EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
Our first introduction to India’ s ability to provide the unexpected was a five-hour taxi ride to Manali which is where the tour started, and the home town of our guide Yogesh – the owner of tour company‘ Royal Bike Riders’. Later in the tour we were to find out how important it is to choose a local rather than book this tour through a New Zealand based company and have them pass you on to a paid guide when you get there. The road to Manali is a mountain road which is very steep and winding, so after about three hours in the taxi we were surprised to find that we were held up due to a traffic jam in the middle of nowhere. After some time, and after the typical Indian method of 10 guys to do what one would have done, we were told to back up and go another
way as the road was closed. So 50 – 60 cars and trucks had to somehow turn around on a narrow mountain road and take another route which would only take another eight hours. After 12 hours we finally arrived at our destination to find out later in the evening that the road was closed due to a landslide that killed 30 people. Welcome to India. The following morning, we woke to the wonderful sight of the whole town of Manali bathed in sunlight and stretched out before us, as viewed from the balcony of our mountain-top hotel. But no there was to be no dilly-dallying, this was the first day of the ride and another introduction... this time to driving in India’ s traffic. The only road to the Himalayas from Manali is through a small town with a road that by NZ standards is a single lane road, but in India a six-wheeler truck and a bus with people on
56KIWI RIDER