17 July 2021 – Daman to Rathnagiri – 490 km - Day 15 of Spiti Valley Exploration

I woke up well in time to get ready for an early start. As I was warned last night, the taps had run dry and I was indeed thankful to the Manager for having ferried three big buckets of fresh water into the bathroom. I did not mind the cold water for that knocked me fully awake for the drive that lay ahead of me. The stay had been comfortable, though I wished that the staff had been better trained. What I liked best, though, was the concept of government accommodation being thrown open for commercial exploitation. I hope the ‘experiment’ in Daman finds resonance all over the country where government departments and public sector undertakings have poorly used and ill-maintained accommodation at excellent locations. These can be put to better use, reduce government expenditure and, in turn, can fetch the government and PSUs better revenue. I sincerely hope that the Indian Railways pursues this path at the earliest.

The skies were overcast when I decided to cast off from Daman. Even though I had initially thought of leaving well after 7 am I was ready for an early departure. There was some confusion at the checkout regarding the payment to be made. All was amicably sorted out in the end. I collected the packed breakfast that the Manager had promised the previous night and I was on my way. The roads in Daman do require attention. It was still too early in the morning for Gujarat border officials to stop my car to enquire if I was carrying any liquor from the Union Territory, which is illegal.

Hetal Shah, my friend from Surat, had told me that I should try out the Parsi Dairy restaurant near Talasari for breakfast. Even though I was carrying packed breakfast, I could not resist the temptation of trying out their Maska Bun and whatever else. It was not difficult to locate the restaurant as it was picked out prominently by Google Maps. A light drizzle was falling when I turned into the service road of the restaurant. The guard at the gate told me that it would take another half hour for the restaurant to take its first order. I weighed options and thought that I should get back on the road as the weather conditions did not seem too promising.

While it was a smooth drive all the way up to the Fountain Junction near Thane the route after that took me through some of the most congested parts of the city, which reduced me to a crawl. It was NH48 alright but the traffic density was too high and I must have certainly missed a turn because I had to transit Mumbra and Taloja instead of Airoli-Vashi. I joined up the right route at the Kalamboli flyover by which time I had lost time and patience. At Panvel I joined the NH66 and then the misery heightened. 

The NH66 is a 1700 km busy highway that runs from Panvel to Kanyakumari. Surely, the NH66 is the pits in this part of the country because it possibly has the max speed-breakers, warned and un-warned, and is also possibly the worst at the moment right now in India. Road works are going on and some of them have such large craters that one has to be very careful navigating it. Potholes, un-warned deviations, vehicles driving in the wrong direction, rains and narrow gullies led to a frustrating day’s drive. In contrast, I was glad to get on to some state highways such as the scenic drive through Mahad, which has the Raigad Fort of Shivaji Maharaj. The place is made more scenic by the Sahyadri Mountains that surround it. The greenery and the cool environ really energised me. The intensity of the rain had also increased by then.

By the time I turned into Ratnagiri buckets of rain had started dropping. I found it difficult to keep track of the road even. I was booked to stay at the Hotel New Konkan which is a semi-homestay that sits atop a small hillock. It is a pocket friendly, no frills, neat and clean accommodation with excellent views of the Aarey Waarey beach and is on the route to Ganapatipule, a lovely beach and pilgrim centre. The heavy rain spiked whatever desire I had to visit the Aarey Waare beach; it would have been a waste. Instead, I spend time in the room completing my documentation, charging devices and imbibing a couple of pegs. In the meanwhile, the rain stepped up another notch. I had requested for dinner of egg curry and chappati. Jaswant, the caretaker of the facility, explained the semi-homestay and their plans to build cottages in the near future. He invited me for dinner at the appointed time and gave me an umbrella to walk up to the owner’s residence where dinner would be served.

Heavy rainfall had rendered the dining area, which overlooked the beach, absolutely unusable. Hence, I sat in their living room and had delectable spicy egg curry and chappathis. The rain continued its march and I almost got drenched getting back to the room. Right through the night I could hear the relentless downpour.

18 July 2021 – Rathnagiri to Karwar – 345 km - Day 16 of Spiti Valley Exploration

I do not remember when I went into deep sleep. But, when I attained wakefulness I could still hear it raining cats and dogs; apparently the theme had not changed the whole night. I had entertained light hopes of making a quick dash to the beach before leaving for Karwar after 8 am. That was put to rest firmly when I looked outside the room window.

Last night Jaswanth had told me that he could get me a Upma breakfast before I left. Wielding an umbrella I reached the hosts’ house a quarter to 8 and the Upma was promptly laid for me on the living room table. While having the superb Upma I had a small chat with the hostess. She told me that they have been operating the ‘hotel’ for more than three years. I told them that they should designate it as a homestay as the facility had that character and food is served in the hosts’ house out of their kitchen. When people read of it as a Hotel their assumptions are very different. The hostess told me that they have plans of augmenting rooms and building new cottages with premium facilities. After breakfast I took leave of the pleasant hostess. I certainly would recommend this place to stay in Ratnagiri for any budget traveler.

Once outside the hosts’ house I thought of taking a couple of photos for Facebook post later. I was more focused on deciding the angle for the photo of the house when I slipped on moss and fell with a thud on the concrete. Fortunately, I did not hit my head or hurt myself seriously. The wrist and elbow got bruised a bit. The first aid kit in the car came to my assistance. The bruises continued to pain me for quite some time into the drive. Rains continued and I feared the worst if the condition of road was as bad as the previous day. As it turned out, the SH4 up to Rajapur was good and the NH66 thereafter became better. On the way I saw rivers in spate, gushing waters and cascades all over. The continuous rain had contributed its mite. However, the mist and lively greenery made the drive very romantic and visually most pleasing.

I was motoring along leisurely, enjoying the conditions and not making any haste as I had less than 400 km for the day. When I reached the Goa border at Patradevi I found vehicles parked to the sides of the road. A policeman asked me to park the car and go to the erstwhile check post where I was told that despite my Covid double vaccination report I would have to take the Rapid antigen test there. The official said that the requirement has been mandated by a court order, which they did not produce. I paid Rs. 270 for the test and got the result in 10 minutes. The policeman at the registration boot saw the negative report and waived me on without having to wait in a queue in the rain. Thank God for small mercies.

The architecture and character of the place changed immediately as I crossed over into Goa. There were grottos, crosses and Portuguese tile designs along the way. I thought of buying the layered Goan cake, Bebinca, on the way. I stopped in Navelim at a wayside shop to enquire if they had Bebinca. They did not but the owner asked me to check in the Bakery Fusion shop across the road. A middle aged lady was sorting things out in the shop, talking to her friend and swaying to music, all at once. She did not delay attending to me either. She sacrificed conversation with her friend and packed up ham and cheese sandwich, crumb fried chicken roll and a chicken roll, which I chose for lunch. When I saw all those goodies stacked in the counters I could not resist them. After I paid the bill, the gregarious lady said, "See you soon, Sir” in a very musical way. The spirit of Goa, I supposed. The last thing to be done in Goa was to tank up fuel, which I did. Diesel is cheaper in Goa as compared to Daman.

I reached Karwar by 4 pm and drove straight to Amrut Aura Hotel, where I had reserved. Amit, the Manager who was manning the reception counter upgraded my room, once I cancelled on the booking.com site. The 35 room hotel, Amit said, is doing exceptionally well due to the ongoing works of Operation Seabird. I found the room decently sized with decent service and value for money. Amit suggested dinner in their popular seafood restaurant if I felt like it. I marked it for action later.

I had some work at the Karwar Port, where there is a proposal to facilitate barging of containers. I was accompanied by the Conservator of the Port and we walked around and talked of the fortunes of the Port. At one time, at the height of the Iron Ore export boom, the Port had become very busy. At the same time that also changed the pristine environment the port was in. Later, court cases and ban on mining and export of iron ore scaled back Port activity and now it is back to being predominantly a fishing port.

The Rabindranath Tagore beach is said to be a must visit in Karwar. Having visited many others all over the world, I was not too much impressed by the beach. But what piqued my curiosity was the name that was given to the beach – Rabindranath Tagore. Later I was told that the Nobel laureate had visited elder his brother, who was posted as District Judge, in Karwar in 1882. He was not yet known to the world but the pristine environs awoke in him a series of writings on communing with nature. 

The Rock Garden is another must see in Karwar. The closure due to the pandemic has taken its toll, I was warned at the reception. The Karwar District Administration, in 2018, used four acres abutting the beach to create art out of large rocks, with cascades and landscaped gardens. It is also a place where one can familiarise with the tribes of North Karnataka; life size models of the tribes, their habitat and cultural identities are beautifully depicted. It was sad to see that the garden needed immediate maintenance and the number of visitors are also too low to support the idea.

The Sadashivgarh fort is the highest point in Karwar. The fort was built in 1715 overlooking the sangam of the Kali River and Arabian Sea. The National Highway 66 linking Karnataka to Goa now cuts through the erstwhile Sadashivgarh granite hill. I drove up to the fort which is now operated as a resort by Jungle Lodges. I found the gates locked and later I came to know that the pandemic has sealed it for some time now. I sent some time near the Kali River Bridge to admire the sangam and inhale fresh breeze. Increasing drizzle soon drove me into the car and onwards to the hotel.

The Amrut group started business in Karwar as a jewellery store almost 100 years ago. Their seafood restaurant began business nearly 40 years ago and is designated as a must visit in Karwar. The restaurant was awfully busy and waiters were on their toes serving customers with supervisors taking orders after suggesting the day’s speciality. I had a Pomfret masala fry with a couple of rotis. It was pretty decent but a tad too spicy for my palate.

Just two more days to go before I reach Chennai. It has been a very enjoyable and eventful trip thus far. In Karwar I thanked God for taking the NH66 route. The route via Satara and Kolhapur was closed due to floods and Ratnagiri, likewise, was badly affected too. Escape by the skin of my teeth. A day longer and it may have prolonged my return to home base.

19 July 2021 – Karwar to Bangalore - 575 - km - Day 17 of Spiti Valley Exploration

When I had asked suggestions from a couple of friends for options to stay in Karwar, they suggested that I should halt the night at either Ankola or Shivamoga. The Amrut Aura Hotel in Karwar, therefore, turned out to be a pleasant surprise and I had found it on booking.com. The stay had been comfortable and the staff polite. I settled the bill and left at 5 am.

The first 90 km of the day was NH66. I was happy to note that it was a different animal on the Karwar-Honnavar stretch. Four-laning has been completed over a substantial part, yet lot of work is left over. Tolling without getting all the facilities done is not acceptable; it is definitely cheating the users, who have to navigate extremely carefully as there are numerous diversions and safety features like guard rails have not been fixed. To even collect partial toll under these circumstances is not fair. The construction company/toll operator may claim 50 to 75% completion but the inconvenience, and even peril, the road user is put to is immeasurable.

Just short of Honnavar I turned to NH69 to go to Jog Falls. It started raining in a while with thick blankets of mist reducing visibility. This had to be expected when traveling through the Western Ghats at this time of the year. I also did not hasten as I wanted to experience that misty morning as much as I could. I reached the arch that announced Jog Falls after being on NH69 for slightly over 90 minutes. When I parked at the designated parking lot there was light rain and it was misty. Visitors were not many. Close to the entrance is government accommodation which, I guessed, could be booked in advance for overnight stay. That would be a lovely option for those who wished the peaceful surroundings for a longer stay. 

When I reached the viewing platform my heart sank. I could see nothing. I could hear the roar of the waterfalls, though. Visitors were, no doubt, disappointed. But many could not be stopped from taking selfies with the mist in the background! I stuck around and moved from one end of the viewing platform to another hoping that the mist would mysteriously disappear. After some time I could see veils of mist moving to reveal slivers of the waterfalls. Yet, not enough to enjoy the might of the four falls, Raja, Rani, Roarer and Rocket. The wind picked up a little speed and that removed the ‘bridal veil’, as it were. Even in the light mist the falls looked impressive. Though it did not clear up fully, the falls came into better view in a few minutes. However, the mists continuously placed hide and seek with the falls.

Opposite the parking lot are a few eateries. I chose the busiest one to have breakfast of bread and eggs. It was super tasty and I had a cup of tea too. Before leaving one of the shop hands told me that the major viewing platform is accessed from a road a couple of km down the road. That was indeed a revelation, otherwise I would have rued it for the rest of my life. The entrance ticket is Rs. 50 for a car, which is basically a parking ticket. There were more visitors at this viewing gallery. The numbers were still low due to the drizzle and possibility of rain.

The Jog Falls is the second highest waterfall in South India, with Dudhsagar waterfall topping the Jog Falls. It is a segmented waterfall, with each of the four Falls being 830 feet, and it plunges into the Saravati River. Naturally, monsoon is the season to visit the Falls. A guide near the viewing platform reeled off figures of power generation, the area of the Falls, etc. I missed them in the roar of the Falls and the drizzle. He told me that the four Falls become one when excess water is released from the dam in August and that is when the Falls are most impressive. The green vegetation surrounding the Falls makes it more beautiful. I loved the circular mist created by the Raja Fall when it crashed into the River below. The Karnataka Tourism department has built steps that can take one behind the Falls. I was not keen to take the 1400 steps. In any case, that was closed due to the pandemic.

I was keen to stay on at the Falls till I got better views of them. However, I had a meeting in Bangalore and over 400 km to drive. Driving past the turn off to Talaguppa railway station brought back fond memories of my posting in Mysore Division as a railway officer on first posting. I had done a motor trolley inspection of the Shimoga-Talaguppa section and I was quite hungry when I reached Talaguppa. I asked the Station Master, a jovial Malayali, if I could go to any dhaba or restaurant close by. The SM told me that there were no options in the village, which it was then in 1984. He had prepared a meal of rabbit curry and rice with veggies. I did not say no to that feast!

I used to visit Bhadravati quite often because that was one of the few loading points in the Division. Bhadravati Paper Mills offered us shipments of high quality paper to various parts of the country. However, they were slowly shifting to road as transhipment from Metre to Broad Gauge en route caused a lot of damages to the consignment. Later, under the unigauge policy initiated by Jaffer Sheriff, the then Railway Minister, Mysore Division became a BG division. Now it has double lines and electric traction, a far cry from the single line, steam locomotive days.

After Shivamoga I was guided by Google Maps through some of the narrowest and congested routes via Hosadurga to reach the highway near Hiriyur. I have to learn how to change the settings on Google Maps so as to avoid such narrow roads in the future. By the time I reached an old haunt, the Kamat restaurant in Sira, I was ready to wolf. Had a few idlis with strong South Indian filter coffee and I was ready for the last stretch of the penultimate day of the Spiti Valley Exploration Drive. The traffic was maddening as I neared Bangalore and it became cloudy too. I was booked to stay at the Grand Mercure in Koramangala. Once the official meeting was done I took refuge in a KFC bucket and a couple of pegs of rum and coke.

Every passing day made me realise how lucky I was. This day news was streaming of landslides in Pandoh, Himachal Pradesh, with tourists stranded. I had escaped it all. I too had a minor detention at Pandoh when the road widening contractor was blasting a portion of the hill. I am sure that such works in monsoons, without proper protection, lead to untowards that could be avoided. I had experienced such an event in Ramban in J&K in 2017, when the contractor’s mistake had led to road closure for two days!

20 July 2021 – Bangalore to Chennai – 375 km - Day 18 of Spiti Valley Exploration – Finito

When breakfast is not part of the room tariff it gives me the flexibility to leave when I wish to, as was the case in Bangalore this morning. When I travel, at least, I rise early with the anticipation of driving, meeting people and seeing places. Even though I have driven from Bangalore to Chennai more times than I care to remember, every drive soaks me with anticipation. It begins with the positivity that a new day begets and promises. The next is the sheer unpredictability that the day brings in its wake. Some days when I wake up in not such a great frame of mind, events happen that make me waltz and float in the air. Some other days when I am full of beans, as it were, a small argument or misplaced expectations awaken dark clouds that just refuse to go away. Well, I guess, life is a collage of such days and I get through all of them with just this belief: EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON; THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ACCIDENT. I try to journey through my life enjoying the travel, taking every event as mere diversions along the way. And, from the time I realised how little I matter in the universal scheme of things it set me free to enjoy my life in a manner I never thought possible at all.

My first target for the day was to get to Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B) for breakfast. I estimated it to be an hour away from the hotel. It was careless of me not to have noticed the dangerously low fuel level. Just out of Bangalore and the border of Tamil Nadu I eased into a fuel station to fill up. While that was being done I used the toilet in the filling station. One thing must be said of the Swatch Bharat Mission: Wayside facilities have improved many fold over the past few years. Using a public toilet was a nightmare when I was on the Coast-to-Coast and Golden Quadrilateral expeditions in 2013, when I used to rest at fuel stations and use their facilities for morning ablutions. 

I salivate embarrassingly when I come across A2B, Saravana Bhavan, Sangeetha or Murugan Idli Shop. These vegetarian restaurants now dot the highways in Tamil Nadu and provide superb food and good wayside amenities. They never seem to be short of customers at any time of the day. I make it a point to stop at least at one of them for breakfast or lunch, as the case may be. This day I stopped at the A2B near Soolagiri, about an hour’s drive from Bangalore. Rava Dosa and strong filter coffee was the order. The crisp dosa with white chutney and sambar soon became merely an item on the bill. While at breakfast I thought back about what I saw at the Karnataka-TN border. Passengers were being transhipped from TN public transport buses to Karnataka ones. I have seen this during the pandemic. Taxis and other public transport freely move through the unnecessary and haphazardly put up police pickets. What logic there is in this I wondered? The poor and the less privileged are mere playthings for the insensitive administrators to toy with.

I love to drive on the highways in Tamil Nadu. I think that they are among the best in India. Most importantly, there is no fear of traffic cops and speed cameras, in contrast to the highways in Kerala. The 85 km stretch from Walayar to Trichur has nearly 50 speed cameras, ostensibly put up to control accidents on the highway. There is none from Coimbatore to Chennai, a distance of 500 km. The number of accidents in the two states do not even compare; there are fewer in TN. This must make the powers-that-be ponder over the adequacy of the highways. Most highways are just two lanes each way – with the road traffic density as high as in Kerala and people made to depend on the rash private public transport system, six lanes is the minimum that the state must have. But, then comes the question of land acquisitions and environmental issues. 

Even though I was not hungry I stopped at the Murugan Idli Shop near Sriperumbadur. Hot idlis, vada and coffee is my staple here. Their podi idli is something to die for. From that outlet to my residence in Siruseri is less than two hours, in the worst of times. I was home after the exciting drive after 18 days and there was lots to do. Before all that, besides thanking the Almighty for his protection, friends and family for their prayers and good wishes, I had to summarize the drive from Chennai to Spiti Valley and back.

1. Number of days – 18 days

2. Total km – 7735 km

3. Longest drive – Chennai to Belgaum, 860 km on day 1

4. Toughest days – Kaza to Chandrataal, 100 km and Chandrataal to Kullu, 160 km

5. Fuel consumption – 670 litres

6. Average mileage – 15 kpl in the plains and 10.5 kpl in the hills

7. Costliest fuel – Rs. 99.02 in Jaipur, Rajasthan on 15 July

8. Cheapest fuel – Rs. 87.87 in Dharampur, Himachal Pradesh on 7 July

9. Total expenses – Rs. 126,000 - fuel (50% of total), accommodation and food (35% of total), Toll and car expenses (12%).

So that is the end to the 14th car expedition of Record Drive. There are so many more in the mind, on the drawing board and a couple that are ready for execution immediately as the pandemic restrictions are withdrawn worldwide. When that would be, is a big question. Till then I intend to do small drives within the country. North-East is firmly on my agenda. Travel kindles the spirit inside and nourishes my soul. Hence, the frequent urge to cast off, even it is for just a few days. To me, also, travel is a continuous romance for the senses. And, I need to refresh them every now and then, more now than then. I do not want to be one that makes the mistake of being busy when we are young and tired when we are old. I tire when I am not a trier. And, keeping up on these tireless tries is the Champion and my companion.

16 July 2021 – Udaipur to Daman – 590 km - Day 14 of Spiti Valley Exploration

Breakfast was not part of the hotel tariff and hence, gave me the license to leave when it pleased me. Since the day’s drive was less than 600 km, I took it easy and started at 7 am. The NH48 from Udaipur was quite good and the ride was smooth. Within 120 km from Udaipur came the Rajasthan border at Ratanpur.

The Rajasthan border limit is prominent with a fort gate kind of structure. What struck me as I passed it is the prominently displayed “angrezi sharab ka dukan (Foreign Liquor Shop)” board hung near it. Udaipur and Abu Road are favourite overnight sojourns for Gujaratis who wished to party with liquor and without restrictions. Many risk carrying the prohibited liquid back to their State. Hence, there is heavy police and excise patrol on Gujarat border, where I was waved down and asked if I had liquor in the car. I replied in the affirmative, alarming the young official for a while, till I pointed to my belly and said that the liquor is in there. He was equal to the banter and said that he would let me go for now! 

Just a few km down the road I spotted a Honest restaurant and my yearning for fafda and jalebi spiked. Honest is a chain of restaurants across Gujarat that serve traditional as well as other cuisines. Over the years, I have found their food to be quite standard and the premises neat and clean. It was early in the day and they did not have many customers. I walked in and found that they had fresh dal vada and papdi that could be had with kadi. That was my breakfast, which was topped up with tea. Of course, when I ordered the tea I told them to go easy on the sugar, as normally the Gujju tea is sweeter than normal.

The State Highways are free in Gujarat for passenger vehicles (do not have to pay toll) and they are normally in fairly good condition. Of course, one does occasionally hit a bad patch. Short of Modassa I took a network of state highways to travel to Daman via Godhra and Halol, which I was told is a shorter route. The highways wended through villages and lovely green farming lands. When I bypassed Godhra my mind went back to the horrendous events of 2002. 

As I would be driving through to Daman, Hotel Darshan near Bharuch was recommended as a possible stopover for a quick bite. Apparently, the place is a hot favourite with locals on long drives. I plumped for a portion of poha and jalebi. The poha was soggy and a bit rubbery, evidence of it not being fresh. After a cup of tea I bought Bharuchi peanuts, which has been my favourite since the CONCOR days at the turn of the millennia. The stall had peanuts infused in coconut water, which the vendor told me would be slightly sweet. It indeed was heavenly. When I took the first few I was tempted to turn around and go back for more.

I reached Daman before 4 pm. I was booked to stay at the Purple Beds by VITS. The booking site had shown it as a beach fronted property. It was when I reached there that I knew that the Daman Government Circuit House had been converted as a hotel with 61 rooms run by VITS, part of the Kamat Group. The property had been taken over less than three weeks ago by the Group. All the rooms have views of the sea and the property abuts the Devka Beach. Despite the tall swaying coconut palms the views are truly superb. The room I was given was large with air conditioning, which is a must due to the highly sultry conditions that makes one sweat. One of the things I noticed was the poorly trained staff and I made that known to the management. A part of the building is also being modified to put up additional safety features.

After a cup of coffee in the room I set out to explore the city a bit. I got no help from the reception about the places I could visit in the short while I would be in Daman. Therefore, I relied heavily on the googled results. They did not disappoint me. Daman was Portuguese territory between 1539 and 1961. It is a Union Territory now along with Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Daman is divided into Moti Daman and Nani Daman by the Daman Ganga River that flows into the Arabian Sea. The Rajiv Gandhi Setu bridges the “small” and “big” Damans. The administrative offices, hospitals and the major fort built by the Portuguese are in Moti Daman. Most of the hotels are in Nani Daman area. I stepped out of the hotel and walked on to the Devka beach, which was overflowing with weekend local visitors. I didn’t see many with their masks on even though they were milling around. There was hardly any place one could walk around without stepping on toes or staring at faces. After a short time at the beach I took out the car to go to some of the recommended local sites. 

My first stop was the Nani Daman Fort or the Fort of St. Jerome. The opulent gateway to the Fort facing the Daman Ganga River has a huge statue of the patron saint and two magnificent human figurines. The fort is spread over an area of 12,250 sq mts. It has huge high stone walls, bastions and large gateways. The remnants of the fort is a favourite with selfie takers. From the ramparts one can get lovely views of the old jetty, the Ganeshji temple, lighthouse, Daman Ganga River and the Rajiv Gandhi Setu across the river. Within the premise is the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Seas. It is famed for the panelling within the church. However, the church was closed and I could not get to pray inside it. Instead, the grotto of Our Lady outside the church gave me that opportunity.

While driving to Moti Daman I came across the municipal corporation football ground, where a large number of juniors were practicing and honing their skills. Almost diagonally across from the ground was a liquor outlet and I was drawn to it to buy a bottle of Old Monk rum. I was astounded by the low price of the dark rum. Once that craving was settled I drove to the St, Angustia Church, which is almost beside the Moti Daman Fort. As was to be expected the church was locked. The brilliant blue and white façade of the church is stunning. It is reputed to be the oldest church in Daman.

The Moti Daman Fort was built by the Portuguese in 1559 and the ramparts house a large number of cannons with inscriptions. The entire area is receiving a facelift with many beautification projects going on. Some of the heritage buildings are being renovated and modern facilities like walkways and public places are being set up. The Portuguese fort ruins is something that one can walk around and enjoy for over a day. Within the fort is the famous Church of Bom Jesus, the Chapel of Our Lady of Rosary and the Church of Our Lady of Remedies. The Daman Municipal Council Building is the oldest building inside the fort with the municipal council established in 1581. It is claimed to be the oldest municipal council in Asia. The present day Municipal Council functions from this superbly preserved 440 year old building.

One of the major tourist attractions within the fort is the lighthouse, which one can climb up to see lovely views of the sea, the Nani Daman Fort and the Daman Ganga River. It was closed due to the pandemic. It is said that it is worth watching the sunset from this location. I had much more to see and I tore myself away from there. The new jetty and the modern walkway are popular with locals, especially in the evenings.

The Administrator’s residence is undergoing massive renovation and its opulence can be gauged from the high walls that have been put up to keep prying eyes off. In the meantime, the Administrator has occupied the designated house of the Collector! While walking around the Bom Jesus Church I met Akbar, a uniformed constable on guard duty. He spied the Kerala registration car and came over to talk to me. Hailing from Lakshadweep, he said that he is on rotational duty in Daman. He gave me his number saying that I could call him up for assistance in Daman or Lakshadweep.

Back in the room I had a couple of pegs of rum and coke before going to the restaurant for dinner. While I was waiting for my biriyani dinner to be served I had a chat with some of the young staff of the hotel. Most of them were in their first job, totally raw and untrained. I was even annoyed at one of them for being so very disrespectful of me as a customer. While I suppose they understood that what I was only doing so in their interest, the Manager, D’Souza, understood the gravity of the situation and came over for a chat. He said that they anticipated water shortage overnight due to some pipeline work. He gave orders to the staff to keep a couple of buckets of water in my room for my morning ablutions. Besides, he also asked the chef to pack me a bread omelette breakfast as the kitchen would not be open at 7 am, when I intended to leave from the Hotel.

15 July 2021 – Gurugram to Udaipur – 630 km - Day 13 of Spiti Valley Exploration

All through the Spiti Valley Exploration drive I found immense opportunities to marvel at and savour God’s gift of nature. However, I got more chances to bemoan how we have abused it. We have destroyed forests, permitted unfettered and unscientific tinkering of the Hills and played with the course and flow of waters. Crass commercial interests and land grabbers have had a field day, altering the environment to such an extent that the Hills have been shorn of its innocence and virginity. Most erstwhile hill stations have become extensions of cities, such as Shimla, Manali and Leh. Every summer and monsoon we hear of the destruction wreaked by Nature; its own method of settling scores with a race that brutalises and rubbishes the creations of God.

This morning, as I woke up and turned on the news I was greeted with that about landslides on the Batal-Gramphu road and its closure the day before. According to my original plan I was to have stayed in Kaza for three nights. Thanks to Jeevan, the Manager of the Hotel I stayed there, I was able to round off my visit in two days. It seemed to be the grace of God that I forewent the extra day in Kaza and got out to Kullu on the day I did. When such situations confront you, you know that there is a super power backing you all the way to ensure that you escape harm, get over obstacles and complete your mission successfully. Yesterday I could have been butchered on the road. Instead, here I am contemplating this day’s drive to Udaipur.

I had spent many weeks in the Railway Institute in Udaipur as part of my initial training in the Indian Railways. The double room accommodation in the Institute was just adequate, but it had an excellent shuttle badminton court, where I spent the bulk of my evenings. The days belonged to the foot stomping music of Bappi Lahiri who started the disco music trend. The dhaba just outside the Institute played ‘Rambha Ho’, sung by Usha Uthup in her inimitable style, for us to enjoy hot samosas and katchoris with mint chutney. Some of us probationers would hire bicycles to roam the lovely city enjoying the many sites. However, what I recall most of the city are the many bathing ghats that provided sufficient spectacle for the young and raring loins! I had every intension of looking up some of the touristy sites in the city when I reached there this afternoon.

Staffing in the Holiday Inn Hotel in Gurugram has been reduced to the bare minimum to tide over the financial crisis brought on by the pandemic. Besides, the hotel kitchen is closed and they operate from a central kitchen with a basic menu. Understandable in such bad conditions for business. All corners must be cut without compromising on the basic comforts of the customer, which is a tough ask. I chose to have idlis and omelette with toast for breakfast and a strong cup of coffee before easing out on to the highway to Udaipur.

The massive hold up at Singur border due to the farmer agitation resulted in long queues of passenger vehicles and freight traffic. When such disruptions happen what irritates me are the lousy louts that try to sneak in, cut in and do their bit to further disrupt movement. At times, I wished I had the courage to puncture their tyres and leave them disabled at the spot! At other times, I visualise bludgeoning their face. These fantasies better remain trapped inside, I pray. However, frustrated one is on the road, and is bound to be, it is best to retain the equanimity required to face long sessions on the road, driving safely. Most frustrating are trucks that ply with materials jutting out, vehicles driving merrily in the wrong direction and come headlong into you and the ubiquitous cattle. It seems no highway is complete without the last named staking their own territories on it!

The road condition was mostly quite good on NH48 up to Kishangarh and NH58 thereafter to Udaipur via Ajmer and Beawar. While approaching Nathwada I was mesmerised by the huge 351 feet tall statue of the trident wielding Lord Shiva in a sitting position. This is considered to be the tallest Shiva statue anywhere in the world and was commissioned by Shapoorji Pallonji, the construction company. The statue of the baby-faced Lord Shiva, known as the Statue of Belief, sits atop a hillock in Nathwada and hence, commands views from all over.

Nathwada was already famous for the Shrinathji Temple. Legend has it that the self-manifestation of Lord Krishna happened in the Govardhan hill near Mathura. In 1672 the deity was moved from there to escape the wrath of Aurangazeb. When the cart reached the present location the wheels sank axle deep to indicate to the priests that Lord Krishna had chosen the place for the deity’s installation. Shrinathji Temple is a popular pilgrimage for Vaishnavites.

As I neared Udaipur I was battered by heavy rain putting paid to my plan to visit some of the historic places in the city. I had booked in advance to stay at the Udaigarh hotel. The accommodation was chosen after a careful study of the reviews. As I drove into the city there was construction activity in the city centre and large boards proclaimed that work on Smart City is in progress. After trying to reach the hotel from many directions, I was told by a policeman that there is no road access to the hotel due to the ongoing works! Imagine my plight. I do not know why such information is not reflected in the booking.com site. It is indeed exasperating when the best laid plans are laid waste. Finally, I located another hotel, the Hotel Udai Palace, very close to the city centre near the popular landmark, Chetak Circle.

The room was quite large and decently furnished. Of course, lesser than necessary maintenance could be evidenced, but who is to blame in these times. Anyway, I just needed a clean bed and a decent toilet. After settling in I wanted to have a chilled beer to keep me company while I updated the expense register and the actual itinerary. Though the hotel receptionist had given me direction to the wine shop I lost my way and wandered around a bit. Then I came across a couple sitting outside their laundry shop and asked the gentleman if he could direct me to the nearest wine shop. While he was mulling my question their smart young daughter told me that I could find one just four shops down the road! I bought a bottle of super chilled beer for myself and also two slabs of chocolate for the young lady.

Super crisp masala papad accompanied the beer intake and the hotel restaurant served excellent black dal curry and chappatis for dinner. The food was exceptionally tasty. Before the bed lamp was put out I made mental note of my halt for the next day – Daman; the time it would take me to get there, where I could stay and what I could see there. Then I drove into dreamland.