[matchvan]

Great travellogue and good pictures.

Night driving for a long time is really tiring and takes a toll. I'm glad you finished the trip uneventful and safely.

Give me inspiration to take such trips. However I don't prefer night driving.

Request you to please take a power nap around 2 to 5 AM.

Drive safe.
Wish you many more safe drives.

[Red Panda]

Originally Posted by matchvan

Great travellogue and good pictures.

Night driving for a long time is really tiring and takes a toll. I'm glad you finished the trip uneventful and safely.

Give me inspiration to take such trips. However I don't prefer night driving.

Request you to please take a power nap around 2 to 5 AM.

Drive safe.
Wish you many more safe drives.

Usually, I am Ok with a 500-550 Killometers night drive and try to take advantage of all the pros associated with it. Also, since the highway was in very good shape, fatigue level were low and I managed to pull it off. However, I will try to plan my trips more carefully in future.

Thanks

[CaptBrat1845]

Hi,

We are going to be doing the exact opposite of your trip,
from Chennai - Vizag - Kolkata - Kalimpong - Gangtok - Darjeeling - Kolkata - Vizag - Chennai, in My 2022 Tata Harrier.

Plan to depart Chennai on 19th May - Early AM and arrive at Vizag the same day,
Spend a day in Vizag
Depart Vizag on 21st May - Early AM and arrive Kolkata same day evening.
I will be joined by my wife at Kolkata. Prior to this, will be sole driver, with my 10yr old daughter and 5yr old Golden Retriever for company.

Would just like some input on the roads and driving stress from Vizag to Kolkata.
I am really not concerned about the Chennai to Vizag leg, as it is a known fact that the roads are really good until there.

If I do start from Vizag at say, 4.30 AM, on 21st May, Any suggestions on where to stop,
for brekkie, and lunch ?

How are the road conditions until Kolkata? I noted that you mentioned that the roads were bad from Kolkata - Bhadrak, how bad were they ? You Started at 9pm from Kolkata, and Arrived at Vizag the next day at 1600 hrs. Thats almost 19 hours.
Any chance the same can be done in, say, 15-16 hours through the day ?
Something like - 4.30 AM departure and Arrival by 1800 in Kolkata ?

Would Bhubaneshwar be an ideal half way point, say a lunch stop ?

TIA for the replies.

[Red Panda]

Originally Posted by CaptBrat1845

Hi,

We are going to be doing the exact opposite of your trip,
from Chennai - Vizag - Kolkata - Kalimpong - Gangtok - Darjeeling - Kolkata - Vizag - Chennai, in My 2022 Tata Harrier.

Plan to depart Chennai on 19th May - Early AM and arrive at Vizag the same day,
Spend a day in Vizag
Depart Vizag on 21st May - Early AM and arrive Kolkata same day evening.
I will be joined by my wife at Kolkata. Prior to this, will be sole driver, with my 10yr old daughter and 5yr old Golden Retriever for company.

Would just like some input on the roads and driving stress from Vizag to Kolkata.
I am really not concerned about the Chennai to Vizag leg, as it is a known fact that the roads are really good until there.

If I do start from Vizag at say, 4.30 AM, on 21st May, Any suggestions on where to stop,
for brekkie, and lunch ?

How are the road conditions until Kolkata? I noted that you mentioned that the roads were bad from Kolkata - Bhadrak, how bad were they ? You Started at 9pm from Kolkata, and Arrived at Vizag the next day at 1600 hrs. Thats almost 19 hours.
Any chance the same can be done in, say, 15-16 hours through the day ?
Something like - 4.30 AM departure and Arrival by 1800 in Kolkata ?

Would Bhubaneshwar be an ideal half way point, say a lunch stop ?

TIA for the replies.

Hi,

It's great to hear about your upcoming journey. Roads from Vizag to Bhubaneshwar is very good. You may face some rough surfaces and diversions while approaching Bhubaneshwar, but that won't be any issue.

At present , these three road works are showing in GMap. Do check for updates when you star your journey.


Same, Bhubaneshwar to Kolkata roads are overall good with road work and diversions starting after Bhadrak till Jaleswar. Hopefully, there has been steady progress and diversions have reduced. Once you enter West Bengal, roads are good.

Bhubaneswar can be a good mid point for breaks and refreshments. It also depends on how you want to carry it forward. As long as everyone in the car is comfortable, you can halt or stretch it as per your convenience. I took it slowly on my trip. I stopped several times to enjoy refreshment along the way, photographs etc.

I don't have any specific food joint where you can stop for lunch, you can search in Google maps for suggestion. If you start early from Vizag, you can reach Bhubaneswar easily before sun down.

Wish you a safe and enjoyable trip. Do ask me if you have any further questions. I will be glad to help.

Drive safe

[haisaikat]

Wonderful account of accomplishing a long drive with family, the best companion possible. Kudos to your wife and kid for supporting you in every possible way. You are lucky to have your better half share the responsibility of holding the wheel when the need arises.

They photos are nice too and i liked the opening collage, wings of desire.

You did a lot of night driving including final day of return to make up for the time shortage and that is really commendable, while most of us do the same only during 1-2 nights in the entire trip. You did mention that road conditions were good down South so you did not encounter fatigue but be cautious, curious if you took some precautions like caffeine drinks or otherwise to keep your senses uptight. That Kryptonite reference was spot on and I second you, an honest depiction. Did your kid sleep in the 2nd row during the night drives?

Sorry to hear about that Fastag problem, I believe it may issue with KYC, as I have HDFC fastag and minimum KYC limit is 10k and full KYC limit is 1 lakh per month.

We have plans by end of year to go on a similar route and your trip gives me ample ideas to plan it accordingly, be it planning the hops or switching to ethnic on the way or even the efficient way you did an envious cost management for a 10 day trip. Thank you for penning it down and eagerly waiting for your next adventure, rated top stars, all the best.

[Red Panda]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Wonderful account of accomplishing a long drive with family, the best companion possible. Kudos to your wife and kid for supporting you in every possible way. You are lucky to have your better half share the responsibility of holding the wheel when the need arises.

They photos are nice too and i liked the opening collage, wings of desire.

You did a lot of night driving including final day of return to make up for the time shortage and that is really commendable, while most of us do the same only during 1-2 nights in the entire trip. You did mention that road conditions were good down South so you did not encounter fatigue but be cautious, curious if you took some precautions like caffeine drinks or otherwise to keep your senses uptight. That Kryptonite reference was spot on and I second you, an honest depiction. Did your kid sleep in the 2nd row during the night drives?

Sorry to hear about that Fastag problem, I believe it may issue with KYC, as I have HDFC fastag and minimum KYC limit is 10k and full KYC limit is 1 lakh per month.

We have plans by end of year to go on a similar route and your trip gives me ample ideas to plan it accordingly, be it planning the hops or switching to ethnic on the way or even the efficient way you did an envious cost management for a 10 day trip. Thank you for penning it down and eagerly waiting for your next adventure, rated top stars, all the best.

Thank you for your appriciation. During any night drives, I do not prefer to consume any packaged energy drinks that are available in the market. But I do prefer hot tea or coffee. This time, I didn't stop much on the highways. If I remember correctly, I stopped once for coffee only while going to Rameswaram. Other times, I drank just water. When I felt sleepy, I stopped, got out of the car, breath some fresh air and splashed water.

My kid slept happily on the rear seat. With AC always running, blankets wrapped to remain precisely comfortable, pillow under the head, its a first class experience for him.

As for the Fastag issue, you are correct, I have to update my KYC with the bank. Hope the issue gets resolved.



Even though we got very tired, this trip was totally worth it. Only if we had two more days in hand, our trip could have been a bit less hectic.

By the end of this year, you can expect some road diversions to reduce. Though its only my personal assumption. But my hopes are high. Good luck for your future trips.

Cheers

[arjab]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

PYou did mention that road conditions were good down South.

Being a regular commuter, by road, between Kolkata and Chennai, in varied cars, including a Nano, and travelling in most places in South when I am operating out of Chennai, i can vouch for the excellent road conditions prevailing in South India. TN, Andhra(incld TS), Karnataka, Kerala(narrow bit well surfaced) all are good.

For people from the East, particularly West Bengal , if I may be permitted to be a little jocular, there's "no tension" while driving in South.
You don't have to worry about haphazardly placed police crash barriers, you don't have to worry about festival "chaanda" stops, no worries on cops confiscating your SUV because election campaigns are looming ahead, no sudden "oborodh's"(road blockades in colloquial Bengali), or flash strikes, stalling highway traffic, over some inane issues.
Travelling is fun & stress free.
Yes, the only thing that you may not like fully, particularly for non-vegetarian Bengali people, is that the highway cuisine offered at popular waypoints may not be tantalizing enough. But nowadays the options have expanded tremendously and you should get something to your taste.