IT MEANS GO!

One of the ways we could never mentally prepare for India was in regards to traffic.

We have all "sat" in US traffic, hoping everyone involved in whatever incident lays ahead is safe, yet still feeling annoyed and inconvenienced. Conversely, we have also all been passed by one of "those" drivers (in my case it is usually a motorcycle, along 95 in Florida, followed way too closely by some brightly colored sports car). You watch them quickly disappear and think: when did I start driving like...(fill in the blank)!

Well, back to the matter at hand...driving in India. In the word of MC: "WOW"! In the word of MM: "WEE"! In the words of me: "You've got to be kidding me!" Mind you we never mutter such thoughts aloud...but once we are seated together, our conversations often include: did you see or could you believe when..

WOW!
WEE!
Are you kidding me?

I realize that I have never felt so close to other drivers on the road as I do in India. I think I could easily author "Words from a Rickshaw Driver" in the remaining 10 days simply by leaning in and asking questions.

DRIVER for NORTH INDIA:
The driver of the tour van for the Delhi-Agra-Ranthambhore-Jaipur-Delhi leg was wonderful. We first met him at 1 am at the Delhi International Airport. He was accompanied by his "boy" who took care of our bags, guided the van through traffic (from outside the van), and holding the door as we quickly scampered to shoot photos and return (before causing a larger traffic jam). Ramesh, the driver, impressed us from the start -- his first soft spoken word was a powerful question: "Ready?"

He navigated the surprisingly dark Delhi streets with intention and upon arrival at the hotel, he shared that he would retrieve us again at 11 am. After 6 hours of sleep and breakfast, he arrived -- early -- and off we went with our guide Manu. It was not long before we found the traffic we had only seen in You Tube videos!

The sounds.
The congestion.
The sheer volume -- noise and people!

Though our senses provide colorful reminders of the experience, all our still photos seems to fall short of accurately portraying what we saw.

Maybe it's because we spent 7 days with Ramesh. Maybe it's because he was a conscientious, courteous, and safe driver. Maybe it's because he quietly offered a couple of interesting tidbits as we drove along desert roads. We came to trust him. We were happy to see the boy in the tourist bus parking lots. We looked forward to collecting our thoughts between sites from our seats.

We parted ways with Ramesh and the boy at the Delhi International Airport almost 7 days after we met...we cannot begun to fathom how many kilometers we covered together. Though we may never cross paths again, we would recommend this duo to anyone traveling to Northern India!

DRIVER for SOUTH INDIA:
As we traveled South, we thought of how our experiences would be the same -- and how they would be different. We understood there would be new regional dialects and customs. We did not know hear to expect about, food, clothes, and customs. We assumed traffic would be the same.

We met the next driver, Mr. P, at the Kochi Airport. Immediately struck by the more humid weather and the less crowded terminal, we knew we were in for a different adventure.

It took us just one 3.5 hour ride to see that our driver for the Kochi-Munnar-Allepey-Kochi leg of the trip may actually have been a MarioCart World Champion, who moonlighted as a Tourist vehicle driver. Unfortunately for us, this portion of the trip involved: traveling to a hotel that was 2,000m high in Munnar and back down.

When traveling along roads that make Lombard Street look straight, it would be best to have driver who was mindful of the difference between the gas and brake pedals. In our case, however, this driver seemed to have been trained by Mario Andretti. He switch between 40 km/h (caution flag when we were shockingly alone on the road) and 80 km/h (when approaching another car, headed towards a blind curve, sailing downhill). Suffice it to say, 3 days later, my knuckles have finally regained color and I cannot wait to experience Philadelphia drivers again. MC said that even from the backseat I was an active participant in the driving process. To that I say: "you're welcome"!

In between the Tour de France inspired rides to and from the resort, our plan was to explore this tea country and gain some familiarity with the herbal and Ayuveran (?) culture of this region. On our drive the night before, even in the dark we had noticed many signs about dangerous driving and maintaining speed. In all the cities we have visited, we have noticed many signs about the penalties of "Drinking and Driving". There had even been a random check point along the road between Kochi and Munnar.

We therefore thought nothing of the checkpoint as we headed on our way...even if we thought 10 am was a bit early to toss one back. Well color us surprised as the police officer held the breathalyzer like apparatus out for our driver and the alarm sounded. After a second "try", the alarm sounded, again!

As four other cars and a tour bus were all flagged over, we determined that it was less likely that our driver had been enjoying a spiked Masala Tea. Nevertheless, as he pulled the car forward, shut off the ignition, and said his third word -- "Wait" -- since meeting us the night before, we were certain this was not routine.

After a couple of moments, I turned for the trunk, only to see that we were now the only car -- and people for that matter -- on this hill. The tour bus. The other 4 cars. The police car. The police check point.

All. Gone.

So, we did what any tourists would do. We waited. And took photos. And discussed who knew how to drive stick -- we nominated MM to be our new Mario. DM set a return deadline: if the driver had not returned by 11:30 am, we would start moving. Luckily we never needed to discover if our movement would have been with or without the car as at 10:55 (nearly 40 minutes after disappearing) our driver came running -- yes running -- up the hill. I'm certain we all said "Phew" together.

We enjoyed Munnar. We are glad to have learned the history. We very much liked the tea. And we did make it to all necessary points thanks to Mr. P. We will allow readers to imagine whether we would give a recommendation to future travelers, however.

Now to see what driving is like in one of the most crowded cities in the world: Mumbai.

DRIVER for MUMBAI:
(More to come...)