20 July 2021 – Bangalore to Chennai – 375 km - Day 18 of Spiti Valley Exploration – Finito

When breakfast is not part of the room tariff it gives me the flexibility to leave when I wish to, as was the case in Bangalore this morning. When I travel, at least, I rise early with the anticipation of driving, meeting people and seeing places. Even though I have driven from Bangalore to Chennai more times than I care to remember, every drive soaks me with anticipation. It begins with the positivity that a new day begets and promises. The next is the sheer unpredictability that the day brings in its wake. Some days when I wake up in not such a great frame of mind, events happen that make me waltz and float in the air. Some other days when I am full of beans, as it were, a small argument or misplaced expectations awaken dark clouds that just refuse to go away. Well, I guess, life is a collage of such days and I get through all of them with just this belief: EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON; THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ACCIDENT. I try to journey through my life enjoying the travel, taking every event as mere diversions along the way. And, from the time I realised how little I matter in the universal scheme of things it set me free to enjoy my life in a manner I never thought possible at all.

My first target for the day was to get to Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B) for breakfast. I estimated it to be an hour away from the hotel. It was careless of me not to have noticed the dangerously low fuel level. Just out of Bangalore and the border of Tamil Nadu I eased into a fuel station to fill up. While that was being done I used the toilet in the filling station. One thing must be said of the Swatch Bharat Mission: Wayside facilities have improved many fold over the past few years. Using a public toilet was a nightmare when I was on the Coast-to-Coast and Golden Quadrilateral expeditions in 2013, when I used to rest at fuel stations and use their facilities for morning ablutions. 

I salivate embarrassingly when I come across A2B, Saravana Bhavan, Sangeetha or Murugan Idli Shop. These vegetarian restaurants now dot the highways in Tamil Nadu and provide superb food and good wayside amenities. They never seem to be short of customers at any time of the day. I make it a point to stop at least at one of them for breakfast or lunch, as the case may be. This day I stopped at the A2B near Soolagiri, about an hour’s drive from Bangalore. Rava Dosa and strong filter coffee was the order. The crisp dosa with white chutney and sambar soon became merely an item on the bill. While at breakfast I thought back about what I saw at the Karnataka-TN border. Passengers were being transhipped from TN public transport buses to Karnataka ones. I have seen this during the pandemic. Taxis and other public transport freely move through the unnecessary and haphazardly put up police pickets. What logic there is in this I wondered? The poor and the less privileged are mere playthings for the insensitive administrators to toy with.

I love to drive on the highways in Tamil Nadu. I think that they are among the best in India. Most importantly, there is no fear of traffic cops and speed cameras, in contrast to the highways in Kerala. The 85 km stretch from Walayar to Trichur has nearly 50 speed cameras, ostensibly put up to control accidents on the highway. There is none from Coimbatore to Chennai, a distance of 500 km. The number of accidents in the two states do not even compare; there are fewer in TN. This must make the powers-that-be ponder over the adequacy of the highways. Most highways are just two lanes each way – with the road traffic density as high as in Kerala and people made to depend on the rash private public transport system, six lanes is the minimum that the state must have. But, then comes the question of land acquisitions and environmental issues. 

Even though I was not hungry I stopped at the Murugan Idli Shop near Sriperumbadur. Hot idlis, vada and coffee is my staple here. Their podi idli is something to die for. From that outlet to my residence in Siruseri is less than two hours, in the worst of times. I was home after the exciting drive after 18 days and there was lots to do. Before all that, besides thanking the Almighty for his protection, friends and family for their prayers and good wishes, I had to summarize the drive from Chennai to Spiti Valley and back.

1. Number of days – 18 days

2. Total km – 7735 km

3. Longest drive – Chennai to Belgaum, 860 km on day 1

4. Toughest days – Kaza to Chandrataal, 100 km and Chandrataal to Kullu, 160 km

5. Fuel consumption – 670 litres

6. Average mileage – 15 kpl in the plains and 10.5 kpl in the hills

7. Costliest fuel – Rs. 99.02 in Jaipur, Rajasthan on 15 July

8. Cheapest fuel – Rs. 87.87 in Dharampur, Himachal Pradesh on 7 July

9. Total expenses – Rs. 126,000 - fuel (50% of total), accommodation and food (35% of total), Toll and car expenses (12%).

So that is the end to the 14th car expedition of Record Drive. There are so many more in the mind, on the drawing board and a couple that are ready for execution immediately as the pandemic restrictions are withdrawn worldwide. When that would be, is a big question. Till then I intend to do small drives within the country. North-East is firmly on my agenda. Travel kindles the spirit inside and nourishes my soul. Hence, the frequent urge to cast off, even it is for just a few days. To me, also, travel is a continuous romance for the senses. And, I need to refresh them every now and then, more now than then. I do not want to be one that makes the mistake of being busy when we are young and tired when we are old. I tire when I am not a trier. And, keeping up on these tireless tries is the Champion and my companion.