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In the morning I hired a taxi (800 Rupees/ $17.00) for a day trip to Puri. It is said to be one of the four holiest places in India.
India 2002 - Part Two: Bhubaneswar, Puri & Konark
Dougburnett2003-11-24 11:56:59
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Puri & Konark, Monday, February 11
In the morning I hired a taxi (800 Rupees/ $17.00) for a day trip to Puri. It is said to be one of the four holiest places in India. I was picked up at the hotel entrance in a white Ambassador, the standard Indian taxi. I said hello to the driver and got in.
At the bottom of the hotel driveway the taxi stopped and the driver got out without saying a word. Another driver immediately got in and we took off. This switch made me a little nervous. I tried to imagine why the intended driver didn't pick me up. Why had they needed to switch? After a moment I put this thought out of my mind by saying one word: India. It's a place that follows it's own logic. No need to worry. I was on my way that was all that was important.
On the outskirts of town the driver - his name was Dusasun - pulled into a gas station. He then turned around and said, "350 Rupees, please, for gas." While he was filling the tank I switched to the front. The rear seat was too high and my head was hitting the ceiling. That was odd because Ambassadors are surprisingly roomy inside.
The day was bright and sunny - just like every one I spent in India. The road was full of trucks, cars, bikes, carts, people, and of course, cows. The flat fields along the road were green with crops: rice, bananas and such.
As we rode along I looked the dashboard over and then asked the driver, "Do you have a tape player?" He opened a little door on his side of the dash and turned on some loud Hindi music. Great I thought, but I had something a little different in mind. I got out my Country music tape and handed it to him.
He put it in and soon I was singing along to my favorite country tunes and he was tapping the steering wheel. These are the moments I love most: the mixing of cultures. The crazy, patchwork of India life along the road;
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