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.

After exploring Chennai and hanging out at Ascendas last night we got up early and began the long drive back to Trichy.
The journey was uneventful except for the usual stint at getting lost just when we entered Trichy - BUZZ seems to be getting good at these sudden loss of directions. The trip was longer than we expected but finally BUZZ turned into his own parking spot at the hospital and quietly began getting used to his new home - 50 meters from our house!

Dumb chennai autos drivers!
We were edging along Koyembedu at 10 PM in bumper to bumper traffic when a stupid autorickshaw driver thought he could squeeze into a nonexistent space (probably suggested by his non-existing brain) and kissed BUZZ on his left cheek - denting the wheel arch and leaving a faint scratch on the door.
We chased him down and verbally blew him away - but thats just about all we could do. My heart was broken and I'm sure BUZZ felt the pain too. He didnt complain though and bought us back safely home and then made a trip to the airport where he gleamed with pride at my parents and zipped back home before calling it a day - 350 KM, a dent, a scratch and a happy reunion!

Stuff the bags in, turn on the ignition, fill the tank up and .... er.... don't step on it. The Chevy guys had warned me not to go beyond 80 kmph for the first 2000 KM!
Even with this restriction the drive was a dream! The roads were really good (in the daytime). Ajay had arranged for a driver to drive home the Maruti and he took the lead.
BUZZ handled himself perfectly on the highway and the drive was very comfortable. Even though there were several heavy vehicles and short detours at unexpected places we had absolutely no problems. The ribbon announcing that BUZZ was new and the "L" sticker (I still have a learners license) ensured that other drivers kept their distance from me!!
We stopped for breakfast and lunch and after a brief stint at getting lost in Chennai reached home safe! The whole 8 hours were superb - the AC kept us cool, the ride quality was excellent and music entertained us throughout! BUZZ was beaming with pride and covered in dust when we finally parked at home in Chennai!
So my first highway trip was a dream come true!

(Warning: Incredibly long blog entry coming up!)
It all started off as an inkling of a thought all the way at the back of our heads when my dad lent his Maruti800 to us for 3 months. I discovered that I could actually drive it. Soon the luxury of 4 wheels sank in and 2 wheels (aka my Kinetic Honda) started gathering dust and risked becoming obsolete. Could we actually buy a new car? The research and calculations started. Unfortunately car companies seem to be producing more new cars everyday! We started off with a Santro in mind and naturally the i10 appealed more - almost clinched it for us once the i10 kappa range rolled out. Er... how about the Getz (C and A had one and it was great!). Wait a minute - the Swift costs the same as a Getz! Hmm... a Ford Fusion is just a little more... maybe an SX4. Maybe we can accommodate a Honda CRV. Hey - isn't Volkswagen launching the Jetta soon?!
Yup - we were ambitious. But for practical purposes everything beyond the Getz and Swift was only worth dreaming about (but I don't wanna delete those dreams from my blog as yet!)
The Hyundai i10 seemed a winner - we simply had to decide between the red and the blue i10. We actually paused right in the middle of the road once to ogle at a red i10 parked at the side. The decision seemed to have been made.
Since the Chevrolet Spark was an option (although it was a 'small' hatchback), I called up my friend Ajay who owns a Chevrolet showroom. He introduced us to three letters - UVA. The Chevrolet Aveo UVA was more expensive than the i10 and also more spacious - slightly cheaper than the Getz and the Swift.
So now the recalculations and the rethinking began. Looking at our Bank balance I gave up all my dreaming and started cleaning up my Kinetic Honda again.
With less than a month to go before we returned the Maruti800 to my dad I pulled out my bank account balances and my calculator again. Somehow it seemed possible!
The 3 letters (alphanumeric) "i10" in my mind were replaced by three others - "UVA" as I felt it was more unique, more spacious and also that Ajay could give us a better deal. Convincing Becky about anything other than a i10 was the next thing.
Finally we drove 15 kilometers to the Chevy showroom. When Becky saw the UVA her jaw dropped! The 'wow' expression on her face meant the world to me and even before I got behind the wheel of the test vehicle both of us felt a peace and joy that only increased after the 4 kilometer testdrive I took!
I also drove the Spark just for the kick of it.
The next week saw me cruise around town testdriving a Swift and a brand new Hyundai i10 - but they were just formalities. The "UVA" had smitten us big time!

Now the money part. Haggling with the banks about loan rates was new to me but I successfully inked a good loan deal with HDFC bank.
The next part was putting all the money I had in my HDFC bank account - SBI gave us some heart arrhythmias but to cut a long, tense story short it was done!
Finally the big question - could we actually get the loan approved and the car delivered (after registration) in 5 days flat so we could take it to Chennai?
I was pretty sure that the same God who produced the possibility of actually owning a car from thin air could do this for us.
Deadline: Friday!
Monday - The loan papers were submitted. Ajay reserved The UVA 1.2LS in Beckys favorite color, Icy Blue, even though another buyer wanted to buy it straight away!
Tuesday - The loan was approved. The check would be ready tomorrow.
Wednesday - The Check was ready and would be sent to the Car Dealers. Ajay and the Chevy guys prepped the car for us - fixing the music system, fog lights and basic accessories.
Thursday - Hiccup! The cash for registration of the car was to be paid directly. Ajay sent Napolean zooming across to our house and we gave him the cash, but it was too late - the RTO was closed. Thank God we had friday as a buffer!
Friday - Everything was ready! Ajay agreed to take cheques and that saved us the trouble of carrying cash around.
It was a happy day! Everything went smoothly and the payments were done. The car (Our Car!) looked even better than when we first saw it. I did a check of everything in the car and after a word of prayer I started the engine and we drove out in our very own Chevrolet Aveo U-VA 1.2LS - BUZZ was officially roadborne!. It was a dream! We even managed to get the license plates fixed and make a trip to Pastor's house to have a word of prayer.
And did I tell you about the dinner miracle? Busy between a few patients I had to see, the license plates and packing for our Chennai trip, dinner seemed like a far cry! At 9.30 we went to pastor Paul Moses house to have a "short time of prayer" for BUZZ. And guess what? As soon as we entered his father guided us to the dining table - a church member had given them loads of Biriyani as it was his birthday and there was plenty for us! I almost cried at how much God loves Becky and me!!
Tired we returned home and showed off BUZZ to the others who were bowled over especially by the space and the awesome color (Beckys choice!)
It was incredible! The feeling of owning your own car when the only things you have ever driven till a few months ago was a BSA Street Cat and a Kinetic Honda! Tomorrow I BUZZ takes his maiden highway trip - to Chennai. I wonder what I will dream of when I close my eyes tonight!
Incredible ambitious: Last year when Ajay told us about the Spark being sold for a discount, I laughed at him. Today I bought a bigger car from the same guy!!
Incredibly Spacious: BUZZ! The Chevrolet Aveo U-VA 1.2LS. Our very own set of wheels!
Incredibly "God"ious: The best part! God simply guided us through it all - the incredibly tough decision of choosing a car was delightfully simple and the incredibly difficult task of arranging the finances and loan was a breeze! The incredibly complicated exercise of getting a new car delivered was made easy - thanks to a godsent person called Ajay!