Chota Char Dham Yatra.. A Drive into Uttarakhand Day 1

22nd. September 2012

We reached the DND flyover meeting point at  exactly 11:30 am., after driving for 22.5 hours and covering a distance of  1,619 kms. 

SS, laluks, PC, akaush & his Parents, AS, VK & NS, were already present there. Had a very quick reunion with the IPHE team members present there and introductions to the new team members. We waited  for some time, for the other cars and team members to arrive, with the Bolero engine running all the while. Already running short on fuel, what with the engine running continuously since morning, we decided to move ahead, refuel, find an electrical mechanic to get the problem sorted out!  

So we bundled SS and  his luggage into the Bolero, we left before the others arrived! akaush was kind enough to lead the way through the maze that is New Delhi! A quick refuelling stop at Indraprastha service Station. After refuelling we moved towards the Haridwar and somewhere near Shahdara, we stopped at an Amaron Battery Sales and Service outlet. I'm pretty sure that there is someone looking out for us from up  Above, cos the Bolero engine decided to give up its fight and died down right in front of the shop! Luckily, there was an electrician available nearby and after checking, it was found that one of the parts of the Alternator had gone bust and needed to be replaced. Got the part replaced and also took a spare, just in case. Was asked by the mechanic to keep the engine running for atleast 15 mins, before we started again, so that the Battery could get charged again! 

While the mechanic was attending to the car, the rest of the cars and the team reached Shahdara and we asked them to continue ahead towards Haridwar and we would catch up with them. Finally we left Shahdara at around 2:00 pm. The rest of the team of the team had moved on ahead and had stopped a little after the Mahliyana Toll Plaza on the Delhi-Haridwar Highway NH58. We caught up with them by around 3:40pm. Finally the whole team was together for the first time. After quick introductions with the new members of the team, we moved on towards Haridwar. Actually it was a dash to Haridwar, through some horrible traffic and under construction roads. The unruly/ speeding State Transports Bus drivers and numerous taxis made matters worse. 

Managed to reach Haridwar by around 6:00 pm., found parking and rushed to have a -

Darshan of the Ganga Aarti from Har Ki Pauri. 

Some photos taken by doctorque and KSM-Vtec.

The Team spent more than 2 hours on the banks of the Ganga, with a few of the members taking a dip in the fast flowing and cold waters of the Ganga! On enquiring with the GMVN Tourist Rest House in Haridwar for accommodation for the night, we were informed that they wouldn't be able to accommodate the whole team. A call to the GMVN Rishilok TRH at Rishikesh and they were more than happy to provide us with rooms and more importantly dinner! It was a short drive of around 32 kms. 

akaush and his parents were the first to leave from Haridwar, to make sure that the kitchen remains open and dinner & rooms are available for the team. The last of the cars made it to the Rishilok TRH by around 10:00pm. Everyone dumped their baggage into the rooms and gathered in the restaurant for dinner. Dinner was a simple affair of Mixed Vegetables, Dal Fry, Roti, Rice, Salad. 

The next days drive plan was briefly discussed with the team, and departure was scheduled for 5:30am. Having driven continuously from Bombay for 1,885kms., KSM-Vtec and me were really tired and needed to get some much needed sleep and I guess so did the others! 

to be continued.......