Call it the urge to explore, or simply the need to excuse oneself from the mundane; a small excursion can go a long way in helping you bring down the stress levels. Really, there is absolutely nothing like a quick getaway from the crowded mess of the urban environment. With similar hopes of revitalizing ourselves, we planned a day-long road trip on a rather chilly Sunday morning last month. Audi India played a late Santa and loaned us a Q3 35 TDI for our little outing. With hopes of a serene environment, and also a relaxing time behind the wheel, we pointed the car towards Rajasthan and embarked on a journey to Siliserh Lake, Alwar.
Fact-file: Gurgaon-Siliserh-Gurgaon
- Car: Audi Q3 35 TDI
- Distance Travelled: 361 KMs
- Fuel Consumed: 25.87 Litres
- Cost of Fuel: INR 1474
The fastest route to Siliserh requires you to use the Bhiwadi-Alwar road all the way till Shyodanpura. Instead, we chose to drive all the way till Neemrana, and took the Behror-Alwar Road from there. While this route is almost 35 KMs longer, it did enable the Q3 to stretch its legs on the well-paved, albeit slightly congested, Delhi-Jaipur expressway till Neemrana. Behror-Alwar is mostly a dual carriageway, but is in a fairly good shape and with scarce traffic. The Q3 exhibited good composure during the high speed stint on the expressway. Even on the state highway, the suspension kept us comfy, whilst allowing us to carry decent speeds.
Once in Alwar, we drove on the Pratapgarh-Burja Tiraha Road towards Hotel Sariska Inn. The broken single-lane narrow road leading to the Siliserh Lake Palace Hotel from the inn turned out to be a good test of our Q3’s ride quality. Our mini-me Q7, however, passed with flying colours.
Once a hunting lodge for the rulers, the Siliserh Lake Palace Hotel is now in hands of Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation. The erstwhile royal building now offers lodging facilities and a restaurant. It oversees the beautiful Siliserh Lake, which is stretched over an area of 10.5 square kilometers. On most days, the footfall at the Palace Hotel is pretty low, which means it’s a pretty good place for those seeking some peace and a break from the monotonous city life. One can also enjoy boat rides in the shimmering Siliserh lake.
On the way back, we took a right from the ‘Baba Restaurant’ on the road leading to Hotel Sariska Inn. This stretch is famous for, we kid you not, frequent Crocodile sightings along the lake shore. Unfortunately, it seemed like the crocs felt it only appropriate to stay in hiding from us on the day of our visit.
On the way back, we stopped at Pizza Hut, Cross Point Mall, Alwar to grab a quick bite. The drive back to Gurgaon was pretty uneventful. The Q3 continued to impress with its decent wafting capabilities. We were back in Gurgaon by 7-ish; completely devoid of fatigue and in time to prepare an office presentation for the next day.
The Q3 turned out to be just the perfect partner for a quick weekend getaway. Stay tuned for more such travel accounts.
