Driving in India can be only described as one thing - utterly mad. There seem to be no rules, no restrictions and those who brave themselves behind a wheel or handlebars have refined skills of distance and judgement that I am yet to master. But I am proud to say I have had a go. My guide Tashi was impressed to learn that I could ride a motorbike and insisted I drive to show him my skills. They were lacking. Firstly I was not used to riding a road bike on an extremely uneven, cracked up dirt road as where I am from this sort of riding would be reserved for a dirt bike. Thankfully the bike had reasonably good suspension. Still it had its challenging moments.
Once I was actually on a tar-seal road I was faced with another bunch if challenges. Obstacles. These obstacles consisted of people walking in the road, bicycles, other motorbikes, rickshaws (a bicycle ridden with seats on the back to carry people), motorised rickshaws, cars and buses. Oh and I forgot the goats, cows and dogs. And believe me when I say that they are all next to each other on the road at the same time. There is no order but somehow, a lot of the time, it works. It's vital to let go of all preconceived ideas of how to drive. The most important thing to realise is that your side of the road does not belong to you. It belongs to the biggest and loudest. And if that biggest and loudest is coming from the other direction and wants to pass something on its own side of the road, trust me it will. Even if you are coming in the opposite direction.
The second most vital part of driving in India is the horn. It replaces any need for mirrors. As you are approaching another vehicle, person or animal a good honking of the horn alerts them to the fact that you are almost on top of them. And of course the louder and more incessant your horn the more intimidating you become and more room you can take up on the road. The buses have such loud horns I swear I had ringing in my ears from being blasted as they drove by. Not for the faint of heart to ride on a motorbike.
After doing reasonably well for quite some time I ended up admitting defeat and relinquished my position in charge of the bike when a bus coming from the opposite direction literally drove me off the road. But at least I can say I did it! Maybe, this time, once is enough.
