Woke up feeling much better than yesterday - thank goodness - there just isn't the time to be ill with just the two of us in the team. Last night we actually got the map out and looked at it 'properly'. It was only then that we realised that, having covered almost 2,000km, Pondicherry is FAR nearer that we had thought, so possibly we are going to have a far more laid back week, maybe with a bit of sightseeing, hopefully not many more 5.15 alarm calls... Once on the road, we had our daily early morning chai stop. (By the way, chai, if you havent tried it, is VERY sugary, milky spiced tea, absolutely delicious and I am completely addicted to it!) Think they possibly weren't expecting passers by that early as they hadn't laid out any tables, but as soon as they saw us, grabbed one and placed in the middle of the large room and then continued setting up around us. And they found it hilarious that - as usual - we had trouble starting up Dolly to drive off. We very kindly 'let' one of the crowd do the honours, there's usually several volunteers! We carried on driving to Hyderabad along a stretch of motorway that is being upgraded to 4 lanes so we were constantly switching between the two carriageways, although that wasn't stopping some drivers using the 'closed' road. And on into the city..... I don't think I can get across my excitement at the city driving. This was nowhere near as manic as Gorakhpur, especially after several days on the road, but it was every bit as much fun, as this is a city of over 5 million people, so is pretty big. There is traffic on all sides, flowing well despite the lack of rules, but you have to be constantly on your guard. Seriously, if there isn't already such a game, Nintendo or whoever should come up with a driving in India simulator, dodging not only other vehicles, but animals such as elephants, camels, monkeys, goats, dogs (cows go without saying); driving round the lorries which have parked up on the side of the road, not broken down but so that the driver can have a sleep (invariably under the vehicle) and with only stones placed round the lorry to note that it is not going anywhere; overtaking with inches to spare, and creating spaces where theoetically, no vehicle should fit, all the while horns blaring all around you. But people would probably think it far fetched.... We checked into the rather plush Taj Mahal Hotel. They looked distinctly unimpressed by the state of us, incredibly grubby, unkempt, been wearing more or less the same clothes for a few days... But they still had a room for us - and actually, for several other teams that had also read the same guide book! After last night's rather insalubrious accommodation, this was just what was required to rejuvenate us. And we relaxed for much of the afternoon in airconitioned luxury not feeling the urge to go exploring or do very much really, but recharge the batteries. We did have a quick wander, but it was a pretty weird part of town, there were very few shops, other than mobile phones vendors and most of the others appeared to have been boarded up for some time, rather than just being closed for the afternoon. Despite being at the helm for the drive into the city, I managed to spot a few more signs which made me laugh: "It's good when people are looking at you. But not if it's because you are fat" and "Fat people are beautiful. Once they lose the fat". It appears that India has some of the same 'size' issues that afflict western countries.... So much for arriving in 'civilisation' - all we wanted to do was sleep!!