[ninjatalli]

Hi Guys,
Need your help and suggestions in helping us plan a trip from Pune to Delhi (to & fro).

First the dates & itinerary:

Vehicle Car : Vento
No of travelers : 3
No of drivers : 3
Kms to be traveled : 3000 + kms (approx)

Oct 26th : Pune - Thane - Surat - Vadodara - Ahmedabad
- Leave Pune early morning and reach Ahmedabad by mid afternoon. Spend the evening with friends/relatives & celebrate Diwali.
- Distance : 680 kms
- Travel time : 9 - 12 hours(approx)

Oct 27th : Ahmedabad - Udaipur - Jaipur - Delhi
- Leave Ahmedabad early morning, and reach Delhi by night.
- Distance : 950 kms
- Travel time : 13 - 15 hours (approx)

This was the part that I have no worries about. We got ample time to spare, if required we could stopover & spend the (27th) night mid-place and do sight-seeing and reach Delhi the next day.

Oct 28th : Metallica concert

Oct 29th : F1

Oct 30th : F1

Now comes the tricky part. We need to be back in Pune by 1st Nov morning to attend office. The good part is all three of us are drivers and we'll be dividing the driving among us. The bad part is all three of us would have spent the entire day watching the F1 race.

As a backup in case we are exhausted, we would be heading back to my friend's place to sleepover for a few hours and leave only by 11-12 p.m.

Oct 30th (Night) : Delhi - Jaipur - Ajmer
- I plan to do the initial part driving from Delhi to Ajmer through the night. The idea is to let the third guy sleep at the back, while two stay awake (this would be the modus operandi throughout the trip). The third guy would drive the next stage of the trip.
- Distance : 391 kms
- Travel Time : 5 - 7 hours (approx)

Oct 31st : Ajmer - Udaipur - Ahmedabad
- Take a halt for a few hours at Ajmer (or Jaipur if there any delays during the night. Leave Ajmer and travel till Ahmedabad. I hope to reach the outer ring road by 4-5 p.m. Choose to drop in at home (debatable; other option is to take a break at one of the numerous restaurants on the highway) at a risk of wasting 2-3 odd hours and then leave again for Pune.
- Distance : 500 kms
- Travel Time : 7 - 8 hours (approx)

Oct 31st (Night) : Ahmedabad - Vadodara - Surat - Mumbai / Pune
- Leave from Ahmedabad in the evening, hopefully pass the Narmada bridge around 8 p.m. with not too much traffic. Bypassing Mumbai around 1 to 2 a.m., we'll hopefully reach Pune in the wee hours of the morning.
- Distance : 650 kms
- Travel Time : 9 - 12 kms (approx)

[ninjatalli]

The smaller yet significant details :

• Have done long trips like these on Maruti/Hyundai/Bajaj(bike!) vehicles in the western / southern parts of India. This would be a first towards the north!
• This would be a 1 month old brand new car, that would still be in the break-in period. Will be maintaining speeds that do not go beyond 3000 RPM throughout the trip.
• Although the return trip timelines are quite tight, if required (due to any unavoidable delays) we could always take the next day off.
• With all 3 of combined, we have a place to crash in at Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Mumbai. None in Rajasthan, unfortunately!

And lastly, and most important of all :

• Google maps also suggests an alternate and shorter route via Agra - Gwalior - Nasik. Read through HVKumar's logs & other threads on TBHP; general opinion is the GQ is better route. Any alternate theory?
• Any special precautions I need to take with regards to the new car? Should I take a appointment at VW Delhi for a check-up? I do plan to do the same at Pune, once I am back.
• Also VW car owners - any good garages on the GQ I could stopover for a mid-road checkup?
• On the Ahmedabad - Delhi journey, if we do take a detour/stop-over for 27th evening, please do provide suggestions.
• Opinions are requested for the stopover (return journey) at Ahmedabad. Entering the city would easily take off 3 hours, which I am not comfortable. What alternatives do I have?
• Suggestions for a cheap/decent lodges required at Ajmer/Jaipur near to the highway.
• Most important of all - Hotel/Dhaba suggestions on the route please. Two veggies & one non-vegetarian. Three die-hard foodies

I am still going through the various threads on TBHP to gain more important aspects with regards to long trips on this part of the country.
If there are any other suggestions or any aspect that I seem to be missing, please do mention.

In return we would be posting one helluva travelogue for sure. Guaranteed!

[ninjatalli]

*bump*

Bumping this thread to get some suggestions/inputs.

[coolclouds]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Oct 30th (Night) : Delhi - Jaipur - Ajmer
- I plan to do the initial part driving from Delhi to Ajmer through the night. The idea is to let the third guy sleep at the back, while two stay awake (this would be the modus operandi throughout the trip). The third guy would drive the next stage of the trip.
- Distance : 391 kms
- Travel Time : 5 - 7 hours (approx)

Oct 31st : Ajmer - Udaipur - Ahmedabad

Skip Ajmer and go via Nasirabad - Chittorgarh - Udaipur. Road is four lane and in good condition.

[libranof1987]

Tell you what; we did a very similar trip some time back. For the route expected by you, the following TL is tailor-made.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post2334378

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by coolclouds

Skip Ajmer and go via Nasirabad - Chittorgarh - Udaipur. Road is four lane and in good condition.

Thanks for that info @coolclouds! Will keep that in mind and plan accordingly.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Tell you what; we did a very similar trip some time back. For the route expected by you, the following TL is tailor-made.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post2334378

That was one helluva trip & nicely written travelogue. If we had been active on this forum then, I would have given you the list of places where you get amazing food (very specific to Baroda/Ahmedabad).

Funny aspect - I have spent all my childhood in Baroda - and I can hardly remember how the palace looks! Lovely pics!

Chittorgarh fort looks awesome - since we do have the time to spare while going to Delhi, I'll be definitely adding that to the itinerary!



@coolclouds/@libranof1987 - any idea on how is the Jaipur - Delhi highway as of now? Heard road expansion is being done currently.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

@coolclouds/@libranof1987 - any idea on how is the Jaipur - Delhi highway as of now? Heard road expansion is being done currently.

It is not in a very good shape; not just because of the road condition but also traffic.

There is a heavy truck traffic on that highway and the road condition isn't very smooth. It's not bad in the sense that it is un-driveable; earlier on, the surface was very good. Now, there are patches where the surface has come off or there are small potholes.

[dot]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

*bump*

Bumping this thread to get some suggestions/inputs.

You can perhaps PM BHPian spadix who did an extended trip on the same route a few weeks back.

[amit_arya]

I have done Del-Pune-Del around 2 years ago so let me give you a few reco

1. Take NH8 (delhi) - NH79 (Kishangarh)- NH76(Chittorgargh) - NH8 (Udaipur). it will save time.

2. if taking NE1 between Ahmedabad and Vadodra please note there is only 1 fuel pump in the 60-80KM Stretch that too towards the Vadodra side. so fill in the fuel incase you are running low before you enter the close loop toll road.

3. We started at 0400hrs from delhi, the bypass flyovers around surat were under construction at that time, one one person drove the entire time/strecth and we were forced to take a 2-3 hours stop due to travel sickness of one of the copassanger and managed to reach Valsad (around 2-3 hours from mumbai) by 11 in the night. so if you stretch and drive at good speeds (we were driving at a range to 120 - 130) you can actually reach mumbai is 20 hours to straight drive.

4. Please ensure you passed through both the gurgaon toll plaza early morning else it might take you over 2 hours to pass gurgaon what we did in probably 20-30 minutes in our journey

5. Please keep orange candies, medicines for loose stomach and medicines for vomit. they would be handy incase of travel sickness. Try to have enough water and food so that you do not need to take long breaks for food and water. at the same time do avoid too much intake of food/water to ensure that you do not need to take many halts for the nature calls.

6. Gujrat requires some yellow strip on headlights, when i did my trip the marking for bypass were not there. please before you enter ahmdabad there is a circle if you go straight you enter the city if you take left you head towards bypass which enters into NE1. please avoid entering the city. i had to give a bribe (yeah he asked for a challan and when i gave him the money he returned back 50% saying ki baju wali shop se lagva lo keeping 50% as his easy money) because of the yellow strip not being present.

Rest have a blast, enjoy the journey. do read the HV Kumar's blog so that you have idea of the distances and what to expect where. a great way to ensure you are on track incase you are not having a GPS receiver with your self.

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

!

• This would be a 1 month old brand new car, that would still be in the break-in period. Will be maintaining speeds that do not go beyond 3000 RPM throughout the trip.
• Any special precautions I need to take with regards to the new car? Should I take a appointment at VW Delhi for a check-up? I do plan to do the same at Pune, once I am back.

In return we would be posting one helluva travelogue for sure. Guaranteed!

I feel you shouldn't take a brand new car on this trip since it involves long stretches of open highways where you will be cruising in top gear which is not favorable for running in your new car.

Refer:

Article link.

Long highway trips or time spent in bumper-to-bumper traffic is bad for the run-in process. The key to the run-in is to subject the engine to a wide range of RPMs, so you will probably have to alter your driving style and make a point of driving under various conditions.

[roadie_swift]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Hi Guys,
Need your help and suggestions in helping us plan a trip from Pune to Delhi (to & fro).

First the dates & itinerary:

Vehicle Car : Vento
No of travelers : 3
No of drivers : 3
Kms to be traveled : 3000 + kms (approx)

Oct 26th : Pune - Thane - Surat - Vadodara - Ahmedabad
- Leave Pune early morning and reach Ahmedabad.

Oct 28th : Metallica concert

Oct 29th : F1

Oct 30th : F1

Oct 30th (Night) : Delhi - Jaipur - Ajmer
- I plan to do the initial part driving from Delhi to Ajmer through the night.

First up, good luck for your drive. Am green with envy that you'll be experiencing the magic of F1 first hand!

I'd suggest instead of leaving Pune early in the morning, you leave "very" early, what some would call the ungodly hours. Maybe something like 3 o'clock in the morning. Reason being, then you'd get to cross Mumbai without too many hassles, somewhat similar to the suggestion above, about ensuring that you cross the Gurgaon toll plazas early. Will save you lots of heartburn as well as time.

Secondly, you'd do well not to be enticed by the lesser distances on the Nasik-Gwalior route. The GQ is by far the fastest and best route, in terms of road surface and traffic.

Lastly, if you plan to drive the Delhi-Jaipur route in the night, and also considering you'll be a little bushed from all the fun at the Circuit, I'd advise you to be ultra careful. Primarily due to the very very heavy truck traffic along with the road widening which is still on in some places.

Wishing you the very best of luck, and going you guys will treat us with a rocking travelogue... Maybe even a live blog on the road and from the Circuit!

Cheers,
R_S

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by dot

You can perhaps PM BHPian spadix who did an extended trip on the same route a few weeks back.

Thanks! Will PM him & get his inputs.

Originally Posted by amit_arya

I have done Del-Pune-Del around 2 years ago so let me give you a few reco

1. Take NH8 (delhi) - NH79 (Kishangarh)- NH76(Chittorgargh) - NH8 (Udaipur). it will save time.

Yup. Got that suggestion - will be doing that for sure.

3. We started at 0400hrs from delhi, the bypass flyovers around surat were under construction at that time, one one person drove the entire time/strecth and we were forced to take a 2-3 hours stop due to travel sickness of one of the copassanger and managed to reach Valsad (around 2-3 hours from mumbai) by 11 in the night. so if you stretch and drive at good speeds (we were driving at a range to 120 - 130) you can actually reach mumbai is 20 hours to straight drive.

Glad to know others have done the route on similar timelines. Unfortunately, I don't want to limit the timelines that much, & constantly push the car to 120+ speeds throught the entire route. Will be keeping it much lower, while hitting high speeds sporadically.

5. Please keep orange candies, medicines for loose stomach and medicines for vomit. they would be handy incase of travel sickness. Try to have enough water and food so that you do not need to take long breaks for food and water. at the same time do avoid too much intake of food/water to ensure that you do not need to take many halts for the nature calls.

Yup - will do that. Thanks for this tip!

Originally Posted by moralfibre

I feel you shouldn't take a brand new car on this trip since it involves long stretches of open highways where you will be cruising in top gear which is not favorable for running in your new car.
Refer:
Article link.

Well, I had gone atleast through the first 10+ pages of that thread. Overall there are multiple views - but overall I could get the gist as such :-

• Do not revv the car a lot (preferably if I don't at all)
• Maintain speeds that don't go above 2500-3000 RPM
• Subject the cars to a range of speeds

The last point is the one that might be tough to be taken care of. And we are keeping that in mind on the Pune - Delhi; we'll be having the time to spare too.

Originally Posted by roadie_swift

First up, good luck for your drive. Am green with envy that you'll be experiencing the magic of F1 first hand!

Would you believe it, the drive excites me more than the thought of the F1 or the Metallica concert.

I'd suggest instead of leaving Pune early in the morning, you leave "very" early, what some would call the ungodly hours. Maybe something like 3 o'clock in the morning. Reason being, then you'd get to cross Mumbai without too many hassles, somewhat similar to the suggestion above, about ensuring that you cross the Gurgaon toll plazas early. Will save you lots of heartburn as well as time.

I am with you on the leaving early part, but as another alternative we might drive down to Mumbai the previous night and start around 5-6 from there.

Secondly, you'd do well not to be enticed by the lesser distances on the Nasik-Gwalior route. The GQ is by far the fastest and best route, in terms of road surface and traffic.

Lastly, if you plan to drive the Delhi-Jaipur route in the night, and also considering you'll be a little bushed from all the fun at the Circuit, I'd advise you to be ultra careful. Primarily due to the very very heavy truck traffic along with the road widening which is still on in some places.

Wishing you the very best of luck, and going you guys will treat us with a rocking travelogue... Maybe even a live blog on the road and from the Circuit!

Cheers,
R_S

Live blog - not a bad idea Will try to do that on the road. But doubt if it'll be possible on the circuit - can't carry laptops inside, will have to do with the mobile!

[shabahmad]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

I am with you on the leaving early part, but as another alternative we might drive down to Mumbai the previous night and start around 5-6 from there.

Its better if you leave outskirts of mumbai by 5.30. During my trip to ajmer i started from pune around 4, reached godhbunder road around 6 then was welcomed with heavy traffic till Border area. Its good to cross traffic early and then take rest at restaurant. There is Vithal Kamat (didnt remember the location) and a good parsi restaurant named "Ahura".

Best of luck for the journey.

[roadie_swift]

@ninja: Awww, you're saying it just to make us feel bad...

But come to think of it, I would not care to be in front of you when you are on your way back, you know... I mean, just imagine - A guy who's so excited about the drive, one who has a brand new Vento as his ride, plus, who's been to a Metallica concert AND an F1 race in the last 48 hours - you'd be practically flying down the road!!

Cheers,
R_S

PS: Just kidding, ok. I know you guys will be as sensible on the road as any good TBHP'ian.)

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by shabahmad

Its better if you leave outskirts of mumbai by 5.30. During my trip to ajmer i started from pune around 4, reached godhbunder road around 6 then was welcomed with heavy traffic till Border area. Its good to cross traffic early and then take rest at restaurant. There is Vithal Kamat (didnt remember the location) and a good parsi restaurant named "Ahura".

Best of luck for the journey.

Aha! Finally the first suggestion for an eating joint on the route. Music to a foodie's ears!

@shabahmad/others - if you have any other suggestions for eating joints further down the road, bring it out!

Originally Posted by roadie_swift

@ninja: Awww, you're saying it just to make us feel bad...

But come to think of it, I would not care to be in front of you when you are on your way back, you know... I mean, just imagine - A guy who's so excited about the drive, one who has a brand new Vento as his ride, plus, who's been to a Metallica concert AND an F1 race in the last 48 hours - you'd be practically flying down the road!!

Cheers,
R_S

PS: Just kidding, ok. I know you guys will be as sensible on the road as any good TBHP'ian.)

Lol! Come to think about it, yes the adrenaline would be quite high! Definitely need to take care while driving!

But I'm not kidding here! While discussing the timelines with my friends, I even suggested we miss the awards & podium part to start early (almost got beaten up for that suggestion!)