Odyssey - Book 1 - Chapter i

Odyssey the Greek epic by homer about the travels of Ulysses/Odysseus more than 2700 years ago. So here is my contemporary story of my travels.

I have always enjoyed traveling, so far I have only been in India and USA. Since I don't have a record of my travels in India and my travels so far in the US. After last weekends drive to Minneapolis in Minnesota I have officially been to more states in the US than in India.

The ride there was eight hours through the countryside of Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota. It was good to meet some friends after a gap of three years. Also I got to eat some good Indian cooking courtesy of Jeba's mom. This trip was about meeting old friends but I did also see the Mall of America and Duluth on Lake Superior.

The drive back was an eventful though. I got lost in the farmlands of Iowa. It was truly in the middle of nowhere. I felt I was going through so back country in India. To take a leak I had to go to McDonald's 3 miles from the Highway. It was one of those places where they probably never had seen an Indian before. It was also the kind of place where Mcdees was the cool hang out place for the young and the restaurant of choice for the old. Due to confusing road signs and small highways my trip back was extended by two hours and a 150 miles. But I did get home by 1 after driving for 730 miles straight with more rest stops than I usually take. Inspite of all this I still like driving in Uncle Sam's roads, with just me and my baby*!!!

"When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable."
Clifton Fadiman (1904 - )

* - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon