Gujarat Road Trip 18th to 26th September 2015

Prologue:  Here we are presenting a detailed account of our travel including driving conditions, directions, experiences and of places visited over the 9 days. We made it like this to give information on the places, that could be seen in the towns, cities we went through and also to give route information with time distance charts, which might be helpful to other travelers. For the benefit of readers we have color coded the trip report.

Green for Places of interest, Brown for driving related, road conditions etc. In italics for interesting points. 
At the end we provided the actual time-distance charts which we hope would be helpful for other travelers, the same way we found some on the internet useful to prepare for our trip. We hope you read the whole text at your leisure and enjoy it but in case you are in a hurry, you can choose what you want to read first. Thanks for Reading.

Gujarat Road Trip 

  We have been thinking about going on a long drive in our Vento Highline Petrol for quite some time. An opportunity came up in July 2015 when a wish was expressed in the house to visit Dwarka & Somnath. Could we do it by car? The prospect looked exciting but can we manage it was the big question . We had done few trips earlier  and the longest was from Delhi to Udaipur and this experience along with the various  Travelogues gave us the confidence to proceed..

 We started our research on distances & road conditions by going through various blogs like Team-Bhp, trip advisor and other travelogues, and of course google maps. We found good information and most of it looked positive which made us believe we could manage it and the decision was unanimous to go by Car. September seemed like a good possibility as there were some mid-week holidays and the monsoon would also have retreated. After considering advises from online research and discussing on the places we could visit, plans was made as below. All the hotel bookings were made in advance.

   

18-09-2015	Home – Chittorgarh	-Starting at 0400 reaching by 1400. Stay overnight at RNB Hotel, Chittorgarh
19-09-2015	Chittorgarh - Ahmedabad	Early start by 0500 & reach by Lunch. Stay at Ginger Hotel Ahmedabad
20-09-2015	Ahmedabad	Local sight seeing
21-09-2015	Ahmedabad -- Somnath	Early morning start to reach Somnath by lunch. Stay at SagarDarshanAtithigruh,Somnath
22-09-2015	Somnath- Dwarka	To start leisurely & reach Dwarka by afternoon. Stay at Hotel  Dwarka Residency
23-09-2015	Dwarka	Sightseeing in and around Dwarka
24-09-2015	Dwarka - Gandhinagar	Start early & reach Gandhinagar by evening. Stay at Hotel Ashooka Inn.
25-09-2015	Gandhinagar - Jaipur	Start early reach Jaipur. Overnight at Hotel Rockland – OYO Rooms
26-09-2015	Jaipur to Home	Early morning start to avoid traffic & reach home by lunch.

        We got our 2 year old Vento serviced a week before. The evening before we filled up the tank and also put a yellow strip of tape at end of Right side Head Light, we read it was mandatory in Gujarat.

Day 1: 18-09-2015- Friday.  Home – Hotel RNB Chittorgarh : 584 Kms

       We planned to start early by 0400 Hrs to avoid the traffic madness on NH 8 between Gurgaon and Jaipur which was mainly due to the lane widening & flyover construction.

 Since we were quite excited for the trip all 5 of us were ready by 0330 and started ahead of time at 0337 hrs. The traffic was light through Delhi and we could make smooth progress. After Gurgaon Toll Plaza, there were a few diversions due the construction of Flyovers on NH8. The truck traffic was less and we could clear the Dharuhera bottleneck without any problem. The widening of NH8 was still in progress and done only partially, most of the road was still 4 lane. A few more Flyovers were under construction, however the condition of road was better than what we had expected.

    The Jaipur bypass was also good except for a few bad patches but the truck traffic had started. The road (NH8) from end of Jaipur bypass up to the left turn to NH79 after Kishangarh toll was excellent.

 After turning on to NH 79 the condition of road was not good. The road looked smooth but suddenly there would be huge potholes and bumps covering entire width of the road. Had to break hard and keep scanning the road ahead for more of them which appeared at regular intervals, quite irritating. This went on till Nasirabad bypass.  There after it was a bit better but was difficult to maintain consistent speed due to frequent bad stretches with potholes, bumps till Chittorgarh. We paid a toll of Rs195  after Nasirabad flyover which was not at all justified for the condition of the road.

    We reached Hotel RNB Chittodgarh, by 1311 hrs. Hotel RNB was good. Rooms were spacious, neat and clean.  The staff were very courteous and helpful. The food was quite good but a bit expensive for a town like Chittodgarh. After Lunch we booked a taxi arranged by hotel for 1400 to see the Fort.. We also booked a local guide who took Rs.250 & was good.

  

    The fort was situated over a hill overlooking the city & the valley behind was spread over 2.5sq kms and has a circular road covering all the interesting places. The climb to the fort was through a narrow steep road which goes through 7 gates. The fort was fantastic and we enjoyed it thoroughly. We covered the following

 1.The Vijay sthamb or the Victory Tower is the main attraction of the fort with beautiful   architecture, its a 5 floor tower which can be climbed from inside with steep rock cut stairs and the view from the top floor is rewarding

 

2.The Garden & the summer palace of the queen Padmini. The place where She was shown in a   mirror to Allauddin Khilji who finally defeated the king.

 3.  The Place where Rani padmini committed Jauhar (self sacrifice) along with 1600 other ladies to avoid capture.

 4.  Couple of temples were of very good architecture and nice to visit.

 

We Returned to hotel by 1900 hrs had an early Dinner & hit the bed so as to be ready early for the drive next day.

Day 2: 19-09-15- Saturday  

Hotel RNB, Chittodgarh to Hotel Ginger, Ahmadabad  -- 384 Kms. 

      It was still dark when we Started at 0450 and topped the petrol tank at nearby Reliance petrol pump. We followed Kapasana road and joined NH79, from Rithola toll took NH76 to Udaipur. After Rithola Toll NH79 & NH 76 meet at a large complex of flyovers, we took the flyover on to NH 76 and continued at a good pace as the condition of NH 76 was good. The divider was planted with flowering plants and presented a nice view after day break.

There was lot of truck traffic & most of the them were quite disciplined on the highway, but if a truck driver makes up his mind to overtake another truck, no one in the world can make him stop. This was sometimes funny and sometimes irritating. Two trucks trying to overtake each-other at very slow relative speeds, may be less than 1 kph. We had many such occasions and here’s what we went through many times…

1.    We could see 200-300 meters ahead two trucks side by side one trying to overtake the other which is slower by 0.5 kmph or less . First step is to identify within the next few seconds (before you come up on them), which one of them is overtaking, slowdown and align yourself behind that truck. Suddenly when the first truck had almost completed its process, the other truck gets excited, steps up the gas and he starts to retaliate overtaking the first one.. That’s when you get all the expressions that  Mr. Bean manages.

2.   Another instance is you are going at 100kmph or more there are trucks travelling at slow speeds in a strategic formation, that is one in each lane. That’s when you over take the first one switch to another lane- overtake 2^nd truck, switch lane – Overtake 3^rd – switch lane, overtake 4^th and so on.. In one such instance I felt like I was playing a playstation game with a joystick..

Probably this is what keeps the truck drivers attentive & have a bit of fun in their long days of driving across the country.

    We Reached Udaipur & took the Bypass at Pratap circle. From here on the next 12km till exiting the bypass was the worst stretch we faced till now. It’s an undivided narrow concrete road, full with craters & humps. At several places the road was completely gone and the heavy slow moving trucks make it a nightmare.  Once on NH 8 again, the travel was smooth. It might be a better idea to go into Udaipur and take left before the railway station and continue to NH8

 














Soon after Udaipur we entered the hills and landscape turned beautiful with the highway winding through the hills, going up and down.
It was a pleasure to drive on this section with the road condition pretty good. We stopped at a scenic place for about 15 minutes and had coffee (made at Hotel) and enjoyed the landscape. It was cloudy with intermittent light drizzle. After crossing Paduna toll strange thing happened, all the traffic was turning to the wrong side & going in the opposite direction, and then all of them stopped in a long queue. We also moved along and stopped in the line of trucks. After waiting for about 30 min with no sign of movement, we decided to go further to the actual blockage point. We broke the queue and followed couple of cars, after about 2 or 3 km we switched to the proper side and saw couple of trucks parked in the middle of the highway & blocking their side completely. The reason for that we did not know and we did not wait to investigate, we were relived & happy to get out and moving again. 

      As we crossed Rajasthan border & entered Gujarat suddenly the road became unbelievably smooth right after the border check post, and the landscaping was amazing. The drive till Gandhinagar was on the best roads we had seen in the country, and thoroughly enjoyed the drive going constantly between 100 -120kmph.

 We reached Hotel Ginger, Ahmadabad, around 1215 hours.

 It was a decent hotel with enormous dining area and rooms good. The food was nice particularly the buffet with a lot of varieties. We got two interconnecting rooms which was an advantage.

 Around Ahmadabad

 In the afternoon we hired a Taxi with the help of the Hotel (Travel Agency- Sanjay Parekh – Good vehicles and good drivers ) We went to the following

 1.Sabarmati Ashram – It was quite peaceful on the banks of Sabarmati river, the old structures were 

   reconstructed. The house where Mahatma Gandhi stayed was quite nice to see. 

2.Sabararmati River Front – This was a surprise even after hearing a lot about it. Extremely well 

   maintained with Lush green lawns & walkways on the river bank. 

3.Kankaria Lake – An artificial lake created for recreation. We were impressed by the neatness and the surroundings.                                                    

It 

It was something not seen in India where usually the river banks are a thing to be strictly avoided in any other city in India, if you know what I mean. But here, Concrete walkway encircles the perfect circular lake, and if you don't want to walk there is a toy train to take you for a ride. There were food courts where we had coffee. As the night came up, the lake shore was illuminated with colorful lights.

4. Lal Darwaza – Whole sale shopping area for local  saris & the famous salted peanuts.

Day 3: 20-09-15  Sunday. Ahmedabad – Gandhinagar local tour.

     On 20th September we arranged a taxi for full day sightseeing by the same travel agent in Ahmadabad who picked us up from the hotel.

1. Balaji, Iskon and Vaishnodevi temples. They were close to the hotel and good to see, but need time for Vaishnodevi temple where you need to climb through narrow passages. They created a mini replica of the climb to the real temple in the north.

2.Adalaj Step Well - This is a must visit. It was built in 1400s and was a multipurpose well. It was huge and has five stories going down. The carvings over the walls and pillars were impressive. We loved this place.

3. We then visited a Vintage Car Village. This was amazing. A private collection of more than 100 vintage cars of different models. All were kept clean and shiny. There were the Lincolns,Bentleys, Cadillacs, Dodges and many Rolls Royce. We had a ride in Vintage Plymouth car by paying Rs 600/- for 3 kms on the highway. It was a memorable ride and enjoyed it. People in the passing vehicles watching intently and curiously at a vintage car on highway.

4.Then we visited Askhardham and returned to hotel after having Burgers at McDonalds, in the 
   Himalaya mall complex where Ginger is also located. It was a good halt at Ahmadabad.

Day 4: 21-09-15  Monday. Ginger Hotel to Somnath math 411 km

       We checked out with packed breakfast and Coffee from Ginger at 0510 Hrs and made good time  on NH 8A by following a taxi in the early morning darkness, who seemed to know the road well and was cruising at 100kmph. After day break, we stopped at Highway Food Mall at Limbdi town on  8A for coffee at 0622. The road was excellent except for 2 km at Chotila (Km reading 168), where  the bypass was under repair and a concrete strip was being laid which was almost ready but the slip  road was extremely bad.

 After Bamanbor toll plaza, 8A turns right to Kandla and we went straight on to 8B Porbandar highway. By now the sky had turned ominous and drizzling rain turned into a heavy downpour. The visibility was down to few meters and the wipers were at full swing. Since the road was good we were continuing cautiously, but soon pools of water were forming on the highway as the downpour continued for about an hour making us nervous. Fortunately the rain letdown as we neared Rajkot and took the bypass at Patel Chowk. At the Bypass exit junction, there was utter chaos as vehicles coming from all 4 directions got stuck due to heavy water logging at the intersection. Just a narrow portion of the road was dry & everyone was trying to go through that.  After negotiating this madness the drive was smooth and the road was excellent. We stopped at a way side Hotel Sai for a break and had breakfast of packed sandwiches from Ginger. Had Coffee but was not good, should have taken tea.

       We reached Jetpur, took the right turn on to bypass and at the end of bypass, at Y Junction, 8B turns right to Porbandar and we took left one on to 8D towards Somnath. The road was undivided from about 5 km before Junagadh till about 10 kms after Junagadh, including Junagadh bypass. This stretch was bad due to heavy and chaotic traffic on Junagadh bypass. At a major T – Junction turned right to exit Junagadh bypass. Once the divided road started it was again excellent and a pleasure to drive on, we clocked 100 – 120kmph easily & constantly till Somnath. We were to stay at Sagar Darshan guest house managed by the Somnath Temple trust and was adjoining the temple. We drove slowly into Somnath checking the directions and reached Somnath Temple. We had to show proof of accommodation at a police check post to go past the temple complex. After that, we managed through a narrow road along the temple perimeter wall through hordes of pilgrims, Autos, Cows and bulls to reach the guest house at 1140hrs.

       We took a left into the parking lot and suddenly there was the Sea. We had reached the West coast of India from Delhi. It felt great & was a beautiful sight.  

Sagar Darshan was located on the sea front and by far the best we had seen. It was isolated from the town and also from the rush of devotees who visit the temple making it a quite & pleasant stay. 

All the rooms had great view of sea from the balcony. There was a small garden between the rooms and the sea, however there was no beach. The temple view was great from the entrance of guest house, but actually is 1/2 a Km walk to its main entry gate. Sagar Darshan had its own canteen. The food was quite good and reasonably priced. The rooms were large, though good, can be maintained better. Would recommend staying only at this place while visiting Somnath.

 After checking in went straight to Somnath Temple and had a peaceful visit as not much crowd was present at that time. The temple was massive and magnificent. Quite nice architecture on the spire that rose high with gold plated at the top.

We took a round of the temple complex and the sea front. There was a lot of open space around the temple which was maintained very neat & clean. But outside the temple main gate chaos reigns with lot of beggars, photographers and vendors selling all kinds of trinkets. They pester you till you run away from them. However inside the temple it is peaceful and one can get peace of mind.

  Returned to guesthouse and had a good lunch in the cafeteria. There was a bus arranged by the Somnath trust at 3pm for local sightseeing, which was supposed to start from main gate of temple. We waited for the bus but saw it coming fully loaded and passing without stopping around 1515 Hrs. So we took an Auto for the local trip as no taxis were visible. He took Rs.300/-

1. Triveni Sangamam Ghat,   the confluence of rivers  Hiranya, Kapila and Sarswati which later merge  in to the sea. The ghat was dirty and foul smelling with plenty of stray cows. Where ever you go in Somnath you can see plenty of cows roaming around. We could not see the three rivers but about a Km ahead we could see confluence of two rivers.  Then we visited few temples which were not that important.

2. Bhakta Teerth – This was the place where Lord Krishna was supposed to be hit by the arrow of a tribal in the toe. There was a statue of Lord Krishna in a laid down posture. Then we went to sea front, where three Siva lingams(lord Shiva’s statues) were in sea water. It is believed that these were placed by the tribal who shot the arrow at Lord Krishna, to absolve the deed he did by mistake. From here we returned to the temple & did some photo shooting.

  After a brief rest at the guesthouse we returned to temple for Arati at 1900 Hrs and returned around  2030 hrs. Had a good dinner in the spacious canteen which was a buffet. It cost Rs.  150/- per head and was delicious.

    Next day morning we went to the sea, in front of guest house to take in the morning sea breeze & the view of the Arabian Sea. 

Day 5: 22-09-15 - Tuesday :Somnath  to Dwarka 245 km

          
     
      Had a heavy breakfast at the canteen and left at 0940 hrs. We went towards Veraval Road to fill up the tank at IOC Pump. Started at 0955 hrs and followed NH 8D till Gadu. 
 At Gadu took left turn on to 8E, Veraval – Dwaraka Highway. The road is not divided but smooth with plenty of Banyan trees on both sides of the road, it was pleasant.

   




After we crossed Madhavpur village the highway turned and touched the beach. This was fantastic, the road went along the beach for few kms. Since the beach was away from villages it was very clean & lonely, in fact one of the best we had seen. 




We parked on the edge of the beach & went down a steep decline over the sand to the sea. It was beautiful. 

We did not venture much into the water as it was quite steep and huge waves were crashing down, but enough to let the waves touch us. The water was cold, sand was white and fine.

We enjoyed for about 30 mnts on the beach, had coconut water and started towards Dwarka.









The traffic was sparse from here on and hardly any trucks just occasional cars. The road was good so we could go fast. Many occasions we could spot the sea as the road winded through the western coastline. There were many wind mill installations throughout from Madhavpur to Dwaraka.

     When we were in Ahmadabad, the Taxi Driver had told us that the bridge on the Bhadar River, near Navi Bandar village had collapsed and we have to take diversion. We saw a diversion board on the road about 3 kms from the spot but did not find any diverted road. So we overshot the point of turn and almost reached the broken bridge which was blocked. There were very few vehicles on this stretch and we turned back asked a villager walking along who gave us the directions. We followed them and came to the point of diversion into a village road. We travelled 5 kms extra and wasted about 30 mnts because of improper placement of diversion signs.  At the turn we did not find any indication that this was the point of diversion. Once we entered the diverted road we found sign board indicating the route to Porbandar/ Dwarka. 

We crossed couple of rivers over very narrow bridges and reached the highway again. 

We could see the collapsed bridge while crossing over one of the bridges. We halted for Coffee (Carried from Guesthouse)  before Porbandar. The landscape is beautiful though out with plenty of trees, windmills and backwaters. Many occasions we could see the backwaters meeting the sea.

Reached Porbandar and went to Kirti Mandir, the house where Mahatma Gandhi was born and lived till he left for Briton. The approach was very narrow and the roads were crowded with parked vehicles autos and cycles. We were apprehensive of getting stuck-up, but the locals told us to proceed. We reached Kirti Mandir and parked the car in a small congested parking place about 200 meters away. The old house built in 1800s was maintained well and we were delighted to see the old house and place where Mahatma was born. It was a three storied old house with many rooms, climbing steps to upper floors was a bit tricky with old wooden stairways. The front portion of the house was turned in to a memorial with new building and there were photo exhibitions and statues. We spent close to 2 hrs coming in and till going out of Porbandar.  Recommended only if you are very keen on the place as it takes quite a time & effort to get there due to congested roads. For us it was nice to see the place. 

 The drive was smooth till Dwarka from Porbandar. After Miyani town we crossed Vartu river which was 1 km wide and we could see the river joining Sea at distance from the bridge. It was beautiful. We skipped lunch due to the heavy breakfast and had tea at Hotel Amidhar, about 25 kms from Dwarka. We spotted some good hotels before approaching Dwarka and some of them were Hotel Krishna Park (about 50 kms from Dwarka), Govardhan Greens and Hotel Alka. The road was excellent to drive on though undivided and could touch 100kmph without effort. 4 km from Dwarka we could spot the town ahead as two huge structures clearly stood out. The Main temple spire & the Lighthouse, both rising easily more than 60 feet.

  Reached Hotel Dwarka Residency  at 1607 Hrs. The hotel was on the main road about a km from the Dwarkadhish temple. It was not up to our expectations and the photos in the Travel web sites were deceptive. The rooms were small and no car parking, though we were confirmed of car parking when we enquired from hotel. The car had to be parked in front of the hotel on the road. There was lot of dust in Dwarka and the town was not clean. The only plus point of the hotel was good, courteous staff and nice restaurant.

We went to temple after 1700 hrs. Not much crowd during our visit and we had peaceful time. The temple was massive and its spire was very tall. Unlike Somnath, the Temple is surrounded by congested market & homes so it was not visible from outside. Since photos cannot be taken once you enter the main gate, we  could not get a clear picture of the magnificent structure. Probably this accounts for the less number of Photographers seen outside the temple unlike in Somnath

 There was still time before the dusk so we decided to visit the Light house. we were disappointed as visitors were not allowed inside the light house after a new Radar was installed by Airforce on the top. 

We went about 100 meters further in the compound and reached a cliff which had a spectacular view of the sea. There was no beach as this point was 70 feet above the sea with lot of rocks and almost vertical drop from the cliff to the sea. We saw the sunset and came back to Hotel and had our Dinner which was delicious.

 23-09-15 Day 6- Wednesday – Dwarka – Beyt Dwarka

Today we planned to visit local places of interest. We booked a cab arranged by hotel and started after a good breakfast at the hotel to the following places..

1.Nageswar – It was about 20 kms from Dwarka,
  and is one of the  Jyotirlingams. The temple 
was large and nice. There was a large Fig tree 
and very huge statue of Lord Siva in the 
 temple complex.

2. Gopi Talav - A small lake, where it is believed 
that Gopikas from Brindavn not able bear 
the separation came to meet Lord Krishna. The 
place was quite dirty & water smelly, we made 
a quick exit and do not recommend it to visit.

3. Bet or Beyt Dwaraka ( Island dwarka ) -  We reached Okha port and went to the jetty to take the ferry to the island. At the larger ferry boarding point we saw hundreds of people jostling to get on to the ferry and we knew we cannot take that. They were boarding 150 to 200 people in one ferry that could take 50-80 probably.

There was no organized Ferry service either private 
or Government and the Ferry operator always 
overload making it risky over the sea. We engaged
smaller 20 people ferry and shared the 2000 rupees 
cost with another family. With a boat for ourselves
we enjoyed the ferry ride of 3 km which was covered 
in 20 minutes. After getting down at Bet Dwarka, we  
engaged Auto to go to the Temple which was on a 

height for Rs. 50/-We also engaged a Guide to 
explain the significance of Beyt Dwarka and show 
us various Temples inside the main temple. The main 

deity is Lord Krishna ( Dwarakdhhesh )  and there 

are temples of Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati and Devaki. As per the legend, this was the place 
where Lord Krishna lived while Dwarka was the capital. 

The various temples are supposed to be the actual places where they lived. There was hall, where 

Sudama or Kuchela, the boyhood friend of Lord Krishna met him, when he visited Dwarka. As per the 

legend, Here he offered Stretched rice to the Lord as ”Bhaint”  ( Gift ) and in turn Lord gave him 

unimaginable wealth. Hence this place is also called Bhaint Dwraka.  It is believed that Lord Krishna 

after his Nirvana (left for heavenly adobe) asked the Sea to drown Dwaraka, which stretches from 

Byet Dwarka to Somnath and only leave his and his queens living places. Hence only Byet Dwarka 

remained and rest of Dwarka was submerged in sea. The present Dwarka town developed later and the 

temple was built by the Grand Son of Lord Krishna. The area around temple is crowded with shops.  

We came back by the same ferry to Okha. 

4. Rukmini Devi temple about 2 to 3 kms from Dwarka.

     By the time we returned back to hotel it was 1330 hrs and we had the local Gujarati and Marwadi Thali Lunch at Damji Hotel close by. The food was delicious and unlimited, definitely worth the Rs.150/ per person.

    In the evening after 1700 Hrs we went again to Dwarkadhhesh Temple and engaged a guide who showed & explained about the other temples in the complex. This time it was very crowded with people jostling for space. The guide told us that the flag on top of the spire is changed  few times  every day and People book in advance for a fee to have the opportunity to change the flag. The flag is carried from their villages with fanfare and almost all the villagers accompany and witness the changing of flag. Two persons climb precariously to the top of the spire and change the flag. Hence was the crowd. We then went to the peaceful sunset point beside the light house for some time. This place was very quite except for the sound of the waves. There is always something in looking at the sea. It gives some feeling of contentment & relaxation of the mind. We returned to the hotel at 2000 hrs. Had dinner and hit the bed for early start the next day.

  This day we completed our pilgrimage / tourism part of our trip. We reached the farthest point of our journey and the next 3 days were to make the return trip back home. 

24-09-15 Day 7 - Thursday – Dwarka to Gandhinagar 466 Km

    Started from Hotel at 0507hrs when it was still dark and retraced the 5.5 km of our path towards Somnath and then turned left from NH 8E to NH 947. The road was undivided and quite bad. Due to last harsh monsoon season many of the bridges were under repair and roads were being re-laid. For the first hour and a half road had frequent pot holes and uneven surface, particularly very bad on all bridges. The going was very slow till we reached Essar Refinery 30km from Jamnagar, from where divided road started and soon it was again quite nice to drive and excellent condition till Gandhinagar our target for the night halt. 
 Reached Jamnagar Bypass at 0719 where we planned to have our Breakfast but restaurants were not open yet, so made a coffee halt near Ashirvad Village Restaurant. Then after an hour, stopped for Breakfast at Hotel Tulsi, which served only south Indian. This was not a good choice but had it any way. There are many options for Breakfast in Jamnagar – Rajkot NH. 

   Rajkot bypass has one diversion due to construction of Flyover at a Railway Line, which was crazy with traffic. The divider between Jamnagar and Rajkot highway was planted with flowering plants and this stretch was beautiful. Not much truck traffic on this stretch either. Rajkot to Shantal Circle Ahmadabad was excellent except for the repair work on chotila bypass. The traffic till outskirts of Ahmadabad was moderate but on the ring road it was heavy. The Roads in Gandhinagar were superb. We reached Hotel Ashoka Inn in Gandhinagar – Ahmadabad road at 1320 hrs. The Hotel was very good with spacious rooms, very clean and neat. The staff was very courteous, the food excellent & comparatively less expensive. Only drawback was this hotel did not have a dedicated parking and had to park the car in the service road where many cars were parked. The hotel staff assured full safety of the car.

    After lunch we relaxed a bit and went to check one of the tires of the car seemed to have less air. Turned out it was not a puncture and got it rectified. In the evening we went for a drive to city center’s Mahatma Gandhi Park. This was very beautifully maintained strech. Wide green lawns, well-marked walking strips. It was quite peaceful inside the park and we spent about an hour and returned to Hotel fully relaxed. Had dinner at hotel and rested. The dinner at the hotel was very delicious.

25-09-15 Day 8- Friday – Gandhinagar to Jaipur    

 Hotel Rockland ( Oyo Rooms)  653 km.

     Started at 0504hrs. Today was the longest drive of the entire trip. The drive was good with clear skies.

Halted after Paduna toll for coffee & then for Breakfast at Chitrakoot resort just before the Ritola flyover. The food ok but took time. Filled up the petrol after Nasirabad flyover.

The road conditions as mentioned earlier are not conductive for consistent speed on NH 76 and NH 79 but NH 8 is excellent. Udaipur bypass was again a torture, the road between Nasirabad and turn to NH8 near Kishangarh is very bad.

The highway From Kishangarh to Jaipur was the widest in the entire journey with fast traffic but unruly. Trucks occupying all 3 lanes, Cars driving & overtaking like crazy. This was a stressful drive till we reached Rockland Hotel, on Gopalpura bypass, Jaipur. Although the drive was a long one we were not as tired as we expecting would be. 

Reached Hotel Rockland at 1627 Hrs, Had Tea and rested. Hotel Rockland ( Oyo Rooms ) was not very comfortable. Rooms were small and no parking place. Just parked in the service road in front of the Hotel. Restaurant here did not look so attractive so took Dinner at another Restaurant Siya Veg at Savi regency hotel, adjacent to this and the food was excellent.

26-09-15: Day 9 Saturday- – Jaipur  to Home 292 km

 Started at 0526 Hrs for the last leg of our road trip.  Had Breakfast at Sagaratna Restaurant just after Behror flyover. Very good, but costly compared to even Delhi or Noida.

 Not much traffic till we crossed Gurgoan toll, from there on we were in the Delhi traffic madness. After a week of driving on the highways this seemed crazy and it sure was. Rash overtaking, sneaking between the lanes etc which is known commonly to any Delhieite. We drove slowly in the last lane, Avoided Inner ring road, took SP marg from Dhaulakuan, Barapula Flyover, DND and Greater Noida express way. Reached home at 1053 hrs after 8.5 days & 3052 kms Drive. With good experience of Gujarat state & its people and memories to last a lifetime. 

   It was an excellent trip, we had a great time and the Vento performed to its reputation, providing comfort in both front & rear seats. Very comfortable to drive too, no strain.Thumbs Up to VW.


Actual Time - Distance Charts.

Day 1.

Route : NH 8 : From  Dhaula Kuan to Kishangadh Toll (GVK) - NH 79 : Kishangadh toll to Kapasana Road, Chittodgarh

	Place	Time	Km Reading	Δ Time Mnts	Δ KM	Toll Rs
1	Home	0337	13.3/0	-------	0
2	DND Flyover Toll	0350	26.6/ 13.3	13	13.3	28
3	Gurgaon Toll	0434	71.5/58.2	44	44.9	60
4	Shajahanpur Toll	0539	144.7/131.4	63	73.2	114
5	Kotputli	0611	186/172.7	34	41.3
6	Hotel Orbit  *1	0633 – 0647	215/201.7	22	29
7	Manoharpura Toll	0705	240/226.7	18	25	55
8	Jaipur Bypass start	0720	249/235.7	15	9
9	HPCL Petrol Pump (Jaipur Bpass)	0730 – 0807	263/249.7	10	14	*2
10	Daulatpura Toll	0814	270.6/257.3	7	7.6	46
11	Jaipur Bypass End	0835	297/283.7	21	26.4
12	GVK Toll Jaipur	0848	310/296.7	13	13	95
13	Kishangarh Toll	0940	384/370.7	52	74	0
14	Nasirabad Mid Bypass	1023	426/412.7	43	42
15	Kanvaliyas Toll	1118	489.7/476.4	41	63.7	105
16	Hotel Bhilwara Midway *3	1140 – 1155	518/504.7	22	28.3
17	Bhilwara Bypass SH 12 Crossing Underpass	1217	542/528.7	22	24
18	Joro Ka Khera Toll	1241	571/557.7	24	29	90
19	RNB Hotel Chittodgarh	1311	597/583.7	22	26
	:
Halts	*1. Coffee Break.	0633 – 0637 : 14 mnts. Hotel Orbit about 25 Kms before Manoharpura toll Plaza. Coffee brought from home. Nice place and good toilets.
	*2.  Breakfast Halt : 0730 – 0807 : 37 mnts	Hotel I HPCL Petrol Pump in Jaipur by pass.
	*3. Coffee Break : 1140 – 1155 : 15 mnts.	Hotel Bhilwara Midway.  Decent one.

Total Distance	584 Kms
Time taken	0337 – 1311 :9 hrs 34 mnts
Total Halts	1 hrs 7 mnts
Toll paid	Rs 593/-
Avg Speed Including Halts	61.02 Kms/Hr
Excluding Halts	69.11 Kms/Hr

Day2.

Route : NH 79 : Chittodgarh – Rithola | NH 76 : Rithola  - Udaipur, NH 8  : Udaipur – Chiloda Circle |  NH 8C : Chilloda Circle – Drive In Road, Ahmadabad

	Place	Time	Km Reading	Δ Time Mnts	Δ Km	Toll
1	R&B Chittorgarh	0450	597/0	0	0
2	Reliance PetrolPump Chittodgarh	0455-0500	598.3/1.3	5	1.3
3	Rithola Toll	0514	610.2/13.2	14	11.9	40
4	Mangalwad Chourasta	0546	653.5/ 56.5	32	43.3
5	Narayanapura toll	0553	660.3/63.3	7	6.8	100
6	Udaipur BP Pratap circle	0634	710/113	41	49.7
7	Udaipur bypassend Mahadevpura	0655	723/126	21	13
8	Paduna Toll	0735	755/158	40	32	70
9	Rishabdev	0840	781/184	65	26
10	Khewara Toll	0849	792/195	9	11	35
11	Hotel Atidhi *1	0856 – 0945	799.5/202.5	7	7.5
12	Ratanpur Rajasthan – Gujarat  Border	1014	839.5/242.5	29	40
13	Hotel Asish – Salmaji	1019	846/249	5	6.5
14	Himmatnagar	1059	890//293	40	44
15	Khatpur Toll	1115	916/319	16	26	50
16	Chilloda Circle	1133	939/342	18	23
17	Gandhinagar Circle	1142	945.2/348.2	9	6.2
18	IOC Pump Drive in Road	1205 - 1210	978/381	23	32.8
18	Hotel Ginger	1215	979/382	5	1
Halts	Coffee Break	Before Paduna Toll  : 10 mnts
	*1 Breakfast	0856 – 0945 : 49 mnts. At Hotel Athidhi. Lot of Restaurants after Udaipur by pass and Himmatnagar
	Traffic Jam	After paduna Toll : 34 mnts
	Petrol	10 mnts at Chittodgarh and Drive in road, Ahmadabad.

         

Total Distance	382 Kms
Time taken	0450 – 1215 : 7 hrs 25 mnts
Total Halts	1 hr 43 min including the traffic Jam
Toll paid	Rs 340/-
Avg Speed Including Halts	51.48 Kms/Hr
Excluding Halts	67 Kms/Hr

Day4.

Route :NH 8C   : Drive In Road Lt turn – Serkhej Junction, Ahmadabad, NH 8A   : Sarkhej Circle – Babanbore Toll, NH 8B :   Banbanbore Toll – Jetpur Bypass, NH 8D : Jetpur bypass  - Somnath

	Place		Time		Km Reading	Δ Time Mnts	Δ Km		Toll (Rs)
1	Ginger Hotel Ahmedabad		0510		979/0	0	0
2	8C & 8A Intersection		0523		989.5/10.5	13	10.5
3	Limbdi Highway food mall  *1		0622 – 0634		1083.8/104.8	59	94.3
4	Chotila		0715		1147/168	41	63.2
5	Bamanbore Toll Plaza		0731		1160/180	16	12		20
6	Vati Toll Plaza		0741		1168/188	10	8		20
7	Rajkot Bypass Start		0805		1190/210	24	22
8	Plaza Toll		0834		1218.6/239.6	29	29.6
9	Gondal		0845		1232/253	11	13.4
10	Hotel Sai *2		0850 – 0920		1235/256	5	3
11	Veera Toll		0937		1254/275	17	19
12	Jetpur Bypass Turn to 8D		0945		1264/285	8	10
13	Junagard Bypass end( T Junction)		1017		1301/322	32	37
14	Dari Toll		1116		1376/397	59	75		70
10	Somnath Sagar Darshan GH		1138		1390/411	22	14
	Halts		1.Coffee Break : 0622 – 0634 : 12 mnts At HFM near        Limbdi. Coffee carried from Hotel.   2. Breakfast : 0850 – 0920 : 30 mnts.Hotel Sai after Gondal.         BF provided by Ginger Hotel.
		Total Distance		411 Kms
		Time taken		0510 – 1138:  6 Hrs 28 Mnts
		Total Halts		42 Mnts
		Toll paid		Rs. 245/-
		Avg Speed Including Halts		63.52 Kms/Hr
		Excluding Halts		71.23 Kms/h

Day5:

Route : NH 8D : Somnath -  Gadu. NH 8E : Gadu – Dwarka

	Place	Time	Km Reading	Δ Time	Δ Km	Toll Rs.
1	Somnath Sagar Darshan GH	0941	1390/0	0	0
2	IOC Petrol Pump Somnath	0945 – 0955	1394/4	4	4
3	Dari Toll	1008	1408/18	13	14	70
4	Gadu    Lt turn to 8E	1020	1420/30	12	12
6	Kukasawada	1033	1431/41	6	5
7	Arena	1036	1435/45	3	4
8	Mangrol	1045	1443/53	9	8
9	Shil	1056	1455/65	11	12
10	Madhavpur Beach	1110 – 1143	1469/79	14	14
11	Coffee Break	1246 – 1256	1495/105	63	26
12	Porbandar – Kirti Mandir	1330 – 1405	1523/133	34	28
13	Kuchhadi	1426	1546/156	21	23
14	Visavada	1439	1560/170	13	14
15	Miyani	1446	1570/180	7	10
16	Vartu River	1450	1572/182	4	2
17	Bhogat	1507	1593/203	17	21
18	Hotel Amidhar Tea Break	1516 – 1546	1607/217	9	14
19	Dwarka Hotel Dwarka Residency	1607	1635/245	21	28
	Halts	1. IOC Petrol Pump Somnath : 0945 – 0955 : 10 mnts  2. Madhavpur Beach: 1110 – 1143 : 33 mnts  3. Coffee Break: 1246 – 1256 : 10 mnts  ( Coffee    carried from Somnath GH )             4. KIRTI mandir Porbandar: 1330 – 1405 : 35 mnts  5. Tea at Hotel Amidhar: 1516 – 1546 : 30 mnts
	Total distance	245 Km
	Time taken	0941 – 1607 : 6hrs 26 mnts
	Total Halts	1 Hrs 58 Mnts
	Toll	Rs 70/-
	Average Speed Including Halts	38.10 Kms/Hr
	Excluding Halts	54.8 Kms/Hr
	Time lost at diversion before Navi Bander and inside Porbandar town : aprox 40 mnts

Day 7

Route : NH 8E  : Towards Porbandar about 5.5 Km. NH 947 :  From right turn On 8E to Dhrol                         Dhrol  - Rajkot bypass (I am not sure it is a NH or State Highway, but excellent from Essar Refinary.)                             NH 8B     : Greenland circle Rajkot – Babanbore Toll. NH 8A    :Babanbore Toll – Shantal                 Circle, Ahamadabad,  Then Ring Road, 8C, from Vaishnodevi Circle, 

              Ahmadabad – Gandhinagar Road.

	Place	Time	Km Reading	Δ Time Mnts	Δ Km	Toll
1	Dwarka Hotel Dwarka Residency	0507	1637/0	0	0
2	Left Turn to NH 947	0515	1643/6	8	6
3	Charakla (At the creek)	0529	1657/20	14	14
4	Limabde left turn	0600	1680/43	31	23
5	Khambhalia	0636	1712/75	36	32
6	Sihan Dam	0645	1723/86	9	11
7	ESSAR Oil Refinery	0650	1728/91	5	5
8	Reliance Mart, Reliance City	0700	1742/105	10	14
9	Vadinar (BAID) Toll	0709	1751/114	9	9	45
10	Jamnagar bypass:Hotel Keshwara	0719 - 0739	1763/126	10	12
11	Soyal L&T RTVL Toll	0809	1804/167	30	41	25
12	Dhrol bypass end	0814	1810/173	5	6
13	Vanapati Toll	0829	1833/196	15	23	45
14	Padhadhari bypass Flyover	0834	1838/201	5	5
15	Hotel Tulasi	0843 – 0926	1851/214	9	13
16	Madhapar. Left turn to Rajkot ring road. Bypass	0933	1857/220	7	6
17	Rt turn to Morbi HighwayRajkot	0939	1862/225	6	5
18	Greenland circle,1st exit Rajkot 8B	0950	1867/230	11	5
19	Kuvadva	1004	1880/243	14	13
20	Veti Toll	1013	1890/253	9	10	20
21	Bamanbore Toll -NH 8B& 8A meet	1019	1898/261	6	8	20
22	Chotila bypass	1029	1910/273	10	12
23	Limbdi Highway Food Mall Opp	1113	1974/337	47	64
24	Bhogava River	1140	2013/376	27	39
25	IOC Petrol Pump	1219	2057/420	39	44
26	Santhal Circle	1229	2066/429	10	9
27	Shanand toll plaza	1232	2067/430	3	1	23
28	Vaishnodevi Circle left turn  8C	1301	2088/451	29	21
29	Gandhinagar bypass road Rt turn	1312	2098/461	11	10
33	Raksha Shakthi circle. Rt turn	1314	2101/464	2	3
34	Hotel Ashooka Inn	1320	2103/466	6	2
	Halts	1. Coffee Break: 0719 – 0739 : 20mnts at Jamnagar Bypass.,Hotel Keshwara Coffee carried from Dwaraka 2. Breakfast : 0846 – 0926 : 40 mnts Hotel Tulasi 3. Ioc Petrol Pump out skirts of Ahmadabad : 10 mnts
	Total Distance	466 Kms
	Time Taken	0507 – 1320 : 8 Hrs 13 Mnts
	Total Halts	1 Hr 10 mnts
	Toll	Rs 178
	Average Speed Including Halts	56.69 Kms/Hr
	Excluding Halts	66,1 Kms/Hr

Day 8

 NH 8C : Indroda Circle Gandhinagar – Chiloda Circle. NH 8:Chilloda Circle – Mahadevpur,Udaipur Bypass. NH 76: Pratap Circle, Udaipur Bypass – Rithola.

 NH79/79A: Rithola – Rt turn to NH 8 Near Kishangadh. NH8: Till Gopalpur bypass, Jaipur.

	Place	Time	Km Reading	Δ Time Mnts	Δ Km	Toll
1	Hotel Ashooka Inn Gandhinagar	0504	2120/0	0	0
2	RakshaShakthi circle. Straight	0506
3	Indoda Circle,Rt Turn, 3rd exit 8C	0508	2122/2	4	2
4	Gandhinagar Circle.Rt Turn, 3 Rd Exit	0516	2129/9	8	7
5	Chilloda Circle, 1st exit, left turn NH8	0521	2135/15	5	6
6	Khatpur toll plaza	0540	2158/38	19	23	50
7	Himmatnagar	0559	2183/63	19	25
8	Vantada Toll	0622	2215/95	23	32	45
9	Ratanpur Guj – Raj Border	0643	2242/122	21	27
10	Kherwara	0713	2278/158	30	36
11	Kherwara Toll plaza	0717	2282/162	4	4	35
12	Som River Crossing	0722	2288/168	5	6
13	Rishabhdev	0726	2294/174	4	6
14	Paduna Toll Coffee Break  *1	0744 -0755	2321/201	18	27	70
15	Udaipur bypass start.Mahadevpur	0825	2352/232	30	31
16	Pratap circle. Udaipur Bypass end NH 76	0850	2364/244	25	12
17	Bhatewar	0914	2392/272	24	28
18	Vana	0925	2406/286	11	14
19	Narayanapura Toll	0933	2414/294	8	8	100
20	Mangalwad Chourastha	0940	2421/301	7	7
21	Bhadsora	0953	2437/317	13	16
22	Chitrakoot Resort, Rithola B/F Halt   *2	1011 - 1101	2462/342	18	25
23	Rithola toll plaza	1105	2465/345	4	3
24	Kapasan road, Chittorgarh bypass	1112	2472/352	7	7
25	Joro Ka Kheda Toll	1134	2493/373	22	21	90
26	Mandpiya. Keep left. Bhilwara Bypass start	1155	2515/395	21	22
27	SH 12  crossing Underpass Bhilwara Bypass	1201	2522/402	6	7
28	Bhilwara bypass ends	1213	2537/417	12	15
29	Raila	1233	2560/440	20	23
30	Kanwaliyas Toll	1245	2576/456	12	16	105
31	Nasirabad bypass end	1342	2643/523	57	67
32	IOC Petrl Pump      *3	1347 - 1432	2646/526	5	3
33	GVK Toll, Kishangadh	1502 - 1509	2682/562	30	36	95
34	Dudu	1529	2712/592	20	30
35	GVK Toll, Jaipur	-	-	-	-	0
36	Gopalpura bypass rt turn	1615	2766/646	46	54
37	Hotel Rockland (OYO Rooms)	1627	2773/653	12	7
	Halts	1.Coffee Break  Just after Paduna Toll : 0744 – 0755  :   11 Mnts. Coffee carried from Hotel 2. Breakfast. Chitrakoot Resort, Rithala : 1011 –        1101 : 50 mnts. 3.IOB Petrol Pump, After Nasira bad bypass : 1347 – 1432: 45 mnts. Petrol filling and Puncture Repair.
	Total Distance	653 Kms
	Time Taken	0504 – 1627 : 11 Hrs 23 Mnts
	Total halts	1 hr 46  mnts
	Toll	Rs. 590/-
	Average Speed       Including Halts	57.38 Kms.Hr
	Excluding Halts	61.49 Kms/Hr

Day 9

Route: NH8 : From Jaipur , Gurgaon, Ring Road, DND Noida.

	Place	Time	Km Reading	Δ Time Mnts	Δ Km	Toll
1	Hotel Rockland (OYO Rooms)	0526	2773/0	0	0
2	Joining NH 8, Jaipur Bypass	0531	2777/4	5	4
3	Daultpura Toll	0555	2804/31	24	27	46
4	Jaipur bypass ends	0613	2825/52	18	21
5	Manoharpura Toll	0621– 0628	2834/61	8	9	55
6	Shahpura	0635	2842/69	7	8
7	Kotputli	0713	2889/116	38	47
8	Behror	0732	2911/138	19	22
9	Sagar Ratna Restaurant	0736 – 0824	2914/141	4	3
10	Neemrana Industrial Area	0831	2923/150	7	9
11	Shajahanpur Toll	0836	2930/157	5	7	114
12	Daruhera	0915	2974/201	39	44
13	Gurgaon Toll	0942	3003/230	27	29	60
16	DND					28
11	Home, KV 2, Sec 82, Noida	1053	3065/292	71	62
	Halts	Breakfast : SagarRatna, Behror : 0736 – 0824 : 48 Mnts
	Total Distance	292 Kms
	Time Taken	0526 – 1053 : 5 hrs 27 mnts
	Toll	Rs. 303
	Average Speed Including Halts	55.61 Kms/Hr
	Excluding Halts	62.8 Kms/Hr

Total Distance Travelled for Trip	3065 Kms
Petrol Purchased  Petrol Left In Tank	227.78Lt 27 Lt
Milage  ( With Ac Throught )	15.3Km/Lt ( Aprox )

Trip Research, Log Record & Text By: Vijayamohan.

Photos & Driving By: Ravindra

Delhi 
04-12-2015 Friday 2210