28th December 2023, 00:14
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| BHPian  | Kolkata (Digha/Contai) to Vizag road-trip in my Nexon JET I was eager to visit Vizag since I watched the Veer by Discovery series. So many things kept running in life and my Vizag trip never came to life. Finally this year-end I was desperate to visit Vizag, especially the Submarine museum. This was also a way to test my Nexon Jet as I could not get a chance to drive more than 500-600 km trips in the whole year 2023. Convinced my parents about the trip and the submarine experience and explained how Nexon would not hurt their backs, unlike the Glanza. The Plan: As my parents would also travel, I broke the journey into two parts and arranged a night halt in Bhubaneswar. The next task was to book leaves. As the end holidays started in the US, I easily managed a 7-day block (precious for a security engineer). The travel plan looked like this:
Route: Part-1: Contai - Digha - Jaleswar - Balasore - Bhadrak - Cuttack - Bhubaneswar (Appx 350 kms) Part-2: Bhubaneswar - Srikakulam - Vizag (appx 450 kms) Day 1: 20 Dec 2023 - Home to Bhubaneswar We planned to start by 4 AM but later delayed that to 5:30 AM due to the dense fog. 5:30 AM, taking my JET out of our garage.  The morning drive was pleasant till Digha. From Digha border to Jaleswar town, the roads are narrow and uneven, having unmarked speedbreakers here and there. I managed to keep the car comfortable due to the high ground clearance and thick Goodyear rubber. Those who are planning to go to Puri or Vizag via Digha - Chandaneswar, be careful and watch out for speedbreakers. Usually, I have seen that most of the Dhabas and food joints remain closed in the morning in Jaleswar to Balasore portion of NH-16. The open ones are not worth a try. We have a fixed stop at Jagannath sweet shop near Banta, whenever we travel in this region. They serve Idli, Vada, Samosa, etc morning snacks and this shop is quite clean. JET resting at the first stop of the trip.  We took another short break in a IOCL COCO pump near Chhatia and also filled petrol to the brim. The petrol price was INR 103.2/litre. This pump has proper clean washrooms and a resting area. Here is the google map co-ordinate for reference. We managed to cover 344 kms and reach Bhubaneswar by 2:30 PM. Day 2: 21 Dec 2023 - Bhubaneswar to Vizag  The morning sun at Bhubaneswar. We comfortably took our breakfast buffet and started at 8 AM with 80 percent fuel. I was happy to see the MID fuel efficiency figures of 16.5kmpl. I realized that I had never seen anything more than 14 kmpl before this trip in my Nexon. Usually, I drive the Glanza at a slow and steady pace but always drive the Nexon in an enthusiastic way (5-star confidence may be  ). This time I was using cruise control at 105 kmph most of the time in 6th gear. However, in small hilly sections, I used 5th gear in cruise mode. Nexon pulls nicely from 60kmph in 5th gear but if you put 6th it will hesitate till 75-80 then it becomes relaxed. I use city mode always. Took a halt for some snaps and water. JET resting beside NH-16.   Took our second halt at the Laxmipuram toll plaza to use the toilets. Those who are traveling by NH-16, can take a break here for clean washrooms. Somehow, my father stays near the car and keeps inspecting whenever we stop  Finally, we managed to reach Vizag by 4 PM and checked into our hotel. Due to the seasonal rush, I had to avoid the beach area and ended up booking rooms in Fortune Sree Kanya, which is an ITC member hotel. They have a good parking arrangement and the folks were kind enough to reserve a slot for us as we informed them beforehand. Day 3 - 22 Dec 2023 Vizag Our day started by visiting Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy Vari Devasthanam temple.  Me and better half  The temple is large and has a calm vibe. There is an entry ticket system where devotees can do darshan for free/INR100/INR300. We chose INR300 tickets as we were told it would allow us in the "Garva Griha". What an experience it was! We enjoyed the prasadam and left for Kailashgiri Park. Kailashgiri Park entrance   We enjoyed the toy train ride which had G20 stickering on it.  What a view from the train!   After enjoying Kailashgiri we went to Tenneti Park and spotted a beached cargo ship. Never seen a ship so close so decided to go and touch it.  Being a middle-class child with no relatives in the Navy, I hardly got a chance to see such a ship in person. But I always had a big interest in ships and got goosebumps when I saw it for the first time. Did a quick Google search and found out that this ship was beached during the cyclone in 2020 and now there are plans to turn it into a restaurant (would surely visit if happens). View from Tenneti Park.  One note about Tenneti Park: There is no public washroom (the e toilet is out of service). We had to roam around a lot and finally had to use the washroom of a restaurant, which was around a KM walk. JET in Tenneti Park parking lot.  Post Tenneti Park we headed towards RK beach and enjoyed the Submarine Museum, the reason for this trip, and the Aircraft Museum. Sadly the security guards did not allow photography as there was a huge crowd and an hour-long queue for entrance. But later thanked them as I could enjoy with my eyes fully, which could have been disrupted if I had been allowed to click pictures. In the evening we enjoyed Andhra food at Sairam Parlour which was next to our hotel. Day 4: 23 Dec 2023 Sadly our Araku Valley plan had to be dropped as my mother fell ill as Andhra cuisine did not suit her. Parents chose to stay at the hotel and we decided to roam around the city. First, we visited Thotlakonda Buddhist ruins which was an amazing experience.   After the Buddhist ruins, we tried to roam around Thotlakonda beach to find the natural arch but the google map location was wrong. But as a bonus there was a free parking lot to click some handsome photographs of my JET.    In Thotlakonda Beach private parking I found a BHPian-owned old generation Elantra parked, which looked like abandoned.  JET with the old Korean gentleman.  Thotlakonda rocky beach.  After Thotlakonda my desperation to see port began to increase and we decided to try that. Without any prior knowledge, we found Sri Sagara Giri Kanaka Durga Temple which is located in a secluded place from where the port is visible. I do not recommend visiting this place alone as there is no one around and it goes through a shady backyard area of the South Asia LPG Co Private Limited campus. Even if it says you are under CCTV surveillance, my sixth sense was not happy about it. My eagerness took me there and we got a good view of the port.   Day 5: 24 Dec 2023 - Vizag Today my mother felt better and we decided to visit Indira Gandhi National Zoo as personal vehicles are allowed inside this zoo. First time I got to see so many deers from such proximity  JET in zoo  After the Zoo visit, we went to the iconic Nellore Vari Mess to have authentic Andhra Thali. This time ordered simple rice and dal for my mother. Post lunch we relaxed in RK Beach and enjoyed sunset.  Vizag is an amazing city. It has a different charm that pulls you when it is time to bid adieu. The vibe, the people, and the culture is so nice that we felt to stay there forever. Day 6: 25 Dec 2023 We took our breakfast and with a heavy heart started at 9 AM and comfortably reached Bhubaneswar by 4. Day 7: 26 Dec 2023 Last day of trip We started at 9 AM and reached home by 4 PM. When I parked my Nexon, it showed 1754 kms in the trip meter and 16.8 kmpl in fuel meter.  |
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28th December 2023, 09:30
| #2 |
| BHPian Join Date: May 2022 Location: Alld, Bbsr, Blr
Posts: 49
Thanked: 119 Times
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