This is not exactly a travelogue but a brief write up of my one day trip to visit our relatives at small village at Chinchani and Boisar. The idea was basically to take my grandparents to the Mahalaxmi temple and to our relatives. Chose a lovely Saturday, filled her up on Friday night and she gobbled up some 20 litres of her regular diet. The plan was leave in the early hours of Saturday and return before sun hides behind the waters. Had nothing to pack except some bottles of water and some dry snacks just in case we need them.
Had asked the watchman to wash the car early in the morning, because my idea was of a photo-shoot on a beach in Chinchani. Little did I know that the rains had another plans. It was raining and as it had to be, the watchman did not come.
Stage 1: Mira Road – Mahalaxmi temple. (90 Kms- NH8) around 1.5 hours. Mira Road to Mahalaxmi Temple
The plan was to leave Mira Road by 7:00AM, but as is with all the travels, 7:30AM it was. Touched Kashmira by 7:40AM and from there onwards it was bliss to drive. The NH8 has been a dream to drive on. Though have not driven beyond Surat, the roads till where I have driven are in excellent shape. My views are supported by all BHPians here.
Started the journey with the blessings of the almighty
The drive to Mahalaxmi temple was mainly uneventful and by 9:15AM approx. we were there at the temple. The road being bliss to drive on, the truckers create a bit of irritant. Trucks trying to overtake another at speed of 40Kmph reduce the average speed to some extent. This does hamper the mood of driving on such good roads. Finally, after some 90 minutes of some awesome roads, reached Mahalaxmi temple where the car had some time to rest while we took the blessings of the Almighty.
Have to mention, the rains had made my driving experience better but at the same time, it is advisable to be cautioned as you never know when the truck ahead might cut into your lane. The water sprays from the trucks gave my car a wash of slush, which made it look as if it had covered some great distance and had done some off-roading. The next plan was to visit Chinchani, a village some 15Kms from Boisar.
Resting peacefully at the temple What the spray from the tyres can do to your car Stage 2: Mahalaxmi Temple to Chinchani (40 Kms on an unknown road) 1 hour approx. Mahalaxmi Temple to Chinchan
After the blessings started from the Mahalaxmi temple at around 10:30AM for Chinchani. I knew the road that goes via Dahanu, but dad knew a road which would take us through Vangaon. At the junction from where the road starts, asked some locals and got it confirmed that this road leads us to Chinchani and is in good shape.
Little did I know that taking this road was going to be the best decision I had taken that day. The road was a pure delight to drive on with a minimum amount of traffic. It is single lane road with no divider in between. You don’t actually have to worry about the traffic because we faced none. I could have maintained good speeds of above 80Kmph, but took it lightly as I had all the time in the world and wanted to enjoy the picturesque views on offer.
On the same road, I came across a very scenic place near a dam. It had a lake and by what I thought, the water in the lake is used for agriculture. The place is very scenic and this was a reason good enough to stop and enjoy the nature. The Pics actually don’t do justice to the place as they are taken with a mobile cam. The dam, as I later came to know is called as Sakhare Dam (thanks to Google). Went around checking if it was open, but couldn’t spot anyone so continued with the journey.
Sakhare Dam location(Google Maps) Here are some Random shots taken at the dam Resting at Chinchani Also saw this typical village rickshaw with no number plates.
Reached Chinchan at around 11:30AM.
Stage 3: Chinchan to Boisar (15 Kms on BoisarTarapur Road) around 45 Minutes Chinchani to Boisar
After spending some time in Chinchan and dropping my idea of a photo-shoot on the beach, left for Boisar. The road to Boisar is the same single lane road with some occasional bursts of potholes. We encountered some slow moving traffic here as a result covering 15 Kms took 45 minutes. Overtaking was rare because the traffic from the other side and the famous low end torque of the K10 engines. Had to spend the afternoon at another relatives place. Had some food there and had some shut eye as I had expected it to be another night drive. You know what happens when grandparents meet relatives after a relatively long time.
Stage 4: Boisar to Mira Road(85 kms on some SH and NH8) 1 hour 45 minutes approx.
Boisar to Mira Road
Luckily for me, we were ready to leave from Boisar at 5:30PM. Thanks to dad who knows I hate driving in the night and the headlamps of WagonR are not suited for night drives. The return drive was mostly uneventful except a couple of close shaves due to errant truck drivers overtaking slowly on a single lane highway. Had to go off the road so that I could write this. Had a stop at Anam restaurant somewhere on NH8 to get myself a drink (It was only a sprite).
Reached home at around 7:30PM when the sun had still some contribution left in enhancing the visibility. This trip was taken up after a very long time and thoroughly enjoyed driving the WagonR on the highway. Sometimes it felt that it lacked a punch, but the 1.0L 3 pot engine does bring a smile to your face. Top speed touched was around 130Kmph for around 2-3 seconds. WagonR does feel a bit bumpy at these speeds but is manageable. Cruising at around 90Kmph was a delight till a trucker decides to break all your momentum.
All in all, the total distance covered was about 240 Kms with around 15L of fuel (just approximate value looking at the fuel gauge). Turns out of an average of about 16Kmpl. Not as expected, but nevertheless, I did enjoy the drive.
Total drive for the day
All in all it was a great time spent on the road after a long time. Would be looking forward to many more such trips if the Government allows (Read Fuel Price).
Thank you for going through. Suggestions and criticisms welcomed. My first TL on TeamBHP and I hope to write many more.
Please pardon my photography skills and the text. I am no writer but have tried the best of my levels.