We ride from New Delhi, the country capital, to Chandigarh, a regional capital, to Shimla, a district town. New Delhi and Chandigarh pile up on hot flat plains. Shimla, a mass of villages, flops over hilltops, of mountainous Himalayan proportions.
We ride for 8,5 hours to cover the 245 km from Delhi to Chandigarh. It takes 5 hours to cover the 105 kms from Chandigarh to Shimla.
YES, the city size changes, the terrain changes, the altitude changes, the temperature changes. But NO, the busy-ness does not.
Space is in serious short supply in India. We quickly discover the unwritten Rules of these Roads. They unsettle!
Don’t stick to the lanes, make room for more; MOVE UP.
If the opposite side of the road is empty; USE IT.
Don’t stop at this red traffic light, it’s not busy enough; GO, GO, GO. Fold back those side view mirrors they take up too much SPACE!
If you want to overtake; HOOT, HOOT, HOOT.
A bang, keep going, it’s only a BUMPER.
Harry and I grind to a halt in a traffic knot. We move only 500 meters in an hour! We vanish in eight, then ten, then eleven lanes. It’s a heaving, hooting, hell-hole. Thick hot exhaust fumes encase us. Our bike engines scream and we sweat streams. Around us, vehicles-vehicles-allsorts out-inch us. Gaunt people-carriers pinch a way around us. They carry bags of cement and boxes of potatoes high above their heads. It’s tempting to ‘freak out’. But it won’t help one tiny bit.
Clutch in, clutch out. First gear, then neutral, then first gear again. Engine off, engine on. Creep! We could not get to know this road better on our hands and knees. And we dissolve into Delhi.
It’s time to re-wire!
We stake our claim and move in. We use our loud, foreign looking bikes and cut space like a knife. Side by side we are a car. In single file we act like a snake. Staggered first to the left then to the right we are unstoppable. Our back-front wheel cuts off from behind. Our front-front wheel steels ahead. We snake, slither, wriggle and then grab space like a car. Our four eyes, four hands, four feet never rest.
And on the move, our two heads chirp merrily, by intercom. ‘There’s that idiot again’. ‘Watch that arsehole fly around the corner’. ‘Another big Shit in a little Suzuki!’ “Oh no, mad buss driver again.’ ‘Check out that teetering truck’. ‘Let’s stick with the piki-pikis.’
Harry loves his horn. He blows it to show his displeasure! I say they don’t care. He says they need to know there’s an unhappy tourist in town! He makes me laugh – still. We call it the ‘Harry’s not Happy Hoot’.
And to be honest, we enjoy it. That’s our spot, after-all!

But moments later we grind to a halt in a typical Delhi Traffic Gridlock like this. But a necessary evil – it is where we re-wire.
Your description of that traffic is brilliant! I read your account with a big grin on my face. Love it!
Yoh Yoh Yoh!!!
I will never complain about traffic again …. Great pic’s
Good greef!!! I thought our taxis were a problem. They have nothing on Indian traffic. You must be have a gas. Looking forward to the next post. Keep safe and look after yourselves. Colin & Debbie Durban
Wow, you have to have alot of patience and keep one’s temper under control in traffic and small spaces that you have to endure thru. Hope you having a wonderful time all the best till next post.
Agnes and Boyce are speechless! Boyce said he saw no gardens in the city!
they send their very best wishes and enjoyed the pictures
Jeepers H+L, this is amazing! I now check for your posts first thing every day. It is armchair travelling at its best. I am still trying to wrap my head around the number of people and the population density. WOW! Great pictures. Enjoy and keep safe. More importantly: keep on posting!
Wow thx for all the info. That roads looks eina!!
Enjoy!!
Dear Harry and Linda, you amaze us with your adventurous spirit, your guts and your way of describing your experience. Keep us posted, we cannot wait for the next update!
Eish, not sure if I would have the patience in that traffic and would not be able to wait to get out into the countryside where the air is clean and fresh!. Nice pics and story so far, thanks for sharing.
Mind-blowing——it’s just one massive car park and very overcrowded. What a good insight you give us with your pictures AND comments. Thanks !
Indian road madness…. Great pictures, frighteningly funny photos
Enjoy and stay safe
Yoh! What a busy- ness; how priviledged we are. Jan
Makes our interaction with our local mini buses look like childsplay.
Take care guyz!
Guy & Gill
And GUY – your tip – ‘if you make eye contact you relinquish your right of way’ – works a storm. No more eye contact here! Thanks & take care, L
It does get better once you get into the Himalayas, but believe or not the roads get worse!!
Gail says she can’t believe what she sees. The descriptions are perfect and the pictures just so too, but how do you move at all. I’d keep my spot and probably just freak out. Your approach in laughter and comradeship is ideal. Keep strong
WOW i cannot believe my eyes. So congested and yet moving forward! Love reading about the journey.
OMG you have more guts and patience than i could ever dream of. I hope the adventure is well worth it. Amazing. Love being the vicarious tourist. Keep well. Harry, David said you’re so chilled, that’s why you can do it. Go well and be safe. G xxx
Holy, moley! Congrats on staying cheerful in that bedlam. I’ll face our little rush hour with a smile tomorrow. Thank you for the updates, and all the best.