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-   -   2000 Kms with our little one(Bangalore-Pune-Bangalore) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/83329-2000-kms-our-little-one-bangalore-pune-bangalore.html)

Not over the clouds by the flight nor over the water on a boat,
I’ve always loved to travel by road to burn the tarmac coat.

I comfortably cruised on the roads whenever I traveled by my own car,
This time we have a little one with us, will she manage a journey this far?

We were surprised she loved traveling and cried when I wasn’t driving,
She listened very curiously while winds and engine noise were rhyming.

Bit of tension and loads of happiness she manages to pass the distance through,
A travelogue with a different experience and all I can say is hats off to you.

Reason to drive: (Do I need one?)

It was a marriage to attend and having done plenty of Bangalore-Pune-Bangalore trips in the past 3 years, whenever we foursome travel as a family and the destination is Pune, We don’t even think twice on the mode of transport. It has always been my faithful Wagon-R Type|| with rear reclining seats and a better boot space amongst its competitors. Moreover, I have been driving along like an inseparable part of the development of the infamous Chitradurga-Haveri stretch that in the recent past, I’m full of smiles to see the developments like bypasses and bridges completed saving a lot of time and energy and ensuring that patience still remains within you even after reaching your destination.

But this time we have a new traveler on board. Our 3 month old daughter and the trip had to be planned very well to make her feel comfortable.

Highlights:


Ride: Wagon-R Lxi 2006




Odo reading@ Start: 109867 Kms

Odo reading@ end: 111813 Kms

Total Distance Traveled – 1946 Kms

Fuel consumed – 109.01 Liters (A mix of HP, Indian Oil and BP)

Fuel efficiency – 17.85 Kmpl ( With AC on 100%)

Timings:

Bangalore to Pune | 16 Hours!! (Explained) | 4th June | 5am-9pm |

Pune to Bangalore| 14 Hours (explained again)| 8th June | 12pm-2am |

Cruising Speeds:

Mostly maintained 90kmph and managed 120kmph where empty stretches allowed.

Occupants:

Bangalore-Pune| 3 adults and 1 infant
Pune-Bangalore| 4 adults and 1 infant

Luggage:

Loads of them including a baby car seat which was placed in the boot in a way that it was always available whenever needed and never blocked the rear view from the mirror. This was the first time I traveled with so much luggage on board for this long a distance.

Let the pictures talk.

Preparation:

Tires-
This being my second set after stocks, it had run 62000 Kms and were good to last for another 7-8k kms Every tire had worn perfectly equally and there were no signs of uneven wear and tear or cracks on the walls or the tread surface. But, I have had a few flats during my earlier trips (never Pune-Bangalore) and hence I wanted to get the tubes checked. Of the 4, 2 were found to be weak and I replaced them not wanting to take a risk. Further to this, I got a wheel alignment and balancing done.

Timing Belt-
Maruti’s OM mentions replacing this after 100000 Kms and mine was almost touching 110000. Though I was always assured by MASS that they will last more, I didn’t want to take a risk and hence headed straight to my usual MASS again and hinted them to check. After opening, it was found that the belt was Intact with no cracks and can do a good amount of run. Since removing the belt involved a lot of work (more than removing the clutch I can say), I went ahead and replaced the Belt (and the tensioner) since anyways I would’ve got it done sometime later paying the same labor charges since the Belt and the tensioner cost me around1100 while another 700 was for the labour alone.

Boot space-I have custom made boxes for my component speakers which can be easily detached to accommodate more luggage. I could compromise on the ICE this time to stack essentials for this trip and could manage with the front speakers alone.


Baby Car seat-I managed to find an appropriate rear facing one at Shopper’s Stop that cost me 4000INR. This was very important since I was traveling with a 3 month baby for 850kms one way on partially bad roads and I couldn’t expect her dear Mommy to hold her on her lap all through! Both need proper rest & have to be comfortable for reasons that all the parents know. Additionally we carried a thick pillow that could be used to make the baby sleep on the lap if she didn’t like the baby seat at times.

Something similar as below



Sunshade for the Windows-This was very much essential as my car is fitted with a very light shade of sun film and the Sun would start peeking through them from the right hand side in the morning till noon and then the left hand side in the evening till dusk while we were heading northwards to Pune from Bangalore. I simply used dark piece of cloths and rolled up the window whenever and however required. Both my side view mirrors ensured visibility on the sides.

Before that morning-Prepared breakfast (Bread-butter-Jam) and packed them in aluminum foils and boxed them. Ensured we had at least 4 liters of boiled water just in case we require additional milk to prepare for the baby. 5 Liters of packaged mineral water and 4 liters of Shampoo water to clean the windscreen whenever needed. Target was to sleep by 10pm after all the packing but our daughter just wouldn’t sleep and started to wink around 1am and finally closed her shutters at 1-30am!

The Journey begins-Alarm woke me up at 3am as I always wanted to start at 4am from home. I was ready by 3-20am and started stacking all the bags and other stuff in the boot. Since our little one was one of the occupants this time, I was completely OK in case of any delays and finally after giving her a sponge bath while she was still asleep, we placed her in the baby seat and fixed it at the rear and started off at 5-00am. So, It was Me, Dad , Wifey and our little one ready to take on the magnificent NH4 as usual (of course the little one being a new entrant).

awesome trip buddy and written really nice :) ..... Update ASAP :P

The Experience starts unfolding-
Just 2 days before, we had used the car seat for our little one to travel to a nearby mall and evaluate on her comfort levels which were positive. Till Nelamangala, I was taking on the massive speed breakers very cautiously and slowly not wanting to wake her up. After paying the first toll at Nelemangala at 5-40am, I started to cruise and was able to maintain speeds between 80-90kmph.

Once I exited out from the Tumkur toll, though the roads were now much better, those joints on the bridges were still a concern as at times they were almost 2 inches above the road surface forcing you to take them a little slowly without a bang. Mine being a hatch with 13” wheels, I always ensured to take on them at almost zero speeds & move from first gear. While doing so, I always ensured to stick to the extreme left thus allowing truckers and other vehicles to pass me without forcing them to slow down so much.

Our daughter was still asleep and feeling cozy and I started to gain & maintain a little faster speed between 100-110kmph between Tumkur and Chitradurga and we were exiting Chitradurga by 8-15am.

Since it’s a hatchback, I had to practice extreme caution and slow down pro-actively without braking whenever there were dips in the road surface or even while approaching the culverts. This ensured that there was no uncomfortably bumpy ride at the rear seat good enough to disturb her sleeping peacefully.

Breakfast time-
By 8-30am, we were all hungry but our daughter was fast asleep and seemed like she was having a gala time napping away to glory in her new baby seat. Risk was to stop for breakfast and what if she wakes up, now that she was enjoying the ride with the tempo set by a moving car.

She makes some noise making us feel comfortable that she is going to wake up anytime now. She is now awake and her Mommy feeds her and its time for her to play for a good 30 minutes before she sleeps again. We decide to stop now for breakfast and start hunting for that box of Bread-butter-Jam. I wasn’t sure if I had kept that in car as I didn’t find that in the boot and nor was anyone else since It was only Me who stacked the luggage!! “What a waste” – And now that we were passing Bhramhasagara, we decided to eat some biscuits we carried till Davanagere and then venture into the town for a breakfast in a Hotel. Just while I kept recalling if I had even kept the breakfast box at all, I realized it was just beneath my seat since I couldn’t find a better place in the boot to keep that straight. Voila!! Daughter just wants to play after feeding, we all are hungry and I have found the breakfast box. We spot a tree by the side of the road good enough to stop for having our breakfast. We manage to wrap within 30 minutes and start our journey. The little one is still awake wanting play and her Mommy makes her lie on her lap.

Taking on the bad roads:
This was always a big concern with frequent speed-breakers between Davanagere and Haveri. Mostly I used to come to an almost stop and then slowly take on them in first gear. Also, I maintained speeds between 60-70kmph to ensure that I have time to slow down with least braking efforts. This was the only stretch where we were super slow and could see even loaded trucks overtake us. As I looked my wife’s face, she was all smiles completely realizing my feeling when a loaded truck was overtaking me. All this for our little baby’s comfort and I wouldn’t mind at all. We somehow managed to pass the bad stretch and reached Bankapura around 10-30am.

Good Roads all the way now:
Just when we started to gain speed from Bankaupra onwards, it was potty time for the little one. A good stop beside the road was very necessary to freshen her up and hence we stopped aside the brige (service) road in Shiggaon at around 11-00am. Since the sun was too bright and temperature not very pleasant, we couldn’t take her out for some fresh air and kept the car idling with AC turned on while the job was being done. She was now ready in her new clothes after another sponge bath .The break lasted for almost 25 mins and we started again.

Note: Pictures taken mostly on the way back so will upload in further posts.

Tensed moments (Actually):

We managed to exit the Dharwad bypass and then she starts getting a little cranky. It was almost 12-15pm with sun at its peak and she starts crying profusely not wanting to drink milk and getting extremely irritated. Cannot take her out due to the hot sun and the 4 lane just after the Dharwad high court had no trees anywhere to stop by. My wife became a little tensed and I pulled over to a safer place on the shoulder. I took her out for just 10 seconds for some fresh air and she couldn’t open her eyes due to the brightness (I was sure she wont but wanted to give her some fresh air). Open the doors and sun was ensuring warm air from the sides into the car forcing me to keep the engine on with the AC on all the while. After almost 15 minutes of non stop crying I had no choice when I went and started patting my hands on the rear glass of the boot while she suddenly started to look with curiosity giving hints that she will stop which she did. I didn’t want to stop the show and did that for the next 10 minutes until her Mommy nodded that she can manage now.
My wife placed her on the lap and she was silent now. We gave her a few sips of water as we knew her throat would’ve gone dry after that intense crying. She felt more comfortable now. I asked my wife if I can start moving the car.

We continue and for a surprise she sleeps in the next 5 minutes peacefully in her mommy’s lap and my wife then hints me to speed up while she is sleeping. I carefully managed 110-120kmph till we reached Belgaum at 2pm and stopped over at Sankam for refueling the car as well as its occupants.

The Lunch:
Sankam was always a good place to stop by except for his slow service. This time however, even the taps at the wash basins were shaking so badly that it was a Herculean task to make it stand straight and wash the hands. Anyways, The baby was still awake and we had placed her in the car seat besides our table and she was enjoying the curtains of strings shaking due to the air flow from the ceiling AC vents. The service was super slow while we expected our daughter not to be in that good mood for more than 30 minutes as she will demand for milk now. Lunch is served and the little one starts to make all noises. I ask my wifey to feed her first while I start grubbing without bothering about the taste. Once done, I take her out in the lobby and make her feel comfortable while her mommy finished eating. The whole exercise of Lunch and refueling in the IOC pump besides Sankam eat about 90 minutes as we even had to wash her milk bottle with boiled water that Sankam staff was helpful enough to offer.

Tea Break:
Both, mother and baby have had their stomach filled and its post lunch that now mommy starts to sleep. Since the little one was comfortable in the baby seat, I constantly keep looking at the baby seat to check if she is awake and keep moving ahead. Every small little bumpy feeling, I check if she reacts and continue. We were finally in Kolhapur exactly at 5-00pm which to me meant that I was easily late by 3 hours now than my usual timings but for a reason this time. We stop over for a refreshing tea break with biscuits for over 30 minutes while the little one was in good mood to let her Daddy and Mommy sip the tea in peace this time.

Finally in Pune:
The only sad part was the longer queues at Kini and Taswade which uncomfortably took 15 minutes each and while the car was standstill we always feared if she would wake up. Just after Shirwal toll before the new Katraj tunnels, She wakes up and almost starts to cry like the afternoon but somehow calms down looking the lights. We reach our destination at 9-00pm and thank our little one for making it one of the most memorable journeys by road so far. We will never forget the way she cried and it still makes me feel if we had forced the trip on her.

(Pune-Bangalore with all the pics coming in the next post)

Really nice write up , awaiting the pics

We missed meeting you in Pune. Anyway, there will always be another opportunity. I'm stepping out now. Will come back and read your travelogue.

Did you find the exact reason why your baby cried first? Normally, once we find the real reason it is very easy to handle the baby. I have studied my daughter over the last 17 months now. The only time she cried while travelling was on a drive from Bradford to Leeds. That was later found to be due to darkness in the car.

While in Pune:
It was running around between the marriage hall and home and et al while my I always stressed that the mother and the daughter take enough rest for the next 2 days without getting exposed to too many relatives around.

I missed that “Tapri meet” in Pune but spoke to MX6 regarding my intentions of joining them when he had called me on 6th morning.

Pune-Bangalore| Shorter, Sweeter and loads of snaps:

We had to take our daughter to Dagadusheth Ganapati in Pune and hence we knew that we will start late on the 7th to Bangalore. Also, during our return journey, we had one more occupant (my mom) and hence it meant that either we let the car seat remain in the boot and both my mom and wifey manage the baby in the lap shiftwise (since car seat placed in the center would hinder moving the baby between wifey and my mom). We preferred to keep the car seat in the boot now.

We managed to visit the temple and were on the bypass exactly at 12pm.

Ganapati bappa would’ve blessed her with calm and kindness that our daughter was super silent and playing happily on the lap over a pillow most of the time till we passed down the Katraj ghats and then slept.

Unlike the onward journey, I ensured that the camera was handy to dad and let him take the pictures.



This time I was surprised at the number of 2 wheelers and Tata aces which were way too less than usual. Also, almost every vehicle allowed overtaking from the right hand side after a simple honk.



Just before approaching the Khambhatki ghats





Over the ghats, crawling MSRTC bus and spotted a 2 wheeler this time!!



In a few minutes, we will be on the other side of this hill.



Spotted a few windmills a few kms before Satara. Actually I remember spotting many while coming to Pune.



Post Satara bypass, this is how empty the road was, unbelieveble actually.



The concretized section after Satara starts and the road gets more comfortable with lesser bumps.



No prizes for guessing the below stretch. (The ever beautiful stretch by Punj Lloyd)



Continues....

Nice writeup,good to see the little one being inducted into travel early in life:)

Why dont you replace your tyres with the tubeless ones,they take away the tension of getting a flat tyres in the middle of nowhere,plus even in the event of a puncture,you could still keep driving by refilling the air.

Hi Parag,
Very nicely written travelogue and explained well in detail. I can imagine how tough it must be to have that kind of patience to drive slowly so that the baby is at peace. But I guess this patience would come by itself .
Waiting for more details and pics.

Lunch:

Our Daughter was sleeping so cozily that we never wanted to disturb her by stopping over for lunch at least for the next 30 minutes when it was already 1-45pm. Kolhapur was another 50kms while we passed Karad and just after the town ends (IIRC) on the left hand side I remembered a place called Annapurna where lunch was awesome once while I was driving back in 2008. We couldn’t have gone till Kolhapur as it would’ve been too late for all and hence stopped for lunch.

The little one wakes up now as soon as the car stops and we take her inside and place her on the table. She starts looking at the turning ceiling fan and we know that she is good for the next few minutes before her next milk session. Food ordered, served & we all 4 eat in peace while surprisingly she plays without a noise. We finish eating and its time for her to make a noise to let her mommy know that she too is hungry now.

She gets her share of lunch too (milk) in the car after which we continue our journey towards Kolhapur. The break lasted for 1 hour.



Just after Kini toll it was potty time and we pull over after paying the toll. Another 15-20 minutes and we are back again heading down south. We were exiting Kolhapur around 4-30pm and ready to expect empty and better roads now.

A few pictures after Kagal check post:









Tawandi ghats was amazing to drive up and I realized that with AC on , 4 adults and loads of luggage, the little hatch did pull easily in 5th gear at 70-80kmph without loosing the grunt nor a pdeal to metal effort (may be since I had gathered enough momentum while I was passing Nippani town which helped me climb up in the same gear). I felt this was simply good for the car since I recently took on these ghats with just a co-passenger and AC off at the same speeds.

A few shots taken on the ghats.










We pass Belgaum around 5-30pm since I managed to maintain good speeds to cover as much distance as possible while she was asleep.

The clouds over the tawandi ghats is what I'd love to see! What a sight for parched eyes!

The Final Leg:

Chai Paani

It was tea time and I remember a small hotel called Udupi Gokul (just before the Hirebagewadi toll next to a HP fuel station). We stopped for tea and our daughter was full of fun making all crazy noises and newer gestures and we could let all the 4 doors open since the breeze at this hour of the day was very pleasant. Tea served was amazing for 8 bucks and offered in bigger tea cups made of glass though others were served in typical steel glasses. (I remember paying 15 for a horrible tea at Kamat served in paper cups in the car and hence the comparison)

A yet to be showcased statue of Kittur Chennamma (I guess) besides the hotel and my dad couldn’t resist capturing it.



Daughter is now asleep and I’m able to manage 100-110kmph and want to ensure that I pass out of Dharwad-Hubli bypass before dark.

Just a few kms away from the Dharwad-Hubli bypass:



We stop over to pay the toll at the bypass entry and the little one is about to cry. I continue further on the bypass and she is silent again and everyone knows now that she is addicted to a moving car like a cradle or just addicted to traveling!

Few pics from the bypass while it was about to get darker.





We also stopped at the bypass (Goa road toll) spotting a few mango sellers. My dad usually experiments with mangoes from different regions and also tells me how these days it is difficult to get naturally ripened mangoes. We buy a box of them (they were really good when tasted at home and I would advise travelers to simply buy them if you pass by) and continue towards Hubli exit and were passing Shiggaon around 8-00pm. Good speeds between 90-100kmph and daughter is still asleep and mom and wifey are comfortable taking naps occasionally while the baby kept changing her seat between Mommy's lap to Daddy's Mommy's lap!!

We also ensured that the lights were turned on inside the cabin just to ensure that whenever she is giving the slightest hint of waking up, She is not troubled by the darker interiors. This worked marvelously well. (MX6, I tried this on my return journey & agree that they hate the darkness)

Refuelling woes:
Target was to refuel at Ranibennur where my ODO would read 400+ kms but I think I am the first bhpian who took the Ranibennur bypass (Have explained it well in the Mumbai-Bangalore road trip). I knew that there were no good fuel stations in between Ranibennur exit till Davanagere.

From my experiences I knew the fuel left was good to last for another 50-60kms. Finally managed to reach Davanagere and entered into the town as it was already 9-45pm. We had earlier planned to stop for dinner at Genysys on the highway itself but then realized what if fuel stations closed after 10pm which was a priority and hence entered Davanagere town. Spotted a neatly maintained IOC bunk as soon as I took left from the main highway & refueled another tankful.

We thought now that we were in Davanagere, we will have benne dosas for dinner but learnt from the fuel station owner that it would be closed and the only option was a place called Chethana (IIRC).

Got directions and reached this place around 10-00pm and ordered simple south Indian meals and since we’ve been eating south Indian meals since our birth, me and dad realized that this was the worst meals we had ever had!!

Daughter was barely managing to behave quiet and I quickly finished eating and took her out for some fresh air and lights while wifey, Mom and Dad finished dinner and came out with a sad face for the kind of food served and the way the hotel gave all the wrong impressions from outside. A complete disaster and my dad managed to buy a few bananas from the pan shop outside for the rest of our journey.

It was 10-45pm when we left Davanagere and just then our little one got back to sleep after a proper feeding. The roads from here were freshly laid almost till Chitradurga and the drive was pleasant except for a few unmarked speed-breakers on a completely done road for no reasons whatsoever.

The sedate speed 80kmph ensured that I didn’t have to brake hard nor jump over them and also gave me enough time to hint my wifey that she needs to watch out in case if its bumpy.

Few pics taken to let you all know how good the Davanagere-Chitradurga stretch is:




Chitradurga to Tumkur and further is always a pain in the nights for the way truckers behave. Again, for a reason that this would be my 15th or 18th Pune-Blr trip, I reiterate the fact that it is usually TN and KA truckers who would seldom give way from right (on this stretch) and would suddenly get on the fast lane without any indication. The same morons behave in MH after Kolhapur in the nights!!

HR,PB,RJ, MH and GJ trucks behaved so well that if they sensed someone faster behind, they would allow them to pass and then get on to the fast lane to overtake. Even those long traliers with containers would move left as soon as they finished overtaking so there should be no argument on this that they are loaded and hence it is a difficult task to move left and etc.

To me, this is always the worst stretch to drive in terms of the mannerisms. I was lucky not to encounter those NWKRTC night buses as it was just 11-15pm and those will only pass this stretch after 2-30/3-00am. They are notorious for rash driving and sticking to the fast lane and abruptly changing lanes without indications.

How I wish there were no Sand lorries as well to whom this is a usual time to drive from Harihar (and nearby sand mining areas) into Bangalore. They always stick to the fast lane, park haphazardly and there were 2 of them which had broken down in the fast lane and the only hazard sign was a few stones laid around it.


The Bangalore entry:

Baby still fast asleep ever since we left Davanagere and it is 1-30am and Nelamangala check post is jammed as usual. Took more than 10 minutes to cross a distance of 200 meters. That luggage and a full passenger load also meant that I was sure enough to scrape the underbelly over the speed breakers. I managed to pass most of them diagonally while a few did scrape the bottom nevertheless it wasn’t that bad either. We are now home at 2am (I stay in Vidyaranyapura and I take left at Jalahalli cross signal on the Tumkur road) and the baby gives no hints to wake up even while she came out and lied on the couch.

We thanked her for the way she managed this whole trip, especially the return journey where not even once she was cranky and above all, was sleeping all though the 14 hours of journey including that bas stretch.

The next planned trip would be BLR-Pune and Pune-Rajkot after another 6 months. This one surely was an experience I will always cherish.

Hi Parag

Only thing that is missing in this travelogue is the face of your doll.
request you to share a picture of her enjoying the drive peacefully.

Thanks bottle

Thanks again! I usually update the Mumbai-Blr road trip thread after I travel to Pune and back with the latest road conditions but this time things were different and I thought it would be a good idea to write about my experiences of traveling with an infant.

MS, the first few minutes went in diagnosing the reasons for her crying and my Dad being a doctor himself checked for pain the ears (though we had plugged cotton), stomach ache, Air in the tummy, Uncomfortable diaper and anything else that he would’ve known from his knowledge and experience but she just wouldn’t stop. I still believe that she was craving for some fresh air and a change in the atmosphere since she was in the car for almost 7 hours (including that stop for freshening her up). Bad luck that where we stopped, there were no trees and we had forgotten the umbrella as well. Moreover, she usually stops seeing some moving objects these days like the wind chimes in our room or shadows of my waving hand through a torch light et al. Here, the only thing that worked luckily was the patting of my hand on the rear windscreen while she kept staring at it. Phew!! This is the reason why during our return trip, we ensured to buy an umbrella and take her out whenever we stopped for a break. Indeed it is a great parenting experience learning all these.

Thanks Ranjit and yes the tires that I plan to replace now would be tubeless and it was just for safety reasons that I changed the tubes only for the 2 tires since all the 4 tires are still good for another 5000 kms for sure.

You bet since I now call my daughter a speed governor and a fuel additive who would help me in getting a better FE and maintain sedate speeds.

Here you go...Enjoying her drive on my Mommy's lap!!