The Road Trip : Phase 02 Goa-Bangalore

Every time I go to Goa I wish I never leave. Its difficult to leave the beautiful beaches, and get back to the desk. This time though I had an incentive and a good one too. Not only was I not going back to work, I was driving to Bangalore with friends. Just entering the second phase of my holiday.. what fun :)
So, after 3 amazing days in goa, it was time to pack the bags; i think the only laborious thing I had done in the past 3 days. We started from Palolem at around 12.30 on the 7th March 2011. With a heavy heart, a tan i will remember for a long time and a lot of excitement, we head towards the city I left 3 years back.

We were looking to drive : 550 odd kms
Fellow drivers : Arun and Shyam (with sangeetha providing the entertainment)
The Route : Karvar-Kalghatki-Hubli-Davengere-chittradurga-Bangalore

First in the hot seat was Arun, who assured me I would love driving on the highway instead of the ghat sections up to Hubli. I will have to disagree with him now. Roads in this part of the country are really well done, the ghats are not too steep, and the traffic not too heavy. Just before we crossed the border to enter Karnataka, we stopped at a local dhaba called "Fishland" to have lunch. It was one of the lunches ill remember for a long time. Some mouth-watering preparations of Red snapper, clams, mackerel and simple curry rice later, I was wondering if we will be drive at all.

But Arun was up for a challenge and we were literally zipping through to Karvar in no time. The roads are genuinely good here, especially if you are used to the pot-hole filled variety in maharashtra (read :pune)The landscape kept changing throughout. From backwaters of the sea near karvar, through small villages that dotted the route, through winding ghat sections and patches of dense forests of trees with not a single leaf on them. It was a truly beautiful drive; but the tension strted to mount when we realised that we were dangerously low on fuel. Thankfully we reached Kalghatgi in time for some chai for ourselves and some petrol for the car.

We reached hubli at around 6.30 and it was my time to take the wheel. i was looking forward to driving on the Bangalore highway again after a wonderful drive to Kolhapur. It was almost dark when we started from Hubli and I was least prepared for what lay ahead of me. Although the highway is in good condition, there are a couple of diversions between Davangiri and Chitradurga  that are quite dangerous. The service roads are bad and there's hardly any road amongst the pot holes. 


The other thing you might want to watch out for in this patch are the fearless bikers, auto-walas, lorry walas and sometimes the truck drivers brave enough to drive on the wrong side of the road with headlights full on. Its quite illusive at night and you may think that they are on the other side of the road : NO. they are on your side, coming right at you! watch out!! Then occasionally you might find old village folk crossing the road at whim, dogs out for a stroll, truck drivers parked in one of the lanes without any signals. Rajnikanth would be proud of some of these guys for the sheer brashness of it all.


So anyway.. i manage to stick to the wheel for another 3 hours and we find a petrol bunk (lucky again) at Chitradurga. No decent hotels on the routes either. The last change in the drivers happens here, and Shyam is quite ready to take on the wheel. He has rested well on the backseat for some time, even managed a nap when Arun was driving, which make him best suited to take on the last 180 odd kms to Bangalore. I am already dozing in the back in 10 mins.. the sleep i have missed in Goa is finally catching up.


Fortunately, rest of our gang is in the bus ahead of us and has found a decent enough hotel to eat dinner. its almost 10.00 when we manage to catch up with them. After a quick bite, we are back on the road, with Shyam at the wheel. The rest of the road is quite good, or so it seems as keep drifting in and out of sleep. We reach Bangalore at around 1.30.


It has taken us 9 hours to reach Bangalore.. and its definitely been fun!! I think, the next time around though, I would like to take this route during day time, probably in winter. We finally reached Sangeetha's place at around 3.00 exhausted and sleepy. I thought it would take me great effort to wake up the next day, but i guess i was too excited to sleep..i was in bangalore..!!!


The next 7 days in Bangalore will be another post, another time..!


Coming up next though is my first every solo long driving from Bangalore to Pondicherry.. 430 kms of sheer driving pleasure.. in India!!

The Road Trip : Phase 01 : Pune-Goa.

The fact that I have finally started out on the road trip i had been planning for months doesnt sink in till we hit the katraj ghat, around 1.30 on Friday, 4th March 2011. The one hour we take to leave Pune is forgettable now. I think it is a right of passage for everyone who wants to take the bangalore highway. "you deserve the highway only if you can survive the mindlessness that is the pune traffic".

The mere sight of the neat, pit less highway that stretches in front of my eyes is enough to get me into high gear. The car likes it too, i guess, as it took me little effort to get it to 140. My joy is short lived though, as some truck wala decides to change lanes without notice, or some uncle I have over-taken before has decided to come back with a vengeance. It is amusing to see how irritated some people get if they realize a woman driver has left them behind. I leave most of them to their fate, while some are more determined to zoom past. Very amusing indeed. 

But eventually is it easy to tune out all the buggers on the road and think about nothing but the drive itself. Being on the road makes you tune into a lot of other things you would not otherwise. You start noticing the life around you on the Highway. The villages along the highway, neat houses amongst the fields, weird sign-ages like a picture of a cow (still dont know what that means), the overloaded trucks and bullock carts carrying sugarcanes, the fearless cycle-walas driving head on towards you and their unpredictable travel plans. The toll booths keep popping up from time to time, as if determined to break the rhythm.

We continue on the Highway for about 4 hours, till we reach Nippani. After a pit stop/tea break, it is Vikram's turn to take the wheel. Here we take a diversion from the 4 lane highway to an almost one way country road. I am quite glad to sit in the passenger seat as i think i would be able to click some snaps of the first sunset of the drive. But it is a fairly bumpy ride, making it almost impossible to keep clicking. I think i managed a couple :

This road is a total contrast to the highway, with the road cutting through small villages that dotted the way till amboli. Got to see some really beautiful houses, with simple thatch roofs and mud plastered walls, painted i pink and yellow and orange all at once. The beauty of vernacular architecture surprises me every time. Maybe we need to unlearn a few things when it comes to building.

It is almost nightfall when we reach amboli; the roads are nice and the ghat i have heard about is about to start. the next time i go to Goa, i am going to make sure i reach this place during light. the curves are sharp and steep and with little or no traffic we are zooming at great speed. This is one of the best ghats i have been through, i think. the road is surrounded by tall trees and a forest that is quite intimidating. we reach the top of the mountain and stop to look into the valley. Its quite dark to see anything at all, but its just too silent. I think i would have heard myself breathing too, had i tried a bit.

We eventually reach Sawantwadi, where the roads get narrower and the traffic has significantly increased. for some reason Vikram points out the Sawantwadi Jail amongst other things. We cross the border to Goa around 8.00. The roads become even better, making the transition into Goa apparent. We reach Baga to join our friends for dinner. Nothing like fresh fish and cool beer to take  away all the stress of the drive. Sangeetha and Arun and Swapnil are here and the rest of the Collage Gang, who start off my road trip with a blast.

The next 3 days would make up for another blog: the most unbelievable fish and crab, the dance-till-you-drop evenings, The Carnival, Palolem, some more of amazing fish and beer, the discovery that i am left-handed at Pool, the truth or dare sessions(which will not be spoken of ever), the photo-sessions, the kayaking, and most significantly: the importance of being with friends and making new ones.

Cant believe i have to write about leaving Goa too.. 

But.. i have to leave so that i can come back, right?? 

Its bye bye Goa for now, and another amazing ride to Bangalore coming soon!!

Road trip!! ( the night before)

Well, its finally happening!! I guess the timing is right this time.. the trip that was planned for mid January, is finally starting tomorrow. For the next 2-3 weeks I will be writing about the places i visit, the people i meet and general ramblings one is entitled to during travels.

Hope you enjoy reading this.. have never been a regular blogger.. just another attempt,this.

The Route : Pune-Goa-Bangalore-Pondicherry-Auroville-(maybe back to Bangalore)-Pune

Starting : Tomorrow!!

Phase 01 : GOA

Travelling from Pune at Noon. Planning to reach Baga-Panjim by 8.00 (not too ambitious i hope..)

The Route : Pune-Kolhapur-Amboli-Savantwadi-Panjim .. more details after reaching Goa.

Travelling with : Vikram. Ex-DSP ian, ex-Bangalorian (and a fellow conspirator in the plan to gate-crash Swapnil's Office party in Goa) .. and is happy not driving.. i guess :)

Well, Most things are in place.. Car is serviced, packing is done!!

Hopefully, Will write in from Goa tomorrow.. To Road trips!!

oh he loved his bike.

He stared at it through the display window,
With a fine-line body of steel,
It was quite a show.

Like a royal blue flying machine,
It promised a ride, a rhythm divine.
The bike had taken his breath away,
He could have vowed, he’d never felt that way.

Love at first sight, he thought,
Is this what it’d feel like?
It’s meant to be mine,
Fine lines n all, he loved the bike.

Racing the wind he rode it like a king,
So loud and clear,
He had never heard himself sing.

He handled it with care,
He had found his happy place,
The bike would help him share
his thoughts, with it, he found solace.

He would ride and talk to it,
And thought he found a friend,
In all its silence, the bike,
Assured, there wasn’t a problem he couldn’t mend.

So one day with a mess on his mind,
He rode it one more time,
With questions and an answer to find.

A little girl running after her dog,
He hit the break, but didn’t get out of the shock.
He tried hard to save his bike,
But he fell and knew what total silence was like.
Fine lines n all, he loved the bike.

The bike looked lonely, as it stood there,
Without a scratch, with its master gone and no one to care.
His friends would remember how happy he’d been,
His bike and he, the best pair they’d seen.
They would never forget what their friend was like,
Fine lines n all, he loved his bike.

It was up for sale one more time,
It promised a ride, a rhythm divine.
Love at first sight, the boy thought,
Is this what it would feel like?
It’s meant to be mine he thought,
Fine lines n all, he had loved the bike.

There are just some days..

I used to love to write. I still do. If its my diary, I can go on for ages.. if I am writing a letter, I can very well ‘ ramble on to 18 pages. Front and back’
But this just feels strange. Writing on the net. I deleted many a post, thinking, it didn’t look right on the screen… well..

So I am attempting to write one more time.

I remember this day very clearly, an ordinary one. Cloudy mornings are my least favourite. The sun gone, the breeze with a nice autumn touch, in a rainy season felt like a bonus of sorts. But something was different bout this day. Nostalgic. Something that made me gloomier than ever.

I have never tried writing a poem. It’s not a natural talent. But the air was heavy, so was my heart. And trust me, if you are gloomy all day, by evening, it can be very very tough. So I decided, I should divert my energy and my head to do some constructive work. Well.. After an hour of laborious word hunting and brain scratching, a weird rhyming scheme, thousand times of ‘so are u really feeling that way’ I did it. I wrote the first poem of my life. Best of luck.



No title.

There are just some days,
No purpose of their own,
Go by quietly, no hint,
No rhythm, no goal.

No hint of sunshine,
The sky pours down, dull and gray,
Filling my heart with emotion,
A longing for a moment,
A memory of a glorious day.

No rhythm, to the routine,
The rain dances off beat,
My heart skips one though,
Its magic.. the thought of you,
Coffee, a book and a picturesque window seat.

The rain’s gone, the coffee finished,
The book’s done too,
Its all quiet now,
The window dark, my mind still lost,
And I’m still thinking of you.

A ring breaks the silence,
Its you on the line,
It’s weird you chose today to call
Just thinking of you,
The day had been fine.

I wonder if you will ever know,
That call had set me free
It made me wonder even more,
If it had rained there too,
And made you think of me.