rediff.com Travel: Safarnama: A travel feature on doing India by road

Log One: Bombay-Nashik

The drive to Nashik on NH3 was comfortable. Having set out at noon we were apprehensive of the highway traffic we would encounter on the road, but apart from a few heavy spots, the drive to Nashik was on the whole stress free.

Location:145 kms north of Bombay.
Population: 834000

Accommodation

Internet cafes abound.

Character:Nashik has a small town feel to it. A business centre of the region, it is known for its fruit. Oranges and grapes. It is one of the four sites of the Kumbh Mela (2002 is the next).

The road is great and the highway was well sign-posted, enough and more petrol bunks and restaurants to tank up at. Given that it had just rained we had green countryside right up to Nashik. We did have trouble getting out of Bombay as there are no signs for Nashik.

So make sure you get the directions to reach Thane, once at Thane, there are enough signs to Nashik. Along the way we passed by Igatpuri which had a newly constructed gold plated mandir at the Vipassana Research Institute. Visiting hours are between 5:30 and 6:30 pm.

Log 2: An eventful day... Pandu Leni, Shirdi and a good lunch

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