[ssathiyanarayan]

Thought on making travelogue:

After going through a series of travelogues from the forum, thought of penning my travel experience

The following travelogues have served as my inspiration and i plan to make a travelogue of all trips i take up in the future in a similar fashion. Will try to add as much photos and details as possible:

• Hyderabad to Winter Spiti in a Duster AWD by ARAY
• Sailed through Winter Spiti in three Duster AWDs : Snow Drive by Samba
• Kashmir, a land of poetic chaos | A photologue by libranof1987 - i'm yet to complete reading the experience fully

Unplanned road trip to Diveagar turns to be an entertainer

The Planning:

I had got the delivery of Optimus on 01-June-2023. It went in for coating on 02-June-2023. All back home were excited for a good trip in the weekend. Our friends circle started to plan for a weekend getaway to chill out. A small group of drivers who would be taking the duty of ferrying the members was formed apart from the main group to avoid unwanted messages and important details getting lost in the midst of multiple messages. Finally Diveagar was shortlisted. Many didn't get the feel or push of the place and were hesitant including me. But with divided opinions we were not sure how this would pan out.

In the meantime got call from 3M showroom that the work will be delayed and I'll be able to get the vehicle later on Sunday. This meant Optimus would have to wait a bit more for flexing out. Shared this information with friend's group. Since we were one vehicle short now, wanted to make the plans foolproof as one of the vehicles in our group is in run-in period. We decided to set aside the difference in opinions and travel as a pack. "A pack that stays together, cares for all and enjoys together" was the thought running in my mind

It was around 8 pm at night that the planning started and we were close to 11:45 pm when the full plan was set in. It was decided that the lead vehicle will pick the family flying into Pune and travel to Diveagar by early morning. The rest of the pack with 4 families had 3 cars to accommodate themselves. Since we all had little kids we decided to prepare things and start a bit late. The home stay booking made for one family earlier got extended to 5 families.

The travel day delay:

The pack details are as below:

• Honda City ZX Gen 5 - Lead vehicle
• Citroen C3 turbo - Run-in period vehicle
• Chevrolet Beat - the oldest member
• Tata Tiago XZA+ - the little cub (Too young kids and young couple)

The lead vehicle of the pack was my brother, who had left on dot time. The other vehicles quickly went for a wash and got their interiors cleaned by the respective driving members. The travelling members along with the things required for travel got ready by 9:30 am. Little did we know that there will be delay that will mar the experience a bit. One of the vehicles of the pack got delayed due to an unwarranted emergency at office. It started to drag from 09:30 am and kept ticking.

We were going to be tight without the Run-in vehicle and with the rest of the vehicles. We didn't want to take any chance on the ghat route and also not take chances with motion sickness kicking in the route. It was part 1 pm that the run-in vehicle came in. Things got packed and the pack started by 01:30 pm towards the destination. The lead of the pack was worried over the delay as they had already destination and started preparing for the things in the evening gathering.



Added delay:

Our pack was greeted with unusually heavy traffic along the city roads of Pune. Added to this the pack realized we forgot to carry the charcoal needed for the barbeque. I decided to purchase the same with Run-in vehicle and let rest of the pack pass by. After searching across the bazaar in Chandan Nagar, we decided to let go as the stocks were out. Informed my brother to take care of the things back there. The things were crawling with heavy traffic and we were anxious whether we will get to see the sunset at destination. My brother was very apprehensive.

Late Lunch along the way:

We didn't have any food as we were prepared all along from morning for travel and since it was already late we didn't want to risk time lapse for lunch inside city. Further we had prepared the lunch for the pack and carried it all along. So it made sense to stop on the outskirts along the way and have it. By 3 pm we had crossed Mulshi and decided to have lunch. The kids were very hungry and so were we. The pack feasted on the variety rice - Puliyodarai & Curd rice taken along with us. We started back after taking bio break.

The scenery along the way:

It was lovely scenery to look at along the travel path. The weather turning mild as we climbed up the ghats. Despite the sunny weather things were better outside. Sharing some snaps to let the picture do the talking.





Scenery before Tamhini ghat

As we ascended along the ghats, motion sickness kicked in. One by one rest of the pack fell behind the run-in vehicle. I was prepared to face this situation. So post lunch asked my family to have tablets to avoid this. Rest of the pack avoided it and now they realized their mistake and told me. I told them "Every day has its learning. So let this be theirs for the day." We spotted a shop after the Tamhini ghat descent and decided to break for refreshments.



The missed fun:

With much of the travel left we were quite apprehensive to reach Diveagar before sunset. Still we were decided to take our chances and Run-in vehicle led the pack from front. Some snaps from car of the proceeding sunset





Scenes of Sunset approaching

A traffic jam and road diversion due to an accident meant that we were re-routed and going to take longer to reach the beach to witness the sunset. Rest of the pack called-off the trip to beach and decided to go to Home-stay as they were battered by motion sickness. But we proceeded no matter what towards the Diveagar beach. The local guys stopped and dragged things for the parking tickets issue. All this meant we somehow missed the sunset by minutes.


A serene sight of the sunset beach

The unexpected Moon rise scene:

Having missed the sunset scene, kids were furious and wanted to spend time on beach playing and enjoying the sea. So we decided to wait and informed rest of the pack that the new bloke will be coming late to the party. We were surprised by the moonlight as it was full moon day. We got to witness some beautiful scenes in the backdrop of the moonlight, which vastly improved the grandeur of the scene. Got some opportunity to take a few snaps with the S23 Ultra to experiment it's zoom capability. Did some 10x, 30x and 100x shots. Sharing some snaps here.


Customary group selfie




Moonlight shots at Diveagar beach

[ssathiyanarayan]

The night party and stay:

There was a gathering planned at night with a small cake cutting ceremony to wish and greet the newly weds in my brother's extended family.



After the cake cutting we had dinner and some drinks. Pleasantly surprised by the availability of the Kerala parathas at the beach home stay locality. The host of the Home stay were very accommodative. They helped to prepare/reheat the food which we brought back from home for kids. They also helped my brother to source the barbeque charcoals and preparation of the food for the dinner. They didn't mind the late night music (Mostly Raja & ARR melodies) and our drinks either. But requested to keep the sound to a minimum to avoid attracting any attention, which were glad to follow.

Day 2 and the fun continues:

We started early to the Diveagar beach a bit early to catch glimpse of the sunrise. Half the pack which partied hard missed out. Rest caught up. It was full fun with kids at the beach. They were delighted by the sight of sunrise and beach. They had merry time. Forgot to click the snaps of sunrise as we all were busy in sea playing and watching sunrise. That was a moment to cherish and chew along memory lanes.


The fun selfie at Diveagar beach

Once the sun was up, hunger took over. We realized how tired the entire pack was post time at sea. We had breakfast at the nearby hotel identified. We got served South Indian dishes like Idly, Dosa, Medhu vada, though the taste quotient was in different quarter. We thanked our stars for this luck and decided to move on. We were nearing the vacating time for the home stay as well. Informed the owner that we will be late by 20 minutes for handover. They were again accommodative without making much fuss. Refreshed and got ready. Packed the things and handed over the Home stay to the owner.

Rock beach:

The lead vehicle had already started its journey towards Pune, as they had time to spend the yesterday noon and evening. We didn't want to miss visiting any places having come this far. So we started to the Rock beach. It was secluded from the locality and roads seemed to be newly laid out. Took some snaps to showcase the scenery.




Sights of Rock beach at Diveagar




Selfies at Rock beach at Diveagar

[ssathiyanarayan]

The travel back:

It was pleasant daylight we started back. Having had bad experience with motion sickness the previous day, the entire pack seemed to have taken my words seriously. At the nearest medical store, we replenished the medicines to subdue motion sickness. Required members were given the medication. We filled our water stock as we didn't have enough of stock. We moved on as little did we know what was going to be dished out at us. More on that later. Some beautiful snaps to experiment S23 Ultra's camera capabilities









The convergence and change of climate:

We stopped at a photoshoot spot on ghats for a click. This is were the things started to spin all surprises at us. The Oldest member spotted the sudden convergence of clouds over the ghats and out of nowhere the climate turned rainy. It started to rain heavily in a matter of minutes.


Glimpse of sudden convergence of clouds at ghat

The unexpected twist and thrill ride:

My brother called us and enquired to drive safely in rains as he was struck in bad rains at a hotel waiting for lunch near mulshi. He asked have we filled our fuel at Diveagar before leaving. The signal was erratic and call got disconnected midway. It dawned on our pack that we forgot the crucial part of the journey amidst the fun we had. The Oldest member reported low fuel. So it was decide that the Run-in vehicle will lead the pack with Oldest member tail gating us and the Little pup at the last. It was decided one vehicle will stop along by whichever vehicle stopped without fuel and the other would charge towards petrol pump to fetch the fuel for the rest of the pack.

We stopped opposite to Tamhini ghat waterfalls and clicked a couple of shots.









The thrill ride started. To add to the agony, Oldest member reported non-functioning of the dehumidifier of a/c unit. The co-driver in the cockpit was tasked to cleaning the windshield like good old days to avoid any mist and fogging in the cabin windshield. To add to our agony, there was a huge cue of vehicles tail gating due to bad weather. Twice we encountered State transport busses crawling at snail's pace leading the tailing pack to follow. One of the drivers was very genuine and understood the plight of the tail gating pack and gave way by stopping at road side. The other person was adamant and stopped to give way only when there was honking request to give way.

The fuel levels of the entire pack was nearing alarming levels. We urged everyone not to switch off engine and ride as this will void us the option to use engine braking for emergency during ride down the ghat descent. With no signal for mobile on ghats, the only signaling was done through the headlights for emergency. In the meantime some punk kids took Fast & Furious style driving cutting across our pack. Since we were running crucial fuel and the kind of driving they exhibited was dangerous and not needed at that route and climate condition. It was getting very irritating and building our agony.

Once we got signal, told the pack that we will have our smiles once we refill fuel. Requested the pack to stay calm and let them have fun. We sighted the petrol pump and to our awe the oldest member came to a halt after entering petrol pump and getting inside 2 meters. The pack joined to push inside for refueling. I called my brother and informed that all are well and filled up fuel and ready to have lunch.

The concluding journey:

Next the hunt started for a good eatery. The ones near Mulshi Lake/dam were too crowded. So we decided to step to the outskirts to give a try. Luckily we found to place to dine and had some food. After an initial hustle the serving happened without any problem. We were all set to get back home. Got the punk kids again on roads. This time we were having our time. Showed them what happens when you mess with the right guys at the wrong place. The entire pack vented out all angst and showed the punk kids how to behave on roads. Might have been an overdose to them. But they needed someone to school things. The Lead vehicle had reached safely leaving the family members back in airport. One by one the entire pack came back home

The pack was due for a thorough wash and clean of interiors. Though i didn't get to drive a lot, enjoyed a lot. But Optimus was sorely missed. Still the enjoyment was not lacking and all felt it was missed for good as the Run-in would have been hit pretty badly in such a terrain. The 3M representative seemed to have tried reaching me take delivery of vehicles post coating. Due to unavailability of signal, i called him back late evening. Informed him that i'll take delivery on 05-June-2023 evening post office hours.

[SID7115]

Great compilation Sir...
Had fun reading your experiences....
Reminds of the Diveagar trip we made with 2 other families in 2019. This was very special because we families didn't even know each other before the trip. This trip brought us closer and we still are in touch.
In fact I had a very important responsibility, handling the kids (because I was the eldest one among them, so whenever our parents would have dinner, I made sure our mischief was in control)
The pack comprised of our XUV500 and an Ertiga.

Road trips are the best means to bring people together and have fun.

And...heartiest congratulations on Optimus!!!!
Wishing it a lot of happy kilometres!!!!

[ssathiyanarayan]

Originally Posted by SID7115

Great compilation Sir...
Had fun reading your experiences....
Reminds of the Diveagar trip we made with 2 other families in 2019. This was very special because we families didn't even know each other before the trip. This trip brought us closer and we still are in touch.

Thanks SID7115. I've to agree on this point. Traveling with families helps us to getting to know each other much better.

Originally Posted by SID7115

In fact I had a very important responsibility, handling the kids (because I was the eldest one among them, so whenever our parents would have dinner, I made sure our mischief was in control)
The pack comprised of our XUV500 and an Ertiga.

Road trips are the best means to bring people together and have fun.

And...heartiest congratulations on Optimus!!!!
Wishing it a lot of happy kilometres!!!!

The task of handling kids is a tricky one. Handle with care and at the same time being strict together is the main thing. Understanding each other is the key element. Thanks a lot for the wishes. Happy miles to you also
Warm Regards,
Sathiya Narayanan. S

[Guru_Shikhar]

Great travelogue sir!!

Can you please share the stay option details you had chosen here.

How was the stay out there?

Cheers