Bangalore to Hyderabad (Part 1)

I left Bangalore before the sun woke up. I hit the highway just as the sun woke up. He was surprised to see me up so early. So, for a change I said whazza? Long night last night? He chose to ignore the question and set about casting his spell on the rest. Like I cared. I was on my way to Hyderabad. I wasn’t alone. Images and memories of Bangalore were accompanying me.

I stepped on the accelerator. The speedometer started sprinting in multiples of 10. The speedometer started panting beyond 100. I stepped off the pedal and let it rest for a bit. Just as it thought this was going to be a joy ride, I decided to give it a run. The airport was left behind and so was Chikballapur. Just as Karnataka started giving way to Andhra Pradesh, I slowed down and started looking for a chai shop for a much need caffeine kick.

Found one in Penukonda, a blink-and-you-miss town. Don’t know what Penu means. Konda is hill in Telugu. The wonderful coffee couldn’t help me figure out the meaning of Penu. I left Penukonda with the hills receding in the distance. I sped though countless diversions and indifferent roads.

A hog crossing the road welcomed me into Kurnool. My stomach started growling and the hog got scared and ran away. It was time for some food. I stepped into hotel Jayashree because the façade looked good. And, the façade was true to its name. The restaurant was dirty and the bathroom was… well let’s not get into it. There were exactly three items on the menu: puri, idly and wada. I chose Puri. I am still reeling from its effect.

To be continued…