[pradyblr]

“Whoever came up with the name God’s own country for Kerala must have just finished a Wayanad Trip”

When: Dec 29 – Dec 31 2012
Drive: Swift Zxi
Fuel used: Shell
Route: Bangalore – Mysore – Nanjangud-Gundulpet-Bandipur-Sulthan Bathery-Kalpetta-Vythiri
Total Kms covered: 720
Mileage: 17 kmpl (with 60% AC on)
Stay: Vythiri Meadows

Day 1 – It was all about the Drive

We started from Bangalore at 5.30 (a delayed start of 30 minutes).
Thought we will make up the time by taking the shortcut via Jalahalli to Yeshwantpur. What a wrong decision it was!!
Team-bhpians familiar with this route will know how much time this road can get clogged if the railway crossing gate is closed. We did not expect that so early in the morning and it is exactly what happened.
We were stuck in the jam for close to 40 mins.
Fortunately there ended all the traffic jams for the onward journey.
From here on it was a smooth drive all the way till Sulthan Bathery. Thoroughly enjoyed driving the Swift.

Empty SH17 welcomed us



Stopped for breakfast at Kamath Lokaruchi



Had to share road with many species enroute Nanjangud – Gundulpet




Bandipur forest – out of the world experience



Welcome to Kerala – the roads inside Bandipur are very good on Karnataka side and progressively bad on the Kerala side



Road to Bathery being fixed






Fist View of Chembra Peak







Beautiful scenic drive from Kalpetta to Vythiri



Babe gets a well deserved rest



The Beautiful Vythiri meadows and view from our villa (M5)



After sipping a cup of tea, enjoying the view from the balcony, we went for a walk and later decided to call in a day and retired.

Day 2: Pookote Lake, Lakkidi View Point, Banasura Dam

This was not a touristy trip for us. We wanted to really take a break and relax. Hence visiting too many places was never going to be our agenda.


Babe all washed and ready to explore Wayanad




Pookote Lake was swamped with visitors. We exited from there in flat 5 minutes.

Lakkidi View Point - Breathtaking, Scary, Awesomeness








While parking the car to enjoy the beauty of Lakkidi View point, a stone hit the underbelly. Immediately called up Maruti helpline. Within 2 minutes a technician called up, explained him the details. He advised to bring the car in for a quick check to the nearest garage 5km away. Note that this was a Sunday. The guys were not open. He came opened the garage.

The car being checked for any damage




The inspection passed. There was only a small scratch. Way to go Maruti for the customer service and the rock solid build!!!

Having got the go ahead from Maruti, continued our trip to Banasura Dam after lunch.

The beautiful Banasura Dam










Returned back to the hotel, caught up on some reading and reflection.

Day 3: Shopping and The Drive back

Beautiful view at 6 AM.



After finishing breakfast we checked out from the resort, and went for some handicraft shopping. Note to readers - the prices quoted are for foreign tourists. One needs to bargain hard.

The drive back was uneventful. It took us 3 hours to cover Vythiri-Bathery because of the heavy traffic.

Once we crossed Bathery it was very fast drive till Mysore. Took quite some time to get out of Mysore and on to the SH17. SH17 was covered in good time. Took the Nelamangala NICE road and we were back home in time for Dinner.

It was the most beautiful drive we have yet with the swift.
The stay at the resort was very comfortable. The resort was terribly expensive, but the guys there made up for with their hospitality and wonderful helping nature. I would stay there again for sure.

Signing off till the next travelogue!!!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Rajain]

Hi Pradyblr

Thank you for a wonderful travelogue. Nice pictures, good discription of the road, the scenary and the words that go with it.

Was there a reason you went through Bandipur? From where did you turn away from the Ooty road? Certainly the drive through Bandipur is very scenic.

There is another route where one turns right soon after Nanjangud and then continues through to Sultan's Battery. As you have mentioned once entering KL the roads no longer impress. At least in this part there is no running town/village along the road. In coastal KL driving is further complicated by houses right next to the main road and running town/villages.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Wonderful pictures.

Cheers

[Schoudhury]

Thanks for sharing .
It reminded me of my trip to wayanad.
When i went there , it was raining cats and dogs and we crossed bandipur and other area after sunset, i swear it was scary .The visibility due to rains was very bad and to add to that. it was pitch dark on both side of the road . I will never forget that drive.

Did you get to see the chain tree ?

Also the road to reach the dam was awesome, i had a lot of fun in those turns and twist, im sure in your swift you would have also enjoyed the same to fullest .

Cheers.

[samish_g]

A short and crisp travelogue. We had been there in September and it was raining very heavily. Managed a boat ride in Pookode lake, but the view point was covered with fog.
Glad to know that your "babe" survived with a minor scratch in the underbelly only. Did you confirm the fuel tank and the exhaust pipe? Which portion in the underbody did the stone hit? Generally there will be insulators in the underbody to absorb sound and heat. So may be these were scratched. However, Kudos to the Maruti Service Station for accomodating the checks!!
The resort is definitely fascinating!!!

Regards,

Samish

[Rajeevraj]

Nice write-up and great pictures. I am from Calicut and regularly drive down via Wayanad. In spite of taking this route innumerable times, the beauty of the route after entering Bandipur always relaxes me and puts me in a good frame of mind.

[pradyblr]

Originally Posted by Rajain

Hi Pradyblr

Thank you for a wonderful travelogue. Nice pictures, good discription of the road, the scenary and the words that go with it.

Was there a reason you went through Bandipur? From where did you turn away from the Ooty road? Certainly the drive through Bandipur is very scenic.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Wonderful pictures.

Cheers

Thanks Rajain. I did not know the route you shared. Thank you for that.
I think I would have taken the Bandipur route anyways. The calmness of the forest is amazing.

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

Thanks for sharing .
It reminded me of my trip to wayanad.
When i went there , it was raining cats and dogs and we crossed bandipur and other area after sunset, i swear it was scary .The visibility due to rains was very bad and to add to that. it was pitch dark on both side of the road . I will never forget that drive.

Did you get to see the chain tree ?

Also the road to reach the dam was awesome, i had a lot of fun in those turns and twist, im sure in your swift you would have also enjoyed the same to fullest .

Cheers.

Schoudhury. Must have been a scary experience? Driving those roads in rains and in the dark phew!!!
I skipped chain tree based on travelogues in team-bhp.
Thank you for reminding about drive to the dam. It is pretty funny actually. I was driving very conservatively. The car kept asking for more. Cornering it was so much fun!!!. Reminded of the game roadrash Really amazing roads as you rightly said.

Originally Posted by samish_g

A short and crisp travelogue. We had been there in September and it was raining very heavily. Managed a boat ride in Pookode lake, but the view point was covered with fog.
Glad to know that your "babe" survived with a minor scratch in the underbelly only. Did you confirm the fuel tank and the exhaust pipe? Which portion in the underbody did the stone hit? Generally there will be insulators in the underbody to absorb sound and heat. So may be these were scratched. However, Kudos to the Maruti Service Station for accomodating the checks!!
The resort is definitely fascinating!!!

Regards,

Samish

Thanks Samish. Indeed the entire underbody was thoroughly checked and confirmed that there is no damage. there is a small scratch on the (I really do not know what is it called) cast iron T rod.
I was so paranoid, I asked the mechanic to check and check again. The good Samaritan he was, entertained all my irritating requests patiently.

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Nice write-up and great pictures. I am from Calicut and regularly drive down via Wayanad. In spite of taking this route innumerable times, the beauty of the route after entering Bandipur always relaxes me and puts me in a good frame of mind.

Rajeevraj: Seriously. the scenery is so serene!! The only sad part is I saw the gaurds collecting plastic bottles and covers thrown by reckless travelers.
I was like who in their right minds can do this??

[samish_g]

Originally Posted by pradyblr

Thanks Samish. Indeed the entire underbody was thoroughly checked and confirmed that there is no damage. there is a small scratch on the (I really do not know what is it called) cast iron T rod.
I was so paranoid, I asked the mechanic to check and check again. The good Samaritan he was, entertained all my irritating requests patiently.

Great to know that. It is always reassuring to know that our car manufacturers are always there when we are in trouble in an unknown land.

Regards,

Samish

[Shiv_1984]

Originally Posted by pradyblr

“Whoever came up with the name God’s own country for Kerala must have just finished a Wayanad Trip”

When: Dec 29 – Dec 31 2012
Drive: Swift Zxi
Fuel used: Shell
Route: Bangalore – Mysore – Nanjangud-Gundulpet-Bandipur-Sulthan Bathery-Kalpetta-Vythiri
Total Kms covered: 720
Mileage: 17 kmpl (with 60% AC on)
Stay: Vythiri Meadows

Hi,

That was a nice writeup

Bumping into your thread almost after a month. We are planning to visit Wayanad coming March. Few questions :

1. I have been till Mysore and after that took the right to Coorg. Which way we have to take for Wayanad ?
2. I am too planning to stay at Vyithri. Is it VFM ? I mean, the website makes some big promises but is it worth ? How much did you pay per night.
3. How many kms approximately it would be from Silkboard?
4. Any precautions/pre requisites you suggest ?

Thanks in Advance.
-Shiv

[subs]

hi Pradyblr

Nice write and nice pics.

My query though is about something particular in your write up, and in other write ups. Time and again, I have read that Maruti dealerships all over India have come in on Sundays and opened up their garages whenever fellow members have had issues with their cars. I think this is a big positive in terms of reliability as it gives me the confidence that help is at hand, when you need it, specially when we go on road trips with family.

Is this something only Maruti does or does anybody know of instances of other car makers going the extra mile in this kind of customer service as well? Atleast for me, it could mean, selling my existing car and going in for a maruti.

Cheers
Subs

[pradyblr]

Originally Posted by Shiv_1984

Hi,

That was a nice writeup

Bumping into your thread almost after a month. We are planning to visit Wayanad coming March. Few questions :

1. I have been till Mysore and after that took the right to Coorg. Which way we have to take for Wayanad ?
Take the NH 212 from Mysore
2. I am too planning to stay at Vyithri. Is it VFM ? I mean, the website makes some big promises but is it worth ? How much did you pay per night.
Please note this is Vythiri Meadows. There are lot of resorts named Vythiri in the area. I paid 5500 per night. This was in peak season. The rates could be cheaper now.
3. How many kms approximately it would be from Silkboard?
Approx 300 kms from Kammanahalli, Bangalore North. Should be around the same from silk board as well?
4. Any precautions/pre requisites you suggest ?
Plan your trips within Wayanad. All the major tourist spots are 30 - 60km distance from each other hence it would be good to space them out. The staff at Vythiri can help out in this.

Start early from Bangalore to avoid the traffic on Mysore road

Thanks in Advance.
-Shiv

Originally Posted by subs

hi Pradyblr

Nice write and nice pics.

My query though is about something particular in your write up, and in other write ups. Time and again, I have read that Maruti dealerships all over India have come in on Sundays and opened up their garages whenever fellow members have had issues with their cars. I think this is a big positive in terms of reliability as it gives me the confidence that help is at hand, when you need it, specially when we go on road trips with family.

Is this something only Maruti does or does anybody know of instances of other car makers going the extra mile in this kind of customer service as well? Atleast for me, it could mean, selling my existing car and going in for a maruti.

Cheers
Subs

I am not sure if it is a good idea to sell your current car based on availability of roadside assistance :-)
I have read posts where forum members have had similar good experiences with Honda and Hyundai

Which car do you own?