[Driver 33]

Why I chose to go on a road-trip to Bombay and Goa?
I love driving more than anything else, and I'm a car guy. I love driving my Octavia alone long distances, and the roads to these places have perfect road conditions, so I choose to go on a road trip.

Why I chose to visit those places?
Bombay:
I watched a lot of Hindi movies where they show the city of Bombay and their street food. I did read a little history about the city, and I felt that the city had a character of its own which I wanted to explore.

Goa:
Lots of Instagram scrolling brought me to south Goa, especially. I'm a teetotaller and not a partying person, so north Goa wasn't on my list.

All I wanted to see was calm, beautiful waterfalls, nature and the beautiful blue Arabian Sea.

The story:
Day 1: HYD to BOM
The map:

Medchal to Zaheerabad

Zaheerabad to Solapur

Solapur to Pune

Pune to Bandra

I woke up at 4:30, and I had an excellent 7 hour 30 minute sleep, I took a cold shower, got dressed up, and my parents put my bags in the car. Gave the engine a 10-minute idle start. I started at 5:05. I took the Outer Ring Road, which was foggy, and the visibility decreased significantly.

It was a tough start but manageable. Took the Bombay exit and headed towards Bombay (NH65). The journey is going smoothly, and I'm enjoying my drive. Bit rough roads 200 km before reaching Solapur, but manageable. I took my first stop after crossing Solapur town.

I was 318 km away from home. I had a light, healthy breakfast and was back on the wheel.

I was listening to some podcasts and enjoying my drive. It was noon soon, and I was close to Pune city. I was in Pune city but didn't feel like having lunch.

My momma kept me some apples and dry fruits; I had those for lunch. While driving around in Pune city, there are many educational institutions. When I looked at the maps, there were more educational institutions than anything else.

The place I booked my Airbnb in Bombay was in Bandra. It was a shared apartment where I had a single room in a 4bhk apartment.

From Pune, Google maps attached me onto the Bangalore- Mumbai 6-lane expressway, a beautiful road I enjoyed driving around 170km. Food plazas layover stops. Everything was there.

Those roads were like American freeways.

I stopped my car for a bit to stretch, and I clicked some shots. Lonavala was on the way, and I made a stop at Lonavala. I had to leave soon because it was raining hard and I couldn't spend much time there. From there, I came to Bandra soon because of the good roads and fast-moving traffic in Mumbai city.



I reached Bombay around 18:30 and checked in at my residence.


A photo of the apartment I stayed in. This was a Parsi community which was bought by my host dad 35 years ago. It was a beautiful apartment maintained well throughout the years. The house is around 65 years old.

I freshened up and went for a walk around the town. The sea was very close by, so I went to a restaurant nearby and had dinner.

The host was friendly, and he was surprised that I came to Bombay to explore the city.

This was my day 1

I drove around 715 km, and it was a 13-hour journey.

Day 2: Exploring Bombay city and witnessing beautifully architectural buildings built by the British.

I did all the necessary homework before sleeping last night, and the next day at 7:30, I headed out to South Bombay by taking a tuk-tuk to Bandra railway station. I took a train ticket to Churchgate and soon arrived at Churchgate station.

I saw that busy culture hurrying people in the trains where it's always running and running with vada pav in many people's hands.

I was amazed to see a blind man on train traveling alone to his work.

From Churchgate, I took a local cab and headed to Gateway Of India. I'm not a history person, but I enjoyed watching those old buildings and monuments in and around the town.

From the Gateway of India, there was a ferry ride to Ghanpuri Island, where there are Elephanta caves. I didn't enjoy watching those caves, but I liked the ferry ride because I saw big international ships looting for oil and sending those oil to their respective clients. After exploring the Gateway of India, The Taj Mahal Hotel and Elephanta caves, I headed to an electronic shop in a hurry because my phone battery was draining way too much. I soon got a power bank and headed to Leopold Cafe, a famous cafe that has been running in the town for more than a century. A 26/11 attack took place a decade ago in this place, along with the Taj Mahal hotel and CST railway station.

Here are some pictures I clicked.

The British built the Taj Mahal Hotel, which has been running since 1902.


The BSNL office building was built by the British.


My breakfast: Vada Pav



Gateway Of India



The ferry ride to Ghanpuri island



Elephanta caves:


CST Railway Station
I was amazed after seeing the CST railway station building from far. It's architecture was so beautiful. It was built by the British. This station runs the Central line today.

It's so wide that I couldn't take a complete picture.

The famous Marine Drive is shown in a lot of Bollywood movies.


After exploring Marine Drive, it was 17:00 by then, I was tired and wanted to return to the apartment. I walked to Marine Lines railway station and got back a train to Bandra Railway station and from there, tuk-tuk again to my place.

My Airbnb host got me a Vada Pav for dinner, his favorite Vada Pav in the town. This was my Day 2 of exploring south Bombay, where I walked around 9000 change steps in exploring the city.

My views on Bombay after Day 2.

It's a very good city with great town planning and affordable public transport which has access to every place nearby that you want to go. All the buses were Electric buses, local cabs or tuk-tuk can be easily accessible, and the price is metered. The base fare is 21/-.

The traffic discipline is good where they prioritize pedestrians utmost, and the traffic is fast moving.

DAY 3: This was a normal relaxing day in Bombay city, where I had nothing much to do. I planned to chill this one last day in Bombay by driving on the Worli sea-link and going on a safari in Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
I woke up around 6:30, did a bit of stretching and then I started to freshen up. Today the plan was to just relax randomly in the city. I decided to take my own car and roam in the city. I went to the Worli Sea link, which was a beautiful drive. The total sea link stretch is around 8 kilometers. I drove around the sea link, took the western line road and headed to Borivali side because Sanjay Gandhi park was over there.
Bandra-Worli sea link

I went with excitement to see Tigers in the wild, but that didn't happen cause the minimum number of people required for the safari was around 15, and only 7 were there. I waited for 30 minutes, and people number decreased. I was the last one to leave, and then I had no clarity on what to do, so my cousin suggested I try Misal Pav, and I went to a popular place in Borivali called Puneri Misal 1. I had a great Misal Pav at 10:00, which was my breakfast.

From there, I just called my brother randomly. He told me to go to a place called Subko, which is famous for its amazing coffee.

I took the western line road and headed to Bandra in 45 minutes.

While on my way back, I spotted some really old buildings over 100 years old in which people still live. It did look beautiful to me.


Subko was in Chapel Street, where it felt like Goa streets which I saw on Youtube previously. It was a narrow busy street and it was challenging to get a place for my car to park. It was a humid day, as usual, in Bombay. I found parking 1.2 kilometers from the location I wanted to go. It was a narrow street where I had to park my car very close to the wall, and I had to get out of the passenger seat. I got drenched in sweat walking back 1.2 kilometers to the location I wanted to go. I went to Subko, the beverages menu was vast, and I needed more clarity on what to order. I preferred black coffee without sugar. I asked the brewer to suggest his own favorite black coffee. He told me to try Project Sankalp 90, which has very little flavor of Nutella, Blueberry and Apricot Jam. I enjoyed my coffee, gave my feedback to them and left the place soon because my car was in a little bit of a risky place. I realized I should've come in a tuk-tuk to this place. I really wanted to come again and have a sandwich or whatever. I went back to my residence around 13:30, and one of the other locals suggested I try Pav Bhaji from some local place. I swiggy it cause I got tired from that humidity and enjoyed my yummy lunch. Post lunch, I booked my Goa accommodation which was a studio apartment.

Evening at 18:30, I took a tuk-tuk and headed to Subko again.

I ordered some croissant espresso, and that was a big mistake I made in my life. I didn't expect that they would put an insane amount of caffeine in the croissant and sugar in it. I don't eat foods with added sugar, but I had to after the order arrived at my table. It had so much caffeine that I couldn't sleep the night. The next day morning, I had to leave for Goa. I was scared that I would fall dizzy if I started to Goa in the morning cause I was 100% sure that I couldn't sleep the rest of the night. I was calm and composed. I gave a good think on what to do. It was no use to stay one more night in Bandra, which would be a time waste. I had to return home by the 4th of October because the Dusshera festival was also there and my friends would be waiting for me.

So I thought deeply for 30 minutes, and I decided to leave Bandra right away for Majorda. On day 2 in Bombay at 23:30, I started my car again. I gave it a good 5 minutes idle, and when I called my host to say that I was leaving, I told him the whole story. He was genuinely worried about the night drive. I promised him that I'll reach safe and keep giving him updates. There are not many pictures I really clicked on day 2 of Bombay.

Day 3 - Day 4: Bandra to Goa
The map:

Bandra to Pune (outskirts)

Pune to Satara

Satara to Kolhapur

Kolhapur to Goa

As I stated from Bombay, I gave the call to my parents, told them the entire story and told them not to worry because I was confident that I'll drive safely and be cautious at all times. I felt good because I told off my parents, and I was composed and started enjoying driving. Once I got onto the Mumbai- Bangalore expressway, it's the same highway I came to Bandra from Hyderabad. But this time, it was night, and there was no street lighting in the starting part of the expressway till Pune. I was cruising at 100 kmph, and suddenly I felt the car pulling to the left side. I was scared but absolutely composed. I couldn't maintain the speed because there was a pressure loss in my rear left tyre. I drove around 22 kilometers and managed my way to the food plaza. Expressways are very well constructed. I got my tyres checked, and there was clear pressure loss. The psi fell down by 12 around 24psi. I got my tyres filled up. Went to the washroom and started again.

It started as a dark, thrilling drive, and I was enjoying it to the next level. On my way, I touch the Lonavala route, especially the Lonavala ghats. Lorries started moving at midnight only, and it was uphill. The traffic at that time was insane cause the lorries struggled to climb uphill. The visibility at that hour was poor, and uphill at the start, it was foggy as well. I was struggling to change lanes because of fog and couldn't spot light at times. I really liked the experience of driving alone and tackling obstacles by myself.
Traffic at Lonavala Ghats


Solitude is bliss, as Kevin Parker says. After some time fighting myself in the traffic. The downhill of the Ghat started soon, and I overtook all the substantial commercial vehicles. I was in Pune, soon taking the bypass route to Satara. From Pune, the road lighting was great, and I enjoyed my life's best drive. I was playing Tame Impala Innerspeaker, Lonerism and Currents albums all night, where Kevin talks about unrequited love in Innerspeaker, solitude in Lonerism album and how he moves on in the Currents album of his previous partner. Me on a caffeine high by mistake, enjoying my solo road trip to Goa with Tame Impala music playing all the driving hours. Soon I was in Satpura and the same repeated at Satara that took place at Lonavala ghats. There's a ghat road bypass at Satara too. I overcame all that and was back on the straight, well-lit highways. I was cruising at a consistent pace, around 90 to 100 kph. The drive was going smoothly, and it was super thrilling.

A toll stop arrived, I slowed down to choose my lane, and suddenly a transgender person came right in front of my vehicle all of a sudden to stop. I stopped, and then she came by the side of the car asking for money. I kept some loose change ready in the front tray box to give tips and for other expenses. I was nervous, so I rolled down the window just a tiny bit where the money could pass out. I gave a 50 rupee note to her, and she asked "kidar Jahre ho tum” (“where are you going ?”). I just rolled the windows backup and drove off through the toll. I thought to myself, what is she doing at 3 in the morning. I was like, these people can just stand in front of the car at midnight and people gotta stop anyway.

I continued my journey as usual. I was laughing after this incident at how nervous it made me during that incident. I was glad that I was very calm and composed throughout the trip. I learned much about myself in just 4 days on my solo trip. As I was nearing Kolhapur, it was almost 5:00 in the morning, and I was in no hurry to reach Goa. The caffeine was still strong in me, but I didn't want to risk myself driving in the fog. I stopped at a fuel station. Took a stretching break. Got back in the car, locked the doors, kept the engine running, reclined the seat and forced myself for a 1-hour power nap. I didn't fix any time to wake up.

At 6:05 in the morning, the watchman knocked on my window and told me to park a bit ahead if I wanted to sleep for some more time. But I already got some fresh energy. I started the car immediately and drove nonstop at a consistent pace to Treehouse Blue Apartments Majorda, Goa, which was a 300km change from the fuel station I stopped for sleep. Around 6:07, I resumed my journey again, and as I passed Kolhapur soon, I entered Karnataka state. I was driving through some beautiful hills.


Soon I took the Mumbai - Bangalore expressway exit and headed towards the South-west side of Belgavi. From Belgavi, I was crossing through some small towns and villages, and google maps took me to a narrow road where they were barely any roads.

It was a 32km stretch with muddy roads, and my liftback struggled to drive on concrete rocks and pass uneven mud slushes.

The road picture:


That 32km was scary because I was 12 hours into my drive, and I thought, what would've happened if I started from Bandra in the morning? When I reached these narrow roads, there would be no street lighting. There were no street lights and no people, and as I went further, I got to know it was some forest with wild cats and elephants. I barely saw people or other cars on that route.

Another car came into that route of the same state. I stopped them and asked 'route unda ikada" in Telugu (is there a route?). They said yes, its a big stretch, and it took an hour more to enter Goa. They asked me, "Ela Hyderabad veltada" ( Is there a route from here to Hyderabad? ).

I said yes, I'd spotted some Telangana state vehicles. We left and 20 kilometers into the narrow road. There was another car in front of me going towards Goa. I just tailgated that driver for the remaining 12 kilometers of that stretch. The driver was flying ahead, and I was tailgating him by maintaining enough distance to brake. If I was far behind, that car was slowing down for me to come. There was an indirect understanding between us; they were also a bit nervous about driving on that road. The road was so narrow that if another vehicle came in the opposite way, we had to get down the road into the rocks and slush to pass by. No network on mobile too. I did my homework and downloaded offline maps before leaving Bandra only. Most of the vehicles that came in our opposite way were commercial vehicles registered from Goa. After that, 32 kilometers finished. That random car and I parted ways.

I was on my way to Treehouse Blue Apartments. It was an hour's journey after that 32km, and Amboli Ghat started immediately, mostly downhill ghats. It started raining so heavily that the vision has got completely shattered. I took the help of google maps to see the curves ahead in the Ghat. I overcame that, and as I was nearing Majorda, it was sunny again, which was actually very humid. Sudden weather changes. I was so tired after crossing Amboli Ghat and eagerly awaited to reach my hotel. I reached my hotel at 13:00, a 13 hour 59-minute drive from Bandra, including breaks and everything.

I checked in at the hotel, and I got to know that my school classmate was in Goa as well after scrolling through Instagram. I called her immediately and told her about my rollercoaster journey, and we both were excited to meet. She invited me that night to meet, but I couldn't go cause I had to sleep. We planned to meet the next day evening. I ordered and finished my lunch soon, and I decided not to sleep afternoon cause it would interrupt my night's sleep as I hadn't slept the last night. I took a dip in the swimming pool, talked to the locals that where is the best place I could have seafood, and then I went to Martins Corner for dinner nearby, where I had fish curry and rice. It was delicious. I returned to the hotel and slept at 21:00 for 10 hours straight.

Fish curry and rice at Martin's Corner


This was my Day 4 thrilling drive to Goa.

Day 5: Visit Majorda Beach, Cabo De Rama Fort, and Palolem Beach and meet my friend in the evening.
I woke up at 7:00 and planned to head to Majorda Beach directly without any freshen-up. I just changed my outfit and headed to Majorda beach, around 2 kilometers away.

The beach has a calm, soothing, relaxing vibe. It was not much crowded as the usual beaches. It was a perfect start to my morning.

I headed back to the residence, freshened up and headed to breakfast.

I had a lite breakfast, and then right away, I started on my way to Cabo De Rama fort, which was 1-hour drive.

Cabo De Rama fort was a good place which is very underrated. It has a calm relaxing vibe. There's a pebble beach at the back of the fort where the Arabian Sea looks beautiful and blue. I enjoyed myself for around 1 and a half hours. The fort was acquired by the Portuguese in the early centuries. There are rumors that Ram and Sita lived over there for some nights.

Here are some pictures:



I will surely visit this place again when I go to Goa.

After exploring Cabo De Rama fort, the plan was to visit Palolem Beach, which was 45 minutes away. There needs to be a network in South Goa where only BSNL works in nature areas. I did my homework well and downloaded offline maps.

I reached Palolem Beach, and it was the weekend. I reached there by lunchtime, and it was a humid day as usual in Goa. I couldn't find parking for my car, so I couldn't explore the beach, but I got to roam around the beach streets and shop.

I was super hungry, so I soon went shopping and bought a couple of aloha shirts that look cool and feel comfortable in tropical places. I headed to some place called Svaa Disht. No one was in the hotel, even during the weekend, but the place looked good, so I decided to give them some business. I ordered a Paneer Butter Masala with Garlic Naan. As I was the only person in the hotel. It took some time to make, but it was fresh and yummy. While eating the chef came to me and asked 'how's the food?'. I said it was yummy, and I loved it. We chatted briefly, and he asked where my native place was. I told him I was from Hyderabad, and he was like, "oh, Hyderabad, it's my favorite city, and I've friends over there too". I asked about him, and he told me he was from Srinagar, Kashmir. I said about my Kashmir trip with my family when I was younger, and he enjoyed my story too.

He has a menu of all the famous Indian dishes, and he makes really good food. He asked about my trip, and I told him I was on a solo trip, but I actually did have friends in Goa.

I had a quick lunch, appreciated the taste of food from the owner/chef, and left Palolem beach without seeing Palolem beach, but I liked the vibe around the beach during the weekend.

I called my friend, who was in Goa, for an update and decided to meet near her residence and head somewhere else for dinner.

I returned to the hotel, relaxed for a bit and then headed to North Goa, where my friend was. My friend is more of a parting person. She chose to visit North Goa, and I'm the opposite.

The drive from South Goa to North Goa is amazing. New bridges are being constructed as well. I met my friend, we talked about our daily lifestyle, talked about our school days, had a nice Margherita Pizza, then we went for a walk, a small drive, and then we left. Her flight was the next evening, and I would return home the day after early morning. It felt good to meet one of my close schoolmates coincidently in Goa. I knew she was in Goa when I was in Bandra, but I have yet to decide on my next place by then.

My views on Goa after spending 1 whole day:

Great place. There's a lot more to explore than just beaches and parties. The driving scenes are absolutely good. People follow traffic rules strictly and do maintain lane discipline. No unnecessary honking. They put low beams when the drivers spot another vehicle coming in the opposite direction. I guess this is the best state in India that follows traffic rules strictly. I enjoyed driving on Goa's narrow roads. It feels so good to drive around greenery everywhere in South Goa.

This was day 5 of the Goa diary.

Day 6: Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary
Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary opens early in the morning and closes by mid-afternoon-evening cause wild animals come out.

I reached there early, by 8:30, and there were two waterfalls to spot.

One is Sangam waterfall which has a 1 km one-way trek, and the other is Miyapi waterfall which has a 5 km walk one way.

I first decided to visit Sangam waterfall, which is only a kilometer trek. I did the trek them alone, and there was no other tourist. As I progressed. The guide of Netravali came behind me and told me the stories of him seeing wildcats during his lifetime here.

The waterfall had an absolutely scenic view, and there was another Srilankan couple who was on a whole India road trip. They set up their MUV car like a home, and it was interesting to see that.

The pictures of the waterfall:

Attachment 2386469
I had a good time here as I was alone at the place most of the time, along with that guide. I chatted with the guide for some time and got to know a little bit about the neighboring villages.

I was just there looking at the beautiful waterfall, relaxing. On my way back, I was alone and spotted 2 snakes, and it was scary for me to reach my vehicle. I was calm and composed, as usual. I crossed over the second snake by mistake, thinking it was a tree stick. As I turned back, the snake lifted its head. It was a small 1-foot tree snake. I also wanted to go to Miyapi waterfall, but it's a 5km trek, and I was alone. I already saw 2 snakes on my way back 1 km, and I didn't want to risk myself trekking for 5km alone. But I will go to Miyapi waterfall next time when I come with anyone for sure.

There are good waterfalls and scenic views to explore in Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary.

A beautiful click of my car


While heading back to Majorda, a police constable stopped me to fine for my tint. I told him it's a legal tint, but he showed that it is not legal in Goa. It was a small fine only, and I didn't bother about it. I told him that Goa's driving scenes are really good, and it's all because of strict constables. He was surprised and told that he didn't listen to something like that from anyone else. Then we talked for about 5 to 7 minutes, and then I headed back to Majorda by lunchtime around 13:30, and I had nothing much to do. I went for lunch and came back to the hotel, preparing on my way back home for the next day. I sat the evening posting some pictures of my trip on Instagram and started doing map reading on my way back home. I enjoyed my 2 full days driving around Goa and exploring scenic places.

I did roam around 210 km in 2 days.

DAY 7: Back home.
The map: Majorda to Chorla Ghat

Chorla Ghat to Belgavi

Belgavi to Humnabad

Humnabad to Tuljapur

Tuljapur to Zaheerabad

Zaheerabad to Home

It was a big drive of 757km. It was very challenging, but I was prepared for it and took a good 8 hours of sleep.

The next day morning, I woke up at 4:30, took a cold shower, and started at 5:05.

A funny conversation between a police constable and me at Chorla Ghat:

Police Constable: "Where are you going, sir?"

Me: Home

Police Constable: "Where is your home?"

Me: "Hyderabad"

Police Constable: We need to check your car for liquor?"

Me: "Go ahead."

Post-car check:

Police Constable: Why did you come to Goa, sir any business?"

Me: "No business, only exploring."

Police Constable: You don't drink?

Me: "No"

Police Constable: "Why you came to Goa then"?

Me: "Solo trip to South Goa, full chilling."

Police Constable: "Ok sir, thank you for visiting Goa. Happy journey bye bye."

Me: "Bye Bye"

Once I crossed Chorla Ghat, my stomach started to feel sick, and I went to the washroom at a fuel bunk and filled my tank as well. I understood that I had to keep my stomach empty for the whole day because it got shattered by varieties of food.

I just had apples and dry fruits on my way back until I reached home. I stopped somewhere in Maharashtra, somewhere I drove around 270km. From there on, I drove nonstop until I reached my parking lot. The roads weren't good on the way back, and I drove around 200 km change only on two-way roads. That took a lot of my energy, but I had good energy to go on to reach home. I drove myself consistently, crossed all the places, and reached home safely by 18:30.

It was a 13-hour, 30-minute drive. The Goa to Hyderabad route could be better. It was very challenging, and I couldn't even stop at some places. They aren't good at all. Many state highway roads and fewer national highways were on my way home from Goa.

That accomplishment felt so good once I reached my home safely.

My 2550 kilometers road-trip went safe and sound.

[HowardRoark]

I am wondering which part of Goa is more scenic and pleasant to drive: north or south Goa.

[Revvatron]

Awesome travelogue and thanks for sharing. I stay in Hyderabad and will definitely use this for my solo ride towards Mumbai

[GForceEnjoyer]

Fantastic travelogue! What a treat for the eyes. We recently drove from Hyderabad to Goa too, albeit in a Superb.

I loved the pictures, thanks a ton for sharing!

[9216]

When exactly did you make this trip ?

[RaceHorse]

Wow, it was really a nice reading, solo trips are risky but gives time for introspection and retrospection.

Thanks for the great travelogue. Keep doing the trips and penning down your experiences. Good Luck.

[Driver 33]

Originally Posted by 9216

When exactly did you make this trip ?

September 28th 2022 to October 4th 2022

Originally Posted by HowardRoark

I am wondering which part of Goa is more scenic and pleasant to drive: north or south Goa.

South Goa is more scenic. It's nice to drive around lush green surroundings and you can get to see Goaian culture in South Goa.

[UD17]

Originally Posted by HowardRoark

north or south Goa.

South Goa has a charm of its own, be it palolem, rajbagh, Patnem or Agonda beach. We visit goa every year for min 4 nights and most of the time my destination is lovely 'The Lalit golf resort' at south goa.

[ComeOnTiger]

Awesome travelogue. I really liked the way you have narrated it.

The feeling of travelling solo is very different and it is quite relaxing in its own way.

Wish you many more miles..Cheers..!

[MobileThunder]

Great drive and a very good read. Liked your meticulous nature...waking up by 4:30 and starting by 5:05. That is something that I must learn and imbibe. Your drive reminded of my drive from Hyderabad to Goa - with wife and friends, years ago. The roads were bad, but the trip gaves us memories for a lifetime.
Drove to Kolhapur via Pandherpur- a couple of weeks ago with my dad (Temple -run), over the weekend. The road conditions have improved considerably, but Miraj- Kolhapur section is still bad with road constructions.
South Goa is beautiful, will definitely make another trip there soon.
Wish you many more happy drives

[Blacktop]

Nice travelogue.

Are you sure of the following? -

"The British built the Taj Mahal Hotel, which has been running since 1902".

I think that the Taj hotel was commissioned by Jamsetji Tata and was both designed and constructed by Indian firms - not the Brits.

[Driver 33]

Originally Posted by Blacktop

Nice travelogue.

Are you sure of the following? -

"The British built the Taj Mahal Hotel, which has been running since 1902".

I think that the Taj hotel was commissioned by Jamsetji Tata and was both designed and constructed by Indian firms - not the Brits.

Yes you are right, I just got to know that. Thanks for sharing this valuable information!

[Blacktop]

Originally Posted by Driver 33

Yes you are right, I just got to know that. Thanks for sharing this valuable information!

Certainly no valuable information there.
Sorry that it knocked off a building from your list of
"beautifully architectural buildings built by the British."

But it's alright you've still got CST and many others actually built by the Brits and dutifully credited by you

Peace - Mumbai is amazing and no one can deny the charm of its colonial legacy.

[soulscout22]

How is the road condition from Hyderabad to Solapur? I am planning a trip in Kia Carens with my family in the route: Hyd --> solapur --> kolhapur --> ratnagiri/goa.

Thanks

[Automotiv92]

Originally Posted by Driver 33

My 2550 kilometers road-trip went safe and sound.

Hello fellow Hyderabadi! Woke up this morning and started reading this blog. Loved the write up a lot! So genuine and nicely put down. I started listening to Tame impala and didn’t stop ever since I saw the name here. Thanks for introducing I’ll definitely listen if I’m going for a long drive! Also, I’d love to follow you on Instagram and see more of your travel photos! Thank you and have an amazing day ahead!