Waving at the natives - 2

The road higher maintains its narrow snakiness, as our driver, Ganesh, continues the death-defying act of negotiating roads on which drivers think nothing of passing on blind corners, at speed, whether in a car, bus, truck or auto rickshaw. A few near misses let you know you're alive, as both vehicles come to a screeching halt almost nose-to-nose, then inch their ways past each other and continue.

Add to the excitement of the perilous road journey periodic heavy downpours that create coffee-coloured foam as silt and water mix down the cascades of narrow gorges and vertical drops. Along the way, at the unlikeliest of locations, villages have sprung up over the year. A few micro-businesses sell anything from crisps, soft drinks and pens, to plumbing supplies, saris or motorbike parts. There are also countless people selling home-cooked food, which it's probably sensible to politely decline. All the while along the way, everyone is quick with a smile and a wave at this impossibly large bus and its contents.