Notes from Sri Lanka:- Colombo-Matara Expressway

The buzz word in post-war Sri Lanka is development. You see construction activity everywhere. Residential high-rises are coming up at the speed of light in and around Colombo. Of course, the new pride of the nation is the Chinese-built Colombo-Matara Southern Express Highway. It takes just 1 hour to reach Galle from Colombo on this scenic and beautiful expressway.

The expressway was built by the Chinese after all, so yes, there are complaints. Rains managed to wreck havoc in some stretches and the asphalt had to be relaid. This expressway is a sign of a new freedom for many in Colombo. One particular brat was showing off to me about driving at 220 kmph on his BMW. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that there are many accidents on this expressway.

This is an image from Boxing Day.

With speed-crazy idiots on the expressway, accidents are likely to be a common occurence.

Life and Death on Bihar's highways

Riding the highway north from Patna can be a fatal experience. We saw some remnants of vehicles on the Mahatma Gandhi Setu, the giant entry bridge into Patna. This was just an indication of what was to come on our ride to Kalyanpur, a village 160 kilometres away. Somewhere near Dalsinghsarai, there was a 3-kilometre long traffic jam. When we finally managed to penetrate that jam, we saw two trucks that rammed into each other. There was no chance in hell that the people in the front seat of both trucks would have survived after that accident.

There is unnecessary stress in places like Dalsinghsarai, where endless honking is a way of life. Biharis don't seem to fear for their own lives. Bicyclists and bikers walk through railway crossings despite the vibrations, sounds and sights of incoming trains.  My heart was in my mouth when I saw a bicyclist gently stroll past the tracks as a train zoomed in. He survived by 3 seconds!

Riding back to Patna at night was even more of an adventure. We had an excellent driver who saved us from getting rammed by a truck that was desperate to overtake a bus at any cost. There was also a Formula-1 type race between a motorcycle and a tractor. The man in the bike was riding with a woman. My theory is that they were eloping and heading as far north as possible. A little less presence of mind from our driver and the couple would have enjoyed their honeymoon in heaven.

When we were back in Patna city, I wanted to bow down and touch the ground. We weren't just further statistics on Bihar's highways!