Chapter 7: Driving Driving and driving....

20 Aug (Mon):

Chittorgarh

Amrithsar

Chittorgarh – Ajmer - Kishangarh – Sujangarh – Ratangarh – Sardarshahar – Rawatsar -  Hanumangarh - Abohar-Fazilka-Ferozepur-Zira – Amrithsar

10 PM

5 PM (D+1)

904  KMS

Distance that we covered in the Night

Routemap for the day drive

It was almost 10.30 as we resumed our drive after a short nap after dinner. After we crossed Ajmer, the road tapered into a 2.5 lane smooth road through the countryside of Rajasthan.  Bandi drove almost till 2.30 after which I took over to drive  somewhere after Ajmer. Drive from then till Sardarshahar was one of the awesome stretches that I have driven in night time. It was around 8.00 AM next day we reached Sardarshahar.


This is the cheapest toll road in India, and probably the best & most useful. And this is a SH, not a NH. Rs 195 for a 425 kms stretch is a pure joy to drive

We got stuck almost 45 mins in total at 3 railway crossing enroute.

8 AM and temp is 30 Deg C.. It rose to 40 Deg C from 11 AM- 3 PM

Spent some time on photoshoot amidst sand dunes of Rajasshtan. Freshened up and had breakfast at outskirts of Sardarshahar, and we decided we could make it to Amrithsar by the RETREAT time. DJ was up for challenge as he drove almost till Hanumangarh. It was one hell of a ride at 40 Deg C all day long. Bandi was next to drive till Abhoar and I was just rallying behind the Scorp all the way till Amrithsar.

We could make it to Retreat at Wagah boarder by 5.30. It was also BAKRID on that day, and as a result of school vacation, the rush at WAGAH BORDER was immense.. we hardly had space for a remote view of the retreat. It was too humid at that hour and we had lost all our energy by then. Post spending a few minutes after viewing some intermediate retreat process, we drove into Amritsar city to find a hotel for that night.  Freshened up to visit GOLDEN TEMPLE. In my last visit in 2006, I had visited this temple in daylight and the night light picture always mesmerized me then. This was the opportunity that I was looking for quite sometime. We did have good time keeping ourselves busy trying out various manual modes of photography.

 Came back for a quick dinner at hotel to sleep like a dead log.