Unpredictability Redefined

We left the hotel at 6am for a bus ride to pick up our motorcycles … the venerated Royal Enfield Bullets … at the foothills of the mountains outside Delhi. As we drove out, we had a great opportunity to see New Delhi and its surroundings as it was waking up on a Sunday morning.  There is no question that India has a lot of people.

We saw people sleeping in the medians, underpasses, sidewalks … with their heads and limbs just inches from trucks driving by unperturbed … a haze of pollution already … a caravan of adorned cars, vans, and buses with flower strings and people dressed up … markets being setup … small rice fields in the most unexpected places.

It is interesting how easy it is for an outsider to see things in a new place from a different vantage point … and how hard it is for people to see their own reality when you are living so intensely in the middle of it … when everyday is a struggle for basic things. 

Why is wealth so unevenly distributed around the world? Why are some countries better off and managed than others?  India’s greatest asset will always be its people.  The challenge is how to direct this amazing energy to pull away out of this mess.

We finally arrived to the sight of our rides … the mountains in the horizon.  Excitement is building.  Time to gear up, attach GPSs and tank bag, have a little lunch, and head out into the mountains unknown and on to Shimla, a well known resort area in the mountains.

We take off  (Andy, Julio, David, Samba, and I) while trying to remember so many new things … first, we must remember to drive on the left, then, we need to remember that this bikes have rocker shift levers (what?) and drum brakes … then came the reality check … crazy traffic, people, cows, dogs, and monkeys (yes, monkeys) coming at you from every angle.

From somebody that has driven in the craziest traffic around the world … Vietnam, Colombia, Mexico City, Istanbul, Ulaan Baator, Rabat … why would I think this is any different? It is!

Everything and everybody on the road is absolutely unpredictable … no patterns, no rules … pass anywhere, stop anywhere, go in reverse into traffic, turn left or right or left any time.  All this while things are popping out at you from blind turns at any moment … animals, people … even oncoming cars or trucks on your lane because they decided to pass just because they wanted to not because there was room. 

This whole thing was made more fun and unpredictable because the road was packed and it was non-stop turns up the mountain.  I am sweating just thinking about this : )  

Somewhere up there my gear box blew up so while I was trying to figure out how to fix it Andy and Julio decided to go play with a family ... Andy is holding their baby girl in the picture.  Happiness, joy, and family are never far away anywhere in the world.

 

We finally arrived to Shimla … up in the mountains … lots of hotels … very steep hills, and still, lots of people everywhere!  Our hotel is tucked away in a nice secluded area with a forest around it. The hotel is a converted summerhouse or palace that belonged to some royal family from this area.

Great Indian food for dinner … off to bed. … jet lag just hit hard.