Traveling in a group is always fun. More so, if it is to attend a family wedding. As the tradition of our quintessential Punjabi family, we usually rent an entire bus and make it a joyride. But this wedding season, with some much rush and lesser number of family members, it didn’t seem convenient to opt for a bus. Neither did we want to drive in our separate cars. As the eldest one among the cousins, I took the responsibility of finding a proper ride. A quick online search landed me on Savaari. With amazing customer ratings and good reviews, it seemed like the perfect choice. And the best of all? We managed to get a tempo traveler on hire in Delhi. It could seat 12-14 people (including the driver) and it was reasonably priced too!
The road
From one colorful and bustling city to another, the road from Delhi to Chandigarh is one of the most popular ones in North India and makes for an exciting road trip. It might not be as scenic as the mountain states but is sure full of fun experiences. It usually takes about six hours to reach Chandigarh, depending on the traffic and the number of breaks one takes on the way. The best part about booking a reliable and highly-rated taxi from Delhi to Chandigarh was that we didn’t have to worry about missing an exit or a turn. We just sat back and enjoyed the ride. As soon as we crossed the city limits of the capital, we passed through the wide highways and clean neighborhoods of Gurgaon and soon merged into the rustic countryside of Haryana. We crossed many satellite towns and small villages on the way. Occasionally, the views would change to patches of greenery and farms. Since we had started very early in the morning, we had to stop for breakfast. I consider food to be an important part of a great road trip, especially, if you are with the family. It’s like having a big family meal on-the-go.
A big breakfast, on-the-go
The route between Delhi to Chandigarh is like a foodie’s paradise. There is a countless number of dhabas, local eateries, chain restaurants, and even snack-shacks, to keep the travelers spoilt for choices. It started with catering to the truckers who traveled between Delhi and its neighboring cities. And now they serve regular commuters, travelers, and backpackers. I had once done a ‘food trail tour’ between Delhi and Punjab, so there were a few places that I recommended to my family gang. It was a six-hour drive and we were all bound to feel hungry, especially in the cool March weather. We made our first stop at AmrikSukhdevDhaba in Sonipat, Haryana. Calling it a dhaba or a restaurant would be an understatement! It is like a food town. The sparkling clean façade is inviting to every passer-by. They run 24/7 and although it was early morning, it was bustling with hungry travelers and truckers. My uncle told me that this once used to be a small, family-run diner, and he would often stop by in his younger days when traveling to his village. Inside, it was a full spread of breakfast snacks, brunch menu, baked goodies, and delectable desserts. It was like a party with our gang of 12 and we spent almost an hour at that place.Soon, we were back on the road, satisfied and sleepy from a good brunch. We rolled down the windows and felt the highway air, dusty but cool, and different from the city air. Most of us dozed off and woke up only to realize that we had covered half of our journey. We made a brief stop outside Ambala at a gas station for quick refueling and refreshments and continued towards Chandigarh.
A quick detour
Before we entered the city of Chandigarh, we thought of stopping at Panchkula and do a quick tour. The Cactus Garden here is a very interesting place to visit. Usually, we wouldn’t make such stopovers, but when you are with family and children, you end up doing such impromptu things. And that’s what makes the journey more adventurous. I had been to Chandigarh so many times, and yet, I didn’t know about this garden that boasts more than 3500 varieties of cacti, exotic flowering plants, and ancient trees.
And then there was also the Sukhna Lake right around the edge of the city, which I have always found to be the most relaxing spot of Chandigarh. It’s indeed amazing how the same roads and same destination can feel anew in a different company. The trip was an experience that I'm sure each of our family members would cherish, despite the more exciting wedding events that awaited us!
Important information:
If you are traveling straight from Delhi airport, include two-three hours to your travel time, since the traffic congestion between south and central Delhi can cause delay by 3-4 hours.