Live Reporting

(Notes jotted on my PDA whilst journeying from Ahmd to Baroda on the InterCity bus)

Crank, crank, craaaaaaank

The last one was uncomfortably long. Though not abnormal for India, I once again find myself savoring (?) the prospect of being stuck on the Ahmd - Baroda National highway #6. The last time was of course when 'rents and I were stuck going the other direction to catch a US bound flight and this time it's the penultimate day of returning home.

The first stall of the dilapidated 'inter-city' bus happened about half hour ago while still navigating the chaotic narrow winding streets of old Ahmedabad. This part of the city was built in AD 1415 by Ahmad Shah because he found a pair of hares chasing dogs. True story. He figured, this city has to be great if the hares are so brave (I suppose he didn't give much thought to the weakling dogs because he saw himself more of a hare than a dog?). Over the last almost 600 years, this part of the city has mostly seen rebuilding with the lanes and bilanes matrix of pols has remained stagnant.

The second stall happened (quite more uncomfortably) when the bus stopped at the toll plaza, which itself a monument to the new India, or resurgent Gujarat, if you must. This, of course, is the beginning of the aforementioned highway (part of for a while now almost completed Golden quadrilateral - GQ connecting major metros of the country). With the fourth set of 3 chranks, the wiseguy in me cannot resist and I shout out in the most native sounding Gujju I could muster that perhaps he should wait a while since the engine might be flooded by now. Of course, shortly with the next crank the bus comes to life with thunderous romance and I am left with nothing but a sheepish grin that at best tried to convey - hey, that was luck.

But luck it may not have been. And as we sit approximately 15 km from the toll plaza, it has stalled again but this time I am keeping my mouth shut abd penning these thoughts on Crackberry. This has been a live reporting from ... Oh, forget it. - you know where I am.

Epilogue:
6 uncertain mins later, the bus is well on it's way to my home town and much like those dogs in speeding cars, I have my face poking (safely) out of the window enjoying the wind try to blow me away. Some things are the same everywhere (for dogs and humans).

Another 20mins -  5th stall and this time it looks serious as the driver has exited the bus and the, thus far, nonplussed passengers (guys) are heading out too.

- this exact moment -
Couple of mins later another bus seemingly bound for Baroda stops ahead of us. I instinctively join the rising herd to exit this nightmare (fighting the wise ones who are now panic-struck reentering the bus to take their luggage ;)) I have procured the last of 4 seats in the new bus with a few other lucky souls managing to find standing room. The rest are probably stranded for a while. I think I will be making my train to Mumbai after all...