Driving Thrill, 50 degrees, etc...

Here I am, back in Kitami after a brief visit to GOC capital Trivandrum. We experienced a more than 50º C temperature difference going back and forth (it was -22º C here yesterday.) It was a hectic trip and it was fun from the moment I landed at the so-called int'l airport. I walked down the steps with my sleeping son and got on to the bus waiting for us on the tarmac. We barely got in and the bus took off with a jerk throwing most of the people off their feet. No announcement, no warning. Just like in the public buses that ply the city, traveling in which is a suicidal act. Great welcome and a timely reminder of how things don't change that easily here. The bus went past the skeleton of the aerobridge that has been standing there for decades and dumped us at the arrival.

The day after arriving I had to drive to Kollam, which is about 70 km from Trivandrum. There was too little time for me to get acclimatized with the local conditions and here I am trying to keep up with my brother who was driving like a, well, like a local - at the only speed allowed when driving in Kerala: breakneck. I gave up after 5 minutes. The real reality check came later in the night when I was driving back. The speed at which vehicles come at you seems doubled when they have the headlights on bright straight on to your eyes. You just try to maintain course and hope the light swerves at the last moment, which they did in most cases (otherwise I wouldn't be writing this.) It appears that nobody has heard of the dim/bright thingy.

There's always a moment in time, which you immediately realize as the turning point. This happened on the way back at a busy section when I finally managed to almost overtake a slow moving truck. I was frantically toggling the dim/bright switch and halfway through when this guy coming towards me started his toggling and raised his speed. Eventually we both had to brake and swerve. He called me a dog. And then everything clicked for me. I immediately called him a filthy m#####-f$$$ing dog and several other choice words from my subconscious Trivandrum gutter vocabulary and he took his eyes and car away. That was the instant I knew I was back, the moment I knew that I could drive even through blinding headlights without fear. The rest of the journey was smooth as I left the dim/bright toggle alone and concentrated on the gas pedal. Once I reached home I found that I could barely stand. It was as if I had driven for 5 hours non-stop. My knees were sore after the constant movement between brake and accelerator. And I realized that though I was mentally back, I still needed some physical acclimatization.

Another thing that bothered me during the trip was the airline. I usually take Singapore Air (Silk Air to Trivandrum, which is rather nice) as I can reach home the same day I leave Tokyo, even though it is slightly expensive than other airlines (and my wife prefers it over other airlines for various reasons including and primarily safety). And their service was considered good. But, recently I feel they have become quite nasty and arrogant. Their ground staff was rude and the stewardesses were behaving like the Indian Airlines divas of yore. Disdain for the passengers. They took their own sweet time in delivering lunch, didn't have what the menu promised and the food was outright bad. Just after we boarded one of the women came with a pair of slippers for my son. At about the same time another lady came with what looked like a toy or a colouring book. But, before she could give that to my son the first woman took it from her in front of us and walked away. That was kind of pathetic. Was she trying to save some pennies for the airline? Cheating a kid of something that was probably made in China for 5 cents! I felt embarrassed for them. Perhaps their famed service is only for those elite travelling in their A380 first class suites. And time, perhaps to change the name Singapore Girl to Singapore Prima Donnas.

Yet another letdown was Silk Air, which though small usually offered good service with a courteous crew and good food and was always on time. This time, however, it was delayed and we ended up reaching Trivandrum at midnight. So, next time -well, forgot to tell you. I'm going back alone next week on another quick trip- I'm flying Sri Lankan Air. And I'm looking forward to the food too. Hopper anyone?? (Hopper, by the way, is our Appam.)