Listen to the episode
Driving Profile: Karthika Gupta
(sneak peek)
KARTHIKA: [00:00:00] Driving in India anyway,
it’s crazy. On top of that, you add these curvy mountainous roads and at 18,000
feet. You are talking about altitudes sickness as well.
And it was a family trip. So my kids were there. My
70-year-old mother-in-law was there and add to the mix. She ended up having a
severe case of altitude sickness. And so we actually ended up having to pull
over because she was almost to the point of passing out.
(intro music)
BHAVNEET: Happy New Year, and welcome back to season 3 of Drive With Us
Podcast. Wooo. I was waiting for you.
TARANJIT: I was waiting for
you. Okay.
BHAVNEET: A podcast where we explore driving cultures around the world by
bringing on a new guest each episode to talk about the crazy things they’ve
experienced on the road, who they are as drivers and how they became the driver
they are today. I’m Bhavneet.
TARANJIT: And I’m Taranjit.
Did you miss us?
BHAVNEET: Aww.
TARANJIT: [00:01:00] Should we wait for a
response? But we can’t really hear what they’re going to say?
BHAVNEET: You didn’t even.
TARANJIT: I know. Because
you aww’ed. But we sure missed you guys.
BHAVNEET: Aww. I’m the sound effects.
TARANJIT: You’re the
response, but we’re super excited to bring it to you this season because we
talked to some really great guests. Well last season we talked to great guests,
too. But we have even more great guests this season, we can’t share…
BHAVNEET: We can’t share them all with you.
TARANJIT: And we can’t wait
for you to hear all their crazy driving stories. So don’t forget to subscribe
to get the latest episodes. But before we get into who todays driver is we do have a little
I don’t know what to call this segment. I want to just call it something along
the lines of like car related puns. I was like, you know how there’s like…
BHAVNEET: We
have car puns?
TARANJIT: No. Like, you know how people…
BHAVNEET: Instead of dad jokes.
TARANJIT: You know how
people are like oh let’s get some housekeeping out of the way right? But I want
a car pun.
BHAVNEET: Car maintenance.
TARANJIT: Let’s get some
car maintenance out of the way. That sounds bad. [00:20:00] Like
I want something that doesn’t have a negative connotation like glove Department
cleaning. I don’t know. Time to vacuum the car.
BHAVNEET: That doesn’t sound fun either.
TARANJIT: I know so, I
don’t know what to call this segment, so if you guys have any ideas do send
them our way, but right now it’s a nameless thing. It’s car version of
housekeeping.
BHAVNEET: Car keeping.
TARANJIT: Oh. Car keeping.
BHAVNEET: We got some car keeping to do.
TARANJIT: Yeah. But we do
have some announcements for you guys.
BHAVNEET: First off. We just want to give a huge thank you to you our
audience. Yay. Applause. Applause. Applause. Yes, you listening to this podcast
because without you guys we wouldn’t be able to push ourselves to continue to
work hard and put out great content. So thank you.
TARANJIT: Another round of
applause.
BHAVNEET: So as a little side, when you say round of applause, do you
actually clap in a circle? Cuz I do.
TARANJIT: No.
BHAVNEET: Cuz its round of applause.
TARANJIT: [00:03:00] Mine’s straight
plause.
BHAVNEET: Just give us some straight plause. Thanks. I make it fancy.
Anyways as a thank you. We are doing a two-year anniversary giveaway.
TARANJIT: I’m super excited
for this because I was so excited to give these prizes away.
BHAVNEET: And I can’t believe it’s been two years.
TARANJIT: Yeah. Wow.
BHAVNEET: We’re old.
TARANJIT: Our show’s old.
Eh. Not really.
BHAVNEET: No. What? We’re fresh and evergreen like car air fresheners when
you first get them.
TARANJIT: Get to the
giveaway. I want to know what it is. Well, I already know what it is. But they
want to know what it is.
BHAVNEET: Yeah. We are giving away two Alexa Echo dots and one DWUP Merch
bundle. All you have to do to enter is complete a fun scavenger hunt and the link will
be in the show notes below. There’s only one entry per person and
the first three to get it [00:04:00] correct will have
their choice from the three prizes. And the last date to submit is Friday, March 26th. More
details can be found using the link below.
TARANJIT: And a few quick
other updates. We are now on the Swell, so I know another platform, but you
know how I Clubhouse is going around? Swell, is was basically the Android
friendly user version.
BHAVNEET: It’s inclusive of everyone.
TARANJIT: Yeah. They
include everyone. So were on there. Our goal is to at least post a voice thread
once a week. So come join the conversations with us. Come discuss that week’s
episode with us. What did you like? What is your driving experiences? You can
find us @DriveWithUsPod on there
and we are so excited to chat with you on there. Okay enough updates.
So today’s driver is Kartika Gupta. She’s originally from
Bombay, India, is a published lifestyle, culture and travel Photographer based
in the Chicago area. [00:05:00] She is the founder of Culturally Ours, a platform
dedicated to promoting cultural understanding and celebrating global diversity.
Culturally Ours. Culturally. Wow. I can’t say that word.
(transition music)
BHAVNEET: [00:05:45] Welcome Karthika. Thanks so much
for joining us today.
KARTHIKA: Oh, thank you so much for having me.
BHAVNEET: I’m super excited to hear all your
stories, especially since you’re a travel photographer. Since you have been so
many places, what would you say is one of the most craziest driving experiences
you have had?
KARTHIKA: I’ve had quite a few, but the one that really sticks
out for me is, we did a road trip I’m from India. And so we did a road trip a couple of
years ago where we drove from Delhi to, Leh. which is the Northern part of
India. and that whole region is very mountainous. It’s got one of the highest
motorable roadways in the world at about over like, almost like 18,000 feet.
So
when you drive from sea level to you know 18,000 feet, you can imagine how
crazy the roads are. Of course, it’s a gradual, incline. It takes over two
days, but, driving in India. Anyway, it’s crazy on top of that, you
add these curvy [00:06:45] mountainous roads and at 18,000 feet.
You
are talking about altitudes sickness as well. So that’s another thing that you
have to kind of, you know, take into consideration and it was a family trip. So
my kids were there. My 70 year old mother-in-law was there and add to the mix.
She ended up having a severe case of altitude sickness and the area, through
Leh and Ladakh is very, it’s very strategic sort of area because of the
proximity to China’s.
There’s
a lot of military presence like the Indian border control and the Indian
military are quite prominent there. So you have a lot of these military
hospitals. And so we actually ended up having to pull over because she was
almost to the point of passing out. My husband was throwing up. He was having
nosebleeds and my
kids were thankfully fine.
We
had friends with us and, even they were experiencing, headaches, which is very
common for altitude sickness. But I think the kickoff for us was actually
having to get into [00:07:45] the military hospital and to have. oxygen given to us. So, I mean, now I laugh about it, but
at that time it was a very traumatic experience, but, you know, imagine you’re
surrounded by these incredible vistas, these amazing landscapes.
And here you are desperately trying to breathe, not a
fun combination, but definitely a memorable one.
TARANJIT: Oh, I can imagine we’ve been to India about six years
ago, I think. And I know the drivers, there are super crazy. And since you were
going to this area of low oxygen, is there something that you could have done
to prepare yourself?
KARTHIKA: You absolutely can and, we did, we did all the things
that we needed to do because we had such a range in terms of. The, the kind of people we were
traveling with. So my, my son at the time was, eight and my mother-in-law’s at
70, so we had this range of ages. And so they, they tell you to, to load
up on water.
So
keep drinking a lot of water. And then you also have a high altitude [00:08:45]
sickness medication. But you, you do all of that, but I think just because
you’re not used to, on a day-to-day basis, you’re not used to that altitude and, and, you know, we live in, I live in
Chicago, so it’s as sea level as you can get.
And even in India, I mean, Delhi and Bombay, they all pretty much at sea
level. So no matter how much you prepare. I think you just have to go with
the mindset that yes. something may, happen which is why, you know, you get
loaded with medications, you take all the water you can get. Yeah. And even
the, the military hospitals, I think out there in that region are quite used to
civilian population coming in because it’s a very popular, road trip.
It’s, it’s incredible. It’s beautiful. It’s out of this
world and a lot of people want to do it. So I think even the military hospitals
are quite used to civilians stopping by and, you know, kind of giving them
oxygen and things like that, which is why I think, they entertained us.
Otherwise it’s quite unheard of for a military establishment to take in
civilians.
BHAVNEET: Oh, wow. I wonder what would’ve happened
if they turned you away. Oh my gosh.
KARTHIKA: Oh, that’s the let’s not [00:09:45] think about that.
BHAVNEET: But it’s really interesting that like
your kids were the only one that weren’t experiencing any altitude sickness.
KARTHIKA: Yeah, the kids were perfectly fine. The entire drive
through. It was just us,adults,, and I wasn’t hit that bad. I did have
headaches and stuff like that, but I thankfully didn’t have any nosebleeds. My
mother-in-law got the worst of it just because, age and just, just general
health.
And then my husband, he’s pretty fit, but, even
he had, nosebleeds and, it just, it just gets to you. I think even if, no
matter how prepared you are, I think it’s just, just the attitude and the fact
that it’s not what you normally do expect.
TARANJIT: How long was this drive, and were you the one driving
the whole time?
KARTHIKA: No. So thankfully, it wasn’t, I mean, we had two cars,
so, we, we all kind of rotated. The drive is anywhere from 18 to, I would say, 36 hours. So two to
three days, it just depends on how, how much distance [00:10:45] you want
to cover every day. And it’s just along the way, there are a lot of places, that
you you stay and you get a feel for the culture.
And,
it’s very, the Leh is, has a very unique culture because of the
proximity again, to, China and all of that. So it’s a very different kind
of culture from the rest of India. So you have a lot of monasteries.
You have a lot of, places that you can visit. So you definitely want to take
those two to three days.
Plus they say give yourself that time so that the body
can get acclimated. So even though Leh, as the, as a city sits at 10,000 feet,
You just go over these incredible passes. So that’s where it hits to like, you
know, 17,000, 18,000 feet. And then you drop down to Leh, which is at 10,000
feet. And sometimes people will fly in, so you can actually fly into Leh, but
even then they recommend, at least give yourself a couple of days so that
your body can get adjusted to that altitude.
Because it’s not normal. I mean, not many of us live
in such high altitude places on a [00:11:45] day-to-day basis. Right,
TARANJIT: When you returned back from that trip, did you
experience anything different in terms of, I guess the oxygen levels? Like was
your body, more air or something?
BHAVNEET: Or where are like yes. Air.
KARTHIKA: Actually, no, because we spent a good two weeks in,
uh, in, in and around Ladakh. So, you know, our body automatically got used to
it and it was a drive in and a drive out. So even when we were driving back,
it, driving back, I have to say much was much better because again, you’re
coming down. But still you do experience a little bit of, headaches.
And
then altitude sickness varies in the range of, symptoms. So, I guess the least that you can experience is a
headache and you just load up on water, load up on fluids and you should be
fine. But yeah, I, I don’t remember too much of when it was coming when we were
coming back. But I have to say, even now, when I think about the experience,
I’m so glad we did it because it’s just, it’s once in a lifetime sort of
experiences and thankfully nothing [00:12:45] went wrong.
TARANJIT: Yeah, that’s really good to hear that you enjoyed it
and it wasn’t that bad of an experience.
KARTHIKA: Yeah the landscape and the, the place, for
anybody who loves driving, it’s one of the best drives in the world. So if you
get a chance to do it, definitely do it.
BHAVNEET: I do love driving, but I don’t know if I
would be okay driving at that altitude.
TARANJIT: Speaking of scenic drives, I know you also took a
drive in Montana. I think you were saying.
KARTHIKA: Yes. So this is for, in the States. This is considered
one of the best drives. it’s called the Beartooth Highway and basically it is
from a little town called, Red Lodge, in Montana. And it, uh, you drive.
Into Yellowstone National Park. So this is along the North, the North East corner.
So from Montana, you drive into Wyoming and for anybody who knows, you know,
Montana and Wyoming are such incredibly beautiful States is just again, [00:13:45]
mountains and scenic sort of vistas.
And so this Beartooth Highway basically connects you
through. To getting into Yellowstone and it is full of hairpin bends, and, just
incredible views. You, you find yourself pulling out at every sort of lookout
and you look at the landscape and you cannot imagine , how incredibly beautiful
it is.
And
you feel like you’re such a tiny piece among these, you know, majestic
mountains and it’s a beautiful drive. It is a drive that a lot of people
do on motorbikes. Again, because you can actually lean into the curves and it’s just a thrill unknowns
on its own. But even doing it in a car is just beautiful.
It, it is, dependent on the weather. So I know the
highway is closed. I think right about. October timeframe and then it
opens up in May. And when I say opens up, what I mean is the snowplows come in
and they clear out the path. And believe it or not, there’s actually
people who time it such that they are behind the snowplow. So they [00:14:45]
want to be the first, when the highway opens up to drive that, that
road, that scenic vista. So
they actually behind the snowplows and
BHAVNEET: Wow.
KARTHIKA: inaugurating the road. Yeah. It’s, it’s a big deal.
Um, are a lot of like Facebook groups and stuff like that who will do a call
out and especially on motorbikes, I think this is quite a thrill to it.
BHAVNEET: That’s really interesting. I didn’t know
that people would actually want to do that.
KARTHIKA: Yeah, it’s, it’s a beautiful drive. And it’s one of
those, I guess the top drives in the world and I think this is featured.
Don’t quote me on it. I think this is, this highway is featured Beartooth
Highway is featured in that list. So anytime you have something like that in
close proximity, people are going to jump all over it.
BHAVNEET: Definitely going to add that to our road
trip bucket list. You did mention that you lived in India and now you’re in
Illinois. Typically in different areas, there’s different stereotypes of
drivers that live in those areas. And since you’ve lived in India, which is on
a completely different level. How would you describe the [00:15:45] difference
in driving in India versus an Illinois?
And what kind of stereotypes have you seen?
KARTHIKA: Oh, my God. um, and I, I guess I have Indian, so I can
afford to say this, but Indian drivers are crazy. That’s just, there’s just no other way
to describe it. And the funny part is in all the chaos and the craziness you do
manage to get from point a to point B perfectly fine for the most part.
I, grew up in India.
I grew up in Bombay and growing up, we never had a car
because, the
public transportation is so good in most of India. And especially in the
big cities, you really don’t need a car. And you know, it just
wasn’t something that my family was, really interested in. So I actually
learned how to drive, when I was about, 19 and it was a stick shift,
which I failed absolutely miserably because I just, it was too much chaos and I couldn’t handle the chaos. So I remember taking the test and the
car actually stopped and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the car because
I was so nervous anyway. They were, [00:16:45] you know, there were rickshaws,
there were motorbikes, there were cycles.
There were people coming in, all different directions.
And to top it all off, I was in a roundabout and I had no clue what was going
on. So suffice to say, I failed the test. And, I told myself, this is so not
worth it because I really don’t need a car. I can take a bus. I can take a
rickshaw. I can just get myself to different places. It wasn’t until I came
here. So I came to Illinois for grad school and I came to Illinois State
university, which, for those of people who don’t know is pretty much central
Illinois, it’s a small university town. There’s nothing new. Public
transportation. You, you pretty much have to have a car or you have to walk.
And so, I think about six months into grad school, I
realized that especially in winter, I need to, I need a car. I need some way of
getting from, the, the off-campus to, my classes. So we ended up getting
a car, and I’m 5′ 3″, so I’m a fairly smallish person. And then the
car that I ended up buying was [00:17:45] this, it was like this Lincoln
Oldsmobile, which is a huge, big, long car.
So I take a look at it and I’m like Freaking out
because I don’t know how I’m going to drive. And eventually when I get to sitting
in the car and one of our very good friends taught us. And so, Ed was sitting next
to me and he was teaching me how to drive. And he’s like, Karthik. I, if you
get any closer to the steering wheel, you’re going to go through the woods.
When,
uh, the, the windshield, I was that close because I just, you know, just the length of the car, it
was just so crazy. I still have vivid memories of that experience. But I
learned, I learned how to drive. Thankfully, it was an automatic and I’ve
learned how to drive and I got myself around, so I didn’t really start driving
until I was like, close to like 21, 22.
BHAVNEET: What made you choose a Oldsmobile? Go
for it into a really big car.
KARTHIKA: Well, that was the only thing I could afford on a, on
a, assistant ship and a graduate assistantship as a TA. That was the only
thing I could afford. I think it was like [00:18:45] 400 bucks or something. So
it was, it was a pretty, actually a pretty good car lasted for, for a few
years, even after I graduated and I moved to Chicago, I had that car.
But yeah, that, that was the only thing I could afford
at that time.
TARANJIT: So, I’m gonna ask this question, but I’m pretty sure I
know the answer. Do you prefer driving here in the U.S. over India?
KARTHIKA: Oh, definitely here. Definitely. It’s still, you know, India is as
chaotic, if not more . It’s just, and I’ve never, I guess I’ve
never driven there. I mean, Apart from, I did drive there for a little bit,
but, I just don’t, you know, don’t have positive memories of it. So definitely
here and I’ve, you know, over the years gotten a lot more confident.
I drive around, the Beartooth Highway and stuff like
that. I would have never imagined myself doing that when I just started,
because I was so nervous coming from, especially a city like Bombay, which is so crazy
on the roads.
BHAVNEET: You did mention, roundabouts and I I’m
really interested in knowing. So in India do people use their [00:19:45]
indicators when they’re entering or exiting around about slash do you use them
when you’re driving here?
KARTHIKA: Here. I don’t think I have a choice. I typically I do
a lot of my traveling, exploring with my children. So I have to be extra careful and extra
cautious when I, when I have them in the car with me. But, India is so
it’s, it’s so funny. It’s just, yes. know, obviously cars have indicators.
People, people will use them.
It’s
just, if they feel like it, people will use them. A lot of times you see people
just sticking their hand out and giving you signals. And it’s just, there’s
something very adorable about it. I have to say,
because that’s just, that’s just how life is there. There’s nothing against it.
It’s just what people are used to.
So
it’s, the human indicator and that human indicator is for bicycles. It’s for
motorbikes, it’s for cars. Sometimes it’s even for people, pedestrians who were
walking, they just want to let you know that, Hey, I’m going to turn here.
BHAVNEET: That’s [00:20:45] really interesting.
KARTHIKA: So it’s actually quite cute. When you think about it.
BHAVNEET: Well, that’s, that’s good that you
actually use them because you might be the only person in the U.S. that does
that.
Oh, I, yeah, I definitely use, the indicator. Cause I
have had close calls where I’ve, you know, people have turned without letting
me know and I’m like, wait, what, what are you doing? I mean, you didn’t let me
know why you cutting.
I definitely have a situation. So I started using it,
but like, I just found it so interesting because when we went to Australia for
the first time, like everyone would put on there, turn it on when they enter
the circle and when they’re exiting and a like, Whoa, I’ll actually do that.
KARTHIKA: Yeah, it’s very interesting. We were to Portugal, last year for spring break and Portugal has, I think
every other street has a, as a roundabout. It’s just, it’s crazy. The amount of
roundabouts they have, and that was something too people would put it on and
put it off. And, you know, when they enter and exit and it was just, it was
nice to see that people will following the rules and, it was, It was a
definitely an experience. [00:21:45]
TARANJIT: So, if you are given the option, would you
prefer to be the driver or the passenger?
KARTHIKA: you know, it’s, um, it just depends. It depends where
I’m going and who I’m going with. when I’m traveling with my sister, I have to be the
passenger because she, she gets car sick. If she’s not driving. So
there’s no question. It’s just by default, I’m in the passenger side, she’s in
the driver’s side.
when I’m going with my husband and my, you know, with my, with
our family, my husband is a big road tripper he absolutely loves driving.
So then it’s a toss between, who gets to, who was getting, who gets to be
behind the wheel. We have done, many 18 hour drives from Chicago to
Denver.
And in that case, We will just take turns. I have to say I don’t
like driving at night just because the glare as just something that
I don’t like. so a lot of times I will drive during the day. he’s
finishing up work or is he’s taking his calls and then he’ll pick up in the
night.
so it’s really a toss between, who I am with and
sort of [00:22:45] where we are going.
TARANJIT: Yeah. I agree with you about driving in the night. I
feel like just the headlight, glare is one thing and I’ve encountered a lot of
deer, so that always freaks me out. I feel like I’d rather drive in the
daylight when I can see everything.
KARTHIKA: Yes for sure. I’ve had a couple of that. I, when I
first started driving here in the States, I had a couple of deer, close calls.
And let me tell you those things, whether it’s night or day totally freak you
out, it’s just, you know, your whole body is like on this adrenaline rush. And
you’re like, Oh my God, what just happened?
BHAVNEET: She’s even at the point Taranjit’s at
the point where if. Anyone even says the word deer, while she’s in the car, she
doesn’t even have to be driving like her heart drops. And she’s like where?
TARANJIT: It’s probably due to, because I’ve had two
accidents with them. So now whenever I hear the word deer, I’m just like,
where.
KARTHIKA: I know they can, they can really totally old car. And
depending on the car you have, it’s just, it’s not, it’s, it’s quite an ordeal.
TARANJIT: Have you ever been in a car where [00:23:45] you’re a
passenger and then you were like, Oh, this was a really bad idea.
KARTHIKA: Yeah. yes and no. I mean, I haven’t had too many of
those, thankfully, but, I have had a couple where I’ve, driven with friends and
I, especially if I don’t know the person very well, then I’m a little
nervous because, you know, we all know how we drive and we’re all used to. how
we drive behind the wheel.
And I have to say for the most part, I am a very cautious
driver. I stick to the speed limit. I, I, I just, I’m careful. So I think
that just puts neon edge when I’m in the seat with somebody who I don’t know.
and I don’t know very well. And then I’m like, I’m nervous because I don’t know
what kind of a driver they are.
So that just. Sometimes puts me at unease, but then I
can’t even say anything. It can say, Hey, you know, move over. Let me get in
and let me drive.
BHAVNEET: Yeah. I’ve definitely had a couple
situations where I’m like, ah, can I get out? I’ll walk. you did [00:24:45]
mention that you are a cautious driver. Would you say that your family and
friends would describe your driving the same way?
KARTHIKA: Oh, for sure. My husband teases me all the time. He’d be like Karthik.
It’s 75. That means you can go to like maybe 80, 85 and I’m like barely making
it to like 78. I’ve had, I’ve had a couple of, like cops pull me over and, um,
I, I try to say, Hey, you know, I wasn’t really going that far.
And a lot of times I get a, I shouldn’t say this, but
I get away with a warning because I’m not, I’m not going that high. and you
know, we’ve had an instance where my husband has gone. 20 above. And that thing
just sticks to you. That ticket sticks to you for ever. I think it’s
like, you have to keep it on file for like five years and you have to pay ridiculous
fees.
So I think we’ve learned, I’ve learned that lesson
pretty well.
So I try not to, go above too above the speed limit. So yeah,
my family, definitely my kids tease me as well. Like mom, you can go a little
faster, you [00:25:45] know, and I’m like, Nope, I’m sticking to this.
BHAVNEET: That’s crazy. You said 75. I can barely
like there’s one highway that’s 70. That’s the highest I’ve ever seen. And I
can barely keep my car at 70.
KARTHIKA: A a lot of this is actually when you drive West. So like
I said, we, we drive, like as a family, we loved the mountains. So any chance
we get, we are always escaping West. And so when you get to, like, when you
cross. Nebraska, I think, Nebraska opens up to like 70, 75. And then, you know,
if you get into Montana, that’s like 80.
So it’s actually quite a thrill. Uh, I have to say
quite a thrill driving, again, because the roads are relatively good.
there’s so much to see a landscape. sometimes you’ll see, like wildlife, you’ll
see a lot of pronghorn deer as well when you’re driving. So it’s always a
thrill, getting onto some of those States, you know, you can’t help.
Everybody’s
flying at like 85 90 and you don’t want to be run over. So you end up going at
80, 85 as well.
TARANJIT: Oh, I can imagine that the West, because it’s more
open. That is faster. I know here we’re in Maryland. [00:26:45] And if you
drive 80 or above, it’s ticketed it as reckless driving. So I wonder what the
reckless driving speed limit is there.
KARTHIKA: so I can tell you that it, when I first started
driving and I’m probably going to age myself here, but I started driving 20
years ago. That’s when I came here to this country. At that time, Montana, I
did not have a speed limit. so I think going 90, 95, I know, my husband has
almost, just hit a hundred. just one of those roads where there was nobody
there.
but now Montana has changed. It’s now I think. 80. I
want to say 85. I could be wrong. So either 80 or 85, but, it’s quite an
experience.
TARANJIT: Oh, I can imagine. So painting the picture of what, what kind of
driver you are? Would you consider yourself someone who tends to honk?
KARTHIKA: No, not, not, Not for the most part. I will, if I’m, if I get
really upset with something that’s happening. but it’s not a regular
thing, not like in India where you honk, it’s like honking is just a
normal part of your [00:27:45] driving. If you don’t honk, there’s something
wrong with you.
BHAVNEET: Exactly. That was exactly what I was
going to say. Like, if you’re not honking in India, there must be something
wrong.
KARTHIKA: Yeah, because it’s, it’s a lot of times it’s, it’s
like, like the turn signal, it, you know, it’s in, you have the turn signal,
sometimes you just honk, you’re trying to get the person’s attention.
especially when it’s like a lot of, you know, we have like an in Bombay, we
have rickshaws
and these three wheelers that zip in and out, or the motorbikes zip in and out,
and it’s just, it’s just.
Noise.
It’s just noise that is there. And when you’re there, you just are so used to
it that when you don’t hear it after you, after we come back here, it’s the, it
takes a little bit to get used to
BHAVNEET: Since you said you’re not a honker. What
would you say is your biggest driving pet peeve?
KARTHIKA: There
are a lot, but, I guess my biggest pet peeve is just when people switch, switch
lanes without letting you know. especially when you’re on the highway. and you
know, I’m, I’m close to like, I live in the [00:28:45] suburbs of Chicago. So
when you go into the city, you know, like any city it’s city driving and city
driving does tend to be a lot more crazy.
The
streets are narrower. You have these taxis kind of try to squeeze in. and sometimes people will just
cut right in front of you without, Any sort of indication that they’re
going to, and it does jar you a little bit. So that, for me, that’s my biggest
pet peeve because where I live, it’s fairly open, there’s wider roads.
I don’t see that happen as often. for the longest
time I would refuse to drive into the city just because of that, because I
couldn’t control. Who was on the road. I couldn’t control, people coming
at me left right. And center, but I think now I’ve gotten used to it. It just
takes you just need to be a little bit extra vigilant.
BHAVNEET: That’s totally me whenever we will go
into DC, I always tell Taranjit and I’m like, you’re driving, I’ll drive into,
for some reason, I’ll drive into Baltimore city, which is she thinks it’s way
crazier, but I will never drive into DC.
TARANJIT: I agree with you that I also have [00:29:45] a
lot of pet peeves. I feel like I couldn’t just pick one. There’s always
something about drivers that I can be like, okay, why are you doing that? What
is wrong with you?
KARTHIKA: Exactly. And I think it’s also country-based right.
you know, you w wherever you go, and if you happen to be driving there,
you always pick up some of these idiosyncrasies that people have that is very
specific to that place.
TARANJIT: So staying on this topic of annoying drivers,
would you say you have ever experienced road rage, whether you had it towards
someone or someone had it towards you?
KARTHIKA: yes, I, I have, it’s just, I think again, only on,
when I was just getting, getting used to being, Consistent driver. like I said,
I was, I even then, and even now I’m pretty cautious drivers. So a lot of
times, I will have people who honk, not like aggressive, thankfully I haven’t
experienced aggressive, road rage.
I
have been in the car with my husband and we’ve experienced road rage in that
sense where he was the driver. and this was back in India when we were,
we were still living there. It’s just, [00:30:45] again, it’s just, somebody
cut somebody, somebody didn’t give the right sort of indicator. I don’t even
remember what it was.
I remember
the guy coming in, opening the car door, pulling on a job and it was just, very
close to like hitting each other and thankfully, The traffic started moving. And so, we
couldn’t leave the cars alone so that when, when you say road rage, that’s the first
thing that came to mind.
I mean, I was a passenger, but it’s just a very crazy
and scary situation.
TARANJIT: I feel like the road rage in India would be worse in
comparison to the U.S. I feel like they’re just more likely to do more violent
things, like get out like that.
KARTHIKA: I, you know, I don’t know, heard of, road rage here in
the States where it’s come to like, you know, people pulling guns out. Now that
takes scary onto a whole nother level, in India, it’s, for the most part, it’s
not that violent. I, yeah. You know, people will try to rough you up and yell
in your face and, maybe try to get a.
Punch out, but pulling a gun out and,
facing a gun. I think that just takes [00:36:45] scary on a whole other level,
TARANJIT: Yeah, the guns are the one thing that you have to
watch out for here.
KARTHIKA: for sure.
BHAVNEET: So going to your driving first, you did
touch on your first time driving experience. how would you say your driving
test?
KARTHIKA: I have to laugh at this because my driving test was such a
joke. It was, I mean, you know, here I am. 22 year old student.
going to a driving, facility in. Small town America. So it’s really a
small, driving facility, license place. And, I remember, and even
now I
cannot parallel park.
That’s
one thing I cannot do for the life of me, no matter how hard I’ve tried. It’s
just, it’s just one of those things that I, I feel like I will never master.
And so even when I was taking the test, I was so nervous. I was hoping the guy
would not ask me to parallel park because then it will be a case where I would
definitely have failed.
I remember pulling out of the, cause we joke about
this all the time. Now my [00:37:45] daughter is 14. So she be getting her
license, her learner’s permit in probably what, six, eight months. And so my,
you know, my husband is always telling these stories because it’s funny. I remember pulling
out of the. The license place with, with the instructor or the, the guy who
sitting there judging me and I go over the curb, I’m ju I just pull out and I
go over the curb and I look at him and he’s, he puts some sort of a Mark on the
sheet and I’m going, Oh God, here we go.
Because you know, you’ve, you’ve rented a car. I’ve
taken time off, from school, I’ve come here, it’s a big deal for a student,
then it’s a whole day affair. So I’m like great. Not even two minutes into the
test and I’ve already messed up. thankfully the rest of it was okay. And, he
did not.
Ask me to parallel park, which was great. And then he
did ask me to park in a, in a designated spot to make sure that I’m within the
lines. And of course I was not. I, my, my, my. [00:38:45] Tires. I think, I
can’t remember which side, but I was barely, within the lines I was like
touching the line.
So he gets out and he just walks around and I’m
thinking, Oh God, he’s shaking his head. that’s two dings against me, but
thankfully I passed. No, it was just, it was such a, it was such a thing
that, you know, we would talk amongst our friends you would say like, thank God
he didn’t ask her to powder the pot because I was so sure she either mess up
the car or fail and we didn’t have, we just didn’t have the resources to do
this again.
You’re renting a car and, going through the whole
process, but thankfully he didn’t. So I’m glad.
TARANJIT: did you say that you were taking the driver’s test in
India
KARTHIKA: Yes, I did. so I learnt, in India it was a little
different now. I don’t know how it is because it’s been a while since I’ve been
away from home, but you actually go through a school and you have these cars
that essentially have two steering wheels and, the, uh, the instructor or the
guy who’s.
taking the test, who’s judging you. he [00:39:45]
has controls as well and his foot. so it’s a little tiny, it’s like a mini
size. It’s like a Maruti. So I guess I could compare it to like a mini. So it’s
the smallest car and there are two steering wheels and two sets of controls
and, you know, kind of.
Going around. So he’s, he’s braking too, because
he’s also seeing cars coming in motorbikes coming in, people wandering. So it’s
like, it’s, it wasn’t like he was waiting for me to react. He was controlling
it as well. And then to top it all off, I think the fact that the car shut
down, because it’s like a stick-shift so you have to press the clutch and
you know how it yes.
And it was just, I couldn’t figure out what to do
because I was anyway, so nervous. So yeah, that was the whole. Test debacle in
India, which an offer that I just couldn’t be bothered.
TARANJIT: Would you ever try driving a stick shift again, or are
you just like automatic all the time?
KARTHIKA: I am automatic all the time. And I will say that it is
definitely a handicap, that I feel. And the only reason I say this is because
not every country is automatic and this is what we faced when we went to [00:40:45]
Portugal as well. we actually get. You know, rented from Avis. And, it
Avis in Portugal didn’t have automatic, everything was stick-shift and we
didn’t even know that.
And so thankfully my husband drives, he’s pretty
comfortable with the stick-shift cause otherwise we would have been in a soup. So now, we had
talking about this with my daughter. We were like, we want you to learn on
a stick shift because we want it to be a case where you’re not stuck anywhere
you go anywhere in the world, just because you don’t know how to drive stick
shift
BHAVNEET: Yeah, that’s, that’s a really good skill
to know. I kind of wish I know how I knew how to drive, stick, shift something.
I definitely want to learn, but like you said, if you know how to drive a stick
shift, you can pretty much drive anything.
KARTHIKA: Absolutely. And you could, you could drive anywhere in the
world. And I think that’s a great, that’s a great skill set to
have,
TARANJIT: I know you drove briefly in India, but did it, I guess
it didn’t really affect you that much, but did it affect you of having to drive
on the opposite side of the road when you came here?
KARTHIKA: I have, I have had instances where when I’ve come
back, it
has taken me a bit to get used to it. [00:41:45] I remember one of the
times I was, I was working and I had flown, like I’d flown in back home from
India and then I’d immediately flown out to a client site and I’d rented a car.
And thankfully it was like a small city somewhere in Pennsylvania.
I
don’t remember the name. It was a while back. But I remember driving on the
other side of the road and people, somebody coming in front of me honked, and
then I realized that, Oh my God, I’m on the wrong side of the road. It does. It does take a
little bit getting used to, even if you’re not driving.
I think even if it just walking, it does take a minute
or more for you to realize that, wait, I need to be on the other side of the
sidewalk so that not bumping and people kind of look at you weird, like, what
are you doing?
TARANJIT: Yeah, Oh my gosh, that must’ve been scary when that
car was coming at. You.
KARTHIKA: Yeah. And I, I’m trying to think, what are you doing,
dude? I mean, why are you here? And then I realized, wait, that’s the, guy’s
not at fault. I’m the one who’s at fault.
TARANJIT: since, the car industry, I guess you can say is
changing and there’s, there’s going to be self-driving [00:42:45] cars soon.
How comfortable are you with that? And what are your thoughts on this?
KARTHIKA: That’s a very interesting question. I guess I come
I’ll talk about it from a couple of different ways. as
mom to a soon to be driver, I think self-driving is, I, I don’t, I don’t know
if I really comfortable with the fact that, My teen who’s learning how to drive
is going to rely on self-driving.
just
because I feel like early on, you need to be comfortable with a lot of
different scenarios, a lot of different situations for you to be able to drive
safe and having that as an option for self-driving. it makes you a little
bit Lazy for lack of a better word. so from that angle, I’m not too keen
on, that for her for a few years, at least until I know she’s, she’s a good driver, she’s a safe driver.
On the flip side, we do have a car. We do have a
Tesla. And so Tesla has this sounds driving, and it’s quite quite a thrill.
You’re sitting in the car and you see this incredible piece of [00:43:45]
software that just lets you, Not have to do anything. So from that aspect, from
a technology technological standpoint, I think it’s brilliant.
I think there a lot of uses for it. And of course
there are safety measures and all of that to make sure that, you don’t snooze
off. And, I think every few. Every few minutes you have, you have to hold
the steering wheel. At least it isn’t on the Tesla.
You have to hold the steering wheel. You have to
confirm, changes in lanes and stuff. So it’s not like you can just, Let
the car do its thing. so from that aspect from a consumer aspect, I think
it’s cool. and I think there’s a lot of uses even in the future for it, but
from a purely parent’s standpoint, I’m like maybe not for maybe not for the,
you know ,beginning learning drivers.
BHAVNEET: I definitely agree. I think that you
should at least know how to drive and then. From there. You can choose if you
want the car to drive for you.
KARTHIKA: Exactly. Exactly.
BHAVNEET: Bonus question time. Are you
ready? If you could [00:44:45] make one new driving law, what would it
be?
KARTHIKA: Oh boy. I, this is okay. This is my mom hat coming on. I would make it
such that kids are a little bit older, when they get to get, go behind the
wheel. I just feel like not every 15 year old, not every 16 year old is mature
enough to get behind the wheel. there’s a lot, there’s a lot happening even.
Whether, you know, whether in India or whether in
Portugal, where, whether here in the States, I just feel like there’s a lot
going on on the road. and I just feel like sometimes it’s too young. kids
are too young to start at that time and there’s a lot of pressure from,
friends from, society from school to get that permit when they’re hit 15.
So that would probably be my mom answer.
TARANJIT: What age would you like it to be in?
KARTHIKA: Oh, no, I’m probably shooting myself in the foot if my
daughter ever listens and listens to this. But I think maybe like 18, 18.
Yeah, I think probably a couple of years, not too long. I just feel like at [00:45:45]
15 it’s too young.
TARANJIT: Yeah. I feel like we’re talking to a guest last
season. I think Australia, I’m not a hundred percent sure I remember this
correctly, but I think they, it was like 17 or 18 for them. So there are
countries that do wait longer, just a U S this is like 15 and some months. And
you’re ready to go on the road.
KARTHIKA: Yeah, I know India has it at 18, Australia. It’s interesting
that Australia has a too. Yeah, you’re right. I mean, I just feel like 15 is
just because, you know, it’s the fast six months, my 14 year old, all she’s
talked about is the fact that the day she turns 15, she gets to go and get her
learner’s permit and getting the learner’s permit is one thing.
But actually sitting. with, and I’m not saying that
she’s, you know, she’s going to be a bad driver or anything like that. I know
she’ll be careful, but it’s just not every, 15 year old is quite there from a
maturity level. And, just, it just feels like it’s too young. you know, as a
parent, we’ve, I’ve lugged them around everywhere for the past 14 years.
Another couple of years is not going to make that
much.
[00:46:45] That’s just me.
TARANJIT: no, I understand where you’re coming from. You get,
you can like control or like explain to your own kids. don’t do this, but you
can’t really control what other. People’s kids are going to do while they’re on
the road. So it is a scary thing to think about. do you have any final
tips or any advice you would like to give other drivers?
KARTHIKA: Oh, I think it’s just no driving is, is it’s
so great. It’s a great thing to do for sure. Especially when you’re like
traveling, you know, if you have to do it for pleasure, it’s, it’s amazing.
There’s so much, you can see so much you can experience. just that, that
feeling of freedom, I think, is something I know as a family, we enjoy
as a driver.
I enjoy when I’m driving. when I’m traveling
around, sometimes when you have to do it for work and day in and day out,
I know it can get very frustrating. and when you get, when you. Get a
frustrated driver. It’s just a recipe for disaster. So I think it’s just, if
you have the option, I know here in Chicago, in the city, we have public
transportation, but in the suburbs we don’t.
So sometimes, you know, when I used to work in the [00:47:45]
city, I had no option, but to drive and. It was not fun. cause it was
very stressful. I was, you know, you were trying to get somewhere as a certain
time and then you had all these crazy drivers and then you had traffic and you
had construction. It was just not fun.
But I think when you take away all of that, it’s, it’s
definitely, uh, a great, experience. And I think people should go go with that mindset
that it is, it is a journey. So enjoy that driving journey as much as you enjoy
the destination.
TARANJIT: That’s really well said. I couldn’t have said it any
better than that.
BHAVNEET: I agree with you. I love driving. So
enjoy that journey. thank you so much for coming on. We really enjoy
listening to your stories. And now I have a couple more road trips that we had
to add to our list.
KARTHIKA: Thank you so much. for. Having me and I’m so glad.
Definitely you guys should do the Beartooth highway, , it’s a beautiful drive
for sure.
TARANJIT: It’s added on our list already.
(transition music)
TARANJIT: Wow, I don’t even
know what I would do if I started losing oxygen. This is one of the questions I
posted on Swell
which you can follow us @DriveWithUsPod. Plug. Plug. Plug.
BHAVNEET: Charge. Charge.
Charge.
TARANJIT: Shameless plug.
But oh that’s a good one. Car pun. But anyways, would you have interest enough
to go to a place where you can lose oxygen or [00:44:00] have
low oxygen levels?
BHAVNEET: Is that a
rhetorical question?
TARANJIT: No. It’s a
question to you.
BHAVNEET: Well at first I
was going to say yes, I think I have lost oxygen but I think that was more like
hyperthermia is that the is that what too cold is?
TARANJIT: Yeah. I don’t
know.
BHAVNEET: You know, what
would happen? I get dizzy and faint. What about you?
TARANJIT: I don’t know.
Yeah. Well. First you. I can see you as a person you see me as a person who…
BHAVNEET: Oh my gosh. You
see me as a person.
TARANJIT: I can see you as
the one who would probably experience the more extreme symptoms. I feel like.
Because you are very sensitive to extreme changes in like weather or I guess
oxygen level would probably play a roll.
BHAVNEET: Yeah, I think it
would be very similar. It’s like it was too cold or was too hot. No. Thank you.
So I don’t I hate the cold. So I don’t know if I would willingly be like, yeah,
that seems like a fun idea. Let’s go to the mountains. The Himalayas. Let’s go
there.
TARANJIT: Yeah. Okay so.
Sorry I didn’t mean to cut you off. [00:45:00] But
would you still go if you just flew there instead of drove there? Or would you
still be like, hmmm.
BHAVNEET: Still not my idea
of a fun time. Like I don’t snow and cold so I don’t I don’t know. I mean they
have some of the highest roads in the world, which will be interesting to see
but only when it’s like they’re most warmest day. That’s it.
TARANJIT: That’s probably
like 2 months out of the year.
BHAVNEET: Two days more
like it. Half the time that it’s open, they like shoveling it to try to get the
pathway open enough to drive on so.
TARANJIT: True.
BHAVNEET: What about you?
Would you be adventurous enough to go?
TARANJIT: I would like to
go. It sounds like the way she was describing it, it sound so beautiful, but I
feel like I would have to be like a marathon like person who’s prepping for a
marathon to like prep body to go there. I am sensitive to things, but I don’t
know if like that is what my body would be sensitive to. So I’m like, okay. I
need to be like a marathon runner. [00:46:00] Like
prepping my body to be able to prepare for these extreme differences in
environment. I know that like one of the like in our religion that like one the
Gurdwaras, like a church for those who don’t know what a Gurdwara is, is up
there in the mountains. And like that’s one place we are supposed to go at
least before the age of 60. So I feel like it’s time for us to get prepping.
BHAVNEET: Yeah.
TARANJIT: Not like we are
close to 60 yet, but…
BHAVNEET: We just sound
like were not, but we actually are 55. Okay. Well, would you be adventurous
enough to go to a place like Leh and Ladakh?
TARANJIT: Have you been
already? Do you have any tips?
BHAVNEET: Yeah for us who
are wimpy and want to go but are scared.
TARANJIT: Call yourself.
I’m not wimpy.
BHAVNEET: Let us know if
you would be adventurous enough to go or if you have been you can comment [00:47:00] in the comment section below or send us a DM on Instagram.
And that was Karthika’s stories. If you or anyone, you know has any crazy
driving stories and would love to come on as a guest, you can fill out the
interest form on our website at DriveWithUsPodcast.com.
TARANJIT: And be sure to
stay tuned until the end of this episode for sneak peek of next week’s episode
and come join us on Discord. We have a Discord group. I forgot to
mention that but, come chat with us there and share your Leh trip tricks. Wow.
I almost fumbled. I did fumble.
BHAVNEET: There are no
footballs here.
TARANJIT: Share your Leh
trip tips over there and just come chat driving with us. Thanks for driving
with us.
(outro music)
ERIC: So we get New Mexico and [00:48:00] we’re in this remote area and
we see this bus. It’s like one of a kind. Oh my gosh. That’s, that’s the bus
from the gypsies that we crossed in Florida. And so we decided that we should
say hello. But we said, let’s, let’s, get, get them something
So I go up and I knock
on the bus and the next thing I know the window opens and one of the individual
in the, in the party there in the clan and this guy has this really, really
long beard a ZZ, top type beard, and he just looked really intimidating. And he
peeks out the window and I’m standing there with donuts, like, Hey, how are you
doing good morning. And he’s pointing a revolver at me.