[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

The time was about 5:30 PM on Saturday evening. I was also on a leisurely evening drive which we regularly go for, when i spotted you in the opposite direction. Actually, we live kinda close by, and i regularly spot both your Fortuner as well as SX4 on Sarjapur road.

I seldom drive the SX4 nowadays, but give me a wave next time you see the Fortuner. Will be on the lookout for a white Scorpio with TBHP stickers.

We can catch up for a coffee and maybe do a drive together with some of the other Sarjapur Road folks - I believe there are quite a few.

[nilanjanray]

Will drive down to Tadoba for an extended weekend tomorrow midnight if things fall in place w.r.t. work and home.

As per Google maps, home to the resort is ~ 1075 km oneway. Planning to do it non-stop apart from eating breaks. Should be an interesting drive. Main thing will be to avoid drowsiness since I haven't driven whole night before.

Not going to the ASC for a check-up before the drive, since I did the Goa drive a few weeks back, and since then she has been purring like a cat.

Will do a proper self-check as Herr Guderian recommends. Carrying extra coolant, engine oil and air pump - and windshield cleaner (before I forget!); newspapers and some extra water too.

Last year this time I covered Bangalore - Nagpur in 13+ hours. Not sure whether I can maintain that speed, given the latest road conditions b/w Hyderabad and Karanji. Let's see.

Wish me luck for some good sightings, folks

P.S.: The monsoon has reached South India. Hopefully the rains/storms won't arrive till I start my journey. After that, I guess I can outrun the monsoon on NH7.

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Will drive down to Tadoba for an extended weekend tomorrow midnight...

Good luck and have a great drive mate.
Give us a shout should you need anything...

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Will drive down to Tadoba for an extended weekend tomorrow midnight if things fall in place w.r.t. work and home.

As per Google maps, home to the resort is ~ 1075 km oneway. Planning to do it non-stop apart from eating breaks.

Bangalore-Tadoba non stop is easily possible Nilanjan, dont worry.

I was in Pench last month, but could not sight the big cat, however, I ve heard that Tadoba and Bandhavgarh are better places for sighting. Also, the tigress called "Badi Maa" at Pench has given birth to 3 cubs 3-4 days ago so if could make it to Pench as well and get lucky, you might be able to spot them.

Do let me know if you need any help in Pench/Tadoba/Bandhavgarh, I will arrange it.

Coming to drowsiness at night, here is what I do.

1. I have a good night's sleep the previous night and do NOT start at early morning.
2. I start by 2300HRS from home so that I skip traffic, drive all night, and except a few minutes of sleep during sunrise, I continue all day.
3. Try different songs( I do not listen to music though), drive with the window up and down, and read the rear "Shayaris" on the back of trucks, do things that keep you engaged.

4. Most importantly, if you feel sleepy, pull over at a petrol pump or a toll gate and take a power nap with the vehicle off and the windows rolled down a wee bit. I usually nap for an hour to two.

Bon Voyage.

[nilanjanray]

Thanks Devnath!

Distance is not the issue (I did Bangalore - Pench nonstop last year - apart from meal breaks), but driving throughout the night for the first time is. Last time I left home at 1.45am to go to Pune, I started feeling pretty sleepy from 5.30am onwards. Had to park in a small pump and rest for an hour to feel refreshed. Will have to allocate buffer time for that. I need to reach Tadoba by 2 pm tomorrow to do the evening safari, so need to plan accordingly. Somehow I never manage to get proper rest before a long drive - too many last min things to wind up. That is what worries me.

Am thinking of carrying Sholay and perhaps a couple of other VCDs and playing the audio in the car - would be entertaining timepass :-)

Very little time and somewhat sudden decision, it will have to be just Tadoba. Let's see how the sightings go. Will give you a buzz if I need any inputs or help.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Am thinking of carrying Sholay and perhaps a couple of other VCDs and playing the audio in the car - would be entertaining timepass :-)

Carrying Sholay VCDs reminds me of one more trick that we used to resort to, way back at Singrauli. I d carry cassettes to play in the vehicle which contained "Comedy Mushairas" or "Hasya Kavi Sammelans". They can easily keep you awake.

And yes, please feel free to buzz me anytime you need anything enroute or elsewhere.

[mayankjha1806]

With your driving experience i am sure you have handled this before and are best placed to judge what needs to be done. Are you driving all by yourself?

In my experience, the last 50/100 Kms are the most painful, and the most dangerous as well. I have had this sleepy experience a few times and its best to handover the wheels to someone else (If there are any), or stop and sleep for sometime. If neither of this is possible then one of the alternatives that i have tried and although its risky it has worked for me.

Completely wet a thick napkin (Small towel) and keep it on the side, and wipe the eyes with it every few minutes. This needs to be done along with wash face/eyes, and have some tea/coffee/chocolate, talk to co-passenger and listen to some music.

[paragsachania]

Been very regularly driving alone through the nights and mostly Bangalore-Pune-Aurangabad which has been a very well known road for me now and the latest addition was driving between Ahmedabad-Jaipur-Delhi-Varanasi in a single stretch through the night and Vizag-Bangalore too, both of these were first time for me. Hope a few tips from my side can help you too!!

• Soft Music does help but not in a continuous manner. Keep changing the Genre once you realize that a certain type is becoming too comfortable. At times, some dance music also rejuvenates and takes out that laziness in you but not for a long period which can begin to irritate you after some time.
  
• If the road is very empty and you are driving at a very defined speed over a long period of time (Happens on some of our highways which are mostly empty at nights with no activity - Braking, Gear changes etc) , Flash your lights more often to adjust your eyesight that is settled for a particular combination of Beam and Stretch.
  
• Also keep looking IRVM and ORVMs frequently - This also helps the eyes adjust to various brightness levels apart from the small area of your headlight's beam that it keeps looking at. Moreover, your eyes which were focusing on just the front gets into exercise mode while you roll your eyeballs to look into the mirrors.
  
• Gulping down water frequently also helps you get out of monotony. Munching Biscuits, Nuts and keeping clove between your teeth as well.
  
• Adjust your position on the driver's seat on a regular basis so that you ultimately don't keep slipping/sinking down. This usually happens driving long distance while using only one leg for the Throttle pedal and no movement of the other leg and hands which are fixed to one position because of empty stretches.
  
• The worst time while driving nights is when sun light hits your eyes in the morning. This can get nasty and irritating if the sun is directly facing you. Better wear the sun-glasses before the sun brightens up completely and you can drive comfortably there after.
  
• Instead of cleaning the junk off your windshield by the wiper and fluid combination, Pull over and clean it yourself. Apart from the fact that you stretch your legs, it acts as a small break and the clean windshield again brings back the enthusiasm in you to drive with a fresh mind and clearer vision (Trust me this works).

Wish you good luck for your drive and have a safe one

[nilanjanray]

Thank folks!

I am driving alone - no one in the family is crazy to do a quick dash to Tadoba and back when temperatures are 45 degrees :-)

Am planning to take a 2 min break every 2 hours - that has worked well in the past.

Wet towel/windscreen cleaning tips are useful; - appreciate the tips.

[BlackRaven]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Thank folks!

I am driving alone - no one in the family is crazy to do a quick dash to Tadoba and back when temperatures are 45 degrees :-)

Am planning to take a 2 min break every 2 hours - that has worked well in the past.

Wet towel/windscreen cleaning tips are useful; - appreciate the tips.

Have fun and wish you all the best for some good sightings. Am sure we'll get some awesome pics.

[nilanjanray]

Tadoba update

Started around midnight from Bangalore, reached Tadoba at 2pm. Was a very taxing drive because I started feeling sleepy from 2am. Took a nap for one hour at a petrol pump. On the empty highway, the Blitz spots came in handy. Had to hurry to reach the resort in time for the safari, so ended up covering the Karanji - Kolara stretch in two hours flat. The Bison showed its true colors on this stretch - broken tarmac and full of mining trucks.

Pretty good tiger sightings till now.
__________
Sent from my mobile device please excuse typos.

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Tadoba update

Bravo ! That sounds like a truly inspired drive.
Any impact of the rough roads on the alignment ? Anything that you could feel at all ?

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

The Bison showed its true colors on this stretch - broken tarmac and full of mining trucks.

Bravo, yeah 2 in the night sleep hitting, you did the right thing by taking a nap.

Would this track be decent enough for my Civic to take, i am planning to start on 23 June to be there by 23rd night for a 2 night stay (Alternatively start as you have done in midnight and reach there by afternoon, we are two drivers me+my wife).

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Tadoba update

Started around midnight from Bangalore, reached Tadoba at 2pm. Was a very taxing drive because I started feeling sleepy from 2am.

Why was it taxing? Did you not sleep before you started? How was the weather en-route? MP/MH are their mid forties I believe.
Once you are back, a detailed road and FE report would be worth a read for all of us.

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Would this track be decent enough for my Civic to take, i am planning to start on 23 June to be there by 23rd night for a 2 night stay

Your Civic will easily do it Mayank, dont worry.

[nilanjanray]

Came back early today morning, driving throughout the night.

Originally Posted by Guderian

Bravo ! That sounds like a truly inspired drive.
Any impact of the rough roads on the alignment ? Anything that you could feel at all ?

No impact, no issues that I can make out. Running smoothly. She was baking in the sun for 3 days - no shade in parking area - no issues regarding that as well.

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Bravo, yeah 2 in the night sleep hitting, you did the right thing by taking a nap.

Would this track be decent enough for my Civic to take, i am planning to start on 23 June to be there by 23rd night for a 2 night stay (Alternatively start as you have done in midnight and reach there by afternoon, we are two drivers me+my wife).

Better reach the resort by evening, as Ranjit recommended. It is easy to find the resort if you search for directions to the resort on Google maps - as I did. But after Karanji the stretch will be empty, and I am not sure about how safe that road is in the night. Also, you will have to drive slowly to avoid the potholes at night that come up suddenly.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Why was it taxing? Did you not sleep before you started? How was the weather en-route? MP/MH are their mid forties I believe.

Taxing because of lack of rest/sleep before the drive, because of unavoidable reasons. I had to keep stopping to splash water, stretch etc. Speed went down, reflexes got affected. Same thing happened while coming back - the lack of sleep (early morning and afternoon safaris) caught up.

I know rest is of prime importance, but couldn't get enough of it before the long drives.

Weather was not too bad, around 40 degrees during peak. It came down due to a shower.