An edited version of the following article appeared in The Ottawa Citizen, Sunday, June 10, 2001

India's extremes are also its charm

Mike Nemesvary
'Round the World Challenge

Mike Nemesvary, a former champion freestyle skier, is attempting to become the first quadriplegic to drive around the world - a 40,000 kilometer trek to raise funds for spinal cord injury research and rehabilitation.

Hyderabad, India

Having spent the past two weeks traveling through India, I would definitely recommend it as a travel destination. But, if you go, do not drive.

Drivers seem to live by the maxim that "to slow is to falter, to brake is to fail, to stop is defeat." Why slow down when you can just honk your horn to indicate that "I am going too fast to stop, so unless YOU slow down we shall both die"?

Driving at night is hellish in the pre-monsoon downpours, lightening and winds. There are no directional signs anywhere and we constantly stop for directions, with people literally pointing us in the right (or wrong) direction. The potholes are a big worry, causing the truck to shake so much that we can't even use the satellite telephone.

But the wonder of India far outweighs the difficult driving. I can understand why it is my team-mate George's favourite country "Of the 25 or so countries I've had the fortune of popping into at some time or other, India remains my absolute favorite, hands down. What a land - one fifth of the world, every geography imaginable, every extreme of humanity imaginable, a microcosm of the world."

From extreme poverty and overcrowding to extraordinary beauty and culture; this is India. I was moved by the incredible beauty and calming aura of the Taj Mahal; built by a man as a tribute to his dead wife. As one of the few times I have been totally by myself, I enjoyed the solace and reflected on the beauty of my surroundings. My girlfriend, Christine, now back in Canada, was in the forefront of my thoughts.

Traveling by auto has allowed us to see areas of India that few tourists would venture into and for good reason. Whenever we inquired on directions to Sagar we were asked "Why are you going to Sagar?" We were greeted at the hotel by a very drunk desk manager, reeking of alcohol. Trying to make him understand why we needed to park in front of the hotel was an exercise in frustration. After 30 minutes of dealing, we secured a somewhat safe parking spot. The hotel staff knocked on our door all night inquiring if we needed anything. In the log book, George noted that he was "almost ready to deck the waiter." We escaped quickly the next morning with the truck intact.

Nagpur was the other extreme, where we arrived exhausted after driving 450 kilometers in 12 hours. The manager of the Nagpur Hotel Pride greeted us with 24 roses and a cake in the shape of an eagle with the inscription "Where Eagles Dare." While greatly appreciative of this reception, we were somewhat preoccupied by the events of the previous day.

For the first time in 2-1/2 months, we had been separated from our escort team when, at a fork in the road, George and I went left and they went right. After making phone contact, we learned that our recent addition to the team, Jason Liozzo, would have to return home to Canada for personal reasons. When we finally reunited in Nagpur, it was only to sadly bade Jason good-bye and depart for Hyderabad.

En route to Hyderabad, we stopped for lunch in a local dive. Upon leaving, we discovered a car had blocked my entrance to the truck. A crowd had gathered and I had the idea (in retrospect, not such a good one) of getting them to move the small car.

George recalls the situation, "Mike manages to get about 20 men to move the thing. I cringe, praying nothing serious will happen. The crowd (rather mob) of over a hundred is excited and pushy. Mike opens the lift system while Gerard and I hold the crowd back with our bodies. People are really pushing and the owner of the car arrives looking rather pissed off. With dramatic authoritative voice and gestures, I say ‘Everyone move back now.' Which they thankfully do."

Finally, back on the road, we discover the gas gauge indicator has gone haywire. We are hoping it resolves itself but we will start filling up every 450 kilometers to be on the safe side.

We arrived in Hyderabad, a thriving city of 8 million, also known as the Silicon Valley of India. Our sponsor, Pfizer, came through again, lining up Baboo to come on board to provide some much needed hands-on help, in light of Jason's unfortunate departure.

After a whirlwind of media and a very well-attended press conference, we rushed to the Government House where we met with Chief Minister Nidu, who is well known internationally for bringing hi-tech to Hyderabad. The economical impact on this area is very apparent. We were presented with 24 roses and a silver plaque welcoming us to the city and invited to participate in a video-conference which was taking place with senior officials from throughout the state. Asked to give an impromptu address, I spoke on the issue of universal access; apropos as the Minister in charge of disability was participating in the conference call.

Outside Government House, a mob of reporters waited for a demonstration of my vehicle. The next morning we were on the front page of every newspaper.

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