Day 3: Bharatpur to Shivpuri - Early grind to free ride as the day ended!

After the long walk at the sanctuary the day before, sleep came easier andstayed longer. Woke up feeling rested. The morning moved slowly, with the comfort of home-cooked food easing the start. Parathas and chai were served hot, made by the host’s mother. A staple Indian breakfast, nothing fancy, just food that fills and feels right before a journey. Settled the food bill, packed up, and by 1:45 PM, was back on the road.

The drive ahead wasn’t the smoothest. The route till Gwalior passed through Dholpur, Morena, and a crossing over the Chambal River. On map it looked straightforward, however, in motion it was anything but. The roads were fine, but traffic didn’t allow the flow. Local vehicles and slow-moving trucks made it hard to build any rhythm on the drive. Between short bursts of movement and longer pauses, the pace felt stuck.

Things changed once past Gwalior, the city of Tansen. Hitting the Agra–Mumbai highway felt like a reset. The traffic thinned, the roads opened up, and for the first time that day, the drive felt steady. Open fields on both the sides, distant hills on Vindhya range in view, and the kind of road that allows you to settle in, not just behind the wheel however, also in your thoughts.

Somewhere along the way, as the sun began to tilt westward, pulled over at a roadside restaurant for tea and snacks. Nothing elaborate. Just a chance to step out, stretch, and have a quiet cup before driving on to Shivpuri.

Reached city around sunset. The stay was at Nakshatra Garden and Resorts, a place with banquet hall and rooms tagged on. It wasn’t the kind of place that makes an impression. Just functional, a stop for the night. The walls between rooms seemed thin enough to share not just stories but every word spoken. Conversations from the next room were clearer than they should have been, one of those places where you automatically lower your voice without being told.

Dinner was quick, and the day wrapped up without much else. The road had been long. Not difficult, just broken in parts,by trucks, traffic, and a hotel better left as a stopover. The plan for the next day was open, and that was enough for now.