Delhi to Mumbai — A Road Trip
This has undoubtedly been one of my richest travel experiences ever ! 12 days after we set forth on our road trip from Gurgaon to Mumbai, I am left with a variety of experiences that rest sweetly in my memory leaving me feeling very contented and rich.
An innovative thought — Road trip to Mumbai
Another one of Rohit’s adventurous ideas — to drive down to Mumbai from Gurgaon and back by car suddenly struck through while we were contemplating our travel to Mumbai and were checking availability of flight tickets in late December or early Jan. ‘Why not do a road trip by car?’, he suggested and almost immediately it was an excited ‘ yes’ from me. Of course as always there was a little reluctance from family members but we were both keen to explore the north western stretch from Gurgaon via Rajasthan and Gujarat to Mumbai by road.
Eat less, eat healthy while travelling
Without making any grand plans, we set forth on this exciting journey on the 4th Jan 2016 by a diesel run swift VDI. It was last minute prep and so by the time we actually started, it was 7 a.m. Mother nature was very kind for the last few days offering us the warmth of the bright sun and the luxury of clear skies minus the fog and very comfortable temperatures. We drove down straight on NH-8 towards Jaipur, just stopping over for a short breakfast on the way. Lunch was while driving, intermittently gulping down spoons of lemon rice that was freshly prepared that morning. It was a good idea to eat less while travelling and especially while driving long distances. We avoided oily food and snacks but purchased some very very sweet guavas on the way at Rajasthan while heading from Jaipur to Udaipur. Driving at a consistent and economical average of 70–80 km /hour, we reached Udaipur at 7 :00 p.m. We preferred to do a continuous straight drive with very few stops in between for photography, thus reaching our destination for the day well in time. What really worked well was carrying home made food which included steamed idlis and lemon rice that kept us very light and yet was a filling diet. We realized it is important to eat healthy, less oily and wholesome food while travelling while making sure that we eat just the right amounts, not less, not more. Also taking too many halts in between tends to make one feel tired, so it is good to do a longer stretch during the day, reaching our destination by evening so that there is enough time for rest and relaxation.
Early to bed, early to rise
We checked in at Hotel Golden Tulip at Sukhadia circle at Udaipur which is a lovely boutique hotel, very conveniently located. The hotel has very good facilities and well decked rooms, a warm and friendly décor and great hospitality. After a little stroll at night at the nearby fountain and park at Sukhadia circle, we went off to rest. It was an early to bed and early to rise policy for us. We woke up next morning, feeling fresh and after a quick shower, left Udaipur at 5 a.m. for Mumbai.
Day 2, was equally comfortable and smooth. Most of the roads are good but we did feel that the toll charges at relatively short intervals especially between Kishangarh to Chittorgarh(on day1) and on the Ahmedabad — Vadodara — Surat stretch were a bit too much. Except for a few slightly rough stretches, it was a smooth drive to Thane (the place where we stayed). We reached Thane which is my maternal home at 6 :00 p.m. Our bodies were very much in place feeling as though it was just a short trip, thanks to Rohit’s driving expertise, our wonderful vehicle, the good roads on NH-8 and above all Mother nature for blessing us with favourable weather conditions.
In and Around Mumbai
While in Mumbai, we went to offbeat places, places that are less known and relatively unexplored. We both like the silence, quietness and a different level of freshness that these virgin locations and offbeat destinations bring. I will be writing separately about our experiences in some of these locations worth mentioning, however photography, viewing sunsets by the sea, family time, time together mostly at the beaches, silent reflections, nature walks, conversations with locals, exploring raw villages in and around Mumbai, and some parts of Gujarat & Rajasthan, lots of lovely home made food (especially south indian delicacies), visits to a couple of spiritual traditions and lots of driving were the highlights of our trip.
Amongst some of the places we went to were the Buddhist pagoda at Gorai, Girgaum Chowpatty beach, Uttan beach near Gorai, an eco village built by ISCKON at the Manor Wada Road, near Palghar, Mahim beach near Kelva and Daman. Driving on the outskirts of Mumbai where most of these places are located was a lovely experience as we drive through the local and rural villages of Maharashtra and closely watching the lives of the fishermen who live by these beaches and earn a living out of fishing in the sea, was truly a heartwarming experience. However within Mumbai city, we strongly recommend that its best to use the super convenient public transport as the traffic on a Saturday evening can be really bad…that’s the only day we drove inside Mumbai.
Return Journey — Daman
Our journey back to Gurgaon by road was even better. We set forth on the 13th Jan, leaving Thane at 6 :30 a.m, heading straight to Daman. Daman is a small Union territory and a very popular tourist destination on the Mumbai — Gujarat border. It has a strong Portuguese influence in the architecture of its buildings and forts and is frequented by tourists wanting to getaway over a weekend and spend time drinking and relaxing by the sea on the sandy beaches. We arrived at Daman at around 10 a.m. and spent the day at the Devka and Jampore beaches, enjoying the salty sea water gently hitting the shores and gushing below our feet, as we could feel the soft sand pushing forward from underneath. As the evening drew closer, the sun began to set slowly, painting the skies golden orange and purple and the waters milky silver. An absolute treat for the eyes, we didnt feel like leaving the place. However realizing that we had a long way to go, we left Daman at around 7 p.m. heading for Surat via Udwada, where we halted the night.
Exploring offbeat routes
On day 2, we felt that driving through the National Highway and paying off toll taxes at small intervals was getting a bit frustrating for two reasons a. Driving through the highways does not allow you to see anything. Throughout the entire journey one only gets a glimpse of the roads and similar looking trees on both sides. B. The long waiting period due to vehicles queuing up at toll gates. So this time we decided to take off beat routes, to traverse the less travelled paths and go into the villages of western India.
From Surat, we headed to Halol and forward to Mandossa traversing through the villages in between, the Mahi river and Kalia kua. We got to see and feel rural Gujarat and the simplicity of the villagers in this belt. The crystal clear waters of the Mahi river by which the villagers bathe and wash, the houses made of mud and tiled roof and the women clad in Gujarati saarees; this stretch was surely a treat for the heart. We arrived Udaipur at around 5 :30 p.m. feeling contented that we had actually seen a part of Gujarat that is usually beyond any tourist map.
OYO Rooms — A great stay option
Our stay at both Surat and Udaipur was organized by Oyo rooms, who hosted us as guests. The rooms provided in both Surat and Udaipur were at Deluxe hotels and were well equipped with all facilities including free wifi. Oyo also did a good job of organizing rooms for us at a very short notice of just couple of hours without any major hiccups. The rates of the rooms are very nominal, when booked via Oyo (oyorooms.com) and the services are totally worth the cost. So if you are someone who carries work along while travelling like we do, then Oyo is a good option to book your rooms as they offer free wifi and comfortable, economical stay options.
Rural Rajasthan — A treat for the soul
Day 3 on our way back home was the best in the entire 11 day trip. A truly rural experience of the raw Rajasthani villages and culture awaited us. Again we started off from Udaipur at 7 a.m. heading straight to Mavli and then to Bhilwara via Rashmi. Similarly we continued driving further down from Bhilwara towards Jaipur through the small villages in that belt, occasionally taking the state highway but mostly driving through the village roads.
What we saw and experienced is beyond description, be it the mud houses, the hospitality of the locals, the Rajasthani women and men clad in their traditional outfits, the local grazers community tribes who travel on foot with their animals all over the country to allow them to graze, loads of camels, cactus, the local deer like animals apart from the bullock carts and cows and much more. It was truly a day well spent living in rural Rajasthan. Interacting with the villagers and getting a glimpse into their lives was very heartwarming. We had strangers welcoming us for a cup of tea and little children happily posing for photographs. It was like being in the heart of India, and for sometime it did seem like time had temporarily atleast come to a halt. A few clicks after every few meters of driving became the norm for the day.
WOW ! — Arrived safely — A journey that will continue forever…
It was only towards evening after arriving at Jaipur that we decided to take the National highway back to Delhi. We saved time and energy by avoiding the traffic on the main highways and also got a complete feel of the Rajasthani culture and villages. It was a few hours, but it felt like we had been on a month long tour of Rajasthan and our hearts were filled with contentment. We finally reached home at 12 midnight, feeling very very full. Our bodies ached and were fatigued with the long travel but our hearts were full and our appetite for adventure, nature and culture, satiated.
What worked well for us :
1. Following our heart and taking the risk of driving down all the way
2. Eating less, eating home made food kept us feeling fresh and saved costs
3. Good and ample rest at night. No night driving
4. Exploring off beat routes and traversing the less travelled paths
5. Working out the route map in advance before setting out
6. Interacting with locals and trusting them
7. Carrying our own bottles of water and drinking enough water while driving
Total Kms covered : Gurgaon to Thane — 1440 kms ; Thane to Gurgaon — 1493 kms.
Route traversed :
Gurgaon to Mumbai → Gurgaon — — — Jaipur (through NH-8) — — diverted towards kishangarh after crossing Jaipur — — — enroute Chittorgarh to Udaipur.
Udaipur — Ahmedabad — — Vadodara — — Surat — — Vapi — — — Virar — — — Thane.
Mumbai to Gurgaon → Mumbai (Thane) — — Daman — — — Udwada — — Surat — — — Halol — — took the village roads crossing Mahi river — Kalia kua (before Mandossa) — — — Dungarpur — — Udaipur.
Udaipur — — Dabok — Mavli — — Bhupalsagar — — — Rashmi — — — Bhilwara bypass — — Mandal — — went on to state highway 12 — — towards Kekri — Malpura — Diggi — Phagi — Renewal — — Balawala — — Jaipur — — on to NH-8 towards Delhi — — Manesar — — Gurgaon.
Number of toll Nakas :
Gurgaon to Mumbai (Thane) — 22 toll gates as follows
1. Manesar — Around Rs. 60
2. Bawal — Shajahanpur Plaza — Rs. 124
3. Manoharpura plaza — Rs. 59
4. Near Jaipur — Daulatpura plaza — Rs 50
5. GVK Jaiour Express way Rs. 95
6. Kanwaliyas toll plaza — Rs. 105
7. Jojro ka Kheda (on the way to Chittorgarh) — Rs. 90
8. Singhpur toll plaza — Rs. 45
9. Dabok toll plaza — Rs. 30
10. Paduna Toll plaza — Udaipur — Ahmedabad highway
11. Khandi — Obari Toll Plaza — Rs. 70
12. Vadodoara Toll plaza (Ratanpur — Himmatnagar highway) — Rs. 40
13. Kathipur Toll plaza — Rs. 50
14. Ranasan toll plaza — Rs. 26
15. Ring road toll Plaza ( Ahmedabad — Surat highway) — Rs. 90
16. Ahm — Surat highway
17. L & T Tollway — Vadodara — Bharuch — Rs. 85
18. Choryasi toll plaza ( Bharuch — Surat) — Rs. 65
19. IRB Surat Dahisar Tollway — Rs. 57
20. IRB Surat Dahisar Tollway — Rs. 59
21. Surat Dahisar Tollway near Dahanu — Rs. 59
22. Khaniwade Toll plaza (Surat — Dahisar highway) — Rs. 65
Written by Ranjana & Rohit
