On the Road to Moradabad

One of the things I love about living in India is the fun provided by road trips. I have criss crossed all over North India in the last few years and it never gets boring!
When I have gone on road trips in the US or Europe things get pretty monotonous. Here in India it is a great adventure. I went to Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh this week. I left early in the morning. Moradabad is about 200 km from Delhi and it takes about 4 hours to get there.
As soon as we left Delhi and entered Uttar Pradesh it felt like we had gone back 100 years in time. The roads were in terrible shape, full of pot holes even though we were supposed to be on a highway. There were bullock carts, monkeys, cattle, dogs, etc enjoying the roads along with us. One of the most unnerving things was coming face to face with vehicles driving down the wrong lane, i.e. in the opposite direction than the one they were supposed to. It actually happened to us too. We were coming back in the dark and after avoiding some roadworks my driver Rajpal kept going straight, however that meant we were driving into oncoming traffic. It was pitch black at that point, no lights on the side of the road and we were using our headlights to warn incoming vehicles that we were there. I prayed a lot!
The roads are crowded with overloaded trcks, buses and lorries with people hanging from the sides and sitting on the roofs; then we stop in traffic jams all the time, at which point I become a curiosity since I am a "white Memsahib" as they call me. Kids wave and laugh. They are so cute!
Anyway I never get bored. I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to as the roads are too bumpy for that. I am thankful for my driver. I wouldn't be too keen to drive on these roads. It gives me a chance to enjoy the countryside, the bright colours, the smiling faces of people. By the end of the drive I feel as if I have just watched a movie!