Sunday, January 17, 2010

Of a good drive, a filling lunch and a nice siesta

Sometimes, there is nothing that beats a long drive (especially when you don't drive :-)), a good lunch and a fine siesta.

On Saturday, I was chaffeured by the señora, accompanied by la niña and el niño, to the Kamat Lokaruchi, which is on the Bengaluru-Mysore highway between Ramanagara (of rock climbing and Sholay fame) and Channapatna (of the wooden toys fame). It is a themed restaurant offering typical Karnataka dishes like joladha roti (roti made from jowar (or sorghum)) and its accompaniments, akki (rice) roti and a completely different set of accompaniments and a few other dishes for which I do not have a name. The ambience is different and the staff, courteous.

It is interesting the way señora reacts when I drive and what I do when she drives. Señora has an imaginary brake under her legs at the front passenger seat and a hand on the dashboard as I do my maneuvers on the road and complains that I am a bad driver. She uses her imaginary brakes to full effect. I just cannot relax when she is on the wheel though she is better on the road and I complain that she doesn't honk enough. The idle chatter, long pauses at times between sentences, some rants, the drone of the car engine and watching the road go quickly by (that is so calming on long drives) that characterize most of my drives. Señora blazed on the highway, weaving around safely, and keeping a consistent 80-90 kmph and we were at the restaurant in around 35 minutes or so from home.

The lunch was as heavy as a python gobbling a deer, to last it a week, with a sumptuous spread on plantain leaves. I, being a very picky eater, loved the meal. I have never tried the full meal earlier though I have dropped into this restaurant a few times before. I don't know how people manage to work (or try to) after having such a meal. Came back home whizzing again on the highway and dozed off for a late-day siesta. Sleep just takes you over just like that after such a lunch and drive and the bad posture on my siesta sprained my back, it seems. And at the shop outside the restaurant, picked up an interesting tool, one to scratch your back. For that "scratch-scratch" satisfaction when it itches at the absolutely unreachable point in your back even with your hands in all contortions. :-) :-)

And now the last few hours before work beckons after a long break of 4 days, one of which was an excuse on Friday for the eclipse. I've to figure out a reason for the bunk. All that I saw of the eclipse was using probably the simplest working demonstration of a pin-hole camera, i.e. just 2 sheets of paper and a pin hole on one. :-) And idled all day long, save completing a recommendation for one of my ex-colleagues applying for his international MBA.

Mmm... What I hate about these short vacations is that they end just like that and a long week with lots of work stares at you. :-(

9 comments:

gils said...

antha udipakaranga hotel thaana...avvvvvvvvvv

loved their neer dosas...athey python deer epectla than wealso ate :) chaancelaeenga...

Swaram said...

Sheesh! I know :( Weekends fly but weekdays crawl :(

I luv that restaurant for its ambiance, service n ofcourse food :)
Nice trip for the weekend u had there :)

psst psst ... my Mom hs those imaginary brakes too when Dad drives and only when he does :P Wonder y ;)

PM said...

Actually, we went to a temple called srirangapatnam there, enjoyed the view from the hill-top. Will definitely give the restaurant a try, next time..
//Señora has an imaginary brake under her legs at the front passenger seat and a hand on the dashboard as I do my maneuvers on the road and complains that I am a bad driver//
Whether it is a car , or a two-wheeler, it generally happens when the other person also can drive...

RamNarayanS said...

@gils - Not sure if the Kamat folks are run by Udipi folks, but in this restaurant, you can see people wearing Gandhi caps, dressed like a typical farmer. This is the place adjacent to Janapada Loka (the heritage town of Karnataka, similar to the one on ECR in Chennai). Yep, they do serve neer dosa there as well. :-P Just like the foodie person in the Fortune cooking oil ad says, "nallaa mookku pidikka saappidunga", it is a place to hog.

@Swaram - yaen maaDodhu. Ellaa weekendu heegey. :-)

Was a pretty short trip, just only for that. Left home at around 12:15 pm and was back at home by 4:00 pm.

Those imaginary brakes come when the very special people for you are driving. :-)

@chennai girl - Srirangapatnam is close to Mysore and you would have gone to Chamundi Hills in Mysore for the hill-top view. You can always drop by at the Kamat restaurant which is between Ramanagaram and Channapatna towards Mysore and you won't miss it because there would be lots of cars parked on the road.

Those imaginary brakes don't come if someone else is driving, only for me. எனக்கு திட்டு விழும், for braking harsh, going close to vehicle in front and not concentrating on road இத்யாதி இத்யாதி and dollops of retorts if I revert :-)

sri said...

would make a mental note to visit here when I come to bangalore :) long drive good food and sleep is all we need sometimes, its strange how the long weekends goes in a flash ! :)

Uttara Ananthakrishnan said...

weekends fly away... But i love college vacations thaN at home vacations!

Appu said...

is this wat they call at being at other's shoes or other's seat :)

Appu said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
RamNarayanS said...

@Srivats - Definitely see if you can go there.

@Uttara - College life is definitely one notch above work life and beyond. You could be more or less carefree and lots of like minded folks. The only overarching benefit from work life is money. Kind of eclipses everything else. :-)

@zeno - Yes, almost. Driving by proxy. :-)