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After this....
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ing-north.html
this...
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ing-south.html
and THIS...
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...rld-gypsy.html
it was just abt the right time for this....
We called it the GJRJ Trip and for the first time it was 3 of us. In fact this time i was under the impression that i myself will not be able to make it for this trip and this time it will be 2 ppl again Varun and Mihir. But as luck had it things worked out and all 3 of us could make it for the trip.
This time it was the Swift's turn again to prove it metal and she was all geared up with it. With under 35k kms on the odo she is a fairly new car but the only concern were the stock 30+k kms old JK Tyres. So we decided to keep her under 130kmph for the entire trip to be on the safe side.
Plan A -
Day 1 - 12th Dec - Diu UT
Day 2 - 13th Dec - Sasan Gir
Day 3 - 14th Dec - Mt Abu
Day 4 - 15th Dec - Jodhpur
Day 5 - 16th Dec - Bikaner
Day 6 - 17th Dec - Jaisalmer
Day 7 - 18th Dec - Jaisalmer
Day 8 - 19th Dec - Baroda
Day 9 - 20th Dec - Mumbai
Plan B - Was to be decided at run time
So that was the plan and we set out with ballpark numbers in mind - 9 days, approx 4k kms, max INR15k per head and loads and loads of fun.
We had been to Udaipur, Ajmer & Jaipur before and hence we had decided to leave these places out. For want of time we also decided to skip other places is GJ as there was nothing that sounded very interesting to us at that moment.
Again, this trip would not have been possible without the active and detailed guidance provided by HV Kumar Sirclap:.
This time since we were carrying a laptop and the posts have been written at the end of each day to retain the freshness. Unfortunately it has take me a long time to start posting but better late than never(BTW i have an excuse, just finished posting the Ladakh log)
For now here are a few teaser pics for you guys:D
We were planning to leave by abt 9pm on 11th dec, it would have been difficult to travel from Bandra to Borivali by train with our luggage(all of us know how bad the highway is at that time) and hence we decided to meet up the previous night and load the stuff in Varun’s car.
Now we were all set and all we had to do is catch a local train to Borivali the next night get into the car and start rolling....
I am glued on! please continue posting. Lion is nice, where did you spot?
Congrats!clap:
Waiting for more; good teasers.
Did you visit the Gir interpretation center or the forest? Bloody lucky to get such a pic in the latter case, I say!
Quote:
Originally Posted by phamilyman
(Post 1695310)
Did you visit the Gir interpretation center or the forest? Bloody lucky to get such a pic in the latter case, I say!
|
+1. I have been there 3 times and never managed to get something like this in the forest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by srikanthpotluri
(Post 1695277)
I am glued on! please continue posting. Lion is nice, where did you spot?
Congrats!clap:
|
Thanx a lot, We spotted the Lion in Gir.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KSM-Vtec
(Post 1695490)
Thanx a lot, We spotted the Lion in Gir.
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i am going to Sasan Gir on Sunday morning, but due to shortage of time, i am flying this Sunday to Rajkot and then a 160km drive by taxi to Sasan. Great pics, can't wait to read further.
P.S.
did you get to see the Lions in Devalia or the Gir NP itself?
Quote:
Originally Posted by kunaldhami
(Post 1695315)
+1. I have been there 3 times and never managed to get something like this in the forest.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by phamilyman
(Post 1695310)
Did you visit the Gir interpretation center or the forest? Bloody lucky to get such a pic in the latter case, I say!
|
Yes you got it right, it was at the Interpretation Center. Dint bother to go for a drive into the forest after getting this view.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anilkalvani
(Post 1695694)
i am going to Sasan Gir on Sunday morning, but due to shortage of time, i am flying this Sunday to Rajkot and then a 160km drive by taxi to Sasan. Great pics, can't wait to read further.
P.S.
did you get to see the Lions in Devalia or the Gir NP itself?
|
Yes will post further soon!!!
Problem is i cant post pics from office:Frustrati
Yes it was in Gir itself.
Kaushik, you lucky guys! so close to the King in his territory! ye dil maange more. keep it coming.
Date – 12th Dec 2009
Start Point: Borivali, 12 a.m., 12th Dec, 2009
End Point: Diu, 14:30 p.m., 12th December, 2009
Distance covered: 825 km
We had decided to leave from Mumbai at 8 p.m., but extra office workload delayed Mihir & we ended up laving from Borivali only at 12:00 p.m. With Varun having taken leave for 2 days prior to the trip, he was the one at the wheel. Kaushik & Mihir were keeping him company intermittently.
With nice roads & soothing music, our trip began. Mostly uneventful, it was a smooth ride. But, yes, we satisfied our hunger pangs !! We had already had had dinner, but managed to consume 4 aloo parathas, 4 sandwiches, 4 kokis (a type of sindhi paratha, the most heavy snack of all), 30 theplas and a packet of potato chips by afternoon.
2 things hampered our smooth ride;
1. A major traffic jam comprising hundreds of trucks at bharuch. Luckily we found some place to off road on the left, and that helped us overtake the trucks quickly. It took us about half an hour to get through the jam, but we easily saved atleast an hour more !
2. Bad Bad roads towards the end of our drive. The last 50 kms (from Mahuva to Diu) were absolutely bad roads – uneven with the top washed off. These 50 kms spoilt our speed because it took us an agonising 2+ hours to cover.
And then we reached Diu.
Diu is a small place – you can drive from one end to the other in half an hour tops. Roads are nice and it’s all beach side. The beaches were cleaner than expected and if you discount the crowd there, quite beautiful too !
Places to visit in Diu – Nagoa Beach, Diu Fort and a sea shells museum. The beach is clean, but crowded with rowdy types people mostly ! You may venture on it during late evenings. The fort is nothing too exciting, but yes the seashells museum is worth checking out, it’s quite interesting.
After a long long search (as per Varun, our longest search till now in all the road trips put together), we found a decent, reasonable hotel. Hotel Galaxy, room rent 600/- for 3 people. Immediately after booking the hotel, we went for lunch (yes, we were still hungry) and at this beach side restaurant called Dub Chick (nope, no chicks there), we ate – ate from 4 p.m. to 8 30 p.m. continuously. Obviously, accompanied by drinks. Post this combined Lunch & dinner, we were too exhausted, drunk and full to do anything else. We just crashed on our beds as soon as we reached our room.
Yes, how can one forget to mention the newest gadgets we carried – a canon EOS 500 D (15 MP camera with a 100 different modes !!!lol) and an Acer netbook on which Mihir is writing this currently ! It’s the age of live updates, isn’t it. And if our blackberry was compatible with the laptop(no drivers), you would ve read this daily account as and when it happened. Maybe next time !
All in all, it was a lazy day once we reached diu. Just eating & sleeping. Best summed up in this conversation that happened when Mihir woke up in the morning
Mihir: (still half asleep): Kaushik its sunday today na ?
Kaushik: (almost fully asleep): yes, why not(as if it matters)??
Tomorrow was the day when we had an appointment with The King of the Jungle. Watch this space for more ....
BTW this was that day when the 2nd T20 match between IND N SL and India won after chasing the 205 target. it was also Yuv's bday
Date – 13th Dec 2009
o Start Point - Diu, 10:00 a.m.
o End Point - Gir, – 13:00
o Distance Travelled – 130 km
Day 2 began on a lazy note with us leaving Diu at 10. We were expecting the drive to be long with bad roads, but luckily the roads were very nice only with some bad patches. We just took about 3 hours and we were at Gir. Varun ensured that this time the hotel search did not take much time & we had a nice big room for 500. But the best part was the sitting area outside our room. It was covered with trees, protected from the sun & offered the perfect ambience for some drinks & hukka. (neither happened though, though Varun had promised it will !!!)
After a quick but tasty lunch, we hurried to the lion safari spot where the rides were to begin by 3.
Now there are 2 types of safaris
1. Where you take a private jeep into the jungle for 3 hours. This charges you Rs.900, but the catch is that this goes into the open jungle of area of 1400 sq km and covers only a set path of 20 km or so. So, NO GUARANTEE of seeing the lion
2. Where you go into the jungle in a 25 seater bus. BUT, this bus roams around in an ENCLOSED area of 4 sq. Km. which reportedly has 16 lions in it !! Thus, a sighting is all but guaranteed.
You don’t require brains to choose between the options !!!
Seated in the bus, with 2 cameras and 2 window seats (Kaushik, legally & Mihir, illegally !!) with Varun ready to jump on any side depending where the lion was sighted, we left.
After random deer & sambars, we made a sighting . . . and what a sighting it was !
The King, 2 Queens & 2 Princes
Cont....
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