Day 11 - Home Sweet Home

The best thing about home is not the food, the big TV or the cozy comfort of my recliner…It has to be the loo…After driving over 2500 kilometres and visiting all kinds of rest rooms (the plush, the dirty and even the thorny shrubs) it’s definitely good to be back home.


My reflections from the holiday…The 7 wonders of a road traveller!

1. The roads were simply awesome…imagine covering 330 kms between Bikaner and Jaisalmer in 4 hours flat!

2. The mobile connectivity was seamless. One could find mobile towers every few miles. Infact the only places where my phone didn’t work was the border area (understandably) and the deserted dunes where we celebrated Christmas eve (thankfully)

3. Google Maps Rock - Never thought the application on my phone would be a life support…not just on the main highways but also in remote towns and villages.

4. Click Happy Generation – Indians are sure going the Japanese way…we click more pictures than we can print. The entire spectrum ranges from the high end SLR to the Chinese model cell phones.

5. Bongs love to travel – I hate the concept of stereotypes but my brethren with all their quirks are just too typical. Every holiday destination will see the quintessential bong family…The ‘professor type’ grand dad who doubles up as the time keeper, the ‘temple trailing’ grand mom, the ‘know it all’ daddy dearest who oscillates between getting bullied by his father and hen pecked by his wife, the sari clad mommy who is forever trying to please her mother in law without much success and the ‘bratty monkey cap donned’ kiddos with the most horrendous pet names. The knowing smile on your face indicates you have come across this tribe!

6. Baba Ramdev effect – Finally realised why the Hindi news channels make a beeline to cover Baba Ramdev…Everything from roadside tea stalls, dhabas and grocery stores have been named after the celebrated yoga instructor!

7. Luck counts – It always feels special when lady luck is smiling down on you. How else can one explain the car running out of fuel 20 metres before the petrol pump…Or for that matter the clouds opening up a day after we finished with the dunes!

Inspite of visiting some of the most beautiful parts of Europe and South East Asia – my top 2 holidays would be the one in Kashmir and this one in Rajasthan. ‘Incredible India’ is not just an ad slogan but a definite reality…Ironically the west realised it before we Indians did. Can’t wait for my next Indian holiday…Leh is currently topping that list…suggestions are always welcome!

Distance – 2545 km (Over and Out!)