Hello All,
This is a quick travelogue on a trip to Pondicherry (from Bangalore) that we undertook Oct 30 to Nov 1st. I don’t travel frequently. Some of you may be used to the road conditions and the town conditions. So, please bear with me if my observations are out-of-touch-with-reality. And forgive me if you notice any grammatical/semantic/syntactic mistakes…this was written in a hurry.
Supporting equipment: My trusted Santro AT, iPhone Sygic GPS.
Passengers: Myself, Wife + 2 Kids (8,3)
Onward
We started at 5:00AM and headed straight to Electronics City Elevated Expressway. For a few mins I thought I was driving in a foreign country (take your pick)…but I was quickly brought back to my country of origin – 6 mins flat to EC.
Then began the drive to Krishnagiri. Lots of cyclists were on the stretch – not the general cyclists, but very well equipped cyclists…probably on a tournament. I wonder about their motivation and energy levels.
One Swift and Verna crossed us at high speeds (may be at 130-150+ kmph)…and I had a bad feeling about that. Sure enough, the Verna was consumed in a white smoke a few Kilometers down the road. The whole road was covered with metal burning smoke and acrid smell with visibility reduced to Zero. Not sure what had happened, but the car had suffered a severe breakdown. The traffic was blocked until the smoke was cleared (2-3 mins). As nothing had happened to the occupants (but shaken and stirred), I left the place for my onward journey. Did not stop at Krishna Bhavan for breakfast, but filled up the tank anyway (HP).
After Krishnagiri, the road to Tiruvannamalai began. GPS guided me to the road after a few turns here and there. About the signage, entry and exits…less said the better.
The Krishnagiri-Tiruvannamalai road (until after this town) is decidedly bad. It’s astounding that in this age and time, roads like this exist. This “Highway” contains potholes of all sizes and shapes, vanishing section of roads, mini lakes, craters, gorges and suffers from layered erosion of tar. In Tiruvannamalai, the road simply disappeared – we were presented with a 100 meter section of 4x4 off-road challenge. Somehow I emerged on the other side of the road. It was raining throughout from Krishnagiri till here…did not help the matters either. I expect someone from NHAI to explain this atrocity unleashed upon us. National Shame.
Things always get worse before they get better. The road to Gingee and Tindivanam were in a far better shape. The ones with likes of Innova / ‘C’ segment cars can maintain a respectable average speed. The rocks of Gingee make a breathtaking sight. Need to study more about unique geography.
One thing is that these so called national highways become a part of towns they pass through – This makes you lose your way, and the sensation of highway travel. People are the saving grace in all situations. They help you to no end.
The road to Puducherry from here (Tindivanam) was an extremely well done 4 laned highway (what a contrast). Reached Zest@Big Beach by 1PM. Total travel time was 8 hrs. I am sure many of you can do this in 4-5 hrs – which I feel is the correct time.
Puduchery:
Since we spent most of our time in the Zest resort, I am not qualified to comment on what the town offers to a tourist. We visited Botanical Gardens, Casablanca and Kalki (shopping), and the Beach Promenade. Driving in town is strongly discouraged. Walking is the best way to discover the town. Markets are lively. People walk right in the middle of the road and you need to go on your knees to give you some way if you are driving a car. Same thing with cyclists. Seems like a pleasant town – until the heat gets you…
Return Journey:
Given the Krishnagiri-T’Malai road experience, I thought of taking a different route. Some folks suggested Gingee-Arani-Vellore-Blore. I always wanted to do ECR and decided to visit Mahabalipuram before heading back.
Did some research (on team-bhp of course), and I had Puduchery-MPuram-Chengalpattu-Kanjeevaram-Vellore-Bangalore route in my hands. Started at 10:00AM after a leisurely breakfast and hit ECR. A board proudly proclaimed that it’s a ‘scenic beach roadway’. I could see the coast only a couple of times. For all you care, we could have been 100kms from the coast given the intervening vegetation. Reached MPuram at 12:00PM. Visited all the mandatory attractions – A very nice place I must say (until the heat gets you ).
Started at 2PM to Kanjeevaram and reached by 4PM. Wow! This town is unbelievable. One should see and feel the heat, dust, chaos and the insane amount of activities that are going on…A spat between two private bus drivers went on for 15 mins choking traffic on either lanes right in the heart of the town. The temples are very impressive. Due to paucity of time, Saree shopping was cut short to only 30 mins. All said and done, this is going to be my next destination.
I boarded GQ a few kms after Kanjeevaram and it started raining heavily. By 6:00PM, it was as dark as 10PM. It rained ferociously at some sections, and there was no letup until I reached home by 10:00PM. The toll-booth before entering Bangalore (inside Karnataka) leaves you wondering about the appropriateness of the whole exercise, in addition to undergoing varied levels of hardships inflicted upon you. Someone should initiate a change in the way business is being conducted…oh well…
Notes:
#1: Do not speed. It helps none. Mr/Mrs. <insert a celebrity name here> will not be waiting with a trophy and a prize for you for reaching your destination a few mins earlier (even then it’s not worth it). Do not wait for a bad experience to happen before you cultivate better driving habits.
#2: There are lots of toll roads around. All roads seems to be tolled – for good or bad. Allocate at least 300-500 Rs for the same (Depending on your route). Carry loose cash. Dark forces will ensure that your lane is always the slowest lane – so just sail along patiently.
#3: Carry a reliable GPS, in your car and in your mind. Sygic MapmyIndia and PD Maps are great if you have an iPhone. Nokia is more accurate, but map quality is questionable. Cannot comment on other hardware (Android / Windows).
#4: National highways are not what they are supposed to be. Factor in 15-30 mins extra for all the towns the highway passes through, unless they have a bypass (Bye-pass as per NHAI board writers). State highways are avoidable, but sometimes they are far better than national highways. There was little wilderness throughout the trip. You will always be passing through some town or settlements. It’s depressing. Not sure if this is peculiar to TN. Also, all NH’s come equipped with entertaining, cryptic messages to keep the co-passengers occupied during boring sections of journey. Next time, I will try to post pictures of them.
#5: Internet connectivity: Always on Internet is preferred. I did a lot of planning and routing using my iPad (tethered to iPhone). Very useful when you need information NOW (that’s stating the obvious). Team-bhp is an invaluable resource.
Thank you for patiently reading my post (or rather rants).