[icar]

Guys need a help here, I want to reach " GOVT GIRLS HIGHER SECONDARY
SCHOOL VENUE II COTTAN HILL VAZHUTHACAUD TRIVANDRUM " tomorrow
Can anyone show me the route starting from Honda showroom I think i can reach these location- railway station, Medical collage, that it! i am very sorry posting here.

[jaisha8]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Not a bad thing to do, but this happen in Kerala?

Yeah, sure. It happens ONLY in Kerala!!

[FastLove]

I have planned a trip from mumbai to kovlam in kerala from 22 - 29 may, 2010.

I will be driving down in my Linea with my wife and kids. The route planned is Mumbai - Bangalore - MAdurai - Kovalam via NH4 (approx 1650km) .

Day 1 (20th May) - Start from New Bombay at 8:00 pm . Drive all night to Bangalore
Day 2 (21st) - After Couple of hours break . Bangalore to Madurai to reach madurai before sunset.
Day 3 (22nd) - Start in morning for kovalam to reach Destination by afternoon.

Kindly advice on the following :
1. The route . (I prefer the safety of the NH4 to the senic NH17). Your Views??!
2. Accomodation in madurai or further ???
3. Local BHP ians , please advice on the climate conditions during MAy end.

Thanx

[ampere]

I don't see a major difference when I checked for the distances between NH4/NH7 and NH17 on Google maps. So I am kind of tempted to be with you on Nh4/NH7 route.

But I remember HVK sir saying, NH17 is much shorter. Hence would rather wait for his response.

Originally Posted by FastLove

Kindly advice on the following :
1. The route . (I prefer the safety of the NH4 to the senic NH17). Your Views??!
2. Accomodation in madurai or further ???
3. Local BHP ians , please advice on the climate conditions during MAy end.

FastLove,

Recently, I did Bangalore-Goa-Mahabaleshwar-Mumbai-Pune-Bangalore trip. Details are available in my travelogue here:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...mbai-pune.html

Now, here are the answers to your queries:

1. The stretch Haveri to Chitradurga on NH 4, measuring about 125 km, was a torture, to say the least. On this stretch, 4-laning road widening work is in snail's progress. My Fiat Linea's bottom got scraped twice each near Davangere and Tumkur BP, totalling four times. You have to go through Ranebennur town. No signages, no info, suddenly on-coming vehicles would be coming in front of you, two back-breaking railway level crossings, by the time you reach Chitradurga, I was totally drained. It is a blot on NHAI. Similarly, after Nelamangala, the traffic blockade created by the truckers would start. However, you can take NICE Road to bypass Bangalore. I never faced any such problems on NH 17.

2. There are many hotels in Madurai. However, many years back I stayed in Hotel Supreme, which was good. It is located in the heart of the city near the Meenakshi Amman Temple. Please visit their website for further info: Supreme Hotel

3. Madurai will be sizzling [40 to 45 deg C] till May-end. So is Kerala, maybe bit cooler compared to Madurai. By May-end, South-West Monsoon will start in Kerala.

[Soccerfan]

may will be hot in kerala. around 36-37 celcius. If you are lucky monsoon might start by may 20 and can enjoy it. what all places are u planning to visit?

[FastLove]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

FastLove,

Recently, I did Bangalore-Goa-Mahabaleshwar-Mumbai-Pune-Bangalore trip. Details are available in my travelogue here:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...mbai-pune.html

Now, here are the answers to your queries:

1. The stretch Haveri to Chitradurga on NH 4, measuring about 125 km, was a torture, to say the least. On this stretch, 4-laning road widening work is in snail's progress. My Fiat Linea's bottom got scraped twice each near Davangere and Tumkur BP, totalling four times. You have to go through Ranebennur town. No signages, no info, suddenly on-coming vehicles would be coming in front of you, two back-breaking railway level crossings, by the time you reach Chitradurga, I was totally drained. It is a blot on NHAI. Similarly, after Nelamangala, the traffic blockade created by the truckers would start. However, you can take NICE Road to bypass Bangalore. I never faced any such problems on NH 17.

2. There are many hotels in Madurai. However, many years back I stayed in Hotel Supreme, which was good. It is located in the heart of the city near the Meenakshi Amman Temple. Please visit their website for further info: Supreme Hotel

3. Madurai will be sizzling [40 to 45 deg C] till May-end. So is Kerala, maybe bit cooler compared to Madurai. By May-end, South-West Monsoon will start in Kerala.

Ravi - Thank u for your useful inputs. Your travelogue is very welll written and informative with lovely pictures. So, Haveri to Chitradurga is a concern . I will be doing a lot of rethinking now. btw , is this road widening (and the troubles) happening on both sides of the highway?

Originally Posted by ampere

I don't see a major difference when I checked for the distances between NH4/NH7 and NH17 on Google maps. So I am kind of tempted to be with you on Nh4/NH7 route.

But I remember HVK sir saying, NH17 is much shorter. Hence would rather wait for his response.

Ampere - NH17 is shorter and scenic but i m looking at th safety of NH4 (which is now a little in doubt after Ravi's post)

Originally Posted by Soccerfan

may will be hot in kerala. around 36-37 celcius. If you are lucky monsoon might start by may 20 and can enjoy it. what all places are u planning to visit?

Soccerfan - Iam one too .. I m sure it will be hot and also hope that the monsoon hits to cool of some of the heat. I plan to stay in a Kovalam Resort and also do a kanyakumari trip . Need inputs on this as well . MY plan is quite flexible as of now .

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by FastLove

Kovalam via NH4 (approx 1650km) .

Day 1 (20th May) - Start from New Bombay at 8:00 pm . Drive all night to Bangalore
Day 2 (21st) - After Couple of hours break . Bangalore to Madurai to reach madurai before sunset.
Day 3 (22nd) - Start in morning for kovalam to reach Destination by afternoon.

Kindly advice on the following :
1. The route . (I prefer the safety of the NH4 to the senic NH17). Your Views??!

I think the route you have planned is the fastest and best - the NH4-NH7 combo. You could return on NH17 if you like a change in the route. Since you have no problem driving at night, you could leave Kovalam by 8 pm to cover the entire length of KL through the night to reach Mangalore in the early morning, and proceed on NH17 till Ankola, connecting to NH63 there for the shorter route via Hubli.

You can trace my recent drive on Bangalore-Madurai-Trivandrum in the following log book:
CENTRAL & SOUTH INDIA, January 2010 - hvkumar | Google Groups
and the Madurai-Kanyakumari-Trivandrum-Mangalore-Ankola-Hubli-Bombay drive in the following:
SOUTH INDIA, Nov 2009 - hvkumar | Google Groups

Originally Posted by FastLove

is this road widening (and the troubles) happening on both sides of the highway?

Yes. The construction and improvement to 4 lanes are on both the sides of NH 4, hence, diversions are also on both sides, i.e., sometimes, vehicles would be coming in front of you, and some other times, you would be driving in front of others!

[Soccerfan]

Since you plan to visit Kanyakumari also i would suggest you proceed from Madurai to kanyakumari. Enjoy the sunset and sunrise and proceed to Kovalam from there. You could avoid the trip from trivandrum to Kanyakumari this way