It's 9:30 am, and we settle into the Tavera, with the driver, Harish Chandra (HC) at the wheel.
Let's go to Naukuchiatal. Woh toh bahut duur hai. Aaj aapko Bhimtal dekha ke laatey hain, says Harish Chandra. (That's too far away. We'll make a trip to Bhimtal today.)
Why am I not surprised? This response was something I wasn't expecting, though - 25 km is supposed to be
bahut duur? I didn't quite believe how uncooperative a driver can be, after hearing all the stories from our friends last night, but now I completely believe them. And this fellow needs to be shown his rightful place.
Koi baat nahin. Duuri ka hisaab main rakhta hoon, aap gaadi chalatey raho. (Let me keep track of the distance, you just drive.) Harish Chandra gives me a baleful stare as I occupy the front passenger seat and put on the seat belt (he doesn't use his seat belt at all). The 3 ladies (my wife, and her friends S & R) occupy the second row, while their husbands SH and RH take up the rear jump seats. We are on our way...
A small argument breaks out between S and SH, some 15 minutes into our journey, about something pretty domestic. HC pipes in as he slows down -
aap log jhagra khatam kar lijiye, phir hum chalenge. (Finish your argument and then we'll carry on.)
I tell HC -
Aap chalatey raho, kaan bandh rakho, aankh khula rakho, aur bekaar ki baatei nahin kiya karo. (Keep driving, keep your ears shut and your eyes open, and stop talking unnecessarily). HC flares up at me -
aap kaun hotey ho bolne wale? Main toh unse baat kar raha tha.
Ever so politely, I explain to him that these are close friends of ours, and we have driven up from Delhi to meet them. On this day, I am in charge of our sightseeing destinations, and he has to drive as told. Otherwise, my Scorpio is parked at Nainital, and if he is not interested to follow my directions, he can turn back to Nainital, and we can take my car - but there will be consequences that HC alone would be responsible for.
I suppose the combination -
Delhi, Scorpio, turn back and
consequences - did something to knock some sense into HC. Here onwards, the man who
aap kaun hotey ho'd me a minute earlier, was far more docile than our friends had ever seen him over the last 10 days!
Naukuchiatal wasn't
bahut duur any more...