Bangalore - Pune
I started around 2 AM. Mistake:
1. Once I hit NH4, I faced pretty heavy truck traffic. Weaving in and out is somewhat tiring over hundreds of kms.
2. Also, my average speed came down in the night.
3. Most important, I hadn't had adequate rest the last 3 days. Too much work.
Around Haveri, I could feel my concentration starting to slip. I stopped, splashed some water, but again could feel that I was losing it. I was around Bankapur that time. Bankapur. Hadn't heard of that place before I looked at the map. when I came down from Mumbai 4 years back in my Indica (with my dog) I had passed that place without a second thought.But this time it was about to play a key role in my 3 day journey.
Couldn't see any petrol pump in the vicinity. Saw a (closed) tea joint by the roadside that had 5-6 trucks parked. Figured out that it is as safe and appropriate place as any. So I pulled over, went to a corner, locked my vehicle, rolled down the windows a couple of inches (so that it is not easy to reach me if someone has less than noble intentions) and just crashed. Had planned to rest for 1 hour, but ended up sleeping for 1.5.
When I woke up, I was feeling surprisingly fresh. Splashed some water, and took off immediately. Such a big difference daytime makes. My speed increased by 20kmph at least (with the Fortuner headlights, I feel one can do 100-120kmph in the night pretty safely). Stopped for lunch at Kolhapur McDonalds. Ran into some traffic after Kolhapur, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
Ran into heavy traffic 40 kms from Pune. Relied on GPS/Google maps on my phone to guide me to the hotel. Changed from a long distance 'truck' driver getup into 'ready for corporate mingling' attire. Aaargh. Sometimes I feel that I am a square peg badly stuck in a round hole.
Pune - ??
So my work was done by 10 PM, and then I crashed to get some well needed rest. Had planned to wake up early, but felt too lazy. I had got 'permission' from my wife to do a break-journey and return on Sunday. So I could stay over anywhere. Anywhere between Pune's latitude and Bangalore, that is. Where? Palolem, my favourite beach? Naah, there would be chaos at home if my wife got to know that I was visiting Goa for fun without her. Where else?
Now, even before asking for break journey permission, I had packed my camera and the zoom lens. - just in case. So, Dandeli came up as a probable option. Dandeli/Anshi...the land of elusive black panthers. Look at the map, you will be surprised at the vast 2200 sq kms of forest. Called up Jungle Lodges, and they said that rooms were available. So that was that.
I left Pune around 12.30 (or 1PM, I forget) after a very late breakfast. Must say that Taj Vivanta - where I was staying - went out of way to provide me with complimentary breakfast even after the buffet was long closed. Withdrew cash and filled the tank. GPS guided me through a different route this time, through the Army area. Felt nostalgic, since my wife and I used to drive down to Pune when we stayed in Mumbai, and roam around those very places.
During the return journey I was much more relaxed (no deadline to meet). But my speed was faster - I guess due to the daylight and slightly less traffic.
Crossed Wai, a place that we went through many times on our way to Mahabaleshwar. Those were the days...tackling all sorts of roads in an Indica, exploring the Ghats, and a large brown barking dog always occupying the backseat. That is when I think the seeds of SUV ownership were set. Try dealing with an urge to explore interesting trails and places in the Western Ghats, the Indica tyres and Indica's propensity to suffer punctures and alignment issues at the drop of a hat (well, on forest trails, that is), it is not surprising.
So, Google maps told me that the shortest route was through Belgaum. Called up Jungle Lodges to confirm the route (Khanapur - Ramanagar - Ganeshgudi - Dandeli). Then for some reason, I decided that I won't pass through Belgaum town, and decided to hit my target highway after crossing Belgaum and then taking an interior route. Now that was a mistake...but a delightful one. The route I took wouldn't have been possible without a 4X4. Learning: don't just wander off just because a super expanded version of Google Maps tells you that there is a route.
There was a metalled route, I am sure. But I was feeling ready for anything, so I took the first right turn that seemed probable, and decided to go cross country. It was indeed cross country.
I entered a village, and came to know that yes, there was 'a' route to Yellur, my intermediate waypoint before hitting Desur on the highway. But the guys told me that 'Saar your vehicle can't go on that route'. I told myself that if my vehicle can't go, I don't see too many vehicles going on that route. So off I went - through a parallel row of huts with just bare enough space to squeeze my Fortuner through.
The track (not a road) was used by bikes and tractors. There were multiple forks, with some trails/tracks leading to tiny villages comprising a few huts, the others passing through fields. Often I had to get down into a field to regain the disused track after a few metres. Who cares? It was Bharat darshan at its best, with helpful village folks guiding me, and with village kids waving at me as I amused them by taking a vehicle through tracks where few if any city vehicles had plied on. Still, this is what I had bought the Fortuner for - to drive fast on highways and then go wherever I wanted to go without worrying about anything. Highways? Great! Tracks? Fine. No roads? Have to go cross-country? Theek hai, chalega...
Which way now?
That dark brown thing in front is a stretch of 1-2.5 feet high mud piled up for a stretch of ~ 25 feet. I considered ploughing through it in 4L, but then figured that there would be no one to rescue me if I got stuck, and so went down into the fields - you can see a narrow trail on the right - and rejoined the track beyond the obstacle. Faced many such surprises.
Decisions! You can't really see, but the shrubs at the right had nasty thorns. Should I climb over? Or should I wince and scrape my vehicle against the thorns? Decided for the latter course of action eventually. Again, decision was guided by:
1. No one to rescue me. No human being in sight.
2. I had a long way to go. 50+ kms of that through unknown jungle roads in the dark before I hit Dandeli.
3. I wanted to enjoy the evening ambiance of Kali River Camp (Jungle Lodges) as much as possible, and wanted to reach at the earliest.