Ladakh Ride Day 2 – Varanasi to Agra
We woke up around 05:00 AM, freshened up, and cold-started our motorcycle. The initial plan was to stretch till Delhi for that day, which was around 800+ KM. We started at Varanasi around 06:45 AM. There was too much traffic while exiting Varanasi. The road to Handia was under construction and had a lot of diversions. The 90 Km to Handia was pathetic. We got frustrated.
As soon as we entered the Allahabad bypass, we again started to regain our charm; the roads were great. But a few sections had a bumpy patch. We took a tea break after crossing the Allahabad bypass and enquired about the road conditions ahead. They told us that this road is newly constructed and we can maintain a very good speed.
Our goal was to reach Kanpur before 01:30 PM, and with the great road conditions, we reached the Kanpur bypass bridge around 01:45 PM. By then, we were already in reserve fuel, and no petrol pump had card acceptance. So we decided to move forward and go a few kilometers. The Kanpur city bypass bridge was 23+ KM. And, we got tensed if I run out of fuel, what should I do?
Luckily crossed the Kanpur city bypass bridge and found the same Indian Oil fuel pump where we refueled during the Kolkata – Nainital trip. Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 has a massive 20-liter tank, and to my surprise, it took 19.88 liters. I was feeling crazy at that time. We freshened up and started again to chase kilometers.
This time our target was Agra; we had to reach the Lucknow – Agra expressway (Gotkur) as early as possible. The road was good to maintain a decent speed, but the sun started to set in about an hour, and intermittent traffic forced us to think again about where to stay.
By then, deciding that day’s destination was a little bit tricky as we needed to reach Amritsar the next day, and from Agra, it was around 750+ KMs.
Last 30 KMs (from Etawah to Gotkur) we spent an hour due to bad traffic and a little bit of tiredness. Once we reached India’s best expressway, we immediately sped up. This is the best road I have ever ridden, be it quality or safety. Each safety aspect has been maintained properly. We got speed lanes, pitched tarmac, empty and beautiful, butter-smooth road.
In approximately 45 minutes, we crossed 65 KMs and halted after a toll booth to decide where to stay.
Finally, we decided to stay in Agra and leave for Amritsar tomorrow at 04:00 AM. The inner ring road was well-lit up and eye-soothing too. We slowly entered Agra around 08:15 PM and started to look for hotels. A few locals started prompting, “Do you need a hotel?”.
We stopped in a hotel, and one of them convinced me for an AC room for Rs. 1000 near the TDI mall. We went to that place (Hotel Prashant Palace), got a very good underground parking. The room was clean, but the washroom needed more cleaning. We ordered some food, and the food was good, not great.
Downloaded offline maps for Delhi- Amritsar. We put all our devices to charge. Set an alarm for 04:30 AM before we sleep. Discovered our SJCam’s 32 GB memory card was malfunctioning, even lost all the footage.
Conclusion
Being a remote place, a lot of preparation is needed before the Leh Ladakh Tour, be it mentally or physically. Don’t forget the weather in the Ladakh region is extreme, and most of us are not accustomed to it. So, acclimatize well before you start exploring.
So, be prepared, and everything in your Leh Ladakh tour will go well. You may also check out below generic posts below to make your Leh Ladakh trip successful and memorable. I am sure you will love it.
- How to prepare for Ladakh
- Things to Carry in Ladakh
- Medicines needed in Ladakh
- How to fight AMS or High Altitude Sickness
- Mobile Network Connectivity in Ladakh
- Inner Line Permit Procedure for Ladakh
- Complete Guide for your Ladakh Trip
If you are doing a road trip to Ladakh, you may find my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey helpful.
Lastly, get Leh’ed soon.
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