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Old 18th November 2008, 23:00   #1
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Weekend Trip - Chennai - Bangalore - Chennai

When im driving, I often talk to myself..sometimes as if im a pilot manning a 747 and addressing the passengers through the inflight entertainment system or sometimes as if im a player in a game. Let me give you the whole perspective before you start wondering if I've lost it.

This time whilst returning from Bangalore I thought to myself "what does a batsman facing the same team do when he is on the verge of getting bored? Like Sachin against Bangladesh or some other weaker side" Well ! they try and better their previous performance and also try to break some records on the way. Atleast the Australians do that very successfully. so being on the bangalore chennai highway again within a span of 2 months and with my wife and kid peacefully sleeping and hardly any signs of traffic (maybe because of the sunday), I tried and did something special.

Disclaimer: I did this in full consciousness and was completely aware of the risks involved. I do not encourage or recommend anyone else to imitate this. Read on....

This one's dedicated to my fordfusion yahoogroup.

Had been planning a bangalore trip and had booked shatabdi tickets but then worked out the arithmetic and realised that if i factor in the exorbitant chennai auto charges to the station and back plus bangalore auto, it would work out to the same cost as a roadtrip. So the shatabdi tickets were cancelled and friday afternoon sharp at 3, we left Mylapore. This time no last minute hassles and I was on the highway by 4. Poonamalee to Hosur can be done in 4 hours or less and I was confident of reaching my cousin's place for drinks and dinner at 9.

Got into a little race with an aveo who also had a kid in the backseat and hence I assumed he wouldn't do crazy speeds but lo ! seems there was a prize waiting for him as he overtook trucks from the extreme left raising dust and zigzagged to get out of sight. My blood pressure levles rose as I warmed up to the challenge. Soon I was doing 130 ish and closing in on him when he did some dangerous left right cuts between trucks and that's when I realised it was not worth it. Well ! not atleast with my kid and wife. Even 5 years back I'd have ensured I won but we will leave it right there.

Had promised to take photographs this time around.

Soon the drive through the familiar route and towns became boring and my wife thought that we were going a bit too slow so I looked at the clock and gave myself a target of an hour to see how much distance I was covering. Well, in the next 1 hour, I had covered almost 92 kms which included 2 toll booths. By 7 50 I was crossing the Renaisance Grand at Hosur and in dedication of my car's crash on the bridge a couple of months ago (refer Chennai - Mum travelogue), I did 20kmph on the entire bridge. By 9 pm sharp we were at JP Nagar well in time for dinner.

The return was at 2 15 pm after lunch and a few stops at some wineshops to stock up on my breezeers (no foreign brands in Chennai dudes) but all the shops had only the orange flavour. ugh! Soon by 3 10 i was fuelling at Hosur just before the hosur flyover. My son was fast asleep in his now familiar 'flat bed' first class seat in the back. My wife too closed her eyes and I was enjoying my little chat to myself in murmurs and cruising at 100. Took some photographs whilst slowing down and the road was largely empty.

I then turned left from Krishnagiri junction and the time showed 3 45. Considering the same time that it took going to Bangalore and my last trip, I had planned to hit Poonamalee by 7 and home just before 8. As I drove on completly bored the thought that I could do something without taking risks and enjoying myself hit me (read the first 4 lines). also i was a bit upset since ford had announced that it would be discontinuing the fusion on and there was a huge debate amongst us fusion owners as to whether to retain the car or no. I for one agree that its a good, powerful car and that is exactly what i wanted to tell the car and myself and to anyone else who would have been on the road that day.

3 45, I started increasing the speed and was doing 130. Fifteen minutes later, I checked and saw that I had covered 30 kms which means I was on track to cover 120 km / hr. A couple of trucks ensured i never was even within striking distance of 120 kms in the hour but i managed to cover 106 kms in that hour. Turned around to see the family still sleeping blissfully and decided to stretch the fun to the next hour. By this time I had overtaken half a dozen innovas, a few scorpios and the odd fiesta. Only towards the end of the 2nd hour, a zen estillo decided to test and overtook me as I slowed down to overtake a truck. I decided that his next over had to be going for 6 sixes (reference to a batsman taking on a baller who would have sledged and beaten him).In the next 5 minutes, I left the estillo so far behind that he would never dare take on another fusion ever again.

5 30 famly woke up and watned to stop for tea. Had to slow down but not before completing the 2nd hour. Had covered 220 kms in 2 hours. Satisfied, I slowed down for tea at a small tea shop. By 6 10, I was at Poonamalee, 6 30 Le Meridien and 7 pm home. Whoa ! I did a door to door in less than 5 hours.

distance travelled one way - 340 kms
Time Taken with halts - 4 hours 45 minutes
Time without halts - 4 hours 25 minutes
Mileage - 13 kmph
Top Speed touched - 140

Thanks for Reading
Attached Thumbnails
Weekend Trip - Chennai - Bangalore - Chennai-dsc00095.jpg  

Weekend Trip - Chennai - Bangalore - Chennai-dsc00105.jpg  

Weekend Trip - Chennai - Bangalore - Chennai-dsc00109.jpg  

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