October 30th - Nagpur to Hyderabad

Today was the longest drive of the tour, over 500 kms, taking us more or less due south from Nagpur to the capital of Andrha Pradesh, Hyderabad.

So, it was an early start and we checked out of the hotel at 6.30 am. About 100 kms south of Nagpur we took a detour off the state highway to see Gandhi's ashram (spiritual community) at Sewagram. This was where Gandhi lived from 1936 until his assassination in Delhi in 1948. The ashram was Gandhi's 'experiment in living'. The complex is in a very peaceful setting with a collection of small buildings that included Gandhi's house, dining hall, kitchen, office and the open prayer ground. You could see how simple life was for Gandhi and his followers who lived with him. We spent about 45 minutes there and then headed off for the 400 kms drive to Hyderabad.

The prayer ground and in the background the last house that Gandhi lived in.

Gandhi's typically basic and spartan bed.

The kitchens.


The drive was uneventful except for the numerous horrendous accidents that we came across. Trucks upside down, crashed through stone walls, lying on their side and burnt out, littered the road. It was all very sobering, especially when we passed a truck that was upside down in a ditch, with a crane attempting to lift it. There were lots of people surrounding the cab. It seemed to me that someone was still inside.

At one point we passed a group of school girls waiting for a bus. As we slowed down they all waved and then stood in a group for us to take their photo. Indian children always seem to be happy.


Not long after the children we saw this group of women all carrying loads on their heads. As we slowed down they turned and smiled at us. They looked stunning in their wonderfully coloured outfits.

One of the great things about India is that there is always something going on that catches your eye. How about this for an overloaded lorry?

When we arrived at the hotel we found that the members of the group I termed as 'lost' a few days ago, were already here in Hyderabad.

Tomorrow is a rest day and I'll post more about this predominantly Muslim city.

October 31st - Hyderabad (rest day)

We are staying at the Taj Krishna Hotel in the centre of Hyderabad. The weather has changed and we are having a mix of drizzle and then heavy showers. We are on the fringe of a cyclone that is affecting the Bay of Bengal and large parts of southern India. We have been reading about the terrible flooding and large loss of life that has occurred just a few hundred kilometres south of us. We just have to hope that as we travel south to Hospet (the southernmost point of our trip) that we don't hit flooding and blocked roads.

Our day has consisted of touring a part of this very large city of over 6 million inhabitants, and then shopping. Hyderabad is famous for its bazaars and multitude of small shops selling clothes and jewellery. It is also famous for its pearls. The city was is one of India's six largest metropolitan areas. The grid pattern of its roads was laid out by the Muslim ruler, the Nizam of Hyderabad in the 16th century.

We took our taxi to see the the famous Charminar Monument that was built in 1591 to celebrate the eradication of the plague.

The monument is surrounded by bazaars in a myriad of crowded streets. The traffic in the city is simply horrendous and everywhere you go there are thousands of cars, bikes, motor bikes and pedestrians all trying to push their way through the jams. It is a free for all, and I cannot get to grips with the fact that there never seem to be any accidents. We must have driven for about two hours and at no time did we see any incidents - quite amazing. We then went to one of Hyderabad's many clothing shops to buy clothes. Wendy wanted something for this evening's dinner organised by HERO where Indian dress is required.

As we returned to the hotel the heavens opened and we had a torrential downpour. I hope the weather improves for this evening's drive to our restaurant and then for tomorrow's drive to the city of Hospet.

November 1st - Hyderabad to Hospet

The third longest drive of the tour took us over 450 kms south-west to the southernmost point of the tour, the city of Hospet. Yesterday evening we had the most torrential downpour. Coaches had been laid on to take us for a dinner at an arts centre about 30 minutes from the hotel. The journey took nearly an hour and a half as all the roads were jammed with traffic. Roads became flooded and we were forced to return to the hotel.

This morning we rose to grey skies but little rain. We drove out of Hyderabad going past the Golconda Fort. The first 200 kms were on fast and traffic free roads, such a change from the traffic chaos in Hyderabad. Our first place to visit was Yadgir Rock, a fortified hill that looks, from afar, very similar to the Rock of Gibraltar.


The rock is covered with old fortifications. From there we drove about 60 kms to the small village of Mudgal. Mudgal has an old ruined fort which is being restored. We were able to drive through the fort and then through the centre of the village. It was a really interesting and enjoyable detour off the main road. As we passed one house a large group of children ran out cheering and waving. We stopped and they grouped together so that we could take a photo. A great moment to cherish.

A little further on we had to drive through one of the old gates to the fort, where we saw this elderly blind man sitting on a wall.

As we took a photo of him two young men on a motor bike stopped and, in perfect English, started asking us where we were from and where we were going. It was another example of the contrasts you experience all the time in India. Here was an old blind man begging, whilst two young Indians were driving a motorbike.

We left Mudgal and then stopped for a break by some massive granite stone blocks.

From there we had a long drive to the abandoned city of Hampi. The road now became much rougher with many sections of bad potholes. Potholes on Indian roads are an ever present hazard. You can be driving on a very smooth tarmac road and then suddenly you come across deep potholes that are a serious hazard. How Indian drivers cope at night I do not know? We passed through a small town where they were celebrating Diwali, and hundreds of children were walking in a parade through the main street of the town. There was a float with a festival queen. A band played and everyone came up to us wanting to say hello and try out their English! Another great moment.

The festival queen on her float.

We arrived at Hampi around 2 pm. Hampi is a World Heritage Site and covers an area of 25 square kilometres. Everywhere you go there are ruined temples and palaces. It truly is one of India's great wonders.The city was abandoned in the 16th century after the Muslim sultans defeated the Hindu inhabitants. The Lotus Mahal at Hampi.
 The great stone chariot with granite wheels that used to turn on granite axles.

Finally, the giant Virupaksha Temple built in the 7th century that rises to almost 50 metres!


We drove the final 12 kms into Hospet where we stayed at Hotel Malligi, a pretty basic hotel but with very friendly and helpful service.

November 2nd – Hospet to Goa

Every day we have an amendment sheet which is produced by the advance car driven by Arne Hertz. Arne notes any changes to the road book that have happened since the route survey was carried out earlier this year. Examples of changes are: road works, exceptional road conditions, altered signs. These changes are faxed to us every evening. Today's amendments noted that certain sections of the route were very poor, as a result of the monsoons. Consequently many left very early. We decided to leave at 7 am, when the control opened officially. The first part of the journey out of Hospet was reasonably easy, though we did have quite heavy truck traffic. Once we had turned off the main road onto minor roads we left the trucks behind. Pot holes continued to be quite a big problem and slowed down every one's progress.

The drive today was just under 350 kms and was taking us back to the Arabian Sea that we had last seen when we were in Mumbai, nearly a month ago. On the way we had to take a photo of this driving school car. This is only the second such car we have seen in nearly 7,000 kms of driving around India. Having seen how ALL Indians drive, we wonder what on earth can the instructor be telling the pupil! One suggestion was that the lessons only last a couple of minutes!!

We also started to pass fields of sunflowers. We presume they are being grown for seed and sunflower oil. You could see the fields from a long way off with the flowers all facing towards the sun.

As we headed west we were stopped at a railway crossing by an enormous goods train. I didn't count the trucks but there could easily have been a hundred.

As soon as the train had passed we started on a seriously bad section of road which had been damaged by the monsoon rains. Following Tom & Rosalie Gatsonides in their Toyota FJ Cruiser on the rough section of road.

The rough road lasted for over 30 kms and ended just before the descent from the Western Ghats mountains down to the coastal plain around Goa.

We arrived in Old Goa at about 2 pm, about seven hours after leaving Hospet. We spent an hour looking at some of the old buildings of Old Goa, especially the 17th century cathedral.

Inside the cathedral with its golden altar.

Whilst walking past the cathedral we saw these three men using small hand scythes to cut the grass! The lawn was large and it must take them days to cut it, but I suppose it is one way to employ people when you have over a billion inhabitants.

Our drive then took us to the coast and past this banner on a roundabout welcoming the tour to Goa.

Our hotel, the Taj Fort Aguada Beach Resort looks out over the Arabian Sea and as the sun set I took this photo sowing one of the many ships anchored out at sea. We have two nights here before our final two days of driving, due north, to Mumbai.

November 3rd - Goa (rest day)

Our final rest day of the tour, with just two days of driving remaining. Our wonderful tour of India is coming to an end. Everyone we have spoken to has said how much they have enjoyed the trip and how sad they are to think we are nearing the finishing line.

The weather here is simply glorious. Beautiful sunshine with the temperature in the high eighties and a breeze blowing off the sea. It simply couldn't be any better and a perfect way to rest for a day. We walked along the beach to take a swim in the warm waters of the Arabian Sea.

My guess for the sea temperature was in the low eighties! On the way we looked back at our hotel which is set into the side of a small hill.

Just off the beach is a stranded tanker, the River Princess.


It apparently had engine failure and ran aground in 2000. As it has sunk deeper and deeper into the sand (8 -10 metres) and sand has been washed into the hull through holes, it has become more and more difficult, if not impossible, to salvage the ship. The Goa government has said on several occasions that attempts would be made to remove the ship but nothing has been done so far. At night the ship is lit up and there are crew on board.

We went for our swim, but with quite big breakers rolling in and a powerful undertow, we didn't swim for long, just enough to enjoy it. We returned to the hotel and swam in the infinity pool, with great views out over the sea.


I've now had a chance to start the final packing and stowing in the car ready for shipping back to the UK. We arrive back in Mumbai on Monday morning and we have to be in the port in the afternoon, following the finishing ceremony at the Gateway of India, to get clearance from Indian customs for the car to be shipped to the UK. The very tight schedule is as a result of our leaving Mumbai on the Tuesday BA flight at 13.40.

This evening we are eating at a beach side restaurant and we will be celebrating Thelma Howells' birthday. With a beautiful sunset it should be a fun evening.

November 4th – Goa to Chiplun

With just two driving days left of the Great Tour of India, today we had a comparatively short drive of under 350 kms. Our route took us on minor roads running parallel with the coast for about 150 kms. We then turned inland and joined a main highway for the next 200 kms to our hotel in Chiplun.

Goa and the surrounding area is quite different from the rest of India. The Portuguese influence still remains with small churches in many villages and towns and old colonial buildings.

Whereas most of the rural India we have driven through has been very poor today we saw a much wealthier area. Though, on occasions, you could see back in time as when we saw these fishermen fishing in one of the many rivers we crossed. Each time we rose up from the rivers the vegetation changed from tropical to grassland.

It was quite a surprise to have such a change when the areas were so close together. Not long after we left the coastal zone we came up behind two of our group who travel in convoy, Karen and Mike Perry and Leif Inge and Siri Slethei from Norway in Cars No. 21 and 28.

One interesting sight, that is particular to this area, are the haystacks. They reminded us of Monet's paintings.


We wanted to arrive reasonably early so we could do the final sorting of our luggage and the car, making it ready for shipping in 48 hours. Before that I had a swim in the hotel pool and then we enjoyed another wonderful sunset.

Our room looks out across the valley with the Vashishti River winding its way through the hills.

We are up early tomorrow as we need to be in Mumbai by noon. The finishing ceremony is at 2pm in front of the Gateway of India and then I have to take the car to the port, about 10 minutes away, for shipping back to the UK.

PS Blogger wouldn't download all the photos for today, I'll try again later.

November 5th – Chiplun to Mumbai - the end of the Grand Tour of India

As we might have expected there is always a sting in the tail! Our last day of driving took us the final 250 kms from Chiplun more or less due north to the finish at the Gateway of India, Mumbai. Because we were delivering the car to the docks this afternoon, immediately after the finishing ceremony, we had to leave early. We set off at 6 am just before dawn. There was mist and low cloud for the first half an hour of driving as we wound our way through the Western Ghats for the last time. I will miss these mountains with their beautiful green scenery. They were the first mountains of the trip and now they are the last.

I haven't posted many pictures of the painted trucks. They have all sorts of multi-coloured decorations and signs on them. This one says it all,'India is Great and 'I love India'!

Everything was going fine for the first 100 kms and then I heard the first warning signs of my front disc pads wearing out. A scraping sound came as each time I braked. It steadily got worse over the next 50 kms. By now we were only a couple of hours out from Mumbai and I decided that it was possible to make the rest of the journey by braking very gently and nurse the car home. Being an automatic trying to use the engine for braking is not that easy but we managed it. By the time we reaching the Taj Mahal Hotel in down town Mumbai the noise from the brakes was terrible. It is funny to think that we have driven over 7,500 kms, just under 5,000 miles, and the brake pads finally gave up on us a mere 150 kms from the end.

We rapidly unpacked our bags and waited for the finishing ceremony in front of the Gateway of India. When we went down to the lobby of the hotel, who should we see but Suzanne, who had only been able to do the first third of the tour as she had to return for her young family. She had made a second journey to India to be there for the finish with her co-drivers, Carol & Wendy. Here's a photo of all three just before the finishing ceremony started.

At 2 o'clock precisely we all lined up in number order and were waved across the finishing line by John Brown, whilst a group of Indian dancers performed in front of a giant banner of The Grand Tour of India.

Here are a few of the photos we took as the cars went across the finishing line.

















Now, a special thank you to my wife and fantastic navigator for all her wonderful photos. Ninety percent of the photos I've posted to the blog have been taken by her. Many were taken when we were driving, and with my driving, that's no mean feat!

A great adventure had come to an end. A trip around a continent that has brought us so many surprises and happy memories. I'll sum up the trip with a final posting after we return to the UK.

Once the ceremony was over we had to drive, with seven other cars, straight to the docks to deliver the cars for shipping. As usual with Indian bureaucracy the place we were directed to would only deal with imports, so we had to drive in convoy through the Mumbai traffic to the export area of the docks, some 8 kms away. Once again we had to drive past some of the terrible slum areas of Mumbai. It certainly brought home to us how lucky we are and how terrible the living conditions are for so many Indians. With my brakes sounding worse and worse we finally arrived at the container base and I said goodbye to my trusty vehicle.

We all took taxis back to the hotel to get ready for the final dinner at a waterfront restaurant in Mumbai. It was a chance for everyone to celebrate a truly amazing trip around India. We all feel very lucky and privileged to have done the tour. As we left the dinner many were talking about the plans to do a south-eastern Asia tour in 2009. I for one can't wait!