Surprisingly many people ask me, if I'm not scared to travel to distant countries on my own. The question rather baffles me. What's to be scared of, unless I unwittingly drift off into a war zone or the very worst slum districts of big cities - both activities, which can be easily averted with a bit of asking around. Common sense and basic security rules such as not rolling drunk to the hotel down dark and deserted streets at 2 a.m. will get you far. A good basic rule is, that if there are other people around, especially if the crowd includes women and children, you're safe as houses. Everywhere in the world the vast majority of people are honest, courteous, hospitable and trustworthy.
What I often add is, if something untoward were to happen during my trip, odds are it would have to do with the traffic! Bad and windy roads, old vehicles with their tyres worn smooth and, in many countries, a kamikaze attitude to driving make moving from A to B a perilous journey at times. However considering the shere volume of the traffic, relatively few accidents occur. Low speed is an obvious candidate for saviour of the year. But also people tend to be a bit more flexible in traffic and to respect the law of the fittest - the bigger the car/truck/bus, the more eager you are to get out of its path. People just can't afford to get road rage, since if they were so inclined, they would be in a constant rage 7/24 causing havock on their blood pressure.
However the authorities are well aware of the danger traffic poses. Roadsides both in Bhutan and in India are decorated with various signs urging people to keep down the speed and be moderate in other respects as well. Around Paro in Bhutan the local road council had outdone itself. Not only were their roadside signs informative and educational, but I think they had a wanna-be poet in their think-tank:
Drinking whisky
While driving is risky
If you sleep
Your family will weep
If you are married
Divorce speed
Enemies of the road
Liquor, speed and load
It's not a rally
Enjoy the valley
I think they's run out of rhymes for the warning:
"If you fly at ninety
you don't live to see nineteen"
And indeed driving 90km/h would be pretty rash on Bhutanese roads. The 125 km drive from Bumthang to Punakha took 7 hours (images from the way below) on roads, which made one jiggle and jive in the seat - apparently this is called the Buthanese massage. When Kinley, our driver, switched to third gear for the first time in about three hours, I applauded. That stretch of good road lasted about 200 meters, but it was sweet while it lasted. I think I saw a yearning look in Kinley's eyes when I talked about driving along the Autobahns at 170 km/h.
India may have less flair in their roadside postings, but at least an Indian man's car is his castle and people are free to put any information sticker they want on their windshields. Common are mentions of the lord Ganesh or other hindi sentences, which to me sound like the titles of Bollywood songs. And I have taken one trip in "Black Eyed Peas".
However a few Christians have established themselves in the transportation industry and their windshield stickers proclaim their love of the Lord. At times the stickers seem quite demanding. On the very narrow and curvy mountain road between Siliguri and Darjeeling, I saw windshield stickers begging: "Lord protect us" and "Jesus save us". The drivers don't seem to have much faith in their skills as drivers. I am still on the look-out for a "God help us".
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