Mumbai – Dwarka – Somnath – Diu - Mumbai in My Black Cheetah: Mahindra XUV500 W6


Thread Starter #1
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During Diwali vacations of 2015 in the last minute we have decided to go out. Checked number of day in hand, read few travelogues and finally planned to cover Gujarat coastal. As it was last minute plan and considering diwali vacation quickly booked hotels.

Below was the plan:
Day 1 – Mumbai – Dwarka
Day 2 – Dwarka – Somnath
Day 3 – Somnath – Diu – Somnath
Day 4 – Somnath – Mumbai

Total distance – 2400 KM (approx)
Total passenger – 4
Vehicle – Mahindra XUV 5OO (less than 1 year)
ODO – 9000 (approx)
Total fuel – 180 Litre
Fuel average- 13.3 kmpl (100% A/C)

Day – 1 (11/12-Nov-2015)
Route: Mumbai – Surat – Vadodara – Ahmedabad – Rajkot – Jamnagar - Dwarka
Distance: 960km
Travel Time: 12hrs (including 45min break)

It was day of diwali, to save some time I have planned to start in night, I have travelled on Mumbai – Ahmedabad route 3-4 times before, and I feel this route is pretty safe to drive in night (actually sometime better). Packing was done by evening, bought some water, juices & Gatorade. After diwali pooja we had dinner and were ready, loaded luggage in the car and left home at around 10pm, crossed Dahisar toll naka at 10:50pm. Due to diwali eve there was very less traffic (only few trucks). I was driving between 90-110kmph crossed Bhagwada toll (Vapi) by 12:30am, took a tea break of 20min before Bharuch, crossed famous Narmada bridge at Bharuch easily in 10min, entered NE1 at Vadodara around 3:45am. Crossed Ahmedabad ring road (Bakrol Toll Plaza) at 5:05am, a cop stopped us on ring road and checked car, after 5min of checking and ensuring there was nothing wrong he left us and we were back on route. By now I was doing good speed crossed Limbdi and stopped for tea (20min), crossed Rajkot by 7am, topped-up diesel on the way towards Jamnagar, crossed Jamnagar around 8:30am, after khambhalia road is little narrow and passes through salt pan, finally reached Dwarka around 10am.

Checked in to hotel which was very close to temple(5min walk), sun was hard and I was feeling sleepy, got fresh, had early lunch which was pathetic and slept. Got up around 5pm and left for temple around 6pm, there was decent rush got darshan in 30min, went to back side of temple Gomti ghat, walked towards ocean and relaxed there for some time, bought some sovereigns and went for dinner to a restaurant after checking tripadvisor reviews, food was very good and restaurant was just opposite temple, hit bed by 10:30pm.
 

bhvm

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The roads around Ahmadabad are quite nice. XUV is just exactly made for those kind of drives.
Great write up. keep it up.

P.s- your FE appears a bit on lower side considering sedate drive. maybe it will improve after a few oil changes.
 
Thread Starter #4
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The roads around Ahmadabad are quite nice. XUV is just exactly made for those kind of drives.
Great write up. keep it up.

P.s- your FE appears a bit on lower side considering sedate drive. maybe it will improve after a few oil changes.
Thanks bhvm, after crossing Surat I was driving with heavy foot. But in general I am getting FE around 13kmpl (tankful-tankful).
 
Thread Starter #5
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Day 2 (13-Nov-2015)
Route: Dwarka – Nageshwar Jyotirling – Bet Dwarka(Okha) - Somnath
Distance: 300km
Travel Time: 9hrs (including 3.5hrs break)

Got up early and left hotel by 8am, Nageshwar Jyotirling is one of the 12 jyotirlings of Shiva, it is 17km from Dwarka, road was in good condition, reached temple by 8:30am, got good darshan, performed pooja and left for Okha around 9am. Okha is around 20km from Nageshwar, road is very narrow, as it was morning time found no vehicle from opposite side, reached Okha by 9:45am there was lot of rush luckily got one parking, at jetty there was a long queue for ferry, got one guy who was asking for private boat to Bet Dwarka he already had a group we joined them. Ferry ride is some 30min one way, hired a guide too he showed us temples and reached back to parking by 12pm. We were back to Dwarka around 1pm, wasted some time if finding ATM, there are very few ATM’s around temple and most of them were out of order. Left Dwarka without withdrawing cash stopped on the way to Hotel Govardhan Greens for lunch, they serve gujarati thali which was good. Sun was very harsh, road condition was very good throughout, finally got atm in working condition at Porbandar, followed google maps to exit Porbandar came to know road is closed for construction checked with few people and one good fella told me to follow him, he took me through some interior road which was narrow, at one place we crossed railway track and finally saw highway, thanked him and was on the way to Somnath. After Porbandar there was a bridge over some river which was closed for repair, cops diverted traffic through some interior roads for 15km, finally reached Somnath by 5:30pm.

Checked in to hotel, got fresh and left for temple around 6:30pm, lots of people huge traffic jam to get into parking, finally parked car and left for temple got darshan in 30min, reached back hotel by 9pm, restaurant was next to hotel and 1hour waiting had dinner and retired for the day by 11pm.

day2.JPG
 
Thread Starter #6
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Nageshwar Jyotirling
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On the way to Bet Dwarka
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Public ferry too much packed
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Our boat failed due to mixing of water, tugged by another boat
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Somnath (only pic I have [sad])
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Thread Starter #7
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Day – 3 (14-Nov-2015)
Route: Somnath – Diu - Somnath
Distance: 185km

Left hotel around 11am first went to bhalka tirtha, they were building a new temple counstruction was on. After spending some 15min there left for Diu. Road to Diu is a 2 lane undivided highway, road condition was decent but local rickshaw wala drive very rash. Stopped in between 10 min for sugarcane juice, reached Diu by 2:30pm, straight went to Naida caves, its a beautiful place, spend some 40min, went to Fort road for some lunch but it was very heavily crowded and no parking, then went to Nagoa beach roads were jam and people all around, parked car at road side and went for thr hunt of food as it was almost 5pm restaurants were closed, luckily found one he was ready fro starters and chinese, enjoyed food and left for Somnath around 6-6:30pm reached hotel by 8:30pm, had dinner and retired for the day.

day3.JPG
 
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Thread Starter #9
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Day – 4 (15-Nov-2015)
Route: Somnath – Mumbai
Distance: 930km

Started around 7am from Somnath, stopped for breakfast around 9:30am before Junagadh. Had fafda. jalebi and dhokhla it was good. As it was last day of vacation, people were returning home, traffic was heavy, found long queues at toll plazas. Crossed Rajkot around 11:15am. Found some traffic jam at Chotila due to temple. Stopped for lunch around 2pm at Sugar N Spice at Limbdi, very good restaurant with good food and clean washrooms. Joined NE1 at Ahmedabad around 3:20pm, took a tea bear of 20min at Kamath’s near vapi/valsad, crossed Vapi around 8:30pm. Filled diesel at Vapi got an average of 15.11kmpl, this is so far highest I have got. Crossed Khaniwade toll plaza around 10pm, just before entering Mumbai got a traffic jam of some 10km after getting stuck for some 45min pulled car to a restaurant nearby, had dinner and spend some time there, after checking traffic is better again started at 1am, crossed Dahisar toll plaza at 2am reached home by 2:30am.
 

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