0 Allwyn Nissan Cabstar

Sometime 1987.

The first visit to Mekedatu was with my parents, brother and PES College PUC-I classmates. Dad took us all in our truck- Allwyn Nissan Cabstar, the most advanced truck on the road for the times. On the day I was not keeping too well so I got to ride with my parents in the cab while Deepi and my friends rode in the cargo space. The diesel engine was smooth & powerful and inside the cab, with the windows rolled up, it was really silent. Much better than Ambassador cars.

The second visit to Mekedatu was with my SSMRV College PUC-II classmates. This time I drove. We were around 15 of us (Deepi, Praveen, Vijay, Jayant, Venkatesh, Jayanna, Srinivasmurthy… cannot recall few names) plus one BMX bike. Though I was an expert with this vehicle, I drove relatively slow… 70 to 80 kmph since it was the first time I was driving this vehicle on a highway. Yeah, I did not have a license to drive a LCV. We parked the truck at Sangama, I took the BMX while rest of the gang walked the 4km pebble-strewn dirt track to Mekedatu. Some smart ones came bare foot! We spend about an hour at the goat’s crossing.

On the way back the ground was really hot, some could barely walk towards the end. Anyway, we had plenty of time to cool off at the Sangama. I found a spot to dive into the water riding the BMX. It was fun!

On the way back to Bangalore, we raced with a FIAT car. FIAT was no match for Nissan. Further we raced with a Swaraj Mazda bus. The driver would not let us pass easily but I was determined. The gang was cheering me from the back. Nissan – Mazda abreast on the highway for nearly a kilometer. I pushed hard… touching 130 kmph and finally did it. The Mazda was behind the Nissan. There was a mini celebration at the back.

That was one of the craziest piece of driving I ever did but I was good at it. No questions about my control over the vehicle.

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