[arun_josie]

A cross-country road trip to Jawai, Rajasthan from Bangalore.







With Head of Jeep’s India Operations(on the right)



My driving companion Midhun (on the left) and I



It was Uttarakhand in 2015 and Himachal in 2017. The Uttarakhand and Himachal drives happened in my previous car Fiat Linea. I could never make another long road trip like these happen till date after Scarlett(my Jeep Compass) came home. 6 long years. That is when I came across the flyer for the Zanskar Valley Jeep trail organized by Jeep India. I was itching for a cross-country road trip and this one fit the bill. I signed up for it and waited for the event. But due to inclement weather, flooding and landslides in Himachal, this drive got postponed to a later date just a day before my start from Bangalore. It got postponed again and finally it was canceled. I must confess. The disappointment was real as I was so looking forward to it.

Then came the announcement from Jeep India about a Jeep trail in Rajasthan due in November called “The Royal Entourage – Jawai Trail”. I have crossed Rajasthan twice but never stopped to explore the state. Looking at the schedule it required minimum 5 days of leave and with schools reopened after the puja holidays, I didn’t have the option to take my family along.
For the Zanskar Valley drive, I didn’t have any second thoughts but this time I was unsure and didn’t register immediately. That is when one of my friends (Midhun) who also drives a Jeep Compass (4x2) showed interest to join me for this drive. So, after discussing with him and my wife, I decided to go ahead with the drive and register for it (53K for two persons). He will be joining me in my Jeep Compass.



Getting prepared for the drive:

• I got the 1,30,000 Km service done @ PPS Motors
• I got the Wheel Alignment/Balancing done at Madhus
• Made sure that the spare wheel was good
• Two Sensairy sensors had to be replaced.
• Verified the pollution certificate and confirmed that it has validity
• Got backup batteries for the car keys
• Got some snacks and dry fruits
• Few water bottles
• First aid kit
• Torch light

[arun_josie]

Day 1 (Bangalore – Pune – Mumbai, 1000 Kms)

With all the excitement for this drive, as usual I didn’t get proper sleep the night before the drive. The plan was to start at 3:30 AM, but there was a slight delay. We could start only by 4:15 am. Midhun came and parked his car at my place, and we started the drive. We hit the NICE road in no time and took the Tumkur road towards Mumbai. It was a weekday and hence the car traffic was less on the road. I was maintaining 100 Kmph initially and once I crossed Tumkur, I was able to maintain 110-120 Kmph. Less traffic helped us to be consistently around this speed. Some spirited drive on the Chitradurga bypass helped us to cross Davangere toll in exactly 3 hours.

When the day light started coming out





Our first stop was after 370 Kms, it was a quick stop





The one and only two lane stretch on this route



We stopped for breakfast after Dharwad



They had only dosa and idli for breakfast



After a decent breakfast, we resumed the drive. I have never shared the driving seat of my car with anyone except once when one of my friends took it for a short distance. But this time, I was ok to allow Midhun to drive. This made me experience the passenger seat for the first time on the highway. Midhun maintained the 100-110 Kmph mark consistently.

After Belgaum there were too many diversions and as expected this slowed us down.

We stopped for refueling at Nipani (BPCL COCO)

Heavy traffic due to an accident on the highway, we lost a lot of time here



ODO hit the 1,30,000 Kms milestone



The traffic was more while crossing Kolhapur. We were nearing Solapur during the lunch time. paragsachania suggested to stop for lunch at Hotel Pranjali. We reached this placed around 1:45 pm. This place is known for non-veg food apparently. So, we tried mutton thali and it was absolutely delicious and very different from the usual fare we get in the south.
Also, by then the ICC World cup semi-final had started and we watched this match for some time and then proceeded.



With our stomachs refueled, we continued towards Pune-Mumbai. The traffic kept increasing and this slowed us down further.

We crossed Pune by 3:30 PM and took the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Since we didn’t stop anywhere after lunch, we decided to take a stop on this highway but the food courts there were super crowded, I have never seen such a crowded place on the highway. So, we didn’t want to waste any time there and continued moving towards Mumbai.

One of the toll on the Mumbai – Pune Expressway





Reached Navi Mumbai by 5:30 PM. Our stay was at Thane and the room was booked by HVK. We reached our hotel by 6:45 PM. His RoutO was very helpful to cross Mumbai city. It was a nice room and at a good location for an easy exit towards Gujarat. We also went out for dinner with him.

Mumbai traffic and Diwali decorations all around





Trip details at end of the day

[arun_josie]

Day 2 (Mumbai – Surat – Baroda – Ahmedabad – Udaipur):

We started at 5:30 AM. Since this hotel is on the route towards Gujarat, it was a straightforward exit from the city for us. The traffic was more in the beginning, but it was a moving traffic and didn’t slow us down much.

The first stop was for refueling and this was at BPCL Coco @ Vadavli (7:15AM), by now we had covered 110 Kms.

For the breakfast, we stopped at Sugar 'N Spice, Valsad. I had stopped at this place during my 2015 drive and I was still able to remember this place. It’s a decent place with multiple types of food available.





The traffic kept going up, this looked very similar to the old Mysore road traffic. Looks like we got caught in the Diwali week traffic in the state.





Ankleshwar:

I will never forget this place as we got stuck here for 3 hours during our 2015 drive. Thanks to the new bridge on the Narmada river, we didn’t face any such awful traffic.







Baroda – Ahmedabad Highways (NE1)

By the time we took this highway, the traffic density had come down. This is a nice smooth highway and was quick.



We were able to touch the Ahmedabad ring road quickly. We stopped at HonestT for lunch. A veg hotel but the food was very good for even the non-vegetarians.





After the lunch, it was a straight drive to Udaipur, the last sector before Udaipur was really fun to drive. The roads were twisty all through.
On this route, we spotted one BPCL Coco and refueled the tank.







Roads were good all through and we entered Udaipur by 4:30 PM.



The stay in Udaipur was at RTDC Kajri. We walked-in directly and booked the room. The room cost us 3K which included dinner and breakfast as well. It had a very good parking space. The building is old and is under renovation. The rooms are very spacious and good for one night stay.



The weather was very cold. We stepped out for a walk after a quick refreshing at the hotel. It was after the sunset. So, we didn’t go too far. We tasted the famous Malai Ghevar. It was good, a bit too sweet but delicious, nevertheless. We had our dinner at the hotel after the walk and settled for the day.

[arun_josie]

Day 3: Drive to Gogunda Palace (The base camp for the event):

This was a 30Km drive from the hotel and we started after our breakfast. The drive was on the highway and the last two Kms was through some narrow village roads.

The whole organizing team was at the entrance of this hotel ready to welcome the participants.

• We received a traditional welcome with garlands
• As communicated to us earlier, all the Jeeps were taken for a quick wash and stickering. I was a little hesitant with the stickers but they assured that these were high quality stickers and nothing to be worried about. Also, they were ok if I opt out of this stickering. But I didn’t want to be the odd one out, so I went ahead with it.
• The registration process was done and the room keys were handed over to us
• We took some pics with the Jeeps parked at the entrance.

Midhun and I



The Rubicon and the Meridian which were on the display





Some goodies. A sweatshirt and some snacks



This is a palace that has been converted into a hotel. The whole facility has the royal ambience. The architecture is beautiful with lot of open spaces. Here are some pics

Entrance of this Hotel/Palace



Vast open spaces



The Courtyard with rooms around





The pool, it was too cold to enter the pool though



Some more corners from the hotel/palace













Our room entrance



Very spacious rooms. Each room has a different layout as it was a palace before it became the hotel.







The door to the restroom



We were asked to report at their conference room by 12:30 for the briefing of the event and lunch. We were also told that Jeep India Deputy MD Aditya Jairaj will join us for this drive. He arrived few minutes later and welcomed everyone.

[arun_josie]

Drive to Kumbhalgarh fort (120 Kms, To and Fro):

After a nice, sumptuous lunch, we were all set for the drive to Kumbhalgarh fort. This is 60Kms away from our location and the plan was to drive via some narrow village roads, bad roads and some set of forest roads. There was also a zip-line event arranged at the Fort.

• All Jeeps were given a number. Scarlett was numbered 11
• All Jeeps were given a Walkie-Talkie for communication.
• Apart from 21 Jeeps(participants), there were 5-6 support Jeeps as well
• We were advised to stick to the queue and not to overtake or slow down for no reason
• At the tolls we were asked to take the extreme left lane and toll operators were informed in advance
• In case of any issues to any Jeeps, we will have to communicate via the Walkie-Talkie and support vehicle will help us.
• The support vehicles had 2-3 technicians to assist us
• Preference should be given to other public vehicles and when they are behind us, they should be allowed to overtake safely

Scarlett and I with the Jeep Trails stickering done





All Jeeps set for the drive



All Jeeps were given a walkie-talkie for communication





Flag-Off



The drive started off on the highway and then later entered the rural routes. This route was very mixed. It was narrow throughout with good/average/bad roads all the way till the fort. The challenging part was the traffic closer to the fort. Since it was Diwali holidays, the Kumbhalgarh fort was crowded with visitors.







Just before entering the Fort





Thankfully a separate parking space was assigned for the Jeep convoy. Also, gypsys were arranged to transport us from the parking to the Fort.







Some pics from the fort

The Fort









Nice view from the fort







Midhun clicking some pics



You can see the traffic/parked vehicles from the fort



Later we tried out the Zip line as well. It was a very nice experience.

[arun_josie]

Return drive to the hotel with a stop at Rawla Sagrun Kumbhalgarh for High Tea:

The return route was different, and was via some very bad roads and some part of the forest. It also had some very challenging steep inclines.

Stop at Rawla Sagrun for Hi-Tea



Some nice snacks



Return drive to the hotel



Forest route









via some village area





At the Toll, this was the only toll that we had to cross.


Evening Party:

We reached late to the hotel and the plan was for a dinner party in the lawn. Also, it was time to interact with other Jeepers about the day’s drive and their experience with their Jeeps. I could interact with a few folks and had a nice chat.

There was also live music performance in their lawn. The food and deserts were very good. They also telecasted a documentary movie about Jawai region and Leopards on the screen.

[arun_josie]

Day 4 (Drive to Leopard Hill @ Jawai):

The agenda for the day was rock crawl on the huge rocky formation around Jawai, driving on some dry riverbeds, water crossing, broken forest roads, some slush etc.

• To start the day, after getting ready I went and checked the car, all was good.
• Jeep team had also assigned 2 technicians to do some basic checks on all the Jeeps
• Had some nice breakfast.
• Post breakfast, all of us were set for the start.
• They provided a pack of water bottles to each Jeep as we will be driving in some remote locations without many facilities around.

Had a very nice breakfast, the spread was good.



All set for the start of the days drive



Midhun posing for a pic





Via some forest route





This was a small ghat on the way to Jawai









Ariel view of the Jeeps snaking through the remote roads







We went through some bad roads with sharp stones too. Below pic was captured at a better stretch



Some narrow roads. Good thing was that there was no traffic on this route. Very rarely we came across vehicles crossing us.





First stop of the day. This was a rest room and a tea break





All Jeeps parked in a line



This was a nice place in middle of nowhere

[arun_josie]

Rock Crawl 1 @ Jawai:

After the quick break we started towards the rocky terrain. Everyone was asked to park at the base of the first hill that we were supposed to climb.
Here are some of the instructions that were given to everyone.

• No convoy during the climb.
• Turn on the 4x4 mode
• If anyone loses momentum or unable to drive further, they have to reverse till the place from where they can climb again
• If required, backup drivers from the support team will take-over.

On the way to the hill





This is at the base of the first rocky hill





Scarlett all set for this climb



Some Jeeps during the climb





This is the view from the top





All Jeeps parked on the top of the hill











Had a nice short interaction with Jeep India Head Aditya Jairaj





And the complete gang







Scarlett



Now the return



A nice shot of the convoy

[arun_josie]

Rock Crawl 2 @ Jawai:

Now it was time for the second hill. This was steeper than the first one.

On the way to the second hill



Some minor water crossing



The climb started gradually









At the top of the hill




Some nice views










We spent some time at the top and it was time to return




My experience of the Rock Crawl:

• The first hill was easier as the only challenge was the climb and not the terrain. It was very bumpy but no issues with the ground clearance. If you have the momentum, you are good.
• 4x4 mode made it easier.
• The second hill had few challenges. The incline was steeper. And it was not just the climb, you had to navigate the rocks and uneven surfaces with challenging ground clearance while climbing.
• I loved this location. It was only us on the hills and the views from here were fantastic.
• Overall, it was super fun.

[arun_josie]

Drive on the Lakebed @ Jawai:

• This had everything, some slush, multiple water crossings, gravel roads, mud roads, no roads etc.
• At most of these places there were no roads, so it was very important to follow the Jeep in front.
• If you miss the Jeep in front then there was a chance of taking the wrong route and people behind you will get affected as well.
• In fact, this happened twice when the Jeep ahead missed the convoy. Later support vehicle came to the rescue.

Here are the pics,



















Lunch time:

It was a late lunch as we were running late by 2 hours. Even though it was a very remote location, the Jeep team had organized for a nice lunch at a beautiful location. Also, a live cultural program performed by local artists was arranged. It was a great experience to watch the program live.











Drive resumes after the lunch:

The terrain was same as before, this time there were many water crossings.








Someone spotted this crocodile on the lake side



We went across multiple water crossings and slush at some places

[arun_josie]

Gypsy Safari:

This was another highlight of the day. Gypsy Safari on those hills to spot Leopards was itself a fun plus scary experience. This is my first safari in a gypsy and I was amazed at the way it was driven and the way it was climbing on the rocks and stones inside the forest. It was snaking through those bushes very easily and the way they were taking turns, I thought it will topple at some point.

At least 30 gypsys were inside on the lookout for leopards. All these drivers had powerful torches and somewhere connected via walkie-talkies as well . So, when someone spots, they updated others.

We couldn’t spot any leopards closely but some of the other group members were lucky.









All Gypsys are one place as someone spotted a Leopard movement



These guys were having powerful torches



Spotted by another group member.

PC: Suryansha


PC: Suryansha

Evening Party:

Like the previous day, we were late again. The dinner plan was similar as the previous day with live music, dance, food and interaction with other Jeepers. Again, the food was excellent and had more varieties.

[arun_josie]

Day 5 (To Indore) and Day 6 (To Hyderabad):

The checkout was after the breakfast. We just roamed around the hotel for some time clicking some pics and then started our drive back.





The plan was to drive till Indore as we wanted to watch the second innings of the ICC WC Final match. Also, I have never been to Indore so took this as an opportunity to check this city even though we will not be getting much time to explore.

We started at 10:00 AM and took the route via Chittorgarh – Neemuch – Ratlam – Indore. Its 4L roads all through. The traffic was decent with more truck traffic.

The first stop was after crossing Chittorgarh to refuel (IndianOil SWAGAT COCO Retail Fuel Outlet). This is right next to the Indian Oil Terminal. By then, the time was 11:15 AM.



I tried the Indian Oil green diesel for the first time and continued with this green fuel during the next 3 refueling as well.

Next stop was for lunch around 2:00 PM. We stopped at Hotel Shree Kanha International and we were on time to watch the start of the World cup finals. The food was good and after lunch we watched cricket for some time there and then resumed the journey.



The traffic on this route was increasing steadily and this pulled down our average speed.

Stay at Hotel Ginger:

In Indore, we had the booking at Hotel Ginger.

The rooms were nice, spacious, and clean. It had decent parking space as well.



After watching the match for some time and the moment it started looking one-sided, we decided to go out for dinner. We had information about the food street in Sarafa Market and paragsachania also recommended the same.

So, we took an auto to this place. Despite the Cricket finals, this place was very crowded. And too many options for Veg lovers. We walked around for some time and tried few veg chaats, tender coconut shake and went back to room. I loved this place but it deserved more time to be spent.

Tandoori momos, it was nice





This street was crowded



Day 6 (Indore-Dhule-Chalisgaon-Aurangabad-Solapur-Hyderabad): 1015 Kms

The plan was to start by 4:00 AM and to take the route suggested by paragsachania. Google maps showed 2-3 routes and the one we took was 200 Kms longer but timing wise it was almost same as the other routes. When we started google maps showed ETA as 11:55 PM which was around 20 hours.



Sector 1 was till Dhule. It’s 4L all through and roads were good. The drawback was the frequent speed breakers, it was there at many places. We reached Dhule by 7:30 AM. From here we took the exit towards Chalisgaon. This is a 2L road and at places the 4L was under construction. The road condition till Chalisgoan was mixed.

During a quick stop







The road towards Chalisgoan



After crossing Chalisgaon, we stopped at Shree Kamalshanti Palace & Restaurant for breakfast. By now the time was 8:30 AM



The breakfast stop was for around 30-40 minutes and we proceeded ahead




Based on inputs from Parag, we were expecting some traffic on the Kannad ghats but thankfully we didn’t face any traffic



Some nice views









After this ghat road, the 4L stretch started. Lovely roads and nice colorful bougainvillea on the dividers. This was constantly there all through.





We crossed Aurangabad @ 10:00 AM





Stopped for refueling. For the first time during this trip it was a non COCO pump



For lunch, Parag recommended Mutton Thali @ Patil Wada. We reached here by 1:15 PM. The food was lovely here and has very good parking space as well



During a quick stop at 3:00 PM



First signs of getting closer to Hyderabad. By now it was 5:45 PM



There was some traffic just before the Hyderabad ORR and once we took the ORR it was bliss. We reached Hitech City by 6:30 PM. The time taken for us to reach Hyderabad was quicker by 5+ hours when compared with ETA shown by google map at the start of the drive. Don’t know why it showed 20 hours when the roads are very good all through. The only challenging part was the Dhule – Chalisgaon stretch.

Stay at Swagath-De-Royal:

Our stay was at Swagath-De-Royal. Neat rooms and closed parking was available.

Hyderabad means Biryani. So, without any second though we went out for a Biryani dinner. Normally I try Paradise Biryani, Mehfil etc. This time it was Nawaab’s Restaurant. I loved the Biryani here and the delicious Kunafa.

[arun_josie]

Day 7 (Hyderabad – Bangalore):

Agenda for the day was to meet a friend for breakfast and a few other friends after breakfast for a quick meet and then start to Bangalore.

Had a nice breakfast at Chutneys restaurant. I always thought Saravana Bhavan in Chennai as the most expensive for South Indian breakfast, but Chutneys is a world ahead of Saravana Bhavan.







Hyderabad traffic and the iconic Cyber Towers





Exiting Hyderabad @ the ORR toll, it was 12:00 PM



The lunch stop was at Ananthapur @ Pista House. It was a late lunch. The Biryani here tasted good too.



Entered Bangalore @ Hebbal, it was 7:50 PM

[arun_josie]

Overall Experience of this Jeep Trail

The Stay: This was a very nicely organized event. The stay in Gogunda Palace was a 5-star experience. It has good amount of open space, trees, very well maintained, excellent service, awesome food, rooms were very spacious and nicely maintained. The hotel staff were very helpful.

The Trail route: This was very good too. We got to drive on multiple terrains, especially the rocky terrain was the highlight. On day 4 we were driving on very remote locations, it was difficult to spot other vehicles or some time even people. Some stretches were challenging, some were very slow paced due to the nature of the terrain, some were fast paced. So, overall, it was a mix of all terrains (rocky, mud, gravel, some slush, water crossings, broken roads, forest roads etc)

Convoy Drive: When it comes to convoy drive, they were very particular about everyone maintaining their position (no overtakes) and at the same time not being much disturbance to the public. Also, no stopping without any reason which can mess up the convoy and disturb others on the road as well. Even if someone had stopped for a valid reason, it was communicated over the walkie-talkie, and they were asked to join their actual position when they rejoin. In some remote locations we were asked not to stop or get out of the vehicle. At tolls, we were assigned the left most lane and toll operators were informed in advance. Overall, the convoy was managed very nicely.

Support Team:

Fantastic!

It was not just about planning the route and doing the recce. On some of the very narrow roads on the remote area, the bushes were popping out on either side of the road. This can easily put scratches on the vehicles passing by. So, they had put efforts to trim those bushes for some distance and it was very evident when we crossed those location.

On the night before the day 2 of the trail, they checked with everyone on the fuel range and offered to refill if required. They were willing to send their technician in our Jeep to get the refill done.

The technical team did a check-up of every vehicle before the drive.

Even in these remote areas they found good places for high tea, lunch, and rest room breaks etc.

There were 2-3 puncture incidents which were handled promptly and efficiently.

Overall, this team was very supportive and and they were in touch with the participants till everyone reached home safely.

Hats off to the whole organizing team in conducting this event seamlessly and successfully.

What could have been better?

Kumbhalgarh fort was crowded as it was holiday season. Convoy of cars + holiday crowd doesn’t do well together. Probably they could have avoided this place or timed it better avoiding the holiday season is what I felt. I understand the reason for this location being on the trail due to its historical importance. Despite the crowd, the team made it convenient for us by procuring the tickets for everyone in advance, arranging separate parking space for us and kept some gypsys waiting for us to transport us from the parking place to the fort which was commendable .

Catching up with Team-Bhpians:

This event connected me with team bhpians sameerpb and adneeraj. I have interacted with them over phone before but got a chance to meet them during this trail. It was nice to meet them in person. But I missed to connect with parthdmaniar during the event as we were not aware about our team bhp connection.

My drive companion:

Midhun was a great companion for this drive. We have gone on multiple long drives before but we always drove on our own. But for the first time, we were co-passengers in the same car and it was a nice experience. After this drive, I can say that no one else have driven my Jeep(or my previous cars) as much as Midhun did during this drive.

How did my Jeep perform?

No hassles. All it required was refueling and the performance was impeccable. Even on the multiple terrains we drove during this drive, it was effortless. Midhun drives a Compass 4x2 which has around 50K Kms on the ODO, as per him performance-wise Scarlett was equally good despite 1,33,000 Kms on the ODO.

The drives/crawls on the rocky terrain were superb, 4x4 mode made the climb simpler and there was nothing left for the driver to do. The drive on the other terrains were very good too.

Here is the overall trip details. I felt 16.1 Kmpl is very good for the kind of drive and the terrain that we covered.



After a wash.



Back to its normal routine with ODO inching towards 1,34,000 Kms



With this we come to the end of this travelogue. Hope you enjoyed reading this one as much as I loved documenting the trip.

[Aditya]

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