Live to Drive

Trip to Malshej Ghat, Maharastra

2012-07-21T23:06:00.015-07:00

Last drive was 6 months back!
And this happens in July...
My friend returns from UK & wants an adventurous trip!
Another friend from Pune was also eager to join us!

And i needed no more reasons to plan a long drive :)

This time to Malshej Ghat, where green carpeted hills date with clouds! Yaaaaaaayyyyy :)

Day 1: Drive from Hyderabad to Pune

Started the journey with lots of ecstasy and cheerful music @ 6:15 AM
After 80 kms from Hyderabad, we found this Ghar Dhaba which had fuel point, wash rooms and place to eat.

BP Ghar Dhaba, 80 kms from Hyderabad, At Left side of the road towards Pune

BP Ghar Dhaba

The road conditions from Hyderabad to Sholapur is very much the same, as i observed six months back. We reached Sholapur in 6 hours, which includes a 30 minute stop for breakfast.

For status of roads between Hyderabad to Sholapur, refer to the post <http://hiwaysoul.blogspot.in/2012/01/hyderabad-to-shirdi-drive-by-car.html>

Between Sholapur and Tembhurni, the road stretch is too narrow for NH, with lot of trucks plying.

Sholapur to Tembhurni, NH9

To make things worse, after 80 ~ 100 km from Sholapur, there is a level crossing which acts as a bottle neck for traffic. We reached this zone by 1:30 pm. The traffic in our lane were clearing very very slowly. On looking at the other lane of road (traffic towards Sholapur), we felt lucky. Coz the traffic there, had come to a grinding halt, with no signs of movement.

We then took a pledge that, while returning from Pune to Hyderabad, we should cross this zone as early as possible.

Traffic Bottleneck at 80 km from Sholapur, towards Pune, NH9

Let god be with you to escape this traffic bottleneck :)

After crossing Tembhurni, the road condition gets better. 4 Lane roads are almost ready, but partially used. For few kms, we will have to use the left part of 4 Lane and for next few kms we will be cruising in the right part. Between them, there are diversion alert boards. One has to be watchful about the diversion alerts.

Tembhurni to Pune, NH9 Road Condition

Construction work going on. Tembhurni to Pune, NH9 Road Condition

Only one side of the road is operational. Tembhurni to Pune, NH9 Road Condition

Tembhurni to Pune, NH9 Road Condition

Rains are so wild & beautiful in this stretch. We could see people stopping the car at sides of road, to get drenched & have fun.

We wanted a Car wash & Nature sent us Rain :) Thank you :)
Tembhurni to Pune, NH9

The Rains were so heavy that we had to drive with Hazard lights ON!

Merry Rain! Tembhurni to Pune, NH9

Tembhurni to Pune, NH9 Road Condition

Entering in to Pune City

We were trekking the next day and we wanted to buy trekking gear and food stuffs. So we headed straight to Inorbit mall @ Pune. The PND came very handy and navigated us to the mall. It was a Saturday evening, prime time, and the mall was a happening place..very colorful. School kids were presenting a dance event , as a demonstration against child labor. We cheered them up along with other folks. So lively crowd there.

Inorbit Mall, Pune

We then moved to Lifestyle, where we purchased Wind cheater. Then headed to SPAR to load ourselves with required trek drink & food. Each one of us carried 2 liter water bottle, 1 Red Bull Energy drink, 1 Gatorade Blue Bolt, Plum Cakes.

Our Trekking fuel :)

While shopping we felt, we were too cautious and buying lot many drinks.. But later during the trek we realized, each drop of fluid carried, is worth it. Some other items i found helpful for trekking: Swiss Knife, Woodland Shoes (Item Code - # GC 0466107A), Quechua Unisex Ultralight 16 Ltr Green Backpack (purchased at hypercity, Hyderabad), Volini Cream (for sprains if any) and towel

My Trekking Gear !!

The Food court at Inorbit mall had very less options. We managed our dinner @ McDonald's. That night, we packed up things for the next day trek, prior to sleep.We took care that our trekking bag contains all essential stuff at the same time does not become too heavy.

Day 2: Drive from Pune to Malshej Ghat

We started by 5:30am sharp. The city was total asleep by then.

5:30 AM, Streets of Pune asleep

The plan was to reach Tokawade, a village near Malshej ghat. Here i have to acknowledge the help offered by WILD ESCAPES team, for they made our trekking dream come true.

Their contact details www.wild-escapes.com (+91 - 22 - 6663 5228 / 2412 2030)

After trying several trekking sites for help, it was WILD ESCAPES who coordinated us with the team trekking to Naneghat. They networked us with the trek lead Pratik, who suggested us to come to Tokawade by 9:30am. So we were speeding up to reach there.
Scan the below QR code from your mobile, to add Wild Escapes to your contact

The part of road at outskirts of Pune is a 4 lane and exciting to drive. We took some snaps of the road condition after Pune.

Pune to Malshej Ghat Road

By 7:15 am, we had our breakfast at Hotel Balajee. We tried Idly, Upma & Coffee. We found rest rooms & petrol bunk available near this hotel.

Take left for breakfast, Pune to Malshej Ghat Road

Front View, Hotel Balaji located at Pune to Malshej Ghat Road

Rest Rooms, Petrol Bunk available near the Hotel, Pune to Malshej Ghat Road

From there the condition of road turns from bad to worse.

Pune to Malshej Ghat, Road condition

Remember your Car Insurer. Road condition: Pune to Malshej Ghat

Road Condition between Pune to Malshej Ghat

By the time, we are so fed up with the road condition, the ghat stretch begins. Started playing a soothing track and enjoyed the scenary on the sides. This road is quite narrow and one has to be careful.

Pune to Malshej, Ghat Section begins

Pune to Malshej

We entered in to Malshej Ghat Highway! Better part of our lives start here :)

We were nearing the Great Malshej Ghat. As if somebody switched on a button, the scenery turned from pleasant to Exotic.

Lake View, Malshej Ghat

As if someone has spread a green carpet, the sides of road were lush & moist grassy green. The road tarmac is smooth in dark pitch black. The air so pure and chill. We couldn't ask for more. The clouds were just lazing on the roads, which reduced the visibility to 3 mtrs. We couldn't proceed further without photo shoots.

Land of Clouds, Welcome to Malshej Ghat

Valley covered in dense mist, Malshej Ghat

The road ahead of us was not visible. We made use of the maps in PND to guess the road ahead of us. Of course its not gonna show the vehicle approaching, but altleast we could know if there is a straight road or hair pin bend ahead.

Misty roads in Malshej Ghat. Never want to leave this place

700m from sea level. From GPS maps we guessed the road curves ahead

The magical journey continued. More pictures of the scenery below:

Malshej Ghat Highway

We reached Tokawade village by 9:15pm. Click this link to locate Tokawade in Google maps. Our trek team had already reached the spot. In absence of cell phone signal, it was a challenge to identify our trek team. Airtel had lost its battle with no signal, while Vodafone had won the war already with good signal strength in that remote village. Thanks to Trek Lead Pratik, who searched & located us. From there we headed to Naneghat base.

Tokawade Village, Malshej Ghat Highway

Tokawade village seems to be a R&R place for many trekking teams. When we were waiting for our team, we could find several other teams gathered here for refreshment, before heading to Naneghat base.

Tokawade Village, Malshej Ghat Highway

The trek team were around 20 folks, including us. Before start, we took a pledge that we would not drop any plastic all the way during trek.

Here comes the famous phrase, which all travelers to Malshej has to remember and follow:
Leave nothing but foot prints;
Take nothing but memories;

Naneghat Base, Malshej Ghat

We left the machine at the base, for it needs some rest while we gotta challenge ourselves scaling the peak.

Trek Route, Naneghat

The trek was adventurous, calls for all our will & might. Proper shoes with good grip are a must, which makes the journey less tiring. However we found expert trekkers effortlessly scaling the mountain with slippers.

Trek Route, Naneghat

This is how a 2300 ft peak looks like! We gonna reach this peak!

Naneghat Peak

We took frequent rests in between, sipping Red Bull, Gatorade & Water. Malshej ghat is a humid place. We climbing the steep hill and we were sweating like rain.

Trek Route, Naneghat

If the weather had not been pleasant that day, we are so scared to imagine our condition. The energetic trek team who accompanied us, was a motivation.Working as a team towards a common goal really helps.

Trek Team challenging the terrain

Some pictures of the terrain will help you chose proper trekking shoes.

Before chosing your trekking shoes, take a look at this terrain

By 2:00 pm, we reached Naneghat trader route. In ancient days, merchants used this route to trade goods, in exchange of a gold coin for using this route. That would have been the first kinda toll collected in India. The ruling kings used to guard this trade route as this is considered as main source of revenue.

Trader Pass, Naneghat

You could notice there is a hemispherical stone on the right side of the picture. Its the pot where traders drop the toll fee.We were surprised to know there were well laid roads in the past,which people used to take their horses & goods to reach this trader pass. Then the invading kings had demolished those roads in a motive to spoil the flourishing trade & hence the kingdom.

When we reached this pass,we had another surprise too. We were expecting a steep downhill at this juncture. But we found a huge plain land which is part of village. We had our lunch in these plains.

Lunch in meadows, Naneghat

You could view this Ghat from the trader pass

We noticed cows grazing at edge of hill without any fear!

Towards the Peak, Naneghat Trek

Thrilling to see the peak, Naneghat

We are closing towards the peak!! Our altitude... 2200ft, 2201,2202..... 2220ft ..another 60 more to go...!

Finally!! Few step between us and the Naneghat Peak!!

Yaaayyyyyyy!!! We had scaled to Naneghat peak. It was a great sense of fulfillment we get after reaching the peak. Hard to describe the feeling by mere words!

Sitting at the edge of Naneghat Peak!! New words to be invented to describe this feeling!!

Great feeling & Confidence arise about ourselves! One has to reach this point to feel it.

Birds view from the Peak!

We had reached peak by 3:30 pm. The trek lead loudly chanted a slogan on the great Maratha king Shivaji, which we too followed & cheered . It was a awesome feeling & pride we get, while reciting them at a height of 2300 feet.

Then we scaled the hill down. Sounds easy, but without shoes of good grip it will be real challenge. Woodland Shoe proved worthy of its purchase.

The trek team did a moving thing here. All the folks volunteered to collect plastic stuff left by some other teams who visited in past. We too joined the activity. Let Long live the beauty of these hills.

Reached the base camp by 6:00pm. It was a fantastic day we had.

We checked in MTDC resort. We had booked the room, a month before, through Online.
Click this link that takes to MTDC website for Malshej Ghat Resort
Click this link for Tariff Chart

Welcome to MTDC Resort, Malshej Ghat

The room was OK kinda but looked very inviting as we were damn tired & hungry. After having a stress relieving hot water bath, we ordered food to our room. We enjoyed the dinner Menu which was Chicken curry, Roti , Dhal fry & Jeera rice. The food tasted twice good as we were hungry too. Happily retired in bed

Day 3: Archery & Camping

It happens in Malshej that clouds walk across your room. We kept the windows open & the clouds invited themselves to the room & filled with mist. So pleasant to view it.

View from window, MTDC resort, Malshej Ghat

We explored the neighborhood of MTDC resort. There is a film shooting spot, which in the cover of mist is perfect place where one can do soul searching. The beauty of Malshej Ghat could do unexpected things to you. It may evoke the poet or philosopher sleeping inside you.

And you already know what it has done to me.. LOL :)

View from Hotel Room, Parking Bay, MTDC Resort, Malshej Ghat

There was no signal reception for mobile phone. However Vodafone had a faint signal strength. The only place we could get signal reception is the place opposite to MTDC office. Of course, you don't need one.

Only place where you get signal reception in mobile, Opposite to MTDC Resort office

MTDC Resort, Neighborhood

MTDC Resort Neighborhood, Malshej Ghat

Film Shooting Spot, MTDC Resort, Malshej Ghat

Search your Soul here!

Backyard of the resort is home for many crabs. A localite catches them & sells it.

View from Hotel Room. This backyard is home for native crabs!!

Meet our Meal!! Tasty Crabs on the Run !!

We had this idea to have some crabs for dinner. We got 6 of them from him. MTDC resort kitchen won't cook it.

Our Dinner is alive yet :)

When we enquired about place to cook this crabs, we came to know about a nearby resort called Su-Shant Holiday Resorts. Seems they have rooms available for stay. This resort is neighbourhood of a lake. The manager was very friendly & helpful compared to the one at MTDC. He agreed to get the crabs cooked & keep it ready for dinner, of course for cooking charges.
Thanks to the staff, for making our crab dinner come true..and that too in a spicy way :)

Sushant Resort, Malshej Ghat

We were Airtel subscribers and we could get signal reception at this place, where the above foto is taken.

Contact details of Sushant Holiday Resort at Malshej Ghat:
T.S.Shah, Contact#: 09527007374, 09860146030, 09527007475
This resort is located 3~4 kms from MTDC resort towards Nagar, on the left side of highway.

Alternatively you could scan the below QR code from your mobile, to add details to your contact:

With ingredients for dinner well planned, we started our camping activity.

I thought it would be a cool idea to practice archery in green valleys of Malshej. So i did bring an archery kit with me. The previous day while passing this stretch we had earmarked few places in PND maps, which seemed good spot for archery. This spot is around 18 km from MTDC Resort, towards Kalyan

At Peak Season, Waterfalls would be across this road!!

Malshej Ghat Highway towards Kalyan

Feel like renting extra pair of eyes to watch all these beauty!!

Raising the toast for NH department!! Thanks for giving such wonderful road!!

Malshej Ghat Highway towards Kalyan

It would be a good idea to spend a day, just roaming back & forth in this stretch!! Awesome Drive. Plan for it!

Malshej Ghat Highway towards Kalyan

Every inch is so scenic!! You may want to stop at all places & get lost in nature!! You will get your own private scenic spot!!

Malshej Ghat Highway towards Kalyan

Reached the earmarked place. We parked the car & settled in nearby plain meadows. I had bought bunch of cardboard sheets for target. Lucky i dint invest in a professional one (costs 6 grands), as none of arrows that we shot, went close to the cardboard target. LOL :)
After 2 hours of archery, this was the closest one we got :)

Our Humble target board!! Presenting you, our best shot :)

Our Camping Kit

Archery Kit and Camping Spot

Malshej Ghat is a humid place. On a sunny day, you will feel steaming with sweat. With 2 hours of archery, we were sweating like rain.
We were so pleased & surprised to find this waterfall near to our archery point. Awesome is the word. We had a refreshing bath in this natural waters, followed by lunch that we had packed from MTDC resort already. It was a perfect camping that day.

We had adventurous archery, bath in natural falls, followed by a feast. It was perfect Camping.

Landmark for the Archery Spot, Malshej Ghat Highway towards Nagar.

Then we reached back our room to have a good rest. At evening, when we went to collect the cooked crabs, we had a perfect view of clouds playing the curtain show.

Clouds playing curtain raiser, Malshej Ghat

That night we feasted on the crab & other dishes from MTDC restaurant.

Tasty Crabs for Dinner.!!

Day 4: Drive to Bhimashankar from Malshej Ghat

Had Poha & Omlette & coffee for breakfast. Sadly the restaurant is infested with lot of flies. You must keep your other hand busy chasing flies, to have a clean meal. Its better to order the food to room. They deliver the piping hot food well in time.

Breakfast at MTDC Resort, Malshej Ghat

As it was a weekday, the number of tourists staying in resort dwindled & only one or two families were there. Only problem is the power goes often & the operator wont switch on the generator unless you go and tell him in person

We checked out of the hotel & we headed to Bhimashankar temple. From Junnar, we missed to take the proper route to Bhimashankar & we ended up driving in rural roads. It was a drive past interior villages of Maharashtra. We could get a glimpse of the life of rural people and their culture. It was so interesting. We observed many Onion storage yards here.

Rural Roads, Junnar to Bhimashankar

Onion Storage Yards

Rural Roads, Junnar to Bhimashankar

After crossing the rural section, there comes the ghat section road to Bhimashankar. One thing is sure; the journey gets more & more exciting. For those eyes deprived with scenic nature, Bhimashankar Ghat Stretch offers solace.

Manchar to Bhimashankar Road

Ghat Roads begin, Manchar to Bhimashankar

At peak season, this place will turn dense green

Roads midst of dense forest, Near Bhimashankar Temple

We reached Bhimashankar temple by 2pm. Its a small temple. Being a weekday, the crowd was less.

Bhimashankar Temple, Maharashtra

We had darshan within 20 minutes. Tasted milk sweets sold at the temple entrance. Then headed back to Pune. In Sahayadri range, the there is no rain fall.. only Heavy down pour, or Water falls we can say; we enjoyed one of them during descent.

Downpour in Sahayadri Range

Back to Pune

We reached Pune by 6 pm. Visited the famous Chitale Bandhu & bought packets of Bakarwadi for friends. Also tasted Peda Poli.

Peda Poli from Chitale Bandhu, Pune

Then in a road side fast food shop, tasted Dabeli. Did some shopping in Tulsi Baug.

Dabeli, Near Deccan Gymkhana, Pune

Ganesh Idol at Tulsi Baug, Pune

Had dinner at popular Vaishali Restaurant. This place is so crowded but worth a visit.

Day 5: Drive from Pune to Hyderabad

We started at Pune by 6am. Stopped at a Hotel by 8:30 am for breakfast. We tasted Misal Pav.

Misal Pav

Crossed Sholapur by 12:00 PM. For lunch we stopped near Humnabad at a Dhaba. Tasted omlette and half boil. Then throttled all along the highway to reach Hyderabad by 5:30 PM

All through this trip, we made the Honda to do things, what a SUV is supposed to do. But still the machine is so forgiving and accommodated all the harm on its way.

We had taken him in through rural roads filled with gravel;
Routes that had only seen lorries so far;
Places where people had never seen a car in rural roads;

This machine is a Warrior Reborn. Should have been a Greek Warrior who reincarnated as Honda City :)

The Warrior

We love Cars! They do show their love back, by safely cruising us through any damn stretch!! Long Live this Men - Car Relation !!!

Hyderabad to Shirdi - Drive by car

2012-01-23T12:10:00.002-08:00

When i am writing this, i just grew older by 1200 kms..
having completed the trip to Shirdi :)

Although lot many travel options are available, i chose to cruise;

Yaa, the odds were against:
Highways not in great shape, peers sharing road are those huge & lazy trucks;

Anyways the itch to drive is compelling & cure for itch is to roll the steer & head on for that long drive :)

Few Quick facts on Hyderabad to Shirdi Route

The route we used: Hyderabad -> Sholapur -> Tembhurni -> Ahmednagar -> Shirdi. Based on opinion from Online community, this 607 km route seems to be safest for travelling with family. Although lot of truck traffic in this stretch, other way of looking at is: help is always available at times of need.
Click this link to view the route in Google map

Route Map from Hyderabad to Shirdi

Total Journey time: 12 Hours, that includes 1 hour of R & R
Total Fuel Consumption : 100 ltr including to & fro Journey
Mileage: 12.83 kmpl (Conditions: 1500 CC Engine, 3 Passenger, Continuous A/C running at 40% setting, Luggage)
8 toll gates between Hyderabad to Shirdi & sum of all toll amount is Rs 135
Initial 40 km of Hyderabad to Sholapur route is 4 lane with divider. Rest of the route is 2 lane with no divider
Road condition between Hyderabad to Sholapur is good, with speeds you can reach up to 140 kmph
Hyderabad to Sholapur Road Condition

Hyderabad to Sholapur Road Condition
Occasionally Trucks will be sharing the road space with you. Track for this Stretch is Tiesto's Album Elements of Life ;)
Be Very cautious about two wheeler drivers, most of them ply without road sense; Usually they appear in mid of the road from anywhere and can take a erratic turn very casually. Drive with ALL EYES ON ROAD
Hyderabad to Sholapur Road Condition

Hyderabad to Sholapur Road Condition
Once reaching Sholapur, truck traffic increases phenomenally.
Road expansion work is going on at Sholapur - NH9 bypass, so the available space is quite narrow
Sholapur Bypass Road (NH9)

Sholapur Bypass Road (NH9)

Sholapur Bypass Road (NH9)
Just after few kms from Sholapur, you could find lot many dhabas on your left. But they are open only for lunch & dinner.
Hotel Jungli, Nice Place for stopover @ NH9, Sholapur to Tembhurni

Click this link to view the Hotel Location in Google Maps
From Sholapur till Tembhurni in NH9, the road condition is so worse & narrow that even at speeds of 80 kmph, you will feel like travelling inside a roller coaster. I would say this is the worst stretch in the entire Hyderabad to Shirdi route
NH9 Road Condition, Sholapur to Tembhurni

NH9 Road Condition, Sholapur to Tembhurni. Truck Traffic can be seen in picture
Patience is the key, while traversing this stretch. Better to hear RD Burman or some meditation music but ensure you don't fall asleep :)
NH9 Road Condition, Sholapur to Tembhurni

NH9 Road Condition, Sholapur to Tembhurni. Live with Trucks :)

NH9 Road Condition, Sholapur to Tembhurni

NH9 Road Condition, Sholapur to Tembhurni
Your peer group in this stretch will be bullock carts carrying sugar cane :) They go in a line of 10 to 20 carts, moving slowly and blocking the road. Just enjoy watching those humble bulls marching peacefully, coz you got no other choice until you over take them :)
NH9 Road Condition, Sholapur to Tembhurni

NH9 Road Condition, Sholapur to Tembhurni. Bullock Carts carrying Cane
Travelers driving to Malshej Ghat via Pune, take diversion by clicking this link < http://hiwaysoul.blogspot.in/2012/07/trip-to-malshej-ghat-maharastra.html#TravellerstoPune>
Travelers driving to Shirdi via Ahmed Nagar can continue reading.
The road condition is better between Tembhurni and Ahmednagar. You can safely achieve max speeds up to 140 kmph
Anyways, be wary about number of steep turns in this stretch, with couple of them having no sign boards.
Fuel Station located after Right cut from Tembhurni. 402 km from Hyderabad

SH141 Road condition, Tembhurni to Ahmed Nagar

SH141 Road condition, Tembhurni to Ahmed Nagar
Occasionally trucks ply in this stretch
SH141 Road condition, Tembhurni to Ahmed Nagar

SH141 Road condition, Tembhurni to Ahmed Nagar

SH141 Road condition, Tembhurni to Ahmed Nagar
You can find good places to stop over to taste a piece of sugar cane in this stretch
From Ahmednagar to Shirdi, the road is fantastic with 4 lanes & dividers.
Ahmednagar to Shirdi Road Condition

Ahmednagar to Shirdi Road Condition

Ahmednagar to Shirdi Road Condition
Anyways trucks are unavoidable in this stretch too, but by this time you would have developed a liking towards trucks :)
This dream run will continue till Kolhar Budrukh, a place 30 kms from Shirdi. Then there is a narrow bridge over River Pravara, on which all trucks, bullock carts, tractors & cars have to traverse. Think you are lucky, if you had crossed this zone in 30 minutes :)

Traffic Blockade near Pravara River Bridge, Ahmednagar to Shirdi

Click this link to view the location of this bridge

Traffic Blockade near Pravara River Bridge, Ahmednagar to Shirdi

River Pravara

Then the road condition till Shirdi is not that great, with potholes and uneven tar spills. After tough man oeuvre you will reach the divine town.
Most of the establishments in Shirdi, has the God's name SAI associated. So if your hotel landmark also reads SAI, think again. Get more landmark info for the hotel you are planning to stay. It helps you locate the place quickly, especially after that tiresome drive
Petrol Bunks are available at regular & frequent intervals, all through the Hyderabad to Shirdi Route.
Anyways there are few exceptions, that is provided in the picture below. Click this link to view the same in Google maps

Frequency of Petrol Bunks in Hyderabad to Shirdi Route

Credits & Acknowledgement to my friend for jotting down information on Petrol Bunks enroute and Clicking nice pics about road condition

Below table provides details on places of Interest like Petrol bunks, Hotels, Rest rooms that we observed enroute.

Info on Road Condition in Return Journey

Our return route: Shirdi - > Shani Shingnapur -> Ahmednagar.
From Ahmednagar to Hyderabad we used the onward route

Click this link to read the route in Google maps

Shirdi (A) to Shani Shingnapur (B) to Ahmednagar (C)

When we headed to Shani Shingnapur from Shirdi, we again got struck at River Pravara bridge. But once crossing the bridge, the road ahead is clear of traffic.

Traffic Blockade near Pravara River Bridge, during return trip also

Traffic Blockade near Pravara River Bridge

Traffic Blockade near Pravara River Bridge. Trucks carrying Sugar cane

After 50 km travel in SH10, took the left turn. Clear signboard available at your left, indicating the direction towards Shani Shingnapur. The road is quite narrow with frequent bad patches.

Condition of Road to Shani Shingnapur

While traversing this stretch, be prepared for unexpected guests knocking your car window. Don't get surprised, if some guy in bike does the same. When you roll down the window, he may enquire if you have come for the temple & then he would give his shop visiting card. He will also request you to visit his shop to buy pooja items for darshan; all these things happening in motion.

Condition of Road to Shani Shingnapur

As soon as you reach Shani Shingnapur toll gate, you may be greeted by group of well wishers :) requesting you to use the free car park located @ short distance from toll booth; which really seems to be a genuine piece of advise. But the actual intention behind is, those well wishers have their shops located in the free parking lot. So their chances of getting customers increases, if you park the car here.

Actually, this free car park is total mess. Buses, cars and vans parked randomly. While there is some one to force you inside the car parking area, there is nobody coordinating vehicles that are trying to come out. You may face a tough time getting your car out of this parking lot.

So, better skip this parking lot and use the one few meters next to it. This is a paid parking lot, which i observed to be quite organised than the previous one. The sign board @ paid parking read, Rs 20 for car.

From Shirdi, we traveled to Ahmednagar through SH 44. The stretch from Shani Shingnapur to Ahmednagar is quite Scenic (B to C in the map).

Shani Shingnapur to Ahmed Nagar, SH 44 Road condition

There is Cafe Coffee day restaurant enroute. Good place to chill out in mid of drive.

CCD in the scenic spot at SH 44, Shani Shingnapur to Ahmed Nagar

Click this link to locate this CCD in google map

CCD in the scenic spot at SH 44

Lot of parking space available. The service in CCD is good.

CCD in the scenic spot at SH 44

Restaurant in the scenic spot at SH 44

Shani Shingnapur to Ahmednagar, SH44

From Ahmednagar to Hyderabad, we traveled via the same onward route.
We noticed this petrol bunk, had rest rooms & air pressure check facility. This bunk is located 104 kms from Ahmednagar in SH44.

Petrol Bunk at Ahmednagar to Tembhurni

Petrol Bunk at Ahmednagar to Tembhurni. This bunk has tire pressure check facility

Railway gate near Jeur, Ahmednagar to Tembhurni Road condition, SH 141

Sholapur to Hyderabad Road conditon

Sholapur to Hyderabad , Naldurg Fort

Market, Sholapur to Hyderabad

PND Vs Smartphone Navigation (GPS)

This trip, i tried to find some answers for the much debated topic "PND Vs Smartphone Navigation".

Like any other gadget lovers, i had this question always creeping in my head.

Do we need a dedicated PND (Personal Navigation Device) for navigation or all in one Smartphone is enough for doing the job?

So i decided to put my PND & Smartphone to compete each other.

Oh, ya, before moving on, we gotta compare if the guys put to fight have equal powers.

Let us make a quick check on device configurations.

PND is Magnum make, loaded with Satnav Maps displayed in 12.7cm screen, powered by Sirf Atlas IV Chip, 600 Mhz Processor and 1450mAH Lithium Battery. The device Geo positions itself by communicating with satellites
Smartphone is a Samsung SPlus, navigates using Google maps, powered by 1.4Ghz Processor & 1650mAH battery. This gotta a nice AMOLED 4" screen. The device positions itself using location info from cell network towers.

Comparing config, it sounds like we got guys with real muscle to compete each other :) Let us see who can navigate us safely to the destination.

The Battle ground :) PND Vs Smartphone Navigation

It was 5:30am of a winter day when we started. The morning chill tries its best to freeze us. Quickly tucked up ourselves inside the warmth of car cabin. Fed the destination location in the PND. GPS lock with satellite happens in 10 seconds.

On the other hand, the smartphone was trying to load its navigation maps... Loading... Loading.. The connection is 2G, but that day it was unusually slow in loading... Still Loading..Having waited for couple of minutes, we had no further patience. Kicked off our journey with only PND guiding us.

Everyone deserves a second chance. Don't we? The smartphone navigation was given a second chance to compete with the PND, after we had traveled around 100 kms. May be knowing that was its last chance to prove itself, the smartphone locked up the GPS signal in less than 5 seconds & showed the navigation path, distance remaining etc.

Everything went fine for the next 10 minutes. Oh, then that happened.. The smartphone screen blacked out for power saving :) OMG :) With one hand how to bring the screen back to life?? The smartphone navigation has withdrawn from the field, before even the battle had started. LOL.The PND was grinning already :)

Seems like SPlus has got the maximum display time for 10 minutes. Otherwise can't figure out how to keep the screen alive always. May be during the next trip, i may download some dedicated android navigation software that can address these issues.

Anyways, let me share my experiences while comparing PND Vs Smart Phone Navigation in this trip:

The smartphone uses A-GPS for positioning, that means it needs network availability. In places where there is no network, you are on your own. We observed some places near Naldurg, Shani Signapur where the Smartphone din't show proper location. For example, when we were 6km away from the right turn to reach Ahmed nagar, the smartphone navigation shows we got still 30 km left for the same right turn. LOL :)
The PND directly communicates with Satellites;

So the good news is, which ever part of the world you are driving, there are some satellites to help you navigate.
The bad news is the GPS signal reception needs a clear sky view and the only solid it can penetrate is glass. So if you are inside a long tunnel or parking cellar you may not get GPS support. But anyways as long you are not going to stay there perennially, you will get the satellite connection once you come outside.
For the same reason, it is suggested to mount the PND device in the front window of the car, so that the GPS receiver gets a clear view of sky.
In my experience, i have got continuous satellite connection & GPS support in spite of driving in heavy down pours and cloudy conditions.

Looking at the picture, one can compare where a smartphone, even like Samsung S Plus stands against a less expensive PND in terms of navigation display & screen size. The display in PND is optimized for navigation in terms of font size, power consumption. The smartphone with google maps, even with larger font setting is some what cumbersome to read; that means person behind the wheels has to pay more attention on the device rather on the roads.
And with that rich AMOLED display & fantastic contrast it consumes more power than the dull looking PND screen, which is just designed to meet the requirement. More power consumption means you gonna burn more fuel to recharge your phone battery. Neverthless to mention, with GPS option switched ON the phone goes madly hungry & feeds voraciously on the power back up.
Here another point to note is, the PND also needs to be charged during drive, but the power consumption can be low as the display is quite dull and it directly communicates with satellites using radio signals. With full charge on PND, the device runs for an hour without any power supply.
Regarding the investment cost, the PND costed me 14.5K & SPlus costed 22.3K. Other than power consumption, the running cost of PND is almost nil. Generally i used to go for a yearly map upgrade, which costs 450 bucks & i got this free as it was 1st year subscription. For the smartphone, data charges are applicable for downloading maps and triangulation details from network. I had subscribed for Rs 99 pack for 2GB data per month, that comes quite handy for me. So this would be the running charges for smartphone.
The best part in Google navigation is its flexibility and variety of details it provides. Information on petrol bunks, ATMs, Restaurants located on the highway are very much available in Google maps. The info are sought as a boon for a traveler en route. In my opinion, the map providers for the PND have a long way to go. As of now, the maps loaded in PND provides the so called Places of Interest (POI) for cities. But it lacks details on Petrol bunks etc located on highways between the cities. The highways, inter connecting roads are anyways part of the maps, so you wont have trouble navigating.

In my view, a PND that packs maps loaded with lots details & flexibility in choosing routes similar to Google maps would be a hot product; would sell like like hot cake; with me first in the queue to buy it :)

Bangalore to Hyderabad by Car

2011-10-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

Day 7 of trip: Bangalore to Hyderabad

Its always good to go back home. But not this time. Lukewarm feeling, thinking about drive coming to end. Ya, this was the last day of the trip.

580km drive covered in 8 hours, that includes 2 pit stops, 20 mins each.

First pitstop @ BP Ghar Dhaba, Chikballapur, where i brimmed up the tank with 10 ltr fuel. It was happy feeling to see Kamat Upachar Hotel located here. Had a hot breakfast with refreshing cuppa coffee. This petrol bunk located 40km from Bangalore Devanahalli Airport, would be an ideal R&R spot for folks driving to Hyderabad

BP Ghar Dhaba, Chikballapur, NH7

BP Ghar Dhabas.. Loaded with facilities like Restaurant, Rest Room, ATM(not at all places)

And the best part..accepting credit cards for fuel.. gives a good feel.

Very inviting for the much deserved R&R, during long drives.

After 17km from Kurnool, there is BP Ghar Dhaba, Manavpad. Brimmed up the tank with 19 ltr fuel. This place got a restaurant, restroom etc.

BP Ghar Dhaba, Manavpad, NH7 (17km from Kurnool)

I just made a list of Petrol Bunks and Toll Gates in Bangalore to Hyderabad route.

List of Petrol Bunks in Bangalore to Hyderabad Route (NH7)

Would like to share the Summary of Hyderabad to Kanyakumari Trip

2867 km Drive
200 Ltr Petrol
14.27 KMPL (Mileage under conditions: Honda City, Continuous A/c with 50% setting, 4 Occupants in 60% travel & 2 in the rest of drive)

Trip Expenses, Hyderabad to Kanyakumari Trip

In my words, Long drives are soul searching experiments. One realizes the inner self.. This drive was one among them.

Felt a sense of accomplishment, travelling all the way to southern most tip of India and reaching back home.

Indeed, a wonderful start for all future long journeys in queue.

Signing off,
Neo

Madurai to Bangalore - Drive by Car

2011-10-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

Day 6 of Hyderabad to Kanyakumari Trip: Drive to Bangalore

We visited the legendary Murugan Idly shop, famous for their soft & spongy white Idly served with 3 different chutneys. (Idly is a steam cooked Pancake made of Urad dal & rice flour). And one cant forget their Kaara podi (Powder made of chilly, lentils & other spices) ground so nicely, that is as soft as talcum powder.

A bit of Idly dipped in the Kaara Podi + Oil Paste and slipped in to mouth.. mmmmMMM.. the idly so soft that breaks instantaneously & relieving the fresh aroma of spices used in kaara podi... Fascinating..!

This combo should be added to list of best inventions man kind ever made :) Remarkable taste..

Jayaram Bakery. Another best eatery in Madurai. . Freshly baked cakes & pastries, crispy snacks and lot more.. We tried Donut cakes, Fruit Roll, Cup Cake and Chicken Sandwich.

Just opposite to Madurai Railway station, there is the Prema Vilas Lala Halwa Shop. (Halwa is a sweet, gelly like dessert, made from milk of wheat). Hot Halwa wrapped and packed in dry leaves (i guess its Banyan leaf) is available in 50gm, 100gm,250 gm denominations. The Halwa, so well made, melts in the tongue addicting us to have more and more.

Having visited all the best spots in Madurai, we started towards Bangalore by 12:30 PM
460 km journey ahead of us, with a lunch plan at Venus Briyani, Dindigul.

Filled in 22 Ltr of Petrol at IOC Bunk located near Madurai Corporation.

IOC Bunk, Located at Azhagar koil Road, Near Madurai Corporation

Connected to NH7 via Simmakal -> Kochadai -> Melakkal Road.

31 km after joining the highway, the tollgate arrives. Rs 41 is the toll fee.

NH7, Madurai to Dindigul

Had Lunch at Venus Briyani @ Dindigul. Reached this restaurant by 2:00 pm, which is 51km from the Melakkal Road to NH7 junction.

Owing to its huge popularity, in serving authentic non vegetarian food, the hotel is very crowded. There are two halls of which one is air conditioned. Each of them could accommodate 40 people. But with the number of people visiting the place, especially on weekends and holiday, the space hardly suffice. Also the road ahead of the hotel is quite narrow, frequented with traffic jams. So in case driving by car, need to be prepared with a Plan B for car parking. Luckily we got a car parking that day. The hotel security assists in accommodating as much visitors vehicles possible.

Venu Briyani Hotel, Dindigul

The next challenge was to get a seat for ourselves. We chose the Air conditioned hall, only because we had some space to stand there and the other hall dint have any. As it was a holiday, the hotel was so crowded.. bunches of people waiting for their turn to taste the Briyani.

After 45 minutes of 'hard to resist' & 'salivating :) :) ' waiting period, we got ourselves seated.
The Lunch Menu: Venus Mutton Briyani, Chicken Fry, Mutton Chops, Steamed Rice. Resumed the Journey at 3:35 pm. After 5km of drive, joined the NH7.

NH7, Madurai to Bangalore Road condition

Except near Salem, NH7 was quite free with less dense traffic. There are 4 Toll booth between Dindigul and Thoppur.

First Toll booth, located 37 km from Dindigul, charges Rs 60. Second toll booth located 36 km from previous one charges Rs 32. After 67 km drive, third toll charges Rs 52. Fourth Toll, located after 38 km, charges Rs 66.

NH7, Madurai to Bangalore Road condition

After 2km drive from the Toll gate, we reached A2B Restaurant, Thoppur (BP Ghar Dhaba). Fueled 19.7 ltr. Reached this place by 6:21 pm. This BP Ghar Dhaba got Restaurant, Play Area for Kids, Parking space, ATM, Spacious car parking. Had R & R for an hour and resumed the journey.

A2B Restaurant, BP Ghar Dhaba, Thoppur (NH7)

From Thoppur to Bangalore, there are 2 Toll gates in NH7. First one is located 64 km after A2B restaurant, charges Rs 50. Second Toll Gate is at Hosur, located 56 km from the previous one, charges Rs 50. Since lot of people returning back to Bangalore from vacations, the Hosur toll was very crowded; bumper to bumper traffic, spent more than half an hour to cross the toll.

Topped up the fuel tank @ Hosur with 9 ltr Petrol, before stepping in to Bangalore. From Hosur towards Bangalore, the vehicle traffic had increased manifold. The rains added to inertia of the traffic making it hard to keep up speed. After a slow trail, reached the city 10pm.

Within Bangalore, to use Elevated express way, we had to pay Rs 35 as toll fee.

We reached the destination by 10:35 pm. A distance of 460 km covered in 7 hours considering the running time.

Kanyakumari to Madurai - Drive by Car

2011-10-07T11:02:00.000-07:00

Day 5 of Hyderabad to Kanyakumari Trip: Drive to Madurai

First task of the day was darshan at Bhagavathy Amman Temple. Next was to visit Vivekananda Rock Memorial. But we had to revisit the idea, after looking at looooong queue!!

The queue was stretching to 500 m and still people pouring in. Might be due to holiday or otherwise, anyways we got other things to do. Dropping the idea, we started from Kanyakumari towards Madurai.

NH 47, Kanyakumari to Nagercoil Road

Our route was Kanyakumari -> Nagercoil -> NH7 -> Madurai. Chosen the route via Nagercoil to visit Thanumalayan Temple and Nagaraja Temple.

NH47, Kanyakumari to Nagercoil

Needless to mention, the road towards Nagercoil is scenic, owing proximity to Ghat section. Quite often we would get a feel as if we were travelling in Kerala. Be it the landscape, dense coconut trees, life style is very much similar to that of God's own country

NH47, Coconut Trees on the road side gives a feel of Kerala

Thanumalayan Temple, Suchindram

NH 47, Nagercoil to Kanyakumari

Nagaraja Temple, Nagercoil

Filled 19 ltr of petrol @ Asirvatham Nadar HP Petrol Bunk, Ozhuginasery, Nagercoil. This bunk got Nitrogen Gas Filling (Inflation) Station, Cool drink shop and Washrooms.

HP Petrol Bunk, Ozhuginasery, Nagercoil

Time was 12:00 pm. We had to reach Amma Mess at Madurai for Lunch within 3:30 pm. Not sure of lunch availability after that time. 252 kms ahead and left with 3:30 hours.
Gotta Race.. VVvvvrrooommMMMM....! Cruised on NH7.

NH7 Road condition, Tirunelveli

Honda City, The mile munching machine was on its job. Only a NH7 could feed its voracious appetite. Knowing that such a feast wont be available often, the cruise machine making full use of it and zooming past miles. With the traffic in road, the maximum speed reached was 140km. There was absolutely no vibration. But wind noise was quite noticeable.

NH7, Tirunelveli to Madurai Road Condition

We skipped entering in to Madurai city via Thirumangalam. Din't want to miss the momentum so continued in NH7. Our idea was to take a deviation in to city after crossing Nagamalai Pudukottai. Took a right turn from NH7 in to Melakkal Road.

Right Turn at Melakkal Road to reach Amma Mess

From Melakkal Road, went via Kochadai -> New Jail Road -> Simakkal -> Chinna Chokkikulam to reach Amma Mess

Melakkal Road

Melakkal to TB road

Mission accomplished! We reached Amma Mess by 3:06PM, 24 minutes ahead of plan.

Amma Mess, SH 72, Chinna Chokkikulam, Madurai

Let me log our Lunch Menu @ Amma Mess :P :P

Mutton Rolls
Rabbit Masala
Mutton Briyani
Fish Fry
Steamed Rice & Rasam
Viral meen fry
Boiled Eggs

But sad thing is that i missed my favorite Ayirai Meen Kozhambu (Gravy). That is a hotselling item in Amma Mess and it had been completed for the day. Here, 1pm would be the right time to check in for lunch. Ayirai Meen is Mackerel Fish in english. No words so far invented to describe the exotic taste of ayirai meen gravy along with Steam rice. One should taste it and experience it on own.

Anyways enjoyed the meal very well and proceeded towards Hotel for R&R.

That is how Day 5 ended in a strong spicy aromatic note with memorable taste of food left in minds.

Will be back here again!

Tiruchendur to Kanyakumari - Drive by car

2011-09-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

Day 4 of Hyderabad to Kanyakumari Drive: Trip to Kanyakumari

The event of day 4 was the crux of our whole travel. We had to perform pooja at our village temple @ Karungulam , which is located 40 km west of Tiruchendur. Its located in the Tiruchendur to Tirunelveli Road. We intended to be there at 11.00 am. From past experiences, we aware that the SH40 that connects Tiruchendur -> Karungulam -> Tirunelveli is narrow & got lot of patches hence hard to keep up the speed. We planned to start travelling by 9:45 am. Ain't it common in a travel, that nothing goes as planned? Aaargh., the plan was in vain and we started only by 10:30.

Luckily, SH40 is now mended and in good shape. Still narrow, but since the road is free of potholes and patches, drove at the max safe speed possible. Either sides of the roads are fertile paddy fields and banana saplings. Occasionally the villagers and farmers share the road, hence need to be careful.

SH 40 Road condition, Tiruchendur to Tirunelveli

Stopped at Kurumbur for 15 minutes to buy Garland & other pooja items. The sides of the road were so cool and green to the eyes. Many a times, the roads pass through villages and small towns, where we can get a peek in to rural life.

SH 40, Road condition near Alwar Thirunagari, Tiruchendur to Tirunelveli

One of the prime plantations in Tiruchendur and surrounding villages is the Palm Tree. Starting from the healthy toddy, palm liquor, palm fruit, the tree offers many edible items including the center yoke of its trunk. Pathaneer (in Tamil) is the drink obtained from palm tree, which otherwise is the non fermented version of toddy.

SH 40 Road condition, Tiruchendur to Tirunelveli

City dwellers would get lot of peace on gazing those shadows of huge trees & green pastures on the sides of the roads.

SH 40, Green Fields on either sides of road, Tiruchendur to Tirunelveli Road

SH 40, Banana plantations on either sides of Roads, Tiruchendur to Tirunelveli

Finally we reached Karungulam by 11:10 AM. From SH40, we need to take a left turn (as shown in picture) to get in to the village. Karungulam is a small village surrounded by ponds and banana plantations. But now due to dry weather and insufficient rains, hardly water gets collected in the ponds. Couple of temples in the village include Lord Venkateswara, Lord Ayyappa. There are few other temples of deities who are believed to protect the village and its people. Sokkar Koothar Saastha temple is a prominent temple among those. The presiding deity is Saastha (Lord Ayyappa).

Take Left Turn from SH40 to enter Karungulam

Take Left to reach Sokkar Koothar Sastha Temple, Karungulam

One could feel the time tends to go a little slow here, looking at the contented life of these village people. They perform farming jobs in nearby fields. In Part time, few people work as priests in temples. Some make their livelihood by making clay pots. Some eke out a living by rearing cattle. But what was very visible is; the people are content with what they earn and keep moving on with the life. Another thing to admire is, most of their offspring are graduated in colleges and now few of them got placements in neighboring cities. That is really a good sign.

By lanes of Karungulam Village

The deity of Sokkar Koothar Saastha temple is a Suyambu (Formed by nature, not man made). Legend says that long time back, a cattle keeper observed one of his cow voluntarily milked over a specific place, that was covered by some bush. Curious at this behavior, the cattle owner and keeper dug the place, only to find Statue of Ayyanar (Lord Ayyappa) hidden underneath. Later a temple was built to host the presiding deity. Over generations, developments happened and owing to much efforts by the priests, the temple is in good shape now.

Sokkar Koothar Saastha Temple, Karungulam Village

After performing Pooja and other offerings, we started by 3:00 pm.

Banyan Tree near the Temple

Next plan was to have lunch @ Tirunelveli, which is 22 km west. Reached Hotel Semeen @ Tirunelveli Junction Bus stand. Counting on the past experiences, i had chosen Hotel Semeen, which used to be good place for non veg dishes. But much to our disappointment, the food was utter worse. Chicken 65 and prawn 65 were toooo salty.. the mutton, fish gravy were stinking.. anyways, din't have any other choice, we just tuck n the food for namesake and left the place for good.

Started to Kanyakumari by 4:22 PM. The route we went was Tirunelveli Junction -> Palayamkottai -> Muppandhal -> Aralvaimozhi -> Nagercoil -> Suchindram (Suseendram) -> Kottaram - > Kanyakumari. Although its 16 km longer than the NH7 route, chose this for nostalgia reasons.

We wanted to have a sneak peek on Muppandhal temple; those huge wind mills @ Aralvaimozhi; traditional kerala style of houses - shops at Nagercoil city; tranquil beauty of the stretch connecting Nagercoil and Kanyakumari; .. we dint want to miss any of these.. so skipped the NH7 route for right reasons :)

There is toll booth few km after Tirunelveli, where we need to pay Rs 65.

Reached Muppandhal Devi Temple, Aralvaimozhi by 5:20 PM. The deity is Devi, who is believed to be care taker of travelers and passerby. Its so common to see people throwing coins (offerings) from their vehicles while on the move.

Muppandhal Devi Temple, Aralvaimozhi

Aralvaimozhi: Aral - Mountain; Vaimozhi - opens & gives way;
The word in Tamil means, the mountains opens and gives the way for the travelers.
At either side of the roads we could see mountains of western ghat section.
Another fascination @ Aralvaimozhi is the Massive wind mills. One could really feel its size by having a physical look at it.

NH 47B Road Condition, Aralvaimozhi to Nagercoil

Aralvaimozhi Road

NH47B, Towards Nagercoil

We crossed by the commercial streets of Nagercoil and proceeded towards Kanyakumari via Suseendram - Kottaram Road.

NH 47 Road Condition, Nagercoil to Kanyakumari

NH47 Road Condition, Nagercoil to Kanyakumari

We reached Kanyakumari @ 6:30 pm.
Yippee... :)
We reached the southern most point of India :) :)
The place where a ocean and two sea merges..
So far from Hyderabad we had traveled 1516 km.
I felt little proud about it :)
We were half way through with flying colors.. And still wanting to drive more..

Our Travel so far..From Hyderabad to Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari welcomes us.. Yeah with a Toll fee of Rs 25 :) I think its only for other state vehicles

Hotel Sivamurugan, Kanyakumari

Finally we reached Hotel Sivamurugan @ Kanyakumari by 6:41pm. The room was in a very good condition. Jumped in to the bed for the much deserved R & R.

That brings Day 4 of our travel to rest.

Will tell about the our return trip to Madurai in next blog.

Trichy to Tiruchendur - Drive by Car

2011-09-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

Day 3 of Hyderabad to Kanyakumari Drive: Trip to Madurai

Started the day with visit to Rock fort temple. Parked the car near Andal street and went to Thaayumanavar Swamy temple. Being a weekday, the temple was very less crowded. Had darshan and then went to Uchi Pillayar temple. From there we could have the panoramic view of entire city. Cool breezy winds added to our joy. Rested on the rocks for a while to catch the glimpse of the city & trying to recognize places. Then stepped down to visit Manickam Vinayagar temple.

By 9 am checked out from Hotel. Had breakfast at Krishna Bhavan @ Trichy Junction. Enjoyed Hot & crispy Pooris. The chutney and Aloo masala served along with Pooris were catalyzing our appetite. Dosas and vadas were in our menu and their taste was on par with the Poori. After having wonderful breakfast, resumed the journey towards Madurai.

Madurai is 125 km from Trichy. We started from Trichy Junction @ 10.55 AM. The connecting road from Junction to NH45B was in pathetic condition, thanks to some construction work going on in mid of the road. We kinda did offroading with Low GC Honda & managed to meet NH45B.

Construction work in Trichy to Madurai Connection Road (Aug 2011)

Road condition from Trichy Junction till NH 45B

After joining the NH45B, we traveled like a missile.

NH45B is 4 lane. Another marvel laid by NHAI.

First Tollgate was @ Kaikatti, 21 km from Trichy Junction. Paid Toll fee Rs 50.

We had the 1st stop after 73 km from Trichy Junction @ 11:50am . I think its Kottampatti. Had tender coconut and banana.

NH45B Road Condition, Trichy to Madurai

Next tollgate was @ Melur, located 114 kms from Trichy Junction. Toll fee: Rs 50. We entered Madurai @ 12:37 pm.

Had Lunch @ Vaigai Mess . Its a small family run business, located near to Madurai Corporation, Chokkikulam. They claim, all the food served were home cooked. The entrance room at the hotel had 4 tables that could host 10~12 people. The owner took us to the room in the inner portion of hotel, which is air conditioned.

The food is served in plantain leaf. We had Ayirai meen kozhambu with Steam rice, followed by Mutton Briyani, Mutton Kheema Urundai. All the items served were remarkable. Felt very satisfied after having the lunch. Total Bill Amount Rs 655 (2 Non Veg + 2 Veg)

Drive from Madurai to Tiruchendur

From there the plan was to travel to Tiruchendur, located 186 km south of Madurai. The time was 2:38 PM. We chose the NH45B route, that takes us from Madurai to Tuticorin and SH176 that connects Tuticorin to Tiruchendur.

From Chokkikulam we connected to NH45B via REMUKI Store -> 80 feet road -> Left cut to Sivaganga Road -> NH45B.

First Tollgate is few km from Sivaganga Road. The fee is Rs 35. Initially, i thought the road between Madurai to Tuticorin would be worse. Even i was thinking, if we could go to Tiruchendur via Tirunelveli, which was 30 kms extra. But the moment stepped in NH45B, i had to change my opinions. The road is 4 lane, same standards of Trichy - Madurai Highway. We were feeling very lucky indeed

NH45B Road Condition, Madurai to Tuticorin

The next toll @ NH45B is 14kms from the previous Toll gate. Here the fee is Rs 47.

After travelling 112km, Third Toll arrives. The toll fee is Rs 47.

Since we had to do some shopping @ Tuticorin, we took the deviation from NH45B. This deviation to the city occurs just after 3rd toll booth.

Entered Tuticorin @ 4:30 PM. Filled in 22.3 ltr of Petrol @ BP. Did Shopping of some electronic items and resumed the journey to Tiruchendur @ 5:32PM. From here, we were totally clueless on the road to Tiruchendur. Hence Solely relied on the GPS. Satguide maps provided good help in navigating out of the city and connected us to the SH176.

SH176, being a state hiway is not that exciting the drive, anyways we are left with no choice. And having been driving all along from start of journey in NH with 3 digit speeds, we could really feel like snailing on the SH.

SH176 Road Condition, Tuticorin to Tiruchendur

As the saying goes, good or bad doesn't last long, the SH176 takes us to Tiruchendur after 40 kms of journey.

So finally reached Tiruchendur @ 6:30PM, the divine abode of Lord Muruga. Rested @ Hotel Sivamurugan.

Hotel Sivamurugan, Tiruchendur

We met our mission for that day. Had covered 328 km from Trichy to Tiruchendur.

That brings our travel to rest for Day 3.

Bangalore to Trichy drive by car

2011-09-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of Hyderabad to Kanyakumari Drive: Trip to Trichy

We started from Bangalore @ 7.10 am. Our destination is Banana Leaf Hotel located at Karur Bye Pass Road, Trichy. Distance remaining is 340 km. The mission is to be right there at the hotel for lunch & taste the lip smacking dishes :P

The route we went was NH7 (Bangalore - Electronic City - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Dharmapuri -Salem - Namakkal) and SH25 (Namakkal - Thottiyam - Musiri - Gunaseelam - Tollgate - Right turn to Trichy Chennai Trunk Road -Mambazhasalai - Ramba Urvasi Theatre - Karur Bye Pass Road )

Electronic city toll gate was the 1st one. Paid 35 to use the Elevated express way. After 14 kms, the Hosur toll gate arrives, where we had to pay 50 bucks.

Well, i have to mention the road condition. Being NH7, Road condition from Bangalore to Namakkal is fantastic. All 4 lanes. Up to Hosur, the highway is crowded with trucks and other vehicles. But once you cross the A2B restaurant @ Hosur, the sweet spot starts. Traffic thins down and the drive becomes a breeze. The sides of the roads are very scenic until Dharmapuri.

NH7, Bangalore to Namakkal Road Condition

We had breakfast at A2B restaurant, Hosur @ 8:45 am. Even though a weekday, the restaurant was crowded. Managed to get place in table and munched on the following menu. Idly, Vada, Sweet Kesari, Dosas, Pongal & finally a well deserving strong cuppa coffee. Total breakfast menu for 4 costed Rs 383. This place is located 50km from the electronic city tollgate. After fueling and R&R, continued the NH7 cruise. Fueled the vehicle. Had the required R & R. I found this BP Ghar Dhaba as better place for pitstop. It had ATM, Restaurant, Washrooms, Children play area, parking space, Fuel station that accepts credit cards and promptly gives you the printed bill. Well done!

A2B Restaurant, Hosur (BP Ghar Dhaba @ Bangalore - Namakkal Highway)

Between Hosur and Namakkal, there were 3 tollgates. Paid 50 bucks in first toll after A2B, then Rs 66 in the next and Rs 50 in the third.

Ahead of Namakkal, there is a signboard on highway advising us to take left to get in to the city. And to get in to Trichy, we have follow this sign. We missed this tip and went over the flyover so we had to take a detour to come back in to Namakkal. This costed us additional 15km. We must have gone below the flyover, deviating from NH7 and entered in to Namakkal city. This will take us to the state highway 25.

Although SH25 is in OK condition, we felt choked as we had been travelling so far in the oceanic NH7. SH25 is a 2 lane road without divider. The nature of traffic here are Lorries in majority followed by Vans and then passenger cars, in terms of count.

SH 25, Namakkal to Trichy Road condition

The climate turned bit sunny. Namakkal & Trichy have a tropical climate. The surrounding are mainly villages and sparse forests with native trees. Forests aren't that cool to eyes. They are bit dried up.

After reaching Thottiyam, we followed the SH25 that takes us to Gunaseelam. But after travelling a while, we realized we could have choosen a better route. Lot of Jalli Lorries (those vehicles carrying river sand) ply in a in large numbers in these roads. One has to drive quite carefully here as the lorry drivers go crazy on these roads. Also the road condition turns bad with potholes, gravel filled routes. We must have taken diversion from Thottiyam to Kulithalai, that connects to the NH67. Driving on the NH67, we could have reached Karur Bye pass road easily. Not sure of the NH67 road condition, but being national highway, supposed to be better than SH25. Anyways, continued in the SH25 to reach Toll gate road. Then took diversion to connect Trichy - Chennai Trunk Road.

SH25, Trichy to Namakkal Road condition after Thottiyam

Then joined the Mambazhasalai road and then reached Chatram Bus stand. Took the Karur Bye pass road, where we spotted out destination, The Banana Leaf Restaurant @ 2:10 pm. It had been 359 km journey, that we had covered in 7 hours including a pit stop of 45 minutes. And we managed to be there right on time. Mission accomplished :)

After having a sumptuous meal, checked in @ Hotel Chitra, Chathram Bus Stand. Evening went to TV koil, Srirangam and Samayapuram. Fueled the car @ BP Petrol Pump, Renganathan Motor Service, TV Koil.
For Dinner, we planned to visit Kannappa Restaurant @ Thillai Nagar. Hospitality in this restaurant was remarkable. First of all, the good feeling was about the parking facilities. Next about the mouth watering delicacies they serve. As suggested by the staff, we started with Mutton Kola balls, a modified version of mutton kebab. But, Thanks to the native flavor & method of cooking, this item tasted much better. Lamb meat minced & well cooked with unique spices, was melting n the mouth. Mmmm.. Still the taste is lingering n my mind.. Ordered a couple more, smacked on them. Next menu item was Mutton Briyani, one can't stop with just one bowl. I have to really mention the taste of Briyani here.. The Aroma of cooked lamb and masala was well blended with the rice. it was simply irresistible. Taste buds were still longing for more even after having one more bowl. But since there were no more briyani left, we had to retreat, sadly :) Anyways, also feasted on other items like naatu koli chicken fry and Prawns. The total bill for 4 came to Rs 650.

Feeling heavy after the grand dinner, we wanted to have a walk. Streets & By lanes around Teppakulam was the ideal place that quickly came to our mind. The time was 10.30 pm. We could see the Burma Bazaar was still bustling with activity. Starting from there, we walked towards Rockfort temple. The market vendors were busy packing their stuffs, having finished job for the day. We could see Saradas Shopping mall, Mangal & Mangal Shop on the way to Rockfort. Later we started walking towards Naga nathar temple. Had Rasthali banana, naatu pazham which one could never taste n metros. Tasted Masala Vadai @ the shop close to Mayavaram Cafe.

Near to vanapattarai amman temple, there used to be couple of Fast food noodles shop, which i used to frequent, when i did my schooling @ trichy. Was wondering if the shop could be still be there & even so, will it be open at 11pm. Eagerly went towards the place & to much of our joy, we could see one shop was still open at that time and some ppl were savoring the delicacy. Well, whats the special here.. Its something more than the taste of the noodles. One should watch the way its made..

We ordered for egg noodles. The guy prepared the hot large frying pan to work on our menu. First 3 to 4 eggs are broken and the contents poured on the hot pan. While they turn golden brown, curling in to layers, he puts on slices of cut onions & other cut veggies. Soft slender noodles, which are precooked, are put over the egg and veggie scramblings. Handful of spices, chilly , are added over it for taste. Then over this, he puts again two more broken eggs. And the rock band starts.. yeah, with 2 Karandi (Tamil word for a big metal spoon) he bangs the mixture on the frying pan to ensure all of them all blended together. At the same time, enough care is taken the the noodles aren't broken too much. So finally what we get on our plates is tasty noodles, with layers of spice & salt fried eggs with a bunch of veggies. Over this, you can serve yourself with juicy vegetable soup made with liberal dosage of ginger and garlic cooked together. Woww.. what an exotic menu it is.. Our tongues n tummies were the so the happiest ones that day :)

Hyderabad to Bangalore by car (updated - Aug 2012)

2011-08-31T23:29:00.000-07:00

Day 1 of Hyderabad to Kanyakumari Drive: Trip to Bangalore

Quick Facts on Hyderabad to Bangalore Route

Total toll charges (one way) = Rs 472 (as on August 2012)

Distance between Outer Ring Road to Bangalore city limit: 545 km

Except for the few km after Shamshabad airport, all the stretch between Hyderabad to Bangalore are 4 lane, awesome, exotic roads. Very addictive to drive

Watch out for speed breakers at Anantapur and Penukonda (as on August 2012)

Mileage: 15.5 kmpl (Conditions: Honda city, 2 occupants, 20kg luggage, Continuous A/C with 40% setting, Total distance: 600 km of which 545km is on highway)

Duration of travel: 9 hours with 2 pit stops (30 + 20) mins

BPCL Ghar Dhabas were better pitstops

Traveled on a weekday, there was very feeble traffic on NH7.

But Occasionally, vehicles & trucks going in opposite direction, come on the wrong side of the lane. So need to proceed with caution at blind spots ahead of us

We started at 6:15 am. Fed the destination info in the PND (with satguide maps). It suggested me the following route.

Kondapur Road > Outer Ring Road > NH7 > Hebbal > ORR Bangalore > KR puram

Distance remaining: 620 km

Estimated time of departure: 6:30 PM ( I was quite anxious to know what would be the actual journey time to Bangalore by car)

In few minutes, we reached the Nehru Outer Ring Road (ORR). The ORR has 8 lanes. Same as highways, U-Turns are sparingly available. So missing a diversion could prove very costly. Anyways, signboards are very well put at required places. The diversion to Bangalore from ORR, connects us to NH7 near Shamshabad airport.

Nehru Outer Ring Road, Hyderabad - 8 lanes

The stretch of NH7 next to Shamshabad airport is narrow & in a pathetic state, with lot of potholes. Anyways, after few km of patient navigation, the 4 lane NH7 welcomes us with a huge cheer. From there till Bangalore, the NH7 stretch is exceptionally great. Silky, Asphalt Carpet! Its a good thing that road conditions are improving in our country.

Initially, i was wondering how i could drive all alone to Bangalore! But the moment, started cruising in NH7, never felt that i had crossed so many km. This stretch is quite inviting, appetizing to drive. Thanks to NHAI, [except for TOLL fee :) ] the roads are so well designed that one would never feel the travel fatigue even in such long journeys. And, for the people with passion to drive, NH7 will never let 'em down

NH7, Hyderabad to Bangalore Road condition

Crossed the 1st toll gate by 7:25am. Paid Rs 45. At the 2nd toll, paid Rs 43. Had the 1st fueling point after 235 kms @ Swagath Retail, IOC outlet near Kurnool by 9:30AM. They accepts credit cards.
Filled 16 ltr Petol. This outlet is quite spacious. Parked car in shade and had breakfast, brought from home.

Swagath Retail Outlet, Kurnool. IOC Petrol Bunk in Hyderabad to Bangalore Route

After 30 mins break, resumed our journey towards Bangalore. Other than Kurnool, NH7 traverses well away from the cities. Except for the sign boards of cities on Highway, one would never feel they are crossing those cities.
After crossing the next 3 toll gates, we had the second refuel after 165 km from previous fuel point @ Vivek Roadways, IOC outlet @ Anantapur by 12.20pm. Actually wanted to stop for R&R and found this petrol bunk. Filled in 10ltr petrol. They accept credit cards, but based on network availability.

Vivek Roadways, Anantapur. IOC Petrol Bunk in Hyderabad to Bangalore Route

Initial plan was to have lunch during the journey. But being ahead of planned journey time, and only 200 km left to destination, we were tempted to proceed ahead with the journey. Thought we will have the lunch @ the destination itself.

Watch out for speed breakers at Anantapur. They are quite huge and not very noticeable at nights!!

After Anantapur, the sides of the roads turns scenic. We could see the western ghats cast in blue shades.

NH7 Hyderabad to Bangalore Road Condition

There are two tollgates between Anantapur and Bangalore.

Watch out for speed breakers at Penukonda. They are quite huge and not very noticeable at nights!!

After crossing 172km from the previous fuel station, we could spot the B-TRAC sign board by 2.21 pm. Oh, We reached the Bangalore city. Cheers to us :)

Yeah the magical cruise has come to end for that day. Mitigating the city traffic and speed breakers, our speed had drastically come down. The PND with satguide maps came very handy in navigating within the city. Just following the turn by turn instructions, we passed through Hebbal - ORR - KRpuram without any hassles. Finally we reached the destination by 3:28 PM. The mind blowing magical Journey of 600+ km comes to smooth ending for that day. But the memories gonna stay forever!

I just made a note of Petrol Bunks in Hyderabad to Bangalore Route and Toll gates and summary is given below (updated on August 2012)

Hyderabad to Bangalore - Trip summary as on August 2012

You may want to take a look at the return trip "Bangalore to Hyderabad". Click this link <http://hiwaysoul.blogspot.in/2011/10/bangalore-to-hyderabad-by-car.html> to read travel story.

A trip from Hyderabad to Kanyakumari by car

2011-08-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

It was a dream come true. I have been fantasizing about such a long drive, but without much stakeholders to share the fuel cost :), it remained a dream. During July, the wonder worked n my family; v all felt n common that its been time since v visited our family temple (Karungulam), which is 985 km from Hyderabad. Having selected mid of August as the ideal time to do this trip, next thoughts were on the mode of travel. Train would be the best mode but no tickets were available, only WL status.. [fortunately, as it opened doors for car drive plan :) :) ]

Flights will be expensive, hence next mode was going by car. I worked out commercial feasibility & the outcome is that 4 people travelling in Honda City assuming 12kmpl mileage with current petrol price + toll gate fees equals the 3rd A/C fare in train. Plus loads of comforts when travelling in own vehicle was quite obvious. The PND (personal navigation device) that i own (GPS + satguide maps) also added a brownie point to the car drive option. Assuming the extreme case, when we could find no ppl on the roads?? to guide us (in India), at least some satellites can help us on the same & ensure we wont get lost :)

Considering all these facts, the car plan was finalized ..yipee :) the dream was coming true..

And how was the plan stretched till Kanyakumari?

Kanyakumari, the southern most tip of India, is just 80 kms from Karungulam. So myslf & my bro felt, having gone so far, including Kanyakumari would make our trip very fulfilling. So the travel plan was adjusted to include the same.

Few prime criteria we followed while planning were:

Driving only at day light
Night stay at prominent cities
To visit famous temples & taste the native food at best restaurants in that city :P
To fuel up the vehicle, by the time indicator goes near half tank

While planning, Sites like Tripadvisor, Holiday IQ helped a lot in choosing the hotels. Wikitravel gave crucial tips for selecting restaurants @ Madurai. Reviews @ Google maps aided me in selecting native restaurants at Trichy.

Having collected details of road condition, good petrol bunks on the way & weather conditions, the final plan looked like this:

Day 1: Hyderabad to Bangalore

Day2: Bangalore to Trichy (To visit temples, lunch @ banana leaf restaurant, dinner @ kannappa chettinad restaurant)

Day3: Trichy to Madurai (Have Lunch @ Vaigai Mess which is famous for native non veg food) and halt @ Tiruchendur for night

Day4: To reach Karungulam, perform offerings @ temple. Have lunch at Hotel Semeen, Tirunelveli. Then halt @ Kanyakumari for night

Day5: Kanyakumari to Madurai (Visit Meenakshi Amman temple, taste @ speciality restaurants like Murugan Idly Kadai, Amma Mess, Jayaram Bakery)

Day6: Madurai to Bangalore (To have lunch @ Venus Hotel , Dindigul on the way)

Day7: Back to Hyderabad

The plan itself was quite exotic.. Almost 2800 kms of travelling & that too in NH7.. Ok, have to admit i never been on such a long drive.. this wud b the first.. my maximum was 900km drive that i did in 2 days. So added some dedicated calf +leg workout to my existing training routing @ gym. Coz continuous pressing of the gas pedal & frequent clutches would be demanding more from the legs & calf muscles. Better to get 'em trained.

Days passed by.. i was getting very excited about the travel & eagerly waiting for it. The very thought of driving.. oops.. cruising on Hyd-Bglr hiway, which is a 600km silky velvet asphalt, made me go out of my mind.. And for that reason, i m sure anyone passionate about driving would feel the same.

Before the trip, i had this travel checklist completed:

Performed service @ workshop & ensure vehicle condition is fine
Store Places of interest in PND (Best of the Hotels, petrol bunk, restaurants, temples etc)
For the few locations not supported by satguide maps, Google maps came to help. Took a printout of the same
As Petrol s for the car, Music s for me :) Hence loaded the two 4GB USB drive with peppy songs & mind blowing trance albums.. Hoped that would be sufficient for 2800km drive
Contacted the restaurants @ various cities we were planning to visit. Gathered info about lunch timings / dinner timings so we shall be right there on time.. we can't afford to miss it. hehe :) :)
Stored required Hand sanitizer / Face wash towels / Goggles / Universal charger / Car Pillows / First aid medicines / Torch light / umbrellas in car
Tissue papers / Pieces of newspaper / foam cleaner to clean the mirror when necessary
Fill up air in tires including the spare tire / Located the jack & Necessary tools
Filled up fuel tank
Get a good sleep the previous night of the travel. But Feeling so ecstatic about the drive, i couldn't sleep :)