[lohithrao]

Raghu, agree with you! if the headlights of your car is bad then it will add to the misery, i had a tough time with oncoming traffic coming with full blaze of light i was literally driving on my gut feel for some sec's...

Once my wife told me that she hardly is able to see anything with some cars hi-beams on and asked how was i able to see, i told her am in the same state

Sharath, i would suggest Rajahamsa from the stink point of view, considering the road in good condition the driver's F1 side will creep in which "may" result in puking sessions last time i had a tough time with few people puking around....

Originally Posted by Samurai

Hmm, this is a little embarrassing, I have not taken a bus to travel in this route since 2005, and my knowledge about buses has become outdated. However, I am thinking of taking the bus this time since I don't have a car to drive back.

Last year I had taken the daytime KSRTC Volvo between Bangalore-Madikeri. I eventually regretted my choice since everybody around me were vomiting into plastic bags in the ghat, and the AC cabin ensured that the whole bus stank. I so wished I wasn't in an AC bus.

Since the Shiradi Ghat is lot tamer in terms of curves, and since I will be taking nightbus, it is safe to take the Volvo from the stink point of view? Or should I go with Rajahamsa?

[RaguHolla]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Last year I had taken the daytime KSRTC Volvo between Bangalore-Madikeri. I eventually regretted my choice since everybody around me were vomiting into plastic bags in the ghat, and the AC cabin ensured that the whole bus stank. I so wished I wasn't in an AC bus.

Since the Shiradi Ghat is lot tamer in terms of curves, and since I will be taking nightbus, it is safe to take the Volvo from the stink point of view? Or should I go with Rajahamsa?

Originally Posted by Fauji

Samurai San,

Rajahamsa is any day better than Volvo from Stink perspective. Whether Shiradi is good or bad, people will vomit due to curves. A friend of mine had a similar nauseating feeling when he traveled and vowed never to travel in Volvo again!!

+1 to that. I took Volvo once 3 years back. Never took it again. Invariantly Volvo stinks. I feel it is much to do with the A/c re-circulation of air than Ghats for vomiting! I prefer Rajahamsa any day to Volvo! After 4 hours of travel you start getting every smell recriculated making your stomach twist!

Originally Posted by Fauji

Not only high beam, you have these lorries without rear lights and you will not come to know there is one till you are 25 mtrs behind them!!

True, I have encountered many such local lorries/tractors. But at least I would like to appreciate truck drivers (read petrol tank). They are very helpful in ghat, give you prompt input whether you can over take them or not! They are also gentle creature to voluntary dim their lights (Unlike Cars)! Rule doesn't applies to Lorries plying locally towns tough!

[lohithrao]

Also, people have a wrong understanding about the AC usage many feel AC is meant for cooling only, they forget the "oxygen" part.

Few times i have seen that they switch the AC off or reduce the blower speed or only the front the ac will be working after few hours, so in the last row you tend to get suffocating kind of feel and maybe due to this reason many might throw up...

even if none does, you may feel sick....

Originally Posted by RaguHolla

+1 to that. I took Volvo once 3 years back. Never took it again. Invariantly Volvo stinks. I feel it is much to do with the A/c re-circulation of air than Ghats for vomiting! I prefer Rajahamsa any day to Volvo! After 4 hours of travel you start getting every smell recriculated making your stomach twist!


True, I have encountered many such local lorries/tractors. But at least I would like to appreciate truck drivers (read petrol tank). They are very helpful in ghat, give you prompt input whether you can over take them or not! They are also gentle creature to voluntary dim their lights (Unlike Cars)! Rule doesn't applies to Lorries plying locally towns tough!

[iPai]

Thanks to @Fauji,@roamingrao,@lohithrao,@samurai and @jmaruru for your valuable.

Left Bangalore on 7th May at 5 30AM(Couldn't leave at 4 because baby was up all night). Took the Electronic City Elevated Highway and then NICE Road to Nelamangala. Toll amounted to close to Rs 200 but awesome roads!

Took Kunigal Bypass( didnt realise that i had taken it!). Breakfast at Bellur cross at Mayura. Reached there at around 7 30 AM. Left at 8 20 AM.

Ghat road is simply awesome!! As many member reported, some different kind of tar has been laid on the curves. The stock tyres of my i10 were squeaking big time(Was it because they were too narrow or was it because of the different tar??)!

Went till Uppinangady and took the road to Guruvayankere. Unfortunately this road was not that good. Some 5 KM stretch of it was very bad! While coming back i took the usual Guruvayankere-Dharmasthala-NH48 route. Very good road! So i would suggest anyone going towards Karkala to Go by Dharmasthala only.

Also, while coming back, i missed the Kunigal bypass because i was behind a bus! So had to pass through Kunigal.

Overall, to and fro journeys took 9 hours exactly. About 1.5 hours of breaks taken on both journeys(With a Kid on board, you cannot really go on without stoppages!)

Nice road, top speed reached: 130kmph max. Lot of truck traffic.
108 KM of two lane NH48 starting from Kunigal, top speed reached: 140 kmph!! Simply awesome road. But have to be careful since in some stretches they have closed one lane and hence vehicles would come in your lane!

Irritants: Sudden undulations on the highways. The rear was bouncing on them big time. Why can't the roads be fully even!!?

FE:
Bangalore to Karkala: 15.5kmpl(125 km city, 250km highway)
Refilled at Uppinangady. Very spirited driving.

Karkala to Bangalore: 15.6 kmpl
Filled at Karkala at journey start. Again, spirited driving.
Breakfast at Shenoy Restaurant, Guruvayankere,Lunch at Kamat, udayapura
Start time: 9 AM. End time: 6 PM.

Overall: Great experience.

[slicvic]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Is it safe to take the Volvo from the stink point of view? Or should I go with Rajahamsa?

Samurai,

I have always traveled by the Night Volvo's to Bangalore, at least 8 times a year, and once by a day Volvo.

It is the day Volvo's that have the stink factor. Thankfully most people sleep off in the night.

[ampere]

What I have come to realize is that nausea/vomiting is a psychological factor. If you apply your brain totally somewhere, one actually may not vomit. Since at folks sleep off, you dont see that happening much.

Similarly a person while driving will not vomit (as he would be focussed on the road all the time). Put the same person on to the passenger seat, he may vomit the next instant on the ghat road.

Sorry for that OT.

[ash_blore]

I thought I will post this tip for folks traveling from mlore to blore on NH-48. When I returned from mlore this time, I started at exactly 6:30AM. Surprisingly the entire shiradi ghat was empty and devoid of bus and tanker traffic. I realized that all the night buses had already reached mlore and the tankers hadnt started yet.
So starting at around 6AM or so from mlore is a good idea if you dont want to run into bus/tanker traffic.

[rohanjf]

Since my girl does not let me drive alone, I travelled to Mangalore in Airavat on Tuesday night. The bus left KBS at 10.10 PM and I reached my parents' house in Kankanady at 5.15 AM. I do not think Rajahamsa can come so fast. Also, the poorer ride quality in Rajahamsa is a put off. But i really wish there were KSRTC buses with 3 seats in a row, for better shoulder room. Fortunately, my fellow passenger did not turn up. But I do not think I will be lucky enough on Saturday night when I return.
And no one in the bus vomitted, may be because people are getting used to travelling in AC buses!

[SMARTF]

Originally Posted by drkakkilaya

Plan this

Bangalore - Hassan - Sakleshpur - Gundya - Dharmasthala (Excellent roads)

Dharmasthala - Ujre - Belthangadi - Moodbidri - Kateel

Kateel - Moodbidri - Karkala - Sringeri

Sringeri - Kudremukh - Kalasa - Hornadu

Hornadu - Kalasa - Kottigehara - Mudigere - Belur - Hassan - Bangalore

Poor roads - between belur and mudigere
Motorable roads - Charmadi ghat
Dharmasthala - moodbidri
Rest great roads

Thanks drkakkilaya

Most of the roods were good except Kalasa - Kottigehara - Mudigere - Belur.
Kalasa - Mudigere 51Km took 2 hours (mostly in 2nd and 3rd gear ). But Mudigere - Belur was really horror of road 30 Km took about 2 hour (mostly in 1st and 2nd gear) and still managed a flat tyre.

Reached Hassan at 4pm Had lunch, fixed the tyre, and filled petrol. Hassan - Bangalore took about 3 hours and I did not cross 100 km/h. This rood is good even for night driving.

About 6 Km before Kunigal, there is a flyover / bridge you need to take that to get to the bypass . You will find traffic congestion or jam and you know you are there.

Route I followed:
Bangalore - Hassan - Sakleshpur - Gundya - Kukke Subrahmanya - Dharmasthala (Excellent roads) night at Saketha (VIP room @ Rs.300/-)

Dharmasthala - Ujre - Belthangadi - Moodbidri - Kateel

Kateel -Hosanadu - Moodbidri - Karkala - Sringeri night at Sharda Krupa @ Rs.100/-

Sringeri - Kudremukh - Kalasa - Hornadu

Hornadu - Kalasa - Kottigehara - Mudigere - Belur - Hassan - Bangalore

985 Km about 65 lt of petrol.

[high_octane]

What's with people missing the Kunigal bypass while returning to B'lore ! I thought I was the only one who missed it, but looks like quite a few members here have also had the same fate. I think, the highway authorities should do something about it considering they have done such a nice job with the highway.

Someone mentioned about the petrol tankers helping the vehicles behind them by giving hand signals to overtake them while on the ghats...This was something even I noticed and I wonder why though. Is it the frustrating slow speeds of the tankers that have made the drivers give up on rash driving ?

[SMARTF]

Kunigal bypass is missed because of construction activity at that point. once it is ready, it would be difficult to miss !!

I have done some training program for long distance Drivers. I think most corporates take training programs to upgrade their driver's skills lot more seriously now a days. It includes Physical fitness training, driving skills, rules & regulations, first aids, soft skills and some times yoga as well (that is where I get involved). There are Corporate Training Organisations into "Defensive Driving & Safety on the Road", these are a must in many western countries before getting driver's license.

The psychology of a driver in his locality (local buses and lorries) is deferent, he would through caution to the wind, training or no-training. Usually, they graduate from Cleaners and are not trained.

[prabhusati]

Originally Posted by high_octane

What's with people missing the Kunigal bypass while returning to B'lore ! I thought I was the only one who missed it, but looks like quite a few members here have also had the same fate. I think, the highway authorities should do something about it considering they have done such a nice job with the highway.

If you have travelled on the Kunigal by-pass you would have noticed that the road is not complete as you near the intersection of the by-pass and the road coming from Kunigal town (when you drive from Bangalore to Mangalore). A small stretch of mud road has to be negotiated and imagine if all the traffic tries to go on this stretch. Due to this, they have not opened up the by-pass for traffic.

[cr_nath]

This is my first post. I'm planning a trip from Mysore to Murudeshwar on 28th May. This is the tentative route. (Purely based on the knowledge from this thread)
Mysore- Hassan - Belur - Chikmagalur-Vasthare- Balehonnur- Kalasa-Horanadu- Jayapura-Sringeri (Day 1)- Agumbe -Kollur-Murudeshwar (Day 2) and return.
Aim of this trip is to enjoy the scenic beauty of these great places.
Expert comments on the route and road condition are solicited. Secondly, is the season ok for this trip? Thanks in advance.

[Fauji]

Hi CR Nath,

There is no need to go to Chikkamagalur - unless you want to taste excellent Masale Dose at Town canteen - if you are planning Horanadu from Mysore as you can starighaway go to Mudigere from Belur.

Secondly, Since you are staying in Sringeri, try and see if you can see famous sun set at Agumbe.

Yes, this is the right time. It has rained in this area - mango showers - and it is green. Plan your trip before first week of June when it will start pouring in this region.

[cr_nath]

Originally Posted by Fauji

Hi CR Nath,

There is no need to go to Chikkamagalur - unless you want to taste excellent Masale Dose at Town canteen - if you are planning Horanadu from Mysore as you can starighaway go to Mudigere from Belur.

Secondly, Since you are staying in Sringeri, try and see if you can see famous sun set at Agumbe.

Yes, this is the right time. It has rained in this area - mango showers - and it is green. Plan your trip before first week of June when it will start pouring in this region.

Hi Fauji,

Thanks for the suggestion. This detour to Chikmagalur is the result of reading so much about the road condition between Belur - Mudigere - Kottigehara - Kalasa. Somebody even said that this stretch has the potential to break any car down. (So I chickened out) Are the roads ok now? Can I take this route?

The Info on Masale Dose is gleefully acknowledged