Arvind Kamath Blog on Travel and Leisure

This is a real life incident that happened in late 2000. I was working for a leading ERP product and implementation company and was assigned to a Dutch company based out of Bangalore. The client had scheduled a Meeting at Chennai (350 kms from Bangalore) and I was invited along with couple of their Senior Managers. Normally we would take a flight from Bangalore to Chennai for such Visits but this time due to cost cutting pressure, we were all booked in a Luxury Bus. We boarded the Sharma Transport bus KA-01-A-115, bound for Chennai, on the fateful night of Friday November 10th 2000. The departure was delayed since one family going to Chennai for a marriage ceremony reported late. From 10:00pm to 12:00 midnight we were discussing the plan for next day and slowly went to sleep. At about 1:00am we got a big jolt, as if the Bus was being thrown aside. The dacoits, armed with country made pistols and daggers, took charge of this bus in IC814 style, as the bus was nearing Kolar (once famous...

For me travelling is part of my life not only because my job in the Information Technology industry warrants it, but it’s also my favourite hobby. The first touch point in the new city you land is the Cabbie unless a friend or a family member is waiting for you to be received. My experience with the cabbies around the world ranges from an emotional bonding to a forgettable experience. Before I landed at Singapore, I was given a earful on the efficient city transport infrastructure especially the cabbies, who are supposed to be very honest, disciplined and expect nothing less or more than the fare that is displayed on the meter. It was the Chinese New Year eve sometime in January 2004 and with nothing much to do that evening, I was very keen to see the Night Safari located some 20 miles away from the City centre. It seemed like the city was in a holiday mood already and I could hardly see Cabs on the wide Singapore roads. The ones that I hailed refused to ply because of the long dista...