[ninjatalli]

Our original plan was to reach Jaipur by the evening & spend the night around the city. Considering that we had left Ahmedabad by 8 in the morning, traveling 600 kms in 8-10 hours across the wide roads of Rajasthan shouldn't have been a problem.

But our extended lunch break meant that we leave Udaipur post 4 in the afternoon, so we decide to speed up and catch up on lost time. The hills start disappearing soon, and the landscape turns into plains dotted with small bouts of greenery.

We bid the hills goodbye


NH76 is a beautiful stretch of road - wide, 4 lanes of tar & side lanes on either side. Unlike the roads till now, there are hardly any trucks to be seen and we are almost able to maintain constant speeds of 120kmph, except for these weird mini humps that keep breaking the pace. Ideally one can go over these at normal speeds, but the car jumps up a bit and it's more of an problem for the back seaters. Thankfully they end by the time we reach Chittorgarh bypass when we decide to take a break to get a few snaps.

What a road!




The road bifurcates into NH76 & NH79; NH79 would take us towards Kishangarh, which is the route to be taken, while NH76 would have taken us to Kota & MP there onwards.

NH79 on the left, NH76 on the right


A short while later we seen this nice tea spot with a decent rural crowd presence, right adjacent to the highway, and we decide to stop and have a cup of tea.

The T-Dhaba!


I take out my camera and try to capture the rural essence.









This was the best pic of the day - this fellow had a completely different style of smoking the beedi - I had kept the camera focussed on him for nearly 2-3 minutes to get this snap. He knows I am upto something but yet he isn't sure if I'm taking pictures of him only! For the next 15 mins till we are there, I keep seeing him give me suspicious glances, probably just to check if I'm again snooping on him

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by ambivalent_98

Niranjan, I got goose-bumps reading the Vento thread. I own one and I know how reliable it is and it was indeed thrilling to read about its performance to Delhi from Pune. Just A_W_E_S_O_M_E ...!!! Waiting for more pictures.
Lucky that the dent was on the outside. All dents are fixable. Drive with care dude...!!!

Thanks dude!

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Not so soon ninja bhai, some others among us are generally not-at-peace types! You also need to confirm that it didnt rain enroute and that an enthusiastic chowkidar didnt wash/ wipe the Vento on one of your overnight halts

Waiting for the next instalment

Well, all through the week we were praying that it would rain during the race and we might see a lot more action
Unfortunately the rain gods were all busy in Thailand!

Originally Posted by no_enthu_da

wonderful writeup there! can't wait to see the F1 track pictures!!


are you ninjatalli on pagalguy too??

lol. I was wondering when someone would make that connection. Yes sir, ninja_talli on PG. And whom may I be giving this info to?

Btw, talking of TLs, mind-blowing Leh TL! (Guess you would have heard this numerous times!) What we covered in our trip was just day 1 of your 21day trip! Have already put that on this year's agenda - just keep wondering again & again if it makes sense to take the Vento out there!

[no_enthu_da]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

lol. I was wondering when someone would make that connection. Yes sir, ninja_talli on PG. And whom may I be giving this info to?

I'm peekay2n there. Used to be active on the Poor Jokes thread. never bothered with the main purpose of PG. in fact, my XL-BM interview ended up becoming a joke!! :-P

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Btw, talking of TLs, mind-blowing Leh TL! (Guess you would have heard this numerous times!) What we covered in our trip was just day 1 of your 21day trip! Have already put that on this year's agenda - just keep wondering again & again if it makes sense to take the Vento out there!

Thanks man! Wouldn't have been possible without the many experts we had; especially HVK who singly did all the planning..

[ninjatalli]

For the final leg of the 3rd day (or so we thought) I decide to take a break and catch a short nap on the rear seats. When I finally wake up it is almost pitch dark and we are about to reach Kishangarh. The others had stopped for a cup of tea, so I decide to try & get some night shots.

It is moments like these when I wish I had an SLR with me - nothing beats it when it comes to night photography, still a few attempts :





We soon reach the Kishangarh - Jaipur expressway; now I had been advised (by my friend) to strictly maintain the 90kmph speed limit on this highway, and that there are interceptors vehicles that stop & fine overspeeding vehicles. So I maintain a speed limit of 90kmph. A few Scorpios & Honda City(s) zip by me, a few Swift & i20(s) pass me, even Alto(s) & and a Nano overtakes me!

Wonder where this was heading to




Now although my friend had very clearly advised us not to get into Jaipur, we had to meet up with a few family friends for which we had to go through the city. And so we did. Just that the chief minister too decided to pass through the city of Jaipur just when we did; and that causes everything to go haywire. With half the city roads being blocked off, the original exit route (to the highway) is soon forgotten, and somehow we enter the pink city.

Now at 11 p.m. in the night, one would expect empty roads & only sleeping dogs on the roads right? Wrong. Apparently there was some festival going on in the old city and the roads are choked up with vehicles.

The good side - we get to see Johari Bazaar, Jantar Mantar & Noor Mahal; infact even the city palace is apparently accessible due to the festivities which we wisely decide to pass.

The gates to the Pink city


Nice intricate drawings


Johari Bazaar - filled with traffic & people at 11 p.m.


Some jewelry shop at Johari Bazaar


The magnificent Noor Mahal


In front of Noor Mahal


Soon we find an exit to the highway, and an hour later we finally reach our stop-over for the night, RTDC Midway Shahpura hotel. Shahpura is about 70 kms ahead of Jaipur and the hotel is extremely cheap, non-AC room - 800 INR / AC room - 1200 INR (including extra member charges). One can book the room on the RTDC website or just land up there & get a room (24X7), as we did.

So far, the jackets we had been carrying had been dumped in the boot, but nights in Rajasthan are cold and we finally take them out. We are surprised by the sudden change of the weather, only in the morning, I was cribbing about the Gujarat heat, and now there is a chill in the air. As we already had dinner at Jaipur, we crash for the night.

[goandude]

fantastic TL, well written and great pictures. How did you take pic 5 in Post #8 The high speed shot on the expressway?

[souravc]

Dude , the pictures , colour , flair and the way its structured - this TL rocks !! If I knew that this would be so good , I would have gifted you my Tata Photon + connection and would have lived without the net at home . BTW , you mentioned that you were doing 90 kmph since there might be interceptors - road blocks / nakas , yes but interceptors intercepting your TDi at full gallop ?? Have the police started getting Ford Mustangs here too ? [ All in jest ]

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by goandude

fantastic TL, well written and great pictures. How did you take pic 5 in Post #8 The high speed shot on the expressway?

Thanks!

For that kind of pic, I hold the camera firmly & rest it on the car body top & keep clicking. Incidentally that pic is of the back side. Really comes out well on curvy roads, but couldn't do that a lot on this trip as most of the time I was driving.

Originally Posted by souravc

Dude , the pictures , colour , flair and the way its structured - this TL rocks !! If I knew that this would be so good , I would have gifted you my Tata Photon + connection and would have lived without the net at home . BTW , you mentioned that you were doing 90 kmph since there might be interceptors - road blocks / nakas , yes but interceptors intercepting your TDi at full gallop ?? Have the police started getting Ford Mustangs here too ? [ All in jest ]

I'll take a rain check on that

But in a way I'm glad I didn't take a datacard - got to enjoy the trip more, else I might have been sitting in the back working on the laptop, ignoring the TL & probably checking FB & other social sites.

As for the interceptors, as per my friend they have multiple units taking pictures/noting speeds across the highway - and another unit stays at the end toll gate to catch you there. Apparently they are quite accurate - as it is, the highway is so good, you are bound to speed. God forbid the non-RJ registered vehicle who dares to argue with them that he/she wasn't speeding

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Ta - da! Presenting the "dirty picture" (pun intended)

Nothing like a dirty well-driven Vento. A sight to behold.

Total number of times I couldn't clear the ground - zero.

True! Don't know what the fuss is about Vento's ground clearance being poor.

The only time my car's mud flaps scraped over a speed breaker in Bangalore is when I had 32psi in all tires and was carrying five people with our stomachs completely full after a sumptuous lunch at Papa Jones

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

As for the interceptors, as per my friend they have multiple units taking pictures/noting speeds across the highway - and another unit stays at the end toll gate to catch you there.

If you remember, could you tell us where all did you see interceptors? Would be good to know when travelling through RJ!

[ninjatalli]

Day 4 (Oct 28th)

Route : Shahpura - Gurgaon
Kms : 194

We wake up lazily without any alarms - Delhi is hardly 200kms away and we had the entire day to do that distance. It is a beautiful morning - outside the temperature isn't too cold, yet there is a cool breeze. The morning sun is out and I decide to go out for a walk - a wise decision it was.

Earlier in the night, we hardly had any idea what the scenery around the city of Shahpura; now I could see there is this glorious mountain at the back, giving a nice background to the hotel.

Clear & big boards indicating the hotel location to travelers going in either direction. Landmark - Tata motors dealer right in front of the hotel


The background view of the hotel


A view of the hotel again


Coming from Gujarat eh, that's kids' stuff - so says the lady to the SUV


A word about the hotel :- this is a no frills hotel with minimum rates - be it the lodging or the food. The room setup is simple & nice - clean rooms, with a extra bed available on request. Amenities : A/c (optional), TV with cable, clean bathrooms with western toilets & working geysers, wide parking area & a nice garden (excellent for having the morning tea outside) and lastly, a cheerful host ready to entertain any of your demands even at 1 in the night!

We decide against having breakfast, as we wanted to do that on the road, and what a wise decision it was. We pass quite a few modern hotels on the roads - unfortunately these seem to be gaining a lot of footfall as compared to the roadside dhabas. And why wouldn't they - apart from the continental choice of food, they offer a decent parking area, clean toilets & a place for your kids to run around & play.

But we didn't have any kids, neither did we have the need for clean toilets, and so we bypass such "dhabas" - after all we didn't travel 1400kms to come and eat oily masala dosas! We soon stop at an actual dhaba - one with the khatiayas & a tire puncture shop adjacent to it

The dhaba we stopover for breakfast


Looks like we aren't the only one stopping here for a glass of tea!


The lady goes for a tire pressure check-up - very necessary to be done atleast once every day on such long drives


We decide to try out the Khatiyas - the feeling is awesome! Where can I get one in Pune, please?


Now coming to the breakfast - we inquire and are told that there is only sabzi & roti available. We were like - W*F! He's like - Saab, khaa ke toh dekho, abhi abhi banaya hai.
Without any other option we agree to do so. One bite and we are blown away - the roti(s) are made from fresh wheat, probably grown & procured in the nearby villages - the taste was out of the world. Forget the sabzi(s) (which also were pretty decent too), but we could just keep on eating the roti(s) alone.

And coming to the chai, we again see a lateral shift in the taste. Let me elucidate -

• MH tea is one of the sweetest tea(s) I have ever tasted, plain & loads of sugar
• GJ tea is more of additives (masala mainly, with a dash of elaichi & ginger & pudina) & water, and less milk
• RJ tea - depends on the location but mainly the milk quantity is more & thick. As for the shahpura tea, the tea had a kick that could wake up any sleepyhead!

The best breakfast of the entire trip!


Clean swipe!


Check out the crowd - the lady certainly was a crowd puller; every dhaba we stop-over got filled up by the time we left


With our stomachs full, we start out towards our final destination, Gurgaon. Soon we see the diversions coming up, as the entire corridor is undergoing road expansions & flyover constructions. Thankfully there are hardly any trucks around and we are able to zip through the diversions.

This fellow was managing highway traffic with that thin stick - wonder what he would have done when the time came to use it


The entire Shahpura - Gurgaon stretch has a speed limit of 40kmph - wonder whom did they intend it for - tractors?


But as we near Gurgaon, the road quality deteriorates and our average speeds come to double figures. Also the surrounding scenery which earlier was full of empty fields & a few hills, is now being filled up with a few factories and multiple towns, one after another.

Change in the scenery - Industrial setup, meaning Gurgaon is nearby


Weird thick cables - Delhi/Gurgaon junta, care to explain?


Soon we pass by the industrial town of Manesar, and we see huge number of car transport trucks lined up on either sides of the road. The Maruti strike is still on, and we can see the effect out here - trucks lined up & without any work to do.

Finally we pass by Manesar - both sides of the highways are filled with car transport trucks - courtesy Maruti!


Finally after 3+ days of travel with multiple number of stop-overs we reach our destination. The day is young, the Metallica (sigh!) concert is about to start in a few hours. To add to it, we have two epic days of F1 racing to attend.

@Dippy has already messaged/called me numerous times over the past few days trying to fix the final itinerary plan; every time the poor chap called me, I was always on the wheel, and had to cut his call. I give him the headsup about our arrival and we plan our next day accordingly.

Not for the last time, we again pray to the rain gods to bypass some of the Thailand rains to Noida, so that we could see some "extra" action - we even come prepared with umbrellas & rain coats! Talk about hope!

More details coming up!

[ninjatalli]

Part 1 Pune - Delhi : The smaller yet significant facts

• For people coming from south (Pune side) and stopping over at Bombay (for those passing through Vashi - Chembur bridge), take the Palm beach road (image attached) alternative, as the CBD Belapur - Nerul - Sanpada - Vashi route might get jammed up during traffic. Also the road is way way better.
• For people coming from south (Pune side) and stopping over at North Bombay (Jogeshwari upwards/Kanjurmarg upwards), take the CBD Belapur - Nerul - Sanpada - Turbhe - Rabale - Airoli route. To go further onto the western side, you can take the JVLR from the eastern express highway.
• When exiting Mumbai, if you are looking for breakfast options choose the Udupi restaurant (at Ghodbundar Road - NH8 junction, before the creek bridge). Most of the options on the highway ahead (for another 100kms) are hardly open in the morning, and if they are, the food is not really worth it.
• The yellow strip (on the headlamps) is not mandatory. We spent close to two days in Vadodara & Ahmedabad, passed numerous cops and yet no-one stopped us. My friend (black Vento owner) makes a trip to Vadodara once every month, and he is yet to be fined for it. Possibly they have started allowing outside state cars to be overlooked for this rule.
• If you are bypassing Ahmedabad completely, please use Sardar Patel ring road. The exit will come in a short while after the toll booth (on Ahmd side) - look out for directions.
• Trucks are your friends. Memorize that. In 9 out of 10 scenarios, they are the first one to follow lane rules, and will be the fastest to give way for you to overtake. Worst are cars, especially the taxis.
• Traffic sense will deteriorate as you go up north (my opinion, easily debatable). For me, in terms of traffic (common) sense, GJ > MH > RJ > Haryana > UP. For instance, I couldn't find anybody using indicators in Haryana or UP. Even on the highways.
• Most roadside dhabas in Rajasthan bring out TVs during the night. Almost every one had a movie going on it - probably a good means to get their customers (truckers) to halt at their place. More on this on the return trip.
• Compared to the south, there are very few vehicles that ply on the wrong side. In fact we hardly encountered a few cases during the entire trip.
• Compared to the MH toll booths (TB), all TBs give back the exact change in GJ, RJ & Haryana. None of the toffees/chocolate business out here. If you ever get into a situation with a 500Rs note, and no change, request kindly with a smile, and they'll oblige. Even for a toll fee as low as 21 Rs. (worked for us)
• Kishangarh - Jaipur has two toll booths, the one towards Jaipur comes atleast 20 odd kms before the city. Remember to pay only once (80Rs toll), apparently it's a common mistake done by many people to pay at both toll booths, thinking that's the norm.
• Except for the initial 100 kms outside Mumbai and the last 100 kms before Gurgaon (both which are undergoing expansion & flyover constructions), the entire stretch is perfect without craters. Kudos to the NHAI for upkeeping such good roads.
• And last but not the least, for any long trip, get an inverter, one that has a 3-pin plug socket. You never know when it'll come to use.

[toiingg]

Brilliant Travelogue and great narration.

5 Stars.

[Irish]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Day 4 (Oct 28th)

Route : Shahpura - Gurgaon
Kms : 194

Weird thick cables - Delhi/Gurgaon junta, care to explain?
Attachment 839662

These are the electricity cables in the NCR region. Old open wires (Aluminum) have been replaced or are being replaced, to control / stop the power theft.

Cheers!
Irish

[Mumbaiya]

Great Travelogue. You'll must have had quite an experience. Also wanted to inform you that the car being taken on the flatbed was not a Porsche but a 458 Italia.

[Fireblader85]

Originally Posted by Mumbaiya

Great Travelogue. You'll must have had quite an experience. Also wanted to inform you that the car being taken on the flatbed was not a Porsche but a 458 Italia.

Absolutely. It is evident from the centre exhausts and the diffuser that it is indeed a Ferrari 458 Italia. Nice travelogue ninjatalli. Waiting for the next installment.

[iceman7]

@ Ninjatalli - Thank you so much for rolling the ball here . I did the same trip with the only difference that I left on 23/10 and got back on 2/11. Also I did a short trip to Agra while on the way to Delhi from Jaipur.

I was too lazy to write a travelogue and upload BUTTT your thread has given me the much needed motivation. Will get my travelogue up in a few more days.

Till then, look forward to your story and wonderful pics.

PS - Did you have fun on the NE-1 from Ahmedabad to Vadodara?? I bet you did.