Destination - India: January 2011

A DRIVE TO ROURKELA FROM BANGALORE ON SX4

When I purchased my car SX4 I was thinking that once I should drive a long distance and the much better idea was to reach Rourkela (Orissa) my hometown in car. Also it will be the first visit of my baby in Rourkela so wanted to make memorable. That would be a wonderful experience. This may be longer blog but still wanted to put it. So this is an opportunity I got:

1. Date – 28^th Dec, 2010

2. There was a picnic organized on 31^st Dec, 2010.

3. My kid (1.3 years old) taking in train will be like we are not taking care of her because the chillness we will find on way. Flight anyways I don’t want because it’s all the same as no direct flights are there to my place.

4. My friend told he will spend everything and later I can pay him because he also wants to experience Golden Quadrangle (NH5).

5. My wife, kid, car agreed and friend agreed – so what is that going to stop us.

6. So decided to move on car.

Basic Preparation:

1. Taken out the maps for the route though I know it will not support us lot.

2. Baby’s food item and water and all other stuffs.

3. Car well checked, filled petrol, tyre pressure, all fluids

4. Taken car original papers, driving license, ID card

5. Canceled the train tickets.

6. Taken Credit and Debit cards and cash too.

Route:

Bangalore (Horamavu-Agara) -> Domlur (Bng) -> Silk Board -> Hosur -> Krishnagiri -> Vellore -> Chittor ->Tirupathi -> Renigunta -> Naydapetu -> Nellore -> Ongloe -> Guntur -> Vijaywada ->Eluru ->Ravulapalem ->Rajamundry ->Vishakapatnam ->Srikakulam ->Icchapuram ->Behrampur->Ganjam->Khurda->Bhubaneswar->Cuttack->Dhenkanal->Angul->Radhakol->Sambalpur->Jharsugda->Rajgangpur->Kalunga->Rourkela

Total Distance – 2045 km

No. of days driving – 2 days+1 night

Return Route:

Rourkela->Kalunga->Rajgangpur->Jharsugda->Sambalpur->Radhakol->Angul->Dhenkanal->Cuttack->BBSR->Puri->BBSR->Khurda->Ganjam->Behrampur->Icchapuram->Srikakulam->VSKP->Annavaram->Rajamundry->Eluru->Vijaywada->Guntur->Ongole->Nellore->Naydapetu->Shriharikota->Chennai->Kanchipuram->Vellore->Krishnagiri->Hosur->SilkBoard->Domlur(Bng)->Bangalore(Horamavu)

Total Distance – 2273.5

No of days Driving – 1.5 days + 2 nights

Total distance convered – 4418.5 KM (2745.5 miles)

Day 1 – 28^th December, 2010 – 4.15AM

We thought to start as early as possible. My wife busy in packing all the things. I told her that let me sleep (12.30 AM) and you can pack the things. In car she can have her sleep. I woke up at 3.30 AM and got ready. My baby also woke up around 4.00 AM and we need to feed her first. So 4.15 AM is the time what we started from my house.

Reached to Domlur around 4.30 AM where my friend was waiting and picked him up. Now everything is set to drive. Though NH4 (Kolar – Chittor) route was nearer from my house I decided not to take that route because it was dark and I heard that truck drivers and police used to harass the people because they are drunk. So thought better take the long route.

It was a fun drive, my daughter; wife and even my friend were sleeping in the car. I was driving carefully at a speed of 120 km/Hr – 140 km/hr. We crossed our first toll Krishnagiri around 5.30 am and started moving ahead.

Around 7.30 am we reached to Vellore and I know we need to take here some turn towards NH4. Asked quite a few people and got the roads. By this time my daughter was awake and she started her job i.e. she wanted to sit in the front seat or stand near the handbrake or she will come to the pilot seat and start driving the car (if I am driving the car). We stopped here for a breakfast and had 2 idly and tea. Somewhat ok but not that taste I got. Anyways my friend asked me why you are not eating more, I told him ‘no’ I am done and will have something beside the roads. As I am very foodie so I do not want to hurt him because he was from Andhra and he can easily get into arguments.

Around 8.30 AM we started from this place and we reached Chittor around 9.00 AM. Now I calculated that we are 1 hour late. My friend wanted to drive the car now. I told him drive carefully because family is there and do not drive rash. I know he is a rash driver but staying in Bangalore everyone tends to become rash driver. Then though Tirupathi and Kalasthahali we reached the NH5 road (Naydapetu) around 10.30 am. We crossed Ongole and reached Nellore around 1.00 PM. We were late by 1 hr. stopped here for lunch. After lunch we started around 2.00 PM and our destination was Vijaywada. My friend was driving very rash here. I thought he know how to speed the vehicle and he was applying brakes very near. He was trying to drive the same as city driving. I explained him that will not work out, because he was about to hit an old lady who was crossing the roads.

Vijaywada we reached around 7.30 pm. There are many diversion from Guntur to Vijaywada, so be careful while driving. I called one of my friend for seeing Kanaka Durga Temple. He said now it will be rush and it will take lot of time. So we canceled that and started moving forward. I though Rajamundry is 200km and it can take another 3 hours so better we stop there. As my friend was not comfortable on night driving I have taken the stearing wheels now on my hand. Maintained a well speed of around 80 km/hr to 100 km/hr. Reached Ravalupalem and thought to have dinner. We thought it is already 11.00 pm and lets do the night halt here only because it was seasonal and in Rajamundry getting hotels will be challenge. So we found a hotel (Residency hotel) and took 2 rooms each cost 350/-.

Day 2/3 – 29^th December, 2010 – 8.00 AM & 30the Dec 2010 – 9.30 AM

We thought to start early but it was 8.00 Am to get started. After moving some distance we had a breakfast as Idly. Taste wise it was good. Crossed VSKP around 12.00 pm and stopped in between around 1.30 PM for lunch. There was a mess for Andhra food and we ordered him fish. I thought costal area means they will have good fish. They gave me a fish which was not good and very common in Bangalore (Mathi fry). It cost 15/- for 2 pieces.

Again started from there and in evening around 4.30 pm we reached to Andhra and Orissa border. There was a huge truck jam. The truck drivers told that come on to the wrong way (right side) and we saw that we are crossing a huge jam. It is around 7-8 kms and then the truck drivers told get inside the village and cross this area. No tar roads and potholes but managed to cross the stretch of 2 kms but again found the same jam. We were tensed and we know that this will not get cleared till 11.00 PM night. Fortunately we saw that one Omni was passing in between the 2 trucks. We followed the same and found ourself in a deep problem. There was a not road to go other side and the trucks have jammed the roads. We found a Bolero coming from the other side of the roads towards us. He crossed the roads though it touched the ground. I thought my SX4 is nothing smaller than Bolero except 4WD and 2WD. Went slowly and without touching the ground we crossed. We thank God and started moving ahead. I saw the time, it was already 6.45 PM and dark. That means we have to drive all the way in night till our next halt. Started the driving, there were many diversion and roads are not so good. So we have to drive slowly. You cannot drive more than 30 km/hr here. Anyways we crossed around 60 km and then saw roads were good but with diversion. They are laying roads or the farmers has put their paddy to separate the paddy from the plant.

Also be careful while driving in Orissa, people drive here like mad. They come from the wrong side opposite direction, it can be tractor, bullock cart, even tempo travelers. Anyways we reached BBSR around 10.30 pm. My friend was a veggie and we are in the eastern part of our country where people hardly eats veg. For us (I am also from Orissa), even fish is a veg item. So he tried to get the veg stuffs in the non-veg hotel. Anyways he managed with little food. I have taken roti and fish with mutton curry. The road side dhaba I thought it will be cheaper but it was costly.

Now as it is 11.30 pm and we were thinking that we will halt in BBSR or move. Asked few of them, they told go through Sambalpur road and do not stop you vehicle anywhere in night. Even our parents told the same. So we decided to move through Sambalpur. Started here around 11.30 pm and reaching Sambalpur around 4.30 AM was a quite a good coverage. Orissa in these part does not have any sign boards or mileage stone. We saw luckily a shop was opened and we asked him for the Rourkela route. He told us and we got confused and by asking and went through few of the wrong stretch route ultimately we found it. We lost around 1 hour here in getting the route. Again reaching Jharsugda at 7.00 AM and we lost the route. We started going towards Chattisgarh. We returned and we know that again we lost the route and started moving forward. Then found one milestone where Rourkela was written and got confirmed. That stretched they have the mile stone. We reached Rourkela around 9.30 AM in the morning. As it was the industrial area my car was too much dusty. Entire day took rest and nothing much happened. I just went to the ring road to show my friend the Steel Plant from outside, Stadium and the market place.

Day 4- 31^st December 2010 – 8.00 AM

Washed my car and it was picnic day (Picnic at Tarkere). I have to reach my wife place by 8.00 AM. To complete the washing of my car it took 1 hour and it is already 8.00 AM here. I took the bath and soon moved to my wife place to start for the picnic.

Nice family get-to-Gather. We had a nice time but my friend found difficulty in food. But he got accompanied with my father in law who is vegetarian. Though I told everyone to keep him busy because he like chit chatting too much and that is not in me J

Evening we returned from picnic and I took my friend to Vedvyas (the place where epic Mahabharata was written by Rishi Vedvyas and Lord Ganesha). He saw the place and we went to Hanuman Vatika (a mixture of all the temples). Then I offered him the special Pani Puri and Chena Poda (Famous in Rourkela). As he was veg so not too much of food.

Day 5 – 1^st January 2011 – 12.30 PM

Woked up at 10.30 am and got ready for the function of my baby. There is a function organized in the temple as it was a first visit of my baby in the city. So the function completed around 4.30 PM and we reached home. Gone to meet few of my relatives and thought of starting the return journey around 11.00 PM. I know it will be 12.00 AM midnight but still wanted to see. MY baby was not sleeping at all and I think she decided to stay there itself. Whenever we bring her inside the car she started crying. She is not leaving my father in law so that we can start. What we did we asked my father in law to sit in the car and we will have one round so that she get asleep and then he can get down. The plan worked out and slowly he came out of the car.

Day 6 – 2^nd January 2011 – 1200 Hrs midnight

We started the journey, after 1 hour of drive my baby woked up and started crying but my wife managed to control her and she got sleep. I found that I am in Jharsugda at 1.30 Am and got confused with the roads. Here and there and after losing 1 hour we found that we are on correct route and we reached Sambalpur around 3.30 AM. I started driving and reached Angul around 5.00 am and Dhenkanal at 6.30 AM. Now I asked my friend to drive and he started his drive all the way till we reached Cuttack at 9.00 am and we stopped there to buy some sweets.

Here again I took for driving and went to Puri through BBSR and we reached Puri around 12.30 PM. We then got a hotel and refreshed after taking bath in the sea. Done the mundane of my baby and donated the hairs in sea. Then we went for the darshan and after darshan we had the bhog (Avada) and thought of starting. My wife lost her chappals. Belts, chappal, purse, mobile, camera are not allowed inside the temple, so better to keep in the safe place. Anyways it was around 9.00 pm and we started to move towards BBSR and we thought to put a rest here because of the lorries traffic in the border. We went nearby railway station and got into the hotel (Hotel Arya) and took the dinner there. Taken rest

Day 7 – 3^rd January 2011 – 4.00 AM

We started at 4.00 AM and saw chilika lake. We reached Ganjam around 6.30 AM and sun was just appearing. It was a nice view. Then we started and reached Behrampur around 9.00 AM and started to move fast as we are in Andhra. Stopped in a small hotel before reaching Behrampur for breakfast. It was very nice and cheap. Then we reached Icchapuram around 10.00 AM and in no means of time we reached VSKP around 11.30 AM. My friend told that we can have lunch in Annavaram as he wanted to visit there. He asked for the bypass road but ultimately we found that we were in wrong route and gone extra some 40 kms with 2 hrs delay.

Anyways we reached Annavaram, but before that we had our lunch in a small hotel. We reached there around 3.30 pm and had the darshan and my friend wanted to drive now. We felt some good jerks as road was not that good when it come to the bridges and my baby started feeling uneasy. Even he was about to dash a riskshaw wala and a truck but due to someone good luck we saved.

Then my wife sends me a message that she is scared and my baby also started vomiting. Immediately we took a tea break took the driving control in me. My baby was not stopping the vomiting. In Vijaywada we reached around 8.30 pm and we took some electrol powder. She is not accepting any food neither the electrol water. That would cause a problem. We stopped the vehicle roadside and we had the packed dinner. My baby was making herself confortable. Now we tried to give her the electrol water forcibly. Little little she took and we were waiting. If she vomits more may be we need medical attention then. We saw that she has not vomited for 30 mins so we decided to move ahead in low speed. It was 11.30 pm. I told my wife keep the cabin light on and monitor her. Try to give her the electrol water. She too started monitoring and giving her little little water. My baby was asleep and I started driving in speed but carefully. Any ways we are late now. We crossed Nellore around 4.00 AM.

Day 8 – 4^th January 2011 – 4.00 AM

IN Nellore my baby took the entire electrol water prepared and I thought she has recovered. There were too many accidents happened in that road so many times I have to divert. After reaching Cholavaram at 7.00 AM I gave the steering to my friend. Unbelievable he drived the car at a speed of 40 – 60 km per hour. We reached Chennai and he asked me that to drive as his eyes were closing. I told ok and in Chennai picked up one of my wife collegue and started moving ahead. There was a ITDC hotel in Sriperambdur and we stopped there, freshed ourself and my baby was completely fine. I drove for another 100 km and asked my friend to drive but carefully. We reached Bangalore around 2.00 PM and then I gone to office.

Note:

1. Petrol is cheaper in Orissa.

2. There is no problem for ladies travelling on this route because too many rest rooms are available.

3. Hotel is found adequately.

4. Petrol bunks every 5 km we can find. But they mix the petrol.

These are the following things we should follow while we drive in highway:

1. Control your speed as and when required

2. Do not apply brakes very near to the object

3. Before crossing lorries or buses give them the signal and ask them the way to cross.

4. Do not decide yourself that truck is going on right side and let me cross from left side.

5. Wait for the other vehicle to give you way.

6. Be carefull while crossing 2 wheelers and other small vehicles.