[//M]

Originally Posted by saket77

This is turning into a beautiful thread, apart from a legendary road trip. BTW, where were the last 4-5 pictures clicked precisely? The place looks beautiful & calm.

Thank You so much Sir.

The last few pictures were taken near Murud and Janjira in coastal Maharashtra, in the Murud Beach and in the road leading to Janjira from Murud.

Originally Posted by rahul4640

Excellent pictures! May I know what camera did you use?

Thank You Sir. Its just my humble Nikon pocket cam on duty.

Originally Posted by Sommos

If you were supposed to come to Raipur why did you take the route through Sambalpur, any specific reasons for that. I think Ranchi-Gumla-Jashpur Nagar-Pathalgoan-Raigarh-Saraipalli-Raipur would have been much better. It passes through some forest and hilly areas between Gumla and Raigarh and has some well maintained tolled state highways. Also this way you could have avoided a major portion of the bad roads from Bargarh to Saraipalli.

The portion between Arang to Sambalpur was being widened, the Orissa portion was almost complete while the CG portion was lagging behind. How is the progress in this streach.

The Sambalpur-Jharsuguda-Rourkela route was once built and maintained by L&T and was one of the best roads in Orissa, I hope the road is still well maintained. I once dared to take the Rourkela-Khunti-Ranchi road in December 2007 and the condition of the road was like hell then, I never dared to travel on that route after that.

I was told that the Simdega-Ved Vyas-Sambalpur stretch was in better shape when compared to the other alternatives. It was the first time we were travelling in this section so none of us was really sure about which road to take.

The CG portion of the Saraipali-Arang stretch is being widened and in some parts the highway is just a single lane for two-way traffic.

The Sambalpur-Rourkela was fine but some parts near Jharsuguda was terrible. Ranchi-Khunti-Simdega is amazing but then after Simdega, its really in a bad shape.

[//M]

From Janjira, we wanted to go towards Diveagar. This route had a ferry crossing too. So as soon as the ferry arrived, one by one all cars started being loaded up in the ferry. I drove the City into the ferry with utmost caution, fearing that it might scrape its chin. Once on the ferry, it felt like a nice adventure voyage with the car on deck. We were charged Rs 180.00 for the car and Rs 20.00 per head.











Soon, we crossed over to the mainland with the Janjira Fort still in our sights. The City was unloaded, again by driving it with soft hands and also with assistance from the ferry staff.





A dirt road led us to the coastal route that goes towards Diveagar. In another 15-20 minutes we were at the very picturesque Diveagar Beach. Towards the far end, the beach had lovely white soft sand but around the main area it had hard sand where one may drive vehicles without the fear of getting stuck. We saw many cars on the beach, and the City was also taken for a spin in the beach.

















After a good time at the Diveagar Beach, we moved towards Harihareshwar. The road from Diveagar to Shrivardhan is our desi version of the Great Ocean Road. Smooth tarmac that runs along the sea offering stunning views.













The Harihareshwar Beach was very crowded in comparison. As soon as we reached Harihareshwar, we learnt that the next ferry will be in another 10 minutes. If we miss that, then we will have to wait for another hour before we could cross the river. We quickly rushed towards Baghmarle Ferry Depot over the Savitri River but realized that the ferry is late by another 20 minutes. There was another boat, with a “Floating Hotel” board on it. So we got into that boat, got some snacks till the ferry arrived. The City was driven into the ferry and we enjoyed the views of the river and the hills surrounding it.







We got off the ferry on the other side of the river and moved towards Anjarle. We got some amazing views of the sea from Anjarle to Harne and stopped over and over for getting photographs. Then we moved towards Dapoli and then towards Dabhol, where we had to cross another river in a ferry. By the time we crossed the river, dark clouds were all above us. A lot of people advised us not to take the coastal route to Ganapatipule as the route is not safe after dark. So we got onto NH-17 and drove towards Hathkhamba. It started raining heavily with sudden thunderstorms and continuous lightning for almost an hour. With every lightning struck, the Western Ghats would glow in white light. It was a sight to behold. Beautiful, but scary too.















We reached Hathkhamba and it was quite late at night so we decided to stopover for the night and proceed towards Ratnagiri the next day.

Route Taken: Mumbai-Panvel-Pen-Alibag-Nagaon-Kashid-Murud-Janjira-Divegar-Shrivardhan-Harihareshwar-Anjarle-Dapoli-Dabhol-Guhagar-Hatkhamba

Toll kms done: 432 kms

Toll Tax Paid: Rs 75.00

Total Ferry Crossing Fees: Rs 560.00

[Ram_NP]

Wow! I am hooked to to your travelouge now. My work takes me to JSW Plant near Pen /Alibaug. Although I have visited Alibaug/ Kihim beach , I have to visit now all other beaches /forts as mentioned by you.

[delix]

A very well written thread and informative too. Honda city has always been my wifey's favourite car. When I took the test drive of the i-dtec, I too started liking the car. We would love to hear more about your driving experience of the honda and ofcourse about any short comings or rather any improvements you would have like in the car.

[tiger_stripes]

Wow! Such a long trip without a firm plan or bookings. Have been till Kashid and Murud several times for a weekend getaway. Looking forward to the rest of your journey.

[vickzkool]

Sounds like an epic road trip , wonderful pics and some great views accompanied by crisp writing , clearly shows that India is a beautiful country if one goes to the right places at the right time of the year , thank you for sharing and please keep the pics and the log coming , glued to your thread now for further updates.

[saket77]

Lovely details coming up with every post of yours. Didn't know about the ferry crossings in that region. Keep that coming, we are all hooked to your fantastic writing.

[Pratzgh1]

Amazing road trip experience and must i say - A very supportive family to have enjoyed this amount of travel!

Enjoyed reading and waiting for more. I stay at Panvel and have been to Alibag several times on bike. But reading your travelogue, i will definitely plan a family trip further the coastal line.

[adarsh76]

Excellent journey. Your car looks definitely nice but the beautiful beaches have overshadowed it. Unharmed nature looks really gorgeous

[Mahesh Prasad]

Awesome write up and pictures to go with it, simply brilliant. This is one epic travelogue as the title mentions. Rating it a well deserved 5 stars!!.

Originally Posted by //M

The road from Diveagar to Shrivardhan is our desi version of the Great Ocean Road. Smooth tarmac that runs along the sea offering stunning views.

That is exactly the line that came to mind. Wow!!, the pictures do absolute justice to the stretch and the views are really breathtaking.

Waiting for further episodes of this epic journey.

[nishantdlv]

Originally Posted by //M

Route Taken: Mumbai-Panvel-Pen-Alibag-Nagaon-Kashid-Murud-Janjira-Divegar-Shrivardhan-Harihareshwar-Anjarle-Dapoli-Dabhol-Guhagar-Hatkhamba

Wow! Great travelogue mate!

I had a trip to Harihareshwar last December, and was not aware of the Murud-Diveagar ferry! Had stumbled upon fellow BHPian alokgunhal, when he was on his Maharashtra trip at that time, and had told me there was a ferry from Bagmandale to the south side! Only if I had known about this Murud-Diveagar ferry service, would have taken the same!

It surely must be a different experience altogether.

Originally Posted by alokgunhal

Quoting you so that you can notice

[JASMEET MATTOO]

Nice thread you got there going man. Amazing pictures and narration. Feels like I am watching a movie. Splendid! And what beautiful places - Complete Treat to Eyes! One word - WOW!

[kaushibeta]

The pictures and the narratives give a pulsating feel to the travelogue. With your co-passengers equally passionate about travelling, I bet you should have felt great after driving your i-DTEC City and grabbing the opportunity to visit as many places as possible en-route (especially the places with its scenic beauty).

In short, Amazing travelogue and definitely hooked on to it. Please keep'em coming!

[//M]

Thank You everyone for all the appreciation. The next update to this travelogue will be put up soon. But before that, a few things about the City that I would like to list down:

Likes:

+ Very comfortable seats, specially the rear bench is really comfy.
+ Its an oil burner. With a 21-22 kpl average figure, its light on the pocket while on the run.
+ Its reliable, no problems at all so far.
+ I am in love with the rear headrests. I seldom like to take the back seat, but those headrests were just an excuse to spend time in the rear bench.
+ Superb AC, rear vents are an added bonus.
+ Great boot space. One month's luggage for a family of four? No problem sir !!

Dislikes:

- A 40 liter fuel tank is a little low. It has got a good range, but anything around 55-60 liter would have been great.
- No chilled glovebox like the Verna. One feels the need for a chilled glovebox on long drives specially in the summer months.
- I would have loved a few more cubbyholes, specially an underseat storage space for the driver.
- No built-in GPS. I agree the competition does not offer one either, but a segment-first in-built satellite navigation system would have been amazing.
- The A-column could have been slimmer, aiding better view of the road in a series of corners.

[RavenAvi]

What a fantastic travelogue so far, complete with some really stunning, exquisite photos!

A great narrative and a great experience. Well done to you and your family, //M - must have been one of THE trips to last a lifetime. And it only strengthens the durability aspect of the fantastic i-DTEC and the comfort levels of the new 2014 City.

But like Sommos said, the road through Gumla is the MUCH better option than the one through Rourkela-Sambalpur. The only slight bad patches are at or around Raigarh, and the rest of the way is quite good. But the CG portion of the Raipur-Sambalpur route is in really bad shape, and up until Bargarh the roads don't get any better. Same goes for the Jharsuguda/Titlagarh part as well.

Rated thread a very well-deserved 5 stars! I have it bookmarked so that I can continue to share your adventures.

Excellent work. Keep it up!