[jkrishnakj]

Its been a few days since I picked my new Audi A6. Yes, there is a big story behind this and I am still trying to pen that buying experience and the initial ownership thread, and it should come out soon. This isn't about that (what am I even saying?), but this is about how a drive can make life so colourful, doesn't matter if the skies are grey and the car is also grey.

Prologue:
Who gets the credit? The boss at home said that there are specific temples to visit, given the son is about to write class 12 exams in a few months. The divine intervention has to be sought. There are prayers that my wife has done prior to the exams, and 3 of them were about how we will visit Kollur, Udupi and Murudeshwar temples. Now, the 12th exams are at least 6 months away, and if this is what happens so early, I wonder what all she will end up praying with specific conditions of marks, colleges and what not. That's for me to worry about in June 2022. For now, let's focus on Kollur and Udupi and Murudeshwar.

My mom used to give all credits to my class 10 and class 12 marks to the alignment of the 9 planets, and I am sure that when my son gets the desired results, the credit goes to his mom for the prayers, but mostly, his efforts are forgotten. Anyways...

The Leave:
Never a problem for me. I work at a corporate where its never a challenge for a day or two. The problem really is for my son. He misses one day and all hell breaks loose because no one at home knows what is differentiation or integration or calculus that we can teach him. I sometimes wonder how I did manage to study all this back then.

The offline physical classes at school are for the first 3 days of the week, followed by online for the rest 3. Since he started his class 11, I had forgotten what a Saturday feels like. Since he started his class 12, I am slowly getting to forget what a Sunday feels like, because his school decides to hold tests every Sunday from 9 am to 12 noon. Stressful indeed, but I am convinced that the stress is more for parents than the kids.

The Plan:
Sometimes, the wife comes with some glimpse of brilliance. A Wednesday evening tea time made me ponder over a genius question from her, that went like - 'Listen, if you can work from anywhere, why can't our son Study from anywhere or attend classes from anywhere'? The tone and tenor of 'Listen' varies by situation and time and day and only I know what each tone means. This 'listen' is something that made me sit upright and happy. I knew a drive is coming up. But I didn't imagine it will be close to 1400 km. Not that I am complaining though. I told a verbal plan and went off for my tennis games in the late evening.

The son generally has been averse to taking leave for school classes. I left the mother and son to discuss and finalise the plan. When I got back home by 915 after my tennis games, I was surprised that there were 3 neat bags packed. We decided as below:

Thursday Morn: Depart at 4.30 am, finish Kollur temple darshan, reach hotel and relax the night. Son takes his class in the car. Class is till 1 pm anyways.
Friday morn : Wake up early, finish Udupi Krishna darshan, return to hotel for the son to finish his class. Relax the rest of the evening at the hotel
Saturday morn: Wake up at leisure, allow the son to finish class at the hotel, depart hotel around 12 noon, and get back home via Murudeshwar

Well, to be honest, the wife was talking to me on the temple visits for a few days now, just that it all got a firm structure only on Wednesday night. Given these dialogues, I was I touch with Dr AD and Parag for routes and places of stay etc. Both had provided enough ammunition. Ever so thankful to them both.
I was all set.

Bad Fall

Since it was a very sudden 'departure' plan, we hardly had anything to cook/carry. Lots of fruits were available for us. However, right at the time of leaving, I was juggling the home key and the car key, and in that, the car key fell, it lost a limb. Now, I don't know what the damage will be and what Audi can help. I have written to them, will see what options they come back with. I had to start the trip with the spare key.

We left home at sharp 5 am. We reached Kollur at 12.45, dropped off my son and wife and I reached the parking slot at 12.45. I then doubled up to the temple premises, and after a quick Aadhar number entry, we were let in. (PS : Mandatory for carrying Aadhar at this place. If you are from Kerala, you also need the Negative RTPCR certificate not older than 72 hours). With hardly any crowd, we enjoyed the peaceful darshan. I quietly murmur to myself that I shall take it easy and not jog or run, lesson learnt the hard way - Never run at a very humid place. I was sweating due to the jog from the parking to the temple.

We then said that we will do baby steps up to the parking. Slow walk in the hot sun, in humid weather, so that we don't get sweaty all again. Well, there were two bulls in the premises who decided to have a go at each other, just when we were crossing them. Ofcourse, the three of us took to our heels. My wife stepped to the opposite direction to where my son and I were headed. Thankfully, they settle down, but only after we both had run about 50-60 metres. You obviously know the result. Gold to son, Silver to myself, the losing bulls don't even deserve the bronze. I and my son had to change our T-shirt because we were dripping in the humid weather, thanks to being chased out by the bulls. My wife doesn't let the moment pass so easily. She opined that we needed two such bulls at home so that my son and I will wake up early and jog or cycle for good health, we don't do this voluntarily. Now, I have a suspicion if she does speak the Bull lingo and told those two to do something to make us run. You never know whom you can trust or dis-trust in this pandemic. Phew!

A quick drive down the hills to the coast and we were at our hotel at Kundapur. Sorry, till here, we didn't click any pictures.

My A6 resting at the UVA Meridian, Kundapur Parking


You not only turn back after locking the car, but you also look for your beauty from the room

I get a bad feeling that someone will put this picture on the 'Bad Parking' thread. Looking at this now, I feel I should have aligned the left wheels to the parking lines.

We were super hungry at the hotel. The 'suite' room came at a steal. We ordered in and had loads of Neer Dosa and Stew, Akki Roti and Veg Curry and some Pulav. What's a meal that doesn't involve the 'Gudbud' ice cream. We were so hungry, that none of us felt like clicking what we ate.

And oh, the metabolism kicked in and we all fell asleep. The nap was very helpful, and we decided to finish off the Udupi temple visit that evening. Good choice actually, given there was hardly any crowd.

Bliss and peace here. We headed to Mitra Samaj outside the temple and enjoyed Biscuit Roti, Mangalore Buns, Rava Dosa, Goli Bajji and few cups of filter coffee. Drive back to the hotel was rainy. Very rainy. We got back to the hotel around 7.30 pm. That's the time that my wife remembered that the 'Study from anywhere' actually hasn't worked yet. The son sensing a Mahabharata, quickly pulled out two books from his bag and said - 'Dad, you want to ask questions or do you want to give me some tough ones to crack from this book'. Smart chap indeed. He and his sense of timing. It prevented a bull run inside the room that evening. While I enjoyed the IPL on TV, my son actually did some studies for a couple of hours.

Grey Grey everywhere


Since we woke up early, we said that we will finish Maravanthe beach and head back in time for his online class. What followed was a very quick, but beautiful drive to the beach, on a very rainy day. The sun roof was open, and it was an experience to have the rains fall on the roof.

The A6 makes this picture colourful


More Grey


Lines or curves, what's your pick?


Grey rocks and water


A little splash of violet and green


Grey car & Skies


We headed back to the hotel for a very expectant slow large spread of yummy breakfast. But no, we had to make do with a ok'ish spread. Since the Idly was cold, I headed for the dosa's but they were colder. With a childhood habit of being told to take all you want, but eat all you take, I did somehow finish those. Thankfully, they made some hot plain parathas that made our day.

The son went off to his classes at 8.30 am. I was happy to have a hot tall cup of coffee in hand, with two news papers tucked in my arms. I love reading the prints in the morning. It's a bit of an addiction. But no, that's not what its meant to be. The hotel called to ask what time we plan to check out and that's when I realised that I made a blunder. I picked one night instead of two. Amidst all the grey, there was one bright RED that I saw, ya, my wife. She had a face palm reaction, and this meant that her conclusion that I was dumb was proved once again.

Three options came by. a) Extend stay here b) Check for a different place or c) Head back home

For stay extension, the rates were high. The hotel wasn't ready to provide the same rates. I remembered Dr AD had suggested another place close by. A google maps look up said it was 15 minutes, and it was by the back waters. We thought that we should check out before we book, and hence, we did a quick drive. The rooms, though small, was ok'ish. Not as big or airy or lit to UVA standards, but what we didn't like was a bit of a moist smell that came. The bright part was a very large balcony facing the back waters. I did manage two clicks of my car there. The place was ruled out by the boss.

Side Lines


Back waters behind grey matter

Two options were left. We negotiated very hard with the hotel and they came down a little bit. Just when we were about to close the deal, the son said that we rather leave today, and do what was planned for the next day. This meant that we checked out and got ready for our drive back. Well, for me, a drive means happiness. Checked out at 12.15 pm and we headed to our next temple, i.e. Murudeshwar.

The roads was super smooth to drive. The stretch from Kundapur to Murudeshwar was good. We reached Murudeshwar around 1.15 pm. Little did we know that the temple is shut from 1 pm till 3 pm. Having come so far, we did not want to turn back without darshan. So, we walked up to RNS residency for a quick bite and some lime soda and to make sure we get some place and shade to wait out till 3 pm.

Clock struck 3 and we were going again. Since there was hardly any crowd, we finished the darshan in less than 10 minutes. Since this was our first time here, we decided to spend the 10 rupees to go up the elevator in the Gopura. We spent some times up enjoying the views and the breeze.

Towering High


Beautiful Sight

This looks more pretty in person, than in this picture.

What a view from above


We started back from Murudeshwar around 3.30 PM. I knew it was a long drive and was fully ready. The best part of this return leg was the stretch from Murudeshwar to Honnavar and then to Shimoga. Wow!. Butter smooth tarmac. Perfect curves.

Tarmac's be like this


Love Trains, Tracks


Sun playing with an orange hue

There was a particular time in the evening, that the sun decided to throw in some orange. The picture doesn't do justice. I wonder what that magic was. But like they say, enjoy nature at what it throws you.

Best Roads

The roads in this part of Karnataka are something that I have not seen elsewhere. It was such a joy on such roads. The 2.0 TFSI of my A6 was smiling I guess.
We hit a mall at the B.H Road at Shimoga for a coffee day break. We also packed some pizzas there. We left Shimoga at 7.30 pm after the coffee.

The moon


We were treated to a full moon and we had a lovely sight to our side and front for a very long time.


'Matrix' at work

In this road is where I truly experienced the A6 'Matrix' lights at work. It was doing its thing. In the 'Auto' mode, it was throwing up high beams, it adjusts in curves, it knows where the nose is pointed and throws light there etc etc.The big action of adjusting the light while driving is gone. Small pleasures in life.


The lights continue to impress. When we reached the Mumbai-Bar highway, the lights were doing its own stuff. It was dimming, it dips, it flashes when I am about to overtake etc..etc.. I think I am yet to discover my car in full.

Cat eyes

And by the way, the good part of the roads at Jog/Shimoga/Ajjampur/Hiriyur had lovely cat eyes

All was well till we hit the highway. There were two deviations near chitradurga, thanks to the fly over constructions. These are moments where you realise you are in the climax scene of the yesteryear Hindi movies. One car and a dozen Trucks surrounding you all over. There was a truck that had broken down in one of the deviations and we spent almost 40 minutes here trying to get to the highway. This is when I realised the amount of trucks plying in that stretch. I hardly noticed any other private car that time, but I lost count of the trucks though.

After this was a breeze, till we hit Tumkur. A bolero pick up had a nasty accident and this had held up traffic for a good 30 minutes. I do hope that the people in the bolero made it. The sight was ghastly.

So, a 2 nights plan to cover stuff we wanted do was done with just a night stay. Its always a joy to come back home after knowing that we went for divine intervention. For me, it was such a welcome break to drive. And having used to Diesel cars for 15 years, the driving experience in an uber cool A6 meant that I am longing for more drives.

Lets see, there is potential long drive coming up over the weekend.

Till then, thanks all, and appreciate you all spending time reading.

[Aditya]

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

[TheHelix0202]

Beautiful thread, sir. Enjoyed the pics very much. That’s a brilliant car you’ve got there. The Matrix lights indeed seem fascinating, do mention more about them in another (review) thread!

[itwasntme]

Hilarious travelogue and glad it turned out well after the key-banger episode and your hotel booking fiasco. Surprised you had the gall to actually manage to click a couple of picks while getting barbecued at the 'moist' hotel.

By the way, cannot remember when I have seen a more majestic sight than your A6 against the sea. It makes the Superb (another hefty sedan!) look pedestrian in comparison. Wish you many years and kilometers of enjoyment with it!

Did Audi revert on the key replacement thingy? Is it all working? If not, you can consider claiming insurance on it unless you have a hefty NCB. Anyways, quickly buy a silicone pouch for both the keys. Customized pouches are available for most brands off Amazon India. My Skoda and BMW keys have been saved multiple times due to the silicon/rubber.

Looking forward to the great buying decision thread!

[anandavinash]

Lovely write up. Glad to see you are enjoying the new car on such pretty roads. Would be nice to have a full ownership review on things you like and dislike about this vehicle.

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Its been a few days since I picked my new Audi A6.
....
but this is about how a drive can make life so colourful, doesn't matter if the skies are grey and the car is also grey.

Congrats on the majestic A6
Decisions like yours revive the debate (joyfully, I must add since I may go down this route as well) on ownership of a luxury sedan vs the ever-throttling SUV diaspora!

The tone and tenor of 'Listen' varies by situation and time and day and only I know what each tone means. This 'listen' is something that made me sit upright and happy. I knew a drive is coming up.

Oh you are one lucky husband, mate. The word "listen" gives me goosebumps every time I get to know someone in the brotherhood hear that!

And having used to Diesel cars for 15 years, the driving experience in an uber cool A6 meant that I am longing for more drives.

Looking forward to the complete works - buying decision, shortlisted candidates and the initial ownership experience, replete with pics

[karan561]

What a fantastic thread & lovely set of pictures

Thank you for maintaining a right mix of pictures of your car, the beautiful roads, scenic surroundings, technical details about your car (TFSI, Matrix etc), narration/story & great captions for your pictures as IMO that's how a travelogue should be and not zoomed in images of food/plates as this is a Automobile forum

Finally, Great to see an Audi A6 Travelogue acting as a breadth of fresh air in this forum dominated by BMW's.

[ba run]

Chirpy travelogue with a great car. On my wish list too! Good you did not travel through the Hassan/Saklespur stretch. It is a nightmare.

[shashank.nk]

Well-written travelogue which made for a fun read! Monsoon drives in the coastal regions is an amazing experience. Especially so in a sedan when you well-laid roads. I wanted to do a monsoon drive in this stretch for long, but the not so great road conditions and a sedan that scrapes easily have held me back. Your travelogue is quite encouraging

The A6 is a wonderful car, I got a chance to drive one recently for some 400kms and it truly is a very well-balanced car though it may not appear so on paper. The well-calibrated suspension, matrix headlights and the wonderful 2L especially in S mode meant I barely realised the speeds I was doing until the alerts at 120 went off.

Congratulations on a fine choice and wish you a many years of joyful ownership with it. Looking forward to the full ownership review

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Its been a few days since I picked my new Audi A6... It was dimming, it dips, it flashes when I am about to overtake etc..etc.. I think I am yet to discover my car in full.

Congratulations on the Audi and a nice short writeup. I am wondering if this "flashing before overtaking" is an india specific feature. It is not available in Europe/Germany models with Matrix and even the Digital Matrix headlights. Can you check (during your next trip), if it really flashes or is it just the Matrix function powering those LEDs that are not going to blind the vehicle in front?

P.S: Here, the lights flash, if there is an obstacle or pedastrian detected in your path. This is not a flash at them, rather to draw your attention towards the obstacle. I am not sure if this is what your car did.

[sgm]

Congratulations on your beautiful new A6

Crisp and nicely written travelogue.

Glad to see that you are thoroughly enjoying your new ride. Wishing you many more happy miles.

Waiting for your decision making and buying experience thread. I have noticed a few posts when you had mentioned about your booking. Good to see that in this age of SUV vs Sedan saga, there are still takers for good sedans.

[Dr.AD]

Beautiful travelogue, and a great looking car! Loved both the travelogue and the car. The pictures are fantastic and make me feel like driving on this route again :-) Thanks for sharing this!

I did a solo drive on the same circuit just 2 weeks ago, and I had stayed at UVA Meridian too. The suggestions I gave you were based on my drive just two weeks ago.

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

The A6 makes this picture colourful

This is a great picture. The car looks amazing!

It is great to see you enjoyed your car, and given how lovely the A6 is, I am sure you will enjoy every single drive in this.

Thanks for sharing the real-world feedback on the Matrix Headlamps. Great to see them working so well. With such headlights, night drives will become really enjoyable. I love night drives (in principle), but the LED headlights of my 320d are so poor that I have practically given up on night driving. I only read about night driving in such travelogues now.

Congratulations on the new car and looking forward to many more drive reports and photos!

[Raghu M]

Sir, that is one heck of a travelogue. Don't need a ton of pics to convey what lovely time you had there. And, the way you write is awesome, just like your Audi. The 'when my wife told listen' part was pure gold. I read it a few times and had a good laugh. Good luck with that beauty A6!

[Caramba]

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

I am wondering if this "flashing before overtaking" is an india specific feature. It is not available in Europe/Germany models with Matrix and even the Digital Matrix headlights.

P.S: Here, the lights flash, if there is an obstacle or pedastrian detected in your path. This is not a flash at them, rather to draw your attention towards the obstacle. I am not sure if this is what your car did.

Was wondering about that as well. Is it a flash or lighting up extreme portions of the road which seems like a flash? While I absolutely love the matrix headlamps, in heavy traffic on dual carriageways it does appear to get a little confused at times, especially at higher speeds.

P.s. lovely write up and the car looks lovely in this colour!

[Dieseldunk]

[quote=jkrishnakj;5158610]

Side Lines
Attachment 2211829

Lovely write up and amazing pics , are you in the professional photographer guild by any chance
Cheers
DP