So the d-day finally arrived.
Car serviced and all repairs/work done: done!
Last mins checks (air, fuel, etc.) done: done!
Work and related hassles thrown tdown the drain: double done!
Left Bangalore by 5 and reached the Bangalore-Bombay highway pretty fast. The road on the highway was quite spiritedly done (we had @paragsachania's recent 4 hour trip to Hubli as a benchmark
![Rolling Laughter](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/Rolling laughter.gif)
) with no constraints - minimal traffic (after Tumkur) and both drivers taking turns till we reached the exit point near Tadas just a shade before 9 without any halts.
route taken to pass through the ghats
The options were many but we decided to go via Tadas - Mundgod - Yellapur - Ankola - Karwar - South Goa. The route was excellent, especially considering the single lane route between Mundgod and Yellapur had minimal traffic and hence not a big issue as faced by others. The route was bea-uti-ful with lush green cover on both sides and hills surrounding us all around us.
Yellapur to Karwar had perfect roads with hardly a few minor potholes at places. Around this stretch, I heard a weird rattle coming from the front right side - it wasn't that clear where the sound was emanating from - we identified it to some rattling plastic stuff lying in the right side door and as the noise stopped after that, we (erroneously) assumed that was the cause.
We were stopped at the Goa border - on noticing the wife driving, the cop just asked her if we had vaccinations done, nodded his head and asked us to go ahead. Beating our own expectations, we reached Patnem beach by 1.45 PM (total ~9 hours of driving including halts).
our wonderful beach-front stay at Patnem beach
and at Agonda beach - we spent more time at the restaurant than the hut we paid for
if there was an image that represents the days spent in Goa, it is this!
mornings were spent running on the beaches - here a view of Agonda beach from one end
with tiny coves like these still yet to be 'commercialised'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
In between we decided to get a scooter for rent to go around. It really baffles me why one would lug around their big cars across the tiny streets of Goa (beach side). At Palolem beach, there was a non-stop traffic jam we saw throughout the ~2 hours we spent there. All caused by big SUVs/sedans/hatchbacks with MH and KA numberplates mostly. Thankfully our scooter could squeeze in though whatever was thrown at us.
Later during the day, I decided to hit one of the numerous waterfalls that dot the mountains of Goa. Surprisingly many of them are less than an hour's ride from the beaches of South Goa.
Bamanbudo watefall - right adjacent to the state highway and practically empty of tourists
3 days later we finally had to call it a day and head back home. It was then this conversation with @paragsachania came back to me. And lol - this 'quirk' of an habit turned out to be quite an adventure for us!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ninjatalli I want to try different routes for to and return journeys hence the Q. But not interested in doing a too long detour. |
Quote:
Originally Posted by paragsachania
I always do this. Take a different route for both directions. |
A more 'scenic' route taken to pass through the ghats
And so I did - taking a more scenic (and longer) route via Anshi national park and Dandeli to hit the main Bombay-Bangalore highway. On it's own, the route is a fine one with a few bad patches spread all across the route (but doable) till we reach Haliyal. The route is beautiful with several small falls and rivers enroute.
Anshi falls that passes right next to the highway
with some breath-taking sceneries in front of us
What cooked our goose was the rattling sound that we had completely forgotten about. That came back with a vengeance! With a more clearer sound, we were able to identify it came from the right front tire, but we couldn't identify what was making it. The only time the sound came was when ONLY the right front tire went over bad road patches. With practically no network till we reached Dandeli, the drive was mellowed down to sub-50 speeds, with even local 2 wheelers overtaking us quite frequently.
We finally located a Maruti service center and got the issue diagnosed and resolved (more details on this
thread), and then were able to get back to normal speeds. The delay ensured we reached the main highway only after 6; and we finally reached home at 11:45pm (total ~12 hours of driving including halts), a clear 3 additional hours of driving as compared to the first part of the trip. But all's well that ends' well, I guess!