[JMaruru]

Nice pictures, excellent write-up, and all in all a informative travelogue!!

Thanx!

[given2fly]

Beautiful Pictures. It looks like a whirlwind trip until you reached Ganpatipule. It sure is a wonderful place and has been on my itinerary for a long time. You have just inspired me do to it a bit quicker.

[DDGuy]

Wow....your Mapro Garden pics are eerily similar to the ones I took (and perhaps posted too here) in my own Blr-Pune-M'shar-Blr trip. That Strawberry ice cream thingy is the one to die for - isn't it :-)

[getsurya]

ddguy, you bet!! My wife would not move from the mapro shop eating the strawberry icecreams!! The shop keeper remembered her so much that on return when we stopped at the same place after 4 days, he offered her a free ice cream scoop topped with strawberries

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by getsurya

would not move from the mapro shop eating the strawberry icecreams!!

that mapro point is really nice place to hang out.
sometimes, i go there for just for that icecream. that is just 110 km from my place.

[getsurya]

Ashish, Lucky YOU!! Have fun!

[nevertouchme]

Hari,

I remember you clicked the 'thatte idly' and it became a repeat drive . Now what? Strawberry ice cream snap and I can foresee a new thread named 'Checking out strawberries - D.R.I.V.E'.

Awesome photographs. I am sorry for checking in late to check this. he he. Are you in town or already off to check out some raspberry ice cream?

So you can be called as T-Bhp's one of the official Wander Bug. Luke a.k.a W.B. Hari.

Cheers,
Jai.

[Suneet]

Lovely write up & beautiful Pictures, . Hey you are a good photographer too. that's what made your travelogue so interesting. and as they a picture can speak a 1000 words.What Camera and lense did you use. The pictures composition was very good.
I hope you will tarvelling and keep clicking and keep posting more such episodes.
Suneet

[roamingrao]

Call it ' The Hari effect ' , we would be retracing your trip from Oct 1 to Oct 8, 2009 in our M800.

Oct 2 - Mumbai ( Siddivinayak Temple and Sea link bridge )
Oct 3 - Nashik ( Triambakeshwar, panchvati )
Oct 4 - shirdi
Oct 5 - Mahabaleshwar
Oct 6 and 7 - Ganapatipule

We have booked MTDC rooms at Shirdi, Mahabaleshwar and Ganapatipule.

its not our first trip to these places, but could not help crediting you and your travelogue in planning this trip

Regards,
Rao

[B.R.S.Rao]

Sir, Always travel by your car only, so that we will get superb travelogues from you.
Regards.

[Sawyer]

Any recommendations on where to stay in Tarkarli? MTDC or the Sagar resort? I am ok with non ac rooms since I will be there in November, as long as the rooms are clean and quiet, service decent, and access to the beach available. And malvani food of course, the sea and the food is the reason for the trip!
I am always not very sure about MTDC and their attitude, hence the question.

[ashwinsid]

I just drove from Pune to Bangalore. The roads from little after Ranibennur to Chitradurga are HORRENDOUS. Seriously made me feel like leaving the car there and vapourizing myself to Bangalore. The roads are SO bad.

Anybody heading towards Pune, these are the road conditions as on 30-09-09.

- Bangalore to Tumkur : Excellent (apart from ongoing work from 8th Mile to Nelamangala)
- Tumkur bypass : Below average upto Oorkere (industrial area)
- From Oorkere to Chitradurga : Fantastic roads.
- Chitradurga Entrance to Harihar exit : HORRIBLE roads. If there is any way you can avoid this part of the route, DO IT WITHOUT THINKING TWICE. (I am being very negative because it seriously damages the spirit of driving. These bad roads).
After that, it is nothing short of a runway. AMAZING roads all the way. Especially Nippani and surroundings. Splendid.

So again, avoid roads via Chitradurga, Davangere.

PS: SUVs may just about manage to go through. But other cars...