What Manner of Foolishness Hast Thou Mind Wrought?

All of you probably think that I sit around all day coming up with insane and interesting ideas involving motor vehicles of different types, challenging routes, and fascinating locations.

Yes. Yes I do.

When I heard that India's Tata Motors is launching the world's least expensive car, the Nano, I couldn't help but think of foolish, interesting, and potentially life-threatening ways to use it. At 2500USD, this is a vehicle that begs to be used in some foolhardy quest for glory. Sure, it it doesn't look like a real car, more like an M&M - a hard candy shell with a creamy human center - but it's a fifth the price of a Smart Car with twice the passenger capacity. Imagine the monkeyshines that would result. A car that would fit in my bedroom on a journey of thousands of miles, just because.

Nanos to Novosibirsk

This route is probably the most foolish and life-threatening. From Kanya Kumari, India, make your way in your brand new Nano north through the subcontinent to New Dehli. From there either make a left into Pakistan to see how the elections went, go north into Tajikistan on the road to Dushanbe, up through Kyrgystan, Kazakhstan, and into Russia to Novosibirsk. Or make the late Sir Edmund Hillary proud and drive, drag, or carry your Tata Nano over the Himalayas and into China. Cross the Takla Makan Desert, go through Western Mongolia, and through the Altais to Novosibirsk. Once at your destination, you'll wonder why you're in Novosibirsk. 'Cause it sounds cool to say it with the word Nano, duh.

Tatas to Tutong

Slightly less life-threatening, this route involves crossing an ocean, at least part of it anyway. Starting once again from the southernmost tip of India, drive your Nano off of the showroom floor and head north along the eastern coast of India. Cross into Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated places on earth, dodge a monsoon, and make your way through to Burma
and south to Rangoon. From there, skirt along the coast of Thailand on the Malay peninsula through Kuala Lumpur as you make your way to Singapore. Find a ferry that will take you, your team, and what's left of your well-traveled Nano to the Indonesian island of Borneo. Disembark in the Malaysian state of Sarawak and drive into the tiny country of Brunei. Cruise along their coastline to the town of Tutong and check out the white sands and rocky outcroppings of Pantai Seri Kenangan beach. Say "Hi" to the Sultan.

Adventure and the Tata Nano. Meant for each other. At least in my mind.

Yes, I realize it's 5:23am. These are the kinds of thoughts that keep me up late and awaken me in the wee hours of the morning.