Think about the last time you took a ferry. Passenger ferry. Car ferry. Any ferry. Chances are the image in your head includes some kind of iron vessel complete with engine, steering and loading bay. Something you would feel confident could transport you and your vehicle across the water.
Not a flakey wooden raft hauled up to a muddy riverbank by a dozen guys pulling on ropes.
To say this didn't inspire us with confidence would be an understatement. The last time I saw a ferry even approaching this one, was in the tiny fishing village of Tai O on Lantau Island, just off Hong Kong. However, this is India and if we were surprised, then more the fool us.
Day 6 saw the team set out on one of the longest legs of the journey so far, over 270km’s from Khandwa to Bhopal. The day started in spectacular fashion with the a visit to the Ajanta Caves. Carved high up into the rock face, this myriad of caves is the home to some amazing Buddhist religious art dating back the 2nd century BC. It’s hard not to step back and stare in amazement at how something so magnificent could have been done so long ago. That it’s survived is a blessing for those of us lucky enough to see it.
After that it was back to the road and time to head northeast through Khirklya and Harda. All was going well until we were just south of the predominantly Islamic town of Hoshangabad. There we heard a big religious festival had meant the roads were closed. Undeterred we quickly plotted a route which took us west of the town and across the river.
Ah yes, the river.
And so it was there, with the sun setting, that we stood on the muddy riverbanks whilst a group of highly organized ferry company employees expertly loaded our rickshaw on the vessel. Or in other words a small army of villagers all shouting instructions at each other, pushed, pulled and generally manhandled the rickshaw (and later cars!) onto a small of assembly of logs, tied together with… something. And hauled the said 'ferry' across the river with ropes.
It’s at those moments you begin to wonder about the sanity of what we’re doing. Or surely there must have been a bridge we could have crossed?
Never the less, perhaps more by luck than judgment, we all made it across. It certainly made for great television, although I’m not sure the car hire company will feel the same way.
Remind me why we're doing this again…?
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