[pramodpk]

Completed a drive from Kerala to Madhya Pradesh.

Here is the summary.

Travellers: Wife, 13 year old daughter, and myself.
Drivers: Myself and Wife
Car : 2010 Ford Fiesta SXI Petrol with 1.1 Lakh KMS on the ODO
Trip Start Date :5:00 AM 23rd December 2022.
Trip End Date : 1:00 PM 1st January 2023.
Total Distance : 5100 KMs
Average Mileage : 15.31 KM/L

Fuel Cost - Rs 35,449/-. Fuel was cheapest in Bangalore - Rs 101.93. Coimbatore Rs 103.17, Kochi - Rs 105.59, Maharashtra- Rs 106.07 to Rs 107.3,
Telangana - Rs 109.53 - Rs 110.2 . Madhya Pradesh - Rs 108.6 (Jabalpur) to Rs 110.4 (Khajuraho).


Toll Charges - Rs 7002. We passed through 93 toll gates. Fastag worked flawlessly in all of them. Attibele was the only toll booth where we faced a delay of 5 mins, while going towards Bangalore. We didn't even have to halt in many of the toll booths.

States crossed- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

Day 1 - 23rd December 2022, Friday. Vaikom to Chitradurga

Route - Vaikom - Kochi - Aluva - Coimbatore - Salem - Hosur - Bangalore (NICE Road) Tumkur Chitradurga



Start Time : 5:00 AM
End Time : 7:45 PM

Distance : 800 KMs

Road Condition : Generally good. Heavy truck traffic in TN. Tumkur - Chitradurga, Krishnagiri-Hosur, Coimbatore - Avinashi road surface wasn't great. There were a lot of barricades between Coimbatore and Salem, which disrupted the pace.

Accommodation : Hotel Ojas by Ideal Yathri Nivas
There weren't many good options in Chitradurga. Hotel Ojas by Ideal Yathri Nivas is decent for a one night stay. There is ample car parking space and hot water facility is also available. Located on the Bangalore - Mumbai highway. It is on the opposite side of the road.

Day 2 - 24th December 2022, Saturday. Chitradurga to Aurangabad

Route : Chitradurga - Hospet - Vijayapura - Solapur - Beed - Aurangabad



Start Time : 6:15 AM
End Time : 7 :00 PM

Distance : 760 KMS

Road Condition : Excellent. Route from Chitradurga to Hospet is well kept and clean with light traffic and good scenery. Well maintained highway.

Roads while entering Aurangabad were broken and traffic in the city was chaotic.
Details of eateries and fuel stations on this road can be found in the below post.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...ml#post5375279

We had breakfast at the Nandagokula Veg Restaurant as it was too early when we passed by Anand Vihar. Please note that all other eateries on this route other than the above 2 options are dhabas . Hence stops have to be planned. We stopped at one such Dhaba for morning tea and were served with aromatic ginger tea which gave us the energy to face a long day on the road.

We stopped for lunch at Hotel Nandini after crossing Solapur. We could not find any decent hotels before this. The hotel is busy and service is fast, making it a perfect highway hotel.

Accommodation - 7 Apple Hotel - Aurangabad - We have stayed here before during our Ajanta Ellora trip in 2018. The standard room is compact and pretty small for a family. Quality of the restaurant has deteriorated compared to our previous stay. They have sufficient car parking and is very much secure.

Day 3 - 25th December 2022, Sunday. Aurangabad - Maheshwar - Mandav

Route - Aurangabad - Dhule - Dhamnod - Maheshwar - Dhamnod - Mandav



Start Time - 6:30 AM
End Time - 6:30 PM

Distance - 380 KMs

Details of road condition can be found in this thread - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...ml#post5460882

Luckily we could clear Kannad Ghat in around 40 mins but the route after that, almost till Dhule is undergoing road work and is rough and bumpy. Could not find any decent eateries on this route. We had left Aurangabad after a cup of coffee and were surviving on biscuits until we stopped for a late breakfast at Hotel Surbhi. We reached Maheshwar around 3:30 PM after a quick lunch at Vikas Pure Veg & Family Restaurant

We spent around 1.5 hours at the Maheshwar Fort. The fort, located on the banks of the river Narmada, is beautiful but could be maintained better. We had spotted people having food inside the premises of the temple and fort and as a result, there was food waste and litter all over the place. Yet, the fort is worth a visit.



We reached Mandav around 6:30 PM. The last few minutes of the journey is through a narrow ghat road.


Accommodation - MPT Malwa Retreat, Mandu - This is a budget accommodation. Room and bathroom though a bit old fashioned were clean. Service is excellent and staff is polite. Safe car parking space is provided.


Day 4 - 26th December 2022, Monday. Mandav Site seeing and drive to Bhimbhetka




Start Time - 7:15 AM
End Time - 9:30 PM

Distance - 350 KMs

After having our morning tea at the hotel, we proceeded to the Jahaz Mahal complex by car. It is approximately 1.5 KMs from our hotel and we reached there by 7:30 AM. Since it was early in the morning, we were one among the first visitors. Since the crowd was very less we could observe the complex in detail. This place is maintained by the ASI and hence is very well maintained. The place has been safely restored. The view is breathtaking and the architecture is splendid!



We returned to the hotel at 10:00 AM just in time for the buffet breakfast.

Car parked in the hotel


After breakfast, we walked to the Jami Masjid complex which is around 700 meters from the hotel. We also visited Hoshang Shah's Tomb which is just behind the Jami Masjid, and the Ashrafi Mahal which is just opposite to the Jami Masjid. All of the above mentioned places are very well maintained


We returned to the hotel by 12:00 and checked out by 12:30 PM.

After checking out we drove to the Roopmati Pavilion,
Baz Bahadur's Palace and Rewa Kund. All these places are close by (approximately 7 KMS away from our hotel.)



We finished site seeing by around 2:00 PM and started to our next destination - Bhimbhetka.

Route - Mandav - Manpur - Indore (bypass) - Bhopal(by pass) - Bhimbhetka



The above picture was shot somewhere between Mandav and Manpur. Roads till Manpur were 2 laned but the road quality was pretty good.


Since, we had a late breakfast, we didn't have lunch at Mandav. Stopped for a late lunch at Madhuram Family Restaurant just before entering Indore.

We were stuck in a 20 min traffic jam while entering Indore. This could have been the result of a nearby flyover construction work. Roads were brilliant all the way till Bhimbhetka although we encountered traffic until Indore outskirts. We also encountered light traffic In Bhopal but could easily get out of the city. Roads were a combination of 6 lane and 4 lane from Manpur till Bhimbhetka. We really enjoyed the night drive between Indore and Bhopal. We briefly stopped for Tea at Murliwala chappan bhog and reached our Destination MPT Highway Treat, Bhimbetka at 9:30 PM


Our room in MPT Highway Treat,Bhimbhetka. Just behind the property were the railway lines and the sound of trains disrupted our sleeps.



Day 5 - 27th December 2022, Tuesday. Bhimbhetka Rock Caves, Sanchi and drive to Sagar




We drove to Bhimbhetka Rock caves which is about 2 KMs from the hotel. Since, we reached around 7:45 AM, we could leisurely explore the caves. This place is also beautifully maintained by the ASI.
Here are some pictures of the caves and drawings:








We returned to the hotel at 10:00 AM, had breakfast and started our drive to Sanchi at around 11:30 AM. The roads although 2 laned were very well maintained from the outskirts of Bhopal all the way till Sanchi. We entered Sanchi around 1:30 PM and after a quick lunch, proceeded to the Sanchi Stupa complex, also maintained by the ASI. The place was moderately crowded. We spent 1.5 hours there and began our journey to Sagar around 4:30 PM.

Attaching some photos:



We reached Hotel The Grand Palace around 7:00 PM after a tea break at MPT Midway Treat. Our hotel was easy to locate. Roads were 2 laned from Sanchi till the outskirts of Sagar but were well maintained and traffic was moderate. Hotel Grand Palace has plenty of car parking space. Food, service and room were good.

Day 6 - 28th December 2022, Wednesday. Sagar to Khajuraho, Visit Eastern Group of temples



We started from our hotel at 7:45 AM as it was cold in Sagar. Morning tea and coffee provided in the room is complimentary. Could easily exit the city as streets were empty. Stopped for a leisurely breakfast at Shree Kaya Resort We enjoyed a delicous breakfast amidst the relaxed ambience of the place. The staff was extremely polite. There weren't any eateries before this since we left Sagar. Roads were 2 laned but were of great quality till Chattarpur. Road widening was happening in some sections. Excellent 4 lane roads from Chattarpur till Khajuraho exit. We reached our hotel MPT Jhankar Khajuraho at 1:00 PM. The staff was homely and polite and the room was spacious and airy.

Our room in MPT Jhankar.



Our plan was to visit the Eastern and Southern group of temples after lunch. We left the hotel at 3:30 PM. It was little difficult to find directions as mobile internet was slow and google maps was malfunctioning. Hence we could not visit the Southern group of temples as the sky had began darkening at 5:30 PM.

Some pictures:





We returned to the hotel at 6:00 PM.

Day 7 - 29th December 2022, Thursday. Khajuraho Western Group of Temples and drive to Jabalpur



The Western group of temples is approximately 1 KM from our hotel. As advised by the hotel staff, we decided to walk to the place. Reached there by 7:45 AM. These temples are housed in a single compound and is maintained by ASI. When we reached there, we came to know that tickets have to be bought online. There are banners placed with QR codes for the same. A single ticket costs Rs 35/-. We managed to book tickets for the three of us. For those who cannot book tickets by themselves, there are people standing there who do it for Rs 40/- per ticket. Intricate patterns that have skillfully been carved onto stone make the temples truly unique and remarkable. We spent around 3.5 hours here.













We exited the Western temple complex around 11:30 AM and had a late breakfast at Madras Coffee House. One word about this place. AVOID. It is over priced and the food is terrible. We were very hungry when we exited the temple complex and went to this place as it was close by. We could not have breakfast before entry as none of the restaurants nearby including this one was open.

We walked back to our hotel and checked out by 12:30 PM. Khajuraho was the last place on our bucket list. We were extremely happy that things had gone our way and we could see so many beautiful and historical places in a little over one week. After collecting a souvenir from a nearby shop, we began our return journey.

Route - Khajuraho - Panna - Katni - Jabalpur.

There are many WIP sections between Panna and Katni. Barring that road conditions were fine. The road is 4 laned from Katni till Jabalpur.

Since we had a late breakfast, we did not have lunch at Khajuraho. Thought of having lunch on the way but could not find any decent ones until we reached MPT Midway treat . The food was delicious.

We reached our destination Hotel Krishna Jabalpur by 6:15 PM. Well managed hotel, value for money and most importantly had adequate car parking space

[pramodpk]

Day 8 - 30th December 2022, Friday. Jabalpur to Hyderabad

Route - Jabalpur - Seoni - Pench - Nagpur - Adilabad - Hyderabad (Outer Ring Road) Shamshabad



Our car parked in front of Hotel Krishna Jabalpur.


Start Time : 7:00 AM
End Time : 9:10 PM

Distance : 825 KMs



Road Condition : Excellent barring some rough patches between Nagpur and Adilabad. Hyderabad ring road could easily be one of the best roads in India now.
Had driven on this road back in 2015. The speed limit was 120 KM/H back then. Now it's 100 KM/H. The beauty of this road is that lane discipline is strictly enforced and hence one can cruise at 100 KM/H consistently. Truly a world class road.

We could not find decent eateries for breakfast. Some were not open yet. Finally had to stop at ShreeMaya Restaurant. It was on the opposite side of the road but the place was decent and the food was good.


I was aware of the lack of good dining options on this highway. Hence we tried to have lunch before leaving Nagpur outskirts but none of the restaurants on the highway was open around 12:00 PM. By around 3:00 PM, we exhausted out our stock of biscuits and were famished. We drove into the Ichoda town looking for restaurants but could not find any. Got biscuits from a bakery and joined the highway when we found Mayuri family dhaba. We wouldn't have considered this place if we weren't this hungry. Moreover, we found cars parked in front and a family with a young child was having lunch inside. So, we thought it was worth a shot. Ordered rotis and vegatable curry. Neither of them was fresh. The hotel did not have a menu card, the bill was handwritten and the charges were similar to some big restaurants. Hence, please note this place and avoid at all costs.

I am deliberately posting a photo of this place so that people who read this will not get cheated by this hotel. Google reviews also show that many people had similar experiences here.




Stomachs half full, we proceeded to find Sardar Ji Family Dhaba & Restaurant after a few kilometers. This appeared to be newly opened. Food was good and cheap. Service was good. Had clean restroom.




Road through Pench National Park. Notice the high fencing on both sides of the road


Road after Pench.


Accommodation - Hotel Hyderabad Grand, Shamshabad - Chose this one as it is closer to the Bangalore highway. The room was quite spacious. The Biriyani that we ordered for dinner was cheap and the portion was sufficient for the three of us. They seemed to have lost some land due to road widening. Hence the car parking is not that good. In fact, it was almost full when we reached but the security helped by moving one of the cars and made space for ours.


Day 9 - 31st December 2022, Saturday. Hyderabad - Bangalore - Salem



We started from Hotel Hyderabad Grand, Shamshabad at 8:45 AM after a complimentary buffet breakfast.
Stopped for lunch at Vivaha Bhojanambu Anantpur. This is a good option for lunch. We ordered 2 Chicken biriyanis and that was sufficient for the 3 of us. Portions are pretty big. Good service and clean restrooms.

After this, it was a non stop drive till Madiwala. We were cautious of interceptors on the entire Hyderabad - Bangalore stretch. Saw only one after Devanahalli. It's a pity that Bangalore does not have a decent bypass while coming from the Hyderabad side. Hence, we had to go through the city. Got stuck in a huge traffic jam on Bellary road after crossing Hebbal. Google maps saved us and took us through some internal roads. It was regular Bangalore traffic till Madiwala where we stopped for Petrol. Took almost 2.5 hours to cross Bangalore. Luckily there was no delay at Electronic city and Attibele toll booths. We stopped for dinner at Shoolagiri at 7:30 PM.

After that it was a painful drive till Salem. The entire road was occupied by slow moving trucks blocking both lanes. Barricades at regular intervals added to the misery. We could barely average 60 km/h on a 4 lane road. High time that the Krishnagiri - Avinashi section should be converted to 6 lane.
Reached The Palm Residency - Ariyanoor
at 10:30 PM. This is a pretty good option for a night stay even though it's on the opposite side of the road. The room was clean and compact, there was ample car parking space and there were a couple of restaurants inside the complex.


Day 10 - 1st January, 2023, Sunday. Salem - Kochi - Vaikom



This was the last day of our trip. Started from the hotel at 6:15 AM. Could make good progress until Coimbatore bypass. Traffic wasn't too bad in our direction, however, we could see Bangalore cars speeding in the opposite direction. We could cross the 26 KM Coimbatore bypass in 40 mins.

Stopped for breakfast at Le Sky Dine Restaurant near Palakkad. Good food and restrooms but service was a bit slow.

We reached home at 1:00 PM after a few stops on the way for petrol and essential grocery shopping.

After a long year, this journey was the breath of fresh air that we needed. We returned home with a renewed sense of peace and a number of unforgettable memories.

[Aditya]

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

[GhostGrid]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

[b]
After a long year, this journey was the breath of fresh air that we needed. We returned home with a renewed sense of peace and a number of unforgettable memories.

Congratulations, mate.
It's not simple to cover 800 kilometers in a single day, let alone twice.

PS: My back requires a 24-hour rest after 500 kilometers of drive.

[GForceEnjoyer]

Wonderful travelogue and hats off to you for being able to cover such distances within a day! Similarly wonderful choice of car too, the Fiesta is a brilliant road tripper; something I myself can testify to. Your car looks immaculately maintained.

I'm shocked by your fuel efficiency, how did you manage such figures? We only got close to such figures from our Fiesta 1.6 during a drive from Gandikota to Hyderabad when the highways were essentially empty (a week before the first lockdown in 2020). Otherwise it's quite a heavy drinker!

Anyways, thanks a ton for the enjoyable read.

[pramodpk]

Originally Posted by GhostGrid

Congratulations, mate.
It's not simple to cover 800 kilometers in a single day, let alone twice.

Thank you. This was possible because of good roads. Also, my wife and I shared driving duties.

Originally Posted by GForceEnjoyer

Wonderful travelogue .Similarly wonderful choice of car too, the Fiesta is a brilliant road tripper; something I myself can testify to. Your car looks immaculately maintained.

I'm shocked by your fuel efficiency, how did you manage such figures?

Thank you. We could achieve this fuel efficiency due to road condition. The car was mostly driven at 100 - 110 KM/H.