Dare Me?

Who said that New Year resolutions are all about losing weight, getting along with the mother-in-law and spending money wisely? I can think of half a dozen reasons why these shouldn’t be on top of the list. They can be somewhere on the list but not on the top. Atleast….not for me. This year 2012 spells a different mantra for me. I can feel it in my bone. It’s gonna be all about stepping outside my comfort-zone….leaving (at least a part of) my apprehensions and reservations behind and doing something I’ve never done before. Ok….now that would be a tall order. This year I shall restrict it to Travel. It’s just as ‘unfamiliar’ a territory for me.

I’ve always travelled in a structured tour whether it’s when I went to the Vatican, Varkala or to Vijayawada. Always….always had someone else decide and design my trips for me. From deciding locations to getting there and then what and who I’d be meeting – was also pre-decided. Not that I had a problem with that. But I often wondered how it is on the other side….?

This year…..I’m gonna find out. I will indulge in some impulsive travel. Better yet….I will drive there myself. Besides, this has been a long-parked item on the New Year resolutions list of a friend and mine that its gathering cobwebs now. So…must act on it. We’ve always wanted to drive down from Hyderabad to Bangalore (can’t get myself to saying Bengaluru) in our own car. I must inform her of my New Year resolution (yet again) of this current year and also make her pledge her time (apparently pledging my time ain’t working).

But first…I guess I need to know how to handle tubeless tyres of an Octavia if they get punctured on the highway with no pittstop in sight. Is learning – ‘to change car tyres’- the only way out? I guess I also oughtta get myself a GPS (just in case a Florida twister were to sweep me off my route and land me off-track far away) though I heard this highway connecting Bangalore to Hyderabad is awesome and is a dream for casual cruisers with near-zero traffic during the day. I heard you can do 130 kilometres in an octavia...easy as the road is as good as an express way. I heard this highway also offers good photographic visuals. And the most important (especially for a first-timer like my good-self) - it is one straight road. No bifurcations or ‘patli-gallis’. Koolio! That makes for a good start.

Wanna know my ultimate dare? I want to drive a truck on the Highway between Manali and Leh....especially to get a feel of driving through the Rohtang Pass - world's highest motorable road at 13, 050 feet! Seemed like a cinch in an 'ice-road trucking' TV program last week when another female drove one. What say?