[VIJMAC]

Hi friends,

This is my first travelogue and I hope you will like it. Your suggestions and feedbacks are most welcome. For the past several years, I have been a reader of Team-BHP travelogues and always wanted to write one of my own. But I somehow could not write, either because my trips were short ones or, I was lazy after returning back from the trips. This time, while I am a bit late, but still thought of writing my first travelogues as I finished a long trip recently. So here is my story...

Sometime around mid of November 2023, my wife and I were thinking of a long weekend drive around Bangalore. We had not taken our Scorpio (we call it “Black Bull”) out for a long time. Also our bull was getting 15 year old in Feb 2024. We thought it’s a right time to go for a long trip before we do the re-registration of the bull. As the conversation progressed, a thought came up that instead of a weekend drive, why not we go for a long trip? Generally, December last week is a free time for me and hence I proposed to my wife, “Can we drive to north for few days”? Wife said “I’m OK but, what do you mean, by driving north”? This triggered a detailed discussion for next few days. Me and my wife, both like long drives on our black bull. We both like adventurous places, drive through forest/rough roads, country-side, basically places where we find less crowd. Most of our road trips have been in KA, TN, KL or GA. Hence this time we thought of exploring north side of KA. After several rounds of discussions we decided to visit Gujarat, via the scenic coastal Maharashtra route (avoiding the popular and crowded Mumbai – Goa highway). Since December-end is the most crowded time of the year for a vacation, we had to plan our sight-seeing places and hotel bookings in advance. Over the next 1 week we were busy in route plan and bookings.

While deciding the itinerary, our objectives were clear:
• Journey is important, not the destination.
• Enjoy the drive during day time, no night driving. Sleep for at least 8 hours daily. Enjoy food & local delicacies. Visit 1 or 2 tourist spots each day, wherever possible.

Our kids didn’t join us as they had their college exams around that time and preferred to stay home. So it was only me and my better half set out on this expedition.

Now, before we get into the travel details, let me introduce you my Black Bull:
• 2009 Mahindra Scorpio (Mhawk) 7 seater,
• 1,25,120 kms on odometer





Preparing the Black Bull for the trip:

1. Thorough inspection of vehicle at Anant motors, BG road, Bangalore. Replaced the suspension bushes and arms which were worn out, oil top ups. Thorough washing.
2. Fitted an 8 Inch Active Bass Tube Subwoofer with Inbuilt Amplifier 4200W, to enhance the audio quality
3. Bought TUSA Digital Tyre Inflator & Ceptics 200W Car Laptop Charger/Power Inverter
4. Tool box, spare headlight bulbs, Tubeless tire puncture repair kit, Medicine & first-aid kit
5. Removed the 3 row seat for extra luggage space
6. Tire pressure check and full tank of Diesel. Loaded Rs.4K on Fastag.

Here is the detailed itinerary and route plan:



DAY 1 (24/Dec): Bangalore to Dharwad (460 kms).

We started our trip on 24/Dec morning. Since Dharwad is my native place and my parents and brothers stay there, it was a natural stop for me enroute Maharashtra. Started at 5am from Kanakapura road (south Bangalore), took NICE road and reached the Bangalore-Pune national highway. Had coffee at hotel Ratnam, Dobaspet, about 65 kms from start point. Later had breakfast at Hotel Apoorva in Davanagere (These 2 places are our default stops whenever we go to Dharwad).





We reached Dharwad by afternoon, had special lunch prepared by my mom. Rest of the day went in chatting with my family, discussions about the trip, explaining my mom about the trip plan and convincing her that it is going to be a safe trip. Had good sleep overnight and got ready for our journey next day.

DAY 2 (25/Dec): Dharwad to Ganapatipule (380 kms)

We started at 6am knowing that the road after Belgaum is under construction and it may take more time to reach Ganapatipule. Main items on the agenda for the day were to visit Mahalakshmi temple in Kolhapur & enjoy the drive along the beach on Aare Ware road (between Ratnagiri & Ganapatipule).
Road condition from Dharwad to Belgaum is excellent and we reached Belgaum in no time. We had breakfast after crossing Belgaum and also bought some Kunda, a speciality sweet of Belgaum, to eat on the way. Road condition after Belgaum was pathetic. But it was not a big deal for my bull, it has seen much worse roads in 15 years.
There was a moderate crowd at Mahalakshmi temple. We could have devi darshan in about 30mins and we headed to Ratnagiri, taking a diversion from the Pune highway (NH48).





The state highways now a days are in a much better condition. Though they are not multi-lane, the traffic is less and are well maintained. However road from Kolhapur to Ratnagiri was under repair. We were really looking forward to the drive on coastal route. By afternoon we reached Ratnagiri and the scenic drive began from there. Let the pics and video tell the story further.

https://youtu.be/pt0ubESChH0

After enjoying the beach drive and stopping at many places, we finally reached Ganapatipule. We checked into Westbay Resort, which is walkable distance from the temple. The resort is beautiful with good food and landscaping. We quickly took shower and headed towards the temple. There was quite a bit of crowd due to holiday season. The temple is right on the beach and luckily most of the people were heading towards the beach to see the sunset and temple was not crowded much.



After seeking blessings from Lord Ganesha we sat in the temple premises and enjoyed the sunset. Had a cup of tea on the way and went back to the resort. By this time resort was bright and glowing with colorful lights all over and the open dining area was decorated with a large (20ft+ tall) Christmas tree, as a part of Christmas and new year celebration. We walked around the resort for a while and fed biscuits to some friendly dogs roaming around in the resort. By this time we were very hungry and walked toward the restaurant for dinner. The food menu had a wide variety and we ended our day with a sumptuous dinner.

DAY 3 (26/Dec): Ganapatipule > Harihareshwar > Nizampur > Dasave (360 kms)

We woke up in the morning with a lot of excitement as we were supposed to take our vehicle through ferry at 3 places during the day today. By the time we finished our breakfast in the resort, the watchman had washed our bull and it was ready to charge.

Ocean view from resort restaurant:


We started our journey for the day driving along a narrow coastal route (SH4).
Though it is a single lane road, there was hardly any traffic and we could maintain good speed, while enjoying the coastal scenery. We had to take ferry at these 3 locations:

1. Jaigad to Tawsal,
2. Dhopave to Dhabol
3. Vesavi to Bagmandla

The ferries run at a frequency of about 1 hour. The detailed timetable and ticket charges are available online at https://carferry.in/. We had planned our drive speed and stops on the way such that we reach the ferry point on time. If we miss the ferry then we have to wait about 1 hour for the next ferry, which can be quite boring and waste of time.

Ferry point : Jaigad to Tawsal







Along the drive, sometimes we come very close to the coast and sometimes we go over the mountains and get an aerial view of the coastline. Here are some pics, as words cannot do the justice in describing the scenery.

https://youtu.be/UUrO-XUYUSo

We reached Dhopave ferry point by noon time, just in time to catch the ferry #2





Some more pics of coastal view after Dhabol:







There are hardly any good restaurants on the way between Ganapatipule and Harihareshwar, especially if you are a vegetarian like me. We had kept enough stock of snacks and soft drinks and hence didn’t face any issues. Due to some goof up by Google maps, we almost missed the ferry at Vesavi. One of the key issues with Google is that it always shows the fastest route and does not consider the width of the road. My bull could hardly pass through a narrow road it suggested near a small mosque about 1 km from the Vesavi ferry point. With some skilled driving and knowing the edges of my bull well, I was able to navigate and reach the ferry just-in-time.





After visiting these temples, we went to the beach which is quite rocky but very beautiful.

https://youtu.be/ykHKK-QbRIQ

Soon after the sunset we started our journey towards our destination for the day, our resort in Dasave. We started moving away from the coast now and the road was pretty good. Driving through the Tamhini ghat, we reached our resort “Shivraj Palace”, just before the dinner was getting closed. Resort was in a nice location beside huge mountains. We had a quick dinner and hit the bed as were quite tired because of the hectic day.

[VIJMAC]

DAY 4 (27/Dec): Dasave > Kumbe Falls > Pali > Thane > Bharuch (580 kms)

Got up early in the morning to witness the orange colors of the sunrise. Our resort was looking beautiful in the wee hours.



Today we were to visit Kumbe falls in the morning which was about 35 kms from our resort. The rest of the day would be spent on a long drive to Bharuch via Mumbai.
It was a scenic drive to Kumbe falls. Here are some pics taken in the morning.
Today we were to visit Kumbe falls in the morning which was about 35 kms from our resort. The rest of the day would be spent on a long drive to Bharuch via Mumbai.
It was a scenic drive to Kumbe falls. Here are some pics taken in the morning.











The road to Kumbe falls once we started ascending the hill was quite bad. It was a narrow road which was under repair. But that was not a problem for my bull and I enjoyed driving up the hill in the morning cold weather. There was hardly any traffic or people to ask for directions. Though Google maps sometimes misdirected us, we were able to reach the falls without much hassle.
We had seen a mesmerizing video of this falls on Youtube which was shot during rainy season. This video made us to add Kumbe falls on the agenda.

Here is a video link for you to witness this beautiful sight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyA3teAJkK0

When we visited the falls there was not much water there. However the site was beautiful and we spent some time there while eating our packed breakfast. You need to pass through a narrow tunnel to reach this falls.

https://youtu.be/x1nmp9Rgezs

Rest of the day was spent on driving to Bharuch. The drive till Pali was quite nice but once we approached Mumbai, the traffic was quite bad and it was a tiring drive till Bharuch. We stopped on the way and had Kathiawadi Thali for lunch. Throughout the tour, I always took a break of 10-15 mins after driving for about 2 hours. I used to do a bit of body stretching, take a short walk and wash the face, so that I do not feel tired and stay alert while driving.
As we entered Gujarat, I was very happy to see a series of Veg restaurants along the highway. The main objective of our trip was to drive & eat and chain of Veg restaurants along the way was like a heaven to the vegetarian couple.
The drive till Bharuch was otherwise uneventful and we reached Bharuch by night. We stayed in Hotel Ginger which was quite nice for a night stay.

DAY 5 (28/Dec): Bharuch > Kevadia > Vadodra > Surendranagar (320 kms)

Today the main items on the agenda were to visit Status of Unity at Kevadia and Laxmi Vilas palace at Vadodra. We had heavy breakfast in the hotel and were off to Kevadia. The road to Kevadi is excellent (like most of the roads in Gujarat). To cover all the attractions at Kevadia (Statue of unity, Sardar Sarovar Dam, Arogya van and many other gardens), it will easily take at least 2 days. But our interest was Statue of Unity, the tallest statue in the world, only. Since the day was quite foggy and there was a big crowd, we decided to see the statue from outside and not go to the observation deck.







After walking around and finishing the photo sessions, our next destination was Laxmi Vilas Palace in Vadodra. On the way to the palace in Vadodra, we stopped at Sriram Tum Tum a famous farsan shop (favorite of our hon. Prime minister Modiji it seems) and purchased variety of namkeens.
There was not much crowd at the Laxmi Vilas Palace. The palace is built over 500 acres and is the largest private home built till date and is four times the size of Buckingham Palace. We took the entry ticket which includes an audio guide and entered the palace. The audio guide is very helpful and provides information about each and every artifacts displayed in the palace. There is a rich collection of swords, weapons, armours, clothes used by various kings over the last few centuries, which are neatly arranged in various galleries in the palace. It takes easily few hours to go through all these galleries.





Once we finished the visit to all galleries, we were keen to go to the other attraction in the palace, i.e., Raja Ravi Varma’s painting gallery. My wife practices acrylic painting and was very happy to visit this place. The painting gallery has several masterpieces from Raja Ravi Varma and several artists around the world. Since photography is not allowed here, I couldn’t not take any pics of these masterpiece paintings.
From Vadodra our next destination was Somanath. We decided to stay in some city which lies on the way for night halt and found a hotel Shiv International in Surendranagar. We reached the hotel by 11pm and were done for the day.

DAY 6 (29/Dec): Surendranagar > Rajkot > Junagarh > Somnath (325 kms)


We checked out of the hotel in the morning and headed towards our destination for the day, Somanath. Had some yummy Gujarati breakfast on the way.



Good roads all along and we reached the hotel by late afternoon. Took rest for a while, had bath and went to the temple for evening Darshan.
Being a holiday season there was heavy crowd at the temple. There was ample parking space and entry into the temple was quite streamlined, except for some chaos at the mobile and shoe deposit points. I would recommend that one should leave their bags, footwear, camera, mobile phones and all electronic gadgets in their vehicles safely so that the entry into the temple is hassle free. This is applicable in most of the large temple now-a-days as entry of electronic items is prohibited due to security reasons.
We finished the darshan at the temple and headed to the light show for which the crowd was already building up. While we had not purchased the tickets for the laser light show (which provides access to the seating gallery), we were able to get some seating space on the steps of the building, beside the seating gallery, from which the laser projection was being made. In fact this space provided the best view of the temple and lighting effects. The light show also consists of an audio narration by Big-B about the history of the temple.
Here are some pics we could take from outside of the temple.





Came back to hotel, had dinner and called it a day.

DAY 7 (30/Dec): Somanath > Dwarka > Bet Dwarka > Morbi (550 kms)

Today we had Dwarka and Bet Dwarka on the itinerary along with few beach stops on the way. We finished morning rituals, had heavy breakfast and started our journey towards Dwarka. The road to Dwarka is excellent and goes along the coast, with several beautiful beaches on the way. We stopped at Madhavpur beach (6 kms long) which is a pristine beach with no crowd. Here are some pics of me, my wife and my second wife (yes, my wife calls my Scorpio as my second wife).









We stopped at many places on the way to view the beautiful blue ocean and reached Dwarka by late afternoon. We decided to head to Bet Dwarka first and then visit Dwarka temple. The drive from Dwarka to Bet Dwarka is really bad. Road practically does not exists in many patches. Also the ferry service to reach Bet Dwarka is horribly crowded. They board 100+ people in each boat and I really felt unsafe in those boats. We reached Bet Dwarka after a 20 min ferry ride. There was heavy rush at the temple but we somehow could finish the Darshan quite quickly. We took the ferry back and drove back to Dwarka. Here is a pic showing the ferry and the Sudarshan setu in the back ground.



Last week our PM inaugurated the Sudarshan setu, India’s longest cable bridge linking Okha and Bet Dwarka. With this, am sure the commute to Bet Dwarka must be very comfortable now.
It took about 1.5 hour for us to complete the Darshan at Dwarka temple. This time we had kept all our belongings in the car and have no pics of the temple area. The area around the temple is crowded with small shops spread like mushrooms and it is very difficult to find parking space for 4 wheelers.
Our next destination was Tent city at Runn of Kutch. Hence we decided to stay at Morbi on the way for the night stay. We reached our Hotel, Fern Residency in Morbi late night and hit the bed in no time.

[VIJMAC]

DAY 8 (31/Dec): Morbi > Tent city @ Runn of Kutch (275 kms)

We were keenly looking forward to reaching our next destination, the Tent City at Runn of Kutch, to enjoy the spectacular evening at the White Runn and celebrate the new year at Tent city. The bookings of Tent city, especially for the new year eve, get over months in advance. Initially I was able to get the booking for 1st Jan night only. But later, just few days before start of our journey we were lucky to get the booking for new year’s eve also, as someone cancelled their booking.

On the way to the Runn:





We reached the tent city by noon. Tent city is a huge and beautiful setup with multiple clusters of tents of different class (Delux, A/C, suite, etc). Here are some pics of our cluster:







We checked into our tent, got freshened up and went for lunch. There are multiple Dining halls in the tent city, making it convenient for all to just walk down. There are golf carts running across the tent city and you can hop on and hop off at your points of interest. The tent city is huge and has multiple shops inside for shopping clothes, souvenirs, paintings and handy crafts. After lunch we relaxed a bit in our tent. In the evening after high-tea, there were buses waiting for us to go to White Runn, a salt desert which is towards the border of Pakistan. We went there and spent a lot time dressing up in traditional clothes, taking pics & videos and enjoyed the sunset. Here are some pics to tell the story:











By the time we returned back, the whole Tent city was in a festive mood to welcome the new year.
We finished our dinner and headed towards the area where new year party was to be celebrated. There were several events planned for the new years’ eve, including Gujrati folk songs, folk dance (called Dhamal) by African tribal (Siddi) community and DJ night. The night was very chilly and we rushed to our tent just after the clock crossed 12 and had a cozy sleep wearing all the blankets we had.










DAY 9 (1/Jan): Tent city > Road to heaven (Aadhav-Dholavira) > Tent city (225 kms)

We got up late today, for the first time during this trip, as it was a rest day for us with a short itinerary scheduled past afternoon.
Post lunch we drove to Kalo Dungar, the highest point of Kutch from where we can get an amazing view of white desert. We can drive till the hill top and then take a short walk uphill to reach the view point. Spent few minutes having a 360 degree view of the white desert and then headed towards the “Road to Heaven”. Road to Heaven is a beautiful scenic road about 30 kms long, passes through the Lake of Kutch and connects Khavada to Dolavira.
As you drive through this narrow road, with blue waters and white crystal beds on either side, you feel that the road really leads to heaven. Let the pictures and video below tell the story.

Road to Heaven :

https://youtu.be/ZZTXhX3r_Y0

We met a couple from Bangalore who were on their 10K journey to Nepal, that too with their 2 dogs. My wife was following them on Instagram and it was a pleasant surprise to meet them on Road to Heaven. The dogs were so intelligent and adorable, I’m sure they would be a great companion on such a memorable journey.

[VIJMAC]

DAY 10 (2/Jan): Tent city > Morbi > Rajkot > Sasan Gir (500 kms)

Today our itinerary was just full of driving with no sight-seeing items. We were supposed to drive to Sasan Gir so that we can go for the Safari next day. As you could notice, we were driving back towards Somanth , where we had visited few days back. As I mentioned earlier, due to year end getting bookings for Gir Safari and Tent City was difficult. We had to grab the dates we could get and route our expedition as per that. Due to this we had to travel back and forth. But we had no regrets, as our goal was to drive and enjoy the journey, not just the destination!
We started after finishing breakfast from Tent city. The drive is quite uneventful except for the drive through Morbi, the ceramic tile hub of the world. We could see hundreds of tile companies manufacturing the tiles from Desh-ki-Mitti (not just Kajaria  ). We got the car wash done on the way as we had driven a lot in salt. We reached our hotel, Pride Biznotel in Sasan Gir (which is very close to the Sinh Sadan, the starting point of Safari) at 11pm, after finishing our dinner on the way. We were supposed to report at the Sinh Sadan at 05:30am next day morning and hence we were off to bed without any delay.


DAY 11 (3/Jan): Sasan Gir > Vadodra > Surat (620 kms)

We got up early, finished morning rituals and walked towards Sinh Sadan with full excitement and hope to spot lions. We have done many safaris in South Indian forests like Bandipur, Nagarhole, Mudumalai, etc, but were not lucky enough to spot any tigers. Hope were running high this time and quickly joined the queue at the Sinh Sadan counter where they allot vehicle and a guide for safari based on the online booking done.
The Safari vehicles come in different sizes, Maruti Gypsy’s being the smaller ones (4,6 seater) and Mahindra Bolero’s being the larger ones (upto 12 seater capacity). We were allotted a guide and a 4 seater Gypsy just for 2 of us. Since we had some time before the convoy of vehicles start towards the forest, our guide took us for a hot cup of Chai.
The vehicles started in a line and proceeded towards the forest. After entering the forest gate, each vehicle is given a specific route to follow (there are multiple designated routes in the forest).

Here are some pics or you:















We drove for more than an hour without spotting any animals. Once the forest got a bit bright we could see a herd of deer, a kingfisher bird and Indian Scops Owls.





We were almost coming close to the end of our safari route. We were very disappointed that we could not spot any Lions. On the way, our guide checked with other vehicle drivers if they were able to spot any Lions, but with negative response. Our guide also told us that he has not spotted any lions for the past 3 days which made us lose hopes further.
We sat down on the seat and were closing our camera and bags. Suddenly the guide shouted “See… so many Lions here!!”. Suddenly we could see 5 lions moving behind a bush not too far from our vehicle. Looks like they had caught a deer and were finishing their morning meal.
We stopped our vehicle and got our camera ready. 2 lioness walked out of the bush and sat in an open space very close to our vehicle. We were stunned, afraid and excited all together. Soon our breath calmed down and we started video shooting and enjoyed the sight of the pride of lions.

Let the below videos and pictures describe this unforgettable experience.

https://youtu.be/wLnAbvoSQ3Q

https://youtu.be/3OAvsnvw8XI

https://youtu.be/WM1xh_glw4A

The pride was sitting there relaxing for a long time, without caring for the vehicles passing nearby. By then, 2 more safari vehicles came behind us and we moved away to give them a chance to enjoy this wonderful moment as well. So that was more than what we could have asked for. With a big smile on our face we came out of the forest and that was a satisfying end to our safari.
We went back to the hotel, freshened up, had breakfast and checked out the hotel. Now we were on our return journey down south. We had planned to stay overnight at Surat and hence started the longest single-day drive of our trip, covering 600+ kms. The roads were good all along had a smooth drive with lots of food, music, chatting on the way till Surat.
For the first time in my life, I had started putting “Status” on my WhatsApp with daily updates of my trip. My wife has been using this for long and had a large set of followers already. From the day one of this trip I too started having a large following. A lot of friends and well-wishers used to follow us send messages and motivate us. Hence “Status Updating” had become a routine activity during the short breaks I used to take after every 2 hours of driving during the trip.

One such status update break on the way while my bull also took some rest:



We reached Surat late night, checked into Ginger hotel, which I found very comfortable for a night stay.


DAY 12 (4/Jan): Surat > Shirdi (350 kms)

Throughout the trip my wife had not done any shopping and hence today we had dedicated few hours for the same in Surat. One of my colleagues is from Surat and he had recommended few places for food and shopping in Surat.
We finished our breakfast in the hotel and got ready for shopping. But we came to know that the shops open very late in Surat (not before 11am). So we killed some time in hotel and later went to Rangeela Park. After a some shopping there, we went to Asopalav and finished the rest of shopping. By then we were quite hungry and were looking forward to having Gujarati meal. As per my colleague’s recommendation we went to Hotel “Kansar Gujarati Thali” and had a sumptuous meal there.



After lunch we started our journey towards Shirdi. While driving out of the city we realized that the “Surat Diamond Bourse”, which was inaugurated by our PM recently, was not too far from our path. We took a little detour and went to see this marvelous office space, supposed to be World’s largest office complex!
The complex is yet to be occupied and we were allowed to drive through the complex without any security check at the entrance. Here are few pics.









The drive till Shirdi was very smooth and with less traffic. We avoided the route through Nashik and took the Saputara hill station route for scenic experience.



We had not done any prior hotel booking at Shirdi since hotel are in abundance there. When we reached Shirdi in the night we saw a hotel on the way named Sai Dharam Palace, found it decent enough for a night stay and checked-in there.

DAY 13 (5/Jan): Shirdi > Ahmednagar > Satara > Belgaum > Dharwad (600 kms)


We got up early in the morning, knowing that we need to visit Sai Baba temple and Shani Shinganpur temple before heading heading towards Dharwad covering almost 600kms.
Sai Baba temple was at a short drivable distance from the hotel and we reached there in few minutes. There are many paid parking places near the temple and we found one with no hassle. However the real problem in this temple is that of the agents, who continuously chase you to sell the Pooja items at exorbitant prices. While Pooja items are not allowed inside the temple (they are seized at the very first security point) these agents force you to buy several items. My wife fell prey to this and we ended up buying several items while they were not allowed inside the temple.
We purchased Express darshan ticket which allowed us to navigate the line faster than the regular ticket. We could finish the darshan, collect the prasada and head to Shani Shingnapur temple within 1 hour.
Shani Shingnapur is about 70 kms south of Shirdi. We had to take a short diversion from our planned route to Ahmednagar.







The road from Ahmednagar till we hit Satara was quite good and scenic.



At a restaurant in Satara we met 2 bikers from Bangalore who were returning from a 14 day Gujarat & Rajastan trip. We had a good chat with them and shared our experiences. While I also love to do a long trip on bike (my wife longing for it more than me), I guess it is not my cup of tea, especially when I have not driven a bike for long time now (Last bike I owned and rode was a Suzuki Samurai, when I was a bachelor).



Beyond Satara, the roads are under construction and in pathetic state until Belgaum. We took a coffee break in Belgaum and reached my home town, Dharwad by midnight for a good night sleep.


DAY 14 (6/Jan): Dharwad > Bangalore (460 kms)


We were now in the last leg of our journey. Kids were alone at home in Bangalore and I was out-of-office for long time and hence we were keen to reach Bangalore.
After finishing breakfast, we started towards Bangalore….this is a route we have driven zillion times.
With a stop at Apoorva Resort in Davanagere, our regular adda, and another stop just after at Chitradurga, we reached Bangalore in about 7 hours.
So, that was it… our amazing 14 day trip came to an end. A trip that we will remember for our life-time. Me my wife and my second wife (Scorpio) thoroughly enjoyed it. My 15 year-young bull did not have any major issues in this 6k drive. One minor puncture (which I could detect with TPMS) and some oil leakage from Steering pump, which did not create much hassle once I topped up the steering oil.
When I look back I really can’t believe that I single handedly drove so many miles in just 14 days. The trip was full of adventure, pilgrimage, well spent time with my better half, exploring unknown places, driving pleasure, trying out local delicacies and more importantly, lots of fun!
We would like to do more such trips in future. In fact, while we were returning back to Bangalore, we started planning for our next trip, which could be to North-eastern states of India or even could be a foreign trip (driving to Thailand thro Myanmar).

One thing I have learnt after this trip:

We need Time, Money and Energy for doing such long trips.

• In our young age (20 to 30): We have Energy and Time, but no money.
• In our middle age (30-50): We have Energy and Money, but no time
• Later : we will have Money and time, but no energy.

Hence don’t wait for Energy, time and money to come together. Travel whenever and wherever possible, depending what you have!

14 days… 6060 kms … me@52 … my Scorpi@15, Not bad I guess. What say?

Bye, until next time!

[GTO]

Great travelogue, on our homepage today, thanks for sharing .

I am not one to usually comment in this section, yet couldn't resist because of your Scorpio's age. I truly appreciate / respect car owners who hold onto their rides for a long time, maintain them well and DRIVE them. Everyone road-trips in 1 - 5 year old cars, but it takes a different breed to do a 6000-km drive in a 15-year old machine. Congrats to you & your Scorpio.

[ex-innova-guy]

Firstly, congratulations on completing this coastal drive and hope to read some more in the future too.

Originally Posted by VIJMAC

Today we were to visit Kumbe falls in the morning which was about 35 kms from our resort.

Thank you for taking the road less taken. You essentially could have saved more than 2hrs if you had not visited Kumbhe and instead headed straight to Pali and continue towards Mumbai. I think you would have gone through Nizampur and turned left towards Kumbhe village. My parent’s hometown is in and around it so am thorough with the surroundings. Every monsoon it is a must to go there and enjoy the waterfalls preferably on a weekday since it is very crowded on weekends. We make sure to take some hot vadapavs while enjoying the cold weather since it is so high up and not much presence of roadside stalls. If you ever visit again please do it during monsoons.


Not so good road to Kumbhe.


You got my back!




Foggy conditions even around 11am.

Additionally, Devkund waterfalls has water all year long which is close to Tamhini Ghat and also has River Rafting if you are interested in it.

[Vivek-Bharathy]

Hello Vijay !

I am delighted to take a moment to recognize and applaud your incredible accomplishment—completing a 6000-kilometer road trip in your dependable 15-year-old vehicle. Such a remarkable journey is a true reflection of your adventurous spirit, meticulous planning, and the enduring reliability of your well-maintained vehicle.

Embarking on a road trip of this magnitude requires more than just physical distance; it demands dedication, resilience, and a trust in the vehicle that has faithfully accompanied you through this significant journey. Your achievement stands as a testament not only to your personal milestones but also as an inspiration for others seeking to explore the open road.

In a world where modernity often emphasizes the latest and newest, your choice to traverse such a substantial distance in a 15-year-old vehicle speaks volumes about the quality of your maintenance, the longevity of your chosen mode of transportation, and a commitment to sustainable travel.

Your journey has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on those who have followed your adventures. May this achievement be a prelude to more exciting chapters in your travelogue, each filled with unique experiences and discoveries.

I extend my sincere congratulations and gratitude for sharing your journey with us. We eagerly anticipate hearing more about your adventures and wish you continued success in all your future endeavors.

[One]

Originally Posted by VIJMAC

14 days… 6060 kms … me@52 … my Scorpi@15, Not bad I guess. What say?

Bye, until next time!

To think that you have been driving this car since the age of 37 sounds anachronistic but what a wonderful companion and a friend to accompany you for all these years! Keep driving.....

[VIJMAC]

Originally Posted by ex-innova-guy

Firstly, congratulations on completing this coastal drive and hope to read some more in the future too.


Thank you for taking the road less taken. You essentially could have saved more than 2hrs if you had not visited Kumbhe and instead headed straight to Pali and continue towards Mumbai. I think you would have gone through Nizampur and turned left towards Kumbhe village. .

Thanks!
Yes, we could have directly gone towards Pali and saved time. But after we saw the youtube video of Kumbe falls in its full glory during monsoon, we thought of visiting this place having come all the way. I knew there may not be water, but having come all the way wanted to see the surroundings & Tunnel. I will be back again for sure, this time with a drone also.

[parsh]

Great travel man.

I can truly reminisciate all my travels and drives into one with Goa, Kokan coastal drives, upto Gujrat, and visits to Gir and all these places at various points of time in my trusty soon to be 19 years young First Gen Innova.

Keep it up and keep the Bull running. Maintain it well and it will be with you as long as you wish.

[Axe77]

I have to say, the car reflects the owner and vice versa. You look like a properly fit 52 yo just like your car looks like its still properly fit and capable at 15 years old.

Nothing like a 6000 km adventure by man and machine to demonstrate that. Nice varied journey too what with coastal roads, fast highways and a lovely wildlife safari as well for good measure. Fantastic!!

Loved the travelogue and look forward to reading more of these.

Cheers.

[VIJMAC]

Originally Posted by GTO

Great travelogue, on our homepage today, thanks for sharing .

Thanks for the appreciation. This is my first travelogue and such encouragement/support will surely motivate me and my bull to do more

[Mitadru]

Very beautiful pictures and a well written travelogue. I usually just browse through the picture of a travelogue, but your writing kept me hooked. A man with a 15 year old driving such a large distance is a very daring act . It's heartening to see you using your machine to the fullest, instead of scrapping it , just because it's 15 years. By the way your car had a plastic bull bar installed at the beginning, but in the last picture you posted, it's missing. Did you remove it due to troubles by the authorities?

[W.S.T.R.]

Great travelogue. Reading something like this gives motivation to all.
Keep driving, keep travelling.

[vaibhavyagnik]

Very Nice Travelogue. Many more happy memories to you!