Crazy Drive on GT Road

PUNJAB

Map of Punjab (click to view)


The main highway to Punjab from Delhi is referred to a GT Road. One challenge is getting out of Delhi, and then the adventure begins. If you have a strong stomach and do not get car sickness, then you may be ok on this drive. Otherwise, a train is highly recommended! Along the way we pass through the state of Haryana (which used to be part of Punjab until the government split Punjab in many subsections). The drive felt like an episode of twilight zone. Old, new, Eastern and Western all come together and the result is complete chaos most of the time!


Elderly Sikh man on his tractor


Big colorful trucks


Angela greeting roadside mechanics


Bags of wheat, hay, cotton and other goods. Punjab is the breadbasket of India. Most people from Punjab are "Jatts" by caste indicative of their farming status. The majority of Punjabi people are of the Sikh faith although they barely make up 2% of India's population.

Kids next to a tractor and a Sikh man and his wife fixin' the old bike


Hekani, Angela and Lisa taking a break and Cherlyn, the little hipster, taking a walk on our way to Jalundhar, Punjab


Standing nearby a Sikh Gurudwara (aka Temple) and a "Dhaba" which is like a fast food Indian roadstop. I have found Dhabas to be more reliable than many restaurants because the food is fresh and made to order. I stick to vegetarian most of the time, and will eat meat when I know it is fresh and the place is trustworthy. Don't be fooled by the cleanliness and modernlike feeling of a restaurant in India- they aren't always the best in terms of taste, quality and safety! I learned through experience!


Hmmm, not quite holding it upright, here is a Sikh man living in Punjab selling US flags at his little shop. He was quite thrilled to see a bunch of Americans passing through.


Before thinking someone's a bad driver, think again in India! Honking the horn is essential (yes, it gets annoying, but don't worry, one gets used to it); drivers communicate by way of blowing their horns, and NOBODY stays on their side of the road in the cities. The lane dividers are purely incidental!


Jack, our cool and calm Tibetan driver, listens to Snoop Dogg in the midst of madness (traffic congestion, pollution, excessive honking, and noise!)