Sunday 25 December 2011

Mumbai to Lonavla ( DEC 2011 )



Hello all ,
well this is my first attempt at documenting my few travels . i have been bitten by the travel bug quite a few number of ocassions . Have of late decided that i should document my thoughts and helpful facts ..
am starting with the Mumbai to Lonavla trip that i undertook today . It was a round trip and undertaken jus for the heck of it ...
Few facts : Mumbai to Lonavala  : 88 km ( using the Expressway)
                 Travel time : 2 hours ( this includes the Mumbai traffic as well and the Lonavla town traffic chaos )

Few Tips : 1. In case the travel is starting from morning with breakfast time round the corner , suggest packing     up the same as it is best to eat out on the road once you are clear of Mumbai traffic i.e. after Navi Mumbai .
                 2. Carry loads of water and few munchies .
                 3. Good tracks on the car stereo is a must.
                 4. Once the expressway starts there is only one rest stop on the way . Tht is the only alternate option to eat something.
                 5. There are tunnels on the way , though not big suggest use blinkers while passing through them.
                 6. Lots of options to stay at Lonavala , though as this time i did not so will not be able to provide much details on them in this post.

Travel  : The journey to leave Mumbai from starting point of Church gate meant that the route to leave Mumbai consisted of catching up the Eastern Express Highway after crossing  Chinchpokli ,Dadar , Parel , Sion and thereafter taking a right to go past Chembur , Govandi and then Navi Mumbai . Not too many petrol pumps also enroute on the Expressway so this is also a point to be considered.
              I completed the trip within two hours though the maximum time was spent getting out of Mumbai , on the Vashi bridge ( this is actually a blocker ) and then at the outskirts of Lonavala itself.All in all a gud trip

Caution : Beware of numerous accidents and errant drivers on the Expressway.