So guys, moving further onto the trip. By the time we got up on Saturday it was already 12 in the noon. We caught a noon show of "Rock On". Amazing movie it was. In the eve, we visited THE MARINE DRIVE of Mumbai. EEH was good and once you are in S.Bombay, you realize that this is the place. Well, I guess I didn't see the bombay maddening traffic since it was a weekend. After lazing around the area for 2-3 hours we decided to head to "Hard Rock" Cafe. It was 3-4 am by the time we returned and the next time I rememeber looking at the clock it was already 11 am on sunday. Seriously, I loved the "Weekend Bombay".
On Sunday we made a lesiurely visit to Hiranandani and Galleria. Had lunch at a famous sizzler joint ( forgot the name. It was beside Mocha's ) and came back by 4pm. Rested for a while and made the same preparations for the return trip and finally left home at 530 pm.
The return journey
Decided to take Nh8 from the Western Express Highway. Should have taken it from the EEH only because lots of construction actvity slowed me down considerably. For the first time, I was stopped by great indian thullas right after the toll gate.
Luckily had all the papers except pollution certificate. They were trying to extract money from me but then I remembered that no pollution certificate is required for vehicles which are less than 6 months old. Quickly, uttered that mine is a new vehicle and left the scene. Reached the outskirts (thane turnoff) by 630 pm.
The road surface was amazing. Traffic was minimal although there were huge queues on the other side of people waiting to enter bombay. I rejoiced the fact the I'm on better side of the highway. Quickly got to the 120s and maintained steady 120-130. There was hardly any traffic until the Maharastra border. Drive in the foots of the ghats and the fading light was a joy. Traffic substantially increased once I crossed the border. The drive progresses slow but was still smooth. I reached the Surat by pass by 930. About 15 kms down, saw a decent restaurant and stopped there for dinner. Quickly had dinner, a glass of fresh lime and started for the next leg at 1030 pm. I was lucky to not encounter any jams. The drive was quite decent and I reached the toll gate of NE1 at 100 am.
Right at the toll gate took a 5 mins stretching break, relaxed, had first red bull and started again. Back of the mind I was happy remembering the fact that now the roads will be good throughout and I should be back in Gurgaon by 12 noon. But destiny had other plans. Stepped on the gas and consistently drove at 150. Ahmadabad was passed quickly. The drive was fast and smooth with literally no traffic. Entered Rajasthan before 4 am and got refueled at a club HP pump. Time for second red bull. Washed the fash with cold water and started again. About 20-30 kms from Udaipur the truck traffic had increased substantially. Due to two trucks ( largest possible size ) going bust in the center of the lane approaching Udaipur, traffic was diverted onto the other side and it was single lane drive for the next 5 kms. Crossed Udaipur by 5 am, took the right turn towards Chittorgarh and stepped up the gas. The drive was smooth and quickly the 4 laned roads ended. Again took about 45 mins to cross the city and join the 4 laned roads.
The worst part of the drive was about to come. Started feeling really uncomfortable. Soon realized that it is a stomach upset. Had to stop 3 times for loose motions before I reached Kishangarh. Moreover, during the 3rd stop, while I was away in the restroom, a moron truck driver reversed into the parked car and broke the tail light besided denting the bumper and the boot door. By the time I came back, he was already gone. I started shouting at the pump guy only to regain my composure after 10 mins. Well, what could he possibly do now? Heart broken ( first dent in the car ), I started again. Finally reached Kishangarh turnoff at 930 am. Took a quick chai break and proceeded towards Jaipur. The roads are all good till the Jaipur by pass begins. But after that, the surface is not good. Soon after joining the NH8 again, the traffic increased and the surface futher deteriorated. This was the situation for 50 odd kms. The surface was much better now but no way close to what I encountered from Vadodara to Jaipur.
So, now the wonderful part the drive was already over. Had the 3rd bull to wake me up. I drove in the relaxed manner, not exceeding 100-110 and put on some soft music. Started tailing a Yellow number plate Innova. It was relaxing to drive this way as all the overtaking trouble is taken by the guy ahead of you and you simply follow him. The next 180 kms were driven like this except for about 10-15 kms after the refueling stop just after entering Haryana. I crossed the last toll gate at 130 pm. At that time, I was feeling quite okay and decided to cancel the leave I had taken and go to the office. 15 mins further, I was in my office at Udyog Vihar.
All of you can imagine my condition, sleepless night, 20 hrs drive, upset stomach. But the fact that I just completed the best drive of my life, made all the tiredness go away (temporarily). It was fun time in office discussing with the colleagues my trip to Mumbai. Also, did some work and finally returned home by 9 pm. Quickly had dinner was doozed off reminiscing of the memories of the trip and drive.
The week was as usual, although a little hectic as I had a project deadline that week. Meanwhile I also got the dent repaired. Everything is fine now. Total damages for the tail light + painting and denting was 4 K. So didn't claim the insurance.
On the whole it was an amazing trip. Total distance covered was a little short of 3000 kms including the local distances within bombay. Fuel economy during each tankful varied between 14-16 km/l with overall FE being 15 Km/L. The car performed flawlessly and its an amazing highway tourer if too much space is not required. The suspension setup is comfort oriented and is much better than other hatches (although not in the league of C segment saloons). Steering is very responsive and well weighted unlike normal EPS systems. Steering adds to the confidence at high speeds. Car is very stable at high speeds. Braking was decent with upgraded rubber. Handling is again good ( courtesy PPs) although there is body roll. The horrendous torque makes overtaking a breeze although it takes a toll on the front tires. I expect my set of PPs to last a max of 24-25 K kms with rotation. Without rotation the front tires would easily finish in 15-16 K kms.
Looking forward to more of such trips in the future. Hope you guys enjoyed the travelogue as much as I enjoyed it writing down. And am really sorry for no pictures. Next time there will be no such mistakes
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Naman