36 Hours of Travel – Part 2

Having patiently waited 90 minutes, our driver was more than pleased to see us. He led us to the car. The pilot had described the weather as a light mist and so it was but other people might have described it as heavy smog that Delhi is famous for. The journey to the accommodation in Jaipur took about 6 hours mostly along a dull stretch of motorway. We stopped at a service station (above) for a 40p cup of tea and foraged for some petrol. Or to be more specific we were looking for some kind of ‘eco’ petrol / gas mix, favoured by the local motorist. Unfortunately, the service station was all out of fuel so we drove backwards along the motorway ramp (against the traffic) to a pedestrian walkway which went underneath the motorway to the other side. We drove that route only to find the opposite service station was also sold out. All of these questionable manoeuvres were deemed valid if you blow your horn enough. The whole process was repeated 30km down the motorway and again both stations had no fuel. It was the 5th station that we filled up in and then onwards to Jaipur. Notwithstanding the bits driving the wrong way on motorway ramps and along pedestrian alleys underneath motorways, the journey had been dull until we reached the outskirts of Jaipur. Here the driving culture went from chaotic to downright dangerous in a few km and I remember thinking what we would be lucky to not hit anything on the last few km to the accommodation. Then a rickshaw hit us. Just a bump on the wheel arch but enough of a prang for the driver to stop the vehicle, get out, walk amongst the devilish traffic and throw a few punches. Back in the car and moving again, insurance details were shared in amongst a full and frank exchange of views. A few minutes later we were at the B&B and the driver was all smiles again. It was 8pm on the Tuesday. I’d like to see some of the car insurance claims in Jaipur. Could be an idea for a new TV show!

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