India

Just got back from India. Absolutely stunned by the driving / riding over there. I can’t make my mind up if they are the worlds best or worlds worst drivers / riders. I can only sum it up as a sort of chaos that everybody accepts and knows what they are doing. No accidents but near misses every 5 seconds!

 

I wasn’t riding - thank god. I did get a lift in a tuk tuk at one point and tried to take pictures and video. Nothing I took could do justice to the experience. It was like the best ever scary fairground ride without any safety features.

Would have loved to take pictures but I was hanging onto the frame of the tuk tuk like grim death. Have posted a picture of a monkey in the snow at Shimla - brass monkey weather.

 

Hi Wessa. It was a holiday (of a kind). Organized by Great Railway Journeys took in Shimla, Deli, Agra and Jaipur for the big touristy stuff. Majority was done on Indian trains. If folk are interested I could post some train photos......?

 

I don’t need much encouragement....
This is an Indian Z3 class locomotive used between Kalka and Shimla. You’ll note the narrow gauge. Built by the British, it transported the British officials of Empire to a base in the foothills of the Himalayas during the Summer to escape the heat of an Indian summer in Delhi and elsewhere.

 

This is a American made WAP 7 locomotive which is used to pull the Indian express trains. This particular one was running between Kalka and Delhi. Interesting features of the rolling stock is that they include both drop and conventional toilets.
I better stop posting now about trains as I don’t want to get a reputation....

 

Ah. The English Electrc Type 1. I have fond memories of hearing them rumble behind my childhood in Hull. No sight of anything I vaguely recognized as a UK based loco I’m afraid nor any steam engines.
Just to shift the topic. The price of beer if you can find it is extortionate. Hotel prices were coming in at £7 / pint. Though did find a micro brewery in Shimla which was a surprise and had more realistic prices.

 

Looks like we had similar experiences. Im still not sure if there are terrible or brilliant drivers. As I said I didn’t see an accident in over two weeks of being there which is more than can be said of more old commute on the M25.

Sri Lanka sounds good, I’ll investigate further. Thanks for the tip.