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. :-(

The weekend rush ...

The weekend that started Oct 2 had me and family going southbound into Tamil Nadu. After having a smooth drive all the way up to Krishnagiri, there was something unusual as we approached the toll plaza. A huge backlog of cars, trucks and buses!!!

I pass by the toll plaza at least twice or thrice a year, but never had I seen such a rush at around 8:45 AM in the morning. Scores of vehicles fleeing Bangalore possibly for a quick weekend getaway. It is a fact that the highway to Chennai going east and all the way up to Namakkal in the south is as smooth as Hema Malini's cheeks (reusing a Lalu comment on state of the roads) leading people to waltz on the roads. Beyond Krishnagiri, the road towards Dharmapuri was deserted. The puzzling aspect is that where could they be headed to? Chennai simmers all the time (definitely not a tourist destination, but maybe a homecoming for the Tamilians @ Bangalore), Pondicherry is no better, Tiruvannamalai (nay, not many religious minded folks here). Vellore (the hinterland of the Golden Temple) may be a reason.

Took more than 45 minutes to cross the toll plaza with almost all the paths to each toll booth being dual laned leading to a merge confusion. When do we ever learn to queue in a single line and not honk incessantly? Mmm...