[ST7677]

With some special arrangement we went for a yacht cruise around the Vishakhapatnam port. It is a natural harbour with round the clock navigation. Here we saw different berths where various cargos were being unloaded, construction of ships at Hindustan Shipyard, Crane Ships Bhima (120 tonnes capacity) and Hanuman (60 tonnes capacity), Dolphin's Nose hill and Ross Hill. Dolphin's Nose faces the cool blue ocean and is a rocky promontory about 174m high and 358m above sea level and resembling the shape of a dolphin. The powerful beacon of the light house set on rock at Sea directs Ships 65 kilometers away.

The Submarine Museum, the first Museum in Asia to be build off a real Submarine (INS Kurusura, Russian Built 1970-2001), at the Rama Krishna Beach. which shot down Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi about 4-5 nautical miles off the Vizag coast during the 1971 war.
Unfortunately there was no power and this was closed for the whole day and till next day afternoon!

VUDA Park (Rs.3): This park is supposed to be a heavy crowd puller with a Dancing Musical Fountain, Boating facility, Skating Ring, Horse and Camel Riding. However when we reached there on a Friday evening it was very deserted and we left after a quick walk around the park.

Finally went to Rama Krishna Beach and spent rest of the evening there.
This is not a safe beach, it was rocky and steep, the waves were very strong too. We didn't go beyond knee deep waters.
Soon it started raining again. We were almost at last leg of our trip, tomorrow night we would reach home. So instead of running back, we decided to enjoy the rain, the sand and the sea.

Anticipating a beach visit, I had loaded some extra cans of tap water from the hotel, and that helped us wash off sand and salt water before we changed and got into the car...

Dinner was at Kebab Cart along the beach road (another GPS recommendation) - Drive in style with nice hot kebabs.

[Bh.P]

Vizag is really beautiful, especially when it drizzles. IMHO. Had been there during such a season.
The planning of your trip seems meticulous, and probably the main reason you enjoyed the drive. Else such long drives could be mentally and physically draining. Had you made any contingency plans for breakdowns? Just curious what people do if their car breaks down in the middle of no-where, when with family.

Now waiting to get to your house and check the fridge door.

[man_and_machine]

this is one hell of a trip and one hell of a log! I really admire your spirit for the rubber on the road!

[Vik0728]

hey ST7677 congrats on an amazing tour....enjoyed reading every bit of you experience!!

My and my wifey have been planning a long trip north for sometime now and your input would help us a great deal. Just wanted to know what was your approximate expense for the entire trip on the Fuel ? Appreciate your info.

[ST7677]

Thanks Bh.P, man_and_machine, Vik0728 for your comments.

Originally Posted by Bh.P

Had you made any contingency plans for breakdowns? Just curious what people do if their car breaks down in the middle of no-where, when with family.

My list included
Thoroughly checked up of car
Extra Tube (very helpful in emergency in side wall cuts in tubeless tires)
Puncture repair kit, 12v Operated air pump
Contact numbers of all Honda Service stations
Local on road assistant numbers
Tow rope
Enhanced Tool kit
Finally avoid late night driving (specially in unknown areas), to have time in hand to manage breakdown.


Also did you know all toll operators are required to provide

Originally Posted by Vik0728

My and my wifey have been planning a long trip north for sometime now and your input would help us a great deal. Just wanted to know what was your approximate expense for the entire trip on the Fuel ? Appreciate your info.

Actually it depends a lot on which states you are passing through and where all do you refill. Rates in Karnataka are around Rs71, AP is 69, Orrisa and Jharkhand are around 63. So you see rates vary quiet a lot.
I have the fuel analysis in my car computer and will post it shortly.

[ST7677]

Return – Day 2 (1050+ km)

Our plan was to go straight to Bangalore but a back up stop was planned at Tirupati. I got up late and we started an hour late from Vizag at 6am, by 8:50 we reached Rajahmundry. I was tempted to take the road through Rajahmundry instead of the 32km longer loop that NH 5 makes. While coming this NH5 loop had lot of slow moving traffic, so I thought Rajahmundry shortcut would save time but it turned out to be a big mistake.

I opened the Satnav Oneindia map and identified the target as NH5 on other side of the city. It all went on fine for a while, city traffic was also ok, and I thought I will not loose time if not gain. As we proceeded the Oneindia map asked me to take a turn where there was no sign of any road. I checked my GPS signal (thinking due to low signal I might be misplaced on map), but that was fine, I reconfirmed my position on Google earth as per the GPS and that too seemed fine. I skipped the turn and went straight, GPS navigation lady said “recomputing route” and came up with alternate route. Sometime later it again asked me to take right in 200m, as I approached the turn (on GPS) I was horrified to see, that it was a railway crossing and the GPS was asking me to turn onto the railway track! I said yeah great! I skipped that too and kept going straight. That “Recomputing route” got announced so many times in next 5 kms that my kids started making funny ways of saying the same. I had to skip may turns because either there were no roads, or the roads didn’t seem to be in drivable condition, but good part of having a navigation system is it will keep recomputing the route to put you back on track for your destination. Eventually we reached the correct road (adjacent to a canal) and reached NH5. But NH5 was passing overhead and there seem to be no connectivity to it thru this road. That’s when I turned back to Google Earth and located a 1.5km loop which seemed to connect to the NH5. Hoping that the road will be fine I proceeded and soon was back on GQ. This short cut costed me 30 mins more than what I would have taken through the NH5 loop. Lesson re-learnt - Navigation in India, specially in smaller city, still has a long way to go.

Road transportation in India


Overloading is a norm, but this one!!!

Return was little boring, it felt longer, felt like never ending road. Back to daily life. Automatically speeds slowed down. We reached Tirupati at 7pm, we were 2.5 hrs behind schedule by now. It was getting dark too. We had to decide to stay over or to continue. I was not feeling tired but night driving is something I am not very fond off. Since home was just few hours away and roads are divided Mulbagal onwards, we decided to take an hour’s break at a good restaurant freshen up and continue. We started looking out for a good restaurant for dinner (GPS didn’t seem to have any close by on the route). Surprisingly there are more WINE shops lit up on this route than decent restaurants. No wonder so many toppled trucks we see, in my view all wine shops should be banned from highways. Finally, we stopped into Coffee Day for a quick bite, freshened up and then continued back carefully. Reached Bangalore limits by 11:30pm and a little past midnight, the GPS announced - Welcome Home, you have arrived

Now it was going to be the moment of truth. Was the refrigerator door left open? Is everything going to be fine? All these questions were coming to my mind as the elevator ascended. On entering home, I switched on the light, and there was light – so no fire, no smoke, no burnt fuses, so far so good. With a pounding heart I straight away went to the kitchen, to check if the fridge door was left open, is the compressor still working or dead? Will I get a huge electricity bill?

And here it was…

Sitting nicely and quietly, with all doors closed. Opened and reassured myself everything was fine – Refrigerator at 3 deg C and Freezer at -19deg. I shut the door and see my wife smiling at me and she said, “I was also thinking of the same thing, thank God it was closed”. And finally I was glad, I did not make that U turn.

[ST7677]

Looking back and reflecting on the experience
I had promised myself (and my father) that I will drive safely, and I stuck to it throughout. After all no distance or destination is worth the risk of risky maneuvers or drowsy-driving and risking your family’s life. On such long journey’s one is bound to get drowsy moments. My formula to avoid drowsiness is to keep my taste buds awake, eat slowly - eat chewing gum, eat an apple, drink coffee, sing along, wash your face, stop the car and walk around.. , else stop at a safe place and take a 15min power nap (not more than that, once in deep sleep you need proper rest). Being aware of your personal biological clock – what are the hours when you feel very sleepy helps. Do remember that if you are feeling drowsy – you may not realize when you may fall asleep and crash. So just stop and take a power nap. Common signs of serious drowsiness include - having trouble keeping your eyes open and focused, finding yourself drifting from your lane or tailgating. When you’re tired your judgment can be impaired and your brain can play tricks on you. You may do the wrong things. Don’t risk it.

In the whole journey my ABS kicked in two times (hard braking). Once when on GQ's smooth roads suddenly turned into big broken surface and secondly when a cow crossing the road changed it’s mind and suddenly turned and ran back towards the median right in front of me! I thanked my car (and my stars) for having ABS and my controlled speed of about 70-80kmph, so that I could brake and steer at the same time.

Looking back, it was a fun filled and exciting trip. By train it would have been cheaper but usual boring stuff. Will I take it again – Sure, but this time to a different location

My dream drive would be driving down full Jammu and Kashmir all the way from Bangalore to Leh-Ladakh covering Pathankot, Jammu, Srinagar, Sonamarg, Kargil, Pangong, Hanle, Nyoma and return via Manali. Just need to get long enough vacation to do that and a lot more preparation. Some time, yes, definitely…

Hope you enjoyed the travelogue, do comment.



GPS Logs
- Open in Google Earth
1 Bangalore to Vizag.kmz

2 Vizag to Konark.kmz

3 Konark to Bhubaneshwar.kmz

4 Bhubaneshwar to Jamshedpur.kmz

5 Jamshedpur to Vizag.kmz

6 Vizag to Bangalore.kmz

All photos are also geo tagged using GPS.



Fuels Economy and cost analysis
Total distance travelled = 4155km
Fuel consumed = 322.1 ltrs
Total Fuel cost = Rs. 21802
Net Fuel Economy = 12.9 km/ltr

FE Bangalore to Jamshedpur = 13.2 kmpl
FE Jamshedpur to Bangalore = 12.7 kmpl (more resting time with A/C on, + local at Vizag)
With the kind of summer heat and stopovers with car and A/C on I was expecting sub 10 mileage and was pleasantly surprised.

Civic is a lovely car, whichever way you look at it. Yes, even FE wise it rocks!



Toll logs

[julupani]

OT:

For people who do not have Google Earth or dont want to use Google Earth, you can view the logs on Google Maps online.

Just open Google Maps and paste the link of the KMZ file in the Google Maps search bar and click search to view the logs.

[laluks]

Originally Posted by ST7677

Hope you enjoyed the travelogue, do comment.

Wonderful ST7677. Thanks for penning it down.

Originally Posted by ST7677

Civic is a lovely car, whichever way you look at it. Yes, even FE wise it rocks!

You bet

[Fauji]

Wonderful TL. Thanks for sharing, ST.

I definitely agree that it is fun driving than any other transport. More so if the roads are good. Nice to read that your Fridge was closed

Originally Posted by hvkumar

I entirely agree, I don't think any of the sections you drove through in OR are unsafe and you can go 24x7 without any fear. I have never heard of any Maoist problems on this route.

Not revisiting the topic. This is not true and should not scare others to drive through OR or Chattisgarh. We had travelled through maoist areas of Koraput and Bastar in March this year during our roadtrip to Chattisgarh. We did not face any issues. The trick is to avoid any maoist areas like Dantewada etc and you can be safe.

More in this TL of mine.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...arh-kanha.html

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Afraid there is no choice but to go on NH5 through VIjaywada city. Maybe one should plan such that you go through at non-peak hour timings. the road through the city is straight without any confusion.

Yes. There is no choice. If one is planning to travel on NH5 towards Calcutta or Jharkhand or Orissa or Chattisgarh, i would highly recommend to break in Vijayawada for lunch. One can comfortably reach for lunch if you leave Bangalore around 5 AM with Breakfast break in Tirupathi. Hotel Ilapuram in city serves excellent Andhra food. My friend freaked out on Guntur chicken biryani. Look at my TL above.

Originally Posted by ST7677

The Sun Temple at Konark

Muslim invaders returned in the fifteenth century and the Konark Temple was badly damaged. For centuries, the forces of nature caused even further damage, and it lay under a huge mound of sand until archeologists uncovered and began restoring it in the early twentieth century. We took the guide for Rs.100, but he was not required. He did not tell us anything new (not mentioned above), and mostly kept highlighting the amorous postures carved on the temple walls.

Konark is an amazing place and the temple is awesome. You will not see the complete temple till you enter through the steps and when you see it, you will get "WOW" feeling like you get on seeing Taj Mahal for the first time. I am not sure that the condition of the roof of temple has anything to do with Muslim invaders but more due to climate and bad planning and the top portion might have fallen off in one of the cyclones.

Ofcourse, you don't any guide as it is not spread out like Hampi.

Also, Konarak also has an excellent beach good for swimming which many don't visit.

Originally Posted by amitwlele

I should say the temple complex and the lawns are really maintained. If i am not mistaken this temple is also in the list of top heritage sites of India.

Yes, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Originally Posted by julupani

The lode stone theory about the Sun Temple's collapse is complete myth. It has been completely rejected by historians and archeologists. Though thee actual reason is not confirmed, it was most probably bad design, weak stone, compounded by many other factors.

Now, the main sanctum is completely off limits to general tourists. But I have been inside when I was younger. The Sun Temple is not just one of the top heritage sites of India, it happens to be a World Heritage site.

Thanks Julu. Agree with your views.

Originally Posted by dot

This is exactly the range that is possible on our roads. Before GQ, the number used to range around 50, now it has increased closer to 60. Thanks for sharing.Great to know this. I believe your Civic has OEM suspensions, isnt it.

It depends on road conditions and on good GQ roads like NH 7 and NH 4 i have averaged 80 KMs comfortably in my Scorpio driving safe. Last week we did Bangalore - Dindigul - 380 KMs - on NH 7 in 5.30 Hrs with one Hour break in Karur. Average of 84 KMPH.

See my TL

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ing-menus.html

On NH 4 Between Bangalore and Kolhapur and Bangalore - Hyderabad on NH7 you can achieve the same mileage. It also depends on the time of your departure.

Originally Posted by ST7677

Yes, it was very helpful. Following features were fully utilized:

I have been using it for almost 30k km now and have done many many long trips and it is really useful. I feel a car incomplete now without it.

Wow!! Curious to know what is this Carputer all about. May PM you.

Originally Posted by Bh.P

Vizag is really beautiful, especially when it drizzles. IMHO. Had been there during such a season.

Vizag definitely is good. But RK beach as any city beach is dirty and some places have become public toilet. The best beaches closer to Vizag are Rishikonda and Bheemunipatnam.

Originally Posted by ST7677

Looking back and reflecting on the experience
I had promised myself (and my father) that I will drive safely, and I stuck to it throughout. After all no distance or destination is worth the risk of risky maneuvers or drowsy-driving and risking your family’s life. On such long journey’s one is bound to get drowsy moments. My formula to avoid drowsiness is to keep my taste buds awake, eat slowly - eat chewing gum, eat an apple, drink coffee, sing along, wash your face, stop the car and walk around.. , else stop at a safe place and take a 15min power nap (not more than that, once in deep sleep you need proper rest). Being aware of your personal biological clock – what are the hours when you feel very sleepy helps. Looking back, it was a fun filled and exciting trip. By train it would have been cheaper but usual boring stuff. Will I take it again – Sure, but this time to a different location

My dream drive would be driving down full Jammu and Kashmir all the way from Bangalore to Leh-Ladakh covering Pathankot, Jammu, Srinagar, Sonamarg, Kargil, Pangong, Hanle, Nyoma and return via Manali. Just need to get long enough vacation to do that and a lot more preparation. Some time, yes, definitely…

Hope you enjoyed the travelogue, do comment.

I agree with you 110 percent. There is absolutely no need to take any risks and chances on the road and "Road rage" is just NO-NO. It will spoil the whole trip. I also do not love night driving as i feel there is no charm in it. I love to enjoy the landscape during driving which one can't at night. This is purely my personal opinion.

Yes, you should do the trip to Leh. It will be awesome as we can see in many TLs posted. But not in Civic. Civic can not manage Manali - Leh road and others in hills.

YES, sir. We enjoyed your ride thoroughly. Next time you go to Jamshedpur, we would like to see some pictures of your drive around Jamshedpur which my friend who studied in XLRI always keep telling me about.

[julupani]

Originally Posted by Fauji

Not revisiting the topic. This is not true and should not scare others to drive through OR or Chattisgarh. We had travelled through maoist areas of Koraput and Bastar in March this year during our roadtrip to Chattisgarh. We did not face any issues. The trick is to avoid any maoist areas like Dantewada etc and you can be safe.

Completely agree with this. I have travelled extensively in these areas, as I actually happen to be a native of Koraput. It is also one of the most pristine and untouched parts of the country.

Originally Posted by Fauji

Konark is an amazing place and the temple is awesome. You will not see the complete temple till you enter through the steps and when you see it, you will get "WOW" feeling like you get on seeing Taj Mahal for the first time. I am not sure that the condition of the roof of temple has anything to do with Muslim invaders but more due to climate and bad planning and the top portion might have fallen off in one of the cyclones.

Ofcourse, you don't any guide as it is not spread out like Hampi.

Also, Konarak also has an excellent beach good for swimming which many don't visit.

Actually, the beach at Konark, though very beautiful, is not very good for swimming. In fact its is advised not to swim at the Chandrabhaga beach. It is very dangerous, and there is a complete lack of any rescue personnel. You can though take a long walk on the beach near Konark, and the sunrises over here are something special.

For swimming purposes, in Orissa, Puri and Gopalpur are the locations. Puri is best because, even though there is a certain amount of danger, at least there are rescue personnel. Even then, a few fatalities still occur at Puri beach every year.

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by julupani

Actually, the beach at Konark, though very beautiful, is not very good for swimming. In fact its is advised not to swim at the Chandrabhaga beach. It is very dangerous, and there is a complete lack of any rescue personnel. You can though take a long walk on the beach near Konark, and the sunrises over here are something special.

For swimming purposes, in Orissa, Puri and Gopalpur are the locations. Puri is best because, even though there is a certain amount of danger, at least there are rescue personnel. Even then, a few fatalities still occur at Puri beach every year.

Thanks Julupani. Thanks for clarifying.

You brought back memories of our memorable trip to Orissa in 1998. it was in September - the right season to be there - and every part of the state was green!!

Yes, Gopalpur has amazing, unspoilt and laidback beach. I hope it continues to be one. We stayed in an Iconic hotel called Hotel Mermaid run by old Anglo-Indian couple. Apart from homely menu and facilities, we just loved the evening tea which was served with bisuits from another Iconic bakery - Hindustan Bakery of Berhampur. These are small but beautiful memories of any trip we do, isn't it?

[noopster]

Glad to know your fridge was properly shut after all. May I make a suggestion? In future please keep a spare key with a friend of trusted neighbour. Often we forget the seemingly unimportant things and leave a fridge door open or a gas valve unlocked etc. It will save you a lot of trouble and ensure peace of mind!

Off-topic: your fridge is gorgeous! I gotta get me one of those for my new place!

I was cheering for you when you wrote about the family's safety being paramount and practicing safe driving throughout your trip: the tips for staying wakeful and alert were especially helpful. It says a lot that you had 2 occasions to use your GPS despite all the care exercised: a grim reminder that Murphy is a constant presence in the passenger seat. Last night returning from Mumbai on the expressway in pouring rain, I was observing how utterly stupidly people drive: a near-collision happened between two cars jockeying for "track position" right in front of me; trucks cut in on me without warning on more than one occasion, etc. Had to be 100% alert to just stay unscathed. The point is, there is no sense in saying "It wasnt my fault" later on; you just need to stay safe!

Anyway I ramble. Excellent thread, fantastic photos, great travelogue. You should hit the road more!

[ST7677]

Originally Posted by Fauji

Wow!! Curious to know what is this Carputer all about. May PM you.

All here, you can read at this thread...
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-do-yourself/60272-iceing-honda-civic-part-ii-carputer.html

Originally Posted by noopster

Off-topic: your fridge is gorgeous! I gotta get me one of those for my new place!

I was cheering for you when you wrote about the family's safety being paramount and practicing safe driving throughout your trip: the tips for staying wakeful and alert were especially helpful. It says a lot that you had 2 occasions to use your GPS despite all the care exercised: a grim reminder that Murphy is a constant presence in the passenger seat. Last night returning from Mumbai on the expressway in pouring rain, I was observing how utterly stupidly people drive: a near-collision happened between two cars jockeying for "track position" right in front of me; trucks cut in on me without warning on more than one occasion, etc. Had to be 100% alert to just stay unscathed. The point is, there is no sense in saying "It wasnt my fault" later on; you just need to stay safe!

Thanks Noopster

Yes, just you driving safe is not enough, you also have to factor mistakes / stupid things done by others. In India you cannot sue the administration / cattle owner / Other motorists to get compensated for any monetary damage, personal injury can anyway not be compensated by money!
Both the above 2 incidents where the ABS kicked in were no fault of mine, but casualty / damage would have been 100% my problem.

[nagarajmg]

Originally Posted by ST7677

I can understand. (At least my) Kids now days do not enjoy watching the window scenery the way we used to do in our early age. They continuously need something to keep them engaged.
================
On this trip my elder daughter insisted that I stream GPS map to rear screen also, which she was observing very carefully (and later was explaining to my wife). Since then she is hooked on to exploring Google earth. I had not expected this and was pleasantly surprised.

Wow that's good stuff you have got . You mentioned couple of interesting points like removing the headrest and GPS. I have observed even my kids like to watch GPS map during the travel. Thanks for sharing. It's really useful.