Drive through Andhra Pradesh en Route to Orissa - Apr 15, 2009

It is around 5 o'clock in the afternoon. I am writing today's entry as we continue our drive through Andhra Pradesh en route to Orissa. Hopefully taking a break from staring out at the Indian countryside will help me break up the monotony of the last several hours.

Much of today’s drive has taken us through nondescript countryside, villages and towns. Today is one of those days when it would be nice to have the equivalent of the Japanese rail system in India - with its Shinkansen bullet trains that transform long journeys into short hops on a train - to obviate the excruciatingly slow travel times which are required to get to certain rural parts of India. I suppose in this case the old adage that it is the journey rather than the destination in and of itself which counts rings true here. Well, that is what I have kept telling myself all afternoon anyway...

It goes without saying that I will be very ready to leave Andhra Pradesh and cross over into Orissa tomorrow.