Week on the Road - MTV Roadies esthyle

Last week we traveled for 22 hours covering nearly 1200 kilometers on road.
We first went to a place called Dandeli in North Karnataka, some 460 km off Bangalore. The road from Bangalore to Hospet was really world class. We paid Rs150 on toll but it was worth more.
From Hospet the road to Dandeli was through a forest, not so dense, but we could see a fox or two on the road.
In south they say that if you see a fox early in the morning, the day will be good. It worked for us.
We never thought it would take nine hours for the journey, including relaxed breaks for dinner and some intermittent tea/cigarette breaks. We reached Dandeli at 4:30 a.m.
Dandeli is located on the banks of River Kali, the river originates somewhere nearby and hence the place is famous for adventure sports like white water rafting.
Before anyone even confers to the idea that we traveled to Dandeli for white water rafting, I should say at the same breath that the place has one of the largest paper mills in India – West Coast Paper mills and they are under 100% capacity expansion.
Unfortunately that was our only rafting idea, getting some business out of the huge expansion money cake.
Except for the West Coast Guest house there is no decent hotel in Dandeli. Most of the resorts or camps are 20 to 30 km of Dandeli. There is a tourist lodge opposite the main bus terminus and we shared a room for four for Rs 800. Reminded me of the college days when we used to do budget traveling.
The travel from Dandeli to Bellary was for 6 hours and we reached at two in the night. The road was good except for a bad patch of two km while entering Bellary. Bellary is a small but rich town in Karnataka known mostly for iron ore mining (mostly illegal). Mercedes Benz, Audi and BMWs are like local taxis in Bellary.
Some people have grown rich through illegal mining but the city remains quite underdeveloped, despite the attention it receives from the media, mostly for wrong reasons. Murders are like daily happenings and all miners are politically connected.
JSW has one of the biggest steel plants near Bellary is a place called Thornagalu. They are under expansion from seven to ten million tons. The house keeping of the steel plant is really outstanding and so are the visitor facilities like canteens, waiting areas etc.
On the second day in JSW I fell sick. There must have been something in the breakfast which the body could not take.
The next day we traveled back to Bangalore. We covered 306 km on the National Highway 4 and reached Bangalore from the Tumkur side.
What I noticed is a great improvement in the infrastructure of the country. I am sorry, if I had commented adversely, but really something is happening. The private public partnership (PPP) concept is really working.
I firmly believe that within next ten years we will have infrastructure equivalent to most modern countries.
Work is in progress and in a methodical way. Technology is used to the fullest. You can see big dumpers, diggers and other construction equipments and all workers wearing helmets and safety shoes. You feel proud when you see the developments touching people who really count rather than we, city dwellers who has ample opportunity to defend for them.
Developments are undeterred by the government in centre, whoever comes has to carry on with it. Now governance will be rooted more to developments because people have realized the power they can wield.
My journey continues on monday at 8 a.m.
Amen!!