[fast&curious]

A 2000 km Rajasthan Roadtrip in our 3-week new Jeep Compass


A quick backstory about the purchase


As it happened, we had only begun thinking about upgrading from our 8 YO Hyundai i20 Magna 1.2, sometime in the 3rd week of November. My wife and I had both gone to check out the new Thar, which we both fell in love with for the size and looks but hated it for the lack of practicality. Post which we checked out the Harrier which somehow fell short of my expectations, and my wife wasn’t too keen on it to begin with. The Seltos and Creta I had already ruled out because we have a Creta 1.6 SX (O) in the family. Mind you, Jeep Compass wasn’t even in the contention in the beginning, because I like many other people thought that the JC was too expensive for the size so I never really bothered to check for the pricing and discounts in detail.

Then one day my wife enquired while crossing a parked compass on our evening walk, that why don’t we consider the Compass. From lurking around on TBHP and having driven one for about 200km, I knew that the JC was a good car, well-built and a fun to drive set of wheels. So, I got excited and started checking out the prices as soon as we returned from the walk. Next day, calls were made to the dealership in Gurgaon and Himachal dealerships to enquire about the price, some calculations were made and it was quickly decided that Jeep Compass would be our next car.

Choosing the variant

Next weekend, we went to check-out the Compass physically – Wife wanted the Sunroof and dual tone exterior, I wanted the 6 airbags, so we decided to go with the Limited Plus 4X2.

Choosing the Colour

Wife liked Red the best, I hated the red. We quickly reached agreement on Magnesio Grey.

The Booking


We made the booking on 30th Nov, with a booking amount of INR 50,000 to lock in the company discount of 80K that had the possibility of changing in December. It did change as I later enquired at the dealership, the discount was reduced by 10K.

We brought home our Jeep on December 6th, at 2242593 OTR in HP.

Now to the Trip


Planning


A week after taking delivery, we came back to Gurgaon. And while I had done about 1000 km already within Shimla and the drive back to Gurgaon, I wanted to go on a long road-trip for the year end leaves, which I wanted to make the most of. And Rajasthan had always been on my road-trip destination list for years. Wife jumped at the idea and the destination was finalised. We had about 6 nights we could spend in Rajasthan, because we were scheduled to go to Jim Corbett for a trip from NYE to 2nd.

Deciding where to go in Rajasthan was easy, we both wanted to go to places we hadn’t seen before. So Jaisalmer was a must. The wife hadn’t been to Jodhpur and I had loved the place on my last trip there, plus it falls on the way to Jaisamler, so we decided to stop there. Udaipur we had already been to.

One concern because of Covid was hotels, we wanted to book only good hotels from reputed chains which we could trust for proper sanitization and with a nice cark parking . But, because we had splurged a sizeable amount on the car, booking 5 stars was going to be difficult.

My HDFC Infinia and Amex CCs came to the rescue, I had quite a few Reward Points accumulated since we couldn’t travel anywhere in 2020. So 6 nights in 3, 5 star hotels in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Jaipur were booked for about 17000 INR from the pocket and the rest paid for with the RPs, which would amount to a total of 77K had I not used my points.

With bookings sorted, this was our final itinerary

Day 1 – Gurgaon to Jodhpur
Day 2 – Exploring Jodhpur
Day 3 – Jodhpur to Jaisalmer
Day 4 – Exploring Jaisalmer
Day 5 – Exploring Jaisalmer
Day 6 – Jaisalmer to Jaipur
Day 7 – Jaipur to Gurugram[/b]

The journey

Day 0 – I made an excited trip to the gas station to fill her up. Tyre pressure was checked and found to be okay.

Day 1

I like starting my trips in the early AM, so I can beat city traffic and also cover some distance before the day has started fully. Plus Gurgaon to Jodhpur is a long drive, around 600km and at least 10-11 hours of non-stop driving. My prior experience driving from Udaipur to Gurgaon gave me the confidence to do a 10-hour drive in one day. It’s quite effortless with a powerful diesel engine and lovely Rajasthan Roads.

So we started at 5.30 AM. There was a bit of doubt about the protesting farmers having blocked highways, but we were pleasantly surprised to see that the highways were clear.

Wife took a nap in between as she truly hates waking up at "odd hours" like me, while I was settling into the Compass and beginning to enjoy the drive and soon enough, we were on the Jaipur by-pass, even though I wasn’t driving too fast, mostly around a 100-110kmph. A few kms after crossing Jaipur we found a Mc Donald’s and I knew that this was the last McD to be found on the highway so we took a breakfast stop at around 9/9/30 AM. It had just opened up. We enjoyed Peri Peri fries early in the morning, along with the trusty old Mc Aloo Tikki and had a couple packed for hunger pangs ahead.

The best part about driving in Rajasthan is that the roads keep getting better. Of course the last 100km or so towards Jodhpur transition from Expressway to state highways, which are nonetheless beautiful and great to drive.


Somewhere enroute Jodhpur


State Highway to Jodhpur

We reached Jodhpur around 5 PM, but took another hour to locate our hotel because instead of ITC Welcom, wife put Hotel Welcome in Google Maps which had us going in circles in the city centre. The hotel was about 30km from the city centre.

After checking in, we decided to stay back in the hotel since Jodhpur had a night curfew of 8PM and we barely had time left before that.

Day 2


While we love breakfasts, we didn’t stuff ourselves too much as we were craving Rajasthani food and snacks like Mirchi wadas and Pyaz ki Kachori. Post breakfast we set out to visit the grand Mehrangarh Fort, we drove all the way up after making sure that we would find a nice and safe parking over there. Which we did.


Parked in front of the Majestic Mehrangarh

And we also found a nice photo spot near the Mehrangarh, where the car had to get onto the "edge of the cliff".


Drove around the fort from all sides to get a complete view


Looks grand from every angle

Post the Mehrangarh Fort we wanted to cover the streets of Jodhpur, which I found very charming in my last trip a few years ago and we also wanted to gorge on some Rajashani food like Ker Sangri, Gatta curry, Daal Baati and Laal Maas for the wife. I am a vegetarian .

The bigger challenge was to find a nice parking space, which didn’t really exist and I knew that driving into the busy streets of the Clock Tower market would be unwise. So we found a parking spot claimed to be safe about a km from the Clock Tower after which we took a an auto, who against our wishes took us first to some shops where he would make commission from, which annoyed me a little, but I was more interested in the food for now.

After walking around a little bit and rejecting some restaurants we found Jhankar Haveli’s restaurant which was open and looked really nice. Ker Sangri and Gatta Curry were ordered along with Lachcha Paratha, devoured and loved greatly. Ah! That satisafaction!

Well, when in Jodhpur you have to take your wife shopping for Bandhnis and Leheriyas. That duty was fulfilled, faking enthusiasm in checking out suits, sarees, dupattas and bed sheets, while also trying to hurry her up to get back into the Jeep and visit the Umaid Bhawan Palace before it closed.

Oh, and a nice Makhania lassi was had near the clock tower, post which we walked to the car. My wife, more than me was anxious about the car being safe, as it wasn’t a paid parking where we had to park it. Thankfully everything was alright.

Umaid Bhawan was closed for visitors, so we decided to head back to our hotel instead and call it a day with a couple of smokey Single Malts and some live Rajasthani Folk music, which almost every 5 star in Rajasthan arranges for its guests.

Day 3

It was time for the most longed for destination of the trip – Jaisalmer. We started the drive around 10 AM, since it was just a 5 hour drive to Jaisalmer. Full enthusiasm, full tummies so we wouldn’t have to stop anywhere for food, Car Play on, Google Maps on, Apple Music on. Seeking some “real sand dunes”, we set on.

The state highways again made for a great drive and we were comfortably cruising at around 100-110. After the first couple of hours the landscape started changing, the colour of the soil started changing and for the first time ever we saw some wild camels. We took a stop and clicked some pictures and resumed the drive.


First sighting of wild camels


Around Barmer I spotted some sand dunes, took a bit of an off-road to the mountain and landed with the first two wheels in Sand. Tried to reverse it, but it didn't work because of Traction Control. Did a bit of front and back to get it out of the sand. The dunes weren't too exciting so we got back onto the highway.

As we were getting closer to Jaisalmer, still about an hour away, I saw a black MG Hector approaching quickly in my RVM with a DL number plate. I knew he was going to annoy with overtaking attempts and incessant honking. Mind you, it wasn’t an expressway, was a two-way state highway and I was driving carefully at around a 90-100 kmph. Well, the dude in the Hector did what I predicted and then overtook aggressively, and while everything in me wanted to push the pedal hard, I resisted. I wanted to enjoy the drive and not get into meaningless contests.

Well, fate would have it differently, even though I wasn’t chasing him, after 20-25 km I saw him ahead of me and that urge in me to go ahead came back, and I gave in and cautiously hit the pedal and overtook him. Post which I never saw the Hector again. Oh, yes the black Hector looked quite good in the RVM. They’ve done a good job with the front.

Well, that was it, we were approaching Jaisalmer, and the day was approaching lunch time, so we decided to first go have a nice, you guessed it, Rajasthani lunch and then check in to our hotel.

So wife did the searching and she discovered a nice restaurant called Trio, just at the gates of the Jaisalmer Fort. Order was placed, food arrived, was alright, not great, hunger was satiated, craving was not.

And then we decided to head to the Mariott, which was our hotel for the next three nights. Found a nice parking spot. We were greeted with, well, Padharo Mhaare Des, the ubiquitous folk song of Rajasthan. It’s almost like it echoes across the state, you hear it everywhere.

Checked in, Mariott Bonvoy points, which were converted Amex RPs had been used to make the bookings here. Got the room upgraded for a slightly better view of the “oasis” which is their central pool. The earlier room’s curtains opened up to an electrical tower.

Among a list of things to do in Jaisalmer was sunset at Lake Gadissar. Which was alright. The place was very untidy with garbage all around, the experience could've been much better without the garbage around.

Suset at Lake Gadissar in Jaisalmer



Post the sunset we ventured into the Jaisalmer fort, on foot after parking the JC at the hotel and taking an auto from there.

The fort has some real character since it’s a living fort. There’s nice buzz in the evenings and we loved every bit of it. Found a nice café at the edge with a view, Shanti, The Peace Café was the name. The food could’ve been better. But we enjoyed the vibe and the view.

Day 4

Well, some spiked Lassi from a ‘legalized’ bha**g shop ensured that we had a great time last evening, laughing our way through the fort and hotel lobby, but I woke up with a nasty hangover and decided to sleep through it. Gathered some energy towards the evening and we drove off to Sam Sand Dunes, the star attraction of the trip. Although I was still a bit hungover.


Sunset at Sam Dunes in Jaisalmer

The landscape turned amazing within a few kms of leaving Jaisalmer, but what a disappointment Sam was. Hundreds of people on the dunes and local guides who literally jumped on to the middle of the road to stop us and sell us a Camel Ride and "Jeep" Safari. The day wasn’t going too well.

While the dunes themselves were great, but hundreds of selfie takers and guides and camels with their owners and DL number plate cars blasting music, dampened the experience. We decided to take a quick camel ride, watch the sunset, click some photos and then head back and reach Jaisalmer before it got too dark.

Well, dinner at Desert Boy’s Dhani restaurant sort of made up for it. We found parking, we found good Rajasthani food. Post dinner we drove to the fort, found a nice and safe parking spot, walked through the fort, went to a café at the edge of the fort had some coffee, yes coffee this time and wrapped up the day.

Day 5

Well, this was our only chance at redeeming our trip and not returning disappointed from Jaisalmer, so we researched and found out about Khuri Dunes. Although different people we asked had different opinion about Khuri, but we decided to go for it. Dunes are better post noon, so we decided to head to the local markets and visit some of the havelis and indulge in some shopping and street food in the first half of the day.

We parked the JC at the fort parking, and walked into the Sadar Bazar, where we shopped at a leather store, visited a haveli, had a nice Dal Pakwan at stall and then went into the fort, discovered it all on foot, went into the Raja and Rani Mahal, found some uncrowded spots with canons. Clicked some photos and decided to head to the hotel and then the dunes.

On our way to the fort parking, we got some nice Mirchi Wadas, Pyaz ki Kachoris packed in case we didn’t find food in Khuri.

Soon, we left for Khuri after enquiring with the hotel Concierge, who assured me that the drive was safe, even while returning in the dark and he strongly recommended a resort and suggested we leave our car there and hire their services to go to the dunes.

The drive ensued, mostly empty roads, breathtaking landscapes, wild camels, windmills, before we reached the recommended resort, although we didn’t see any dunes anywhere around. We decided to drive further ourselves, reached Khuri village and still no dunes, and a guide signaling us to stop. We decided to drive further, an element of doubt had creeped in as there was not a single soul to be found after we crossed the Khuri village, I kept going although I was in doubt and we were speaking about turning back, hiring the guide and have him take us to the dunes in his “jeep” and just when I was about to make the u-turn I saw an incline, with some sand around the road and some dunes but with a lot of bushes on it, but just as I reached the top of the incline, we saw dunes growing bigger and balder on the left of the road. Pure sand dunes. No vegetation. We saw a small construction over there, with a couple of cars parked, and that’s it.


Wild camels and windmills on route to Khuri


Enroute Khuri



Just around 6 people in the entire area, and nothing but desert and dunes. This was exactly what we had imagined it to be.
Parked the car, went on to the dunes, wondered at this nature's marvellous creation, spent some nice time, clicked some photos. God, the Mirchi Wadas and the Kachoris we had got packed tasted amazing in this place. Great decision to get it packed as there was nothing we could buy over there.


Khuri dunes


Not a soul around



Takes a bit of exploration to get to Khuri







We spent about an hour and a half, and then decided to head back. Just after a km the landscape changed again completely, with no dunes. It was almost as if we were in a dream. It was the same feeling that I had years ago when I reached Manali after spending 9 days driving through Spiti Valley, the place felt like a distant dream and not something that could be visited on earth.

Reached the hotel, decided to stay in, crack open a few cold ones, listen to Mariott’s version of folk songs, and order room service. Turned out to be the best day of the trip. The Rajasthani at Mariott was quite good, especially the Lal Maas and Chicken which the wife loved.

Day 6

This was the least favourite day of the trip, the last day, the drive back to Jaipur. The idea of heading straight to Gurgaon instead had come to mind which was going to be a 900km drive, but I decided to take the safe 10-hour bet instead.

We let Google Maps dictate the way, a black JC with a DL number plate over-took us, but in a sophisticated manner. I felt a sense of brotherhood. We kept going and somewhere took a wrong turn, and the Google Maps kept rerouting, although it was still a highway, we had taken a turn towards Bikaner, which would’ve increased the drive by a 100 or so km. I saw the black JC with a DL number plate coming back from the opposite side and guessed that they took the u-turn because this wasn’t the right way. Enquired with the locals, took their advice, took a u-turn and got back onto the shorter route.

The road we were on was a state highway which went through numerous small towns and villages, in my head somehow I kept imagining that we would hit an expressway somewhere along the route since we were heading to the state capital. It became a source of displeasure and disappointment, as we were on a two-way state highway all through the 10-hour journey. Nonetheless the roads were mostly good and I was still able to manage around 80-90 kmph around most stretches. Although we didn't find a single dhaba / restaurant we could stop at.

DEF scare: Around 200 km from Jaipur, a light just came up in the instrument cluster. I had no idea what it meant. I clicked a photo and sent it to the guy in the dealership, while my wife googled about it. Turned out to be a DEF warning. I checked the details and it showed around 45% was still left. But since it was my first experience, and I was almost in the middle of nowhere far from any Jeep dealership I got a bit nervous. The service advisor suggested to only go with Jeep’s recommended DEF, which I could buy only at the nearest Jeep Dealership. Since I still had about 500km to cover back to Gurgaon, I decided to call up the Jeep Jaipur dealership, who agreed to delivering 4 cans of DEF to the hotel I was scheduled to stay at, as the workshop would’ve closed the workshop by the time I would hit Jaipur. I UPI-ed them the payment. Very nice of them.

In the last hour of the drive, my back started aching and that’s when the lumbar support came in really handy almost instantly. It greatly comforted my back at the right spot. I felt no discomfort after that.

Reached the hotel, ordered a Pizza, slept tight.

Day 7

This drive back home wasn’t all that sad as the very next day we were to leave for Jim Corbett with some friends. After breakfast I decided to fill in the DEF to turn off the warning light. Emptied 3 cans into it, it worked. Stress-free, I started the drive back.

We left at around 8 AM, and reached back by 12.30-1PM. On the way back there was indeed a flyover blocked by the farmers, which the police was barricading. It was a short detour through a small village and lush green fields with mustard flowers all around. A pleasant detour.


Amidst mustard fields somewhere between Neemrana and Gurgaon




The car returned a decent fuel economy of around 15.5 kmpl. 90-110 km/h was my range mostly on the highway. But I never drove in a sedated manner.



Both wife and I were hungry when we reached home and craving some home-made dal chawal after days of indulgence in deeply fried food. Cooked, had and enjoyed.

Next morning, we left for Jim Corbett for New Years. So the excitement was on even after having returned from Rajasthan.

The JC served us well throughout the trip, on the highways as well as the narrow roads of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. There were moments where I wished that I should’ve gotten the 4X4, especially when we were around sand dunes in Khuri, but I dismissed the thought immediately.

The Hotels


We had booked our stay for Jodhpur and Jaisalmer in advance. The ITC WelcomHotel Jodhpur and The Mariott, Jaisalmer. Both the hotels were sanitised and had the labels communicating that on the door. Almost like a seal post the sanitisation, which reassured us of the safety aspect from Covid.

Checking in process was seamless in both the places. We got a nice garden facing room in ITC. While at the Mariott we got a pool-view room after requesting an upgrade.

Quite a bit of ordering in was done, and food at both the hotels was very nice. It satisfied the taste buds. The breakfast buffet had nice spread.

In Jaipur we booked the Four Points by Sheraton just a day before arriving, since we were toying with the idea of driving all the way from Jaisalmer to Gurgaon. But as soon as we decided to stay back in Jaipur, we booked the hotel online. This was our least favourite hotel in the entire trip. It was very crowded and cramped. The room however was decent. We double checked for sanitization.

Covid Related Restrictions


Before our departure from Gurgaon I had enquired from all our hotels if Covid tests or e-passes were required to enter Rajasthan, but it wasn't the case. There were no check points anywhere. Thermal scans were done only at the Mehrangarh fort entry and no where else. There were no barricades checking for masks, even though we were wearing masks almost everywhere. One lapse did happen when we were entering the Jaisalmer Fort in the morning as I had removed the mask because it was fogging up my spectacles when a policeman spotted me and threatened to fine me, I told him the plight of specs sporting people and he let us go.

We carried large bottles of sanitiser sprays to sanitise the restaurant tables / chairs, etc. ourselves. Most of the stuff we bought we sanitised ourselves. Always good to be extra careful.

Helping the travel sector


Both my wife and I come from a hill-station and we know how a slump in the tourism sector can impact lives. Understanding the plight of people employed in the sector we made it a point to tip extra wherever we could. Gurards, waiters, hotel staff, etc. We hired guides even though we don't usually just to give them some employment after a full year of no earning for them. Felt we must help in whatever small ways we could.

[ampere]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Nice drive and a nice vacation! Nothing puts a smile on one's face like a load of torque on tap and an open road!

[tirumalavoleti]

Though a lengthy trip with long drives, you managed it in a very cool and crisp way.

Awesome jeep compass choice and colour.

What really amazed me is the OTR price of the diesel Limited Plus in HP. Looking at the road tax in HP, Bangalore folks should literally cry for the road tax being collected.

Congrats and have loads of miles safely.

[fast&curious]

Originally Posted by tirumalavoleti

Though a lengthy trip with long drives, you managed it in a very cool and crisp way.

Awesome jeep compass choice and colour.

What really amazed me is the OTR price of the diesel Limited Plus in HP. Looking at the road tax in HP, Bangalore folks should literally cry for the road tax being collected.

Congrats and have loads of miles safely.

Thank you!! We got pretty lucky actually. We kind of rushed the purchase because we knew that a road tax increase was imminent. We assumed that it would be implemented in January. So to be safe we wanted to pick the car early December. We had decided to take the delivery on 9th but something happened at work and we had to prepone the delivery to 6th. We were of course happy about the early delivery. And then on 9th morning I learnt that the road tax increase had been implemented on 8th night. Thanks to that important meeting at work that didn’t end up happening on 9th

[navaneeth]

Nice travelogue with beautiful photos.

Originally Posted by tirumalavoleti

What really amazed me is the OTR price of the diesel Limited Plus in HP. Looking at the road tax in HP, Bangalore folks should literally cry for the road tax being collected.

This thread made me look up the road tax in HP. It's half of what we have to pay in Kerala or Karnataka (according to Cardekho's website).

[fast&curious]

Originally Posted by navaneeth

Nice travelogue with beautiful photos.



This thread made me look up the road tax in HP. It's half of what we have to pay in Kerala or Karnataka (according to Cardekho's website).

It was 3% when I bought it. Increased to 7% for cars over 15L two days later. Also in HP they charge road tax on the ex-showroom pre-GST I think.

[loki]

@fast&curious - beautiful color choice. Enjoy the car . Makes me want to plan a Rajasthan drive in my Compass.

Originally Posted by tirumalavoleti

Looking at the road tax in HP, Bangalore folks should literally cry for the road tax being collected.

Don't rub it in man . Compared to Blore, equivalent versions are priced at least 3L to 4L lesser in HP. That's before the end of year discounts.

[fast&curious]

Originally Posted by loki

@fast&curious - beautiful color choice. Enjoy the car . Makes me want to plan a Rajasthan drive in my Compass

Thank you Loki. You must. The roads are wonderful and so is the landscape. The culture is great. It’s by far one my my favourite roadtrip destinations across the country. And the Compass is as good a companion as it gets.

[getlakshya]

Loved reading your journey!
Congrats on the acquisition of JC..You are lucky to have the privilege to register this in HP...FYI, in Indore Limited Plus 4*2 BS6 Diesel OTR is 28 lac(with discount 27 lac but no where close to your price)..I am getting Longitude DDCT Petrol in 23.4 lac OTR

[Pynummoottil]

Thank you fast & curious for the travelogue in your brand new Jeep Compass Limited Plus. I myself acquired a Jeep Compass Limited Plus Petrol AT around the same time and I drove it from my home village of Perumthuruthy, near Thiruvalla in Kerala to Gudalur in the Nilgiris, a distance of 330km one way within two days of getting the vehicle. It was just a quick business trip and I was away just for a total of three days only.

It was a very comfortable and easy drive, but some of minor things which were immediately noticeable compared to my previous vehicle, a Škoda Yeti, were, one the very poor mileage. I got an average of 13km/l only, but then most of the drive was through small towns and some of the way uphill, through the Western Ghats. Another noticeable omission was that there was no option to show the average speed on the dashboard. One had to calculate it. Third major difference was a much poorer turning circle. However, on the whole, it was a very enjoyable and pleasant trip.

[ramnaresh_2000]

Wonderfully written travelogue, enjoyed reading every bit. I can relate to the new car scare of parking it on road. Great gesture made by you and your wife by tipping extra, very thoughtful. Tourism is the worst effected sector due to pandemic, every little helps. I will follow the same in my trips

The Compass is looking fantastic, great choice of color. Wishing you happy miles ahead.

Note: I am hoping you are already doing this, but please do carry an extra bottle of adblue, new vehicles have exhibited abnormal usage of adblue. After few miles it will be stabilized.

[fast&curious]

Originally Posted by getlakshya

Loved reading your journey!
Congrats on the acquisition of JC..You are lucky to have the privilege to register this in HP...FYI, in Indore Limited Plus 4*2 BS6 Diesel OTR is 28 lac(with discount 27 lac but no where close to your price)..I am getting Longitude DDCT Petrol in 23.4 lac OTR

Thank you @getlakshya. Yes we are a bit lucky although not again because the charges have been increased now. Perhaps still not as much as some other states. Anyway, you enjoy your new JC as well. Wish you a million happy miles in it.

Originally Posted by Pynummoottil

Thank you fast & curious for the travelogue in your brand new Jeep Compass Limited Plus. I myself acquired a Jeep Compass Limited Plus Petrol AT around the same time and I drove it from my home village of Perumthuruthy, near Thiruvalla in Kerala to Gudalur in the Nilgiris, a distance of 330km one way within two days of getting the vehicle. It was just a quick business trip and I was away just for a total of three days only.

Thank you @ Pynummoottil and congratulations on your new JC. Hope you enjoy every mile you drive in it.

Originally Posted by ramnaresh_2000

Wonderfully written travelogue, enjoyed reading every bit. I can relate to the new car scare of parking it on road. Great gesture made by you and your wife by tipping extra, very thoughtful. Tourism is the worst effected sector due to pandemic, every little helps. I will follow the same in my trips

The Compass is looking fantastic, great choice of color. Wishing you happy miles ahead.

Note: I am hoping you are already doing this, but please do carry an extra bottle of adblue, new vehicles have exhibited abnormal usage of adblue. After few miles it will be stabilized.

Thank you @ramnaresh_2000. Yes we must all help a little where we can especially because of our love of travel.

I’ll keep it in mind to carry adblue with me.

Mod Note: Please avoid back-to-back posts. Use the multi-quote feature

[PRS7]

Great travelogue! Congratulations on your grey beauty !!
Just a curious thought, is there any recommended limit on top speed for the JC advised by the manufacturer for the initial 500-1000km?

[fast&curious]

Originally Posted by PRS7

Great travelogue! Congratulations on your grey beauty !!
Just a curious thought, is there any recommended limit on top speed for the JC advised by the manufacturer for the initial 500-1000km?

Thank you! Well I specifically enquired from the dealership and they said drive it the way you want to.

In the first 500 km I didn't go beyond 70-80 kmph. From 500-1000 km I did not go beyond 100-110 kmph consciously, and tried to keep the RPMs mostly below 2500 which is very easy with the Compass because it can do good speeds at or below 2500 RPMs.

[luvurride]

Nice and Crisp Log!

I had done the same during the winter holidays last year. My starting point was Udaipur from where we drove to Jaisalmer and on the way back covered Jodhpur. Borrowed a friend's trusted ole' Safari from Udaipur! Was a great experience road tripping through Rajasthan.

Sam Sand dunes is crowded, but we used the services of the desert camp we stayed at. Hence did not find it bad as everything was organized pretty well.

There are many more places to visit in Jaisalmer - War Museum, Mandir Palace, Patwon ki Haveli, Kuldahra Village, Antique shops, etc. You could do this next time. In fact, I loved Jaisalmer more than Jodhpur.

We stayed at the desert camp for a night and then at a Haveli within Jaisalmer.
Loved the food and hospitality at both places. Another plus is the directions you get what to see/where to eat from such locals so you get the best. We were taken to a nondescript place in the narrow streets of the city where they make antique silver jewelry and supply to most of the big brands in metros!