[gowda79]

Originally Posted by suman

Raghu, an excellent & truly engaging travelogue, keep 'em coming

Close shave with the pigs, eh? Glad you guys were unharmed.

Yep it was close shave and we could not see those pigs as they were black and they started crossing when we were just 5-10mts away from that junction.

No waiting for your travelogue on Corbett.

Originally Posted by hillram

Nice travelogue and scintillating pictures.The waters are somehow green.

Thanks Hillram, yes the water was greenish in some part.

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Good one, Raghu!

Great photos. This is one place which I always wanted to visit!

And what is that? You seems to be having your own way of 'signing' your photos with a dark spot on the side!

Visit this place it is a site to watch those two statues and the foot marks of the Devi on those rocks.

Hey that's something to do with the lens actually.

[Surprise]

Originally Posted by gowda79

He had observed my car from long distance glaring 6 lights - 2 Hella Fog / 2 Osrams HL's / 2 Philips Fog lamps, he saw family inside the car and without disturbing anyone inside he asks us to switch of unwanted lights, so that the vehicle from Opp direction do not get obstructed.

This is very important as the drivers from the opposite direction will get blinded irrespective of keeping eyes away directly. This is one of the precise reason I try to keep the long distance travels before the natural light switches off. Have you upgraded the lights? 4 fog lamps on a vehicle like safari .

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I love to do this trip of Rameshwaram/Dhanushkodi and Kanyakumari someday. Nice travelogue with beautiful pictures. Keep em coming

[PAVAN KADAM]

Wow. Gowdre, nice pics, Now the travelogue is coming alive.

Tell us more, we are waiting

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by Surprise

... Have you upgraded the lights? 4 fog lamps on a vehicle like safari ....

Using the Hella was the mistake. If Raghu has driven with just the headlights and the fog, I am sure the police guy would not have said anything. The Hella's did him in.

[gowda79]

Originally Posted by Surprise

This is very important as the drivers from the opposite direction will get blinded irrespective of keeping eyes away directly. This is one of the precise reason I try to keep the long distance travels before the natural light switches off. Have you upgraded the lights? 4 fog lamps on a vehicle like safari .

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I love to do this trip of Rameshwaram/Dhanushkodi and Kanyakumari someday. Nice travelogue with beautiful pictures. Keep em coming

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Using the Hella was the mistake. If Raghu has driven with just the headlights and the fog, I am sure the police guy would not have said anything. The Hella's did him in.

But switching of those Hella's put me in a unwanted situation, of not able to spot those little BLACK PIGS

[deepclutch]

there is a strong belief with drivers that hitting pig is badluck for the vehicle.
--

[gowda79]

Ok guys coming to the return drive to Bangalore from Kanyakumari.

The time we finished playing at the beach and reached hotel it was 6pm and actually we had planned to leave by 6pm, see plans never succeed. Everyone went to rooms to freshen up and myself started cleaning the Car for 750kms non stop drive to Bangalore. By the time everyone freshened up and came down it was already 7pm, stuffed the luggage inside properly so that one person can easily sleep inside.

The King is ready to take on the roads to Bangalore sporting the Live To Drive on his backs.







I took the steering and went to a IOC bunk and filled the Safari completely, drove the vehicle carefully as we did not want any other incidents on our way back. While driving i get a call and guess who, its my boss and he asks me you were supposed to come today in the evening, why i did not come ??? i was , then i tell him sir i am coming back to Bangalore only today and will meet him up tmrw morning. These bosses never live us to enjoy the holidays, it was a reminder for me not to take holiday the next day.

On our way back we stopped at Tirunelveli to take Alva's which Tirunelveli famous for, and packed around 5 packets and left from there to reach Madurai. We reached Madurai at around 12.30am and we go around the town hoping for some restaurant to be opened but did not find any, and we had to settle for a outskirt mini restaurant and had some paratha's and juice. The food was OK, not so good not so bad, no idea about the name.

At Dindigul i gave the steering to my brother and i needed to take rest as i had to go to office in the morning. Asked my mom to come to navigation seat and i shifted to the back seat, guys believe me if it is a short guy the person can easily sleep without any uneasiness at the back of Safari.

Believe me guys myself 6'4" and i slept at the back of Safari and woke up when we reached Krishnagiri at 5am and did not feel uncomfortable. KDK drove and my mom kept him awake speaking to him and guiding, usually i sit in but as i had to go to the office next day i had to sleep. Usually when on long drive at night my mom never sleeps and accompanies us and keeps speaking to us and guiding us and she says some day she will learn to drive and will drive us in the night. The drive was very smooth back to Bangalore without any incidents and stops from Dindigul.

We reached our house at Kurubarahalli, next to Basveshwarnagar at 7am and gave surprise to our father, as we had told him that we had halted in Madurai and will start the next day morning to Bangalore.


The Menu card at the Hotel -



Parking at the Hotel is very Spacious and hotel has got good accomodation Rs.650 & Rs.1300(Sea View)



The New 4 X 4 its a CRAB Guys you should see them climbing those rocks (Khan bhai i guess u require them)



Kid Playing at the beach and watching those waves -

[gowda79]

This trip was very hectic and travel time was only 2 & 1/2 days

31-03-09 (7Pm) - 3-4-09 (7am)

Kilometres - 1890
Fuel - 150Litres Normal Diesel (Shell Blr - 50 & IOC Madurai/Kanyakumari - 100)
Mileage - 12.5Kms
AC - 100%
Driven by me - 60%
Driven by bro - 40%
Total Passengers - 6 Adults + 1 Kid
Vehicle - The King - Tata Safari
Places Visited - Madurai - Rameshwaram - Kanyakumari
Incidents -
Wrong Diversions costing us travel above 100kms
Pig hit - as it is a bad luck
Good Things - Never Felt tired of driving The King, was hungry to drive more
Missed out - Danushkodi, Adam's Bridge, Rameshwaram Beach & Nagercoil Shiva Temple

Guys everyone went to work the next day at 9.30am after doing this 750kms non stop drive, the comfort was really awesome and nothing next to it any vehicles driven by me.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by gowda79

On our way back we stopped at Tirunelveli to take Alva's which Tirunelveli famous for, and packed around 5 packets and left from there to reach Madurai.

what is Alva's?

i suppose, it is something eatable and may be related to any recipe by Margaret Alva.

[HappyWheels]

A good one there, Raghu!

A good mileage with such a load and full time a/c usage! Add more brownie points for the comfort!

And a nice boss that you have! Can relate to that!

EDIT: Ashish, that is also known as Haluva. A sweet that Tirunelveli is very famous for! A mouth watering sweet! Slurp!!!

[gowda79]

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

what is Alva's?

i suppose, it is something eatable and not related to any recipe by Margaret Alva.

It is a Sweet and not related to Margaret Alva

[snaronikar]

So, there ends the travelogue of the King.. Nice one, Raghu. The pics of Vivekananda rock was good. You should spell the sweet as "Halwa". Then most people will understand.

BTW who told you if hitting a pig is bad omen? They say for every thing like monkey, snake, cow, etc etc. Don't worry on this dude, carry on with your work. There are lots of other thigns to do.

In the end we were fortunate to see the King again.

[gowda79]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

A good one there, Raghu!

A good mileage with such a load and full time a/c usage! Add more brownie points for the comfort!

And a nice boss that you have! Can relate to that!

EDIT: Ashish, that is also known as Haluva. A sweet that Tirunelveli is very famous for! A mouth watering sweet! Slurp!!!

Yes Suresh, we got a very good mileage and no problems with the vehicle.

Very comfortable ride and i would rate it at 10/10 Overall.

Getting leave from these bosses is very difficult dude.

Originally Posted by snaronikar

So, there ends the travelogue of the King.. Nice one, Raghu. The pics of Vivekananda rock was good. You should spell the sweet as "Halwa". Then most people will understand.

BTW who told you if hitting a pig is bad omen? They say for every thing like monkey, snake, cow, etc etc. Don't worry on this dude, carry on with your work. There are lots of other thigns to do.

In the end we were fortunate to see the King again.

Guys and the travelogue does not end here will keep posting more pictures taken on this trip and you guys enjoy.

Yep that's right i should have spelt it Halwa instead of Alva

Not worried about that incident and waiting to take The King on conquering the Central Part of India in July/August.

One day will take to all the regions

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by snaronikar

...BTW who told you if hitting a pig is bad omen? They say for every thing like monkey, snake, cow, etc etc. Don't worry on this dude, carry on with your work. There are lots of other thigns to do...

All of those are from old timers and had a valid reason (at least then):

1. Snake - if you run over a snake and the snake is a lucky one (and you are an unlucky one!!!) the snake will find way to get into the vehicle and take its revenge (aka movie style). This with our old Ambys having so many gaps for them to hide, crawl in, is a good possibility!

2. Pigs - not the same one, but the big ones. They say that if you run over one, you should sell it. This is because the pigs, of how they are, are strongly built and running over them, you do not know for sure what all has conked off! So, better sell it! And this stands for the fully grown ones and not the piglets. So, again the old Amby generation thing!

Not sure about the monkey & cow thing!

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by gowda79

Yep that's right i should have spelt it Halwa instead of Alva

ohhh,
thats halwa and not Alva's.

halwa and Alva's are so different things.