[GForceEnjoyer]

Prologue:

Goa. A name familiar to all those who have planned holidays in India. Those who have visited it would be familiar with its famous beaches, massive variety of restaurants and the lush greenery. The keener travelers would then be familiar with that sense of "I haven't explored it all." Case in point: I've been to Goa twice before but didn't hesitate to visit again in the slightest. My pre-boards (basically half-yearly exams) had finished, while Dussehra vacations were right around the corner. It had also been a while since we went on a road trip; the last time was in May. We began brainstorming locations to drive to, with places like Darjeeling, Mahabaleshwar and Aurangabad (the Ajanta Caves) being frequent ones to debate between.

Then came a twist. Some family members from Delhi (who we rarely meet after having moved to Hyderabad) began hatching a plan to visit Goa on dates that coincided with my vacations! I suggested that we too, visit Goa, something immediately echoed by my parents. So, the location was set and soon, so were the dates. How to get there, however, remained buried under question marks for quite a while. Hyderabad to Goa is a massive distance to cover by road, meaning that we’d need at least one overnight stop along the way.

Hence, we started brainstorming locations to visit in between. After a lot of research, we decided to drive to Satara on the first day, stay overnight, and visit the valley of flowers (near Kaas Patthar) and Sajjangad Fort the following day. Then, we would drive down to Kolhapur and stay overnight. The next day we would depart for Goa after a quick visit to a nearby trust with whom my mom has close ties; a unique experience for me. So, the stops in between were now sorted.

The car:

We took our 2021 Superb L&K on this trip, making it this car’s 4th (and so far, second longest) road trip over a year of ownership until the time of writing.


However, just around a week before we were set to leave, a stone made a severe impact on the windshield that cracked it, requiring a replacement. The time required for the replacement was estimated to be over a week. However, we got the car back just in the nick of time for this trip! It was due to sheer luck that the windshield arrived in time.

Photography equipment:

My Redmi 9 Prime and I.

The route:

We made extensive use of Google Earth to measure road widths (especially the Ghat roads) and to judge the conditions of the roads as far as possible, all while calculating the average speed per stretch after factoring in traffic data from Google. Additionally, we asked a lot of people we knew who had undertaken this drive for their valuable advice to finalise the route.

Now, one might say that we gave far too much thought to this, but I think it was necessary. The thing is, we had driven across Maharashtra in October 2021 (Hyderabad-Pune-Lonavala-Alibag) and the road conditions were less than satisfactory at best. Actually, the massive deterioration in road quality the second we left the Mumbai-Pune Expressway was appalling to say the least. The roads to Alibag were consistently horrendous, with not a single good stretch in between.

When we had first entered Maharashtra from Karnataka on NH-65, the previously smooth road surface had immediately become lumpy and full of undulations. Then came the innumerable diversions and the complete disappearance of any road surface whatsoever for long stretches. While all was smooth sailing to Pune and Lonavala afterwards, it was the drive to Alibag that was far from pleasant. We wanted to avoid a similar experience this time, hence all the thought put into selecting the route.

A quick summary of our final route on the way to Goa was Hyderabad-Solapur (NH-65)-Pandharpur-Satara until our first overnight stop. The next day, it was Satara to Kolhapur via NH-48. On the third day, it was Kolhapur-Amboli Ghat-South Goa. Here is a picture of the route on google maps.


Anyways, on to the travelogue!

[GForceEnjoyer]

Index:

Day 1: Hyderabad-Satara
Day 2: Satara-Kaas-Sajjangad-Kolhapur
Day 3: Kolhapur-Amboli Ghat-Goa
Day 4: Aguada Fort and Anjuna Beach
Days 5-7: Cavelossim Beach and Betul Fort
Day 8: Cola Beach and Palolem Beach
Day 9: Goa-Hyderabad

Day 1 (Oct 1): Hyderabad-Solapur-Pandharpur-Satara

After having topped up the fuel tank and setting the tyre pressures the day prior, we put our luggage into the Superb's humongous boot and set out in the morning to get onto Hyderabad’s ORR before the usual traffic.


It was a relatively warm day with good visibility.


Soon, we were on NH65, a route once taken exactly a year prior to this trip too. This was on an arrow straight section.


Road conditions were good as long as we were in Telangana and Karnataka, as seen above. Some clouds brought respite from the harsh midday sun.


So far, we had been able to sustain triple-digit speeds for most of the time without issue. Overtakes were fast and fun using sports mode; the DSG immediately downshifted multiple gears and gave us all the pulling power we needed to make swift and effortless overtakes. It was a thoroughly enjoyable drive through subtly changing landscapes.

However, all that took a turn for the worse almost immediately upon entering Maharashtra. It was nearly comical; barely two kilometres into the state, the four-lane highway disappeared to leave us with this mess.


It was just kilometres and kilometres of this, almost all the way until Solapur. It was exactly the same as in 2021. There had been absolutely no progress on the road works whatsoever (it had arguably gotten much worse). I have to say, it was a rather sad excuse for a major national highway. A ton of time was spent crawling in first gear over these surfaces.


We stopped for lunch on the outskirts of Solapur and then continued on our way. We turned off NH-65 onto the Solapur-Pandharpur road, which was an incredibly pleasant surprise. It was a freshly laid asphalt road with an impeccably smooth surface; it was literally like riding on a cloud. The average speed over this stretch was actually higher than that on NH-65!



After Pandharpur, we got onto the Pandharpur-Atpadi road (SH-143 if I’m not wrong). This was another fantastic road; perfectly smooth and freshly laid. The nearly nonexistent traffic was the icing on the cake. The sun was beginning to set around this time.


It started drizzling shortly afterwards. The EcoSport driver was having a ton of fun in the corners (and so were we).


Upon turning a corner, a wind farm suddenly popped into view!



There were a few kilometres of twisty roads. However, we didn’t push the Superb much since the roads were very wet by now. The low light made it difficult to get a good picture.


Look at the way water droplets flow on the window! I sometimes just watch the water flow around cars in the rain; really lets you know how the air around the car has been shaped in the wind tunnel during development.


Soon afterwards, darkness fell and unfortunately, so did the quality of the roads once again. After crossing Mayani, the road became horrendously potholed. To make matters worse, there was a torrential thunderstorm after a brief dry spell, leading to massive puddles being formed. It truly became very difficult to judge whether or not the mass of water ahead was merely a puddle or a pothole deep enough to swallow the entire wheel (difficult to see here due to the limited depth perception of most phone cameras). This picture was taken a few minutes before the downpour.


Finally, we turned onto SH-69 which would take us to Satara. It was here that I personally experienced an incredibly dangerous situation. After a sharp curve in the road, there was a sudden downward slope to become level with a bridge over a stream (I’m talking about a 3-4+ metre drop). However, that wasn’t it. There was a speed bump, unmarked and invisible in the dark, smack in the middle of the decline which had scattered gravel all around. All of this suddenly became visible within a time of two seconds. Despite already having slowed down due to it being nighttime and being in an unfamiliar area, this could still have ended in disaster as the very low grip caused the tyres to slide and screech; thankfully, only for a split second before ABS saved the day.

I cannot imagine the number of accidents that must have occurred due to such a situation immediately after a completely blind curve with no crash guard and a steep drop on either side, complete with running water ahead. This goes to show that one needs to expect the unexpected on the road and remain on high alert, especially in the dark. Props to my dad’s carefully measured steering inputs which prevented a complete loss of grip; 30+ years of driving experience clearly shows. This incident only reinforced what my dad had already made clear to me years ago, through words and through setting an example himself; never let adrenaline get the better of you in unpredictable situations such as this. Incredibly valuable lesson for sure.

Thankfully the rest of the drive to Satara was not nearly as eventful as that situation! We checked into the Fern Residency, Satara; a very nice hotel with clean and well-appointed rooms. That was it for the first day of the trip and we had a relaxed dinner; much needed after the triple digit distances of horrible roads we had to navigate.

I’ve managed to somehow lose the photo of the statistics for the first day, but here are the figures:
Distance: 532 km
Driving time: 9 hours and 45 minutes
Average speed: 55 km/h
Fuel efficiency: 14.0 km/l

Index

[GForceEnjoyer]

Day 2 (Oct 2): Satara-Kaas-Sajjangad-Kolhapur

The plan was to eat a light breakfast and then set out for Maharashtra’s valley of flowers, right next to Kaas Patthar (also called Kaas Plateau). Then, we would head to Sajjangad Fort and finally, Kolhapur.


Almost immediately after a short drive after leaving city limits, we were greeted by absolutely lovely ghat roads.


We could really let the Superb loose on these curves as there was nearly no traffic and the roads were dry, accompanied by great visibility. The surfacing on these roads was also top notch. A fantastic road to drive on, no doubt.


The uphill gradient of the road is evident here (zoom in on the hill in the distance); the Superb managed it effortlessly.


It was very hazy in the morning. However, the view from this viewpoint still had a charm of its own.


Some more wonderful driving roads.


Interestingly, I saw a lot of bikers out for a spirited ride on this road. I don’t think I’ve seen so many Hayabusas, KTM Dukes, Ducati Panigales, Triumph Daytonas, Kawasaki Ninjas and RE650s all in one drive. And shockingly, the most common ones I saw were Harley Davidsons! It was an absolute treat for the ears. Any chance there were BHPians among the crowd on the morning of the 2nd of October?

There seemed to be a meet taking place some distance away from this.


After parking our car, an electric shuttle bus took us to the start of the roughly two kilometre walk towards our destination. The sunlight had gotten quite strong by then, but it was very windy which made the walk enjoyable. Do wear a pair of good shoes though, as there is plenty of gravel.


We started seeing some flowers on the way.



We even saw a lake covered in lily pads.


The actual valley however, had no flowers whatsoever! Wrong season I guess? It was certainly an enjoyable walk though, and the view was still great.


I was determined to get some good pictures on the way back, hence I took these closeups.





A failed attempt at capturing the greenery, a KTM Duke and the Superb all at once.


Next up was Sajjangad Fort. The weather had become hotter, so climbing the many steps was not very enjoyable. The climb itself wasn’t difficult, however. I didn’t really hang around the temples at the top much and went straight for the views. And oh, they were stunning.

It was still hazy, but less so when compared to the morning.




Just before we were about to leave, the weather finally cleared up in order for me to be able to get this last shot!


We then set out on our way to Kolhapur via NH-48. It was a concrete road with just about average leveling. Cruising above 75-80 km/h got uncomfortable, so we stuck to those speeds in the left lane for most of the drive, since we were in no hurry anyway.


This allowed us to get some fantastic fuel efficiency figures.


However, I have a MASSIVE bone to pick with this road. The rumble strips. Some of you may be familiar with the rant I’d previously posted on them here (Hyderabad's ridiculous rumble strips). Well, this just takes it to a whole new level of incredibly annoying, dangerous as well as detrimental to cars.

You had people slamming on their brakes last minute to avoid hitting them at speed, risking a major pileup. The number of rumble strips is also disgustingly excessive and absolutely destroys your average speed (I'd estimate a set to be at least 60-70 metres long with the strips getting progressively closer and sharper towards the end). What’s the point of a highway where you’re forced to slow down to a crawl every 1-2 kilometres?


We finally reached Kolhapur just in time for dinner. We stayed overnight at Sayaji Hotel Kolhapur, a fantastic (and huge) hotel with great views from our room (taken the next morning).


Here are the statistics for the day. The fuel efficiency was a pleasant surprise given the long durations of spirited driving on the ghat roads.


Index

[GForceEnjoyer]

Day 3 (Oct 3): Kolhapur-Amboli Ghat-Goa

This day’s plan was simple. Visit the trust I mentioned earlier and then head straight to Goa. We set out in the morning a little later than usual as traffic wasn’t really an issue at Kolhapur. We had chosen the route through Amboli ghat after lots of asking around as well as googling. Google maps’ default route was through Anmod ghat but according to those we had asked, the route was incredibly bad and should be avoided. The same story held true for other options such as Chorla ghat. So, Amboli was the lesser of all evils in this case. We went ahead expecting some bad patches. However, we vastly underestimated the sheer brutality and appalling condition of even the “best” option.

(The time estimate is pretty inaccurate, it took us nearly 7 hours.)


The roads were decent at first with only minor imperfections in the surface at places. Traffic was also sparse.


However, very soon, I encountered possibly the worst roads of my entire life. I have no words strong enough to describe what it was like, so let me try to do it justice by throwing in some statistics along with a picture. Imagine these conditions for 40+ kilometres with NO respite. These “roads” were so utterly pathetic that I feel the contractor responsible for this mess should be brought along for a ride in a car with its suspension removed! It seriously put a dampener on the mood for the rest of the day. The Superb's ground clearance definitely helped too, with no scrapes even on the sharp rocks sticking out at places.

Hours were spent crawling in first here, resulting in a single-digit average speed for this section. Utterly horrendous to say the least. Remember the thread (The 2022 Camera Trends Poll | Do you still use DSLRs the way you used to?) about whether or not DSLRs are still relevant today? Well, the jury is out to find a single answer, but the depth perception of a DSLR would certainly help capture the "beauty" of this surface better.

It was so bad that we figured out an alternative route for the return trip (which was thankfully better)! More on that later.


Look at the massive yellow sections visible on Google maps!


After something I can only describe as a torturous ordeal, we finally reached tarmac once again.


Then, this view finally popped into sight out of nowhere! The weather had become very cloudy by then.


We stopped at a viewpoint to admire the scenery.



There was even a waterfall a short distance away.


After that, the road conditions were strictly average until reaching NH-66. This, combined with my previous experience travelling across Maharasthra, has left me with a truly despicable impression of the state’s roads. For the richest state in India, there really is no excuse for this.

We entered Goa soon after that and we were quickly on a cable bridge!



There were great views from it.


Check this out! You can see the road stretching way into the distance surrounded by lush greenery.


After some time, we encountered the first (and thankfully only) traffic jam of the day, near a diversion before a second cable bridge that was under construction.


A very shaky picture of the bridge against the colourful sky.


We then turned onto the butter-smooth interior roads (in contrast to the rather poorly surfaced national highway).


I took this upon reaching the Holiday Inn Resort which was where we stayed. A moon peeking through a layer of clouds.


Somehow didn’t realise that the photo of the trip statistics was pretty terrible. Here's the missing information though: the driving time was roughly 7 hours for a total distance of around 250 kilometres.


Index

[GForceEnjoyer]

Day 4 (Oct 4): Aguada Fort and Anjuna Beach

We began the day by rising early to go to the beach before the weather got hotter. Cavelossim beach has whiteish sand which is very fine; does not hurt your feet at all. I’ve forgotten the exact high tide timings, but I think the time we went at (around 7:30 am) would be somewhere between low and high tide.

Pretty calm waters (I personally prefer rougher waters but enjoy calm ones all the same).


We then set out for Aguada Fort. On the way, I saw this modified Civic with a blacked out rear bumper, (fake) quad-exhausts and wide, low-profile tyres. While the jury can decide whether or not this belongs in the weird and wacky mods thread or not, the driver was clearly having a lot of fun.


NH-66 gets twisty and acquires quite a steep gradient around GMC Stadium, offering great views. Zoom into the second picture and you can see the cable bridge I'd mentioned in the previous post! It's also visible in the first one if you have a keen eye.



Just look at the density of greenery here!


Once again, you can see the cable bridge I mentioned earlier.


As you climb Aguada Fort, the views progressively become more and more mesmerising.


Some might recognise this from the movie “Dil Chahta Hai.” It was an incredibly windy day, making it difficult to hold a phone steady. Please excuse the poor quality.



You are presented with a different view from each corner of the fort.




I got a little bored and decided to take some photos just for fun while resting my phone on the rocky walls of the fort.



After the fort, we drove to Anjuna Beach. It’s an incredibly lively location and has tons of beach shacks. Here’s a view of the sunset I had while sitting in one, with fresh pita bread to keep me company.


Index

[GForceEnjoyer]

Day 5-6 (Oct 5-6):

These days were just relaxed ones at the resort (we did not go out anywhere). Holiday Inn Resort really does have a beautiful property.


Here’s the morning sun peeking through the trees. I was certainly more than successful at getting a lens flare.


The sun setting over Cavelossim beach.


I decided to explore the property at night; a good decision on my part I’d say. The following photos were taken using manual mode (with the focus being on image quality, the exposure was difficult to get right).




This is a closeup of an LED spotlight in the floor.


Day 7 (Oct 7): Betul Fort and Benaulim Beach

The plan was to visit Betul Fort and its surrounding area. It’s located off the southern tip of Cavelossim beach.

It was a very cloudy day, in contrast to all the previous ones.



Some fantastic views from a bridge.


The last road to our destination was incredibly narrow!


Immediately after getting out of the car, this caught my attention (CSR stands for corporate social responsibility). A little practical application of what I’ve learnt studying business at school!


The fort itself basically consists of some broken stone walls and is nothing to write home about. It’s little bit of a nice trek, though, and leads to some great views of the beach.


Here’s a wide angle shot.


Here’s the Superb photobombing a shot of the beach.


A very dirty car under some tall trees.


We had lunch at a restaurant called Cavatina, near Benaulim beach, which I’d say is a must-try for anyone who appreciates good food. It was my first time trying duck as well as crab, and to say I loved it would be an understantement.

There was a Lambretta inside the restaurant! My dad had previously owned one a long time ago.


The clouds that had been in the sky all day long finally released their rain at night. Here are some raindrops in the headlights!


Index

[GForceEnjoyer]

Day 8 (Oct 8): Cola Beach and Palolem Beach

Part of the route for Cola Beach was the same as that for Betul Fort. We got to see the views from the bridge once again, but this time in sunlight!


This is the bridge itself.


The view on the other side:



The parking for Cola Beach is on the edge of a cliff, after which you have to climb down a long flight of stairs. It leads to views like this:


The water was of a striking blue colour which was really pleasing to the eye.


Check this out, the way the sand is deposited leads to this interesting behaviour of water flowing into the sea from a nearby lagoon!



The sky was almost unnaturally blue.


The beach was a wonderful treat for the eyes.


Here’s the view I had while sipping a chilled drink in a beach shack.


A closeup of the sand on the beach. This is the result of millions of years of big rocks being worn down by the brute force of the Arabian Sea!


The sun was starting to get low as we left for Palolem Beach. Some like-minded people were making the most of this photo opportunity.


Palolem Beach is the place to go if you like gentle waters and beach shacks. We didn’t go there for the sea, but rather, the views.

Here’s a picture of the evening sun, ready to set between the hills.


Meanwhile, the moon made a sneaky appearance!


I was treated to an utterly stunning display of incredibly mesmerising colours as the sun finally disappeared below the horizon.


This was the last sunset on our trip to Goa; going out on a high note for sure! All our lives, we see the same sun and moon. Yet, theor aesthetic value seems to be unaffected by the number of times you witness it; on the contrary, my appreciation for it has actually grown each time!

Index

[GForceEnjoyer]

Day 9 (Oct 9): Goa-Amboli Ghat-Gargoti-Solapur-Hyderabad

Let’s get some things right straight off the bat. I would strongly advise against such a drive if you’re by yourself. The resultant fatigue will be a perfect recipe for disaster. Have someone else who you can switch positions with and rest in the meantime. Case in point: my parents both drive and took turns during the trip. Remember to stay hydrated and to take enough breaks in between. Switching off recirculated air (at least once every half an hour) helps keep air in the cabin fresh too.

Next, I’d still not recommend this drive. Why? It’s simply a touch too long. The length actually wouldn’t be much of a problem if the roads were good, which was absolutely not the case as long as we were in Maharashtra. I’m not bashing the state in any way, just stating what I personally experienced on this trip.

Finally, why did we choose to drive such a massive distance in one day? Due to some unexpected schedule changes, our stay in Goa had to be extended until the 9th of October. The original plan was to stop at Solapur for the night and continue to Hyderabad the next day. My school reopened on the 10th of October though, which meant that I’d have to take a flight back while my parents drove back (they’d arrive a day after me). However, I managed to somehow forget my Adhaar card at home! Hence, this was the only option without missing school. Hats off to my parents for thinking of this.

Here's the route we followed. This time, we added Gargoti as a stop after Amboli Ghat, as it was an alternate route on the way to Kolhapur. I was prepared for the worst-case scenario: the road being essentially nonexistent, just like on the way to Goa. However, the surface was thankfully much, much better! More on that later. From Kolhapur, we would get on NH-166 to Solapur and then NH-65 to Hyderabad.


We were in the car and out of the hotel by 7:30 am. I grabbed this shot of the sun before that, though.


There was a lot of condensation on the car when we approached it. That combined with the dirt on the car made for an interesting sight. The rear defroster was put to use for the first time.



NH-66 has a lot of very steep gradients in Goa; here’s one of them.


The view from it unfortunately couldn’t be captured in its full beauty by my phone camera.


We were on the road once taken.



Right across that bridge is the Maharashtra border!


You can see the ghats starting to come into view.


Here’s the sun peeking through the trees.


We stopped at a viewpoint once again since the sun was out this time.




The road to Gargoti was thankfully well-paved, albeit very narrow. My dad’s driving experience shone once again, especially considering that entire buses came from the opposite side at times.



The road to Kolhapur offered some enjoyable views.


We then got onto NH-166. This was a pretty newly paved concrete road. The surfacing was surprisingly pretty smooth, and traffic was sparse.


A person on a bicycle jumped out of the median! Proves that you need to be attentive in any situation. A quick tug at the steering wheel and a flash of the high beam was enough to prevent any mishap.


However, here too, there were some places where the road inexplicably disappeared. Thankfully, it only occurred a handful of times until Solapur, and can be excused keeping in mind the condition of most other roads.


By the time we got past Solapur, the sun had set. Somehow, the bad section on NH-65 had become even worse within the span of a few days! Once again, we crawled in first for way longer than one would’ve liked to.


At long last, we got out of Maharashtra and resumed highway speeds adjusted for darkness. Soon after entering Telangana, we were met with a torrential downpour. No, the picture isn’t shaky or out of focus, it’s due to the intensity of the rain! There were frequent bright bolts of blue-white lightning accompanied by tumultuous thunder too. The car received a much-needed wash.


It was a relief to finally reach Hyderabad’s ORR once again.


Here are the stats for the last day.


Epilogue:

This car is an incredibly accomplished mile-muncher. As a passenger, I felt nearly no fatigue even though we got back home after 12 am. However, always remember to take frequent breaks to avoid possibly life-threatening fatigue, since it may adversely affect the driver's ability to concentrate. Take care of this and driving massive distances is no sweat in this car. The Superb was driven 1966.7 km across a total of 4 states during this trip.

The car was thoroughly pressure-washed the next day; it was desperately needed! A grim takeaway from this trip, however, was to avoid Maharashtra, if possible, during road trips from Hyderabad. I know it’s a huge state, but across two separate trips from east to west (one to Alibag in 2021 and then this), the roads were unfortunately quite terrible. There was also a sudden and appalling deterioration in road quality immediately upon entering the state. Maybe drives to major cities while religiously sticking to major roads can be done (hence, driving to a Team-BHP meet in Mumbai may not be ruled out entirely ).

Otherwise, this was exactly what the title of the thread suggests, an almost superb drive to Goa in a Superb! The massive variation in landscapes is a treat to watch, so is stopping at roadside dhabas at different locations. The Superb is perfectly at home cruising on the highway, and I can guarantee that it will be doing just that once again. It’s just a question of when

Yours truly standing against the view at Amboli Ghat. Cheers!


Index

[GTO]

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

Going to our homepage today

[Nilesh5417]

Amboli used to be such an amazing drive. The extended monsoons this year and the perennial lackadaisical attitude of the government in Maharashtra when it comes to maintaining highways and roads together have made this drive a horror story.

Anmod and Chorla are in much better condition esp. Chorla since it doesnt see much traffic. But Chorla has different challenges like narrow road, no food joints and clean restrooms on the way.

You pick your poison is the case these days when driving to Goa! No wonder flights are always jam packed - very few seem to be choosing the drive unless you have a week off and last minute flight tickets for a family are exorbitant.

[JoshMachine]

Amazing TL there, thanks for sharing those lovely pics. Goa, like every time, is a new discovery

Very heartening to see your Superb traverse such long distances without much of a scraping here and there. Agree, the Maharashtra roads are not helping the cause!

I saw that you stopped at Sajjangad, and couldn't resist sharing this pic which I clicked when I had gone there last year. It is now my wallpaper:-



Good FE stats you got there, again very good overall numbers from the 2.0 engine.

[adnankw]

This post couldn't have come at a better time! I am in North Goa for Diwali and also a recent victim of Amboli Ghat while driving from Mumbai.

I will definitely take the Gargoti route and avoid Ajara-Nipani altogether.

[shyampsunder]

Originally Posted by GForceEnjoyer

However, I managed to somehow forget my Adhaar card at home!

Fantastic post but just for future reference, you don't need your physical Aadhaar for air or train travel. Digilocker Aadhaar is perfectly valid. They even explicitly mention this on the app screen as well in case the security folks aren't aware of this.

Also curious how did you end up staying in hotels without an ID proof?

[GForceEnjoyer]

Originally Posted by shyampsunder

Digilocker Aadhaar is perfectly valid. They even explicitly mention this on the app screen as well in case the security folks aren't aware of this.

Oh, thanks for that, I'll keep it in mind.

Also curious how did you end up staying in hotels without an ID proof?

The hotels I stayed at accepted emailed ID proofs, hence the lack of a physical copy was no issue. It was also why I didn't realise I forgot it until the end.

[vinya_jag]

Lovely travelogue. Thoroughly enjoyed it. This was probably my first time of reading a trip on this route. I was curious to know why you wouldn't choose a route via Karnataka. Then googled it myself to find that the roads from inside Karnataka would have taken longer.


It has been a while since we have gone Bagalkot, Belgaum side, and wonder how the roads are, in those regions now. We were planning a Bidar Bagalkot trip this December.

A small tip on the photos. You have your setting at 16:9. This may look good on the camera screen, but result in an overall compromised image. All camera sensors are 4:3, and when you want it to take a 16:9, it simply crops the original image before saving it to Jpeg. Also, in the process, some memcopys here and there, resultant image could suffer more.
https://www.makeuseof.com/4-3-vs-16-...photos-videos/