Road trip with Bestie
This was a long overdue long road trip with my bestie...
Mumbai to Timbuktoo ... 😂
(Mumbai to B'lore...via Lonavala, Belgaum and Goa)
Banglore will be continued in part 2
I drive a nearly 10 year old Ertiga that completed 70000 kms in Goa this time... The reason for less mileage is only because I choose to drive on highways and in rural India ... I am not very fond of city driving...prefer a two wheeler in the city.
Anyways this is my fursat ka first attempt at blogging...
Here is my travel story...
Destination Banglore was chosen since my bestie's sister is settled there...
On 18th October 2022 we started our trip fm.Andheri in Mumbai arnd.9 am and traffic was horrendous in Kalamboli ... We were stuck in a jam because I chose to take the old route to Lonavala...
Also to my disappointment I couldn't find a single pump that fills Nitrogen in the tyres but luckily found one on the way to B'lore... Till then made do with good old air that is freely available at all pumps.
In Lonavala my friend has her home there so 1 night we spent there... Had dinner at Narayan Dham temple... Good vegetarian food.
Next day early mng.we left for Belgaum...
Stopped for lunch in Kolhapur at the orange group of restaurants on the highway and then it was a non stop drive to Belgaum...
We found a decent hotel to stay there for the night which was also very close to the highway... after a quick shower called my friend who is settled in Belgaum and is also the priest at our Fire temple in Belgaum... Requested him to guide us as to how we can visit the Fire Temple and he instead came and picked us up fm.our hotel and took us shopping for the local favourite kardant (made fm.jaggery and dry fruits) & then after shopping we could bow at the Belgaum Fire Temple which was a highlight for me as I have visited the same maybe 6 yrs.back with my family.
After a quick catch up with friends we were dropped off at our hotel...
Next mng.by 11am we were ready to leave for Goa where we were to stay with my friend's bestie in her villa (Kokum Tree) facing the Zuari river... Travel Vistas is the site where villas are available for rent and it was an experience that will be cherished by me for a very long time...
My bestie's friend and host in Goa was a kind and gracious lady who drove us around Goa like an ace driver that she is...
The pic below is of the Kokum Tree from which the villa got its name.
We arrived at her home late evening as we had entered from Karnataka Dudhsagar falls side so we thought we may as well visit the falls but we lucked out as its been raining in Goa the place is shut for visitors so on our way back we stopped at an old temple took some pix and then proceeded to meet an old friend and his family (old family friends of my bestie) they stay in the opposite direction of where we were headed...
So after late tea and snacks with them we had to drive through the winding lanes of Goa and head towards Dabolim...
Kokum Tree our home from the 20th.evening to 24th. Early morning... and WOW what a stay that was (thank you Bestie and bestie's bestie)...
With walking through the heritage homes in Goa and their by lanes to a traditional Goan restaurant lunches to a snazzy Divali party that we were invited to by Bestie's friend...
We also visited Donna Paula but its all boxed up now... you cant walk right to the statue as before but walking we did do in bits...
I love visiting old heritage structures and for the first time could take a walking tour of someone's home... They charge ₹300 pp .
Its a 400 yr.old Portuguese home that is maintained as it was way back then.
Soon with the blink of an eye it was time to leave Goa but not before visiting Bogmalo beach and Joets shack for some music , masti and food...
The road we took from Belgaum to Goa was mostly smooth through Dandeli forrest area but at some places there were long patches of bad roads with crater like holes in the tarmac ... So would suggest u should be out of that stretch of approx 180 kms before sun down as i mentioned earlier the bad patches slow you down and eat into your travel time to the next destination...
From Dabolim to Banglore Kamanahalli took me a total of 11hrs. With one stop for petrol...
Lunch we had carried and tea too so practically non stop driving from Dharwad, (thats where you turn left for Poona or take the right to Bangalore)
Once on the highway the roads are farely good except for some patches in between.
Enjoyed reading and the pics the experience seems so good meeting old friends and travelling on open roads wow
ReplyDeleteThanx
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely blog. Loved the conversational tone and the fact that there are lots of photos throughout. Keep writing.
ReplyDeleteThank you
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