Category: Travel

After our long and tiring journey from Mumbai to Udaipur, and a good night sleep in the homestay . We checked out and went to check in to Ramada, Udaipur for next 2 nights. Let’s see how we planned our Udaipur city tour.

But before that we must get our car clean as while leaving from Mumbai it was raining and the car was dirty. This took around 2 hours of our time, but as we were not in hurry and don’t want to be like we need to cover all the tourist points in Udaipur, so it was ok with us.

We usually plan our sightseeing leisurely. We checked in before lunch and relaxed for some more time in our room. Then we left for the sightseeing in Udaipur .

Planning of the day in Udaipur

First, we went to the Udaipur City palace as it will take around 2-2.30 hrs. to visit it completely. Few things I would like to mention about this place are – 

Udaipur city Palace

• Roads leading to this place are quite narrow and from one of the sides it’s one way and you can’t take your vehicle and after certain point must take auto.
• Even though it is just 1.2 km from that point the auto driver will charge you a fixed Rs 100.
• There is parking available in the palace and cost Rs 300 for 4-wheeler.
• The ticket price is also quite high as  it’s a private property and is maintained by the current King and his family, ticket will cost Rs 300/pp.
• There are guides available and I would say you should take the guide or take at least an audio guide to know more about the history and palace. Guide charges are Rs 150 only and he will take around 1.3-2 hrs.
• Boating to Jagmandir is different and it is even more costly then the palace ticket. Till 2 PM the price is Rs 550 and after that Rs 800 around.

The palace itself is built on a small mountain which you can see once you walk from the ticket counter to the main entrance or even before that when to drive towards the palace.

More details about Udaipur City Palace

The place is quite nice and maintained well, the stairs and some of the corridors are so narrow and congested that only one person can walk at a time, and the reason for this is security so that when enemy attack they won’t be able to come in a group.

Current king and his family lives on the other side of the palace. Which is quite new as compared to the main palace. As this palace is situated on a hill, it has magnificent view of Udaipur city on one side and Pichola on other.

We didn’t take the boat ride as we found it quite costly, instead we took the boat ride in Fatesagar next day which is relatively very cheap.

After finishing our tour came out did an auto for rest of the day as we were not sure about the parking at all the places. He showed us 3-4 places and dropped us after dinner to the place where our car was parked. We did this auto right outside the palace and booked it for Rs 500.

First, we visited Karni mata mandir on Machla Magra Hills and it has magnificent view even when you climb via rope way and from the mandir itself. It is situated near Doodh talai and you will see beautiful Aravalli and lake Pichola and the city on the other.

Karni Mata Temple

It was my first time sitting in a rope way and I really enjoyed it and the visit to the top. Ticket price is Rs 110-120 around and kids’ ticket is as per there height and age. You should plan to visit this place during sunset it should be beautiful from the top.

After visiting Karni mata mandir we stopped for some tea & snack and then went to do boating in Fatesagar, but our auto driver was not sure about the timing and we missed the last boat by 10-15 min. Last boat leaves at around 6 PM I think, and it was already getting dark.

Saheliyon ki Bari

After this he took us to Saheliyon ki bari. As name suggest it was built by the king for his queens and her friends/helpers. No man other than king could enter this place. It is famous for its natural fountains. Yes you read it right all the fountains present in this place are working on natural water pressure.

There are no water pumps or any kind of mechanism to make the fountain work. It’s directly coming from the nearby lake and due to height difference and water pressure water comes out with some force and that’s how fountains work here. 

Due to this the fountains here are not that high and many of them does not even work properly. Here also you can do a guide and it’s very cheap just Rs 100. He will tell you all the interesting stories and history and take you to all the spots to click some pics. Ticket price was around Rs 20/pp

Sukhadia C

Last destination of the day before dinner was Sukhadia circle. It is a big circle which has activities like paddle boat ride in it and outside there is camel ride, horse ride and Tonga/Tanga/Carriage ride. Then if you want to eat fast food then there is a big open-air place with variety of food options.

We took the boat ride even though the pond was small and circular we enjoyed it our daughter enjoyed even more at all the places we visited.

After the event full day our auto wale bhaiya took us to a nice Rajasthani restaurant Chappan Bhog were we had one Dal Baati thali and one regular thali. The taste was good, and the quantity was way too much for 2 of us. Cost wise it was not that high and doesn’t feel like a tourist trap at all.

Finally, we reached our resort fully tired and after some time crashed and a very good night sleep.

Day 2 in Udaipur

Click here to check all blogs for Rajasthan road trip 10 days road trip in different regions of Rajasthan

Every year going to hometown on Diwali is a task in itself, as you need to plan 3-4 months prior if you are going via train else you won’t get tickets same with flight but there you will get tickets but as it’s main holiday time in India the pries are sky high.

This year we moved back to Mumbai after some 4.5-5 years, so we decided to drive to our hometown Ajmer which is around 1035 Km. This time we didn’t do much of planning of route or place to stop on the way or place to stay in Udaipur.

We have done the booking 2 weeks before we were supposed to leave as we were in confusion that should we visit Udaipur on our return journey or while going to Ajmer. Hotel prices played a major role in finalizing this.

We stayed in Ramada Resort & Spa, the price of same room after Diwali was equal to the price we got before Diwali only the difference was in the same price, we booked it for 2 nights before Diwali ?. Lesson learned is always check the prices before and after any major holiday and what destination you are planning to visit. If you want to save some money, then adjust your holidays accordingly.

There is this straight rout to Udaipur which is the shortest which is – 

Mumbai – Vapi – Surat – Bharuch – Vadodara – Godhra – Modasa – Rishabhdev – Udaipur

Other routs are little longer in terms of distance and time. Till Vadodara it’s national highway and after that it’s state highway but in good shape. Full rout is mix of 4 & 6 lanes, but on state highway the traffic is little more. After Rishabhdev till Udaipur it’s again national highway.

This was the first time we were driving this long in a single day. Previously I had driven 500 km i.e. Bangalore to Belgaum for our Bangalore to Mumbai road trip.

If you want to take Ahmedabad rout then you will go via Himatnagar which will meet again at Rishabhdev and from one of our friends who stays in Ahmedabad that Himatnagar rout is not that good, not sure about the reason.

If you have read our previous travel blogs, then you might be knowing that we prefer day driving and we leave our house early morning. This time also we did the same we left from our home at around 5.20 AM, but this was first time we were driving from Mumbai were not aware of traffic jam on Ghodbunder road due to a small ‘Ghat’ section. 

As it’s a ghat and fully loaded truck are there on the road, they climb the road very slowly due to which there was a 30 min congestion . Literally we were at same place w/o moving a bit for 5-10 min in that congestion.

Finally, after 30-40 min we were out of that horrible traffic we have witnessed till date that early in a day.

As we must cover more than 700 km in a day, we didn’t make too many stops throughout the journey. I think max we made 4 stops including b/f and lunch. Due to this we covered the lost time in the congestion, we covered around 1 hr and reached Udaipur around 8.15 PM which was around 16 hr for 768 Km distance.

Overall toll paid for that day was Rs 495 as on state highway in Gujrat cars are exempted, but in Rajasthan they have again implemented it(before there also we don’t have to pay for car on state highways). Total diesel consumed was one full tank i.e. around 40-42 ltr Rs 2750.

We know that we will reach Udaipur late in the evening so didn’t book Ramada for this night instead we saved few bucks by booking a reasonably good homestay in the main city. We have booked Aloukik homestay. It has very good reviews on all the sites and it was quite cheap, so we booked it. It costs us Rs 1600 around including b/f.

Check in was Ok and didn’t take much time, room was also good and specious, bed was comfortable. 

We were not happy with few things which are – 

• One of the staff members was not able to understand even in Hindi.
• We asked for 4 aloo parathas with poha and tea for b/f and staff member said will be done, but in morning at bf time they said they will only give 2 parathas and for rest we must pay. This is something we didn’t understand as in our previous experience at homestays we didn’t face such thing.
• Lastly when we were about to check out, they owner lady asked us to pay Rs 60 for the tea we have a night before as if we were leaving w/o paying her. We said that all our stuff is still in room and we have not checked out yet and we had small argument on it.

Stay tuned for more updates on our journey, Next blog coming soon.

Hi Guys this blog if about my sudden strip from Bangalore to Mumbai and return. I have to go to Mumbai from Bangalore urgently so immediately I looked for flights. As we all know immediate booking of flights are always costly, so I looked for alternate ways.

After flights my first choice was train but trains takes a way lot more time like around 22-26 hrs, so this option is also removed.

Then I checked for road route, AC Sleeper buses. To my surprise bus takes around 16-18 hrs with min of 3 stops. Then my search begins for best bus operator.

Usually all bus operators are more or less same, so I thought I will try one for onward journey and one for return.

So for onward journey I selected VRL Travels, as this was one of the best rated and reviewed. Other than this was SRS and National which were in most rated but less rating.

So I booked VRL through Redbus.in and ticket cost was 2400/pp for AC Sleeper. Ticket price are totally fluctuate as per date/day & season. I was little skeptical about the bus punctuality but to my surprise bus was just 15 min late and did not got delayed anywhere in b/w.

There are many pickup point in Bangalore and I opted for Yashwantpur as kind of it is the last part of city traffic, also it was at similar distance with other near by pickup location. There was just 1 or 2 more pickup stops after it.

The bus was neat and clean and there were no cargo load inside or even in the luggage area of the bus like what people have mentioned for other bus operators. Official timing was around 4.30 PM at Yashwantpur but it came 15 min late and left from there at around 5 PM.

Sleeper sections were neat with clean bed-sheets and blankets. There were no separate pillows provided. There is individual LCD in each sleeper which can be turned off. In double sleeper there is separate storage to keep your shoes or small bags/backpacks/handbag, which is not there in single sleeper.

Every sleeper has curtains for privacy. There was no foul smell in the bus throughout the journey which was good else full journey will be unpleasant. After leaving Yashwantpur it stopped at around 6.40 PM which was first official midway stop.

It stopped at VRL’s own restaurant. The washroom was clean and there they have separate Western section. This was a large property with ample parking and decent options for eating with prices on little higher side. I had tea and it was Ok.

Total stoppage time was around 15 min max. After this we can either watch the movie they play or if you got something on your phone or laptop. Yes there was a charging point and it was working perfectly fine. After running for around 3 hrs it stopped for dinner break at around 10 PM at Deol Punjabi Dhaba. Till this place total distance covered was around 315 Km from Bangalore.

Here it stopped for around 30 min, it was not like some other operators that they say 30 min but don’t move for 40-50 min, these guys were very punctual didn’t delayed more then 5-7 min. After dinner bus stopped at Hubli at one of VRL’s own fuel station.

Not sure if this is fixed stop or due to less fuel they made it. Toilets were Ok here. Time stopped was around 12 AM. As it was a fuel stop it didn’t took much time and we were on road quickly.

After the last stop they didn’t stop anywhere till morning or I was in sleep if they had made any stop. This stop was after we crossed Pune, around 7.20 AM and 50 Km before Mumbai. You can freshen up here and can have you morning tea with some snack.

One thing to mention is about this place is I think all the buses stops here so the toilets were crowded and you can’t expect them to be that clean. Name of the place was Nishi Sagar. Food here was nice and fresh and price was also decent. So after a stop of around 15-20 min bus was back on road to Mumbai.

It reached Vashi around 8.30 AM, which was right on time as per there schedule. So total time taken was around 16 hrs with 4 stops total distance covered is around 1000 Km. The roads are very nice, maximum part is either 6 or 4 lane with some small diversions in Karnataka region, other than that nothing to mention about roads.

Now when it was time to come back I though to come back by bus as decided with another operator but when I checked the air fare it was quite comparable with bus fare if you book 15 -20 days advance.

Air ticket costs us Rs 2500 with some discount on credit card and time taken by flight is around 2 hrs from airport to airport. Travel time too and from airport is different plus the additional cab cost.

So we took shared cab from CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai to T2 and it cost me around Rs 370 with Uber share, then in Bangalore I took the bus(Vayu Vajra) till Banshankari Stage 3 Kathreguppe signal and ticket cost was Rs 280 then a Uber to my home which cost Rs 65 so total additional expense was around Rs 715 which was not bad.

I booked Spicejet late night flight i.e departed from Mumbai at 1 AM and arrived at 3 AM, this was the only reason I took bus instead of cab it took around same time to reach (approx 15 min more then cab) but way less money as cab was costing me around Rs 800-1000 just from kempegowda Airport to my home.

One more thing I would like to mention is that SRS and other bus operators tends to stop more and keeps waiting at stops more. This was my observation at Vashi stop point. Also SRS left early from Bangalore and was left behind by VRL in the night time only.

Over all I would say road route is also a good option if one needs to go urgently and wants to save some money.

Most of us think that RTO work is very tedious and people there don’t want to work and just want to earn more money in the form of bribe.

But let me tell you, if you know the process and have all the documentation/papers required for the work in order then it’s very simple and might not require any fee.

My initial thought was to go with agent as my first impression was not so good. But then I thought to give it a try, another reason for doing it myself is the abrupt amount agents were asking.

There is this website DriveKool which operates in multiple cities and they were charging me Rs 3800 + GST for NOC which is actually a free process and Rs 900 + GST for Hypothecation removal, actual cost Rs 200. Local agent also quote me something similar around Rs 5500 for both.

Let me share my experience with Pune RTO and Bangalore RTO with respect to NOC and Hypothecation removal from the RC (Registration Certificate).

Few years back we moved from Pune MH to Bangalore KA. So for this we need to take NOC from Pune RTO. I searched online how to do the same and what all documents are required.

NOC Process is quite simple and does not even require any fee. One should have copy of –

1. Form 28 with chachis impression on each form. we should have either 3 copy or 4 depends if Loan is there or not.
2. Valid insurance, even third party liability will work
3. Pollution certificate which one can get easily by paying
   nominal charge, mostly it is done on petrol pumps
4. Copy of RC + the original.
5. Self attested ID proof copy

Process is, take copy of all the documents and filled forms to the RTO, sorry I don’t remember the window number. There they will give one more form with RTO seal and some number.

We need to take this form to the Police commissioner’s office to get the certificate stating that there is no pending case against this vehicle. Once you reach Police commissioners office there you need to give them the form and show them the documents.

In Pune you won’t get the letter immediately they will give you one acknowledgement and then ask you to come after certain days. I think one week or so.

After taking the clearance form from Police you need to submit all the documents in the RTO. They will give you a acknowledgement and will ask you to come again after a week or so.

This is it, after the given time frame you can go to RTO and get your NOC. For this simple process agents charges anything starting from Rs 1000 to Rs 2000 in Pune. The process and documents are same for both 2 wheeler and 4 wheeler.

Now we have to do the same exercise again in Bangalore as we are moving back to Maharashtra.

When we first moved here I tried to register my vehicle here and pay road tax but my first impression was not good. People in RTO Jayanagar didn’t respond properly and there was language issue as well.

Finally I have to go through agent to pay the road tax. There are provision to pay road tax for smaller period say like 1 year or 3 year in case you are planning to move back, but for this you need to convince the RTO officer.

I paid lifetime tax but didn’t register the vehicle here. I think from 2017 they have added a penalty i.e. after certain period if you don’t register the vehicle you will have to pay fine of Rs 300 per month.

In mid of 2018 I thought to register my 2 wheeler but after I came to know about the penalty/fine amount I gave up and lucky me I got opportunity in MH 🙂

Some says that one can drive other state vehicle for six month or 1 year if he/she is planning to go back without registering the vehicle in new state. Just pay the appropriate road tax and don’t take NOC from original state. This will save you some time.

So now as we are moving back to Maharashtra we need to take NOC and remove Hypothecation from our 4 wheeler and had to take Non Migration Certificate for 2 Wheeler so that we can cancel the NOC in Pune RTO.

Now a days we can use this to pay fees online. Click on the link and select Other State if you are not in Delhi. Enter your vehicle registration number. You will see a list of different services, select what ever you want to do.

For NOC you need to validate your vehicle by entering chachis number. Then follow the steps there and take print of the receipt and other documents. And for Hypothecation removal we need to pay a fee of Rs 200.

I need to take 2 copies of the receipt as I was applying for NOC and Hypothecation removal as well. If it’s same vehicle then it can be done at the same time in a single process other wise it will take 30 working days for each.

In Bangalore they send the NOC and RC through post so you need to take 1 Self address envelop with Rs 17 stamp on it. The envelop is that green one with cloth inside.

Put your original RC inside the envelop. Now arrange the papers in order – Fee paid Receipt, Form 28 with chachis number imprint on each form, insurance copy, pollution check copy.

For Hypothecation removal you first need to repay the loan 🙂 and then get NOC from bank with 2 copies of Form 35. You don’t need to ask/request for it they will give it. Banks NOC is valid for 30 days, so you need to submit it in RTO before that.

As I was going for both the things for same vehicle I don’t have to take separate copies for Form 28, insurance and pollution check certificate.

If you want to remove Hypothecation then add the related document as well and don’t forget to take a file i.e. a brown file with thread or any other paper file. Now give the file with all the documents to the clerk sitting right in front of the gate in Jayanagar RTO.

This time I didn’t face language issue as the clerk was pretty good in english and didn’t do any partiality with language which is very common here.

He will check and verify all the documents and if require rearrange them. Once done he will ask you to go to the madam sitting behind the window right beside him. She will verify and sign it and then ask you to go to last window in the same row.

Person there will handover one form with seal which we need to take for police clearance. Here in Bangalore you will get the clearance certificate at same time. It was quite simple process.

Commissioners office is on infantry road and for NOC we need to go to 4th floor in the main building. There they will verify if the vehicle is involved in any kind of theft or accident or any pending charges.

The guy was kind enough to hand me the clearance certificate even though there was Rs 100 fine (for signal jump) and asked me to pay it (which I did immediately) in building near to this office (it’s a walking distance).

So either you can first check there if there is any pending fines and then go to get the clearance certificate.

Once you get this you just need to submit all the documents in the RTO and get the acknowledgement which you need to keep safely as you won’t have your RC with you. That’it no hassle no heavy charges nothing.

It’s a 2 day process as document submission time in RTO is 10 Am to 1 PM and getting clearance certificate from police will take time mainly due to traffic in Bangalore.

Now to get the Non Migration certificate we need to submit 3 things

1. hand written letter stating what we need and why we need
2. Road tax paid receipt copy
3. Copy and original NOC.

The madam was ready to give it same time but the supporting staff was acting little busy so he asked me to get the self address envelop with stamps. Now they will post the letter to me.

Madam was kind enough she said me to tell the clerk to do it fast. This certificate is required to cancel the NOC.