[narayans80]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I came in looking for a snow soaked Compass for Christmas Instead it is a Compass after a Nagercoil commute.

Merry Christmas Arun

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by narayans80

I came in looking for a snow soaked Compass for Christmas Instead it is a Compass after a Nagercoil commute.

Merry Christmas Arun

Thanks for your wishes.

Nagercoil is our annual destination during Christmas . So unless it snows in Nagercoil your wish will remain one forever

[arun_josie]

Trip to Nulenoor(Windmill view point) and Davanagere with friends but as a co-passenger this time:

Ever since I’ve owned a car, I don't remember any long drives with me as a passenger. Last year during one of the breakfast drives, I joined my friend in his Seltos but that was just to Krishnagiri.

This trip was to attend a wedding in Davanagere as a group of friends. Initial plan was to go directly to Davanagere and return on the same day. But this schedule was clashing with FIFA world cup final timings. So, we decided to stay there, watch the match and return the next day. WE also decided to car pool this time. Since I have done this route many times, I decided not to take Scarlett along. The plan to visit Nulenoor got added later. Even then I stuck to my initial plan of leaving Scarlett behind.

We decided to drive in a Seltos and a Compass. I was a co-passenger in the Seltos and it was a tough challenge to be in the passenger seat. We started late at around 8:30am on a Sunday and so the traffic was more. Even though I was sitting in the passenger seat, there were few moments when I phantom-braked well ahead of the driver .

I didn't miss the steering wheel in my hands till we hit the two lane roads towards Nulenoor(Windmill view point). After taking the deviation from highway, It was a lovely stretch and I felt that I should have brought Scarlett with me. The last 3-4 Kms towards the viewpoint was narrow with mud roads.

This is a very nice viewpoint, but an isolated place. It is better to come here as a big group than solo or with family. Here are some pics.

Caution:

I missed to mention this point. While going towards this Windmill view point, at some spots the road gets narrower with bushes on either sides. So, it is difficult to pass this stretch without getting scratches/lines on the sides. So, keep this in mind if anyone wants to visit this spot. PPF will help in such scenarios.























After spending some time here, we proceeded towards Davanagere. There were some nice two lane/single lane roads. There was nothing interesting once we hit the highway.



We stopped for lunch at a dhaba suggested by bhpian paragsachania and the food was good (Balkar Singh Punjabi Dhaba). By the time we reached Davanagere, it was 3:00 PM.

We attended the wedding reception in the evening and settled back at the hotel to catch the FIFA world cup finals. What a match it was to watch with friends!! A perfect end to a great day out with friends.



We started at around 5:30AM the next day and reached Bangalore by 9:30AM. There was heavy fog around the Chitradurga stretch which slowed us down.



We stopped at Pavithra idli (Tumkur) for breakfast. This spot was suggested by paragsachania and speedsatya.



Trip to Nagercoil - Our usual trip during Christmas.

Scarlett basking in the early morning sun, captured on the way to Nagercoil



More Windmills, this is on the newly opened bypass road near Nagercoil.







Scarlett on the beach. This beach is a family favorite.



The popular nungu sarbath, a refreshing drink made with ice-apples.



Hope everyone had a blessed 2022. Wishing everyone a happy new year 2023 and many more happy and safe miles!

[arun_josie]

Drive back to Bangalore:

The year-end vacation got over in no time and it was time to return to Bangalore. The day before the return, we made a visit to Kanyakumari beach in the evening/night. It was a pleasant experience as most of the crowd had returned after the sun set. The evening sky was the most beautiful we’d ever seen till date.



We started back to Bangalore the next day with a detour to Coimbatore with an overnight stay as we had plans to visit family there.

It was a late start and I had to refuel before the start. While refueling at my regular pump on the outskirts of Nagercoil, I got a call from bhpian and Moderator CrAzY dRiVeR. Apparently he had spotted me while I was entering the fuel station and called me to confirm. So, we decided to stop at the next toll for a quick chat. I have been following him since his WagonR / Punto days but we never got a chance to meet (except for one crowded Fiat meet where we didn’t get a chance to interact). So, this was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. After this quick meetup, we drove alongside till Madurai, where we stopped for breakfast while CrAzY_dRiVeR drove on.



Since it was the 31st and many were returning after the vacation, almost all the hotels along the highway were crowded. We stopped at Hari's and thankfully we got a table immediately. After the breakfast, it was a non-stop spirited drive to Coimbatore. We crossed Dindigul and took the route via Agaram-Sennampatti-Navamarathi. This stretch has some nice two-lane roads with sparse traffic. From here we touched Oddanchatram and then it was a straight route to Coimbatore.

Today we started from Coimbatore at 9AM, the traffic was heavy and had the feel of the old Mysore road traffic. Only difference here was that it was a bit more fast-paced. Stopped at a BPCL COCO near Avinashi to refuel and then continued to Bangalore. The traffic was building up fast and I am sure it would’ve been even more crowded after noon. We reached Bannerghatta Road by 2:00 PM.

Crowd at the tolls, it wasn’t as bad as we expected





During a quick stop at A2B



Here is the complete trip details, this includes all local runs in Nagercoil town and a drive to Trivandrum too. ODO has crossed 1,05,000 Kms.

[abhaumik]

Hi Arun,
Wish you a very happy, prosperous, healthy and mile crunching 2023.

I'm nearing my 5K service check, and was thinking of getting the underbody coating done. Based on your long term ownership do you think this is useful for Compass?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

It was a late start and I had to refuel before the start. While refueling at my regular pump on the outskirts of Nagercoil, I got a call from bhpian and Moderator CrAzY dRiVeR. Apparently he had spotted me while I was entering the fuel station and called me to confirm.

KA Registration, Limited 4×4 and red Compass spotted at Nagercoil. I had also read your previous update that you were around. Hence stopped even though I couldn't catch a view of you / number plates. Was just a hunch!

Called 2 minutes later when wife threatened with - "If it is not him and we just wasted 2 minutes for nothing - you are going to get it from me". Glad my guess was spot-on.

Few pics I clicked:

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by abhaumik

Hi Arun,
Wish you a very happy, prosperous, healthy and mile crunching 2023.

Thanks for your wishes abhaumik! Wishing you the same too!

I'm nearing my 5K service check, and was thinking of getting the underbody coating done. Based on your long term ownership do you think this is useful for Compass?

I have not done any under-body coating and all looks good so far. Nothing wrong in getting it done though, especially if you are in a coastal region.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

KA Registration, Limited 4×4 and red Compass spotted at Nagercoil. I had also read your previous update that you were around. Hence stopped even though I couldn't catch a view of you / number plates. Was just a hunch!

Called 2 minutes later when wife threatened with - "If it is not him and we just wasted 2 minutes for nothing - you are going to get it from me". Glad my guess was spot-on.

While refueling, I saw your KL-registered Compass but it didn't strike me that it could be you. Glad your hunch was right and we could meet.

Few pics I clicked:

Attachment 2399244

Nice one

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

Trip to Nulenoor(Windmill view point) and Davanagere with friends but as a co-passenger this time:

Caution:

I missed to mention this point. While going towards this Windmill view point, at some spots the road gets narrower with bushes on either sides. So, it is difficult to pass this stretch without getting scratches/lines on the sides. So, keep this in mind if anyone wants to visit this spot. PPF will help in such scenarios.

Nothing much to update as its just local runs during the last two weeks.

[arun_josie]

I was all set for a long drive to the Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway (Weekend Drive from Bangalore to Samruddhi Mahamarg & back | 2600 km | 4 Cars) but had to pull out at the last minute due to an emergency at home in Nagercoil. So, I had to drive down to Nagercoil without any notice and ended up doing a night drive. I prefer to avoid from night drives as much as possible (I am ok with an very early start though) but this one was inevitable.

I started from Bangalore at 6:00 PM and by the time I reached the Electronic City signal, it was 7:00 PM. Being a Saturday, the traffic was very heavy till Hosur. After Hosur the traffic relaxed but I got stuck in a big traffic jam near Shoolagiri due to an accident at the intersection near the A2B/Star Biryani location. It took about 15 minutes to clear. Since I had to refuel, I took the service road and refilled at the BPCL COCO.

After refueling, I resumed the journey and traffic picked up again. Thankfully the Krishnagiri toll was not very crowded. However luck wasn’t in my favor that evening.. I got stuck in a huge traffic jam at the Thoppur ghat section. I was little worried as the traffic was stand still for about 20 minutes. After about 20 minutes, the traffic started moving slowly. I couldn’t find any accident vehicles though, so I’m not sure about the cause for this traffic jam.





By the time I reached Omalur, it was 10:00 PM, full 4 hours from Bangalore. This is the slowest crawl in this stretch till date as I usually do this in around 2:30 hours. Since it was already late, I decided have the dinner at Omalur and then proceed further.

There was not much traffic after Salem except for the usual truck traffic. I kept driving till Virudhunager non-stop and stopped at the toll here for a quick power nap for about 15mins. This power nap refreshed me and I didn’t need another one till I reached Nagercoil by 4:15 AM.

I enjoyed the drive after Salem and was able to move at a good pace.

The return drive was a day drive on 26th which was a holiday. So, the traffic was more. The plan was to stop at Dindigul Thalappakatti for lunch but it was very crowded. So, I took take-away parcel and stopped on the highway for the packed lunch.



The Krishnagiri – Bangalore stretch was crowded as usual and people were driving like maniacs in video games.

These days I have started cycling as well and do some short rides around my locality.



ODO @ 1,08,555 Kms

[ampere]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

The Krishnagiri – Bangalore stretch was crowded as usual and people were driving like maniacs in video games.

Very soon we may have some respite. The NH844 is getting 4-laned. This is the old Dharmapuri highway (via Hosur-Rayakottai-Palacode), It is designed to emerge out before Atibelle toll.


So once done we should be able to segregate the Chennai traffic and we should be able to escape the madness at Krishnagiri. Work is on at a good pace.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation...way_844_(India)

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by ampere

Very soon we may have some respite. The NH844 is getting 4-laned. This is the old Dharmapuri highway (via Hosur-Rayakottai-Palacode), It is designed to emerge out before Atibelle toll.


So once done we should be able to segregate the Chennai traffic and we should be able to escape the madness at Krishnagiri. Work is on at a good pace.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation...way_844_(India)

Yes, this will be a good alternate for traffic coming from Salem.

Any idea about the current state of this road? Is it worth trying during start/end of long weekends to avoid the rush on the Hosur - Krishnagiri stretch?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

Yes, this will be a good alternate for traffic coming from Salem.

Any idea about the current state of this road? Is it worth trying during start/end of long weekends to avoid the rush on the Hosur - Krishnagiri stretch?

Don't try is what I would suggest. As.I understand lots of construction happening. I think it would come to closure fast. Only thing they they need to watch is the intersection they need to build for STRR.

[nyt2090]

Hi Arun ,
Glad to see the thread going, have been following it for long, wishes to see the 2L milestone soon . Inspired from this thread bought a 2018 compass MT 4x4 last month

[arun_josie]

The ODO has crossed 1,10,000 Kms. A trip to Kasargod for some personal work and later a drive to Hyderabad happened recently.

With the Mysore Expressway almost complete, the travel time to places like Coorg, Kasargod or even Mangalore has come down drastically. Earlier I used to take Hassan or Channarayapatna route but now Mysore road makes more sense.

And Hyderabad drives are not as fun as before. Till Ananthapur there are lot of speed-breakers and beyond that you have these random speed interceptors. Also, the traffic on the Kurnool - Hyderabad slows you down a lot, it was irritating on both onward and return trips.

Roads around Hitech city and Gachibowli are fantastic, its filled with flyovers but the peak hour traffic is still heavy.

Enjoyed Hyderabadi biryanis at "The Nawab's Restaurant", Mehfil and the traditional Paradise Restaurant.

No issues with Scarlett and I enjoyed both the drives. The fuel efficiency was 15.7 Kmpl during the Kasargod trip and 15.8 Kmpl during the Hyderabad trip.

Here are some pics.







I have always preferred BPCL and so didn't want to miss taking a pic here



ODO @ 1,10,000 Kms



Kasargod Trip Details (during the return I got stuck in a 1 hour traffic jam on the NICE road)



Hyderabad Trip Details

[enj0y_ride]

Congratulations Arun on the 110k milestone. Your car looks stunning like a brand new one.
Wishing you many more lakhs of happy riding.