8888 - I do not know what the significance or the story behind this number is, but thatās the number of the car that took me on the first road trip of 2026. Hence the title of this post. 26th Jan is mostly a long weekend and last year I was in Ahmedabad for the Coldplay concert and starting the year with such an amazing trip had a positive impact throughout the year. So I wanted to do the same this year as well. Initially, I had a few options in mind. First we (me and my friends) thought of going to Puri, but that was too far for a 5-day road trip. Then we thought of going to Nepal and it could have been a good option but crossing the border was a bit of a hassle. Since the car was new, we didnāt have the documents and it would have been an issue in a different country. So after a lot of changes to the plan, we decided to go to Bandhavgarh. Itās a tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh and itās supposed to be one of the best places to see tigers in India.
There were a few hiccups here and there. Two of my friends backed out at the last moment. So, it was just Yash, Ishu and me. But we didnāt let that dampen our spirits. I planned the route and we started our journey on the 24th of January. We had to reach Vindyachal on the first day because we got an āorderā to visit the famous temple there after getting the car. Ishu is very religious so at least he was happy about this. We started at around 9 in the morning. It was a 6 hour drive to Vindyachal and we reached on time. Stopped on the way to relax a couple of times and that was all. After checking in at the hotel, we went to the temple in the evening. Vindhyachal is a small town and there isnāt much to do there. So we just relaxed and had dinner.
Next morning, Ishu insisted on visiting the temple again. So we went again and after roaming for some time and having breakfast we left for Bandhavgarh. On the way, we stopped at a few places - a mustard field full of yellow flowers, near a valley and then at the circuit house in Rewa. After a tour of the circuit house, we had lunch and left for Bandhavgarh. The last 10-20km of the journey was so beautiful with dense forests on both sides of the road. We arrived at the resort at around 7 in the evening. We were tired and it was already late so we just went to our rooms. Yash and Ishu started drinking and I went to sleep.
26th January was the safari day and we were excited. In the morning, we had breakfast and decided to explore the resort. We played some cricket and table tennis and then went to swim. The water was extremely cold and when we had just started having fun, it was already 2 PM and we had to leave for the safari. The jeep was waiting for us and we left. The safari zone that we picked was 25km away from the resort. And the road that led to the safari zone was heaven. Tall trees on both sides of the road and deer roaming around. We were not fortunate enough to see the tigers but we did hear one growl nearby. The guide and the driver tried their best to locate them but the tiger was not in the mood to be seen. We drove in the jungle for about 4 hours. It was so refreshing and calm. I had done a safari before but not in an open jeep. This was a new experience for me. At around 6 PM, we left the jungle and went back to the resort. The safari was also very exhausting because of the bad road in the jungle. 4 hours of continuous moving left and right in the jeep was tiring. After reaching the resort, I went for a hot shower and then went to sleep.
Now we had to start our journey back home. But itās a 12 hour drive from Bandhavgarh to Patna so we decided to stop at Banaras. I was there last year as well and loved it. There was a little traffic and we reached an hour late to our stay in Banaras. The bnb was very cute. Ishu went to his relativeās house who lives in Banaras. We decided to meet tomorrow morning near the Ghats.
Next morning, we met Ishu at the Assi Ghat and went for a boat ride on the Ganga. Banaras is very different. There is so much noise and crowding and yet somehow it feels calm and peaceful. The boat ride took about an hour and we saw the migratory birds that come from Russia to India during winter. After that we went to have breakfast and Thandai at the famous Godowlia Chowk. We also had the famous Banarasi paan. Our earlier plan was to leave Banaras by 11AM but it was almost 2PM now. We left for Patna and reached home around 7-8PM. That concluded our 5-day road trip. It was fun. It was new and different. Many new experiences and learnings. I hope this year will be as good as this trip.
Itās very refreshing to go out of Patna every now and then. I canāt wait to go to Bangalore next month. I want to just go and be there for days. I love the Bangalore streets. The smell of filter coffee, the flea markets in Church Street, the burger from Truffles, the beautiful cherry blossoms all over the city and everything else. Canāt wait for these 30 days to get over so I can be in Bangalore to experience it all. Lately I have been feeling that I am running out of time. Maybe because these are the prime years of my life and I want to visit new places and try new things this year to make myself better. I need to socialize more and come out of my shell. Easier said than done but I will try my best. Until next time!
