5.30 am, saw me rising from the confines of my cozy bed at the Ibis, Nashik. In an hour's time, we were packed and ready to roll. 600 odd kilometres of tarmac lay between us and our destination for the night, Bhopal. Fortified with green tea, leftover sandwiches and few biscuits, we were on our way. A misty haze had settled over the environs of Nashik city. The highway opened up ahead of us as we left the city behind, dodging vehicular behemoths as we made our escape. The landscape varied from miles of vineyards to ambiguous scrub land, parched, waiting for rain. Three hours later, we stopped at a small roadside eatery for breakfast.
Traditional Maharashtrian snacks like poha and piping hot kachoris accompanied by sweet tea sufficed to fill our bellies, and prepare us for the rest of the journey. The roads on this sector are excellent, but the driving discipline of the users leaves much to be desired. Overloaded trucks trundle alongside at a snail's pace, suicidal motorcyclists with kamikaze tendencies dart out from the undergrowth as if to throw themselves at oncoming vehicles, in a last ditch effort to disable them.
Vehicles of every shape, size and lack of power hog the right lane, unmindful of other wheeled brethren who have also paid hefty toll charges to share a few feet of tarmac. Driving here is an exercise in patience and restraint. That being said, the drive to Bhopal was a pleasant one. Every once in a while, the road would be covered by a canopy of trees, giving way to flower lined dividers on dual carriageways and fields under cultivation.
Today is Diwali and most restaurants are preparing for an evening 'pooja' or prayer session. Hence, we had to hunt for one that was willing to serve us lunch, while carrying on with their own preparations! By 6.oo pm, we had arrived in Bhopal, and found ourselves at the home of a friend an colleague whose family lives here. This evening, we shall be having a Diwali repast with Jay and his family. Life's little surprises. Tomorrow, we are off to Panchmarhi, a hill station I last visited 40 years ago!
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