An unbelievable first drive in Rajasthan … and this is just the beginning!

2/25/12

My introduction to Rajasthan was a comfortable and smooth ride … for part of the way! When we got on to the rutted, potholed, disaster-looming-on-every-bend, stretch of the road darkness had descended (you have to imagine no lights in place whose purpose is to illuminate the highway – none whatsoever!) and we were still 80km from our destination. The traffic was still quite thick including unmarked vehicles with no lights, big trucks, farm tractors and trailors, and pedestrians and animals crossing our path without warning. I remarked at one point,”this is how I imagine the roads were in my grandfather’s time,” to which my driver (who is  aptly nicknamed Bumpi) replied “this is how all the roads in Rajasthan were when I began driving professionally nine years ago.”  For those of you who know my driving and have remarked, with a certain distaste in your voice, on my 'heavy foot', you ain’t seen anything like this! [friends I have 25 more days ahead of me on these roads – don’t worry I’m smiling and some of you may be saying “that’ll teach him”:)]. At times the road simply turned into a dirt track and in other stretches was much more passable. In sections I could have sworn I was on a road in the highlands of Scotland in the pitch black, only it was goats rather than sheep that were liable to cross at any point. In other sections I thought I was in a John Wayne movie in the Wild West with just the shell or front of buildings with balconies looming on either side of the road. We stopped to purchase “Royal Stag” an Indian blended version of Scotch – only with Indian (instead of Scottish) grain spirits. The malts are from Scotland. My driver did not (and I am confident will not) drink and drive :)

 

I was happy to get out of the car and into my hotel room and later to step out and breath in the air of this very rural place.  Tomorrow I will take a 6:30 a.m. Safari and see how the Tigers are faring. The receptionist at my hotel who doubles as one of the park’s naturalists showed me pictures this evening of the young tigers (eight born this season). He vouches for the hope that this habitat is gradually turning things around for their overall numbers. The broader statistics are not in Tigers’ favor.

P.S. The Tigers were hiding. But we had a good time nonetheless!