Exploring Seven Wonders of India in Maruti Suzuki Ertiga- DAY 2

DAY 2 (ALSO READ: Exploring Seven Wonders of India in Maruti Suzuki Ertiga- DAY 1)

After a delayed start to the morning, we bundled into the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and with Simran at the wheel, we headed out onto NH19 towards the second wonder on our list, Nalanda University. Ahead of us lay 650 kms of roads that none of our crew members had ever traversed before which led to some uncertainties among us about the road conditions.

On NH19, @runsimrun is hard at work munching up kilometres in the morning shift! # WondErtiga pic.twitter.com/mtuL2tqYOs AUTO TODAY (@AUTOTODAYMAG) August 18, 2016

All these worries were blown away as we got out of Kanpur and saw the butter smooth roads that lay ahead us. Simran's over-enthusiastic right foot decided to make full use of the excellent road conditions and a nap later, we had already crossed Allahabad and were nearing Varanasi . By now the anxiety in our minds had been replaced by hunger in our stomachs. The roads may be butter-smooth but there is a lack of food joints on this highway. We could not find one place that looked like it would serve fresh food, and so we kept moving towards our destination.

Blocked on all sides. More than a kilometre long jam at the Varanasi Bypass toll Is it always like this? #WondErtiga pic.twitter.com/zJgZYhVNes AUTO TODAY (@AUTOTODAYMAG) August 18, 2016

Crossing Varanasi required some smart manoeuvring of the Ertiga as the bypass was choked with traffic. We finally found a place to eat about 20 kilometres after crossingVaranasi, a small place called 'Family Dhaba' which was tucked away in the Choupal Sagar (An ITC supermarket chain) compound, and really easy to miss.

We finally found a place to eat about 20 kilometres after crossing Varanasi , a small place called 'Family Dhaba' which was tucked away in the Choupal Sagar (An ITC supermarket chain) compound, and really easy to miss.

Belly full of food and mind refreshed, I took over the driving duties from Simran. We encountered strong rains on the way which again put us in doubt about reaching our destination for the night. Strong winds also kept slapping the body of the Ertiga creating wind turbulence, and that coupled with the rain slowed down our progress.

Tonight's stop is at Bodh Gaya, the land of Enlightenment and Salvation. #7WondersDrive pic.twitter.com/E8OueFyyGy AUTO TODAY (@AUTOTODAYMAG) August 18, 2016

Slowly and steadily we crept towards Nalanda, but could only make it toBodh Gaya (85 kms short of our intended destination) by nightfall where we decided to call it a day.

Keep reading for Day 3. (ALSO READ: Exploring Seven Wonders of India in Maruti Suzuki Ertiga- DAY 1)

Follow Auto Today on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to get all the live action as we explore India as never before.

Also follow the #7WondersDrive on Twitter to know about our journey.