I really wonder what all BUZZ ends up seeing when we leave him parked at a shop and return after an hour. And today we couldn't help cracking up. I realised it after we stuffed our shopping bags into the back seat and then got into the drivers seat. I was looking straight into a horses butt!
It was tied up just in front of BUZZ and when I started BUZZ and switched on the headlights it was a terrible sight - a butt right in front of us! We had a good laugh about it on our return trip.

If you have read the very first post in this blog you will know that before we chose BUZZ, we almost, almost, almost chose to buy an i10. Fortunately it was the U-VA which won the battle and hence BUZZ is now our chosen one. Today when we went to Odyssey (a gift shop) and paid the bill I noticed that an i10 pulled up and parked right next to BUZZ. BUZZ gave a wink as the two of them struck a pose. BUZZ was easily the winner as this photo shows - except for the dumb tree in the way!!

This is how BUZZ sleeps at night - all warm and cozy, covered with his own blanket right next to an ambulance with a Getz and a couple of bikes/cycles for company. Unfortunately Trichy is a very dusty city and we have dust, sandy playgrounds, a school with a billion children (..or almost) all around us and if BUZZ is not covered he has a thick layer of dust and sand by the morning.

I actually noticed it on the Chennai trip, but it started becoming more obvious now even inside the city. BUZZ tended to drift to his left and I had to consciously keep the steering a little to the right to keep him straight. I rechecked BUZZs tire pressures and they seemed OK. On New Year when we parked for lunch I realized that BUZZs front left tire showed some uneven wear and it dawned that BUZZ probably had a serious problem. I checked with the GM guys and then left BUZZ at the service center for a thorough check up. Within 24 hours the diagnosis was finalized - BUZZ's front left suspension strut was stuck and damaged for good. Fortunately they said they would replace it free of charge. BUZZ also had to exchange his damaged footwear (tire) with the spare and will be getting a new one soon. It took about a week but BUZZ was brought back today spanking new and sparkling. He drove as straight as an arrow and steering was so much easier. Well, cars too do let some illnesses I guess.

The long highway trip to Chennai was punctuated with childhood stories and jokes. The highway was even better than when we did the trip in August 2008 - there were more bypasses and lesser detours. It wasn't perfect though and there seemed to be more heavy vehicles than before. We had no problems though and for once BUZZ never got lost when we entered Chennai. The Kathipara flyover helped us reach home faster.
BUZZ had several adventures during this Chennai trip.
Meet the Laura: A visit to Besantnagar to my cousins house and BUZZ was parked face to face with my cousin's Skoda Laura. BUZZ seemed to turn green with envy when I testdrove the Laura for about 10 minutes. The Laura was a lot more powerful (especially when the turbo kicked in), was more luxurious and had lots of gadgets and gizmos! But I never really felt at home inside the Laura and was glad to get back into BUZZ for the return trip! My nephew took BUZZ out for a spin before that and enjoyed it.
A trip to the zoo: Yup - there were tigers, snakes, elephants, fishes, bears, zebras and more at the Vandalur zoo.We had a great time. Unfortunately BUZZ had to simply wait in the parking lot while we feasted our eyes on the animals and birds. We stopped by at my aunts house on the way back and BUZZ had to expertly navigate over sand and very narrow corners to get to their house. For the return trip we took a different route that saw a long smooth stretch of highway and then 20 minutes of trudging slowly in roads (if you could call it that!!)
A cop: It must have been a year-end phenomenon. A cop pulled us over for allegedly jumping a red light. BUZZ gave a sheepish grin and I explained that the lights had not yet changed when we went past. After a little explanation he let us go scotfree. Some nervous moments there!
Crow excreta:It happened at Thiruvanmiyur when we had parked for a couple of hours. When we got ready to leave we found BUZZ covered with a dozen splotches of crow excreta. I frantically tried to clean it up but found that the crows were faster than me. We decided that the best course of action was to leave ASAP. BUZZ didn't seem to mind and after we came back home, Nagaraj cleaned him up and the next morning there were no traces of the ugly crap!
Citicenter: BUZZ's first experience in a shopping mall - the Citicenter @ Chennai. To be honest BUZZ never got to see more that just the front view and the basement parking, but I loved the way he eagerly dived into the parking area and then expertly maneuvered the tight curves upwards when we got out. I wonder if he made any new friends in the parking lot - they say a lot of car romances begin there!
The trip back saw us start off at 4.30 AM through the dark and some mist and I realised that BUZZs headlights were not as powerful as I wanted them to be. The sun peaked in by 6 AM and we had a safe trip back. There was one weird thing I noted when I parked BUZZ after the trip - there were literally hundreds of tiny flies/insects splattered against BUZZs front end (bumper especially). Well - every trip sees something new happening!
Unfortunately BUZZ was camera shy and we don't have any pics of him to show off - so I'll just enclose a video of the time at the zoo.

The event: A wedding to attend
The place: Neyveli - home of the coal mines
Distance: 150 KM (Trichy - Neyveli)
Three of us and BUZZ did this trip and had a great time at Neyveli. The scenery with the coal mines and big machinery was very different and it was fun! As usual BUZZ did his traditional 'lost' act just before we entered Neyveli (and on the way back when we entered Trichy)!
The best part was that on the way back we stopped at a place called Virudhachalam where I had spent my childhood. It was awesome visiting my old home, my old school and the Danish Mission Hospital where my grandfather had worked.
I'm sure BUZZ felt the excitement that hit me when I saw these places after 20 years!
We had a great trip . The roads were a mixture: fourlaned smooth highways, under-construction sites, patched up stretches, narrow streets, village roads and diversions. And to top it all a mixture of sun, rain, dust and wind!
Buzz came back covered with a layer of black dust and dried up watermarks all over him - a true hero!

BUZZ made the trip to the service center to get his damage assessed and the GM guys promised to get everything done in a few days. I left him there - in the company of older cars, bashed up cars, sparkling new cars and some sibling U-VAs. The formalities were done and it was concluded that BUZZ would need a new bonnet and dent removal with repainting of his front bumper, front right panel and the left front door.
There was a slight delay as the truck bringing in his new bonnet from 2000 KM away met with an accident, but all went well and today we picked up BUZZ. After setting him right they also washed him and waxed him. Everything from the dashboard to the floormats was looking brand new and we drove back home and after almost a week he snuggled into his cozy shed for a peaceful nights rest!

And did I tell you about BUZZ's big brother. While BUZZ was getting fixed the Chevy guys lent me their test drive U-VA to use over the weekend. It looks just like BUZZ except that it is red in colour.... and has a giant gorilla face painted on the sides (as a part of the 'Incredibly Spacious' ad!). It was fun - and funny. Everywhere we stopped kids jumped in glee while others gave us a wide grin.The pic will make you understand why!

It happened in the blink of an eye. We were driving back to Trichy with my dad at the wheel when a (suicidal) cyclist came in the opposite direction, looked left and turned right straight onto us. Brakes screeched but it was too late. BUZZ slowly crashed onto the cyclist and the guy landed on the bonnet and then fell onto the side of the road.
The rest of it was a little mob frenzy, making sure the cyclist was OK and a long day at the police station defending ourselves and doing what was right (the cops were trying to pull a fast one on us). Finally after 6 hours we were let off and we cruised back home.
BUZZ had quite a bit of damage but they were all cosmetic - dents and scratches on the bonnet, bumper and the side panel. The Chevy guys confirmed that they'd set it all right in a few days.
My heart skipped a beat everytime I saw those dents and thought of the day.
BUZZ just smiled as if nothing happened!

Trichy to Kodaikanal: 180 KM
My parents were also there for this trip and we loaded our luggage and then ourselves into BUZZ and soon zoomed off. A mixture of patched roads, smooth highways, under-construction flyovers and small villages greeted BUZZ as he ate up the kilometers fast.... and as usual just before we reached the foothills got us all lost!
No worries though and soon we were climbing the hill in second gear as BUZZ (or rather me) nervously navigated the uphill and twists. My dad was the official trainer and it was quite pleasant. We reached at lunchtime.
The next 2 days saw us enjoying the lake, the scenic mountains, valleys, flowers and more. BUZZ experienced cold nights, fog, mist and altitude for the first time. It was fun seeing him drenched in morning mist when we woke (wonder if it was fun for him though). He also got to stare at BMWs and Skodas at the Carlton and seemed pretty much in league with them!
But I guess he soon longed for the warmth of his Trichy home...

Late in the night, after dinner, we took BUZZ over the Kaveri river for a short halt. It was a cool place to hang out - feeling the strong night breeze, listening to the river water flow and seeing the vehicles zoom by on the bridge. It was a relaxing time and we all felt quite refreshed and rejuvenated.