Pujo Diaries'12 :Drive to CoochBehar -Preparation

The day finally kicked off!

THAT DAY had taken 6 months of planning, reading, thinking ever since my motor cycle trip to the Gurudongmar Lake got cancelled. But I had taken heart from the fact that this Pujo  we were supposed to take a long vacation of 11 days - 5 days to be spent in my hometown and the next 5(almost) to be spent exploring North Sikkim. This was supposed to be a driving trip - travelling from Calcutta to Cooch Behar with a night halt in between and then drive from Cooch Behar onwards to Gangtok and return. Gangtok was supposed to be a stopover point for  the trip to North Sikkim.

The Preparation:

After a long wait that extended over 6 months, the day finally arrived. The Durga Pujo had lighted up the city and driving from Office to Home, had proved to be a nightmare. But all was fair because we were supposed to start our driving  adventure the next day. It was a long time in the waiting, and we wanted to ensure that it went correct, right from the word go. The route research, mental preparation and physical conditioning  were important because out of several things, we did not want the adventure to turn into a misadventure. All - almost every one whom I met told me not to venture out in a hatchback - A Maruti Swift - so preparing mentally was important. Basically the car was going to be our home for 5 out of 11 days of vacation.

Route:

After lot of consultations and pouring over the internet, we zeroed in on the

Route A: Calcutta - Burdwan - Panagarh - Rampurhat - Morgram - Malda - Raiganj - Dalkhola - Siliguri - Cooch Behar route as opposed to the regular route using NH34 that cuts across West Bengal through

Route B: Calcutta - Barasat - Krishnanagar - Behrampore - Malda and from then on the same.

From several forums which I had been through I had heard that Calcutta to Morgram is a breeze. Even though it is around 100 kms more than Route B, but the speed of the vehicle makes up for the extra 100 kms. I will detail on these later.

The Car:

The Maruti Swift was 3 years old and regular servicing every 5000 kms ensured that it was in a good condition.But we checked the

·          Wheel Alignment

·          Wheel Balancing

·          Air Conditioner - The Whole Route was supposed to be done with the AC on.

·          Underbody

·          Lights/Horn

·          Engine Fluids - Brake oil/Engine Oil/Coolant/Gear oil/Lubricants

·          Tyres and Stepney

·          A 5 litre fuel jar

·          Photocopies of Car Insurance, Registration, Driving License, Blue Book

In addition we were aware of the

·          Car Helpline Nos., major Maruti dealers across the highways

·          Phone no. of Police stations on the route

In Car Food & Snacks:

·          Biscuits

·          Cup Noodles

·          Cake

·          Tea Bags

·          Hot Water and Flask

·          Sugar Cubes

·          Small Plastic Cups

·          Cold Drinks

·          Water - 10 litres.

In Car Entertainment:

·          Magazines

·          CDs

So much for the preparation.