Mumbai To Shirdi in TUV300 By Drivezy


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This travelogue is about a short round trip from Airoli to Shirdi with family members.

My sister and her husband came over for a vacation. So we decided to visit Sai Baba Temple Shirdi, due to time constraints and other commitment we had just one day to complete this trip. We planned to start early morning on Sunday(9th June) and back on the same day in the evening.

Route: Airoli-->Igatpuri-->Ghoti-->Shridi
Return Route: Shirdi-->Ahmednagar-->Pune-->Airoli
Total Distance covered: 603kms
Car: TUV300
Diesel: 40ltr

airoli-to-shirdi.PNG
shirdi-to-airoli.PNG
IMG_20190609_082829.jpg


We booked TUV300 from drivezy for the journey. We own a WagonR but I wanted to experience SUV so decided to book TUV300. We were a total of 6 members. Our plan was to leave by 6:00 am but as usual, we started our journey by 8:30 am delayed by 2hrs 30mis. I was the only person who will be driving during the entire trip. So to cover the time that we delayed I decided to avoid unnecessary tea and coffee breaks.

The roads were butter smooth till the turn for Ghoti-Shirdi road. After driving for almost 4hrs we took a lunch break at 12:30 pm. After having lunch we covered the remaining distance in just 30 mins as we had already covered the rest of the distance.

While searching for free parking we came to know that the parking building was under construction so we decided to park our vehicle in private parking which was the nearby temple. Tip: Do not stop if any prasad shop vendor asks you to park your vehicle. You will get every facility in mandir parisar only like shoes, mobile and camera stand. We took the VIP pass which costs Rs200 per person. Usually, the pass holder gets entry from gate number 3 but when we went there the security guard told us that the gate has been closed due to rush so we proceded from gate number 4.
The paid pass holder has to go from Shani gate inside the temple. It took a total of 40 mins for us to complete the baba darshan. After that, we got udi and laadu prasad. We spent almost 1 hr for shopping and other stuff.

By 4:30 pm we were all set to leave for Mumbai. We started our journey towards Ahmednagar as we had to first get to Pune to visit my younger sister. The google map was showing that we will reach Pune by 9:30 pm. But fate had planned something else for us. When we reached Ahmednagar bypass we encountered traffic. By doing 30 mins dodging we were able to cross the unlimited number of trucks. So we took deep breathe and thanked God that we have crossed biggest hurdle but when we connected to NH160 and took right turn for Pune from Ahmednagar bypass we again faced Tsunami of trucks and other vehicles. This time we were not so lucky to dodge the traffic, we crawled for 2 hrs meanwhile rain god started pouring first rain of the monsoon. After so much of fuss anyhow we managed to get out of traffic and reached Pune by 12:30 am. Till that time everyone got exhausted and no one was ready for 2 more hrs to drive to Mumbai.

I had to return the vehicle by 1:00 am and I was in Pune by 12:30 am. So I decided to extend the booking but due to the next booking of car I only got 5 hrs extension till 6:00 am in the morning. Now at any cost, I had to leave Pune coz I didn't want an unnecessary penalty for not returning the vehicle on time. So I started requesting everyone that please cooperate for 2 more hrs, they settled down with one condition that I had to allow them to take rest for at least 2 hrs before proceeding further. Everyone agreed on that and we decided to leave Pune by 3:00 am in the morning so that we will reach Mumbai by 6:00 am.

Everyone set their alarm for 3:00 am in the morning and went to sleep for 2 hrs. 2 hrs went like a couple of mins only. It was like we just closed our eyes and this alarm clock started ringing. Everyone started pushing other people that get up as we have to leave but no one wanted to get up on their own. After fighting for almost 1hr 30 mins everyone got ready for further drive to Mumbai. I was damn tired due to continuous driving but I had no other choice left. I had to return the vehicle and then by 10:00 am I had to reach office as well.

We started from Pune on 10th June at 4:30 am. There was no sign of any traffic. Only a couple of trucks were there on the road. After driving for 30 mins I was on Mumbai Pune expressway. I wanted to open full throttle and test the TUV's stamina but the car rental companies fixed the speed limit to 80km/hr. So one cannot go beyond that speed. I was constantly driving at 80 km/hr and by 6:30 we reached Airoli in 2 hrs.

I returned the TUV with wonderful memories, since last 24 hrs I was driving it and created a bond, I literally enjoyed the driving posture as well power and comfort. In the future, if I will get a chance then surely I would like to go for it again.

Finally after returning back home at 8:00 am in the morning the trip got ended with an amazing experience. Please excuse me for my writing, I am not a perfect writer. I just wanted to share my experience and here it was all.

Thanks for your patience to read the article.

Keep Riding | Keep Driving | Enjoy life to fullest
 
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How was the condition of Ahmednagar bypass? Heard its in terrible state for many years. It is better to pass through Ahmednagar town itself.
 
Thread Starter #3
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How was the condition of Ahmednagar bypass? Heard its in terrible state for many years. It is better to pass through Ahmednagar town itself.
Road was not that bad however road widening work was in progress. But the route was jam pack with infinite number of trucks. Not sure about town condition.
 

mayankdixit

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Congratulations on completing trip in time. You were successful in safe journey.
But you took a big risk. No sleep. + tiredness + night driving. + Unknown vehicle which you are not used to = disaster recipe.
 
Thread Starter #5
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Congratulations on completing trip in time. You were successful in safe journey.
But you took a big risk. No sleep. + tiredness + night driving. + Unknown vehicle which you are not used to = disaster recipe.
Looking back I do realise it was quite risky. Surely I will be considering this in my future trips.
 

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