Adventurous Road trip…

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Generally speaking, road trips are fun. Especially after the traffic snarls of Lucknow and daily commute on chaotic roads, highways are a great relief. This time around we planned a road trip to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
Our route guide to the destination was quintessentially the GPS.

Well… so far so good, we chose to reach Bandhavgarh via Chitrakoot. As it happens, GPS misguided us in Lalganj on the Rae Bareilly-Allahabad route. After considerable off-roading, our day was saved by a Good Samaritan as he enlightened us that the route is really bad and leads nowhere. So back to the main road, after hackling around quite a bit, and taking clues from some locals we managed to reach Chitrakoot.

We were clueless that the real adventure lies ahead.
The route from Chitrakoot to Bandhavgarh passes through Maihar, Satna, and Panpatha. As we crossed Chitrakoot town, it was all dirt track, but the big problem began after about an hour’s journey, the terrain became rocky with no paved road in sight, we were driving on craters of all sizes from peanut to jumbo sized.
 There was no human being in sight, not even vehicles. We were nervous like hell and completely in a blue funk. I asked Kamal to return but reversing the car on the rocky track could be perilous, so no choice but to keep going.
It is at such times one realizes the vulnerability of human life, the worldly possessions don’t matter. You have only the clothes you’re wearing and some belongings you carry along; your life seems to hinge on a four-wheeled machine. All that matters is mental strength, physical fitness, driving skills, and importantly vehicle’s off-road capability.
Of course! Luck
 Nevertheless, the route was pretty engaging for more than an hour as our good old All-Wheel-Drive Honda CRV negotiated the rocky terrain with aplomb. , we were spooked until we reached the paved smooth road because the area is dacoit infested and prone to crime.

The onward journey was comparatively smooth. The way to our resort passed through Panpatha Wild Life Sanctuary, it was twilight already, and we spotted some deer grazing on the lonely track, besides yellow hoardings indicating that the area is protected and stepping out of the vehicle and honking is prohibited.

Well… finally we reached our destination and breathed a sigh of relief. What we’d thought of as a fun trip turned out to be an adventure, but Kamal was fully composed and said, “Say yes to adventure”. I was like, to hell with adventure, Shukra manao ki safely pahuch gaye… haha!
We were wiser and more careful while returning and chose a safer route, even though a bit longer.
Sharing some pics from this trip!-shared by Ruchi Jain

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