Originally Posted by arjithin

1. What is the best place/by lanes to park my car for 3 hours near US consulate? Should be around Annasalai around 7:30 AM

You can drive to Hotel Palmgrove, Kodambakkam High Road, park your car, breakfast there and walk to US Consulate.

2. To reach US Consulate at 8:00 AM, how early should I start from Pondy and what is the best route ( in terms of surface condition and traffic)?

Leave Pondy by 5 am. You can drive via Tindivanam on NH 66/45, fully 4-laned toll road.

[joecherian]

Originally Posted by arjithin

Friends,


1. What is the best place/by lanes to park my car for 3 hours near US consulate? Should be around Annasalai around 7:30 AM

I can answer for this as I had done the very same 1 month back. You can get in to the avai shanmugham road (lloyds road) which is just before the US consulate entrance. Morning around 7 30, this should be relatively free. If you come down on Mount road, after getting down from gemini fly over, proceed further , take the first U turn, come back towards US consulate and then you can see this avai shanmugham road on left. Since your appointment is at 8 AM, this road should be relatively free (as what I saw when I had gone ).

[Rajeevraj]

Need to attend a wedding next Friday in Vellore. Couple of questions:

1. Need to be there by 9am. Is a 5am start from Belandur, Bangalore good enough to reach there in time? i had done a Pondi drive last September and if I am not mistaken, it took roughly 3-3.5 hrs to reach Vellore

2. Since this is on a Friday, we are thinking if there is any way to make use of the weekend. Is there any recommended tourist spot/resort in that area to spend the weekend? (Note: Apart from Pondi)

[denver85]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Need to attend a wedding next Friday in Vellore. Couple of questions:

1. Need to be there by 9am. Is a 5am start from Belandur, Bangalore good enough to reach there in time? i had done a Pondi drive last September and if I am not mistaken, it took roughly 3-3.5 hrs to reach Vellore

2. Since this is on a Friday, we are thinking if there is any way to make use of the weekend. Is there any recommended tourist spot/resort in that area to spend the weekend? (Note: Apart from Pondi)

I have tried to answer your questions as per my timings:
1. Bangalore - Vellore will take 3.5 to 4 hours maximum for a sedate drive. As you are starting early you can avoid the Bangalore and Hosur traffic also. 5 MA start will be appropriate.
2. You can try Yelagiri(Around 90 kms). But there are nothing much to see. The accommodation options are less. You can plan for a visit to Golden temple in Vellore also. Other options are Mahabalipuram (140 kms), Yercaud (200 Kms) etc.
Hope it helps.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Need to be there by 9am. Is a 5am start from Belandur, Bangalore good enough to reach there in time? i had done a Pondi drive last September and if I am not mistaken, it took roughly 3-3.5 hrs to reach Vellore

A 5 AM start from Belandur will get you in Vellore before 8:30 with the usual traffic block at Anekal toll booth. Incase you have to search for marriage venue or if the venue is bit far from NH you may have to consider starting bit early from Bangalore.
Also, do plan an early start in case it is raining or was raining the previous night. Road work plus rain means slow moving traffic at KA- TN border.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Need to attend a wedding next Friday in Vellore. Couple of questions:

Good to start by 4AM. Crossing Attebele and Krishangiri is a pain other wise.
Only place on the way is Yelagiri.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by denver85

You can try Yelagiri(Around 90 kms). But there are nothing much to see. The accommodation options are less.

Originally Posted by ampere

Good to start by 4AM. Crossing Attebele and Krishangiri is a pain other wise.
Only place on the way is Yelagiri.

Thanks for the inputs. My requirements for the weekend stay is just a calm quiet place with good greenery and maybe some play activities for my daughter in place of stay.Is Yelagiri a good choice for this?

Checking up on accommodation, The option with decent reviews that popped up is a Zeenath Taj Garden Resort. Any inputs on this one? Any other recommended place to stay?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Checking up on accommodation, The option with decent reviews that popped up is a Zeenath Taj Garden Resort. Any inputs on this one? Any other recommended place to stay?

The other place is Landmark. Just basic accommodation. Food is also basic. But for a day its good. Better to deal in cash. Many places they dont accept cards.

[prabhuferrari]

Came to chennai last night via Hosur krishnagiri route. Left Bangalore at 2.15 and it took me 6 hrs to reach Saligramam via kundrathur porur. Major jam at TN border after attibele. I followed few locals and took a left turn after the crackers shop. It's a small road and takes you inside by lanes and you emerge back in highway some 2 or 3 kms after TN border. Took me 10 to 15 minutes to cross but better than getting stuck on the jam. I will try to get a GPS location or landmark for the place when I return on Saturday. You can use this route to avoid TN commercial tax check post jam.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

Major jam at TN border after attibele. I followed few locals and took a left turn after the crackers shop. It's a small road and takes you inside by lanes and you emerge back in highway some 2 or 3 kms after TN border.

Thanks for the information. If unable to post the GPS logs please mark the location on Google maps. This block is becoming a routine affair. Got stuck for over an hour inspite of a 4:30 AM start from Bangalore.

[denver85]

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

Came to chennai last night via Hosur krishnagiri route. Left Bangalore at 2.15 and it took me 6 hrs to reach Saligramam via kundrathur porur. Major jam at TN border after attibele. I followed few locals and took a left turn after the crackers shop. It's a small road and takes you inside by lanes and you emerge back in highway some 2 or 3 kms after TN border. Took me 10 to 15 minutes to cross but better than getting stuck on the jam. I will try to get a GPS location or landmark for the place when I return on Saturday. You can use this route to avoid TN commercial tax check post jam.

Thanks for the update.
Is this is the route you have taken near TN check post ???
http://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr=...via=1&t=m&z=15
I have taken this route once when there was major a traffic jam in front of the CP.

[ampere]

Increasingly it looks like depending on the time of the it would be worth taking the Bagalur road to Hosur, if one is coming from Marathalli/Whitefield side.

But also note railway crossing on the Sarjapur road is blocked.

[prabhuferrari]

Originally Posted by ampere

Increasingly it looks like depending on the time of the it would be worth taking the Bagalur road to Hosur, if one is coming from Marathalli/Whitefield side.

But also note railway crossing on the Sarjapur road is blocked.

How do I take this route to Hebbal from Hosur? I am planning to return by sat night to Bangalore. Is it safe to take by night? Are the roads in good condition ?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

How do I take this route to Hebbal from Hosur? I am planning to return by sat night to Bangalore. Is it safe to take by night? Are the roads in good condition ?

For night its not worth it. Its quite desolate. I would not advice. You need to take the road opposite to Hosur bus stand. This is under the last flyover when you are coming from Krishnagiri.

[denver85]

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

How do I take this route to Hebbal from Hosur? I am planning to return by sat night to Bangalore. Is it safe to take by night? Are the roads in good condition ?

The best route will be this: http://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr=...a=1,2&t=m&z=12
I have driven this route solo in the night (8.30 PM-9.30 PM) and did not face any issues. But the roads are completely deserted as you leave Hosur town and till you reaches Bagalur. The same story from Bagalur to Sarajapur also. The roads are really nice. Only 1 km stretch in Sarjapur town is really bad. But manageable as traffic will be very less.
In Hosur town, you should not take the fly over (which goes over bus stand) but take the service road and go underneath flyover. Go straight passing the bus stand and there is U-turn(this is the first one after entering service road, the right turn at the main junction under the fly over is closed now) available there. Take that and come to the opposite side of the flyover, take the main road to the left. After reaching the Bagalur town, take the road going towards left.

Originally Posted by ampere

But also note railway crossing on the Sarjapur road is blocked.

ampere sir, I usually takes left from Dommasandra and takes Gunjur-Varatur road to reach Kundanhalli. This will not good for those want to reach somewhere inside the city.