Hitch Hiking To Udaipur (Literally)

Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle.

Last week I visited a village that is about 3hrs (by bus) outside of Udaipur. My overall experience in the village was wonderful the hospitality of the people is so sincere and welcoming. However this blog will not be highlighting my experience in Railmagra it will be focusing on my departure from the village. It was about 3:00pm as I set to leave Railmagra with my supervisor and another intern (Both are men). Sidenote: 3pm is the peak of heat in India! As we're standing waiting for the bus to take us back to Udaipur I'm literally drenched in a pool of sweat and the wind seems to be nonexistent that day too, 15mins goes by and the bus comes but does not stop, 10 mins later another bus speeds by as well with no intentions of stopping. In all of my 3wks here I have never heard of  a "full bus" in India there is always room for more. So I'm not sure why these buses didn't stop, at this point all 3 of us are soaking  in sweat and at the point of sunburn and heat stroke, when a huge truck comes rumbling through the main road my supervisor begins jumping up and down trying to grab the drivers attention. The driver stops they exchange words in Hindi and within 2mins I find myself in the front seat of a truck with four men (the driver, his sidekick who isn't photographed, my supervisor, and the other intern).

Initially I was nervous as I was holding on to my backpack for dear life! As I calmed down and realized that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity I began to embrace the experience and take in my surroundings. I was in this truck for about 2hrs and it was bumpy the whole time (which is why the photos are blurry) and as we rolled through various villages I observed India from a different perspective. As our roller coaster of a ride slowly came to an end I hopped out the truck and walked away feeling super adventurous. This was probably my first and last time hitch hiking and I was able to do it through the countryside of India!