No stop signs, speed limit
Nobody’s gonna slow me down
Like a wheel, gonna spin it
Nobody’s gonna mess me round
Everyone loves a good road trip once in a while! Wind in the hair; sun in the eyes, maybe some dust too; engine at full throttle; listening to ‘highway to hell’!!
There are movies dedicated to road trips (Thelma and Louise and Road trip) and road trippers too who pursue the hobby very seriously.
My road trips haven’t really been road trips in the true sense, more a method of travel to get to a destination. I’ve travelled by road in many countries, but the most memorable ones have been here in India.
My earliest memory of a road trip was as a child of 10 or 12, travelling with my father’s extended family to the temple town of Tirumala for a wedding. The drive through 7 hills with hair-pin bends , steep roads and deep gorges on one side was a challenge for even an experienced driver. Halfway up, it started raining cats and dogs and visibility reduced to almost zero. The driver continued driving; the relatives started chanting bhajans (prayers). Whether it was divine intervention or the driver’s acumen, we reached the summit in one piece!
Delhi to Dharamshala was another eventful , never-ending journey with 2 flat tyres and an un-cooperative driver intent on driving way below the speed limit. The only consolation was that the extra hours helped to catch up with old friends with beer and tandoori chicken!
Others trips were memorable for their scenic landscape, such as Ladakh for its stark mountain ranges and steep winding roads; Rajasthan for the dry, sandy and rugged topography. Our recent trip to Chikmagalur was also dotted with some lovely rustic scenery.
Driving on Indian highways requires more than just admirable driving skills. You will encounter partly constructed or non-existent roads, dodge villagers, chickens and goats trying to cross the highway (not their fault if the highway cuts right through the village!) and mistake a single beam of light for an oncoming bike(more likely to happen when there is no separation between traffic going in opposite directions) which in reality will be a speeding truck , probably carrying unsuspecting animals.
Related:
Frizztext’s A-Z Story Challenge: Letter R
Perceptions of a reluctant Homemaker 
your truck photo with cows on the Chennai to Bangalore Highway moves my heart … sometimes I feel deported like this by surrounding social conditions …
Its even more heart rendering to see them struggle to keep balance when jostled on a bumpy road or a sudden halt…
Road trips force us to think, with the added bonus that they create memories! Thanks for visiting.
Also gives us the time to reflect ! Loved your take on the A-Z challenge!
I don’t want to think of their (the cattle) intended destination Deepa 😦 Neat post.
Thanks! I tried to be optimistic. but it is what it is..
Tandoori chicken and beer to chase it down with sounds perfect 🙂
and helps the travel woes to some extent!