[svsantosh]

This is a very short Travelogue and only to highlight the Car more than the trip. The camera battery ran out halfway on 1st day and spoilt the mood. Charger was safely back home!!

Trip Highights:

Bangalore-Hosur-Tiruvanamalai-few temples-Gingee-Thindivanam-Mailam-Thiruvakkarai-Gingee-Tiruvanamali-Hosur

Car - TATA nano cx

Total Trip - 640 Kms in less than 36 hours

Reason - 1st long drive for the nano (sans Wifey), and a short piligrimage for dad/mum

Total FE - 23.1 KMPL with ~10% A/C

4 Crowd gatherings around the Nano

Passed by a very bad accident!!

6-mar-2010, Day-1



Started from bangy at 630AM (solo) and drove down to Hosur to pick my parents. After loading the tiny boot (quite useful), proceeded for a quick breakfast @ A2B-BP-Ghar. Topped up both men and machine. Mum's complain session on why the hell I sold Indigo CS for this tin box slowly and gradually whined down by the mile. She began to like it as the Odo clicked!!





Entered the Krishnagiri-TVmalai roads which is quite bumpy and patchy. The front wheels held on good. The rear kept bouncing more than the alto I once had. So - the nano isnt that good on rural-patchy roads at speeds above ~55?? Hmmm!





Entered the 'agni-shetram' TVMalai around noon and immediately needed A/C. It was a hot day and AC did its job. I am yet to get the sunfilm and it was sorely missed.





Checked into a hotel and spent the rest of the day visiting a few temples in and around TVMalai and also did the giri-valam - driving around the mountain, which is considered Sacred. Actually people walk the ~15Km around the hill, but cant push my dad/mum to do it, so drove around it.





Crashed for the day, body fatigue was more due to heat than driving the car. Dad/Mum echoed the same, they too felt as comfortable as in the Indigo.

7-Mar-2010, Day-2

Got up early and was given the destination. I did not do my homework since piligrimage isnt my cupaa. Usually dad takes care of the planning and I did not realize that I had to cover ~220Kms in less than 5 hours on Rural roads visit 2 temples and take 1 break in between!! nano was upto the challenge and ate lot of potholes and cracked up tarmac for breakfast.





Took a break at Tindivanam and got some directions for the smaller towns that needed to be traversed. A hour later we finished 'Vakra-Kali Amman Temple' which is just 22Kms from Pondy.





Mum had a bad experience here. She gave 100Rs to a hawker for the 'pooja-thali' for flowers and coconuts. The plate was 10Rs, within 1minute - the hawker calls back mum and says 'please pay me on return'!! She totally denied taking 100Rs from mum and snatched away the plate from mum. I intervened to check - the lady took her saree paloo off and asked me to check where ever I wanted!! I dared not to!! Quickly forgot this incident and proceeded to the next temple.

By 11ish we were nearing TVMalai and witnessed the bad accident

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post1770711

Learnt later that 5 died. RIP.

After lunch and a hour of cooling down in AC, we logged off for the trip. Drive back to Hosur was incident free with lots of kaapi breaks. After reaching Hosur, I dropped off my parents and proceeded towards blore. Just a few Kms out on GQ, I picked up a noise from rear-left suspension. I narrowed it down to the sturt mounting going loose (hopefully). So decided to leave the car back in Hosur, and came back by my CJ340 which was parked there for 2 weeks.











The End.

Hoping to do lots more of such trips in the nano.

[shishir_bn]

@Santosh, I was waiting for this travelogue. I knew you had jumped from Bangalore to tiruvanamalai to buy this new Nano, So I knew that while coming back you would have taken some pic and thought of a travelogue. By the way I liked that snap where a small pond is shown. For small guys we have small water beds.

[SmartCat]

Does the Nano keep up with the highway traffic? Or do you have to watch everything else go by?

I have a feeling Nano will have no problems seeing off commercial vehicles (trucks, buses, Tempos etc).

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by shishir_bn

..I knew you had jumped from Bangalore to tiruvanamalai to buy this new Nano

Shishir, I got this from Salem ten days ago. That 200Km back to Bangy was a different story altoghether... This is its 2nd long (sort of) drive.

Originally Posted by smartcat

Does the Nano keep up with the highway traffic? Or do you have to watch everything else go by?

Actually I was surprised myself. The onward journey was boring @ 50-60 max. Once I crossed 1000Km on ODO, I decided to rev up a little. I was comfy cruising @ 70, and the way it reaches 40-70 is addictive. Thanks to the 4 gears only. I had fun with 2 altos and 1 Omni on the way back

I have given it for service, once its out - its fun time. Keep watching my other thread for speed trials.

[ampere]

Nice one Santhosh. Great to see a Nano Log.

Had been to TVMalai and Mailam temple in December. Had some real nostalgia for the Mailam temple, as my dad used to go there as a kid. Sad to see the accident.

Where did you stay in TV Malai? Not much options. I stayed at a hotel, though good but access was horrible.

[MX6]

Amazing. You actually managed to search and find bad roads in TN! And the nano looks cute. Wish it was bright yellow or any revolting colour like that. Might give a sporty feel to that little warrior.
Does the car get displaced on the highway like maruti 800 when a big truck or a bus pass next?

[shishir_bn]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Shishir, I got this from Salem ten days ago. That 200Km back to Bangy was a different story altoghether... This is its 2nd long (sort of) drive.

Superb then. I remember that when you went to buy that you had mentioned to write a travelogue when you come back. So i thought this was it. Never-the-less nice to see you revving the car into all locations and terrains.

[yogeshnaik]

Great expedition on NANO! I liked your thread. have fun and keep updating us more about Nano.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by ampere

Where did you stay in TV Malai? Not much options

250Meters from the bus stand, there is Hotel Ramakrishna. Great place. Lots of rooms, 4 storey bldg. AC Double room was 800, 1 xtra Pax 100, 900 Was total bill incl tax. This place is just 1Km off the 'giri-valam' exit point towards the Bus stand.

Originally Posted by MX6

Amazing. You actually managed to search and find bad roads in TN! And the nano looks cute. Wish it was bright yellow or any revolting colour like that. Might give a sporty feel to that little warrior.
Does the car get displaced on the highway like maruti 800 when a big truck or a bus pass next?

- Thx, I will take that as a compliment
-- Agree, color wasnt my choice. See my ownership thread, this is on paper a 2nd hand car :(
--- Not exactly. But on day1 I drove thru a rare thunderstrom in bangy. Felt like twister movie, not a good feeling.

Originally Posted by shishir_bn

Never-the-less nice to see you revving the car into all locations and terrains.

Have lots of exiting trips lined up... keep watching this section for the nanoLog®

Originally Posted by yogeshnaik

Great expedition on NANO! I liked your thread. have fun and keep updating us more about Nano.

thx

Edit-
Oh, BTW, its nano not Nano/NANO.

Thinking of it, it may be the ONLY car in the world to start the name with a Lower case

[yogeshnaik]

Santosh, just eager to know that the stepney wheel size is same as of front or as of rear? As nano has different wheel sizes for front and rear.
Thanks.

[DicKy]

Edit-
Oh, BTW, its nano not Nano/NANO.

Thinking of it, it may be the ONLY car in the world to start the name with a Lower case

Attachment 303939

Well i don't think so.
If am right the Dodge neon had the name starting with lowercase and also the same font as the 'nano'.
Anyway happy motoring and i would like to buy the nano europa with a 3 pot and a slushbox.

[ottocycle]

Wow! good to see a nano doing 640km drive. Thank you Ratan Tata once again.