Kolkata to Bongaigaon - Day 4 - Page 4

C2C Kolkata 2 Bongaigaon Day - 4  (Page - 4)

We stayed in Kolkata on arriving on 24th Dec 2016 early morning at 2.30 AM.

We checked in into Hotel Victoria Inn. 

We were very happy to meet the owner who incidentally happens to be from Puducherry (Pondicherry).

He was happy to hear my little daughter Shrimeenakshi speaking in Tamil. 

He too speaks Tamil and told us he and his family have been in Kolkata for many years and have settled down.

We checked out of the hotel by 8 AM and started our journey towards Bongaigaon Assam. 

The distance to be covered was close to 1000 KMs.

The route we took from Kolkata was towards Bardhman, Suri, Illambazar, Rampurhat, Darjeeling More Panagarh,  Dumka, Moregram, Bhaghalpur, Purnea, Islampur, Bagrakote, Coronation Bridge, Malbazar, Nagrakata, Birpara, Alipurduar, Barobisha and finally to Bongaigaon in Assam. 

We took the Kona Expressway from Kolkata. 

In Kolkata city we passed the famous Vidyasagar Setu hanging bridge.

Kona Expressway is a great pleasure to drive. I pushed the FIAT Palio 1.6 GTX to see it performance and she was so eagerly responding and easily climbed over 140 KM. 

This car doesn't have a speed buzzer. 

One warning message came from the lady in the back seat when the speedometer needle crossed 150 KM and she said you push it any further, then I will get off from the car. So that's it, it was back to the normal safe speeds.

Shrimeenakshi was enjoying herself by singing her favourite song. 

We stopped en route for breakfast at a Cafe Coffee Day outlet.

We had a little issue with the AC not switching on. I visited a workshop at Pannagarh and they checked and found the lose connection in switch and resolved it. 

Cattle being transported in this way for slaughter house. So sad to see the plight of the cattle.

Roads were very bad and full of pot holes.

We saw a lot of stone crushing machines en-route. 

Bhagalpur is 63 KMs & Purnea is 156 KMs away.  

We finally were coming close to Bhagalpur. Time was 8.15 PM and very dark.

Due to the restriction of taking out money from ATM we could only take out Rs.2000/- per day. Most of it was getting used in Toll Gate Fees, Food etc.

Our car was on reserve. I came to this fuel station, they did not accept the card payment (this was the same case in most of the fuel pumps), they insisted on being paid by Cash. 

I had very little cash on hand and managed to put Rs.300/- worth of fuel hoping that it will help me to reach Bhaghalpur and then I will find a pump which might accept card.

After filling the fuel we started on the highway towards Bhagalpur.

We found the highway choked up with trucks and road towards Bhagalpur was blocked.

I turned back and came to the fuel pump and asked what other options we have to reach Bhagalpur.

The Fuel Pump attender told us that there is a short cut and it goes through the village and we can try it.

But there was a rider clause from the attender. He told us that he would not recommend it but if we wish to try we can but it will be very difficult at night.

Hair Raising Experience to reach Bhagalpur. After this experience which I am sharing below, my wife promised not to do any more road trips with me ha ha ha😄😂😁😅😆😈

We told the fuel pump attender that we will give the village road short cut a try.

The attender told us he would not even recommend it to anyone even locals avoid it but since we seemed so determined to reacg Bhagalpur he asked us to follow the highway for about 1 KM until we come across a Lord Hanuman Temple.

Hanuman is a Monkey GOD and considered as God of Might, Valour and Wisdom.

He is also believed to be eternally living forever. In India he is also known as Chiranjeevi - one who lives forever. 

We find a lot of such Temples dedicated to Hanuman all along the city & village roads as well as in the Highways. All motorists pray to this Monkey GOD for strength and for protection and pray him to accompany them and for sure we too offered our prayers and sought the Lord's blessings and took the risk. 

By the side of this temple a road was going into the village which was some 3 - 4 KMs away.

We were told to continue in the village road and cross the village which was pitch dark without a soul anywhee around.

We were told that we would come across small culvert of a dry river and cross it and continue and find a Liquor Manufacturing DARU KA 😸 Factory and still continue and then another village, then a school and keep going further until we come to the other side of the highway.

Sounded so simple but in reality it was a nightmare. Having taken the decision to give it a shot we proceeded.

The road was like riding on a camel's rump. I managed to drive so slowly and it was filled with very deep crater like pot holes. We came to know only Farm Tractors can ply in such roads and we took our Palio into it. 

I came across a small group of village houses and it was already night 10 PM and most of the villagers were fast asleep.

I managed to find a house which still had a light burning and walked across to that house and called out. 

After some time couple of people came out and were so amazed and surprised to see me standing outside and I asked them for the direction and to reconfirm.

They showed me to continue in that road itself. With no other options I continued on. After some 10 minutes I came across another set of village homes.

Again I walked across to the houses and managed to find some one still working on separating the rice husk. 

I asked them to confirm but some how they were not able to communicate in Hindi Language and were responding to me in Bihari. I could not get much help.

I was now worried as ahead was a road which was going somewhere where we had no idea.

After this ahead was very dark road and no sign of any life.

With a lady & 2 kids I was wondering whether to turn back. I did not want to risk it anymore. I was thinking it is better to go back and join the traffic jam and wait for the trucks to move. 

Just as I was walking back to the car from the village houses, I saw a share auto just cross our Car in the same road which we wanted to head to. 

That Auto just had briefly paused at our car and found a worried looking woman sitting inside the car.

I came to the car & my worried wife told me to follow that share auto. One thing was for sure, that the share auto was also trying to use this road to avoid that traffic jam to go towards the other side of the highway.

Lord Hanuman surely had sent us help by sending that share auto with 5 people inside. The 4 passengers were old people and the driver was just like his passengers all covered up with a dark shawl to protect themselves from the bitter cold wind.

I immediately started off and tried to follow. But that share auto had just vanished.

I kept driving and came across his fresh tyre tracks and started following.

It was like a hollywood movie where we were tracking. As the roads were not so good I could not speed and the auto was moving fast. Finally I managed to track that auto ahead and saw its rear and kept following it.

After some time some opening came and he pulled over and my heart stopped. I was wondering whether he would tell us thats it he is done and stopping.

But the auto driver asked us in Hindi where are you going. I briefly said Bhagalpur highway and we took this route due to the traffic jam.

He looked at us and told us to follow and moved on and we just had to rush to keep him in sight. 


It is one journey me & my wife will never forget. The auto driver took us through so many winding roads within the village and through the lanes and then I just realized if it wasnt for the auto driver I never would have made it to the other side of the highway.

Finally after what we believed to be eternal time of following the share auto we started seeing street lights and then the head lights of the trucks plying on the highway.

We both were so relieved and so happy and glad to see. The share auto kept moving and came on to the highway.

As I was behind the auto at some distance by the time I too got on to the highway from the village road a truck had come behind the auto. 

I could not catch up with the auto and I kept seeing him ahead and at one point he just left the highway and ahead he just took a right tuen and went on and briefly paused to look behind and he saw our car on the highway.

I could never stop to thank him and I sincerely thanked him with all my heart for showing us the way. 

Strange are the ways of GODs who send the help to you when you aree in trouble and seek help & support sincerely. 

Jai Sri.RAM, Jai HANUMAN.

Finally we were heading to Bhagalpur city.

Finally we reached Bhagalpur city. It was midnight around 11.40 PM and my kids & both of us had not had any dinner.

I told my wife maybe we should try Bhagalpur Railway Station and maybe we will find some food. We drove to the station and found the outside so dirty and we never felt like stopping to have food.

We were wondering whether should we stay at Bhagalpur or continue on.

Since the village road adventurous drive we were very alert and we decided to drive on towards Purnea.

We came to a round about in Bhagalpur and again got stuck up in a big traffic jam.

We had to keep waiting. It was bitter cold and we started feeling sleepy. I briefly slept off in the parked car behind the truck.

After long time some one was banging on my window glass and I opened my eyes to see Bihar Police officer standing next to my car. I lowered my window and he said "Sir, please turn back as there is a heavy traffic jam and go by the round about and take a left road and continue and this will lead to the other side of the highway". I thanked him.

My wife said, "Oh No. Not Again". We did not have any options and with great difficulty I tuned the car on the jammed up flyover and drove back to take the road which the Police Officer had suggested.

This road took us again through bye lanes of Bhagalpur and we kept going on. It was around 12.30 AM on 25th Dec 2016.

We found an elderly gentleman who had just come out of his home and had started his car and we stopped him and asked for help on how to reach the highway.

He suggested us the road and told us to be careful as the level difference between the road which we were and the highway was too steep and we had to be careful to find a safe way to climb to avoid any toppling. Talk about more adventure.

We saw a JCB Earth moving tractor far ahead and we managed to find a way to come behind and waited to see what he does.

It was with great difficulty the JCB managed to climb from the lower road level to the higher level of the highway. 

For a minute we thought the JCB would topple over the way he had taken the vehicle up. We waited for him to leave and he went off into the highway.

Now I was wondering how I should negotiate this steep gradient to leave behind the road to join the highway road.

I prayed and slowly put the Palio in 1st gear and slowly started to move. I had to use all my skills to avoid any skidding and the road was also filled with huge pot holes. I slowly and steadily inched and managed to climb on to the highway.

Joining the highway again was a great relief. This road towards from Bhagalpur Bihar towards Purnea was again chocked up with trucks and we again got stuck behind another long line of trucks on a bridge. Most often Traffic Jam happens because of wrong side driving.

I walked out of the car and crossed some 10 trucks ahead to see what had caused the Jam. I saw a group of truckers arguing with each other. I went and met them and spoke to them and requested them to stop the quarrel and argument and asked some of them to back up and eased the way to clear the traffic.

Once the trucks started to move, I had to run back to my car and I started my car and joined the convoy.

By 4.30 AM I was continuing and we encountered very thick heavy fog.

Accident en-route to our Palio;

Many trucks had stopped and it was a stop and go. When we could not go, I stopped the car and took rest and slept. In one such incident I heard heavy honking behind and woke up to see the truck ahead had moved on and the truck behind honking.

It was a weak moment of waking up all of a sudden and starting the car and I moved. The car just picked up speed and I suddenly realized the truck ahead did a hard breaking. 

Many trucks don't have brake lights working and I was behind such a truck and his sudden braking and stopping caught me by surprise. 

There was absolutely no time to react. My reaction was slow. I knew I would rear end that truck and tried my level best to brake and turned to my extreme left. 

In the process I saved my Palio from a direct collision with the rear of the truck.

My deep cutting to the left saved my car but my right most corner front portion had collided with the rear of the truck and there was a hevy bang sound.

My heart sank. My wife was upset. I tried to open my door to check for the damage and the right side door refused to open as the collision had pushed the right fender wheel arch portion back. I had to get off from my left side door to inspect.

Well I had saved the car by going to the extreme left and by avoiding the straight rear ending crash. 

There was damage to the front portion of the front right side and on the engine bonnet. You can see the photos below. Luckily my right side headlamp did not break except its bracket was damaged.

With a heavy heart we started driving and we were coming towards Islampur and found a workshop at 7.45 AM. 

I met the mechanic Saifuddin Bhai and his team and explained to them.

He and his team were very quick to work and were very efficient and very good. 

They went about their work and rectified the car by doing the denting and also fixed the bracket for the head lamp and without wasting any time. It took us about 1 hour to get it resolved. 

By 9 AM the car was ready after the tinkering and repairs. 

I paid them and sincerely thanked them and we started off by trying to cross Islampur, basically road heading towards Guwahati.

On the way we found a road side bore well and we stopped and cleaned ourselves and also gave our car a good wash.

In this photo below, Kishanganj is 1 KM, Islampur is 30 KMs, Siliguri is 117 KMs, Darjeeling is 174 KMs, Bongaigaon is 350 KMs and Guwahati is 527 KMs. 

The time was 11 AM on 25th December 2016.

Siliguri was 112 KMs away.

We were passing through Tea Gardens on both side of the highway road.

Jalpaiguri was 73 KMs away. Time was 12.30 PM.

We were reaching Siliguri. We saw some beautiful Gurudwara. We saw the Buddhist Monastery.

Siliguri also has a heavy military presence. Both Army & Air Force.

We stopped for Lunch. Previous day night we had not eaten at Bhagalpur. Morning we had some break fast before Islampur.

We stopped at Laddu Gopal's outlet at Siliguri and had a good lunch.

The time was 2.30 PM when we crossed this Buddhist Monastery.

We moved on from Siliguri and our destination was Bongaigaon almost 300 KMs away.

We had to cross the Teesta River, Coronation Bridge, pass through Malbazar, drive through the enchanting Dooars, Nagrakata, Birpara, towards Alipurduar, Hasimara and finally to Bongaigaon.  

I will never forget this Stupa (Landmark) as I had made a very big mistake way back in 2010 during my 3rd Road Trip to Bhutan. Instead of taking a right turn at this place at the late night I had ended up going straight which almost took me 40 KMs away towards Darjeeling.

So this time I ensured to take the right right turn which says Bagrakote. Time was 2.40 PM.

Teesta River & Coronation Bridge.

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Coronation_Bridge

The Coronation Bridge, also known as the Sevoke Bridge, in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India, spans across the Teesta River, connecting the districts of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri. National Highway 31 runs across it.

It was named to commemorate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937 and was completed in 1941. The foundation stone of the bridge was laid by John Anderson, the-then Governor of Bengal in 1937.

Locals call the bridge Baghpool, meaning tiger bridge, because of the two lion statues (bagh actually means tiger) at one entrance of the bridge. The bridge is also called Lohapul (Iron Bridge) as it is made of steel.

Malbazar is 14 KMs away. Time was 3.15 PM.

We stopped at Hasimara at this beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Narayana, Balaji Sri Venkateswara Temple and had a god darshan and we offered our prayers.

Bongaigaon is still 106 KMs away. Time was 7.30 PM and it was really dark.

Bongaigaon is still 52 KMs away. Time was 8.50 PM 

Finally we reached Bongaigaon safely. The time was 10.45 PM. 

After reaching Bongaigaon we moved away from the highway into the inside road.

We saw an Army SUV with Armed Gunmen standing guard. I approached them and asked them way to a hotel we had identified and they helped in pointing and asked us where we had come from. 

I told them from Chennai. They looked surprised and I told them I had a very long way to go.

We halted at Bongaigaon and took a room in Hotel Jahnabee Regency.

Starting Odometer Reading at Kolkata on 24th December 2016 at 8 AM was 61392 KM.

Closing Odometer Reading at Bongaigaon on 25th December 2016 night at 10.45 PM was 62405 KM.

Total distance traveled from the hotel from Kolkata to the hotel in Bongaigaon was 1013 KMs.

Click on these Links below to go to the next Pages 

To go to the Home Page Click on this Link below;

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To visit to the CHENNAI TO KOLKATA - Page - 3 Click on this link below.

http://maheshnatarajan.blogspot.in/2017/01/c2c-chennai-to-kolkata-day-1-stared-on.html

To visit to the KOLKATA TO BONGAIGAON Page - 4 click on this link below;

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To visit to the BONGAIGAON TO TEZPUR Page - 5 click on this link below;


http://maheshnatarajan.blogspot.in/2017/01/tezpur-to-dirang-day-6-page-6.html

To visit to the TEZPUR TO DIRANG Page - 6 click on this link below;

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To visit to the DIRANG TO SELA PASS TAWANG AND TEZPUR Page - 7 click on this link below;

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