It was good that we did not get Ashwin his #5 and #7. The policemen at the inter-state check post got us all out of the car and frisked every bag and pouch in it. It was finally Colli who chandlered them to let us go. 'Hum bahut acha loug hai'.
Karnataka must be given a special award for its roads. We drove at 90 kmph until the Goa side of the checkpost but lugged along at 30 kmph on the other side. It was confusion time once again as we came to an intersection. We as usual were divided on the road to travel. The locals adviced us to travel to Belgaum and then head to Hospet. Apparently the zen would not survive the shorter route.
From there on (Londa) to Belgaum, cellphones were our saviours as we were updated from back home every half hour on the road to go. I have always loathed Airtel. This is because, while I was surviving BITS, all my friends here were happily cementing new girlfriends with their phones and I hated being denied the opportunity just because we did not have a cell phone tower until we got to our final year. But for once, now, I say 'Airtel Everywhere'.
Karnataka is the land of bad roads; and trucks. I have never seen that many trucks in one night. I must have easily seen over a thousand of them. It is also the place to get the stereotyped image of the rash truck driver out of your head. I have never seen a more organised fleet of trucks moving in symphony hour after hour at the same speed. Infact it felt more secure to be travelling between the trucks than behind a bus or a car.
The security did not last long as the front tyre burst. It was 10 pm and the closest village was 15 kms away. It was 2 am by the time we changed tyres, found a hotel to stay for the night, dined and raised a toast to mark a yet another exciting day. It was a long way from Belgaum as we pulled the blankets over our heads.
2 comments:
2 PM when we fixed the tyres...Rapi the tyre was punctured at around 9 PM and we had it changed before 10 PM and checked in the hotel at 11 PM.
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