It's been a whole work day now from my new apartment. And honestly, it's wasn't great. I'm very close to shouting "Mommy"!
The main road (which is a highway, which is just an Indian term for a very crowded road) is about 1.5 kms (about a mile) from my flat. That is a bit of a walk, especially if you have to do it when you come back from work, tired. In a case of the rich getting richer, the journey to work (when I'm relatively fresher) is very simple. There's a bus that starts about a 100 yards from my flat and drops me off a quarter mile from work. On the way back though, I have to fight a crowded street outside my work and walk to a bus stop where I have to fight a bunch of eager commuters to get onto my bus. Provided I can read the signs fast enough (it's dark and the words are not written in the place that they are written on buses in Hyderabad or Chennai) and provided I can actually find the bus that goes home. The alternative is to get on an auto that takes me to an exchange point of sorts. And then take a share auto that goes to my street. And then walk the mile if I have the energy, or take another auto inside. Oh somewhere in there I have to grab dinner because otherwise I'll have to walk the mile again to get to a decent restaurant.
This should be moot soon since I am buying a two wheeler today. A Bajaj Kristal. A gearless bike. The showroom is close to my place and I took it for a test drive yesterday. That's right, I actually drove on Indian roads for the first time in 10 years. I got on the highway with great fear and drove at a very safe 10 kmph (6.3 mph) with both my feet hanging off the bike in case I fell. But the instincts came back pretty fast and soon I was giving it more gas and cruising at a respectable 30 kmph (20 mph). I even signalled and made a U-turn confidently. It felt good - not to drive as such, but knowing that I didn't panic at any point. I'll be making the payment and picking it up tonight after work. Wish me luck.
The main road (which is a highway, which is just an Indian term for a very crowded road) is about 1.5 kms (about a mile) from my flat. That is a bit of a walk, especially if you have to do it when you come back from work, tired. In a case of the rich getting richer, the journey to work (when I'm relatively fresher) is very simple. There's a bus that starts about a 100 yards from my flat and drops me off a quarter mile from work. On the way back though, I have to fight a crowded street outside my work and walk to a bus stop where I have to fight a bunch of eager commuters to get onto my bus. Provided I can read the signs fast enough (it's dark and the words are not written in the place that they are written on buses in Hyderabad or Chennai) and provided I can actually find the bus that goes home. The alternative is to get on an auto that takes me to an exchange point of sorts. And then take a share auto that goes to my street. And then walk the mile if I have the energy, or take another auto inside. Oh somewhere in there I have to grab dinner because otherwise I'll have to walk the mile again to get to a decent restaurant.
This should be moot soon since I am buying a two wheeler today. A Bajaj Kristal. A gearless bike. The showroom is close to my place and I took it for a test drive yesterday. That's right, I actually drove on Indian roads for the first time in 10 years. I got on the highway with great fear and drove at a very safe 10 kmph (6.3 mph) with both my feet hanging off the bike in case I fell. But the instincts came back pretty fast and soon I was giving it more gas and cruising at a respectable 30 kmph (20 mph). I even signalled and made a U-turn confidently. It felt good - not to drive as such, but knowing that I didn't panic at any point. I'll be making the payment and picking it up tonight after work. Wish me luck.
1 comment:
That must be exciting, driving a 2-wheeler after so many years and that too in India. Make sure to buy a helmet even if you drive safe and slow:)
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