[knbalki]

Sardar Vallabhai Patel being called the iron man of India is one of the notable people in the Indian history. His contribution to national integration in the newly independent India was remarkable and this earned him the name “The Iron man of India”. The statue of unity was a tribute to sir sardar Vallabhai Patel. Statue of unity, the reason they named it the statue of unity is to honor Vallabhai Patel as he had contributed and fought for the unification of the nation.



Situated in the banks of Narmada, facing the sardar Sarovar dam, is a magnificent sky-scraping statue that is the largest in the world. Every Indian citizen should be visiting this monument and promoting it as this is a national wealth that has been constructed. So, this idea of the Statue was struck in us and it was decided that we had to visit it. As we had bought the Exter 8 months back it hadn’t been driven much and didn’t have a chance to go on a long road trip. So, the Exter being a new car and having its first service done the car was ready to go any day.



The only thing hindering was the dates and monsoon, dates being decided and leave being taken, monsoon was the one to be handled. As we were a pack of 4 and 3 being able to drive, we were ready to chase the monsoon. We called the road trip

“Chasing Monsoon”

as we were planning to actually chase but irony being that we were chased away by monsoon in every destination that we went. Gujarat being far from our place that we stay (Nileshwar, Kerala) we thought of adding places nearby to cover the state. Even though we weren’t able to cover the state as a whole we tried to include maximum places nearby.

So, the plan was made, dates were decided, hotels weren’t booked as we thought of doing it on the go.
The final plan was to cover;
● Statue of unity
● Dwarkadish temple
● Porbandar
● Somnath temple

As this was the plan now only thing pending was to fix the route there were three routes that were available in google maps, two going through Navi Mumbai and another going through Nashik. We planned to go through the Navi Mumbai route because of the less distance and as this was a known route when discussed with friends and family. But to reach Navi Mumbai we had two options
1. Gokarna-Yellapur-Belgavi-Kolhapur-Satara-Pune
2. Gokarna-Karwar-Canacona-Madgaon-Panaji-sawantwadi-rajapur-ratnagiri-chiplun-khed-pen-lonavala

These were the two routes that we had and thought of driving till Gokarna, then decide between roads. Staying near to the coast we always had the fantasy of going through the Konkan coast. We were inclined to that route just because of the scenery but we weren’t aware of the road conditions. Google maps always showed us the first route.

Dates we decided were (23/06-30/06) 7 days altogether and a total of 4000 – 4200kms (dates were not much flexible but we always had room for an extra day). The day before that is Saturday (22 June), filled up the car and gave him a wash, filled up the windshield washer tank, checked all the levels just to make sure everything is right. We always have a tubeless tyre puncture kit, tyre inflator pump, and other essentials in the car.

Finally, the day had come. We started at 6:15am. Roads were not that good until Mangalore as the new highway work was going on and due to the same, we were facing too many diversions. Around 830 845 we took our breakfast break. Started again through the beautiful scenic roads of Mangalore through the coast. If someone is going through this road it’s a must to stop near Maravanthe beach. The road is built right next to the beach. Just a walk and you are in the sea. Murdeshwar shiv temple is also a very good spot to visit while travelling through this coast, we could not as we were short of time.







Continued our journey again and stopped near Karwar for lunch. We wouldn’t recommend the hotel to anyone (new Udupi café). Right after this we reached Gokarna, we decided to go through the coastal route that is the second route, through which we thought we would get to see Goan culture a bit. Roads are narrow and congested once you cross Madgaon. About the monsoon season we were getting rains here and there but after goa we started to receive good amount of rain. Just after Panaji as we got into Maharashtra roads were good till Atal Setu bridge. After that National Highway 66 roads were worse and there were potholes big enough for the car’s tire to get stuck in. We planned to stay in Chiplun and booked a good decent stay there. But the drive till Chiplun was too tedious and tiring. No proper roads, heavy rains, no light, unpredictable potholes often and the average speed was very less being 20-25km/h. Due to this it took 3 to 4 hours to cover just 150kms.











Stay at Chiplun: Hotel Visava

Highly recommended, the roads to reach the stay were narrow and confusing, but it was a comfortable place even though the rooms were very small. As we were a family of 4, we had to take up two rooms. We reached the stay at around 9:30 PM.

Day 1 stats:
Distance covered: 740 kms
Time taken: 16hrs approx., (including breakfast, lunch, dinner, fuel and other short breaks)
Fuel efficiency: 15.5 kmpl

[knbalki]

Day 2:
Chiplun to Statue of Unity
Distance to be covered: 660 approximately

It was a cold morning. We continued the journey around 7:25 am roads were decent, it was way better than the previous night. As it was a late start, we all were hungry and the hunt for a good restaurant began. Searched along the road, as it was morning there were very few options and being a vegetarian family we had to filter out other non veg options too. Found a hotel in a town after 50-60 kms from Chiplun. Ordered South Indian but ended up with a decision not to opt for a South Indian food except in the south.

After breaking the fast we started towards Navi Mumbai, we had to cross Mumbai Pune expressway, and pass through thane. We faced some traffic while in thane and Vasai-Virar. We had encountered rains here and there. Roads were decent and good in appearance, but the reality hit when the roads weren’t flat. You feel as if you are in a roller coaster going up and down all the time. Due to the soft suspension of the Exter, he took as much as hit as possible giving the passengers just 30 percent of the bad leveled roads.







Vapi was the place where the border was, once the border was crossed roads were not concrete anymore it was tarmac. Roads were good but there were diversions here and there. We wanted to reach the statue today because we didn’t want to extend it again for few hundred km. Afternoon lunch was from a hotel called thali unlimited. It was a huge thali and so we decided to share it among ourselves and bought two plates. The food was good, service was decent too. Rains were getting often now. Even though we faced difficulty in visibility, we were enjoying the trip. Meanwhile the Hero that is our Exter was gliding through all these roads and gave us a really amazing ride comfort. As we had a good amount of load in the boot the car was lowered a bit and he felt very confident and planted at high speeds. Car outperformed our thoughts and never gave up on us. The A/C was good enough and we often kept it only at 23 or 24 degrees Celsius even when the sun was scorching outside. The cabin felt roomy and no one had motion sickness. To add to the roomy feel, we had the sunroof which was mostly kept closed during the trip. The car could have been more powerful, that is the 0 to 100 feels really slow and time taking, this really feels when you try to overtake someone and have to break in the middle and have to do the process again. It takes a lot of time to regain that speed. Other than that, the car was amazing in every way. It feels small from outside but is a spacious one from inside.

The most astonishing thing that we all experienced in Gujarat was the lane discipline of heavy and slow-moving vehicles. There was not a single truck in the fast lane, it was such a wonder to see in here. Respect to the truck drivers for following lane discipline and giving us the way to speed up.

Valsad-Dungri-Chikhli- Kadodara-Ankleshwar-Rajpipla Kevadiya was the route that maps showed us. Crossed Ankleshwar around 6:00 pm and the roads were good enough. We started the search for a good stay in Kevadiya as we were going to be staying there for two nights. We thought of taking an Airbnb than a hotel room so that we have more area and freedom. Booked one near to the statue. Statue was just 5 kms from this stay and it was under budget as well, so went ahead with the booking. Till Mulad we had to take the golden quadrilateral and in Mulad we had to take a right turn towards Kevadiya. This detour was a state highway welcoming one with bad roads but after 5-7 kms it was good enough. 4 lane roads with truck traffic in the evening. Rajpipla is the nearest city kind of area before Kevadiya. We reached Rajpipla around 9 due to the truck traffic. Thought of having food from Rajpipla and proceed further because the statue of unity was around 30- 40 kms from there. Shree ram was the name that rang upon us by everyone nearby when asked for good food. So decided to go to the same. It was a old restaurant with multi cuisine options. Service was very good and the waiter over there was very kind enough letting us know about every dish and the quantity of it too so that we don’t waste the food. Would recommend to everyone.

This would be a disappointing point for the non-vegetarians, but I have to tell you the bitter truth, there are very few options for non-vegetarians. Very few options in the sense would be in a ratio of 95:5(95 hotels being vegetarian and 5 percent being non vegetarian). And Gujarat being one of the largest milk producing States in India, any milk products that you buy from here would taste the best. After having dinner, we reached Ekta Nagar around 10:20 - 10:30 and went to the stay directly.



Stay at Ekta Nagar: Madhav homestay
It was a pleasant 2bhk with car parking and breakfast option.

Day 2 Stats:
Distance covered: 653km
Time taken: 15hrs approx. (including breakfast, lunch, dinner, fuel and other short breaks)
Fuel efficiency: 15.8 kmpl

[knbalki]

Day 3:
Statue of Unity

The previous day, we had booked tickets to visit the statue, there were many options to select from where we took the Rs 750 ticket where one can get into the viewing gallery, jungle safari, valley of flowers, Vishwa van and Arogya van and all the nearby attractions can be seen with the same ticket.

Breakfast was provided by the host of the home stay; the food was tasty and fresh. Would recommend the home stay as it was under the budget and well maintained. We were well taken care of.

Started from the stay and we just went 5kms and everyone who comes to visit the statue has to park their vehicle in Shresta Bharat Bhavan and the parking fee was Rs 50 for the whole day. From here you will be taken inside and around through EV shuttle buses which are very neatly maintained. When you book the viewing gallery ticket you will be asked to select a slot of 2hrs from the options they give. We chose the morning timing from 10:00 am to 12:00 am. One can feel the gigantic structure get closer and closer once you go through the road leading to the bus stop near the statue.













Once we reached here, we had to undergo frisking and then you get into the main pathway which is actually a bridge upon the Narmada River which connects the mainland with the island where the statue is situated. There is a travelator on both sides of the big pathway covered with a canopy. There are drinking water facilities everywhere. Ensure you carry a water bottle so that you can fill up or buy a SoU water bottle from there. The real height of the statue can be felt only when one stands below it or when walking through the travelator when you come near to it. To get into the viewing gallery there are two lifts which take 32 seconds to reach the chest level which is 132 meter tall. Once you enter the museum that is under the feet of sir sardar Vallabhai Patel, you will be left in wonder how such a tall structure is just above you. There is structure of Vallabhai’s head. The original head in the SoU is 8 times larger than the one here. There are many employees who are ready to explain what is happening and to explain the history.















The lift to go up until his chest for the viewing gallery is through both of his legs. The construction process of the statue is depicted through pictures in the museum. The lift is a large one and it holds a picture of statues in the world and height comparison of them. The lift has local folk songs being played. That adds to the ambience of the place.



After 38 secs in the lift the elevator door opens to the viewing gallery through which one can see the sardar Sarovar dam the water that is being pushed out from the dam and the roads through which we came from the parking. On the right side there is this beautiful view of the Vindhya ranges. Those mountain ranges look so beautiful from this height. These were the pictures taken from the viewing gallery.







If you go around the viewing gallery you will be able to see how they have made the construction and how well they have calculated everything. Respect to the Engineering masterminds behind this huge project (L&T). All this structure and their maintenance is a huge task and you can see how well they have done the work through the side windows where you will be able to see the structure. As everyone knows the structure has a bronze covering. This covering is held on to the structure by having specialized fasteners which are adjustable.



Such an amazing view from the top and being able to see the main structure was not at all expected. It was an amazing experience. Standing at 132 meter you will be nothing but proud of India.

Once you visit the Viewing Gallery, you will come to museum once again, now to go to the statue’s feet you will have to exit the museum and take the steps or escalators. Once you reach the feet you will understand the massiveness of the statue. A human standing next, would only be till the statue’s slipper heel height. One would feel so tiny standing next to the statue. The attention to detail is the key point, even the stitching in the slipper is made precisely. Every detail every single fold on his dhoti can also be seen in the statue as it is. It’s just a wonder how they managed to design this massive structure.

Once we were done with this we came out and went to do the jungle safari. Jungle safari through the zoological park has a good animal themed entrance which will attract kids for sure. With the same ticket that you purchased you will be able to visit this park also. It’s a good spot for kids and adults too. There are some parts of the safari where you will have walk. Other than that, there is electric buggy service which is very convenient. The weather was so hot that we were very much concerned about the animals staying in the enclosure. Animals or birds that are not native to India are kept in separate enclosure and provided with AC and cooler.













After the jungle safari we were too exhausted in the hot weather of Gujarat. There are food outlets located on the way out. We replenished ourselves with ice creams and good food. Once everyone was done with their food and dessert, we decided to check out Sardar Sarovar Dam. We had valley of flowers, Arogya van, cactus garden, and other such sort of gardens, but we were all exhausted completely and drenched too. So, after the zoological park towards left is the dam and we took auto to visit it as it is a bit far away and it had steep climbing too. The pink electric auto is the only mode of transport other than the electric bus and buggy. These electric autos are driven by woman from the village. They have good expertise in driving these. It is Rs 50 from the zoo to the dam. You can only fit in 3 people maximum in a single auto. So, we had to take 2 autos from the zoo. Once you reach the dam view point, you will come to know the vastness of the dam. Even though this space being a view point, it was a wonderful sight to just get lost looking at it. If one can arrange a special permission, they will be able to go to the bottom of the dam. There is small sized scaled statue of iron man of India.







After all this we were all too tired and done for the day, but we didn’t want to miss the light and sound show at night 7:45. So as we had this in mind asked the helpdesk near to the bus station and got the info that with the same ticket you have you can come in and go out anytime you need. After hearing this we were all happy knowing the fact that we would be able to rest a bit and then attend the light show too. We went to the parking with the electric bus. And once we were dropped off, we went to the traditional, and state wise culture handicrafts. The place had handicrafts from across India depicting all the states and being able to showcase what people from the local village have made that too. Every state’s culture and art were depicted in a very beautiful method and the artwork and dresses were just beautiful.

After that particular place we went back to our stay and rested for a bit and waited for the light show which happens at 7.45 PM. It was kind of cloudy in the evening and was about to rain. At nearly 7 we reached back to the statue and waited for the light show. It was raining and the seats to sit and watch were all wet. The canopy and shed everything seem to hold with the sunny weather, but it feels they don’t hold well in the rain. There is no proper channel for rainwater to pass through. It feels as if they had not anticipated rain while building the canopy and the pathway to the statue.



The rains reduced to drizzling and the light show started at 7:45 PM, this light show is worth the wait. The show goes through the childhood till the time sardar Vallabhai Patel became the iron man of India. The show is a must watch for the young generation which instills patriotism in them. It is a light and sound show, light which is lasers which is projected from a projector setup in the river from a side. Speakers are installed in every light poles. After the light and sound show we had our dinner from a hotel nearby and went back to our stay.





Next plan was to visit Shree Dwarkadish temple. It was nearly a 600-650 km journey so decided to hit the bed early. The route was through Vadodara, Borsad, Tarapur, Bagodara, Rajkot, Dhrol, Jamnagar, Khambhalia, Bhatiya and Dwarka.

[knbalki]

Day 4:

The next day, we all got up a bit early and started early. We wanted to have south Indian food after eating all these different varieties of food just for the mental satisfaction. Found a place a bit far away and had hot dosas and idlis. On the way, Anand the milk capital of India was near to Vasad and Borsad, the way we were going through, so we thought of going and exploring Anand a bit. Anand was just a 15km detour for us the roads leading to Anand was crowded and narrow, expected as it is a famous city/town.
Amul which is known for the ice creams and milk, manufactures half of its products from the factory here in Anand. This facility is a humongous one with a small gate. Tried to get in and enquired nearby, but our attempts were a failure. Just to compensate that failure we went to an Amul Plaza nearby and bought their chocolates and ice creams. The kulfis were the best among.







We continued our journey bidding bye to the milk capital. We continued our journey through the roads of Gujarat which were laid like a carpet. Weather was always on the hotter side and there was no sign of rain which was much needed. On the way we saw Rajkot airport, many windmill farms, and reliance Mango Farm near Jamnagar. There was the Jamnagar refinery near Mothikwadi.
Had our lunch at an authentic Gujarati Punjabi dhaba and continued our journey. The roads led us to the west most side of India. From the south west side of India all the way to the west most side of India on a trip is just something we were dreaming of. Exter without breaking sweat continued to glide through all the terrains given to him. He was just a beautiful companion to have in this journey. The comfort this guy gave was just so good even after two thousand km we weren’t tired or having any pain anywhere. Wherever we had chance to click pictures of him, we didn’t miss any.












After passing through all the windmill farms, we reached Kuranga which is a city that is very near to the ocean. It seemed as if this was the last road that is near to the ocean. These roads were concrete ones but very well laid. We saw people walking in crowds, maybe a common sight here but it was something new for us. It was around 4 when we reached Kuranga. Roads were beautiful and the sun was as beautiful it could get. We were very near to the sea in one spot in the same highway, it was just a bliss to watch the sun and the scenery. By 5 we reached Dwarka city crossing the beautiful gateway to the temple. We had booked a stay near to the temple. One is welcomed by cows and many cows. The roads were filled with cows in different shapes and size.









The stay we booked was inside a street which was filled with cow dung and rain water and the stay didn’t have a car parking too. The pictures given in the booking website was totally opposite to what we saw. We started to look out for stay as we wanted to visit the temple at the evening timing. There were many options, half of them being either too expensive and out of budget or not having a parking facility. After half an hour of search got a place to stay and park. We freshened up and started to a sunset point nearby to watch the sunset as the time was around 6 - 6:30pm.







The sun had set already when we went to the point, so we visited Bhadkeshwar Mahadev temple nearby. The backside of the temple is projected towards the sea. If we look at one particular direction that is right from the temple, maybe with a binocular one could see Karachi. And Oman Muscat would also be visible (just a thought while looking at the map). Took some good pictures and started to the temple as we were getting late.









Phones and other electronic gadgets are not allowed inside the temple, even our smart watches were not allowed inside. One can either keep all these in their rooms or can deposit here in the place outside the temple. It is a very crowded place, there are youngsters who try to guide you but are actually guides who want to earn some money by showing you around. There would be many people to distract you and make you buy stuff. Never take anything in the hand unless you want to really buy them from street vendors who come to you and hand you stuff. We were very vigilant in this. The roads are filled with shops and every type of service. We didn’t get help from guides or anyone we just went inside and frisking was done. the queue will be different for men and women. The temple was filled with devotees and they were all excited and loud too.

This was the time of evening aarti (Dhup aarti). We stuck in the queue, trying to catch a glimpse of the idol were being pushed by the devotees who were all in the spiritual atmosphere, and the aarti was done with drums and the other supporting instruments being played. Devotees and us, we were all in a trance state just chanting lord Krishna’s name loudly. It is a magical place where there is immense number of spiritual connections happening. After the Darshan we somehow came out after a big push and pull fight among the devotees in the queue.

Came out of the temple and we were determined to do shopping for friends and family. The rush was real and price seemed decent. The shop keepers know us Indians properly, they don’t budge for our beginner bargaining. Our bargaining levels seemed too noob for the shopkeeper to even think about it, we were getting laughed in our faces just when we tried. So, if you are one like us who is a beginner, I would suggest not to try negotiating😊. After the tiring experience of shopping, we went back to the stay. We had our dinner in the streets, near the temple itself. I wanted to explore the streets of Dwarka at night and thought of coming out to take pictures. But the whole town was asleep around 9 PM. All I could spot was this unique vehicle which was a combination of old diesel engine Royal Enfield bullet and a cart attached to it. it was very unique and interesting thing to look at. That caught my eye and it intrigued my thought too much. I was curious to know the name of it and asked my friend who is from Gujarat. So, this bullet and cart combined vehicle is called “Chagda” here. They use a half diesel bullet and attach a cart to the rear of it and the rear wheels are powered from the engine by a chain. The carts were beautifully painted in vibrant colors and it looked different from every other vehicle. Some Chagdas were modified too, with the front lifted or having a different loud exhaust. We were all tired from standing in the queue and were in the bed by 10.

[knbalki]

Day 5:
Dwarka to Somnath

From Dwarka we planned to go visit Keerthi Mandir in Porbandar and go to Somnath temple. Porbandar was just 110 kms from Dwarka. We had to go through the same road we came and from Kuranga we continued straight to reach Porbandar. Keerti mandir is the place where Mahatma Gandhi Lived. The roads leading to Keerthi mandir are very narrow. The roads are very narrow and will be difficult for bigger cars. Inside Keerthi mandir is The Birth place of Gandhiji. It was an honor to visit this place. This place had all the things Gandhi ji used during his time, including plates, glasses, pillows. And if you walk out of this palace there is Kasturba Gandhi Memorial nearby and there was a guide who was very interested to explain everything to us. The house is nearly 200 years old and still has working rain water harvesting system. The construction seemed solid even after all these years. The ideas, the thought process of all the small things they had were just mind blowing.

























We also had to cover Sudama Mandir as it was close to Kirti Mandir. The temple commemorates the story of Sudama, a childhood friend of Lord Krishna who was blessed with prosperity and wealth after visiting his friend in Dwarka. The temple, built in honor of Sudama, stands as a symbol of this beautiful story, inspiring devotion and faith among its visitors.













After visiting both the places we started to Somnath temple from the narrow streets of Porbandar. Porbandar is an old city, the construction, the narrow roads seemed like only the cycle rickshaws were used here. All the buildings were old. This place gives the perfect rustic vibe. There were many vendors selling mangoes which looked so tasty. That made us buy the mangoes and they turned out so good. One travelling to Porbandar or Somnath have to keep in mind that the breakfast timing in Gujarat is a bit late and not at 9 or 10 even. We had to skip our breakfast and adjust with whatever we had in the car.

We reached Somnath around 12. Somnath temple is on the bank of the sea. The rear side of the temple is sea facing. Somnath temple has a huge and beautiful structure with very much attention to detail given. Even here phone and other electronic devices are not allowed inside. For photos one can approach photographers inside. After the Darshan there was the properly arranged place where one can go and buy things. We were heading for our lunch when we came to know to that there was food being provided for the devotees. It is in a separate place outside the temple near to the shopping complex. The architecture and the arrangement done in Somnath temple was way better and clean. The arrangement they have done keeping the temple in an isolated place and not having any shops or anything close by is something that can be imitated in Dwarka too. Did street shopping and we started our journey.

By now we had completed our list, we had covered all the places we had planned to cover. So, it was just going back from now. We had to cover good distance this day as we had good amount of time and light for us. So, we thought of reaching Vadodara. We started our journey again and with the Exter giving us good mileage with all the load and the decent speed we were happy with the car. Trying to reach Vadodara we thought of not pushing ourself and thought of staying near Anand as it was the only good town, we had nearby that time. So again, back to Anand we got into the rooms with handful of Amul ice creams and kulfi’s again. The drive was tiring a bit because of the road conditions and all the walking we did in the morning.

[knbalki]

Day 6:

We started from Anand, and on the way near Ankleshwar went to meet my friend who wanted to fill our stomach with the delicious and tasty morning breakfast. It included samosa’s, dhokla’s, Jalebi’s and everything. I know this travel blog is turning into a food blog but we can’t help but praise the taste here. We wanted to buy some sweets and any other special things from Gujarat. So, our friend took us to a sweet shop nearby and we bought delicious Shrikhand and milk cakes. I love Gujarat for their sweets, place, people and the food. It is a dream place for vegetarian foodies. Every dish you eat here would be good is what I believe. Shrikhand is a very tasty sweet made from yoghurt. Bought plenty of sweets, and started our journey bidding good bye to my friend. He was very welcoming and helpful as all the people from Gujarat. The time was almost 11:00am when we started from Ankleshwar. We were already running late and rains started making the road wet and visibility less. Roads were getting bad too, because of road works. We planned on not going through the same road we came through. So we took the alternative route that took us through Pipodara - -Kadodara - Navsari - Rankuva - Waghai - Nanapada - Shamghan - Saputara Ghat - Borgaon - Pimpri Anchala - Khedgaon - Adgaon - Sinnar - Sangamner - Santwadi - Alephata. We drove till Alephata and made arrangements for the stay. By now Exter was all dirty and muddy because of the rain and mud from the road and trucks. Car seemed more pretty now being dirty😉. He wanted a wash very badly but we decided not to as we were going back and it’s well to be dirty.





















Day 7:

We started from Alephata, had our breakfast from a good restaurant near Kothrud. Pune weather was good and the climate was cold and windy. The route we covered was Alephata - Moshi - Wakad - Kothrud - Shindewadi - Kapurhole - Satara - Umbraj - Shiroli - Kolhapur - Nipani - Sankeshwar - Belagavi - Kittur - Haliyal - Yellapur - Mastikatte - Hiregutti - Mirjan - Kumta. From Kumta its the NH66 which takes us home along the coast. After munching miles till evening, we reached Kittur, and from there we had to deviate, a shortcut to go through Yellapur.

After that deviation, it was evening around 5:30-6, a big tree had uprooted and fallen into the road, blocking the road. And it took nearly 1 hour for the officials to clear it by bringing earth movers and trucks. The traffic was nearly up to 3kms and after that we got roads that were clear but we started to get rains and it was pouring cats and dogs all the way. The rains that started at around 7-7:30 pm continued till night. We had crossed Mirjan by 9:30-10:00 pm, so we thought of not stopping and just reach home directly without staying anywhere. Home was around just 300-340kms from the place where we were and so we continued our journey. We had a late dinner and started towards Nileshwar. We were ready to push till home only because we had three people who can drive. The roads were bad and at night it was pouring too, visibility was very poor but somehow managed.

After Kasaragod, rains were pouring like anything, roads were not visible at all, we had to slow down. We reached home at around 3:30 am safe and secure. The road trip of 4500kms ended in a good way. Exter was really good in all ways, the stock lights were really poor at night with rains around. We thought of changing it at the 10k kms service.









This is the end of the road trip to the world’s tallest statue.
Hope you guys liked it.

[Sheel]

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