Ferrari Magic India Tour

Prancing in the Land of the Tiger

After an excellent and rejuvenating stop at Hampi, it was now on to the hillstation of Chikmangalur. Although not at too high an altitude itself, Chikmangalur, especially the Taj Hotel property there, gives the impression of being much higher than it actually is. Departure from Hampi brought back memories of the previous evening's traffic jam. All went perfect until we got close to main highway once again. A kilometer long line of trucks awaited us once again! A cop waved us on along the opposite side, saying small cars could go. We got to the main highway sooner than expected but once there, a feeling of dejavu set in. There was no way of getting past this section, and once again everyone resigned to the fact of a long wait. In traffic jams on Indian highways, I am always hopeful as long there is even the slightest of movement. Its when all the trucks are parked with their engines switched off, with the drivers and their helpers sitting sipping tea at the roadside "dhaba", that I do begin to get nervous. An hour or so down the line, the traffic seemed to suddenly thin out for no apparent reason whatsoever and we were on the move once again.

An early morning traffic jam refreshed memories of a similar situation faced the evening before last

The size of the ancient wood and stone chariots seemed to challenge the might of even the Iveco!

Luckily during the recce for this route, all the locals we'd asked for directions had pointed us in the direction of the state highway, instead of the main national highway. Now that we were a lot more confident of the Ferraris speed-breaker handling capabilities, we were very happy to leave the trucks behind and head down one of the smoothest and most photographically rewarding roads through rural India. At the very outset of the road, the huge chariots parked besides the road in the middle of a crowded market, caught the liking of every person and set the stage for the first of many photo shoots for the day. A little further down the road, we faced our first enjoyable traffic jam of the day! The road was covered with cattle for a length of a 100m or so. Cameras came out and clicked away as the cars snaked their way through the goats and cows, making sure none were hurt the slightest bit. The packed lunch that day was also a different and very enjoyable experience. For the first time in the trip, we just parked the cars in the shade of some lovely trees beside some sugarcane fields and had a relaxing lunch on the highway itself. There on I was in the Iveco. Photography somehow wasn't as easy from it as it is from the Safari. Except when you open the roof hatch and stand out in the rushing air. Its absolutely great to have a complete 360 degrees view to enjoy. It brought back memories of sitting on the roof of the Safaris during the SAARC Car Rally, only there it wasn't so easy to swing around incase one saw something interesting to click in the opposite direction! We passed a myriad of sights in the next couple of hours that would leave a lasting impression on everyone's minds. The devotees in their white clothes and orange scarves, faith written across their faces and in their eyes, blessed us on in our quest to cover the length and breadth of the country.

Around 40km short of Chikmangalur, I could feel the excitement again build up inside me as we began to climb the hills after hours of driving along the plains. I was curious to see how the monster called the Iveco would handle the hairpin bends and slopes. I must say, I was truly impressed! The only disappointing aspect for me was the automatic transmission. It's not only with the iveco, but with all automatic cars for me. I just simply prefer manual transmission. Even though it may not be true in the modern engines, the sound of an automatic makes me feel such a sense major power wastage. As we powered up the hills, almost to make an already beautiful route closer to perfect, the light started to transform to a warmer hue. It filtered in through the trees and seemed to draw patterns on the road any artist would have been proud to claim as their creation. As we neared Chikmangalur, a typical sight of India greeted us. A roadside cricket match kept me enthralled while the film crew tried to satisfy their hunger for more footage in these perfect conditions. It was almost hard to imagine such a wonderful sight by itself, leave alone see the wonder of two gorgeous Ferraris driving through it!

Devotees watch Indian Speed-breakers teach the Ferraris how to chicane a straight line!

Cricket everywhere you go in India also holds true
for Chikmangalur

Going through rural India with high tech Windmills in
the background

Getting a true taste of rural India had the
photographers totally excited

An enjoyable traffic jam for a change on the state
highway between Hampi & Chikmangalur

Ladies stand with their lunch boxes beside the traffic
jam en route to their respective jobs