The Indian Driving Test

Trip Start Apr 12, 2005

104

Trip End ??? ??, 2006

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Where I stayed

Om Hotel

(Dharamsala hotels)

Flag of India McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala, India
Wednesday, April 27, 2005

So, I was going to tell you about the journey here. We set off from Srinagar at about 8.30am, after several people getting on then off the jeep, the driver going round the block then someone else getting back in..."it's India" is the only explanation I can give you, it's a phrase I hear a lot of from Westerners trying to explain the inexplicable, usually followed by a shrug of the shoulders. The next eight hours were spent trying to hang on to my breakfast as we careered round hairpin bends at breakneck speeds overtaking everything in sight. I thought the sight of a head-on smash, a jeep in a ditch and a dead monkey may make the driver slow down, but no, it's India. One poor guy threw up out of the window six times (I know it's sick (ha ha) counting but you have to find ways of entertaining yourself on these long trips). The scenery was breathtaking which kept me entertained for the first four hours or so, but then the pain at the bottom of the spine set in so I had to try and find ways of moving positions and bum cheeks whilst simultaneously hanging on to the seat in front

Another on the road to Jammu

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I have in fact devised what I think the Indian driving test consists of(no Karen you can't take this one instead).

Preliminary questions: Correct answer :
Are you insane? Yes
Have you ever seen a car before? No

Instructions for test:

Get in this car with the 8 passengers, imagine that you have just robbed a bank and the police are after you. Accelerate to 70mph and stay at that speed for the next ten minutes. Dodge as many trucks, buses, rickshaws, people, dogs and cows as you can. Bonus points will be given for every time you a) lose a wing mirror b)make your passengers scream/pray/close their eyes/vomit c)hit a bump that causes passengers to hit their head on the roof then internal injuries on landing d) do any or all of the above on a blind or hairpin bend. Points will be deducted for using your lights in the dark unless you dip them in the correct manner i.e. at a distance of 20 metres from oncoming traffic, then back to full beam when you are within 2 metres

Eagles circling

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So, it's raining in MacLeod Ganj, which is just as well as my shoulders are red from the sun I caught just whilst having lunch yesterday. The place is beautiful, perched really high on the hillside with the Himalaya soaring in the very near distance. It's so good to walk round and not be stared at as there are so many Westerners here, I can go shopping and not be harrassed and choose where I eat - the Om Hotel where I'm staying actually has a really nice restaurant on the roof. Yesterday I ordered something Tibetan not knowing what it was, just for fun. It turned out to be spinach, cheese and garlic in wonton-like parcels, really tasty. I met a Canadian guy called Lynn there who started off being ok but then got a bit too touchy-feely - same old story, men just can't keep their hands off me(ahem). We went to the Dalai Lama's complex today but he is in Sikkim till tomorrow. I then managed to shake Lynn off and went to see the monks praying which was quite mesmeric, you can go into the temple to watch but can only take photos from outside.

After that I was sitting in a jewellery shop chatting to the owner and a couple of English girls, one of whom was buying stuff for a stall she has back home in Devon and the other who now lives in Thailand. Talking of which, it's far too hot anywhere further south of here so the whole SE Asia thing is going out the window, I don't fancy burning to a frazzle or passing out with heatstroke just for the sake of seeing a few temples and forts, I'll have to come back in the winter sometime and do them when the heat is bearable. So, I'll be hitting the Southern hemisphere much earlier than planned but nothing concrete yet (Debbie and Shane I'll let you know asap!).

I'd just like to say thanks for all your emails, it's good to know I'm keeping you all amused

The view from the Om roof to the Himalaya

! Sorry I can't reply to them all(ooo it sounds like fan-mail!) but the connection here is so slow it would take literally hours. But keep them coming please, they make me smile and make me proud to have such a great family and fantastic friends. Can I just say to Auntie Kay, thanks for the advice about not talking to strangers but on the other side of the world everyone is a stranger so I don't really have much choice! Trust me I use my best judgement and instincts to decide who to talk to so I'm quite safe - thanks for caring though.

Well it's time for dinner now,I'm going to have a wander and see what I can find - see y'all soon! PS any grammatical or typing errors? Tough, there's a dearth of decent keyboards over here and I really can't be bothered to proof-read everything so take it as part of the experience,as I do x