Rise and Shine: February 2009

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

500 Kms - Gurgaon - Jaipur - Gurgaon

After all the hectic and really mind choking work schedule..i felt an urge of breaking free and one fine morning from my office i called up my wife and she said yes. Well..i took a monday off..and the valentine's day roadtrip was on.
Itinerary:
Dep: 14th feb, around 10 AM
Gurgaon > dharuhera > behror > Kotputli > shahpura > Jaipur
Return: 16th Feb, around 10 AM
Jaipur > Shahpura > Kotputli > behror > dharuhera > Gurgaon
Vehicle: Pulsar 150
Rider(me) + Pillion(wife)

We started around 10 and after some in-city hussle-bussle we finally took up the NH8 and built up a cruising speed of 80 K. We miscalculated our breaks a bit and ended up tiring ourselves specially the final sprint after the last break was 1.5 hrs long which is definitely not recommended. About weather, i must say the condition right now is literally the last chance to have a trip like this. It can only get hotter after this. This factor was also in my mind when i made the call. Sun was heavy but air was chilly, an amazing combo. We finally reached our hotel around 4.30. Well, the average speed out of this equation can sound pathetic but there are many factors on highway and inside city that add to the equation.
Jaipur stay was fun. Amber fort, Jaigarh Fort and then Chokhi Dhani was amazing.

The Bike which was already 28 K KMs old on the start of the journey, didnt complain even a single time considering the fact that besides two people on it there was some amount of luggage too. So quite a bit of weight. And my calculation suggests that it actually rolled out a mileage of something between 35-40. Not bad for a 3+ year old 2 wheeler.
The pillion was the best any rider can ever have. She was even more excited about things than me. There are some awesome hill ride videos that she has managed to capture.
The return journey took almost the same time but there was one frustrating part of it when we were looking for a petrol pump which accpets credit card. There were always a bunch of pumps but hardly anyone with the card machine. Well...we finally found one after reaching manesar :). besides that our breaks were timely this time around and a very good lunch at A-1 resturant run by Reliance.

Overall a very well executed and thoroughly enjoyed road trip. Hoping for many more of such trips. Is my pillion listening? :)

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Accord and Linea

It was one lazy Saturday and we were thinking on what to do to make the day interesting. We actually ran out of ideas and simply headed out for a drive and an eat-out breakfast. On our way we crossed a TATA showroom and Eva noticed a shining new Linea demo car on its door. Well...here we go..something to do finally!!

The car is technologically a chartbuster. The nearly 1400 CC engine generates mammoth power. The interiors were a let down and disappointing. Much more was expected from FIAT when it comes to interiors. Anyways, the overall driving experience was amazing and its altogether a different experience driving a sedan. The experience's impact was very well felt when i came back to the driving seat of my i10. A cultural shock ;-)

It was time to move on!!

Later that day we came across Honda's showroom and there was this big banner saying "Test drive Honda Accord today!" Well...we promptly obeyed and very next moment we were there in the showroom and getting the keys of a "2009 Accord 2.4" to test. Driving expereince? well we are still recovering from the hangover. An even bigger cultural shock!!

I actually got both of the cars to drive on very improper roads and both of them were gliding over all those potholes. Linea very promptly beeped "Front Left Door" to let me know that its not closed properly. Accord beeped when on a very narrow section another car was passing by very closely. It also prompted right on the ignition for seat belts. Accord in its eighth generation has lots to offer as its the largest accord ever. The 2.4 litre i-VTEC Honda engine is a monster and it can easily take off if wings are given.