Chennai to Yercaud via Ulundurpet, Kallakurichi, Ayodhiyapattinam - Close to 400 Kms
Chennai to Yercaud via Kanchipuram, Vellore, Ambur, Vaniyambadi, Tirupattur, Harur - Close to 360 Kms
Chennai to Hyderabad by Road by Bike
The ride of my life till now..It all started with one of my best friend inviting me for his marriage in Hyderabad.
One of my craziest ideas that ever struck my mind was to ride alone from chennai to hyderabad for the marriage. It just remained as an idea until the night of the previous day when i called my friend and told him that i was coming.
On Thursday the 2nd Feb 2012, @ 6.15 AM i was ready pumped up though quite nervous to experience my first lonely long drive till now. With almost very less or no planning for a ride which is over 1500Kms,
i packed my bag with just the basic amenities as if were to travel on a train/bus. I wasn't prepared for
a puncture or for any major problem with my bike and thank god i din't face any. All i had was just an extra clutch cable in case the existing one fails. Hoping only for the best and nothing else, i started my bike in the foggy early morning from Chennai.
Driving directions:
The distance between Chennai and Hyderabad is 704Kms
The fastest & Safest route from Chennai to Hyderabad is
Chennai - Nellore - Ongole - Medarametla - Addanki - Nekarikallu - Miryalaguda - Nalgonda -Narkatpalli - Hyderabad
This route is more safer as half the distance you will be travelling in the GQ(Golden Quadilateral). From Chennai to Medarametla, you will take the NH16(part of GQ). From Medarametla(around 30 kms from Ongole), you have to take a left to drive on the Hyderabad road that meets the NH9 at Narkatpalli. At Narkatpalli, take a left and from there drive straight to reach Hyderabad from its eastern/Ramoji Film city end.
Site Seeing on the route:
If you just want to hit it slow on the road and in a much relaxed way..there are quite a few places enroute which may interest you. The Pulicat lake which is at a distance of 50kms from chennai might be a place of interest to you. You can really catch up some exciting views of landscapes covered with salt that appears
till horizon.
Further north, Nellore is a place where you get the best taste of Andhra cuisine. You can plan your travel
such that you can have either a breakfast or a dinner at this place depending on which way your travelling form.
Close to Nekarikall, there is a fascinating dam - The Nagarjuna Sagar dam, which is one of the world's oldest masonary dams still in operation. One can expect some boating and travel to an island in the lake.
Close to the dam, there is also an exciting falls - The Ethipothala falls which poses a great view for tourist both in day as well as in night where it is lighted up.
Moreover, if you want to visit the Nagarjuna sagar and the falls you have to take a different route from Nekarikallu than the one mentioned above. However, this route is not much longer and it also goes through some scenic landscapes as well. So its worth the travel via this route and also for the fact that you get to visit the dam and the falls.
The Do's and Dont's of a long drive:
What to do on a Solo Ride:
1. Look for important places that come on your way.
2. Enjoy the topography of the road no matter how bad it is. Try to look for humps well ahead
and ride on them as smooth as possible. Its only then that you get the time to enjoy the ride on humps.
3. It important to expect the unexpected to happen for you in order to keep your mind steady and
concentrated.
4. Drink water consistently to avoid dehyderation.
5. Lookout for signboards "Take diversion", "Men at work" and appropriately slow your pace.
6. Have a secondary plan for all sorts of problems.
What not to do on a Solo Ride
1. Never drive on a constant speed. It makes you lazy and you tend to be in a day dreaming state of mind
which is very dangerous. Vary your speed by 5% often. That's good for your bike as well as you.
2. Do not start a ride on a empty plan.
Luxembourg tourism
Luxembourg is a beautiful place for tourists especially becuase of its beauty in the summer. Every year cyclists from all over europe come here in summer only to cycle through the scenic terrains of this country. Though a very small country which is not even the size of some of the biggest metro's in the world, it attracts a lot people throughout the world for the fact that it is situated in the heart of Europe bordering 3 popular european nations - Belgium, France and Germany. The famous village Schengen where the Schengen agreement was signed is in Luxembourg. Most of you would have received the visa as 'Schengen visa' for Europe. The name comes after the name of this place where the agreement was made.
How to get there:
The capital city Luxembourg has an international airport but and a much busier airport in Brussels, Belgium is just 2 hours away. As all the european nations offer a common visa, its not problem where you board or where you get down unless you mention your plan at the time of getting your visa.
Where to stay:
There are a lot of youth hostels for that matter throughout the whole of europe which offers you cheap deals as 'Bed and Breakfast'. We stayed at a youth hostel in Vianden and the cost for a day and night is jst 18 Euros which includes the breakfast. Its a dormitory type and has around 10 beds but when we stayed it was only we three as there were not much people that time. If it's a private hotel, it costs you around 50 euros per person per day which is quite expensive. The rates also depend upon the season you are visiting as it is cheaper in winters than in summers where there is actual business.
Mode of transport within the country:
Trains and buses are good enough to cover the whole country unless you don't have your own mode of transport. Sometimes cyclists travel across the whole country in groups by cycle camping at various places
through their way. Luxembourg offers you a ticket for 2 euros with which you can travel in any trains or busses within luxembourg for 24 hrs. There are also group tickets available. You can contact the tourist office at the railway station and get the cheapest ticket according to your group.
Places of Attraction :
Luxembourg City
Castle of Vianden
Esch-sur-Sûre
How to get there:
The capital city Luxembourg has an international airport but and a much busier airport in Brussels, Belgium is just 2 hours away. As all the european nations offer a common visa, its not problem where you board or where you get down unless you mention your plan at the time of getting your visa.
Where to stay:
There are a lot of youth hostels for that matter throughout the whole of europe which offers you cheap deals as 'Bed and Breakfast'. We stayed at a youth hostel in Vianden and the cost for a day and night is jst 18 Euros which includes the breakfast. Its a dormitory type and has around 10 beds but when we stayed it was only we three as there were not much people that time. If it's a private hotel, it costs you around 50 euros per person per day which is quite expensive. The rates also depend upon the season you are visiting as it is cheaper in winters than in summers where there is actual business.
Mode of transport within the country:
Trains and buses are good enough to cover the whole country unless you don't have your own mode of transport. Sometimes cyclists travel across the whole country in groups by cycle camping at various places
through their way. Luxembourg offers you a ticket for 2 euros with which you can travel in any trains or busses within luxembourg for 24 hrs. There are also group tickets available. You can contact the tourist office at the railway station and get the cheapest ticket according to your group.
Places of Attraction :
Luxembourg City
Castle of Vianden
Esch-sur-Sûre
Horsley Hills - From Chennai to Horsley hills by road
Horsley hills are a range of mountains on the eastern ghats which offers a cool climate for
tourists to hang out for a day or two. I felt it is more or less similar to the Yelagiri hills in Tamil Nadu.
Horsley Hills is named after a British officer named W.D. Horsley, the Collector of Cuddapah
district. He visited this place around 1840-43 and was impressed by the beauty of the hills
and chose this spot for his summer residence. Now the Governor of Andha pradesh uses this
house as a summer residence and hence this house is called the Governors bungalow.
How to get there:
From Chennai/Bangalore/Tirupathi, you have to go past Madanapalle. From Madanapalle it is 26
kms to Horsley. The best route from Chennai to Horsley is:
Chennai - Kanchipuram Bypass - Walajah - Ranipet - Serkadu - Chittoor - Palamaner -
Punganuru -Madanapalle - Horsley
The distance from Chennai to Chittoor is 210kms and from Chittoor, Horsley is 65 kms away.
So the distance between Chennai and Horsley is around 275 kms. By road it will take you
around 4 hrs in bike with all the pitsops included. If you are going by car or even better with an SUV, it might take you just 3-3.5 hrs.
Route :
From chennai you have to take the NH4 (Chennai - Bangalore highway) and leave the highway at
Walajah in order to go towards Chittoor.
My experience:
I drove to Horsley from Chennai to Horsley by bike(Royal Enfield Thunderbird) and it
was a very nice drive. The road till Walajah is a NH and it is a four lane with a divider
also. So no complaints on that. But after walajah you dont have a divider though it is
equally a NH, but the quality and smoothness of the road is equally good. I suggest the
drivers should be a bit careful while overtaking as it is jus a two lane without a divider.
Activities to do at Horsley:
It's a place to chill out especially if you are there after a very hectic week. It's not the kind of place where you get a list of things to see just like anyother place. If you are with friends, i suggest you should have a drink first and then roam around in the parks, have a chit-chat etc.
However, there are quite a few adventure activities organised by the AP government and they incude Rapelling, Trekking and Zorbing and ofcourse if you are with a bike,then ejouy your drive throught the hair-pin bends there.
You should also visit the Yenugu Mallamma temple which is built after little girl named Mallamma who was taken care of by elephants. She used to heal the tribal people on the hills. When she disappeared suddenly, people thought that she was a goddess and built a temple for her. Befor these hills were called Horsley, they were actually referred to as Yenugu Mallamma konda.
Things you get on top of the hills:
AP tourism has provided cottages and restaurants for travellers who wish to stay there. There is also a Bar
on top of the hills, so you may not worry of bringing liquor from below.
Video of Our Ride
tourists to hang out for a day or two. I felt it is more or less similar to the Yelagiri hills in Tamil Nadu.
Horsley Hills is named after a British officer named W.D. Horsley, the Collector of Cuddapah
district. He visited this place around 1840-43 and was impressed by the beauty of the hills
and chose this spot for his summer residence. Now the Governor of Andha pradesh uses this
house as a summer residence and hence this house is called the Governors bungalow.
How to get there:
From Chennai/Bangalore/Tirupathi, you have to go past Madanapalle. From Madanapalle it is 26
kms to Horsley. The best route from Chennai to Horsley is:
Chennai - Kanchipuram Bypass - Walajah - Ranipet - Serkadu - Chittoor - Palamaner -
Punganuru -Madanapalle - Horsley
The distance from Chennai to Chittoor is 210kms and from Chittoor, Horsley is 65 kms away.
So the distance between Chennai and Horsley is around 275 kms. By road it will take you
around 4 hrs in bike with all the pitsops included. If you are going by car or even better with an SUV, it might take you just 3-3.5 hrs.
Route :
From chennai you have to take the NH4 (Chennai - Bangalore highway) and leave the highway at
Walajah in order to go towards Chittoor.
My experience:
I drove to Horsley from Chennai to Horsley by bike(Royal Enfield Thunderbird) and it
was a very nice drive. The road till Walajah is a NH and it is a four lane with a divider
also. So no complaints on that. But after walajah you dont have a divider though it is
equally a NH, but the quality and smoothness of the road is equally good. I suggest the
drivers should be a bit careful while overtaking as it is jus a two lane without a divider.
Activities to do at Horsley:
It's a place to chill out especially if you are there after a very hectic week. It's not the kind of place where you get a list of things to see just like anyother place. If you are with friends, i suggest you should have a drink first and then roam around in the parks, have a chit-chat etc.
However, there are quite a few adventure activities organised by the AP government and they incude Rapelling, Trekking and Zorbing and ofcourse if you are with a bike,then ejouy your drive throught the hair-pin bends there.
You should also visit the Yenugu Mallamma temple which is built after little girl named Mallamma who was taken care of by elephants. She used to heal the tribal people on the hills. When she disappeared suddenly, people thought that she was a goddess and built a temple for her. Befor these hills were called Horsley, they were actually referred to as Yenugu Mallamma konda.
Things you get on top of the hills:
AP tourism has provided cottages and restaurants for travellers who wish to stay there. There is also a Bar
on top of the hills, so you may not worry of bringing liquor from below.
Video of Our Ride
Thailand Visa for Indians
Thailand offers a 15 day visa on arrival for Indians which costs you 1000 Bahts. They require one passport photo and if you think you can take it in the airport i suggest not to. It is best to carry one from your place itself. There are two services - one the normal one and a faster one. The normal service is the one that costs you 1000 Bahts and the other costs you 1200 Bahts.
Just make sure which one you enter before get into the queue as you may not notice the difference if you are in a hurry. Both are mostly deserted..so i suppose you can get into the normal one to save some money.
However, if you are on a business trip for less than 15 days, well you can take the tourist visa itself but if you are to stay more than that you have to apply through vfs-thailand from/in your nearest city.
Just make sure which one you enter before get into the queue as you may not notice the difference if you are in a hurry. Both are mostly deserted..so i suppose you can get into the normal one to save some money.
However, if you are on a business trip for less than 15 days, well you can take the tourist visa itself but if you are to stay more than that you have to apply through vfs-thailand from/in your nearest city.
Chennai to Yelagiri hills/Elagiri hills by road - Bike/Car/Train
Yelagiri is a small hill station to hangout over the weekend. It is even called the Ooty for not so rich people as it doesn't makes you spend a lot out of wallet. If Ooty is a hill station for the rich and a destiantion to hang out for week, yelagiri is a much shorter version of it to hang out over the weekend especially for those who live in Chennai.
How to get there:
From Chennai or Bangalore, you can go there by road or by train as well. The nearest railway station is at Jolarpettai and from there there you can go to hills (which is just around 10 kms from there) by either public transport or hire a car from the town. The nearest airport is Bangalore.
The roadway to Yelagiri is finely constructed and well punctuated with the milestones and signboards all way through. Petrol pumps are sufficient enough which makes traveling convenient and easy.
Yelagiri hills are located at an altitude of just 1410 meters above sea level. It has around 10 - 15 hairpin bends and with a bike it is really fascinating to drive these bends. The climate is really good..not too cold and not too warm. It is exactly the climate which everyone would wish to live with .. a pleasant pollution free atmosphere.
There is a beautiful lake on the hills and it offers you a pleasant boating. You can also trek up a small mountain called the swamimalai on the hills which is quite a tiresome one. You can enquie the natives there for the trekking trip and they can guide you.
The highest point in Yelgiri is the Swamimalai Hill, standing tall at 4,338 ft; Swamimalai is a popular destination for trekkers. The view from the summit is spectacular. The hill provides a good number of trekking trails through thick reserved forests. Mangalam, a small village, is at the base of this hill. There are other trekking options that include smaller peaks like Javadi Hills, Palamathi Hills.
Other activities are simply to eat and relax if you are out recently after a hectic week.
There are also adventure sports like paragliding and rock climbing.
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| Trekking in Yelagiri hills |
Next to Pune, Yelagiri Hills has the most conducive weather for paragliding. This is why it has been drawing participants from within the country and abroad. There is also a small temple on the swamimalai as you can see on top of any mountain in india.
Paragliding at Yelagiri:
YASA - the Yelagiri adventure sports association conducts paragliding service for tourists but not throughout the year due to conducive weather. Check http://www.yasa.co.in/ for more information
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| Yelagiri hills |
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| The view of Vaniyambadi from Yelagiri |
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| The view of Vaniyambadi from the hills |
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| The view of Vaniyambadi from the hills |
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With some drama artisits |
There are quite a few good hotels and resorts on top of the hill which offers fantastic entertainment such as campfire, indoor games and swimming. Here are a few hotel/resorts that offers the best stay on top of the hill:
O'Nila resorts
Hotel Nigress
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