One of the most exciting aspects of travelling is getting to discover gourmet surprises in unlikeliest of places.
This whirlwind trip to the Hindi heartland - to the oldest living city in the world, Varanasi and the drive beyond Varanasi to Madhya Pradesh, to an area which is the confluence of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh proved to be the exact opposite of boring and unexciting, notwithstanding the gruelling 9-hour drive over 250 kilometres.
We stopped by for an unexciting lunch at a dhaba in a village called Ahraura, near Sukirt that's where I discovered Uncle Chipps on sale....
Those of us who grew up in the late 1980s and early 1990s would recall their catchy jingle "Bole mere lips, I love Uncle Chipps"
Today, this brand is practically dead in the metros, but it continues to live on in the hinterland....
A monkey stands guard at the Airtel signage....
Proliferation of telecom companies and new-age banks in the hinterland proves that the savvy and demanding consumer not only exists but thrives much beyond urban India
Kesri Sweets at Ahraura was a true revelation....
Recommended by a colleague who grew up in these parts and our driver, Shukla, Kesri Sweets has the best gulab jamun I have ever had....
Soft and juicy, these gulab jamuns oozed out an untold goodness, obviously, we had to ignore the flies around....
Waking up in Varanasi to a brilliant sun rise in my hotel room's window, I couldn't help but wonder how much history this ancient city, this oldest living city in the world has seen....
Sunrises like this one here, over the last few millenia have kept the spirit of city alive despite numerous murderous attacks on the faith and devotion of the people....
Till today, the ghats and temples of Varanasi survive, as testimony to the indomitable spirit of our people....
Sadly, I wasn't in a position to visit Assi Ghat and Dashashwamedh Ghat this time. Maybe the next time....
On the way to the airport, we stopped by for a Banarsi breakfast at an unnamed and unmarked shop selling local goodies....
A steady stream of hungry people kept the staff busy....
Dal kachori which looked more like a poori with a channa-potato gravy - this was an absolute treat.....
We followed the kachori with piping hot jalebis.... Crispy and juicy, these jalebis weren't a wee-bit oily, much to my delight....
With the sweetness of the jalebis in particular and Varanasi in general, we are now heading to Babatpur to catch a flight back home...
