exit to NE4 from Palsana. NE4 was a smooth sail all the way to Kosamba where we merged with NH48. We continued to Bharuch to get on the NE4 till Vadodara. And from Vadodara we got on the NE1 to Ahmedabad. Driving on NE4 was a surreal experience as even cruising at 120 feels slow. The only caution I would advise you all is to check on your tyre pressures. Since it was peak afternoon, the 19 inch tyres of the Hexa heated up quickly and the pressure rose from 36 to 41 psi. We stopped at a fuel bunk to fuel up and release some pressure from the tyres. NE1 (National Expressway 1), connects Ahmedabad to Vadodara and is a really well laid out surface of tarmac. We were constantly between 100-110 kph. The only lunacy I observed on this smooth road was, people overtaking using the emergency shoulder lane. We reached Ahmedabad (our hotel) near the Sabarmati Riverfront by 5:30 pm. We took 2 food stops and some more photo/check-up stops.Ahmedbad – Jaisalmer:We started from Ahmedabad at 7:00 am and continued towards Palanpur (SG Highway). We stopped in Palanpur for breakfast and then continued towards Deesa. This 30-50 kilometers stretch is full of trucks and bad roads, where you are greeted by potholes. Also this road is a 2 lane road without a divider which means overtaking is difficult due to the trucks who will not give you side. This highway is called Deesa – Tharad highway and looked like a crucial trade route. (Experts and wiser travelers can advise if there is any alternate route which we could have taken). After crossing Dhanera, although the road still stays 2-lane, the traffic goes down, the sudden patches of bad roads still stays though. Right before Sanchore, there is some roadwork going on, and it looks promising (maybe the next time we go to Jaisalmer, we will see the wider roads and the big flyovers). That section of roadworks adds 15 minutes to the journey. Even with the bad roads and trucks, seasoned drivers can easily keep pace. We reached Sanchore by 11:30 am, from where the good roads start and the traffic goes down. From Sanchore to Jaisalmer it showed 4 hours. This meant that we would reach our destination by 3:30 pm. Once you start from Sanchore the road hardly sees any traffic or pothole, keeping good pace you will reach the Barmer bypass quickly. The roads are smooth; however one must be fully awake due to the cattle and animals crossing the roads suddenly. We took couple of photo-op stops, to get pictures with wind-mills; it seems that the road went through a very large wind-farm. Since it was already 2:30pm we decided to not have lunch and pressed towards Jaisalmer, once you reach the outskirts of Jaisalmer, you are greeted by the glowing sandstone and the sight of sand on either side of the road. We reached Club Mahindra Jaisalmer by 4 pm and were greeted by peacocks and folk tunes. The itinerary was clear. Day 1 would be reserved for Tanot Mata Mandir, India – Pakistan border, Longewala war memorial and Gadisar Lake. We left the hotel at 7:00 am in the morning, Tanot Mata temple was 140 kms from the hotel so we did not bother to fuel up as it showed 300kms of range (big mistake) and pressed towards the border, the road was empty with plenty of military vehicles parked around. We stopped at some places to click photos and also took some drone shots. We reached Tanot Mata temple by 9:00 am and immediately went to get the border pass (I recommend this as you will not be able to get the pass once the crowd starts pouring). Unfortunately, on Tuesdays the temple is scheduled for cleaning and opens at 11:00 am, we took this as an opportunity and went to the India – Pakistan border. There is a sudden gush of patriotism and the deafening silence makes you wonder how our brave soldiers protect the country. The border is roughly 15 kilometers from the temple. Upon returning we had breakfast and went inside the temple. We also went to the AV room which takes about 5 minutes if there is a queue. After completing the darshan we started towards Longewala and that is when I realized that the range shows 190 kms. From Tanot to Longewala there are no fuel stations. Upon reaching Longewala we visited the war memorial; we saw the trenches, old Paki tanks and clicked a lot of photos. From Longewala we went towards Ghotaru and not Gamnewala (which we should have, as it was the way to Sam where the bunks are) with 150 kms of range left we started cruising towards the nearest petrol pump, Google Maps showed a Nayara petrol pump 60 kms from Longewala and we went that way (Ghotaru) upon reaching the location there was nothing but barren land. With the MID showing 95 kms of range, the anxiety started coming in. The occasional view of army trucks and some unusual military activity (highlight towards the end), one thing was sure that if we run out, help would not be far. Slow acceleration and coasting on 6th Gear while feathering the throttle, we reached at a cross-road, which showed 16 kms to Sam but the road was unpaved (kaccha) while the highway showed 46 kms to (Sam). We asked a wandering local, who said that there are many bunks in Sam and that the unpaved road would lead us there. Crossing our fingers, we took the small road and went through loose sand, ruts and mud, the road led us to a main junction in Sam, the MID now blaring “REFUEL” in red, we saw a bunk and were relieved. We went to the hotel from the bunk and then left for Gadisar lake which was 20 minutes or 11 kms away from the hotel. Unfortunately, we were late to capture the sunset, but the lake was peaceful Unusual Military Activity: While we stopped to check the bunk locations and stuff, we saw soldiers not in uniform but gear and we saw empty tank carriers. At a place we also saw sand storms but in 5-6 places, we stopped and checked with our phone cameras and those were Indian Army Tanks doing some kind of drill. The next day, my parents informed me that it was shown in the NEWS that the military had conducted war practice in Jaisalmer, due to the Delhi terror attack. Day 2: Jaisalmer Fort, Kuldhara Village, Gadisar Lake The fort was merely 15-20 minutes or 10 kms away. We took the car, but fell prey to the parking scam, the locals have bought barricades similar to the ones by the Police and stop you and ask you to park the vehicle. But you can take the car about 200 meters ahead! Although it is November, but the sun doesn’t spare Jaisalmer, and walking 200 meters to the fort was a task for my parents. The fort is big and the thing which is keeping it alive is the same thing responsible for its deterioration. As close to 4000 people live inside the fort, it is lined with cafes, shops and fortune-tellers. There is a palace which has an entry fee of Rs 200 (for Indians) and is the only thing worth doing, there are about 30 points of interest and they are numbered really well. One should just follow the arrows. Once outside the palace, there is a Jain Temple, city viewpoint, cannon point etc. City viewpoint is good for taking pictures, but arrive early. We headed to Kuldhara Village. The entry to the village is another scam, where hand receipts are given with ‘Entry for 1’ written, but they take the entry fee of all and the car separately. The ruins and the history behind it are really fascinating, I carried my drone to record but the guards stopped us from flying for a very illogical reason. However, I went to the car, moved it about 100 meters away and closer to the ruins and flew it anyway. We went back to the hotel and came to the Gadisar Lake again, this time right at the golden hour of sunset. We captured beautiful images and then explored the local market. Day 3: Bada Bagh, Khuri Sand Dunes Bada Bagh is a series of sandstone cenotaphs, here again the entry per person is Rs 150. We reached the place at 7:10 am to capture the sun rise. The place has ample parking and lucky ones will immediately find a great spot to click the picture of their car with all the cenotaphs in the background. The place is worth visiting. Birds love rhinos We went back to the hotel and took rest. We were in 2 minds about going to the sand dunes as my parents were not interested in the desert jeep safari. Due to this we started the journey to Khuri Sand Dunes at 4:30 pm. The road to Khuri goes from the same road where our hotel was, but we were shocked to see how a circle changes things. After crossing the airport road circle the road became single lane with sand and mud on either side. Great for SUVs but not so great for sedans and others. We reached Khuri by 5:30 pm and the sun was on the horizon, about to set. We quickly did the jeep safari, clicked pictures and took a beautiful drone shot of the setting sun in the dunes. The return journey from Khuri was concerning for my father, as it was a single lane broken road with no lights and no soul. Thanks to the DHC high beams we were set at 100kph even on such roads. We ditched Sam Sand Dunes as it is highly commercialized and feels more like a market than a desert. Day 4 & 5 Local Market and Shopping Most shops/local market are/is near the fort and around the fort (experts can advise if we missed any opportunity to explore) and this meant no more long trips in the car, we used to park the car and explore the areas on foot. Go the hotel, once the sun started blazing and came back in the evening for dinner.Return from Jaisalmer:We took the same route. Started at 6:30 am in the morning and traced the same route. I observed some leakage in the power steering hose and decided to top up the fluid which had reached the minimum mark. We drove towards Ahmedabad and bought the power-steering fluid as soon as we saw a local shop that was open. We reached Palanpur by 2 pm and were sure of reaching Ahmedabad by 4 pm, but we planned to keep going as we wanted the next day journey to be short since we had to pick up my puppy. Entering Ahmedabad was horrendous as the traffic was immense and the entry to NE1 was packed. We got on the NE1 by 5pm, reached the NE4 exit by 6:10 pm. We kept going and reached Bharuch by 7:20 pm and decided to halt in Ankleshwar (reached by 7:45 pm), we kept a fast pace to cover greater distance. (~820 kms)Ankleshwar to Thane:We started at 6:30 am from Ankleshwar in order to beat any uncertain traffic or congestion and we reached Ahura (Charoti) by 9:45 am (the road gods were on our side). After Charoti we did not stop anywhere and pressed for Thane, we reached home by 12:30 pm. Being a Sunday there was little to none traffic, only a few minutes on GB Road. Overall this was a 3100 km journey, we saw newly built expressways, the trusty NH48, roads at the border which are used by tanks, and we saw paved roads that are rarely used. With a heavy foot and good speeds, this 2.5 ton rhino carried 3 people and lot and lots of luggage gracefully while delivering 15 kms to a litre. With many more miles and destinations to come. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
Source link
Of sand and sunsets: A 3100 km road trip to Jaisalmer in my Tata Hexa
