A 16.1 km/l fuel efficiency figure is very good for the kind of drive and the terrain that we covered.
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A cross-country road trip to Jawai, Rajasthan from Bangalore.
It was Uttarakhand in 2015 and Himachal in 2017. The Uttarakhand and Himachal drives happened in my previous car Fiat Linea. I could never make another long road trip like this happen to date after Scarlett(my Jeep Compass) came home. 6 long years. That is when I came across the flyer for the Zanskar Valley Jeep trail organized by Jeep India. I was itching for a cross-country road trip and this one fit the bill. I signed up for it and waited for the event. But due to inclement weather, flooding and landslides in Himachal, this drive got postponed to a later date just a day before my start from Bangalore. It got postponed again and finally, it was canceled. I must confess. The disappointment was real as I was so looking forward to it.
Then came the announcement from Jeep India about a Jeep trail in Rajasthan due in November called “The Royal Entourage – Jawai Trail”. I have crossed Rajasthan twice but never stopped to explore the state. Looking at the schedule it required a minimum 5 days of leave and with schools reopened after the puja holidays, I didn’t have the option to take my family along.
For the Zanskar Valley drive, I didn’t have any second thoughts but this time I was unsure and didn’t register immediately. That is when one of my friends (Midhun) who also drives a Jeep Compass (4×2) showed interest in joining me for this drive. So, after discussing it with him and my wife, I decided to go ahead with the drive and register for it (53K for two persons). He will be joining me in my Jeep Compass.
Getting prepared for the drive:
- I got the 1,30,000 Km service done @ PPS Motors
- I got the Wheel Alignment/Balancing done at Madhus
- Made sure that the spare wheel was good
- Two Sensairy sensors had to be replaced.
- Verified the pollution certificate and confirmed that it has validity
- Got backup batteries for the car keys
- Got some snacks and dry fruits
- Few water bottles
- First aid kit
- Torchlight
Day 1 (Bangalore – Pune – Mumbai, 1000 Kms)
With all the excitement for this drive, as usual, I didn’t get proper sleep the night before the drive. The plan was to start at 3:30 AM, but there was a slight delay. We could start only by 4:15 am. Midhun came and parked his car at my place, and we started the drive. We hit the NICE road in no time and took the Tumkur road towards Mumbai. It was a weekday and hence the car traffic was less on the road. I was maintaining 100 Kmph initially and once I crossed Tumkur, I was able to maintain 110-120 Kmph. Less traffic helped us to be consistently around this speed. Some spirited drive on the Chitradurga bypass helped us to cross the Davangere toll in exactly 3 hours.
When the daylight started coming out
The traffic was higher while crossing Kolhapur. We were nearing Solapur during lunchtime. paragsachania suggested to stop for lunch at Hotel Pranjali. We reached this place around 1:45 pm. This place is known for non-veg food apparently. So, we tried mutton thali and it was absolutely delicious and very different from the usual fare we get in the south.
We crossed Pune by 3:30 PM and took the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Since we didn’t stop anywhere after lunch, we decided to make a stop on this highway but the food courts there were super crowded, I have never seen such a crowded place on the highway. So, we didn’t want to waste any time there and continued moving towards Mumbai.
Also, by then the ICC World cup semi-final had started and we watched this match for some time and then proceeded.
Reached Navi Mumbai by 5:30 PM. Our stay was at Thane and the room was booked by HVK. We reached our hotel by 6:45 PM. His RoutO was very helpful in crossing Mumbai city. It was a nice room and at a good location for an easy exit towards Gujarat. We also went out for dinner with him.
Continue reading BHPian arun_josie’s travelogue for more insights and information.
