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Old 4th October 2012, 17:46   #1
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Awesome Weekend breakout : Drive from Chennai to Kodaikanal

Trip Snapshot :

Route : Chennai - Trichy - Dindigul - Kodaikanal
The Machine : Fiat Grande Punto 90 HP running on 195/60 R15 Apollo
Fuel : Diesel (Bharat Petroleum only)
Total Disatnce covered : 1220 Kmtrs (includes sight seeing)
Total Fuel consumed : 65 ltrs
Trip Duration : 2N+3D
GPS Device : Google maps for iPhone
Total Trip Cost : Approx. Rs 10,000
(Fuel+Toll+Boarding & Food for 2 adults for 2N+3D)

So...It was an extended weekend due to Eid being celebrated on Monday and my wife had a perfect excuse to ask for a break out from typical Chennai weather. Deciding where to go was a big trouble considering the fact that Chennaities have limited options to choose among Ooty, Coonoor, Kodaikanal, Munnar or Yercaud. After a considerable amount of Google time, we finalised Kodaikanal and started planinng.

Planning for the trip : To start with the planning, picking up the nest was first challenge. Explored various travel sites to book a hotel as I was a bit skeptical about getting a comfortable stay at a reasonable price.I was particular about comfort and safety as I would be traveling with my wife and 11 month old kid. Then I came to know about one of the resorts being owned by Rathna Stores and felt confident enough to book the same. Online booking was done and we were all set to hit the road next day.

Day 1 : Saturday morning, we hit the road quite early by 5:00. Traffic on the ourskirt of Chennai was quite normal untill we reached Chengelpet and from there on ward it was a surprise for me. I was not expecting that heavy rush specially that weekend. By 9:00, we could cover only 150 kmtrs. Traffic eased out a little after Ulundurpet and I got a chance to step on the gas paddle. Hard to believe how amazing was to hear the speed limit buzzer since morning.
No major issues since then and we comfortably reached Dindigul. Thanks to the accurate and detailed iPhone map applications, iy routed us to some of the shortcuts and helped us avoid further trouble. From Dindigul, its an amazing ghat road to Kodaikanal. The 85 kmtrs odd stretch takes you up and down several hills and a pure pleasure to drive.
Road conditions are pretty good and offer some breath taking sceninc moments. I had to really struggle hard to resist the temptation to stop and take snaps.
We reached our resort by afternoon and opted to take some rest before going out in the evening for some walk along the market.
Forgot to mention : Temp was around 12 degrees in the evening and climate control on my car was blowing hot air inside the cabin

Day 2 : Playing a safe bet, I hired a local guide for sight seeing and guys believe me Rs 500 is worth the money to spent on it. It was quite helpful and he took us through all the major vie points. It was because of him that I didnt had to struggle with finding a parking spot at each venue as he always pointed us to the right space. I do not wish tp take you through details of each view point as all hill stations have more or less the similar venues : valley view, suicide point, lake view, pine forests, fountains etc etc. But yes, we did miss to book a jungle adventure ride which you normally need to book before 8:00.By evening we were back to the resort and marched towards Cockers' Walk.

Day 3 : Being a festive day, I didnt wish to get starnded at any point and so started early from Kodai. Followe dthe same route to reach Chennai by evening. Off course return journey took a little longer thanks to my relaxed driving, more stop overs for a cup of tea and traffic rush after Chengelpet untill Guindy.

To summarise : Some people travel for the sake of destination and some travel for the journey. Drive to Kodai brings the best of both the worlds to you. Its an excellent route to open throttle, enjoy long even stretches of road, counter some exciting corners on the ghat roads and enjoy that pure, refreshing aroma of a hill station.

Last edited by GTO : 24th November 2017 at 09:18. Reason: small typo
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Old 4th October 2012, 21:18   #2
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Re: Awesome Weekend breakout : Drive from Chennai to Kodakanal

Really nice, short travelogue! But I opened up the logue really to check out pics of Kodaikanal. And of course your Punto 90 hp

Please do post pics. Also you got great average! Almost 18.5 kmpl!

Cheers.
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Old 4th October 2012, 22:51   #3
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Re: Awesome Weekend breakout : Drive from Chennai to Kodakanal

Can you please provide some details of the resort that you had stayed? Would love to have some pics in the travelogue.
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Old 5th October 2012, 15:45   #4
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Suarabh : I stayed in Hotel Valley View Inn which is owned by a renowned retail chain in Chennai.Bookings can be done online through their portal. You may visit their site for online booking or just walk in to the Rathna Stores in pondy bazar fir bookings. Its a comfortable stay with good food and ample parking space.

Last edited by navin : 5th October 2012 at 17:04. Reason: merged 2 back to back posts.
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Old 5th October 2012, 17:27   #5
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Re: Awesome Weekend breakout : Drive from Chennai to Kodakanal

Quote:
Originally Posted by thumpingheart View Post
Really nice, short travelogue! But I opened up the logue really to check out pics of Kodaikanal. And of course your Punto 90 hp
Yeah 18.5 is pretty good for highways, particulalrly when I was doing around (100-120) kmph. Not very though with the city mileage....the beast returns only 12 kmpl

Last edited by GTO : 8th October 2012 at 16:45. Reason: Fixing quote
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Old 5th October 2012, 20:24   #6
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Re: Awesome Weekend breakout : Drive from Chennai to Kodakanal

Here they are...snaps from the trip.
Apologies for the poor quality. Not so good with the camera
Attached Thumbnails
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Last edited by GTO : 8th October 2012 at 16:51. Reason: Please avoid typing with excessive dots...........like..............this................
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Old 6th October 2012, 08:15   #7
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Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT post one-liners that add little or no informational value to the thread. We need your co-operation to maintain the overall quality of this forum.

Please read our rules before proceeding any further.

Last edited by GTO : 8th October 2012 at 16:51.
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