Travel

Two large four wheel drive vehicles became our homes as we traveled north to West Bengal and then back to Cuttack.  There were seven of us in the one vehicle and five in the other on the first day.  The second day we picked up two more people as part of our group.  Part of the time the car with seven became a car with nine, and then later we balanced it out with eight and six.

Because of the concern related to our presence and it causing any distress among the local population in the cities where we were traveling; the foreign guest sat in the back seat and the rear benches, while Indian nationals rode in the front.  The cars all had dark glass windows so that no one could see in at who was passing by when we passed.  This has been a normal precaution here in this part of the world for the last six or more years that I have been visiting this area.

We left Cuttack around 10:00 a.m. for a 160 KM journey north.  It took us four hours to reach our destination.  Passing through the many towns we likely averaged around 10 to 12 miles per hour.  Out on the road we were lucky if we averaged 35 miles per hour on a four lane highway with a speed limit of 80 KM (50 mph).

As we drove we came upon goats, cows and water buffalo also sharing the road with us, or crossing it.  We came on vehicles coming the wrong way down the four lane highway because of the divide and curbing that made it next to impossible to turn off on that road you wanted to take on the opposite side of the highway.  Everyone just knows what is happening and seems to take it in stride.

A stop for gasoline and a stop to get out of the cars and stretch our legs were the two diversions from the multi-sensory experience of travel.

One other interesting experience in travel was to stop at a road side rest following our trip north and when we started to come south again.  We had had a great mid day meal, but most of us had not had tea.  For most Indians that is something that needs to be corrected.

We stopped at a thatch covered building along the road.  We walked down the side embankment of the road and they pulled out rope woven beds for us to sit on while our tea was being made over a wood fire.  It did not take to long and good hot team was being served to us in small plastic cups.  The only way you can hold them is to hold them around the top rim of the cup above the tea line.  You then just turn your hand forty five degrees and take a sip of what I consider to be wonderful Indian spiced tea – masala chai.