Search Belkin.co.in ... they have a 12v to 220v 200w car inverter. One of my
friend has jsut bought it @ INR 1900.

Regards
Anupam Kansal

On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 7:11 PM, apoorvaprasad <apoorvaprasad@...>wrote:

>
>
> Why don't you try a 12v to 220v inverter / converter?
> This is one that popped up on google when i looked:
>
>
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/244099368/Power_Inverter_Adapter_500W_Car_12V.\
html
>
> I'd be very curious to see how they work out in India, I had used one on a
> road trip in the US.
>
> --- In indiahighways@yahoogroups.com <indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com>,
> Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...> wrote:
> >
> > Guys,
> >
> > Does anyone have an idea where can I get hold of an electric kettle with
> a 12V power inlet that can be used in cars? I have tried car accessory
> shops, Shopper's Stop, etc but to no avail.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Rahul
> >
> >
> > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> http://in.yahoo.com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Why don't you try a 12v to 220v inverter / converter?
This is one that popped up on google when i looked:
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/244099368/Power_Inverter_Adapter_500W_Car_12V.\
html

I'd be very curious to see how they work out in India, I had used one on a road
trip in the US.


--- In indiahighways@yahoogroups.com, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...> wrote:
>
> Guys,
>
> Does anyone have an idea where can I get hold of an electric kettle with a 12V
power inlet that can be used in cars? I have tried car accessory shops,
Shopper's Stop, etc but to no avail.
>
> Cheers,
> Rahul
>
>
>       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Just in case anyone else wants info on this route and some more places in
South Canara.

I travelled on this route on Thursday 19th Nov.

1) Started from Bangalore to Mysore, continued on the Madikeri route. Route
till Kushalnagar is excellent. From Kushalnagar to madikeri, kills all your
patience and all the excitement. Very bad roads.

2) Ahead of Madikeri towards Sulliya, roads are just fine.
3) Just after Sulliya, take right towards Kukke Subamanya. The board on the
right goes a little unnoticed, if you are not on the look out. This road is
a single road, in very good condition. Just that you find traffic very
sparse on the road and a full jungle. Very scenic to drive, but would get NO
or very little help in case of any breakdowns.
4) Kukke to Dharmastala was very good again.

The distance was approx 80km more in this route. Not sure if this route is
worth taking. I would still say Shiradi ghat would have been better. May be
someone who did that route recently can comment better.

5) Dharmastala to Udipi via Kateel. From Dharmastala, procees on to the blr
- mangalore highway. At bantwal, take right towards hollalli. Go further
25km and you will get Bajpe Airport on your left. A further 15km approx from
there, after taking right at this junction, takes to the beautiful Kateel
Durga temple. The road goes round the hills and a very scenic drive.

6) Kateel to Udipi is on the NH 17 and a very comfortable drive of 1 hr max.

7) I travelled further down to Anegudda - Kollur - Murudeshwar - Idigunji
and then back to Bangalore via Honnavar - Sagar - Shimoga. The NH 17 till
Honnavar is bad at certain places, with large pot holes and very bad roads.
Honnavar to Shimoga was much better, inspite of being a ghat road. Could do
this distance of 170km  in 3 hours.


Rajeshwar



On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 7:35 AM, madhura upadhya
<madhura.upadhya@...>wrote:

> If you are directly going to Udupi, you can take Bangalore - Hassan
> -Chikkamaglore-Sringeri-Agumbe-Someshwara-Hebri-Udupi route.
> Manipal - 5 kms from udupi has welcome group of hotel. Else you can try
> either Ramakrishna or Kidiyoor hotels.
>
> Kukke, depends upon what pooja you want to perform. Its better reach there
> before 9 am, so that you can perform the pooja and leave by 2 pm. Straight
> go to their office and check.
>
> Regards
> Madhura
>
> On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 9:35 PM, Ketan Pandya <ketandp@...>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Hello Guys,
> >
> > I'm planning to travel Bangalore - Udupi (halt for a day or two) - Kukke
> -
> > Bangalore
> > Could you please help me with the available route options and what route
> is
> > going to be best / optimal while I'm driving PalioD?
> >
> > If we want to offer proper puja at Kukke, do we need to book in advance?
> In
> > that case, I guess we may need to spend one full day and night out there,
> > else we may plan for a couple hour halt for darshan at Kukke. Suggestions
> on
> > good places to stay at Udupi and Kukke are welcome.
> >
> > Thanks in advance.
> > Ketan
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Rahul:

You can try to get   12V DC to 240 AC convertor (adaptor or invertor).  There
will be certain limitatations on the Max Wattage though. But the advantage is
that you can use this for a variety of other gadgets that run on AC.

Regards

Giridhar




________________________________


India Highways
1a.
2a.
Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars From: Rahul Dubey
2b.


Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars
Posted by: "Rahul Dubey" cool_dube@...   cool_dube
Mon Nov 23, 2009 12:01 am (PST)
Guys,

Does anyone have an idea where can I get hold of an electric kettle with a 12V
power inlet that can be used in cars? I have tried car accessory shops,
Shopper's Stop, etc but to no avail.

Cheers,
Rahul




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sounds interesting guys but not sure if my 9-month old will find it yum :-)

Thanks for all the tips - I guess I will settle for one of these travel mugs
available on IndiaTimes shopping, ebay, etc.

Cheers
Rahul



________________________________
From: "prabhuav@..." <prabhuav@...>
To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, 23 November, 2009 5:42:58 PM
Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars

 
Diesel flavoured maggi. Yum.
Vijayananda Prabhu

-----Original Message-----
From: Anupam Kansal <anupam.kansal@ gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:41:01
To: <indiahighways@ yahoogroups. com>
Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars

Take a aluminium Pan ... pop the hood of the car .. place the pan with water
on the engine ... you shoudl be able to warm the water ... have heard people
make maggie this way ... your milage will vary .......

njoy maadi
Anupam Kansal



On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 4:51 PM, Amit Gupta <amit73@gmail. com> wrote:

> The mug would be just a warmer and you would not be able to boil the water.
>
> I think that a good quality flask/thermos is your best bet, maybe you need
> more than one for a long journey.
>
> -Amit
>
> On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 3:42 PM, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@yahoo. com> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Thanks Amol. A mug should be perfectly fine as all I need it for is to
> boil
> > water for my little one's Cerelac :-) I will check on rediff.
> >
> > Rahul
> >
> > ____________ _________ _________ __
> > From: Amol Kataria <amol_kataria@ yahoo.com <amol_kataria% 40yahoo.com> >
> > To: indiahighways@ yahoogroups. com <indiahighways% 40yahoogroups. com>
> > Sent: Mon, 23 November, 2009 3:15:07 PM
> > Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi Rahul,
> >
> > Found a heated mug on rediff
> > getting a kettle might be difficult and it will required lot much
> power.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Amol
> >
> >
> > --- On Mon, 11/23/09, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@yahoo. com> wrote:
> >
> > From: Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@yahoo. com>
> > Subject: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars
> > To: "India Highways" <indiahighways@ yahoogroups. com>
> > Date: Monday, November 23, 2009, 3:01 AM
> >
> >
> >
> > Guys,
> >
> > Does anyone have an idea where can I get hold of an electric kettle with
> a
> > 12V power inlet that can be used in cars? I have tried car accessory
> shops,
> > Shopper's Stop, etc but to no avail.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Rahul
> >
> > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > http://in.yahoo. com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > http://in.yahoo. com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------ --------- --------- ------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Diesel flavoured maggi. Yum.
Vijayananda Prabhu

-----Original Message-----
From: Anupam Kansal <anupam.kansal@...>
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:41:01
To: <indiahighways@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars

Take a aluminium Pan ... pop the hood of the car .. place the pan with water
on the engine ... you shoudl be able to warm the water ... have heard people
make maggie this way ... your milage will vary .......

njoy maadi
Anupam Kansal



On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 4:51 PM, Amit Gupta <amit73@...> wrote:

> The mug would be just a warmer and you would not be able to boil the water.
>
> I think that a good quality flask/thermos is your best bet, maybe you need
> more than one for a long journey.
>
> -Amit
>
> On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 3:42 PM, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Thanks Amol. A mug should be perfectly fine as all I need it for is to
> boil
> > water for my little one's Cerelac :-) I will check on rediff.
> >
> > Rahul
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Amol Kataria <amol_kataria@... <amol_kataria%40yahoo.com>>
> > To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com <indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com>
>  > Sent: Mon, 23 November, 2009 3:15:07 PM
> > Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi Rahul,
> >
> > Found a heated mug on rediff
> >   getting a kettle might be difficult and it will required lot much
> power.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Amol
> >
> >
> > --- On Mon, 11/23/09, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@yahoo. com> wrote:
> >
> > From: Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@yahoo. com>
> > Subject: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars
> > To: "India Highways" <indiahighways@ yahoogroups. com>
> > Date: Monday, November 23, 2009, 3:01 AM
> >
> >
> >
> > Guys,
> >
> > Does anyone have an idea where can I get hold of an electric kettle with
> a
> > 12V power inlet that can be used in cars? I have tried car accessory
> shops,
> > Shopper's Stop, etc but to no avail.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Rahul
> >
> > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > http://in.yahoo. com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > http://in.yahoo.com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Take a aluminium Pan ... pop the hood of the car .. place the pan with water
on the engine ... you shoudl be able to warm the water ... have heard people
make maggie this way ... your milage will vary .......

njoy maadi
Anupam Kansal



On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 4:51 PM, Amit Gupta <amit73@...> wrote:

> The mug would be just a warmer and you would not be able to boil the water.
>
> I think that a good quality flask/thermos is your best bet, maybe you need
> more than one for a long journey.
>
> -Amit
>
> On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 3:42 PM, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Thanks Amol. A mug should be perfectly fine as all I need it for is to
> boil
> > water for my little one's Cerelac :-) I will check on rediff.
> >
> > Rahul
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Amol Kataria <amol_kataria@... <amol_kataria%40yahoo.com>>
> > To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com <indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com>
>  > Sent: Mon, 23 November, 2009 3:15:07 PM
> > Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi Rahul,
> >
> > Found a heated mug on rediff
> >   getting a kettle might be difficult and it will required lot much
> power.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Amol
> >
> >
> > --- On Mon, 11/23/09, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@yahoo. com> wrote:
> >
> > From: Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@yahoo. com>
> > Subject: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars
> > To: "India Highways" <indiahighways@ yahoogroups. com>
> > Date: Monday, November 23, 2009, 3:01 AM
> >
> >
> >
> > Guys,
> >
> > Does anyone have an idea where can I get hold of an electric kettle with
> a
> > 12V power inlet that can be used in cars? I have tried car accessory
> shops,
> > Shopper's Stop, etc but to no avail.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Rahul
> >
> > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > http://in.yahoo. com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > http://in.yahoo.com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The mug would be just a warmer and you would not be able to boil the water.

I think that a good quality flask/thermos is your best bet, maybe you need
more than one for a long journey.

-Amit

On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 3:42 PM, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...> wrote:

>
>
> Thanks Amol. A mug should be perfectly fine as all I need it for is to boil
> water for my little one's Cerelac :-) I will check on rediff.
>
> Rahul
>
> ________________________________
> From: Amol Kataria <amol_kataria@... <amol_kataria%40yahoo.com>>
> To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com <indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Mon, 23 November, 2009 3:15:07 PM
> Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars
>
>
>
> Hi Rahul,
>
> Found a heated mug on rediff
>   getting a kettle might be difficult and it will required lot much power.
>
> Regards,
> Amol
>
>
> --- On Mon, 11/23/09, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@yahoo. com> wrote:
>
> From: Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@yahoo. com>
> Subject: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars
> To: "India Highways" <indiahighways@ yahoogroups. com>
> Date: Monday, November 23, 2009, 3:01 AM
>
>
>
> Guys,
>
> Does anyone have an idea where can I get hold of an electric kettle with a
> 12V power inlet that can be used in cars? I have tried car accessory shops,
> Shopper's Stop, etc but to no avail.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Rahul
>
> The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> http://in.yahoo. com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> http://in.yahoo.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks Amol. A mug should be perfectly fine as all I need it for is to boil
water for my little one's Cerelac :-) I will check on rediff.

Rahul




________________________________
From: Amol Kataria <amol_kataria@...>
To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, 23 November, 2009 3:15:07 PM
Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars

 
Hi Rahul,

Found a heated mug on rediff
  getting a kettle might be difficult and it will required lot much power.

Regards,
Amol
 

--- On Mon, 11/23/09, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@yahoo. com> wrote:

From: Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@yahoo. com>
Subject: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars
To: "India Highways" <indiahighways@ yahoogroups. com>
Date: Monday, November 23, 2009, 3:01 AM

 

Guys,

Does anyone have an idea where can I get hold of an electric kettle with a 12V
power inlet that can be used in cars? I have tried car accessory shops,
Shopper's Stop, etc but to no avail.

Cheers,

Rahul

The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo. com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Rahul,

Found a heated mug on rediff
  getting a kettle might be difficult and it will required lot much power.


Regards,
Amol
    

--- On Mon, 11/23/09, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...> wrote:

From: Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...>
Subject: [IndiaHighways] Slightly OT: 12V electric kettle for cars
To: "India Highways" <indiahighways@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Monday, November 23, 2009, 3:01 AM







 









       Guys,



Does anyone have an idea where can I get hold of an electric kettle with a 12V
power inlet that can be used in cars? I have tried car accessory shops,
Shopper's Stop, etc but to no avail.



Cheers,

Rahul



The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo. com/



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

























[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

1. Which interchange is closest to PES IT?
>>>> Just after PESIT, probably a kilometer ahead, you can see a diversion
on ORR due to some construction. Once you take the diversion, within 100-200
mtrs you can see the interchange to NICE. They've a toll booth there.
Basically this will be the road that'll go to Mysore.

2. 2. Does this mean that I can still take the NICE road all the way to
Tumkur Road and get on to Tumkur Road without any issues (except maybe some
offroading)?
>>>> Yup, no issues at all. And it's not exactly a offroading, it's just
that the connection is properly done yet.


On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 2:31 PM, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...> wrote:

>
>
> Kaushik,
>
> 1. Which interchange is closest to PES IT?
> 2. Does this mean that I can still take the NICE road all the way to Tumkur
> Road and get on to Tumkur Road without any issues (except maybe some
> offroading)?
>
> Thanks
> rahul
>
> ________________________________
> From: Kaushik Saikia(কৌশিক শইকীয়া)
<kaushik.saikia.27@...<kaushik.saikia.27%40gmail.com>
> >
> To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com <indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Mon, 23 November, 2009 1:31:33 PM
> Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore IH-ers : NICE road latest updates
>
>
> Nice update on NICE.
> Few more points,
> 1. You can take the NICE road from near PESIT exit. But the price is
> exorbitant. It's 35 Rs till Mysore road junction and I can't understand
> why,
> as it's only 10-12 kms if I remember correctly.
> 2. Mysore road to Tumkur road is almost complete except the connection to
> NH4. It's due to NH4 elevated road construction work I think.
>
> Regards,
>
> On Sun, Nov 22, 2009 at 11:50 PM, Rahul Dubey
<cool_dube@...<cool_dube%40yahoo.com>>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Guys,
> >
> > I covered the NICE road stretch from Hosur Road interchange to Mysore
> Road
> > interchage today. Here is the latest update:
> >
> > * Hosur Road - Bannerghatta Road
> >
> > - Entry ramp from Hosur Road (while coming from Silk Board side) is not
> > well marked. You are bound to miss it if not on the service road well in
> > advance. Get on to the service road right after Hosa Road junction. In
> case
> > you do miss getting on to the service road, take the U-turn on Hosur Road
> as
> > soon as you pass under the interchange and you can get onto the ramp from
> > the other side.
> > - Toll (for 4 wheelers) till B'ghatta Road interchange is Rs. 15. You
> > cannot get a through pass beyond B'ghatta road since the interchange is
> not
> > yet operational.
> > - As you approach B'ghatta Road interchange, the road is blocked. Take a
> > steep decent on the RHS and the first left thereafter. Follow the road
> all
> > the way around the Gottigere Lake Bund to come out on B'ghatta Road. Take
> a
> > left at B'hatta Road and after around 150 m, there is an entry ramp onto
> > NICE road.
> >
> > * Bannerghatta Road - Mysore Road
> >
> > - Here you pay toll based on your exit. From B'ghatta Road to Mysore Road
> > you will have to shell out Rs. 29 which I did find a bit steep but then
> > considering the time you save beating all the traffic, I'd say it is
> worth
> > it
> > - Mysore Road interchange is very well marked and NICE road continues
> > towards Tumkur Road
> >
> > * Mysore Road  - Bannerghatta Road (way back)
> >
> > - Exit is now well marked on the left and you no longer are required to
> > take a U-turn and get on to the NICE road from the other side of the road
> > - Do not take a left after hitting Bannerghatta Road. The route you came
> by
> > (mentioned above, via Gottigere Lake bund) is a one way. You will have to
> > take a *right* after hitting B'ghatta Road and take a left some distance
> > down. Best bet is to follow one of the trucks exiting NICE road or ask
> the
> > toll gate attendant.
> >
> > * Bannerghatta Road - Hosur Road
> >
> > - Once smooth awesome drive
> >
> > PS - I believe the connectivity is seamless all the way from Mysore Road
> to
> > Tumkur Road, right?
> >
> > Hope this helps.
> > Cheers
> > Rahul
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Sreenidhi BR <sreenidhibr@...
<sreenidhibr%40gmail.com><sreenidhibr%
> 40gmail.com>>
> > To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
<indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com><indiahighways%
> 40yahoogroups.com>
> > Sent: Fri, 20 November, 2009 2:52:43 PM
> > Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore IH-ers : Query on NICE road
> >
> > Toll is being collected for nearly an year now!  Check this out:
> > http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/24/stories/2008122450390100.htm
> >
> > Yes, the only place to get off would be BG road.  Sorry, don' t know
> exact
> > directions - maybe somebody else can enlighten here.  I believe the
> > security
> > guards at the toll gates will also be helpful as this is a FAQ for them
> :-)
> >
> > I heard from someone that one has to pay separately for each section of
> > Hosur - BG - Kanakapura - Mysore road.  Not sure if this is still the
> case.
> > However, from Mysore - Magadi - Tumkur road, one can pay at entry and
> just
> > breeze through till the exit point.
> >
> > cheers
> > - Sreenidhi
> >
> > On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 2:33 PM, Rahul Dubey
<cool_dube@...<cool_dube%40yahoo.com>
> <cool_dube%40yahoo.com>>
> > wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > Oh, I did not know that they have started collecting toll. I thought
> > they'd
> > > not do that till the project is complete.
> > >
> > > So if I intend to get to Mysore Road starting from the Hosur Road
> > > interchange, the only place I'd need to get off the NICE road would be
> > the
> > > Bannerghatta interchange area, right? If yes, can someone provide me
> > > relevant directions please?
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > > Rahul
> > >
> > > ________________________________
> > > From: Sreenidhi BR <sreenidhibr@...
<sreenidhibr%40gmail.com><sreenidhibr%
> 40gmail.com><sreenidhibr%
> > 40gmail.com>>
> > > To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
<indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com><indiahighways%
> 40yahoogroups.com><indiahighways%
>
> > 40yahoogroups.com>
> > > Sent: Fri, 20 November, 2009 2:23:29 PM
> > > Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore IH-ers : Query on NICE road
> > >
> > >
> > > No change to the status mentioned below.
> > > Even with BG road crossover incomplete, it is still worthwhile to take
> > the
> > > NICE road and bypass city traffic.  Kind of expensive toll though - Rs
> > 2.xx
> > > per km, i believe.
> > >
> > > - Sreenidhi
> > >
> > > On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 1:05 PM, Rahul Dubey
<cool_dube@...<cool_dube%40yahoo.com>
> <cool_dube%40yahoo.com>
> > <cool_dube%40yahoo.com>>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Guys,
> > > >
> > > > What is the current state of connectivity on NICE road from Hosur
> Road
> > to
> > > > Mysore Road? As far as I know, all cross-overs except for the
> > > Bannerghatta
> > > > Road one are done. Any latest updates?
> > > >
> > > > Cheers
> > > > Rahul
> > > >
> > > > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > > > http://in.yahoo.com/
> > > >
> > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > http://sreenidhibr.blogspot.com/
> > >
> > >
> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------
> > >
> > > Yahoo! Groups Links
> > >
> > >
> > > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > > http://in.yahoo.com/
> > >
> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > http://sreenidhibr.blogspot.com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > http://in.yahoo.com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
> The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> http://in.yahoo.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Kaushik,

1. Which interchange is closest to PES IT?
2. Does this mean that I can still take the NICE road all the way to Tumkur Road
and get on to Tumkur Road without any issues (except maybe some offroading)?

Thanks
rahul




________________________________
From: Kaushik Saikia(কৌশিক শইকীয়া)
<kaushik.saikia.27@...>
To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, 23 November, 2009 1:31:33 PM
Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore IH-ers : NICE road latest updates

Nice update on NICE.
Few more points,
1. You can take the NICE road from near PESIT exit. But the price is
exorbitant. It's 35 Rs till Mysore road junction and I can't understand why,
as it's only 10-12 kms if I remember correctly.
2. Mysore road to Tumkur road is almost complete except the connection to
NH4. It's due to NH4 elevated road construction work I think.

Regards,

On Sun, Nov 22, 2009 at 11:50 PM, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...> wrote:

>
>
> Guys,
>
> I covered the NICE road stretch from Hosur Road interchange to Mysore Road
> interchage today. Here is the latest update:
>
> * Hosur Road - Bannerghatta Road
>
> - Entry ramp from Hosur Road (while coming from Silk Board side) is not
> well marked. You are bound to miss it if not on the service road well in
> advance. Get on to the service road right after Hosa Road junction. In case
> you do miss getting on to the service road, take the U-turn on Hosur Road as
> soon as you pass under the interchange and you can get onto the ramp from
> the other side.
> - Toll (for 4 wheelers) till B'ghatta Road interchange is Rs. 15. You
> cannot get a through pass beyond B'ghatta road since the interchange is not
> yet operational.
> - As you approach B'ghatta Road interchange, the road is blocked. Take a
> steep decent on the RHS and the first left thereafter. Follow the road all
> the way around the Gottigere Lake Bund to come out on B'ghatta Road. Take a
> left at B'hatta Road and after around 150 m, there is an entry ramp onto
> NICE road.
>
> * Bannerghatta Road - Mysore Road
>
> - Here you pay toll based on your exit. From B'ghatta Road to Mysore Road
> you will have to shell out Rs. 29 which I did find a bit steep but then
> considering the time you save beating all the traffic, I'd say it is worth
> it
> - Mysore Road interchange is very well marked and NICE road continues
> towards Tumkur Road
>
> * Mysore Road  - Bannerghatta Road (way back)
>
> - Exit is now well marked on the left and you no longer are required to
> take a U-turn and get on to the NICE road from the other side of the road
> - Do not take a left after hitting Bannerghatta Road. The route you came by
> (mentioned above, via Gottigere Lake bund) is a one way. You will have to
> take a *right* after hitting B'ghatta Road and take a left some distance
> down. Best bet is to follow one of the trucks exiting NICE road or ask the
> toll gate attendant.
>
> * Bannerghatta Road - Hosur Road
>
> - Once smooth awesome drive
>
> PS - I believe the connectivity is seamless all the way from Mysore Road to
> Tumkur Road, right?
>
> Hope this helps.
> Cheers
> Rahul
>
> ________________________________
> From: Sreenidhi BR <sreenidhibr@... <sreenidhibr%40gmail.com>>
> To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com <indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Fri, 20 November, 2009 2:52:43 PM
> Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore IH-ers : Query on NICE road
>
> Toll is being collected for nearly an year now!  Check this out:
> http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/24/stories/2008122450390100.htm
>
> Yes, the only place to get off would be BG road.  Sorry, don' t know exact
> directions - maybe somebody else can enlighten here.  I believe the
> security
> guards at the toll gates will also be helpful as this is a FAQ for them :-)
>
> I heard from someone that one has to pay separately for each section of
> Hosur - BG - Kanakapura - Mysore road.  Not sure if this is still the case.
> However, from Mysore - Magadi - Tumkur road, one can pay at entry and just
> breeze through till the exit point.
>
> cheers
> - Sreenidhi
>
> On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 2:33 PM, Rahul Dubey
<cool_dube@...<cool_dube%40yahoo.com>>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Oh, I did not know that they have started collecting toll. I thought
> they'd
> > not do that till the project is complete.
> >
> > So if I intend to get to Mysore Road starting from the Hosur Road
> > interchange, the only place I'd need to get off the NICE road would be
> the
> > Bannerghatta interchange area, right? If yes, can someone provide me
> > relevant directions please?
> >
> > Thanks
> > Rahul
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Sreenidhi BR <sreenidhibr@...
<sreenidhibr%40gmail.com><sreenidhibr%
> 40gmail.com>>
> > To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
<indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com><indiahighways%
> 40yahoogroups.com>
> > Sent: Fri, 20 November, 2009 2:23:29 PM
> > Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore IH-ers : Query on NICE road
> >
> >
> > No change to the status mentioned below.
> > Even with BG road crossover incomplete, it is still worthwhile to take
> the
> > NICE road and bypass city traffic.  Kind of expensive toll though - Rs
> 2.xx
> > per km, i believe.
> >
> > - Sreenidhi
> >
> > On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 1:05 PM, Rahul Dubey
<cool_dube@...<cool_dube%40yahoo.com>
> <cool_dube%40yahoo.com>>
> > wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > Guys,
> > >
> > > What is the current state of connectivity on NICE road from Hosur Road
> to
> > > Mysore Road? As far as I know, all cross-overs except for the
> > Bannerghatta
> > > Road one are done. Any latest updates?
> > >
> > > Cheers
> > > Rahul
> > >
> > > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > > http://in.yahoo.com/
> > >
> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > http://sreenidhibr.blogspot.com/
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > http://in.yahoo.com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> http://sreenidhibr.blogspot.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
> The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> http://in.yahoo.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> 
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links




       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Guys,

Does anyone have an idea where can I get hold of an electric kettle with a 12V
power inlet that can be used in cars? I have tried car accessory shops,
Shopper's Stop, etc but to no avail.

Cheers,
Rahul


       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Nice update on NICE.
Few more points,
  1. You can take the NICE road from near PESIT exit. But the price is
exorbitant. It's 35 Rs till Mysore road junction and I can't understand why,
as it's only 10-12 kms if I remember correctly.
  2. Mysore road to Tumkur road is almost complete except the connection to
NH4. It's due to NH4 elevated road construction work I think.

Regards,

On Sun, Nov 22, 2009 at 11:50 PM, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...> wrote:

>
>
> Guys,
>
> I covered the NICE road stretch from Hosur Road interchange to Mysore Road
> interchage today. Here is the latest update:
>
> * Hosur Road - Bannerghatta Road
>
> - Entry ramp from Hosur Road (while coming from Silk Board side) is not
> well marked. You are bound to miss it if not on the service road well in
> advance. Get on to the service road right after Hosa Road junction. In case
> you do miss getting on to the service road, take the U-turn on Hosur Road as
> soon as you pass under the interchange and you can get onto the ramp from
> the other side.
> - Toll (for 4 wheelers) till B'ghatta Road interchange is Rs. 15. You
> cannot get a through pass beyond B'ghatta road since the interchange is not
> yet operational.
> - As you approach B'ghatta Road interchange, the road is blocked. Take a
> steep decent on the RHS and the first left thereafter. Follow the road all
> the way around the Gottigere Lake Bund to come out on B'ghatta Road. Take a
> left at B'hatta Road and after around 150 m, there is an entry ramp onto
> NICE road.
>
> * Bannerghatta Road - Mysore Road
>
> - Here you pay toll based on your exit. From B'ghatta Road to Mysore Road
> you will have to shell out Rs. 29 which I did find a bit steep but then
> considering the time you save beating all the traffic, I'd say it is worth
> it
> - Mysore Road interchange is very well marked and NICE road continues
> towards Tumkur Road
>
> * Mysore Road  - Bannerghatta Road (way back)
>
> - Exit is now well marked on the left and you no longer are required to
> take a U-turn and get on to the NICE road from the other side of the road
> - Do not take a left after hitting Bannerghatta Road. The route you came by
> (mentioned above, via Gottigere Lake bund) is a one way. You will have to
> take a *right* after hitting B'ghatta Road and take a left some distance
> down. Best bet is to follow one of the trucks exiting NICE road or ask the
> toll gate attendant.
>
> * Bannerghatta Road - Hosur Road
>
> - Once smooth awesome drive
>
> PS - I believe the connectivity is seamless all the way from Mysore Road to
> Tumkur Road, right?
>
> Hope this helps.
> Cheers
> Rahul
>
> ________________________________
> From: Sreenidhi BR <sreenidhibr@... <sreenidhibr%40gmail.com>>
> To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com <indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Fri, 20 November, 2009 2:52:43 PM
> Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore IH-ers : Query on NICE road
>
> Toll is being collected for nearly an year now!  Check this out:
> http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/24/stories/2008122450390100.htm
>
> Yes, the only place to get off would be BG road.  Sorry, don' t know exact
> directions - maybe somebody else can enlighten here.  I believe the
> security
> guards at the toll gates will also be helpful as this is a FAQ for them :-)
>
> I heard from someone that one has to pay separately for each section of
> Hosur - BG - Kanakapura - Mysore road.  Not sure if this is still the case.
> However, from Mysore - Magadi - Tumkur road, one can pay at entry and just
> breeze through till the exit point.
>
> cheers
> - Sreenidhi
>
> On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 2:33 PM, Rahul Dubey
<cool_dube@...<cool_dube%40yahoo.com>>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Oh, I did not know that they have started collecting toll. I thought
> they'd
> > not do that till the project is complete.
> >
> > So if I intend to get to Mysore Road starting from the Hosur Road
> > interchange, the only place I'd need to get off the NICE road would be
> the
> > Bannerghatta interchange area, right? If yes, can someone provide me
> > relevant directions please?
> >
> > Thanks
> > Rahul
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Sreenidhi BR <sreenidhibr@...
<sreenidhibr%40gmail.com><sreenidhibr%
> 40gmail.com>>
> > To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
<indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com><indiahighways%
> 40yahoogroups.com>
> > Sent: Fri, 20 November, 2009 2:23:29 PM
> > Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore IH-ers : Query on NICE road
> >
> >
> > No change to the status mentioned below.
> > Even with BG road crossover incomplete, it is still worthwhile to take
> the
> > NICE road and bypass city traffic.  Kind of expensive toll though - Rs
> 2.xx
> > per km, i believe.
> >
> > - Sreenidhi
> >
> > On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 1:05 PM, Rahul Dubey
<cool_dube@...<cool_dube%40yahoo.com>
> <cool_dube%40yahoo.com>>
> > wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > Guys,
> > >
> > > What is the current state of connectivity on NICE road from Hosur Road
> to
> > > Mysore Road? As far as I know, all cross-overs except for the
> > Bannerghatta
> > > Road one are done. Any latest updates?
> > >
> > > Cheers
> > > Rahul
> > >
> > > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > > http://in.yahoo.com/
> > >
> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > http://sreenidhibr.blogspot.com/
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > http://in.yahoo.com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> http://sreenidhibr.blogspot.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
> The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> http://in.yahoo.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Guys,

I covered the NICE road stretch from Hosur Road interchange to Mysore Road
interchage today. Here is the latest update:

* Hosur Road - Bannerghatta Road

- Entry ramp from Hosur Road (while coming from Silk Board side) is not well
marked. You are bound to miss it if not on the service road well in advance. Get
on to the service road right after Hosa Road junction. In case you do miss
getting on to the service road, take the U-turn on Hosur Road as soon as you
pass under the interchange and you can get onto the ramp from the other side.
- Toll (for 4 wheelers) till B'ghatta Road interchange is Rs. 15. You cannot
get a through pass beyond B'ghatta road since the interchange is not yet
operational.
- As you approach B'ghatta Road interchange, the road is blocked. Take a steep
decent on the RHS and the first left thereafter. Follow the road all the way
around the Gottigere Lake Bund to come out on B'ghatta Road. Take a left at
B'hatta Road and after around 150 m, there is an entry ramp onto NICE road.

* Bannerghatta Road - Mysore Road

- Here you pay toll based on your exit. From B'ghatta Road to Mysore Road you
will have to shell out Rs. 29 which I did find a bit steep but then considering
the time you save beating all the traffic, I'd say it is worth it
- Mysore Road interchange is very well marked and NICE road continues towards
Tumkur Road

* Mysore Road  - Bannerghatta Road (way back)

- Exit is now well marked on the left and you no longer are required to take a
U-turn and get on to the NICE road from the other side of the road
- Do not take a left after hitting Bannerghatta Road. The route you came by
(mentioned above, via Gottigere Lake bund) is a one way. You will have to take a
*right* after hitting B'ghatta Road and take a left some distance down. Best bet
is to follow one of the trucks exiting NICE road or ask the toll gate attendant.

* Bannerghatta Road - Hosur Road

- Once smooth awesome drive

PS - I believe the connectivity is seamless all the way from Mysore Road to
Tumkur Road, right?

Hope this helps.
Cheers
Rahul




________________________________
From: Sreenidhi BR <sreenidhibr@...>
To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, 20 November, 2009 2:52:43 PM
Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore IH-ers : Query on NICE road

Toll is being collected for nearly an year now!  Check this out:
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/24/stories/2008122450390100.htm

Yes, the only place to get off would be BG road.  Sorry, don' t know exact
directions - maybe somebody else can enlighten here.  I believe the security
guards at the toll gates will also be helpful as this is a FAQ for them :-)

I heard from someone that one has to pay separately for each section of
Hosur - BG - Kanakapura - Mysore road.  Not sure if this is still the case.
However, from Mysore - Magadi - Tumkur road, one can pay at entry and just
breeze through till the exit point.

cheers
- Sreenidhi


On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 2:33 PM, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...> wrote:

>
>
> Oh, I did not know that they have started collecting toll. I thought they'd
> not do that till the project is complete.
>
> So if I intend to get to Mysore Road starting from the Hosur Road
> interchange, the only place I'd need to get off the NICE road would be the
> Bannerghatta interchange area, right? If yes, can someone provide me
> relevant directions please?
>
> Thanks
> Rahul
>
> ________________________________
> From: Sreenidhi BR <sreenidhibr@... <sreenidhibr%40gmail.com>>
> To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com <indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Fri, 20 November, 2009 2:23:29 PM
> Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore IH-ers : Query on NICE road
>
>
> No change to the status mentioned below.
> Even with BG road crossover incomplete, it is still worthwhile to take the
> NICE road and bypass city traffic.  Kind of expensive toll though - Rs 2.xx
> per km, i believe.
>
> - Sreenidhi
>
> On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 1:05 PM, Rahul Dubey
<cool_dube@...<cool_dube%40yahoo.com>>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Guys,
> >
> > What is the current state of connectivity on NICE road from Hosur Road to
> > Mysore Road? As far as I know, all cross-overs except for the
> Bannerghatta
> > Road one are done. Any latest updates?
> >
> > Cheers
> > Rahul
> >
> > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > http://in.yahoo.com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> http://sreenidhibr.blogspot.com/
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
> The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> http://in.yahoo.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> 
>



--
http://sreenidhibr.blogspot.com/


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links




       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

DrHVK is fantastic on this front. He charted the same Bombay Bypass route for me
on my Dec 2007 drive from Jaipur to Kerala and I went through like a breeze. Not
one wrong turn and not one stop to ask. On the way back, I did the same without
any problem at all, though the roads look completely different when you come
from the other side!
Cheers to HVK again!
Sasi Menon, Jaipur

--- In indiahighways@yahoogroups.com, "KS" <ks_bluechip@...> wrote:
>
> HVK: Congrats! Excellent route directions for bypassing Mumbai while going
from NH-4 to NH-8!
>
> I have always wondered how this complicated stuff "can be explained" to a
new-comer driving past Mumbai! Even with these details it will be challenge for
a 'non-mumbai' driver ;-) esp. during peak traffic! For you it must be just a
breeze!
>
> You could generalise this a bit including NH-3 to NH-8 ... and have 
instructions for both ways ... and add to your Log Books like a General 
NH3-NH4-NH8 Transition Guide! ... when you get free time.
>
> - KS
>
>
> --- In indiahighways@yahoogroups.com, "H V Kumar" <hvkumar@> wrote:
> >
> > HOW TO BYPASS BOMBAY
> >
>

Though this is not connected to the trip in question, I have to share that I had
the good fortune of meeting Dr.Kumar (as someone from the group prefers to call
him) in December 2007, on the highway at the Kishangarh Toll near Ajmer. He was
on his drive from Bombay to Pathankot, which he did non-stop, and I had just
embarked on my drive from Jaipur to Kerala. So, I must say that that was one of
the very rare moments of my life.. meeting a true blue Indian Highwayer on the
highway on a trip... Cheers to Kumar! And all the best for more such amazing
trips!
Sasi Menon, Jaipur.

--- In indiahighways@yahoogroups.com, narayanan pk <pknarayanan@...> wrote:
>
>
> Same here....Yes, When you pass this way (Bangalore), would like to meet you
and catch up with you... a one in a billion guy....
>
>
>
> Warm regards,pk
>
>
>
> To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
> From: cool_dube@...
> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:14:15 +0530
> Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways]
Bombay-Bangalore-Ernakulam-Idukki-Thekkady-Madurai-Kanyakumari-Trivandrum-Bombay
Drive
>
>
>
>
>
> Kumar Sir,
>
> Once again - an excellent, detailed account of the drive!! You were in
Bangalore for almost 2 days - we could have caught up. Please buzz me the next
time your are in/around Bangalore.
>
> Rahul
>
> ________________________________
> From: H V Kumar <hvkumar@...>
> To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Thu, 19 November, 2009 3:21:15 PM
> Subject: [IndiaHighways]
Bombay-Bangalore-Ernakulam-Idukki-Thekkady-Madurai-Kanyakumari-Trivandrum-Bombay
Drive
>
>
> Did a drive from Bombay to Bangalore, Ernakulam, Idukki Dam, Thekkady,
> Madurai, Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.
>
> The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> New Windows 7: Find the right PC for you. Learn more.
> http://windows.microsoft.com/shop
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Toll is being collected for nearly an year now!   Check this out:
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/24/stories/2008122450390100.htm

Yes, the only place to get off would be BG road.  Sorry, don' t know exact
directions - maybe somebody else can enlighten here.  I believe the security
guards at the toll gates will also be helpful as this is a FAQ for them :-)

I heard from someone that one has to pay separately for each section of
Hosur - BG - Kanakapura - Mysore road.  Not sure if this is still the case.
However, from Mysore - Magadi - Tumkur road, one can pay at entry and just
breeze through till the exit point.

cheers
- Sreenidhi


On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 2:33 PM, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...> wrote:

>
>
> Oh, I did not know that they have started collecting toll. I thought they'd
> not do that till the project is complete.
>
> So if I intend to get to Mysore Road starting from the Hosur Road
> interchange, the only place I'd need to get off the NICE road would be the
> Bannerghatta interchange area, right? If yes, can someone provide me
> relevant directions please?
>
> Thanks
> Rahul
>
> ________________________________
> From: Sreenidhi BR <sreenidhibr@... <sreenidhibr%40gmail.com>>
> To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com <indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Fri, 20 November, 2009 2:23:29 PM
> Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore IH-ers : Query on NICE road
>
>
> No change to the status mentioned below.
> Even with BG road crossover incomplete, it is still worthwhile to take the
> NICE road and bypass city traffic.  Kind of expensive toll though - Rs 2.xx
> per km, i believe.
>
> - Sreenidhi
>
> On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 1:05 PM, Rahul Dubey
<cool_dube@...<cool_dube%40yahoo.com>>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Guys,
> >
> > What is the current state of connectivity on NICE road from Hosur Road to
> > Mysore Road? As far as I know, all cross-overs except for the
> Bannerghatta
> > Road one are done. Any latest updates?
> >
> > Cheers
> > Rahul
> >
> > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> > http://in.yahoo.com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> http://sreenidhibr.blogspot.com/
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
> The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> http://in.yahoo.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>



--
http://sreenidhibr.blogspot.com/


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Oh, I did not know that they have started collecting toll. I thought they'd not
do that till the project is complete.

So if I intend to get to Mysore Road starting from the Hosur Road interchange,
the only place I'd need to get off the NICE road would be the Bannerghatta
interchange area, right? If yes, can someone provide me relevant directions
please?

Thanks
Rahul



________________________________
From: Sreenidhi BR <sreenidhibr@...>
To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, 20 November, 2009 2:23:29 PM
Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore IH-ers : Query on NICE road

No change to the status mentioned below.
Even with BG road crossover incomplete, it is still worthwhile to take the
NICE road and bypass city traffic.  Kind of expensive toll though - Rs 2.xx
per km, i believe.

- Sreenidhi


On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 1:05 PM, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...> wrote:

>
>
> Guys,
>
> What is the current state of connectivity on NICE road from Hosur Road to
> Mysore Road? As far as I know, all cross-overs except for the Bannerghatta
> Road one are done. Any latest updates?
>
> Cheers
> Rahul
>
> The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> http://in.yahoo.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> 
>



--
http://sreenidhibr.blogspot.com/


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links




       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

No change to the status mentioned below.
Even with BG road crossover incomplete, it is still worthwhile to take the
NICE road and bypass city traffic.  Kind of expensive toll though - Rs 2.xx
per km, i believe.

- Sreenidhi


On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 1:05 PM, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@...> wrote:

>
>
> Guys,
>
> What is the current state of connectivity on NICE road from Hosur Road to
> Mysore Road? As far as I know, all cross-overs except for the Bannerghatta
> Road one are done. Any latest updates?
>
> Cheers
> Rahul
>
> The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> http://in.yahoo.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>



--
http://sreenidhibr.blogspot.com/


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Guys,

What is the current state of connectivity on NICE road from Hosur Road to Mysore
Road? As far as I know, all cross-overs except for the Bannerghatta Road one are
done. Any latest updates?

Cheers
Rahul


       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Same here....Yes, When you pass this way (Bangalore), would like to meet you and
catch up with you... a one in a billion guy....



Warm regards,pk



To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
From: cool_dube@...
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:14:15 +0530
Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways]
Bombay-Bangalore-Ernakulam-Idukki-Thekkady-Madurai-Kanyakumari-Trivandrum-Bombay
Drive





Kumar Sir,

Once again - an excellent, detailed account of the drive!! You were in Bangalore
for almost 2 days - we could have caught up. Please buzz me the next time your
are in/around Bangalore.

Rahul

________________________________
From: H V Kumar <hvkumar@...>
To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, 19 November, 2009 3:21:15 PM
Subject: [IndiaHighways]
Bombay-Bangalore-Ernakulam-Idukki-Thekkady-Madurai-Kanyakumari-Trivandrum-Bombay
Drive


Did a drive from Bombay to Bangalore, Ernakulam, Idukki Dam, Thekkady,
Madurai, Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.

The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





_________________________________________________________________
New Windows 7: Find the right PC for you. Learn more.
http://windows.microsoft.com/shop

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Kumar Sir,

Once again - an excellent, detailed account of the drive!! You were in Bangalore
for almost 2 days - we could have caught up. Please buzz me the next time your
are in/around Bangalore.

Rahul




________________________________
From: H V Kumar <hvkumar@...>
To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, 19 November, 2009 3:21:15 PM
Subject: [IndiaHighways]
Bombay-Bangalore-Ernakulam-Idukki-Thekkady-Madurai-Kanyakumari-Trivandrum-Bombay
Drive

 
Did a drive from Bombay to Bangalore, Ernakulam, Idukki Dam, Thekkady,
Madurai, Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.


       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The Idukki route is surely one of the most scenic drives in Kerala and a
must-do. It is a comfortable day trip from Ernakulam but there are also good
hotels to stay at Kulamavu and Cheruthoni.

Thanks a lot for the good words.



Kumar



From: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com [mailto:indiahighways@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of vinay_ss@...
Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 8:10 PM
To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways]
Bombay-Bangalore-Ernakulam-Idukki-Thekkady-Madurai-Kanyakumari-Trivandrum-Bombay
Drive





Kumar you are just astonishing..with the speeds you drive, distances you cover
and yet the fantastic notes you make and share back with all.. Many might have
said this before, but you are admired, adored and envied !

I have done most of these routes though not idukki dam and I hope to do that
soon this year...with my family and in my fiat adventure.. Will find your
writeup immensly useful..

Cheers
Vinay Sambaragimath
Bengaluru..
Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

-----Original Message-----
From: "H V Kumar" <hvkumar@... <mailto:hvkumar%40gmail.com> >
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:21:15
To: <indiahighways@yahoogroups.com <mailto:indiahighways%40yahoogroups.com> >
Subject: [IndiaHighways]
Bombay-Bangalore-Ernakulam-Idukki-Thekkady-Madurai-Kanyakumari-Trivandrum-Bombay
Drive

Did a drive from Bombay to Bangalore, Ernakulam, Idukki Dam, Thekkady,
Madurai, Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.

BOMBAY-BANGALORE

Left Bombay on Nov 12, 2009, at 300 am.

Refuelling halts at Khopoli/Expressway, Kolhapur and Chitradurga, 20 m in
all

Bombay-Kolhapur, 391 kms, 4.40 hrs

Included a 5 m halt for refuelling on Pune expressway. The HPCL pump after
the Khopoli Toll Gate is one of the cheapest diesel refueling points in MH.
Slight drizzle most of the way, heavy fog before Lonavla, roads great all
the way
Toll gates in MH are the most inefficient, some of them took over 5 m to
clear, worst being the one before Satara
Being early morning, no wrong side traffic problems.

Kolhapur-Haveri, 280 kms, 3.00 hrs

Stopped 5 m for refuelling after Kolhapur, since KA fuel is more expensive.
Outstanding roads, no traffic, crossed Karad-Kolhapur-Kagal stretch before
peak morning traffic.
No sugarcane traffic, no wrong side traffic this early in the day.

Haveri Bypass, 10 kms, 6 m

Watch out for the sudden bad patch in the Haveri bypass, since the road
before is excellent and this comes as a bolt out of the blue.

Haveri-Chitradurga, 140 kms, 2.03 hrs

Haveri-Ranebennur, for most part, the road is 2-laned although there are
some sections of 4-laned road. There are several road humps, and some bad
roads where flyovers are under construction. No sections where a car can
scrap the undersides. But surprisingly, I have taken only 30 minutes to
cover the 40 kms!
Ranebennur bypass is incomplete, you have to travel through a congested
town, slowed down.
Ranebennur-Harihar was better and the 4-lane road resumes after the end of
Ranebennur town. The 18 kms took me 16 m.
Harihar-Davangere bypass was probably the worst section where low GC cars
need to be careful of craters. For most part, the road is dirt road although
there are some 4-lane sections too. The 26 kms took me 29 m.
4 kms of road, 30 kms after the Davangere bypass, is terrible.
Davangere bypass-Chitradurga was mostly 4-laned although there were some
deviations. The 55 kms took me 42 m.

Chitradurga bypass, 6 kms, 17 m

Chitradurga bypass has some flyovers under construction, but road is not
bad. The 6 kms took me 17 m, including a refuelling halt of 10 m.

Chitradurga-Dobespet, 152 kms, 1,43 hrs

Road is fantastic all the way to Tumkur.
Tumkur bypass is still incomplete, has lots of miscellaneous traffic and the
7 kms took me 8 m
From end of Tumkur bypass, the road is excellent, but I turned off NH4 at
Dobespet (17 kms from end of Tumkur bypass) to avoid the Nelamangala traffic
chaos.

I reached Dobespet at 240 pm, covering the 970 kms from Bombay in 11.40 hrs.

Dobespet-Yelahanka-Bangalore, 89 kms, 2.20 hrs

From Dobespet, I went via Dodballapur, Yelahanka and Krishnarajapuram to
Ulsoor in Bangalore city. The 89 kms took me 2.20 hrs, and I reached my
destination in Ulsoor at 5 pm. Had to wade through dense city traffic, even
in Dodballapur-Yelahanka road, although Dobespet-Dodballapur was fast. Maybe
Nelamangala would have been faster.
So that was the 1,058 km drive from Bombay to Bangalore.

BANGALORE-ERNAKULAM

After my work in Bangalore on Nov 13, I left Bangalore HSR Layout at 515 am
on Nov 14, 2009.

Bangalore-Salem, 194 kms, 2.28 hrs

Despite a slow drive till Hosur and a 5 m refuelling halt after Hosur, the
drive was fast and smooth. Truck traffic was high all the way and city
traffic slowed me down as I approached Salem at 745 am.
The humps in the Toppur Ghat section are terrible.
I decided to try out the 4-laned Salem instead of the shorter
Toppur-Mettur-Bhavani route.
Signages are excellent on Salem bypass.

Salem-Coimbatore bypass (beginning), 153 kms, 2.10 hrs

Leaving NH7 for NH47 at Salem meant 2-laned roads till Sankari, and the 48
km took me 41 kms, but the initial 10 kms out of Salem were very slow and
one has to be careful with the miscellanous traffic and buses which spill
all over the road. Some 5 kms from Salem, 4-lane roads are under
construction. Sankari town also slows you down.
The next 69 kms till you cross Perunthurai when the 4-lane road ends took me
49 m, since it is a lovely 4-lane stretch.
After the fast drive so far, it is a hellish drive from hereon for the next
43 kms, which took me 43 m, and some breakneck driving to overtake the
umpteen buses and other slower-moving vehicles, crossing the messy small
towns like Avinashi in between and beating peak morning traffic. It was
almost 10 am when I reached the beginning of Coimbatore bypass.

Coimbatore Bypass, 27 kms, 27 m

Very frustrating 2-lane road with 2 many toll gates, one before every
intersection (Trichy, Pollachi), means 5 toll gates, could L&T not figure
out a better way to regulate entry/exit. Although you take one through
ticket, the toll gates stop you to check every time and are terribly
inefficient. I had to pick up a fight with one of the toll gate guys, that
was the level of frustration with the state of affairs. Theintersections can
also do without signals (why not a roundabout instead) - the sparse traffic
means that for most part, traffic ignores the signals and moves on
increasing risks of collisions.

Coimbatore-Trissur (bypass beginning), 95 kms, 1.47 hrs

You can see how slow the drive was on the 2-lane roads through Palghat to
Trissur. Traffic was quite high, overtaking difficult, but happily the roads
were good throughout including the notorious Palghat-Trissur section.

The TN-KL border checkposts looks the most inefficient in India, judging
from the trucks piled up for over a km on both sides - but luckily
well-regulated and parked in an orderly fashion, but I can imagine the jam
that will erupt if anyone goes out of line in the narrow road.

Trissur-Ernakulam Vytilla Jn, 75 kms, 1.40 m

That was really slow, my best time on this stretch being 60 minutes.
4-laning work is on from Trissur onwards, and there are some major
deviations (e.g. go into Chalakudy town), and one has to be slow and patient
in the busy KL roads. High tIme to build a couple of flyovers off Aluva town
instead of the clumsy signal points.
Signages are good.

The Bangalore-Ernakulam drive of 545 kms took me 7.47 m.
First 200 kms from Bnagalore to Salem took me 2.30 hrs
Second 215 kms from Salem to Palghat took me 3.15 hrs
Last 135 kms took me 2.45 m, best time has been 2 hrs

ERNAKULAM-IDUKKI-THEKKADY-KANYAKUMARI-TRIVANDRUM

This was a daft route to take to get to Trivandrum - 668 kms instead of the
direct 220 kms!
Why Idukki Dam?
I had been to Idukki Dam last in 1975 when I was a kid (went inside the
Moolamattam Power Station, saw it hidden under the hills from Nadugani,
gawked at the newly-built Arch Dam at Idukki, had tea at the PWD Rest House
and took a rare boat ride in Idukki reservoir in the company of the then VC
of Kerala University). So I thought I shoudl see the place again. And go via
Thodupuzha, which is my father's home town anyway.
Why Kanyakumari?
In April 2009, I went to the EASTernmost point in India - Kibithu
(Arunachal) and from there drove to the WESTernmost point in India,
Koteshwar (Gujarat). Then came September, and I drove to the NORTHernmost
point in India - Panamik in the Nubra Valley in Ladakh. So what could be a
good culmination if I were to visit Kanyakumari too the SAME year, the
SOUTHernmost point in India.
So, I drove via Idukki to Kanyakumari and landed up at my home in
Trivandrum.

Ernakulam-Idukki Dam, 131 kms, 3.18 m

No speed run this, progress was slow getting out of Ernakulam and driving
the busy road to Muvattupuzha.
Signages are poor in Muvattupuzha and Thodupuzha towns. There are so many
touristy signboards but there are so many gaps that you do not know whether
you are still following the road you want. Luckily, since I am familiar with
the region, I had no difficulties but anyone from outside KL is going to
find it frustrating to find directions on these roads.
The road from Thodupuza to Idukki Dam must rank as one of the loveliest
drives in India, and the roads were outstanding as was the entire route.
Some lovely twisties, great views, superlative weather (slight drizzle,
overcast, cool) and I am surorised no one (other than day-trippers from
EKM/Kottayam) appear to be going there (which is a good thing anyway).
Moolamattam Dam comes first, it is the largest hydel power plant in KL. From
Moolamattam onwards, one drives into deep jungles, and one has to be wary
about elephant crossings on this road (although I was unlucky not to see
any, probably because of the rainy weather). I wonder if the Check Post 5
kms from Moolamattam town restricts access in this road in the night, could
not find out.
Nadugani View Point and environs were shrouded in heavy fog and for almnost
10 kms the drive was in poor-visibility conditions (at 4 pm in the
afternoon).
Slowly, hotels have started coming up in the Idukki region - Green Berg
Resorts at Kulamavi, Hotel Stonage at Cheruthoni, etc).
Then comes Kulamavu Dam, but I stopped by at Cheruthoni Dam which is one of
the main structures damming the Cheruthoni River and creating the Idukki
Reservoir. Unfortunately, the best view points are restricted for
photography (and the forest guard refused to leave my company while I was
there) although occasionally you do get some brlliant views of the dam
reservoir from the road too. The returning day traffic of tourists can be
dangerous since they are all speeding down the steep roads in their hurry to
get back home.
The route I took was:
Ernakulam-Tripunithura-Puthencruz-Muvattupuzha-Thodupuzha-Moolamattam-Naduga
ni-KUlamavu Dam-Cheruthoni Dam-Painavu-Cheruthoni-Idukki Dam.

I reached Idukki Dam at 538 pm after having stopped briefly at Cheruthoni
Dam.

Definitely a drive the enthusiast must take!

Idukki-Thekkady/Kumili, 55 kms, 1.30 hrs

On leaving Idukki, it started raining heavily, but the roads were excellent
and did not pose any problems. Traffic is thin and drive was smooth. I
crossed Kattapana and touched the Munnar-Thekkady road at Puliyanmala. You
can also go directly to Munnar from Cheruthoni via Neriamangalam, and to
Peeremede via Vagamon from Kattapana.
The Puliyanmala-Thekkady road was fantastic, but navigating Kumili town was
messy, and much as I was tempted to stop by for a "Barotta" meal, I did not
want to park in that town. I crossed Kumili at 710 pm.

Kumili-Madurai, 150 kms, 2.55 hrs

The ghat road down from Kumili was a mess with lots of potholes and it was
still raining at that time, but oince I went down to the Tamil Nadu plains,
road was fantastic and being late, not a soul on the road. Nevertheless, the
small towns en route (Kumbam, Theni, etc) bring lots of irritation. Signages
are terrible, and I missed a turn at Usilampatti to go off course for a few
kms before I realised my mistake. Signages need to be improved a lot to
guide new drivers in this sector, too bad that this is NH49.
I reached the old Madurai bypass (near the Germanus Hotel) at 1000 pm.

MADURAI-KANYAKUMARI-TRIVANDRUM, 332 kms, 5 hrs

The old Madurai bypass is quite a mess, after it has rained, with lots of
construction debris from what appears to be a road widening exercise. There
is the new Madurai bypass which is an excellent road but that is on the NH45
(for those coming from Dindigul or Trichy), and I joined the lovely 4-lane
road (North-South Corridor) near Tirumangalam.

What a road it is - except for some bridges and a couple of town bypasses
(near Kayathar, for instance), the road is a delight to drive on. Facilities
are poor. Joining the 4-laner, it took me 1.25 m to cover the 115 kms to
Kayathar which comes before Tirunelveli. However, the condition of the road
near flyover consrtruction sistes and for a short distance after Kayathar
(because of a ROB under construction) is really bad. I wonder when the new
Tirunelveli bypass will be ready, the old bypass is now almost part of the
city and has to be improved. I covered the 157 kms to Tirunelveli in 2.25 m.

The 4-laned road ends at Panagudi, before NH7 veers off to Kanyakumari (the
other fork goes to Nagercoil). The last 25 kms to Kanyakumari is a road
under construction.

I reached Kanyakumari at 138 am, but did not go down to the water's edge
because of the exorbitant toll they collect at the town's entrance and also
to avoid any encounters with TN Police (0n duty there), with whom I have
nothing but bad experiences in the past. The last 2 times I drove to
Kanyakumari were equally momentous - Kashmir 2 Kanyakumari drive, Dec 2002,
and the Coast 2 Cape 2 Coast Drive, Dec 2005.

Surprising - the NH47 fromn Kanyakumari to Nagercoil has been widened and is
in great form, but I was lucky that it was well past midnight, during day
time this can be one of the slowest rodas. So was the road from Nagercoil to
Trivandrum which has more towns than kms! I reached Trivandrum at 3 am,
having covered the 85 kms in just 87 m, which I think is great timing for
this twisty hilly road with lots of souls on the road even at ungodly hours.
Happily, no one stopped me for being a smuggler (always happens) this time
on the TN-KL border.

TRIVANDRUM-BOMBAY

Left Trivandrum at 9 pm, on Nov 16, 2009

Trivandrum-Ernakulam[/b], 212 kms, 3.18 hrs, slower than my fastest time of
2.25 hrs, had refuelling halt for 5 m, but quite OK considering my previous
run time of 3.05 hrs.

[b]Ernakulam-Calicut, 202 kms, 3.15 hrs, slower than my 2.53 hrs, since I
took the much-better Kodungallur-Irinjalakuda-Trissur-Kunnamkulam route
instead of NH17, same distance, but slower inside Trissur town

Calicut-Mangalore, 254 kms, 4.31 hrs, best time 3.55 hrs, this is where I
have lost lots of time, which included a refuelling halt of 5 m, lots of bad
roads near Mangalore, peak hour traffic and rains

Mangalore-Ankola, 250 kms, 4.57 hrs, slower than earlier 3.25 hrs, this is
where I lost major time (1.30 hrs), thanks to heavy morning peak hour
traffic, bad road sections

Ankola-Hubli-Bombay[/b], 737 kms, 10.28 hrs, via Goa its has taken me 12.30
hrs. This sector, I did in good speed.

Reached [b]Bombay at 11 pm.

So the culprit is the bad roads on NH17 in KL-KA border and beyond.

I think the NH47-NH17-NH63-NH4 route is the longer route (1700 kms), against
the NH47-NH17 (via Goa) (1640 kms).



The total trip was 4,048 kms in 6 days



Kumar



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Kumar you are just astonishing..with the speeds you drive, distances you cover
and yet the fantastic notes you make and share back with all.. Many might have
said this before, but you are admired, adored and envied !

I have done most of these routes though not idukki dam and I hope to do that
soon this year...with my family and in my fiat adventure.. Will find your
writeup immensly useful..

Cheers
Vinay Sambaragimath
Bengaluru..
Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

-----Original Message-----
From: "H V Kumar" <hvkumar@...>
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:21:15
To: <indiahighways@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [IndiaHighways]
Bombay-Bangalore-Ernakulam-Idukki-Thekkady-Madurai-Kanyakumari-Trivandrum-Bombay
Drive

Did a drive from Bombay to Bangalore, Ernakulam, Idukki Dam, Thekkady,
Madurai, Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.

BOMBAY-BANGALORE

Left Bombay on Nov 12, 2009, at 300 am.

Refuelling halts at Khopoli/Expressway, Kolhapur and Chitradurga, 20 m in
all

Bombay-Kolhapur, 391 kms, 4.40 hrs

Included a 5 m halt for refuelling on Pune expressway. The HPCL pump after
the Khopoli Toll Gate is one of the cheapest diesel refueling points in MH.
Slight drizzle most of the way, heavy fog before Lonavla, roads great all
the way
Toll gates in MH are the most inefficient, some of them took over 5 m to
clear, worst being the one before Satara
Being early morning, no wrong side traffic problems.

Kolhapur-Haveri, 280 kms, 3.00 hrs

Stopped 5 m for refuelling after Kolhapur, since KA fuel is more expensive.
Outstanding roads, no traffic, crossed Karad-Kolhapur-Kagal stretch before
peak morning traffic.
No sugarcane traffic, no wrong side traffic this early in the day.

Haveri Bypass, 10 kms, 6 m

Watch out for the sudden bad patch in the Haveri bypass, since the road
before is excellent and this comes as a bolt out of the blue.

Haveri-Chitradurga, 140 kms, 2.03 hrs

Haveri-Ranebennur, for most part, the road is 2-laned although there are
some sections of 4-laned road. There are several road humps, and some bad
roads where flyovers are under construction. No sections where a car can
scrap the undersides. But surprisingly, I have taken only 30 minutes to
cover the 40 kms!
Ranebennur bypass is incomplete, you have to travel through a congested
town, slowed down.
Ranebennur-Harihar was better and the 4-lane road resumes after the end of
Ranebennur town. The 18 kms took me 16 m.
Harihar-Davangere bypass was probably the worst section where low GC cars
need to be careful of craters. For most part, the road is dirt road although
there are some 4-lane sections too. The 26 kms took me 29 m.
4 kms of road, 30 kms after the Davangere bypass, is terrible.
Davangere bypass-Chitradurga was mostly 4-laned although there were some
deviations. The 55 kms took me 42 m.

Chitradurga bypass, 6 kms, 17 m

Chitradurga bypass has some flyovers under construction, but road is not
bad. The 6 kms took me 17 m, including a refuelling halt of 10 m.

Chitradurga-Dobespet, 152 kms, 1,43 hrs

Road is fantastic all the way to Tumkur.
Tumkur bypass is still incomplete, has lots of miscellaneous traffic and the
7 kms took me 8 m
From end of Tumkur bypass, the road is excellent, but I turned off NH4 at
Dobespet (17 kms from end of Tumkur bypass) to avoid the Nelamangala traffic
chaos.

I reached Dobespet at 240 pm, covering the 970 kms from Bombay in 11.40 hrs.

Dobespet-Yelahanka-Bangalore, 89 kms, 2.20 hrs

From Dobespet, I went via Dodballapur, Yelahanka and Krishnarajapuram to
Ulsoor in Bangalore city. The 89 kms took me 2.20 hrs, and I reached my
destination in Ulsoor at 5 pm. Had to wade through dense city traffic, even
in Dodballapur-Yelahanka road, although Dobespet-Dodballapur was fast. Maybe
Nelamangala would have been faster.
So that was the 1,058 km drive from Bombay to Bangalore.

BANGALORE-ERNAKULAM

After my work in Bangalore on Nov 13, I left Bangalore HSR Layout at 515 am
on Nov 14, 2009.

Bangalore-Salem, 194 kms, 2.28 hrs

Despite a slow drive till Hosur and a 5 m refuelling halt after Hosur, the
drive was fast and smooth. Truck traffic was high all the way and city
traffic slowed me down as I approached Salem at 745 am.
The humps in the Toppur Ghat section are terrible.
I decided to try out the 4-laned Salem instead of the shorter
Toppur-Mettur-Bhavani route.
Signages are excellent on Salem bypass.

Salem-Coimbatore bypass (beginning), 153 kms, 2.10 hrs

Leaving NH7 for NH47 at Salem meant 2-laned roads till Sankari, and the 48
km took me 41 kms, but the initial 10 kms out of Salem were very slow and
one has to be careful with the miscellanous traffic and buses which spill
all over the road. Some 5 kms from Salem, 4-lane roads are under
construction. Sankari town also slows you down.
The next 69 kms till you cross Perunthurai when the 4-lane road ends took me
49 m, since it is a lovely 4-lane stretch.
After the fast drive so far, it is a hellish drive from hereon for the next
43 kms, which took me 43 m, and some breakneck driving to overtake the
umpteen buses and other slower-moving vehicles, crossing the messy small
towns like Avinashi in between and beating peak morning traffic. It was
almost 10 am when I reached the beginning of Coimbatore bypass.

Coimbatore Bypass, 27 kms, 27 m

Very frustrating 2-lane road with 2 many toll gates, one before every
intersection (Trichy, Pollachi), means 5 toll gates, could L&T not figure
out a better way to regulate entry/exit. Although you take one through
ticket, the toll gates stop you to check every time and are terribly
inefficient. I had to pick up a fight with one of the toll gate guys, that
was the level of frustration with the state of affairs. Theintersections can
also do without signals (why not a roundabout instead) - the sparse traffic
means that for most part, traffic ignores the signals and moves on
increasing risks of collisions.

Coimbatore-Trissur (bypass beginning), 95 kms, 1.47 hrs

You can see how slow the drive was on the 2-lane roads through Palghat to
Trissur. Traffic was quite high, overtaking difficult, but happily the roads
were good throughout including the notorious Palghat-Trissur section.

The TN-KL border checkposts looks the most inefficient in India, judging
from the trucks piled up for over a km on both sides - but luckily
well-regulated and parked in an orderly fashion, but I can imagine the jam
that will erupt if anyone goes out of line in the narrow road.

Trissur-Ernakulam Vytilla Jn, 75 kms, 1.40 m

That was really slow, my best time on this stretch being 60 minutes.
4-laning work is on from Trissur onwards, and there are some major
deviations (e.g. go into Chalakudy town), and one has to be slow and patient
in the busy KL roads. High tIme to build a couple of flyovers off Aluva town
instead of the clumsy signal points.
Signages are good.

The Bangalore-Ernakulam drive of 545 kms took me 7.47 m.
First 200 kms from Bnagalore to Salem took me 2.30 hrs
Second 215 kms from Salem to Palghat took me 3.15 hrs
Last 135 kms took me 2.45 m, best time has been 2 hrs

ERNAKULAM-IDUKKI-THEKKADY-KANYAKUMARI-TRIVANDRUM

This was a daft route to take to get to Trivandrum - 668 kms instead of the
direct 220 kms!
Why Idukki Dam?
I had been to Idukki Dam last in 1975 when I was a kid (went inside the
Moolamattam Power Station, saw it hidden under the hills from Nadugani,
gawked at the newly-built Arch Dam at Idukki, had tea at the PWD Rest House
and took a rare boat ride in Idukki reservoir in the company of the then VC
of Kerala University). So I thought I shoudl see the place again. And go via
Thodupuzha, which is my father's home town anyway.
Why Kanyakumari?
In April 2009, I went to the EASTernmost point in India - Kibithu
(Arunachal) and from there drove to the WESTernmost point in India,
Koteshwar (Gujarat). Then came September, and I drove to the NORTHernmost
point in India - Panamik in the Nubra Valley in Ladakh. So what could be a
good culmination if I were to visit Kanyakumari too the SAME year, the
SOUTHernmost point in India.
So, I drove via Idukki to Kanyakumari and landed up at my home in
Trivandrum.

Ernakulam-Idukki Dam, 131 kms, 3.18 m

No speed run this, progress was slow getting out of Ernakulam and driving
the busy road to Muvattupuzha.
Signages are poor in Muvattupuzha and Thodupuzha towns. There are so many
touristy signboards but there are so many gaps that you do not know whether
you are still following the road you want. Luckily, since I am familiar with
the region, I had no difficulties but anyone from outside KL is going to
find it frustrating to find directions on these roads.
The road from Thodupuza to Idukki Dam must rank as one of the loveliest
drives in India, and the roads were outstanding as was the entire route.
Some lovely twisties, great views, superlative weather (slight drizzle,
overcast, cool) and I am surorised no one (other than day-trippers from
EKM/Kottayam) appear to be going there (which is a good thing anyway).
Moolamattam Dam comes first, it is the largest hydel power plant in KL. From
Moolamattam onwards, one drives into deep jungles, and one has to be wary
about elephant crossings on this road (although I was unlucky not to see
any, probably because of the rainy weather). I wonder if the Check Post 5
kms from Moolamattam town restricts access in this road in the night, could
not find out.
Nadugani View Point and environs were shrouded in heavy fog and for almnost
10 kms the drive was in poor-visibility conditions (at 4 pm in the
afternoon).
Slowly, hotels have started coming up in the Idukki region - Green Berg
Resorts at Kulamavi, Hotel Stonage at Cheruthoni, etc).
Then comes Kulamavu Dam, but I stopped by at Cheruthoni Dam which is one of
the main structures damming the Cheruthoni River and creating the Idukki
Reservoir. Unfortunately, the best view points are restricted for
photography (and the forest guard refused to leave my company while I was
there) although occasionally you do get some brlliant views of the dam
reservoir from the road too. The returning day traffic of tourists can be
dangerous since they are all speeding down the steep roads in their hurry to
get back home.
The route I took was:
Ernakulam-Tripunithura-Puthencruz-Muvattupuzha-Thodupuzha-Moolamattam-Naduga
ni-KUlamavu Dam-Cheruthoni Dam-Painavu-Cheruthoni-Idukki Dam.

I reached Idukki Dam at 538 pm after having stopped briefly at Cheruthoni
Dam.

Definitely a drive the enthusiast must take!

Idukki-Thekkady/Kumili, 55 kms, 1.30 hrs

On leaving Idukki, it started raining heavily, but the roads were excellent
and did not pose any problems. Traffic is thin and drive was smooth. I
crossed Kattapana and touched the Munnar-Thekkady road at Puliyanmala. You
can also go directly to Munnar from Cheruthoni via Neriamangalam, and to
Peeremede via Vagamon from Kattapana.
The Puliyanmala-Thekkady road was fantastic, but navigating Kumili town was
messy, and much as I was tempted to stop by for a "Barotta" meal, I did not
want to park in that town. I crossed Kumili at 710 pm.

Kumili-Madurai, 150 kms, 2.55 hrs

The ghat road down from Kumili was a mess with lots of potholes and it was
still raining at that time, but oince I went down to the Tamil Nadu plains,
road was fantastic and being late, not a soul on the road. Nevertheless, the
small towns en route (Kumbam, Theni, etc) bring lots of irritation. Signages
are terrible, and I missed a turn at Usilampatti to go off course for a few
kms before I realised my mistake. Signages need to be improved a lot to
guide new drivers in this sector, too bad that this is NH49.
I reached the old Madurai bypass (near the Germanus Hotel) at 1000 pm.

MADURAI-KANYAKUMARI-TRIVANDRUM, 332 kms, 5 hrs

The old Madurai bypass is quite a mess, after it has rained, with lots of
construction debris from what appears to be a road widening exercise. There
is the new Madurai bypass which is an excellent road but that is on the NH45
(for those coming from Dindigul or Trichy), and I joined the lovely 4-lane
road (North-South Corridor) near Tirumangalam.

What a road it is - except for some bridges and a couple of town bypasses
(near Kayathar, for instance), the road is a delight to drive on. Facilities
are poor. Joining the 4-laner, it took me 1.25 m to cover the 115 kms to
Kayathar which comes before Tirunelveli. However, the condition of the road
near flyover consrtruction sistes and for a short distance after Kayathar
(because of a ROB under construction) is really bad. I wonder when the new
Tirunelveli bypass will be ready, the old bypass is now almost part of the
city and has to be improved. I covered the 157 kms to Tirunelveli in 2.25 m.

The 4-laned road ends at Panagudi, before NH7 veers off to Kanyakumari (the
other fork goes to Nagercoil). The last 25 kms to Kanyakumari is a road
under construction.

I reached Kanyakumari at 138 am, but did not go down to the water's edge
because of the exorbitant toll they collect at the town's entrance and also
to avoid any encounters with TN Police (0n duty there), with whom I have
nothing but bad experiences in the past. The last 2 times I drove to
Kanyakumari were equally momentous - Kashmir 2 Kanyakumari drive, Dec 2002,
and the Coast 2 Cape 2 Coast Drive, Dec 2005.

Surprising - the NH47 fromn Kanyakumari to Nagercoil has been widened and is
in great form, but I was lucky that it was well past midnight, during day
time this can be one of the slowest rodas. So was the road from Nagercoil to
Trivandrum which has more towns than kms! I reached Trivandrum at 3 am,
having covered the 85 kms in just 87 m, which I think is great timing for
this twisty hilly road with lots of souls on the road even at ungodly hours.
Happily, no one stopped me for being a smuggler (always happens) this time
on the TN-KL border.

TRIVANDRUM-BOMBAY

Left Trivandrum at 9 pm, on Nov 16, 2009

Trivandrum-Ernakulam[/b], 212 kms, 3.18 hrs, slower than my fastest time of
2.25 hrs, had refuelling halt for 5 m, but quite OK considering my previous
run time of 3.05 hrs.

[b]Ernakulam-Calicut, 202 kms, 3.15 hrs, slower than my 2.53 hrs, since I
took the much-better Kodungallur-Irinjalakuda-Trissur-Kunnamkulam route
instead of NH17, same distance, but slower inside Trissur town

Calicut-Mangalore, 254 kms, 4.31 hrs, best time 3.55 hrs, this is where I
have lost lots of time, which included a refuelling halt of 5 m, lots of bad
roads near Mangalore, peak hour traffic and rains

Mangalore-Ankola, 250 kms, 4.57 hrs, slower than earlier 3.25 hrs, this is
where I lost major time (1.30 hrs), thanks to heavy morning peak hour
traffic, bad road sections

Ankola-Hubli-Bombay[/b], 737 kms, 10.28 hrs, via Goa its has taken me 12.30
hrs. This sector, I did in good speed.

Reached [b]Bombay at 11 pm.

So the culprit is the bad roads on NH17 in KL-KA border and beyond.

I think the NH47-NH17-NH63-NH4 route is the longer route (1700 kms), against
the NH47-NH17 (via Goa) (1640 kms).



The total trip was 4,048 kms in 6 days



Kumar



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I never liked Blr-Salem-CBM route to go to TCR/EKM
you can flat out in some stretches on this route but the heavy truck traffic
kill that fun.
So I always prefer to take Mysore-Bandipur-Gudallur-Nilambur(or thru CLT) route
which is scenic and not much traffic.
I usually cover this stretch in an easy 8.5 hours.

Saji

________________________________
From: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com [mailto:indiahighways@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of H V Kumar
Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 3:21 PM
To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [IndiaHighways]
Bombay-Bangalore-Ernakulam-Idukki-Thekkady-Madurai-Kanyakumari-Trivandrum-Bombay
Drive



Did a drive from Bombay to Bangalore, Ernakulam, Idukki Dam, Thekkady,
Madurai, Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.

BOMBAY-BANGALORE

Left Bombay on Nov 12, 2009, at 300 am.

Refuelling halts at Khopoli/Expressway, Kolhapur and Chitradurga, 20 m in
all

Bombay-Kolhapur, 391 kms, 4.40 hrs

Included a 5 m halt for refuelling on Pune expressway. The HPCL pump after
the Khopoli Toll Gate is one of the cheapest diesel refueling points in MH.
Slight drizzle most of the way, heavy fog before Lonavla, roads great all
the way
Toll gates in MH are the most inefficient, some of them took over 5 m to
clear, worst being the one before Satara
Being early morning, no wrong side traffic problems.

Kolhapur-Haveri, 280 kms, 3.00 hrs

Stopped 5 m for refuelling after Kolhapur, since KA fuel is more expensive.
Outstanding roads, no traffic, crossed Karad-Kolhapur-Kagal stretch before
peak morning traffic.
No sugarcane traffic, no wrong side traffic this early in the day.

Haveri Bypass, 10 kms, 6 m

Watch out for the sudden bad patch in the Haveri bypass, since the road
before is excellent and this comes as a bolt out of the blue.

Haveri-Chitradurga, 140 kms, 2.03 hrs

Haveri-Ranebennur, for most part, the road is 2-laned although there are
some sections of 4-laned road. There are several road humps, and some bad
roads where flyovers are under construction. No sections where a car can
scrap the undersides. But surprisingly, I have taken only 30 minutes to
cover the 40 kms!
Ranebennur bypass is incomplete, you have to travel through a congested
town, slowed down.
Ranebennur-Harihar was better and the 4-lane road resumes after the end of
Ranebennur town. The 18 kms took me 16 m.
Harihar-Davangere bypass was probably the worst section where low GC cars
need to be careful of craters. For most part, the road is dirt road although
there are some 4-lane sections too. The 26 kms took me 29 m.
4 kms of road, 30 kms after the Davangere bypass, is terrible.
Davangere bypass-Chitradurga was mostly 4-laned although there were some
deviations. The 55 kms took me 42 m.

Chitradurga bypass, 6 kms, 17 m

Chitradurga bypass has some flyovers under construction, but road is not
bad. The 6 kms took me 17 m, including a refuelling halt of 10 m.

Chitradurga-Dobespet, 152 kms, 1,43 hrs

Road is fantastic all the way to Tumkur.
Tumkur bypass is still incomplete, has lots of miscellaneous traffic and the
7 kms took me 8 m
From end of Tumkur bypass, the road is excellent, but I turned off NH4 at
Dobespet (17 kms from end of Tumkur bypass) to avoid the Nelamangala traffic
chaos.

I reached Dobespet at 240 pm, covering the 970 kms from Bombay in 11.40 hrs.

Dobespet-Yelahanka-Bangalore, 89 kms, 2.20 hrs

From Dobespet, I went via Dodballapur, Yelahanka and Krishnarajapuram to
Ulsoor in Bangalore city. The 89 kms took me 2.20 hrs, and I reached my
destination in Ulsoor at 5 pm. Had to wade through dense city traffic, even
in Dodballapur-Yelahanka road, although Dobespet-Dodballapur was fast. Maybe
Nelamangala would have been faster.
So that was the 1,058 km drive from Bombay to Bangalore.

BANGALORE-ERNAKULAM

After my work in Bangalore on Nov 13, I left Bangalore HSR Layout at 515 am
on Nov 14, 2009.

Bangalore-Salem, 194 kms, 2.28 hrs

Despite a slow drive till Hosur and a 5 m refuelling halt after Hosur, the
drive was fast and smooth. Truck traffic was high all the way and city
traffic slowed me down as I approached Salem at 745 am.
The humps in the Toppur Ghat section are terrible.
I decided to try out the 4-laned Salem instead of the shorter
Toppur-Mettur-Bhavani route.
Signages are excellent on Salem bypass.

Salem-Coimbatore bypass (beginning), 153 kms, 2.10 hrs

Leaving NH7 for NH47 at Salem meant 2-laned roads till Sankari, and the 48
km took me 41 kms, but the initial 10 kms out of Salem were very slow and
one has to be careful with the miscellanous traffic and buses which spill
all over the road. Some 5 kms from Salem, 4-lane roads are under
construction. Sankari town also slows you down.
The next 69 kms till you cross Perunthurai when the 4-lane road ends took me
49 m, since it is a lovely 4-lane stretch.
After the fast drive so far, it is a hellish drive from hereon for the next
43 kms, which took me 43 m, and some breakneck driving to overtake the
umpteen buses and other slower-moving vehicles, crossing the messy small
towns like Avinashi in between and beating peak morning traffic. It was
almost 10 am when I reached the beginning of Coimbatore bypass.

Coimbatore Bypass, 27 kms, 27 m

Very frustrating 2-lane road with 2 many toll gates, one before every
intersection (Trichy, Pollachi), means 5 toll gates, could L&T not figure
out a better way to regulate entry/exit. Although you take one through
ticket, the toll gates stop you to check every time and are terribly
inefficient. I had to pick up a fight with one of the toll gate guys, that
was the level of frustration with the state of affairs. Theintersections can
also do without signals (why not a roundabout instead) - the sparse traffic
means that for most part, traffic ignores the signals and moves on
increasing risks of collisions.

Coimbatore-Trissur (bypass beginning), 95 kms, 1.47 hrs

You can see how slow the drive was on the 2-lane roads through Palghat to
Trissur. Traffic was quite high, overtaking difficult, but happily the roads
were good throughout including the notorious Palghat-Trissur section.

The TN-KL border checkposts looks the most inefficient in India, judging
from the trucks piled up for over a km on both sides - but luckily
well-regulated and parked in an orderly fashion, but I can imagine the jam
that will erupt if anyone goes out of line in the narrow road.

Trissur-Ernakulam Vytilla Jn, 75 kms, 1.40 m

That was really slow, my best time on this stretch being 60 minutes.
4-laning work is on from Trissur onwards, and there are some major
deviations (e.g. go into Chalakudy town), and one has to be slow and patient
in the busy KL roads. High tIme to build a couple of flyovers off Aluva town
instead of the clumsy signal points.
Signages are good.

The Bangalore-Ernakulam drive of 545 kms took me 7.47 m.
First 200 kms from Bnagalore to Salem took me 2.30 hrs
Second 215 kms from Salem to Palghat took me 3.15 hrs
Last 135 kms took me 2.45 m, best time has been 2 hrs

ERNAKULAM-IDUKKI-THEKKADY-KANYAKUMARI-TRIVANDRUM

This was a daft route to take to get to Trivandrum - 668 kms instead of the
direct 220 kms!
Why Idukki Dam?
I had been to Idukki Dam last in 1975 when I was a kid (went inside the
Moolamattam Power Station, saw it hidden under the hills from Nadugani,
gawked at the newly-built Arch Dam at Idukki, had tea at the PWD Rest House
and took a rare boat ride in Idukki reservoir in the company of the then VC
of Kerala University). So I thought I shoudl see the place again. And go via
Thodupuzha, which is my father's home town anyway.
Why Kanyakumari?
In April 2009, I went to the EASTernmost point in India - Kibithu
(Arunachal) and from there drove to the WESTernmost point in India,
Koteshwar (Gujarat). Then came September, and I drove to the NORTHernmost
point in India - Panamik in the Nubra Valley in Ladakh. So what could be a
good culmination if I were to visit Kanyakumari too the SAME year, the
SOUTHernmost point in India.
So, I drove via Idukki to Kanyakumari and landed up at my home in
Trivandrum.

Ernakulam-Idukki Dam, 131 kms, 3.18 m

No speed run this, progress was slow getting out of Ernakulam and driving
the busy road to Muvattupuzha.
Signages are poor in Muvattupuzha and Thodupuzha towns. There are so many
touristy signboards but there are so many gaps that you do not know whether
you are still following the road you want. Luckily, since I am familiar with
the region, I had no difficulties but anyone from outside KL is going to
find it frustrating to find directions on these roads.
The road from Thodupuza to Idukki Dam must rank as one of the loveliest
drives in India, and the roads were outstanding as was the entire route.
Some lovely twisties, great views, superlative weather (slight drizzle,
overcast, cool) and I am surorised no one (other than day-trippers from
EKM/Kottayam) appear to be going there (which is a good thing anyway).
Moolamattam Dam comes first, it is the largest hydel power plant in KL. From
Moolamattam onwards, one drives into deep jungles, and one has to be wary
about elephant crossings on this road (although I was unlucky not to see
any, probably because of the rainy weather). I wonder if the Check Post 5
kms from Moolamattam town restricts access in this road in the night, could
not find out.
Nadugani View Point and environs were shrouded in heavy fog and for almnost
10 kms the drive was in poor-visibility conditions (at 4 pm in the
afternoon).
Slowly, hotels have started coming up in the Idukki region - Green Berg
Resorts at Kulamavi, Hotel Stonage at Cheruthoni, etc).
Then comes Kulamavu Dam, but I stopped by at Cheruthoni Dam which is one of
the main structures damming the Cheruthoni River and creating the Idukki
Reservoir. Unfortunately, the best view points are restricted for
photography (and the forest guard refused to leave my company while I was
there) although occasionally you do get some brlliant views of the dam
reservoir from the road too. The returning day traffic of tourists can be
dangerous since they are all speeding down the steep roads in their hurry to
get back home.
The route I took was:
Ernakulam-Tripunithura-Puthencruz-Muvattupuzha-Thodupuzha-Moolamattam-Naduga
ni-KUlamavu Dam-Cheruthoni Dam-Painavu-Cheruthoni-Idukki Dam.

I reached Idukki Dam at 538 pm after having stopped briefly at Cheruthoni
Dam.

Definitely a drive the enthusiast must take!

Idukki-Thekkady/Kumili, 55 kms, 1.30 hrs

On leaving Idukki, it started raining heavily, but the roads were excellent
and did not pose any problems. Traffic is thin and drive was smooth. I
crossed Kattapana and touched the Munnar-Thekkady road at Puliyanmala. You
can also go directly to Munnar from Cheruthoni via Neriamangalam, and to
Peeremede via Vagamon from Kattapana.
The Puliyanmala-Thekkady road was fantastic, but navigating Kumili town was
messy, and much as I was tempted to stop by for a "Barotta" meal, I did not
want to park in that town. I crossed Kumili at 710 pm.

Kumili-Madurai, 150 kms, 2.55 hrs

The ghat road down from Kumili was a mess with lots of potholes and it was
still raining at that time, but oince I went down to the Tamil Nadu plains,
road was fantastic and being late, not a soul on the road. Nevertheless, the
small towns en route (Kumbam, Theni, etc) bring lots of irritation. Signages
are terrible, and I missed a turn at Usilampatti to go off course for a few
kms before I realised my mistake. Signages need to be improved a lot to
guide new drivers in this sector, too bad that this is NH49.
I reached the old Madurai bypass (near the Germanus Hotel) at 1000 pm.

MADURAI-KANYAKUMARI-TRIVANDRUM, 332 kms, 5 hrs

The old Madurai bypass is quite a mess, after it has rained, with lots of
construction debris from what appears to be a road widening exercise. There
is the new Madurai bypass which is an excellent road but that is on the NH45
(for those coming from Dindigul or Trichy), and I joined the lovely 4-lane
road (North-South Corridor) near Tirumangalam.

What a road it is - except for some bridges and a couple of town bypasses
(near Kayathar, for instance), the road is a delight to drive on. Facilities
are poor. Joining the 4-laner, it took me 1.25 m to cover the 115 kms to
Kayathar which comes before Tirunelveli. However, the condition of the road
near flyover consrtruction sistes and for a short distance after Kayathar
(because of a ROB under construction) is really bad. I wonder when the new
Tirunelveli bypass will be ready, the old bypass is now almost part of the
city and has to be improved. I covered the 157 kms to Tirunelveli in 2.25 m.

The 4-laned road ends at Panagudi, before NH7 veers off to Kanyakumari (the
other fork goes to Nagercoil). The last 25 kms to Kanyakumari is a road
under construction.

I reached Kanyakumari at 138 am, but did not go down to the water's edge
because of the exorbitant toll they collect at the town's entrance and also
to avoid any encounters with TN Police (0n duty there), with whom I have
nothing but bad experiences in the past. The last 2 times I drove to
Kanyakumari were equally momentous - Kashmir 2 Kanyakumari drive, Dec 2002,
and the Coast 2 Cape 2 Coast Drive, Dec 2005.

Surprising - the NH47 fromn Kanyakumari to Nagercoil has been widened and is
in great form, but I was lucky that it was well past midnight, during day
time this can be one of the slowest rodas. So was the road from Nagercoil to
Trivandrum which has more towns than kms! I reached Trivandrum at 3 am,
having covered the 85 kms in just 87 m, which I think is great timing for
this twisty hilly road with lots of souls on the road even at ungodly hours.
Happily, no one stopped me for being a smuggler (always happens) this time
on the TN-KL border.

TRIVANDRUM-BOMBAY

Left Trivandrum at 9 pm, on Nov 16, 2009

Trivandrum-Ernakulam[/b], 212 kms, 3.18 hrs, slower than my fastest time of
2.25 hrs, had refuelling halt for 5 m, but quite OK considering my previous
run time of 3.05 hrs.

[b]Ernakulam-Calicut, 202 kms, 3.15 hrs, slower than my 2.53 hrs, since I
took the much-better Kodungallur-Irinjalakuda-Trissur-Kunnamkulam route
instead of NH17, same distance, but slower inside Trissur town

Calicut-Mangalore, 254 kms, 4.31 hrs, best time 3.55 hrs, this is where I
have lost lots of time, which included a refuelling halt of 5 m, lots of bad
roads near Mangalore, peak hour traffic and rains

Mangalore-Ankola, 250 kms, 4.57 hrs, slower than earlier 3.25 hrs, this is
where I lost major time (1.30 hrs), thanks to heavy morning peak hour
traffic, bad road sections

Ankola-Hubli-Bombay[/b], 737 kms, 10.28 hrs, via Goa its has taken me 12.30
hrs. This sector, I did in good speed.

Reached [b]Bombay at 11 pm.

So the culprit is the bad roads on NH17 in KL-KA border and beyond.

I think the NH47-NH17-NH63-NH4 route is the longer route (1700 kms), against
the NH47-NH17 (via Goa) (1640 kms).

The total trip was 4,048 kms in 6 days

Kumar

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Did a drive from Bombay to Bangalore, Ernakulam, Idukki Dam, Thekkady,
Madurai, Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.

BOMBAY-BANGALORE

Left Bombay on Nov 12, 2009, at 300 am.

Refuelling halts at Khopoli/Expressway, Kolhapur and Chitradurga, 20 m in
all

Bombay-Kolhapur, 391 kms, 4.40 hrs

Included a 5 m halt for refuelling on Pune expressway. The HPCL pump after
the Khopoli Toll Gate is one of the cheapest diesel refueling points in MH.
Slight drizzle most of the way, heavy fog before Lonavla, roads great all
the way
Toll gates in MH are the most inefficient, some of them took over 5 m to
clear, worst being the one before Satara
Being early morning, no wrong side traffic problems.

Kolhapur-Haveri, 280 kms, 3.00 hrs

Stopped 5 m for refuelling after Kolhapur, since KA fuel is more expensive.
Outstanding roads, no traffic, crossed Karad-Kolhapur-Kagal stretch before
peak morning traffic.
No sugarcane traffic, no wrong side traffic this early in the day.

Haveri Bypass, 10 kms, 6 m

Watch out for the sudden bad patch in the Haveri bypass, since the road
before is excellent and this comes as a bolt out of the blue.

Haveri-Chitradurga, 140 kms, 2.03 hrs

Haveri-Ranebennur, for most part, the road is 2-laned although there are
some sections of 4-laned road. There are several road humps, and some bad
roads where flyovers are under construction. No sections where a car can
scrap the undersides. But surprisingly, I have taken only 30 minutes to
cover the 40 kms!
Ranebennur bypass is incomplete, you have to travel through a congested
town, slowed down.
Ranebennur-Harihar was better and the 4-lane road resumes after the end of
Ranebennur town. The 18 kms took me 16 m.
Harihar-Davangere bypass was probably the worst section where low GC cars
need to be careful of craters. For most part, the road is dirt road although
there are some 4-lane sections too. The 26 kms took me 29 m.
4 kms of road, 30 kms after the Davangere bypass, is terrible.
Davangere bypass-Chitradurga was mostly 4-laned although there were some
deviations. The 55 kms took me 42 m.

Chitradurga bypass, 6 kms, 17 m

Chitradurga bypass has some flyovers under construction, but road is not
bad. The 6 kms took me 17 m, including a refuelling halt of 10 m.

Chitradurga-Dobespet, 152 kms, 1,43 hrs

Road is fantastic all the way to Tumkur.
Tumkur bypass is still incomplete, has lots of miscellaneous traffic and the
7 kms took me 8 m
From end of Tumkur bypass, the road is excellent, but I turned off NH4 at
Dobespet (17 kms from end of Tumkur bypass) to avoid the Nelamangala traffic
chaos.

I reached Dobespet at 240 pm, covering the 970 kms from Bombay in 11.40 hrs.

Dobespet-Yelahanka-Bangalore, 89 kms, 2.20 hrs

From Dobespet, I went via Dodballapur, Yelahanka and Krishnarajapuram to
Ulsoor in Bangalore city. The 89 kms took me 2.20 hrs, and I reached my
destination in Ulsoor at 5 pm. Had to wade through dense city traffic, even
in Dodballapur-Yelahanka road, although Dobespet-Dodballapur was fast. Maybe
Nelamangala would have been faster.
So that was the 1,058 km drive from Bombay to Bangalore.

BANGALORE-ERNAKULAM

After my work in Bangalore on Nov 13, I left Bangalore HSR Layout at 515 am
on Nov 14, 2009.

Bangalore-Salem, 194 kms, 2.28 hrs

Despite a slow drive till Hosur and a 5 m refuelling halt after Hosur, the
drive was fast and smooth. Truck traffic was high all the way and city
traffic slowed me down as I approached Salem at 745 am.
The humps in the Toppur Ghat section are terrible.
I decided to try out the 4-laned Salem instead of the shorter
Toppur-Mettur-Bhavani route.
Signages are excellent on Salem bypass.

Salem-Coimbatore bypass (beginning), 153 kms, 2.10 hrs

Leaving NH7 for NH47 at Salem meant 2-laned roads till Sankari, and the 48
km took me 41 kms, but the initial 10 kms out of Salem were very slow and
one has to be careful with the miscellanous traffic and buses which spill
all over the road. Some 5 kms from Salem, 4-lane roads are under
construction. Sankari town also slows you down.
The next 69 kms till you cross Perunthurai when the 4-lane road ends took me
49 m, since it is a lovely 4-lane stretch.
After the fast drive so far, it is a hellish drive from hereon for the next
43 kms, which took me 43 m, and some breakneck driving to overtake the
umpteen buses and other slower-moving vehicles, crossing the messy small
towns like Avinashi in between and beating peak morning traffic. It was
almost 10 am when I reached the beginning of Coimbatore bypass.

Coimbatore Bypass, 27 kms, 27 m

Very frustrating 2-lane road with 2 many toll gates, one before every
intersection (Trichy, Pollachi), means 5 toll gates, could L&T not figure
out a better way to regulate entry/exit. Although you take one through
ticket, the toll gates stop you to check every time and are terribly
inefficient. I had to pick up a fight with one of the toll gate guys, that
was the level of frustration with the state of affairs. Theintersections can
also do without signals (why not a roundabout instead) - the sparse traffic
means that for most part, traffic ignores the signals and moves on
increasing risks of collisions.

Coimbatore-Trissur (bypass beginning), 95 kms, 1.47 hrs

You can see how slow the drive was on the 2-lane roads through Palghat to
Trissur. Traffic was quite high, overtaking difficult, but happily the roads
were good throughout including the notorious Palghat-Trissur section.

The TN-KL border checkposts looks the most inefficient in India, judging
from the trucks piled up for over a km on both sides - but luckily
well-regulated and parked in an orderly fashion, but I can imagine the jam
that will erupt if anyone goes out of line in the narrow road.

Trissur-Ernakulam Vytilla Jn, 75 kms, 1.40 m

That was really slow, my best time on this stretch being 60 minutes.
4-laning work is on from Trissur onwards, and there are some major
deviations (e.g. go into Chalakudy town), and one has to be slow and patient
in the busy KL roads. High tIme to build a couple of flyovers off Aluva town
instead of the clumsy signal points.
Signages are good.

The Bangalore-Ernakulam drive of 545 kms took me 7.47 m.
First 200 kms from Bnagalore to Salem took me 2.30 hrs
Second 215 kms from Salem to Palghat took me 3.15 hrs
Last 135 kms took me 2.45 m, best time has been 2 hrs

ERNAKULAM-IDUKKI-THEKKADY-KANYAKUMARI-TRIVANDRUM

This was a daft route to take to get to Trivandrum - 668 kms instead of the
direct 220 kms!
Why Idukki Dam?
I had been to Idukki Dam last in 1975 when I was a kid (went inside the
Moolamattam Power Station, saw it hidden under the hills from Nadugani,
gawked at the newly-built Arch Dam at Idukki, had tea at the PWD Rest House
and took a rare boat ride in Idukki reservoir in the company of the then VC
of Kerala University). So I thought I shoudl see the place again. And go via
Thodupuzha, which is my father's home town anyway.
Why Kanyakumari?
In April 2009, I went to the EASTernmost point in India - Kibithu
(Arunachal) and from there drove to the WESTernmost point in India,
Koteshwar (Gujarat). Then came September, and I drove to the NORTHernmost
point in India - Panamik in the Nubra Valley in Ladakh. So what could be a
good culmination if I were to visit Kanyakumari too the SAME year, the
SOUTHernmost point in India.
So, I drove via Idukki to Kanyakumari and landed up at my home in
Trivandrum.

Ernakulam-Idukki Dam, 131 kms, 3.18 m

No speed run this, progress was slow getting out of Ernakulam and driving
the busy road to Muvattupuzha.
Signages are poor in Muvattupuzha and Thodupuzha towns. There are so many
touristy signboards but there are so many gaps that you do not know whether
you are still following the road you want. Luckily, since I am familiar with
the region, I had no difficulties but anyone from outside KL is going to
find it frustrating to find directions on these roads.
The road from Thodupuza to Idukki Dam must rank as one of the loveliest
drives in India, and the roads were outstanding as was the entire route.
Some lovely twisties, great views, superlative weather (slight drizzle,
overcast, cool) and I am surorised no one (other than day-trippers from
EKM/Kottayam) appear to be going there (which is a good thing anyway).
Moolamattam Dam comes first, it is the largest hydel power plant in KL. From
Moolamattam onwards, one drives into deep jungles, and one has to be wary
about elephant crossings on this road (although I was unlucky not to see
any, probably because of the rainy weather). I wonder if the Check Post 5
kms from Moolamattam town restricts access in this road in the night, could
not find out.
Nadugani View Point and environs were shrouded in heavy fog and for almnost
10 kms the drive was in poor-visibility conditions (at 4 pm in the
afternoon).
Slowly, hotels have started coming up in the Idukki region - Green Berg
Resorts at Kulamavi, Hotel Stonage at Cheruthoni, etc).
Then comes Kulamavu Dam, but I stopped by at Cheruthoni Dam which is one of
the main structures damming the Cheruthoni River and creating the Idukki
Reservoir. Unfortunately, the best view points are restricted for
photography (and the forest guard refused to leave my company while I was
there) although occasionally you do get some brlliant views of the dam
reservoir from the road too. The returning day traffic of tourists can be
dangerous since they are all speeding down the steep roads in their hurry to
get back home.
The route I took was:
Ernakulam-Tripunithura-Puthencruz-Muvattupuzha-Thodupuzha-Moolamattam-Naduga
ni-KUlamavu Dam-Cheruthoni Dam-Painavu-Cheruthoni-Idukki Dam.

I reached Idukki Dam at 538 pm after having stopped briefly at Cheruthoni
Dam.

Definitely a drive the enthusiast must take!

Idukki-Thekkady/Kumili, 55 kms, 1.30 hrs

On leaving Idukki, it started raining heavily, but the roads were excellent
and did not pose any problems. Traffic is thin and drive was smooth. I
crossed Kattapana and touched the Munnar-Thekkady road at Puliyanmala. You
can also go directly to Munnar from Cheruthoni via Neriamangalam, and to
Peeremede via Vagamon from Kattapana.
The Puliyanmala-Thekkady road was fantastic, but navigating Kumili town was
messy, and much as I was tempted to stop by for a "Barotta" meal, I did not
want to park in that town. I crossed Kumili at 710 pm.

Kumili-Madurai, 150 kms, 2.55 hrs

The ghat road down from Kumili was a mess with lots of potholes and it was
still raining at that time, but oince I went down to the Tamil Nadu plains,
road was fantastic and being late, not a soul on the road. Nevertheless, the
small towns en route (Kumbam, Theni, etc) bring lots of irritation. Signages
are terrible, and I missed a turn at Usilampatti to go off course for a few
kms before I realised my mistake. Signages need to be improved a lot to
guide new drivers in this sector, too bad that this is NH49.
I reached the old Madurai bypass (near the Germanus Hotel) at 1000 pm.

MADURAI-KANYAKUMARI-TRIVANDRUM, 332 kms, 5 hrs

The old Madurai bypass is quite a mess, after it has rained, with lots of
construction debris from what appears to be a road widening exercise. There
is the new Madurai bypass which is an excellent road but that is on the NH45
(for those coming from Dindigul or Trichy), and I joined the lovely 4-lane
road (North-South Corridor) near Tirumangalam.

What a road it is - except for some bridges and a couple of town bypasses
(near Kayathar, for instance), the road is a delight to drive on. Facilities
are poor. Joining the 4-laner, it took me 1.25 m to cover the 115 kms to
Kayathar which comes before Tirunelveli. However, the condition of the road
near flyover consrtruction sistes and for a short distance after Kayathar
(because of a ROB under construction) is really bad. I wonder when the new
Tirunelveli bypass will be ready, the old bypass is now almost part of the
city and has to be improved. I covered the 157 kms to Tirunelveli in 2.25 m.

The 4-laned road ends at Panagudi, before NH7 veers off to Kanyakumari (the
other fork goes to Nagercoil). The last 25 kms to Kanyakumari is a road
under construction.

I reached Kanyakumari at 138 am, but did not go down to the water's edge
because of the exorbitant toll they collect at the town's entrance and also
to avoid any encounters with TN Police (0n duty there), with whom I have
nothing but bad experiences in the past. The last 2 times I drove to
Kanyakumari were equally momentous - Kashmir 2 Kanyakumari drive, Dec 2002,
and the Coast 2 Cape 2 Coast Drive, Dec 2005.

Surprising - the NH47 fromn Kanyakumari to Nagercoil has been widened and is
in great form, but I was lucky that it was well past midnight, during day
time this can be one of the slowest rodas. So was the road from Nagercoil to
Trivandrum which has more towns than kms! I reached Trivandrum at 3 am,
having covered the 85 kms in just 87 m, which I think is great timing for
this twisty hilly road with lots of souls on the road even at ungodly hours.
Happily, no one stopped me for being a smuggler (always happens) this time
on the TN-KL border.

TRIVANDRUM-BOMBAY

Left Trivandrum at 9 pm, on Nov 16, 2009

Trivandrum-Ernakulam[/b], 212 kms, 3.18 hrs, slower than my fastest time of
2.25 hrs, had refuelling halt for 5 m, but quite OK considering my previous
run time of 3.05 hrs.

[b]Ernakulam-Calicut, 202 kms, 3.15 hrs, slower than my 2.53 hrs, since I
took the much-better Kodungallur-Irinjalakuda-Trissur-Kunnamkulam route
instead of NH17, same distance, but slower inside Trissur town

Calicut-Mangalore, 254 kms, 4.31 hrs, best time 3.55 hrs, this is where I
have lost lots of time, which included a refuelling halt of 5 m, lots of bad
roads near Mangalore, peak hour traffic and rains

Mangalore-Ankola, 250 kms, 4.57 hrs, slower than earlier 3.25 hrs, this is
where I lost major time (1.30 hrs), thanks to heavy morning peak hour
traffic, bad road sections

Ankola-Hubli-Bombay[/b], 737 kms, 10.28 hrs, via Goa its has taken me 12.30
hrs. This sector, I did in good speed.

Reached [b]Bombay at 11 pm.

So the culprit is the bad roads on NH17 in KL-KA border and beyond.

I think the NH47-NH17-NH63-NH4 route is the longer route (1700 kms), against
the NH47-NH17 (via Goa) (1640 kms).



The total trip was 4,048 kms in 6 days



Kumar



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I have done Bangalore-Pune last year on my bike and I was bored to death :-) I
personally feel that these GQs are more for 4-wheelers than for a true-blue
rider - of course that is my personal opinion.

Have a safe trip...
Rahul




________________________________
From: Sharninder <sharninder@...>
To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, 18 November, 2009 1:27:05 PM
Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore - Delhi on a motorcycle

 
Well, I'd have loved to go via this route too, but time is a
constraint. As of now, the Bangalore-Thane- Udaipur-Delhi route looks
the best. Viswanath did it in three days so I'm thinking 4 is doable
for me even if I do a more relaxed ride with an extra stop somewhere
in between. How does Bangalore-Pune- Ahmedabad- Udaipur-Delhi sound with
stops at the places mentioned.

On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 12:32 PM, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@yahoo. com> wrote:
> If time is not a constraint, I would recommend Bangalore - Mangalore - Goa -
Mumbai (can be bypassed) - Jaipur - Delhi
>
>
>
>
> ____________ _________ _________ __
> From: Sharninder <sharninder@gmail. com>
> To: indiahighways@ yahoogroups. com
> Sent: Mon, 16 November, 2009 11:35:22 PM
> Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore - Delhi on a motorcycle
>
>
> Hey Viswanath,
>
>>   -  I did BLR - PUN the first day, PUN-AHMEDABAD the next and AHMED- DLH
>>   the 3nd.No riding after 8 in the night.
>>   -  I had other incentive too, I met friends in Pune and Ahmedabad .
>>   - The roads are just awesome to the extent of getting boring(for a bike).
>>
>>   - You can rip till your bike cries.
>>   - I rode on a bullet Std 350.
>>   - The BLR-PUN route conditions might have changed because of the recent
>>   floods.
>>
>
> Thanks for the help.
>
> I'm more interested in taking this route myself and I understand what
> you mean by saying that the route can become boring. I've travelled on
> parts of this road from Bangalore - Pune - Mumbai and know the route.
>
> Could you tell me what were the approximate distances on this route
> and how much did you have to cover in a day to do this route in 3 days
> ? Since you weren't riding after 8, how early were you starting :-)
>
> --
> Sharninder
>
>
>
>
>      The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo. com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------ --------- --------- ------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

--
Sharninder
http://geekyninja. com/




       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It is good except for a 20-25 km stretch around Shiradi Ghat.




________________________________
From: Viswanath Reddy <viswanath.reddy@...>
To: indiahighways@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, 18 November, 2009 9:02:14 PM
Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore - Delhi on a motorcycle

 
An year back, Bangalore-Mangalore roads were horrible. Dont know as of now.

On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 1:57 AM, Sharninder <sharninder@gmail. com> wrote:

>
>
> Well, I'd have loved to go via this route too, but time is a
> constraint. As of now, the Bangalore-Thane- Udaipur-Delhi route looks
> the best. Viswanath did it in three days so I'm thinking 4 is doable
> for me even if I do a more relaxed ride with an extra stop somewhere
> in between. How does Bangalore-Pune- Ahmedabad- Udaipur-Delhi sound with
> stops at the places mentioned.
>
>
> On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 12:32 PM, Rahul Dubey <cool_dube@yahoo.
com<cool_dube%40yahoo. com>>
> wrote:
> > If time is not a constraint, I would recommend Bangalore - Mangalore -
> Goa - Mumbai (can be bypassed) - Jaipur - Delhi
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ____________ _________ _________ __
> > From: Sharninder <sharninder@gmail. com <sharninder% 40gmail.com> >
> > To: indiahighways@ yahoogroups. com <indiahighways% 40yahoogroups. com>
> > Sent: Mon, 16 November, 2009 11:35:22 PM
> > Subject: Re: [IndiaHighways] Bangalore - Delhi on a motorcycle
> >
> >
> > Hey Viswanath,
> >
> >> - I did BLR - PUN the first day, PUN-AHMEDABAD the next and AHMED-
> DLH
> >> the 3nd.No riding after 8 in the night.
> >> - I had other incentive too, I met friends in Pune and Ahmedabad .
> >> - The roads are just awesome to the extent of getting boring(for a
> bike).
> >>
> >> - You can rip till your bike cries.
> >> - I rode on a bullet Std 350.
> >> - The BLR-PUN route conditions might have changed because of the
> recent
> >> floods.
> >>
> >
> > Thanks for the help.
> >
> > I'm more interested in taking this route myself and I understand what
> > you mean by saying that the route can become boring. I've travelled on
> > parts of this road from Bangalore - Pune - Mumbai and know the route.
> >
> > Could you tell me what were the approximate distances on this route
> > and how much did you have to cover in a day to do this route in 3 days
> > ? Since you weren't riding after 8, how early were you starting :-)
> >
> > --
> > Sharninder
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
> http://in.yahoo. com/
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------ --------- --------- ------
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> Sharninder
> http://geekyninja. com/
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

HVK: Congrats! Excellent route directions for bypassing Mumbai while going from
NH-4 to NH-8!

I have always wondered how this complicated stuff "can be explained" to a
new-comer driving past Mumbai! Even with these details it will be challenge for
a 'non-mumbai' driver ;-) esp. during peak traffic! For you it must be just a
breeze!

You could generalise this a bit including NH-3 to NH-8 ... and have 
instructions for both ways ... and add to your Log Books like a General 
NH3-NH4-NH8 Transition Guide! ... when you get free time.

- KS


--- In indiahighways@yahoogroups.com, "H V Kumar" <hvkumar@...> wrote:
>
> HOW TO BYPASS BOMBAY
>