5 days ago
2
PROLOGUE
Sometime during July 2024
"Maa, S (school person of 10 years) is getting joined successful November, truthful I mightiness permission this spot aboriginal alternatively of December."
"You truly privation to prepone this, Beta?"
"I'm anyways done with Canada maa. I consciousness I'm wasting clip here. Might arsenic good travel down aboriginal and not acquisition the anserine wintertime here."
"Theeke Beta. Plan good and fto america cognize what you do."
"Sure Maa. Also, the wedding is successful Delhi. Or Haryana. I don't cognize the details yet."
"So you'll beryllium booking flights for that arsenic well, and I presume a fewer days earlier the full events?"
"Actually, I was reasoning of driving to Delhi."
"WHAT?!"
_______________
That's however my onversation with my parent went during the readying phase. I was successful Canada during 2022-2024, wherever I studied for 1 twelvemonth and was moving successful a mill arsenic a shipper and receiver, forklift operations. Essentially a bluish collar occupation which paid well, had benefits, and a bully scope for firm ascension. But breaking into the occupation marketplace seemed hard and I figured I would beryllium amended disconnected leaving Canada and heading to immoderate different state and effort my luck there. At this point, I had made capable wealth for a 23 twelvemonth aged and had fulfilled each teenage imagination determination was to fulfill. Watches, clothes, sneakers, booze, renting accelerated cars and roadtrips successful them, et all.
But I needed a break.
I decided to publication a 1 mode summons backmost to Mumbai and thought it was clip to commencement saying my goodbyes to my folks successful London. It was a bully 2 years but it's clip to determination on.
Meanwhile, I was preparing for my roadworthy trip. Asked my sister to bid immoderate accessories for the car. Specifically a mobile holder, charging unit, magnetic model shades, lumbar enactment representation foam cushion, cervix cushion, jumper cables, puncture repair kit, portable aerial pump, and astir important of them all, a bluetooth aux adapter which worked flawlessly.
Meanwhile, I asked my begetter to get the car to the work halfway and get it afloat serviced, apical up immoderate fluids if necessary, regenerate immoderate parts if needed. The pursuing day, begetter got a work tech to look into the car and portion the car was good and everything was moving arsenic expected, the rear drum assembly was afloat replaced. Why so?
Turns retired the work tech recovered retired that the rear drum interruption was completly gone. The representation shown was a screenshot from the video wherever the work tech shows however the grip was expected to beryllium attached and not detached arsenic shown. So, the full assembly was replaced. There's lone overmuch you could bash to a 11 twelvemonth aged car with drum breaks and nary ABS.
And present the hold begins. I was counting days to determination backmost to India and get this travel going. I was a spot tense but I was assured that I tin negociate a road travel up north. It's each highways anyways. What could spell wrong?
November 5, 2024
Decided to thrust 1 past clip to the airdrome successful my friend's RAM. It started to deed maine that this mightiness beryllium the past clip I would beryllium driving successful Ontario. Atleast for a agelong while. The full travel from London to Mississauga Airport, my person and I were conscionable talking astir the past 2 years, reminiscing and feeling beauteous dense successful the feels.
Reached Pearson International, and it was a precise bittersweet farewell. I'm not the benignant to consciousness affectional but it was a beauteous extremity to 2 years. The lone mode to spell is guardant and that's what I asked myself to do. Cleared my security, baggage and proceeded to committee the longest formation of my life.
I'll miss Canada. More than the place, it volition ever beryllium the radical I'll miss.
I scope backmost location and the archetypal happening I do, is instrumentality the car out. I forgot to present my 11 twelvemonth aged baby. Everyone, conscionable HumbleBee. A 2013 Hyundai i10, with hardly 26000 Kms connected the odometer. The crushed for it's debased odo is my parents, chiefly my father, due to the fact that helium doesn't instrumentality the car retired overmuch owed to postulation and the hard clutch. Being a elder national and the car being negligibly tiny besides added to the paranoia of driving this car successful the city, truthful each it ran was the occasional buying runs and work runs. It looked similar the car was conscionable waiting for the close travel to agelong it's legs with the caller work that was conscionable done connected the car.
I'll ne'er get implicit the aged plan connection which Hyundai was known for but again it's purely subjective. Anyways, it has been a small much than 2 years since I drove instrumentality truthful it took maine a portion to get accustomed to the instrumentality displacement this car had but a thrust on the JNPT way helped my musculus representation footwear backmost in.
Drove to Pune to conscionable the sister and came backmost the aforesaid time to spot however the car handled road speeds and transverse winds. I mean it could, but the motor volition marque it evident that it doesn't similar being pushed excessively much. Well, I conscionable request to clasp the car astatine 110 KMPH to extract bully mileage and not interruption immoderate road velocity limits.
Ladies and lads, we're backmost successful business.
_______________
D-Day
November 12, 2024
"Beta, you tin inactive instrumentality the flight."
"Maa..."
"The highways are not harmless beta, it scares maine successful the metropolis itself, your (cousin) member lone survived his car mishap owed to sheer volition of God. The different 3 radical with him didn't survive, including your Uncle."
"I committedness I'll halt erstwhile I'm bushed and committedness to publication a country wherever I americium sleepy"
"Okay, don't overspeed and instrumentality breaks whenever you tin and telephone maine each 2 hours alright?"
"Done. Now I request to battalion and commencement heading out."
"When are you leaving?"
"It's 12 PM close now. I'll permission erstwhile I tin aft wrapping up my work."
_______________
Ever since I landed, I've been moving helter skelter to get things done. Bank work, accelerated tag activation, packing for a 2 week trip, getting my apparel tailored and what not and yet was capable to wrapper everything up and caput retired of Navi Mumbai by 7 PM. All I carried was 2 bottles of water, and 1 litre of acold achromatic java to support maine awake incase I commencement feeling drowsy.
I acceptable immoderate basal rules to follow. I figured I emotion myself excessively overmuch and I didn't privation this travel to beryllium the extremity of me. I inactive request to bargain that RSV4 and Daytona erstwhile my wallet permits.
1) Keep the motor nether 3500 RPM if I mean to get immoderate mileage
2) Defensive driving is my spell to method of driving and I shouldn't stray
3) Upshift astatine 2500 RPM to get the close magnitude of torque
4) Refuel the car erstwhile the substance gauge reaches it's past 2 bars. Don't spot the integer substance gauge.
5) Engine braking to beryllium utilized erstwhile you are successful an emergency. I can't callback however galore times this regularisation ended up redeeming my car
6) Hydrate and piss liberally.
7) Stretch and unbend erstwhile I can. I'm 6 ft gangly and somewhat built truthful the car would beryllium a spot cramped. This could number arsenic the astir important regularisation which would assistance maine implicit this travel without immoderate assemblage aches.
The archetypal limb of the travel was Navi Mumbai to Surat to my person 'S' spot successful Surat. Though it shows lone 305 Kms, Google Maps was telling maine it would instrumentality maine 7 hours to scope Surat. Well, this is India, and I knew I was leaving astatine the worst clip imaginable but I had to beryllium successful Surat earlier 7 AM the pursuing time due to the fact that I was to articulation 'S' and thrust togther to Delhi with him and his household successful his Ertiga and maine successful my i10.
I travel google representation and scope the dreaded Thane-Ghodbunder Stretch. God assistance maine but that agelong frustrated the surviving daylights retired of me. I see myself a diligent antheral (due to endless choler managment sessions) but that agelong was a existent trial to my resilience and I was cursing and repeatedly muttering nether my enactment trying to calm myself and support myself alert. Never leaving during unreserved hr ever again.
Somehow crawled my mode to Vasai Creek and the full operation particulate was flying each implicit the place. Trucks, precocious Beams, radical trying to merchantability themselves, immoderate random moving radical and the worst of roads awaited me. Although I had upgraded my headlamps to 110/90W bulbs, it was of nary usage becuase of the particulate and oncoming precocious beams. My felts similar it was being blasted by glaring lasers but inactive managed to soilder on. It was astir 12 AM erstwhile I stopped to drawback immoderate meal person to the MH - GUJ border.
IIRC, towards the opening of Vapi, the roads started to smoothen retired and that was my denotation that I've entered Gujarat. Sure it's mostly 2 lane roads with nary thoroughfare lights but atleast successful immoderate stretches determination were dividers with precocious bushes which blocked up the precocious beams of the opposing traffic. The roads were beauteous creaseless and I was capable to clasp a bully 80 - 90 KMPH consistently.
But bully times don't past long.
I was connected a superb agelong of roadworthy and I was holding a bully velocity and each of a abrupt I spot an unmarked speedbreaker clubbed with potholes bigger than immoderate manholes. Panic breaking, tires screeching, trying to downshift speedy truthful that motor breaking mightiness travel to aid, each portion looking backmost to spot if idiosyncratic would ram maine from the back. I couldn't assistance but leap that speedbreaker. My car shook and flew for a infinitesimal and 1 of the idols I had connected my dash conscionable flew from it's spot onto the floor. My bottles connected the rider spot fell, my damn telephone flew disconnected the holder and fell towards me, it was a infinitesimal wherever I knew my car had taken a beating of a lifetime. I was already acceptable to judge that determination would beryllium immoderate benignant of harm to the tires and the rim truthful I slowed down to the broadside and got my telephone to cheque the tires and rims.
To my utter surpise, not a azygous puncture oregon motion of rim damage. I took a sip of water, thanked my fortunate stars and started driving towards Surat. The roads kept surpising maine but I was prepared this time.
305 KMS and 8 hours later, I reached my friend's spot by 3 AM and helium was determination to person me. Parked my car extracurricular his apartment, went successful and freshened up, my eyes were bloodshot and bushed but seeing my buddy aft 2 years was thing else. We chatted and caught up with our lives and were conscionable joking astir however we went from people 9 benchmates to present his marriage.
Fast guardant to 7 AM, immoderate lukewarm paranthe, and galore much introductions later, we some made our mode down to commencement loading up his Ertiga. My buddy had the bearer which could accomodate the bags aft they were tied up and we proceeded to necktie up his luggage and again, waiting for his household to travel down. At this point, my buddy's watchman saw my car each dusty and filthy from the travel that helium conscionable went successful and cleaned my car up.
Finally his household made it down and we started our journey. The destination for contiguous was Kota, Rajasthan. Hotel bookings were to beryllium made whenever we made it to Kota.
At this point, I should constituent retired beloved readers that I was awake for much than 20 hours, retired of which I was driving for 9 hours. Sure I was not bushed with each the adrenaline, but majorly the thrust truthful acold was during the nighttime and present that we person time break, the prima is successful afloat unit and I was ever truthful thankful for my sunglasses which helped rather a bit.
Exiting surat was similar trying to dodge and weave people, cows, and 2 wheeled motorists, and we managed to get walk the horrible postulation and get connected NH 48, past Bharuch and started maintaining a bully speed. My buddy and I were pursuing the aforesaid way portion we were occasionally calliing to marque definite that we weren't acold up oregon back, arsenic we maintained a spread of possibly 1 oregon 2 kms due to the fact that astir of the clip helium and I were broadside by side.
Now. I request to notation that my buddy has a CNG powered Ertiga, which was his preferred method of fuel. And since helium was wholly packed and with luggage up top, helium was getting adjacent to 200 Kms to a afloat vessel of state and helium was stopping rather often arsenic compared to maine who was getting atleast 400 KMS with 2 bars near (and 500 kms with conscionable 1 barroom left). And since helium was connected CNG, the full household had to disembark to refuel. So during those times, I slowed down to 90 KMPH to let him to drawback up.
Knowing that helium had slowed down to capable CNG, I continued up portion maintaining a decent velocity and reached Halol, adjacent the Narmada Canal. Decided I'll usage this accidental to stop, agelong my legs and instrumentality a fewer pictures, due to the fact that I had time.
Now, I've stayed present for a bully 20 minutes and determination was nary motion of my buddy. Rang him up and we compared KMs and realised that I someway teleported 70 Kms ahead. Maybe I went to acold but successful my defence, S told maine that helium had to hold 45 mins to capable up his vessel and I successful each my 'cruising ability' had someway sped my mode implicit 70 Kms. So I started to thrust existent dilatory arsenic my substance was getting down to 3 bars and I was definite I would beryllium stopping for substance successful the adjacent 100 kms.
Found a petrol bunk with shadiness and updated my loaction to S and had him travel implicit and instrumentality a luncheon break. His mum packed a delicious repast and disconnected we spell again aft stopping by for 45 minutes. The vigor was sidesplitting maine and I could accidental that I was starting to consciousness fatigued. My eyes had started burning up due to the fact that of the vigor and deficiency of sleep, lone to realise I was up for much than 26 hours and counting. Black java was my redeeming grace.
Still my vigor and zest to thrust wasn't letting my fatigue regularisation the remainder of the drive. Because things were astir to get interesting. After a while, we saw the representation starring to a consecutive agelong of road, which was interestingly named NE-4, which I had not heard of previously. Leading the way, I climbed up the connecting span lone to spot the astir bare road of my life, specifically called arsenic the Delhi - Mumbai Expressway.
What an absoute quality of a highway. 4 lanes connected each side, velocity cameras each along, which restricted the velocity to 120 KMPH, and creaseless with immoderate pleasent views of quality during definite stretches. But soon, the roads started to consciousness excessively empty, my deficiency of slumber should beryllium blamed arsenic the precise roadworthy which I was praising to beryllium a beauty, got maine feeling bored and l for erstwhile couldn't hold to spot immoderate postulation ahead, arsenic it felt similar maine and my buddy were the lone radical connected this beauteous agelong of expressway. Still we soildered connected and took the adjacent exit to Kota, by the clip which, I was starting to get hungry.
Google representation threw a googly astatine us, erstwhile we enactment the determination to a edifice which was adjacent to the metropolis but lone had negligible region from the expressway and that saw america spell done a precise secluded colony whose roads were arsenic wide arsenic the Ertiga. It was dark, we were tired, and I couldnt hold to deed the sack arsenic I was done with the time truthful far.
Found a dhaba wherever I gobbled down 3 paneer paranthas. Big mistake. Now I conscionable wasn't tired, I was lethargic arsenic well. At last, we reached the hotel, checked in, wherever I took a shower, watched immoderate quality and conscionable passed out.
DAY 1: KILOMETERS DRIVEN: 990 KMSTOTAL UPTIME : 33 HOURS
TOTAL DRIVE TIME : 22 HOURS APPROX
DAY 2
NOVEMBER 13, 2024
We weren't successful a hurry truthful we woke up adjacent to 9 AM, and this was the astir blissful slumber I had successful a while. After freshening up, we decided to person immoderate kachori from the adjacent kachoriwaala and decided to determination towards Delhi.
While passing done Rajasthan, determination were nary scarcity of beauteous views. Sure it was a agrarian and the roads were smooth, but I was having amusive and again, I someway manged to surpass my buddy and was immoderate 15 Kms ahead. I managed to ping him my determination and stopped to person immoderate h2o and instrumentality a scenic piss.
Kilometres went by and I made it to the toll gross starring to the Delhi - Mumbai Expressway, decided to stop, instrumentality different piss and update my buddy portion I waited and clicked a representation to nonstop it backmost home.
The prima was burning my look disconnected but again it felt bully to hydrate and agelong my legs.
Eventually, my buddy caught up and helium stopped by to agelong and we updated our destination successful Delhi to his place. A bully chat and we we're backmost connected the road, not a km supra the prescribed velocity limit.
One happening we noticed is, though the expressway is ready, the amenities were not completly up and running. There were lone fewer stops with functioning restaurants and substance bunks. Yes, the one's which were moving were supplying everything from nutrient to substance but a cautionary connection of proposal to each Bhpians would beryllium to not effort your luck with substance stops arsenic it could enactment against you arsenic the exits would instrumentality you to immoderate bunks which are inactive astatine 90% completion and not afloat functional. And moreover, exiting the expressway would outgo you a toll, which would again had to beryllium paid erstwhile you re-enter the expressway. Found that retired the hard mode erstwhile I was searching for a substance bunk and and went disconnected the exit and came backmost up and had to wage INR 500/- for some those tolls.
We kept driving and conscionable randomly overtaking and clicking pictures, whilewe encountered different toll plaza, wherever different conveyance up up reminded maine that we are closing successful connected Delhi.
By evening, we entered Delhi, and I could already feeling the aerial being heavy. I bash smoke, and Delhi felt similar you could beryllium a smoker without being a smoker. And past I was stuck successful the notorious Gurugram postulation starring to Delhi, portion my buddy took different way and made it to his spot 30 minutes earlier I did and I was greeted by this legend.
DAY 2- KILOMETERS DRIVEN : 460 KM
TOTAL UPTIME : 12 HOURS
TOTAL DRIVE TIME : 9 HOURS
NOVEMBER 18, 2024
A fewer days successful Delhi, mounting up things for the wedding, we were acceptable to thrust disconnected to Hansi successful Haryana, which was the venue of the wedding and we near comfortably aft lunch, which was considered to beryllium a bully determination but the smog connected the roadworthy made visibility a royal symptom successful the butt, with reduced velocity and worsening aerial quality. We someway made it to Hansi, which was 140 kms distant but it took america a bully 4 hours to marque the distance.
Hansi was dirty, dusty and the radical were hostile. We parked our vehicles close too a mean parts store, and successful nary mode were we blocking the store, yet the store keeper was creating a ruckus and my buddy being a section had to usage his code and authorization to unopen the section up, who thought helium could prime a combat and smooch immoderate wealth conscionable beacuse we were from Maharashtra.
Fast guardant to the adjacent day, I decided to springiness my car to the washing presumption astatine 9 AM successful the greeting and brought it backmost to the edifice to decorativeness disconnected immoderate work. By 11 AM, the car was dusty and soiled again. Figured determination is nary constituent successful cleaning our cars here, we fto the cars beryllium dirty.
KILOMETERS DRIVEN : 140 KM
TOTAL DRIVE TIME : 4 HOURS
THE SURPRISE
NOVEMBER 23, 2024
The wedding was done connected the 22nd but the rituals were going connected until 24th. And I decided that if I near haryana connected the 23rd, I could astir apt marque it to Mumbai by the 25th, conscionable successful clip for my mother's birthday. It's been 2 years since I haven't celebrated her day and I though wherefore not astonishment her and inactive get to beryllium location early.
So I packed up my things, said my goodbyes, near Hansi by 5 PM, connected the longest thrust successful India truthful far. I was up for a bully 7 hours earlier starting the thrust and I was definite that this would beryllium a marathon erstwhile it comes to driving the car. So I began.
I drove without a interruption different than a substance halt until 12 AM, until which I had to instrumentality a interruption due to the fact that I forgot to renew my yearly YouTube Premium subscription. And surprisingly, I realised that I had driven 7 hours without immoderate euphony to support my absorption up. Borrowed my friends Spotify relationship (much acknowledgment to her) and continued to thrust similar a shade possessed.
This was the past representation I took, earlier I parked beside this toll, took a 4 hr nap, determination adjacent to Udaipur astatine 4:20 AM
KILOMETERS DRIVEN : 750 APPROX
TOTAL UPTIME : 18.5 HOURS
TOTAL DRIVE TIME : 9 HOURS
THE FINAL LEG
NOVEMBER 24, 2024
I woke up by 8 AM, freshened up, started driving again, and didn't halt unless I required food, substance oregon a agelong break. Reached Gujarat and mistook a crook and google took maine done the city, wherever the cops stopped maine and started complaining astir not having an HSRP plate. While I tried to explicate that this car is 11 years aged and this would instrumentality time, it fell connected deaf ears arsenic they were making excuses that a car cannot question with mean plates. I figured they were conscionable looking for a handout truthful conscionable played their crippled and moved on.
The frustrating Vasai creek country arrived, breached roads, dusty trucks and connected hellhole of a potholed fractional built roadworthy later, I made it to Navi Mumbai and crashed astatine my friends spot wherever she was acceptable with immoderate brew and immoderate chickenhearted fried atom astatine 12:30 AM. What other does a antheral request but beer, chickenhearted and bully company?
KILOMETERS DRIVEN : 750 APPROX
TOTAL UPTIME : 16.5 HOURS
TOTAL DRIVE TIME : 12 HOURS
THE SURPRISE
NOVEMBER 25, 2024
Picked a cake, ordered immoderate biriyani, and got some of them to my location hardly 15 KM from my friends spot to mine. My parents were of the cognition that I would lone beryllium backmost by 28th. But I had informed my sister I was pulling this off. So the astonishment was a bully one. And it was worthy the drive.
To conclude, would one bash a travel similar this again? Yes. Under the aforesaid circumstances? I anticipation not. Would I promote anyone to bash this stupidity of not sleeping and driving? Absolutely not if you emotion yourself. Was it worthy driving each this way, completly solo? Yes for the lore.
I should've taken a flight. It would beryllium what anyone would've told me. But again, where's the amusive successful that?
HIGHEST FUEL ECONOMY DELIVERED : 18.65 KMPL
LOWEST FUEL ECONOMY DELIVERED : 11.75 KMPL
FIN
