13th of January, 2023.
Hitchhiking in India: first time.
India! New Delhi. Over 30 million people living here. The largest city I have ever been until now. And I am hitchhiking out of here. Laugh. It is easier when you are already coming out of the airport… And I have no intentions of visiting the city. As I mentioned before, I have lost the interest to see the capitals of the countries I am visiting. Plus, big cities give me the creeps!
I walk for a while until getting to the main road leading to New Delhi. I must cross the city, going towards North, to my destination: Bir.
A lot of taxis stop, some tuk-tuks, and I tell the same thing to all of them: I have no money. Some of them offer to take me to the bus station for free. One or two even offer me the money for the bus. How kind of them!
People are curious, but not drastically, as some times before in Africa.
Finally, a car with two men and a woman stop. A family. They offer to take me to the city written on my board, Palapati, the first city after Delhi. Yay!
Once I get in the car, I get to know Aisha, her husband Beny (who is driving), and his brother- in-law, Sony. They are coming from the airport, after dropping off their parents, now in their flight to Saudi Arabia.
This lovely family is going back to their home, near Ambala, so they can actually get me all the way to Ambala, which would be my next city, the on written on the back of my sign. Yay!
They are very nice and kind and we talk almost all the way. I get to see my first views of India and their life style. Aisha buys some cloths from the streets, like kitchen cloths, and gives me one.
We stop in a very popular café for some tea and some rest. Here I have my first Indian chai: delicious! And I also try some Indian snacks. I eat some of my Plov too. The family tells me it is Lohri Festival day: a very famous and popular festival up here in the North of India. The man who are celebrating are using their turban.
We keep our journey. I try to take some naps. Soon enough we arrive to a place outside Ambala and I have to say goodbye to this first Indian family who helped me and were so lovely!
There is a lot of people around here. A few guys in their motorcycle ask me where I am going. A man who looks nice offer to drive me to Chandigar, the next city, but I want to get further away. A man in a fancy SRV, who says to work for the government stops. The same old story for this kind of people: he says that I should not be here, that this is a dangerous area, that this is India, so it is different of any other country, that someone will rape me and kill me. All what I have heard already in so many other countries. He first offers to help me by calling the police, so they can drive me to the train station and he will pay for my ticket. I only had to refuse once and then he left without offering any other kind of help. This kind of people are so superficial! All the other less privileged people who offered me money until now, after I refused at first, they kept insisting for me to take. I’m not saying that this is what someone should do, but I just want to exemplify the differences between the two cases. And where is this guy going? Why can’t he drive me at least to a safer area if here is not? This kind of people don’t want to help, they just want to show off! Ah! And before leaving, he also tells me to only travel in family cars.
Another SRV stops, also a fancy once, and there is a man and a woman inside. They say they can drive me only about 20 Km but at least is a better place. I accept!
Gira and her co-worker, Manuz, have some wonderful projects, where they help people to manage their money, saving more and spending less. They are coming back from distributing some food in a town nearby. They are surprised about my journey but also a bit concern about my safety. Manuz buys us some delicious tangerine juice, by the road. I think that the reason why the guy selling it put salt on it is because it was too sweet naturally…?
These two lovely human beings drive me to a better hitchhiking spot. It is a busy road. Again, guys in motorcycles trying to help. Thank you!
My sign now says Una. A few guys stop their cars and try to help. They all sound like genuine people, who want to help, but I refuse all of them. One of them is even going all the way to Una, but he tells me to be with two other friends, so I kindly refuse. He seems to understand.
A couple stops and comes back. They tell me to be going to Chandigar. It is getting slightly dark, so I decide to accept.
Pinky and her husband are so lovely! We talk about so many things. They keep driving me away from Chandigar, trying to find the best place where I can stay for the night. I tell them it is not necessary, but they insist that it is their duty, and keep driving.
We get all they way to Rupnagar, where they know there is a Temple just by the road to Una. But when we ask to a man standing in front of a small restaurant, he says that this temple is not really good. While Pinky and her husband are trying to decide what to do, the man says I can stay with him for now and later he will take me to another Temple. OK!
Before Pinky leaves, she gives me a body lotion! How sweet!
The man is called Varum and this is his son restaurant. Varum lives in the U.S. 6 months out of a year. He is going there by the end of January. He cannot speak English though, but we can understand each other. He calls some relatives who can speak English a bit and we have a little chat.
After I finish my Plov and have some of the delicious apple and lemon pie which Lobar baked, Varum’s son arrives, and in his car, Varum takes me to the monastery.
10 Years Around the World 