[shancz]

Brilliant writing, I was laughing throughout, well done
This teleported me back to the days of reading novels and the likes all black and white. To put it in simple words, pure reading.

To draw an automotive parallel, this is akin to a 500km highway drive, completed in 12hrs, in a "simple/older" car, windows down, feeling and smelling every bit of what the road has to offer and enjoying every second of it.
As opposed to a 6-7 hour high speed dash, in a gizmo laden "modern" car, windows up, climate controlled, air purifier displaying feel good numbers but feeling nothing.

Originally Posted by venkyhere

cleverly placed mini-pyramid sized ‘catseyes’ , on top of the three white lines.

- (silverback gorilla 2 , special forces 1 , Namma Bengaluru 100)

- They should've just put spikes at the top and be done with their ultimate objective.

- Whatever you do, Namma Bengaluru always wins

[motorotor]

This is such a well-written post! Even without pictures, I could just visualize everything you wrote about! You have a wonderful writing style.

[kiran_aithal]

Wow! that is quite a write up.. no need of photos....
Can relate so much to this - what happens during our post covid family trips too. The best enjoyed drives are those when your family is sleeping

I remember once, the ladies of the house brutally crushed my resistance, stuffed jack fruit wherever they could find place in the car (some relative gifted it - guess they were fed up of eating it), on a 9 hour long journey and by the time we reached home, the whole neighborhood knew that we were carrying jackfruit. I was sick of the smell, and the fruit, that did not eat it for almost an year....

[Rajjay]

It is not a travelogue. It's jest, satire, drollery etc. etc. I really appreciate your sense of humour. I couldn't control my laughter after going through your sarcastic travelogue.

[Amrik Singh]

When Family Controls the Car, from Passenger or Rear Seat, quick decisions are rare. I do not know of now, but decades ago, driving from Delhi to Chandigarh or back, we could see signboards placed on roadside.
"Fresh Grapes. Rs. 20/- per k.g. 500 Mts. Ahead".
That would give ample time to decide and stop already slow moving Amby or Padmini to make a purchase.

[Aqua]

What great writing skills you have man! You should think about doing a book! Loved reading it.

Silverback writing skills : 100/100

[yogesh.8984]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

Wife : Didn’t you hear me ? we lost the chance, we lost it. Why are you driving so recklessly ?
Me : What ? why ? didn’t you see, there was no way for me to stop. And look here, even here I can’t pull up by the side of the road, there is no proper shoulder. What can I do ?
Wife : You are always like this, will never bother about others’ needs.

Happened umpteen number of times with us and I can totally corelate.. what a beautiful narration, kudos to you for your magic with words!

[KPR]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

(these are the most relevant points about Trichy, for other dreary info like tourist attractions, use Google).
Enough about the city. Back to the topic.
One amongst the many temples scattered all over the city,

Great write up there. I noticed that never once you've written about your car . Let it be that way as it is nice and unique.

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Also, there used to be lines of ice cream shops on the way to the temple. Are those gone nowadays?

Originally Posted by anandhsub

I am sure Michael's will still be there. They were there in 2019 and given the legacy don't think covid would have hit them enough to shutdown.

Yes Michael and sons icecream shops are running in Trichy serving their ever famous Vanilla, Fruit salad(FS) and other new flavours (introduced in late nineties which I'm least bothered) still at such prices where if you give ₹100 note cashier may ask for small denomination . So gulp more cups of Vanilla and FS to round off the change.

[sureshkumar]

Fantastic writing, very scientific too. Who needs pictures, after all?
I really appreciated the planning done by your wife, although most of it was wasted effort. We usually take some bottles of drinking water and nothing else, because we like to rely on the wayside shops for everything. It was also a blessing for you that the family were asleep most of the time, since you could enjoy the drive better. I hope the total distance of 600+ kms was not tiresome for you. You didn't mention the vehicle you drove, it seems. Or did I miss it in the avalanche of scientific terms?

Wishing you many more happy and safe journeys.

[echo77]

This is an amazing read. Your every word is like a thousand pictures 😂

Please compile this into a book.

[Iksvaku]

Dear Venky,

Thank you for the delightful experience of reading your travelogue! Other than the fact that my sons are now emerging corporate honchos on the 'wrong side' of twenty and thus rarely participate in our drives, I identified with every aspect of your narration.

As semi-retired (my wife is, I still dabble with assignments) people on the 'right side' of sixty, destinations these days are dictated by our tummies. So, our last trip from Bangalore was to buy cheese from Coonoor. When we arrived back in Bangalore, the entire space behind the front seats (luggage space included) was a forest of plants as there are nurseries on the road between Coonoor and Coimbatore.

On every trip, the atmosphere in the car transforms from fun to fight when I zip past the magnetic (to my wife) allure of a roadside shack selling something only she sees as 'essential'. Thirty-three years of repetition that one cannot just slam on the brakes on a highway have been futile. These days, the diabolic strategy is to also buy me something I do not need!

Thank you again!

[Voodooblaster]

The picture uploaded with the article gave the impression that the trip was to kerala , in addition to the usage of word "Nercha"



Anyway keep us posted on the 2nd covid recovery Thanksgiving trip also (since both your mom and wife had made plans)

[allinbalance]

Incredible writing skills, @venkyhere - you are a natural.

The way your writing causes the brain to visualize, feel and connect with your travelogue - is refreshing as is the fact that while it was a self-drive travel where the silent enabler - the car - stayed in the storyline and made its presence felt passively - it was truly a unique visualization of your journey.

Even more apt (as a fellow married man) - is my total connect with your interactions with your better half. So apt! So true!

[AZT]

This is the best thing I've read in a while .You have an amazing way with words. With all the Skynet and Zombie references, all I can add is Live long and prosper

[WizSatish]

Great read. Especially without pictures.

Originally Posted by venkyhere

Prologue

My main motivation for dine-in, was that I didn’t want sambar on my leather seats

I usually spend a lot of time planning safe places to eat ahead of trips to avoid in car dining.