Khajuraho, travel to the heart of India!

[Yogesh Sarkar]

Day 5: Khajuraho - Jhansi - Gwalior - Agra - Delhi

Got up at around 5 o’clock in the morning and started getting ready. At around 6:15AM, while Khajuraho was still under a blanket of darkness, it was time to start the journey back to Delhi.

Just before Bambitha, I occasionally started seeing traffic on my side of the road. Initially I cursed those drivers for driving on the wrong side of the road, but then remembered the confusion I was in, when I had taken the turn from Bambitha on the second day of my trip. I guess these drivers too were confused by twin roads with divider .

Once I reached Bambitha, single lane NH-75 began. Good initially, but later bad in stretches. Thankfully by now the sun had started coming out, so light from the oncoming traffic wasn’t blinding anymore and I was happily cruising along, when something I had feared since the second day, happened.

While cruising at 70-80kmph, I came across a stretch where a few birds were sitting on the road (laughing doves most likely) and instead of flying towards the side of the road; they started flying in the opposite direction of my motorcycle with one bird right in front of my face. Braced myself for the impact and right then the bird hit my forehead.

Thanks to my AGV helmet, nothing happened to me but the poor bird most likely either got killed or got badly injured.

After that I decided to take the first break of the day as I wanted to inspect the visor for any damages. Thankfully there were none, not even a scratch, even though the bird had hit the very top of the visor.



Second break came almost an hour later, thanks to a really bad stretch of road and lots of truck traffic (comparatively).



However on the positive side, road conditions weren’t as bad as what they were a few days back, seems like government is finally in a mood to improve the NH-75.

Once I reached NH-76, it was easy cruising with only occasional potholes to dodge.

Lovely National Highway 76





Around 30km before Jhansi, I decided to stop at Yadav Hotel for breakfast and had a stupendous breakfast of couple of delicious aloo paranthas with even better green chilly pickle. To top it all it was all for Rs. 24!

That put me in the right mood for the journey ahead and I really needed that, since once I crossed Jhansi, bad roads begin once again. Thanks to all the construction work, traffic was limited to one side of the road with frequent diversions.



To add to more frustration, I got lost in Gwalior and had to ride through some really busy streets.

However, once that was over, it was smooth sailing. Till I got to the same stretch and same bridge, where my bike’s rear tyre had puncture on the first day. Prayed that nothing would go wrong this time around, before getting on that bridge and crossed it without an incident .

Stopped right after that, because there was a Fort in a distance, which I had missed the other day. Time for quick snap then…



Next major break came around 40km before Agra and I stopped at a small restaurant for lunch. Again had some tasty paranthas for 30bucks and soon I was on the road again.

Just before Agra, I took the bypass and although it was filled with truck traffic (rarely a major issue on motorcycle), it was ok and I think I saved some time.

Once I got on the Agra - Delhi highway, I was shocked to see the amount of traffic! Lanes going towards Delhi were filled with cars and more than 70% of them were with Delhi registration!

From then on it was a constant game of Road Rash, with breaks coming often, just to let all the really impatient souls pass till the next red light or jam. In between I spotted this kind of different looking temple and clicked a photograph of it, in case someone knows what it is called, please let me know.



Traffic situation only worsened as I got closer to Delhi and I faced a jam right after entering Delhi. I guess this is the price one has to pay for coming back on long weekend Sunday.

Any ways, managed to reach home by 8:30pm, tired, filled with dust (thanks to construction after entering Delhi), memory cards and of course memory of a beautiful place with really nice people.

<Previous

Day 1: Delhi - Agra - Gwalior - Jhansi

Day 2: Jhansi - Chhatarpur - Bambitha - Khajuraho

Day 3: Khajuraho, Visvanatha Temple and Nandi Shrine

Day 3: Khajuraho, Parvati Temple

Day 3: Khajuraho, Lakshmana Temple

Day 3: Khajuraho, Lakshmana Temple, Part-2

Day 3: Khajuraho, Kandariya Mahadeva Temple

Day 3: Khajuraho, Jagadambi and Chitragupta Temples

Day 3: Khajuraho, Adivart Tribal and Folk Art Museum and ASI Museum

Day 3: Khajuraho, Jain Temples and Museum

Day 3: Khajuraho, Southern Group of Temples

Day 3: Khajuraho, Eastern Group of Temples

Day 3: Khajuraho, Sound and light show

Day 4: Khajuraho, Raneh Falls and Ken Gharial Sanctuary

Day 4: Khajuraho, Folk Dance Performance

[Rockin Roxxi]

Great account Yogesh bhai...I had no idea that folk dancers were so acrobatic!

slightly offtopic: I watched the amazing movie Kama Sutra again last week and the main actress looks like she is a living version of the many stone goddesses carved in khajuraho. She had the whole pearl outfit and was posing in the movie for a stone carver. It was as if the whole place came alive.

[Yogesh Sarkar]

Thanks Roxxi, I guess it all depends on the type of dance they perform. But yes, they surprised me as well. Have never seen that kind of performance live in my life, before this.

[RajeshPunia]

YS ! Very detailed logue ever seen by me on Khajuraho! Congrats ! The pics are more than wonderful ! Fabulous stuff !

PS: Your Simla trip made many of us to go Simla. I did that in nov Simla: A family visit on weekend Now you have made many of us to go Khajuraho

[pushpinder]

Wonderful pic, the one of the fort!!

[Yogesh Sarkar]

Originally Posted by RajeshPunia

YS ! Very detailed logue ever seen by me on Khajuraho! Congrats ! The pics are more than wonderful ! Fabulous stuff !

PS: Your Simla trip made many of us to go Simla. I did that in nov Simla: A family visit on weekend Now you have made many of us to go Khajuraho

Thanks Rajesh, I hope more BCMTians do go to Khajuraho, it is a wonderful place with lovely people.

Originally Posted by pushpinder

Wonderful pic, the one of the fort!!

Thanks Doc

[veeru]

Nice One Yogesh...

[hiambuj]

Simply awesome !!

[Dimitrz]

Didn't get time to read the travelogue due to workload - pics are awesome - so you did a solo trip this time ?

[Yogesh Sarkar]

Thanks Veeru and Amit.

Originally Posted by Dimitrz

Didn't get time to read the travelogue due to workload - pics are awesome - so you did a solo trip this time ?

Thanks Dimitrz, yup this too was a solo ride.