[hserus]

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

The stretch from Chennai to Chennasamudram toll is way better than what it was. Drove on this stretch in the last week of March this year. Very much motor-able by car.
As regards tyre burst, limit your car speed to less than 100 kmph. Filling the tyres with Nitrogen does help.

As long as your tyres are not bald and without tread you should be ok and 100 kmph is a sane speed on highways anyway regardless of car age.

[rajathv8]

How crowded do the e-city expressway, Attibele and Krishnagiri tolls get on a non-long weekend Saturday morning while getting out of Blore?

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by rajathv8

How crowded do the e-city expressway, Attibele and Krishnagiri tolls get on a non-long weekend Saturday morning while getting out of Blore?

You do have people commuting between these 2 cities often. It all depends on your luck. Sometimes the waiting time can be crazy or you will not encounter any traffic at the toll plazas

[NPV]

Originally Posted by rajathv8

How crowded do the e-city expressway, Attibele and Krishnagiri tolls get on a non-long weekend Saturday morning while getting out of Blore?

Depends on the time too. Usually, early mornings before 7am on non-long weekend Saturdays should be fine.
Watch your speeds on the e-city expressway (BETL), not uncommon to find cops with speed guns.

[rajathv8]

Thanks guys. I will try leaving home at 6 am. Don't want to push earlier since I will my parents in tow for this trip.
I plan to leave Chennai on Sunday at 9:30am.

[srvm]

I travelled from Bangalore to Pallikonda temple via Palamner-Guidiyattam route 2 days ago. Here is the latest status of this route:

Bangalore-Kolar-Mulbagal-Nangli: No change, as usual super smooth 4-lane tolled NH up to KA-AP border.

AP border to Palamner town - no change in status quo. Road is good except for the odd speed bump and lot of lorry/truck traffic. Luckily, I was travelling on a Tuesday afternoon and it was raining heavily once I crossed into AP. So, roads were bereft of 2-wheelers. Only the odd truck and car were on the road and that too all of them were driving very cautiously with hazard lights on. I realized that this route much more scenic when it rains.

Palamner-Gudiyattam stretch is very scenic with very good roads. Lots of trees with good-old black and white markings. Very few villages on the way. Hence, only the odd speed breaker and occasional bike/bus traffic. Not recommended for night driving though. Even during daytime the stretch was lonely. Watch out for a washed out culvert about 10-11 kms from Palamner town - there is only a kachcha road for about 50 meters here. Palamner to Chittoor gate junction at Gudiyattam is about 38kms which includes some nice curves on the ghat section just before AP-TN border. Overall I throughly enjoyed driving on this stretch. Once you enter TN, you will see huge mangroves on your right.

From Gudiyattam onwards there is lots of local traffic - bikes, autos, improvised 2-tier bullock-carts. The overbridge near Gudiyattam railway station is operational but there is a impromptu bus-stop at the top of the bridge, so be careful.

After crossing Palar river, the first right turn takes you to Pallikonda Ranganathar Temple. It is a very ancient Hindu temple with lot of historical significance. The road through Pallikonda town to NH-48 is short but narrow with lot of truck and tractor traffic. Barely 2 trucks can pass side-by-side. So not much overtaking possible. And if you are going to Chennai you still have to pay toll at Pallikonda toll plaza.

On the whole, it does not make much sense to take this route if you are in a hurry to reach Chennai. But, if you like driving through good-old green, tree-filled scenic routes and curvy sections then the 40km-odd stretch between Palamner to Gudiyattam will bring you immense joy.

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by srvm

After crossing Palar river, the first right turn takes you to Pallikonda Ranganathar Temple. It is a very ancient Hindu temple with lot of historical significance. The road through Pallikonda town to NH-48 is short but narrow with lot of truck and tractor traffic. Barely 2 trucks can pass side-by-side. So not much overtaking possible. And if you are going to Chennai you still have to pay toll at Pallikonda toll plaza.

On the whole, it does not make much sense to take this route if you are in a hurry to reach Chennai. But, if you like driving through good-old green, tree-filled scenic routes and curvy sections then the 40km-odd stretch between Palamner to Gudiyattam will bring you immense joy.

By taking the Palamaner-Gudiyattam route and going via Katpadi, you can very much avoid paying toll at Pallikonda. I have done that before.

[binand]

Did a quick return trip to Chennai over the weekend.

Outbound: Started at 10 AM, went via BETL-Attibele and then Sriperumbudur-Oragadam-Vandalur-Kelambakkam. Reached Padur (my destination) at around 2:30 PM, with a 30 minute stop for lunch near Kanchipuram.

Return: Started at Sunday 11:30 AM from Kottivakkam. Route was RG Salai-Guindy-Porur etc. Reached home at 5:30 PM with an irritating, nearly 30 minute fuel+air stop at Shell Porur, 15 minutes at CCD Nazarethpet and a 45 minute lunch break at Ambur. Jam atop BETL due to an accident on the southbound carriageway - the usual Bangalorean rubberneckers.

It started raining heavily once I crossed Vaniyambadi; and the rain was with me till I reached Bangalore.

Fastag worked throughout though I'm not happy with the experience - rant posted in the Fastag thread.

Two incidents.

1. This happened while I was exiting the CCD (plus KFC) complex at Nazarethpet. I am looking to my right to ensure the lane is empty prior to merging onto the NH. I found a sufficient gap, and was turning left when - a Scorpio, coming at a decent clip, along the shoulder in the wrong direction braked hard (I heard his honking and I braked too). What an idiot. Was very fortunate to escape without contact. Glared at him but didn't stay for a confrontation.

2. This was a bit ahead. The stretch till Sriperumbudur has many unsignalled junctions/gaps in the median. An Indica that was about 300m ahead of me missed its turn, so stopped in the middle of the highway and started reversing. I had to brake hard to avoid him.

[hserus]

Most of the food places on the route seem to be pure veg (a2b, sai sangeet etc).

What's available in non vegetarian food beyond the usual suspects star biryani (horrible) and rahman (which isn't too bad + which has surprisingly decent veg tiffin in the mornings when I pass it) in ambur / vaniyambadi?

[sbkumar]

Originally Posted by hserus

Most of the food places on the route seem to be pure veg (a2b, sai sangeet etc).

What's available in non vegetarian food beyond the usual suspects star biryani (horrible) and rahman (which isn't too bad + which has surprisingly decent veg tiffin in the mornings when I pass it) in ambur / vaniyambadi?

Chola Restaurant
Vaniyambadi Toll Plaza, NH 46, Kalendira, Tamil Nadu 635751
094860 48585

https://goo.gl/maps/1Dq3n7HBq9w

Nothing fancy, but had a decent non veg combo lunch once here.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by hserus

Most of the food places on the route seem to be pure veg (a2b, sai sangeet etc).

Near the Walajah toll plaza there is a complex with a Sai Sangeet. If I remember correctly the same campus also houses Anjappar, no first hand experience though.
This is on right side when going from Bangalore to Chennai. In the reverse direction it is just after you cross the toll plaza on th left.
*The toll in question is Chennasamudram, near Walajahpet

[hserus]

Originally Posted by NPV

Near the Walajah toll plaza there is a complex with a Sai Sangeet. If I remember correctly the same campus also houses Anjappar, no first hand experience though.
This is on right side when going from Bangalore to Chennai. In the reverse direction it is just after you cross the toll plaza on th left.
*The toll in question is Chennasamudram, near Walajahpet

Yes thanks. That chain isn't one of my favorites though :( Quality varies very widely from restaurant to restaurant is the problem so I am wary of trying different ones.

With non veg food especially during highway travel it is best to stick to known / recommended places, for obvious reasons. So better to ask first

[sbkumar]

Originally Posted by hserus

Yes thanks. That chain isn't one of my favorites though :( Quality varies very widely from restaurant to restaurant is the problem so I am wary of trying different ones.

With non veg food especially during highway travel it is best to stick to known / recommended places, for obvious reasons. So better to ask first

I used to be a big fan of them a decade big when I lived in Chennai. Now with the explosion of franchises there is no guarantee of quality. Dining at Anjappar while traveling is equivalent to playing with fire

[binand]

Originally Posted by hserus

With non veg food especially during highway travel it is best to stick to known / recommended places, for obvious reasons.

In my experience, eating non-veg food on highways is a kind of Russian Roulette. I'd rather eat the relatively safe idlis and stuff (in how many ways can you screw up the dosa batter, anyway?) for those few hours rather than attempt something and spend all my time in the loo the next day.

In any case, Bangalore and Chennai nowadays are so close to each other that you can have a slightly early meal N, drive to the other city and have a slightly late meal N+1.

My only exception for highway non-veg is when I travel to Kerala, especially alone. Then my craving for non-chicken, non-veg food gets the better of me, and I know restaurants within a short distance of the interstate border where such food could be had.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by binand

My only exception for highway non-veg is when I travel to Kerala, especially alone. Then my craving for non-chicken, non-veg food gets the better of me, and I know restaurants within a short distance of the interstate border when such food could be had.

Especially the food that once said moo and oink. Maybe baa, but well ..

Kerala and the deep south of TN are a paradise. Border Rahamath Kadai near the Courtallam falls / the TN Kerala border is meat heaven.