Bill&Theresa: Day 9 - How long is a 4 hour drive?

Answer from Theresa – 6.25 hours. Today we left Deli for a trip to Jim Corbett National Park. Jim Corbett was the driver behind the first national park in India, which was later named for him. Depending on where you stay by the park, the route from Delhi is 4-5 hours.

We used an Indian travel agent to book the little tour that we are on, which has been an experience. We researched and used a highly rated agency. But, there was a lot of anxiety about what would happen, as the reservation process is…different from what we are used to in the United States. We couldn’t use a credit card, and he asked for a wire transfer, and we settled using Paypal. All the while, we’ve wondered if anyone would show up.

But, our booked cab showed up about 5:35am – 25 minutes early. By the time we picked up our binoculars (which aren’t allowed in Aerocity apparently), checked in the suitcase that we weren’t bringing on our 2 day trip, and got the packed breakfast that the hotel offered (minus the coffee we were promised), it was 5:59am when we pulled out of the hotel. Google said arrival time should be 11:04am. Not perfect, but doable.

The cab was cleanish, but we first noticed 2 things – first, only one of the seatbelts in the back seat actually locked. The other seatbelt clicked in place but, with the lightest pull, came undone. Not ideal! Second, the car had about 1/16 of a tank of fuel. My practical mind was like – if he needed gas and was early, why not stop on the way to pick us up?

Crossing the Ganges River (Holy, per our driver)

So, we get on the road. The traffic is already fairly congested in Delhi. So, kind of crazy in and out of traffic – and a lot of honking (in fact most of the trucks have “Honk Please” painted on the back). Our driver seemed very cautious, which I appreciated, as I was riding without the seatbelt! About 40 minutes into the drive, we pull over to get fuel. Luckily, it worked as it should, and we were NOT asked to pay for the fuel (something I have seen on other travel sites as happening). We have T-Mobile, which gives us unlimited data in India, so I (Theresa) was tracking our journey in Google Maps. The driver went a few different ways than Google recommended…but, didn’t add more than 10 minutes to the ride.

What could go wrong?

The first two and a half hours of the drive, it seemed we were still in Delhi, as there was no break between cities. But, we were definitely moving between cities, they just butted up to one another.

So many times we saw this scene!

About 3 hours into the drive, the driver left the main toll road we were on and started taking back roads. I figured he knew something we didn’t, as Google Maps had us staying on the toll roads almost all the way up to the main town near our resort. I also thought – OK are we being brought to an “Uncle’s Shop” or something?? About 15 minutes into this drive through a rural town with cows, goats, people, tuk tuks, bamboo pulling tractors, and everything else you could think of being IN the road, the cab driver pulled into a small dirt road – said, “I’m sorry” and turned around. The route given to us was not directly back to where we came from, as there were some back roads that saved some time. You know when Google Maps brings you through that scary part of town to save 2 minutes?? I think that’s what it did here. We were on unpaved dirt roads where people have probably never seen foreigners. We made one more mistake of missing a turn, and had to u-turn in front of a group of 20 men. Not the most comfortable thing!

That's a lot of bamboo (oops, we think it's sugar cane)!

Not much room for our car?

Sort of a cool design?

I think the cow doesn't want us photographing his cart?

So, eventually we get back to a main road – 3 lanes each way, almost no cars – perfect! Then, we get off again, and pull over to a gas station – potty break – very good! I thought we would get back on the main road after the potty break, but we started down the smaller road instead. I lean over to Bill and say “I think we’re going the wrong way again”. Google maps kept saying that we needed to turn around. So, we set a goal that we would say something by a certain road. The driver turned on that road, but Google Maps still said to u-turn. So, I speak up – “I think we’re going the wrong way.” He pulls over to the edge of the road and asks us which hotel we are going to. Umm….What???!! Luckily I have the WhatsApp conversation with the travel agency and pull up the information. He calls the hotel, then he calls his dispatcher, then he calls the hotel again, and they text him their address.

We got stuck at a bridge waiting for traffic.

He pulls it into his navigation system and says, surprised “It’s 68 km away”. Yep. It was closer before you pulled off the main road (in my mind, of course). So, we turn around, and take some other very interesting streets (including a “bridge” that had water flowing over it, and no curb, rail, or even paint to mark the drop off).

At about 12:15 we finally arrived at our resort. I was very happy to be able to get out of the cab. The driver is staying at the resort also (they have driver’s quarters). But, we likely won’t need him until we go back to Delhi on Tuesday.

We paid like $15 extra for a "suite".

The hotel is very nice. Not a lot of people here right now, but they had a good lunch for us (with ice cream, which made Bill’s day), and then a “high tea” which had Masala Chai and Simosas and a video on the Jim Corbett park. It was really nice. (First time I ever had “high-tea” that starts at 5:30, as it was getting dark! They start trying to play the video about 6:00, but after starting the wrong video seriously 8 or more times, and then having other technical and operator error issues, the 35-minute video ended at 6:50. By then it was cold!) We basically ate lunch, took a nap, and walked around the resort. A nice relaxing afternoon! Dinner was nice too, but not really anything to “write home about”. Besides, we have to be up at 5AM so…G’night!