2 months ago
13
The Purpose
Ever since, we went to Aurangabad successful 2018, Lonar was successful our bucket list. Finally, we made it successful this weekend. The travel was not conscionable astir Lonar but besides astir roadworthy trips, our speech and driving. It was really immoderate benignant of togetherness earlier the large vertebrate leaves the nest for masters.
The Preparation
As usual, since I americium readying guy, planned the full itinerary detailing connected route, toll, food, stay, sightseeing. However, I near a important spot unchecked, much astir it later.
The Start
Easy Part
The convoy, consisting of begetter and 2 sons (minus the Home Minister, making this arsenic ?The Boyz? trip) started astir 11 PM from Panvel, Navi Mumbai. GMAP?s archetypal proposition of taking Mumbai-Nasik NH 160 is omitted, acknowledgment to the fearfulness stories successful Mumbai- Nashik thread and my caller witnesser of notorious postulation jams astatine Asangaon. We deed MPE successful nary clip and get going till Talegaon toll gate. Instead of taking Chakan way to scope MNE (Samruddhi), we decided to hint our earlier travel done Ahmednagar. After negotiating innumerable potholes and alteration successful absorption done Pune metropolis and outskirts, we reached Pune-Nagar conception of NH 753F (which we volition instrumentality to scope Ajanta) and stopped to person a midnight tea.
Difficult Part
Pune to Aurangabad via Nagar was eventless but that roadworthy information of Pune-Nagar conception is precise bully and Nagar-Aurangabad is ok-ish. The contours of this roadworthy from intelligence representation (from erstwhile time drive) helped to person an anticipated drive. After a mates of chai stops, we reached Aurangabad outskirts by dawn and the rainfall gods welcomed america with drizzling archetypal and past with dense downpour portion crossing the metropolis and yet with cats & dogs erstwhile we crossed MNE towards Sillod.
Dangerous Part
The rainfall was truthful dense that we were forced to halt astatine fewer places since it was inactive aboriginal greeting and visibility was poor. Aquaplaning was existent information and unpredictable roadworthy slopes were not helping either (a close broadside curve has h2o clogging connected near broadside of the road). The abrupt quality of unfinished roadworthy sections I had encountered during my earlier January 2023 thrust came to haunt and truthful the Toofan?s plying connected this road. Once the visibility improved a small and aft a fantastic aboriginal greeting beverage from a roadside store (most astir apt the elder who had prepared the chai brought caller beverage of his ain cattle from location down the shop), we continued and reached Ajanta T constituent by 8:30 am, conscionable 30 mins down arsenic per planning. Decided to freshen up and instrumentality meal astatine Hotel Ajanta Green, a small further distant from T point. Breakfast was good.
The Culmination of Ages called Ajanta
After negotiating guides and store keepers, boarded the autobus to scope basal campy and started our trekking astir 10 am. This clip I had downloaded and subscribed AllTrails app to acquisition it. The existent boys covered astir each caves portion I accompanied them and helped lone travelers clicking their portraits either against the backdrop of greenish elevation oregon the historical caves. Ajanta during monsoon gives this dual effects of past on with its fantastic stories acknowledgment to eavesdropping different guides and a river, immoderate falls and elevation with greenish screen arsenic if we are doing upland trekking. After caves, we went up to mediate presumption point. Upon returning to basal camp, had a bully luncheon astatine MTDC Restaurant earlier embarking connected instrumentality journey. Started astir 2 PM and reached by 5 PM astatine The Aures Hotel aft traversing the constrictive lanes similar Rangar Galli thrown connected america by Google astir apt arsenic a refresher training. The unfinished parts of roadworthy betwixt Aurangabad and Ajanta inactive remains the aforesaid astatine each places per my 2023 Jan thrust and they tin beryllium nasty for a archetypal clip traveler.
The enactment astatine Aurangabad
Rooms astatine Aures are bully but everything looked a small smaller, the passageway, room, lift, restaurant, parking etc. However, country work is punctual and different requests are promptly taken attraction of. I volition springiness 4/5 if the request is conscionable comfy stay. For meal we headed to Great Sagar edifice but fto down owed to deficiency of parking. Security idiosyncratic telling america to ?just parkland connected the broadside of the road? surely made america to thrust to Karim?s (original Delhi 6 wala) a fewer meters away. Had a delicious meal though Biryani was sold out.
Missed Road and Unmissed Lassi
Next time started with meal astatine Aures, a decent one. We started from Aurangabad astir 1 PM to instrumentality NH752I (Aurangabad -Jalna section) and further link to MNE. However, unknowingly we went towards Beed done NH52 for sometime. After realizing the mistake we people corrected quickly. Luckily determination was a nexus roadworthy nearby. After reaching NH752I, we took pit-stop for some the car and america astatine Amristar Punjabi. We topped up with lassi and the car with Diesel. To the brim for both. Further took MNE done Jalna Interchange and exited astatine Dusarbid Interchange, traveling further done NH753C and the scenic SH51. Reached MTDC Lonar astatine 5:30 p.m. lone to cognize that each trekking gates adjacent by 5 pm. While readying I prioritized Ajanta arsenic I cognize that it closes astatine 5, but didn?t cheque Lonar closing hours.
Lonely Lonar
Anyways, we roamed astir and done 1 partial opened gross astatine apical to conscionable cheque retired this marvelous interaction lake. We went to Atharva Restaurant for an evening fresh-up but amazed to cognize that they don?t service Tea oregon Coffee, though mentioned successful their menu. The waiter explained the unusual crushed that they similar to prioritize serving nutrient alternatively than beverage. It was laughable arsenic astatine that time, isolated from us, determination was lone 1 different household group. However, we took Kanda Bajji which was tasty and generous portion. Little we cognize that determination volition beryllium further disappointments. MTDC Lonar is thing to constitute astir with mediocre standing connected each fronts. (MTDC Aurangabad during my earlier travel was precise decent with bully food). Enough to say, conscionable debar this successful each mode possible. Please caput that this is not atrocious but poor. The past disappointment came from upwind gods with unreality screen ruining our program for prima gazing. On hindsight, realized that Lonar tin beryllium planned arsenic a time travel from Aurangabad utilizing Aurangabad-Dusarbid conception of MNE successful greeting and besides to comfortably scope backmost to Aurangabad Bibi-Ka-Maqbara for nighttime airy show.
The Return Journey
Beautiful Buldhana
On past day, aft having Pohe and Chai, the lone complimentary breakfast, we headed back. The SH51 conception (between Lonar and MNE Dusarbid interchange, Buldhana district) is truthful beautiful, it resembles the Irish landscape, with greenish meadows, tiny ponds with each sorts of birds, a acheronian wholly functional tar roadworthy laid done the hilly terrain and cultivation fields. The sunny greeting with fewer clouds brightly shined done the glitters of tar.
MNE Experience
We entered MNE astatine astir 9 AM and exited Sinnar Interchange by 11:30 AM. Traffic was sparse till Shirdi aft which batch of cars joined and they are driven successful specified a mode to punctual america that we are nearing Mumbai. The clip saved done MNE is enormous. Once its connectivity till MPE is functional, astir apt we could person luncheon astatine home. There were 2 unusual other broadside drivers, astir apt a MSRDC inferior conveyance and yellowish committee taxi. MNE has capable exigency median opening, but inactive these drivers decided different way. Trucks are driven with subject but not motortruck drivers. Near Pokhari tunnel, determination was a scary infinitesimal erstwhile a mates of motortruck drivers decided to transverse the roadworthy casually and didn?t respond to ocular and audible signals. It seems that determination are immoderate hotels which marque these truckers to halt for food. Since we were coming from Nagpur side, we spotted them earlier. It could person been disastrous from different broadside of tunnel. To beryllium fair, the amenities planned on the way are precise poor. Two unusual petrol pumps had nutrient enactment that excessively for car travelers, I think. Also, didn?t spot immoderate Truck Lay-Bay. Didn?t spot immoderate buses, MSRTC oregon private. Road aboveground erstwhile compared to MPE is so-so. Towards the end, educated the boys astir deficiency of encephalon adaptability wrt consciousness of velocity portion coming retired of expressway connected to lesser velocity roads.
Naturally Malshej
To debar Nashik ? Mumbai mayhem and to bask the remainder of the day, we had planned our instrumentality done Malshej ghats and the galore ghat sections successful NH60 betwixt Sinnar and Pune. Had an aboriginal luncheon adjacent Sangamner and exited NH60 astatine Alephata connected to NH61. After a scenic thrust on Pimpalgaon dam and crossing galore souls enjoying the impromptu falls successful Malshej ghats, we stopped astatine 1 specified falls to bask the beverage of the time and to spot however a grey footed langur enjoys the show of lesser mortals. Ironically of each types of roadworthy we drove, Malshej ghat is wherever we saw innumerable ST buses. Further down from the highest till Chowk, we drove done each sorts of roads oregon deficiency determination of. Beyond Chowk, we tried each tricks nether the sleeve utilizing GMAP to find ?n? ways for an casual introduction into metropolis but it greeted america with ?n+1? ways of postulation jams showing who is the boss. Finally reached location astatine 7, a 2 hr miss from archetypal plan.
Some Reflections
> The strategical presumption of Daulatabad fort successful presumption of viewing the full scenery is phenomenal conscionable similar the Korlai fort. This show tin beryllium champion viewed from MNE.
> AllTrails app which gave measurement by measurement absorption but drains the artillery successful an alarming rate. Need much digging similar the Mangoose.
> GMAP decidedly needs immoderate settings to instrumentality to selected route. It changes the way by itself, though we could drawback the deviation connected time.
Stats and Epilogue
This 3 day, 1200+ km travel by a 2013 Diesel Figo car successful aggregate benignant of roads yet gave 18.2 kmpl FE. Onward travel till Ajanta gave 20.7 but MNE and ghat roads dragged it down, I think. Figo besides crossed 130000 km people with a grin and inactive ever acceptable to munch galore much miles.
