| In my capacity as the UK Director of | | | | be somewhere at a certain time (apart from us |
| Operations for One World Tours Limited, I am | | | | of course!) so many people tolerating one |
| often asked about the destinations I have | | | | another it was incredible. |
| been to and how it all began in the first | | | | |
| place. 10 years ago I embarked on my second | | | | I had recovered a little after having |
| trip around the world and I suppose you could | | | | something to drink and was as excited to see |
| say that this is where it truly all began. | | | | eagles flying around in the sky. I watched as |
| Here is my first experience of India. | | | | people threw bananas to the wild monkeys in |
| | | | the same way as we feed the ducks back home. |
| I thought that visiting the Seven Wonders of | | | | |
| the world in eight days would be a fun and | | | | Everywhere you looked people were making good |
| challenging thing to do. Having decided with | | | | use of all the resources around them. Once we |
| my sponsors the airlines and a chain of | | | | had broken free from the towns I had a chance |
| leading world-wide hotels it was decided that | | | | to take notice of the countryside. It was |
| the Seven Wonders of the World were the Taj | | | | fascinating to see the Indian ladies with |
| Mahal, the Great Wall of China, the Leaning | | | | huge loads balanced on their heads whilst |
| Tower of Pisa, the Golden Gate Bridge, The | | | | carrying their babies in their arms. It was a |
| Empire State Building, Sydney Opera House and | | | | wonderful thing to experience and would have |
| the Pyramids of Egypt. This would notch up a | | | | been perfect if only it wasn't so difficult |
| staggering 42,000 miles in 8 just days. | | | | to breathe. Seeing the way that life was |
| | | | lived in India made me realise what a bunch |
| The first of my many flights was on schedule | | | | of whingers we are in the west! |
| and I left Heathrow at around 10.25pm on the | | | | |
| 17th of February. I was handed my overnight | | | | We were only 11 kilometres from reaching the |
| package by the stewardess and given a meal. | | | | Taj Mahal when we experienced a huge traffic |
| It didn't take long before I drifted off to | | | | jam that even the psychopathic driver could |
| sleep; I had deliberately got myself up early | | | | not get me through! He had a few frantic |
| that morning to ensure that I would be able | | | | words with one of the locals and informed me |
| to sleep on the first flight. I awoke half | | | | that the road was blocked due to the fact |
| way through the flight feeling incredibly | | | | that two ministers were visiting the area. |
| nauseous but that was down to the anti- | | | | |
| malaria tablets more than anything else. | | | | Ashok did a sharp U- turn and tried to find |
| | | | an alternative route. Unfortunately there |
| It wasn't long before I arrived at Delhi | | | | wasn't one and we had to wait patiently in |
| airport and in order to continue on to the | | | | the queue like everyone else. The driver had |
| next stage of the journey I had to find out | | | | driven his socks off to get me to within an |
| how much a taxi would cost to take me to | | | | 11-kilometre radius of the Taj with time to |
| Agra and back. There were plenty of transport | | | | spare, and for one horrible moment it looked |
| kiosks whose occupants frantically beckoned | | | | as if I was not going to get any closer. It |
| to me in order to persuade me to use their | | | | was an awful shame because he had risked our |
| services. The first one that caught my | | | | lives along with those of the others we |
| attention offered me his "top of the range | | | | passed along the way, including the animals! |
| car", which included air- conditioning. I | | | | He must have felt the same but wasn't that |
| gladly accepted this as it worked out at half | | | | easily defeated. Not long after I finally |
| the price I had expected to pay. I was then | | | | arrived at the first major landmark of the |
| told apologetically that this car was not | | | | trip! Ashok dropped me off and said that he |
| available and was offered the next best thing | | | | would find somewhere to park and allowed just |
| at a cheaper rate, still with air | | | | 15 minutes to take photos etc. I paid the |
| conditioning. Apparently this car was not | | | | entrance fee; the equivalent of 75 pence, |
| available either and this went on until I was | | | | received a free key ring and made my way to |
| finally offered their cheapest car of all, | | | | the Taj, ande had my bags searched by the |
| which by this time I would have agreed to | | | | guards. |
| anything. The driver of this particular | | | | |
| vehicle was summoned and flatly refused to | | | | I was very impressed by the stunning creation |
| take me saying that it would not be possible | | | | of love that stood before me, definitely the |
| to get to Agra and back in time to get me to | | | | stuff that fairytales are made of! I was |
| my next flight. It was beginning to look like | | | | aware that I did not have too much time so |
| I was not going to get to visit the very | | | | quickly set about taking photographs of the |
| first Wonder on the list! The taxi drivers of | | | | beauty before me in order to satisfy the |
| this particular kiosk told me that I should | | | | publicity requirements for my sponsors. |
| try a different kiosk, which is exactly what | | | | |
| ended up doing. I was told that there was a | | | | I had designed a banner, which was to be |
| driver willing to attempt to take me the 300 | | | | photographed at each of the locations. When I |
| miles in about 8 ½ hours for the price of | | | | unfolded it in the grounds of the Taj Mahal I |
| £130 (GBP). I did not really have choice | | | | was told very abruptly that banners were not |
| and was still £70 better off than I | | | | acceptable and that the guards at the front |
| thought. We were whisked off to meet our | | | | gate should have taken it away from me. |
| driver for the day and the man that would | | | | Someone did show me somewhere that I could |
| hopefully make it possible for us to reach | | | | hold the banner up in order to take a quick |
| our first Wonder of the trip. | | | | photograph but I declined agreeing that I |
| | | | should respect their wishes, as I was a |
| It soon became very apparent that if anyone | | | | visitor of their country. The banner gave a |
| was going to get me there and back in time it | | | | brief outline of the trip and advertised the |
| would most certainly be Ashok, the driver. I | | | | sponsor's names but they weren't to know that |
| was barely three minutes from the airport | | | | it could have been a political statement for |
| when he started honking his horn like crazy. | | | | all they knew. I also couldn't risk getting |
| At first I thought this was a sign of | | | | into trouble so early on in the trip! |
| aggression as is customary in our native | | | | |
| country. I truly believed at one point that I | | | | I took enough photographs to prove that we |
| was going to die in this foreign country due | | | | had been there, along with a duplicate set in |
| to manic way that Ashok handled the car. | | | | case the first ones did not come out and then |
| Where ever possible he drove like a man | | | | one more lot for luck! The sun was beginning |
| possessed reaching speeds of up to 120mph in | | | | to set and it gave everything around that |
| some cases. This of course made me very | | | | wonderful orange glow, a fitting end to a |
| apprehensive for the first hour or so of the | | | | brief but memorable experience. |
| journey, my underpants taking the full impact | | | | |
| of my lack of faith! | | | | As promised Ashok was waiting for me and |
| | | | guided me back to the cab. A throng of brown |
| There did not appear to be any rules and | | | | -faced children begged me to purchase their |
| regulations where driving in India was | | | | wares. They surrounded me, I found it a |
| concerned, Ashok seemed to make up his own | | | | little overwhelming to say the least. I was |
| rules as he went along. Hitting bumps in the | | | | not sure if we had enough money to complete |
| road at speed saw me bashing my head on the | | | | the trip at this moment in time so I couldn't |
| roof on more than one occasion. I remember | | | | afford to give away one penny of what I did |
| commenting aloud on the effects this was | | | | have so I kept having to refuse them. Their |
| having on my backside and Ashok laughed | | | | prices dropped with every step that took me |
| saying that it was good exercise. | | | | closer to the car until I was being offered |
| | | | beautifully printed T-shirts for around 70p |
| Well it soon became apparent that honking on | | | | each. They flocked around the car hoping for |
| the horn was a way of life and a way of | | | | a few pence that I really didn't have, until |
| getting people to pull out of your way. It | | | | Ashok drove off. It was very humbling. |
| didn't seem to matter if a road similar to | | | | |
| our own dual carriageways were full we merely | | | | Did I mention that the journey to Agra was an |
| pulled over to drive at speed toward the | | | | experience never to be forgotten? Well it was |
| oncoming traffic, cars, bicycles camels etc, | | | | nothing compared to the journey back! We did |
| it was awesome and will always be the most | | | | the whole thing over but in the dark. It |
| memorable car drive that I have ever | | | | appears that you then use your headlights to |
| experienced. Most of the lorries had "horn | | | | get people out of the way instead of the car |
| please" painted on the back of them. Ashok | | | | horn! So we were driving at speed in the dark |
| weaved in and out of the traffic, his hand | | | | with no headlights for 150 miles. Pedestrians |
| never far from the hooter. It was like having | | | | and animals still littered the roads and I |
| a police escort only without the police. | | | | didn't see them until we had passed them, so |
| | | | I can't imagine how Ashok avoided them! |
| After the initial excitement of the taxi ride | | | | |
| of a lifetime had subsided, I took time to | | | | It was wonderful to see the culture by night. |
| absorb the scenery from the window of the | | | | Little street fires lit the faces of their |
| cab. There was poverty in abundance wherever | | | | owners with a yellow hue. The moon which was |
| you looked. Hundreds of people lined the | | | | also yellow was lit from underneath. |
| streets. Cattle wandered about like | | | | |
| jaywalkers and now and again you would come | | | | On a few occasions I saw hundreds of white |
| across a dead, half- eaten dog, infested with | | | | lights adorning trees and buildings, pulsing |
| flies lying in the road. Victims of Ashok's | | | | music accompanied these scenes; Ashok told me |
| previous drives one assumes! I have never | | | | that this represented "better off," people |
| seen so many people crammed into windowless | | | | getting married. Fireworks announced the |
| buses, lorries or trailers being pulled by | | | | success of the weddings. About half a dozen |
| tractors. Donkeys pulled or carried loads | | | | ceremonies were happening that I had |
| that took up one entire side of the road, | | | | witnessed that evening so goodness knows how |
| while camels took even bigger ones. | | | | many more were going on! We also saw a less |
| Everywhere that you looked there were | | | | grand wedding happening on the roadside; the |
| hundreds of people not doing anything in | | | | grandest thing about this one was the flower |
| particular. | | | | garland around the young bride's head! It was |
| | | | truly breath taking to observe the way of |
| The fume filled air was brutal on your lungs. | | | | life for these people by night. |
| Diesel fumes choked out of vehicles in big | | | | |
| black puffs. The humidity and the fumes made | | | | Ashok got me back to Delhi in good time. We |
| your eyes, throat and nose sting. I am | | | | even had a chance to stop at the roadside |
| surprised that I managed to remain conscious! | | | | cafe for a cup of tea on the way. Well it |
| I was not fairing very well at all. Apart | | | | wasn't a café, as we know it back home; it |
| from suffering from the effects mentioned | | | | was more like a large marquee at a craft |
| above I was also dehydrating, sweating out | | | | fair. I was more than a little dubious about |
| more liquid than I could replace. I am sure | | | | drinking anything that I hadn't prepared |
| there are people out there who would find the | | | | myself. |
| whole thing rather amusing as I being an | | | | |
| intrepid professional world traveller (I had | | | | I had grown quite used to Ashok during the |
| actually visited 108 countries on my previous | | | | course of the day and was sorry to have to |
| trip!) who was feeling sick. I asked Ashok to | | | | say goodbye to him. He had looked after me |
| pull over so that I could get a drink of | | | | incredibly well and I tipped him accordingly. |
| water, he agreed but it was a good 30 or 40 | | | | |
| miles before he actually did. The reason he | | | | It was 10.10pm (Indian time) when we arrived |
| had waited so long was so that we could | | | | at Delhi. The flight to Bombay was delayed |
| purchase sealed water from a reputable source | | | | for an hour. I have to say that of all the |
| rather than risk drinking something that | | | | planes that we used throughout the trip, air |
| might make me suffer later. | | | | India was the only one I felt really nervous |
| | | | about. There was quite a lot of turbulence |
| I was surprised to see raw meat being | | | | during the whole flight. I remember forcing |
| displayed on the roadside, uncovered, soaking | | | | myself to try and sleep, reckoning that if I |
| up the dirt and fumes of the surroundings. | | | | was going to die I would rather be asleep |
| | | | when it happened! I forgot to look and see if |
| What I noticed more than anything else was | | | | Ashok was the pilot when we departed from the |
| the overall calmness of everyone around us. | | | | plane. Thank you Ashok for making it happen. |
| There were no signs of stress or urgency to | | | | |