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Day 106: It was in Pushkar that we said goodbye to our driver of eight days, Wajid (or Vicky to his friends). This is India, so we weren’t just passengers to Wajid, we were much more than that: we were a mobile business opportunity waiting to happen.

Despite Wajid’s constant reminders to us that “it was our holiday”, every day it was a battle of wits to ensure that we were taken to the hotel of our choice rather than the one favoured by Wajid.

Wajid was a last minute, unscripted replacement for the driver that we had interviewed on a test drive and given the thumbs up to. Imagine our surprise when, on the morning of our departure from Delhi and after we’d made a sizeable downpayment, our driver of choice was no longer available as he “needed to attend the operation of a relative” on short notice. Enter Wajid.

Despite our fraught relationship, I must confess to a certain fondness for Wajid. After all, he was doing the best he could to grind out an income to support himself and his family. There were a few memorable exchanges during some of the long days bumping over roads under construction as we rumbled towards Ranthambore, including his unforgettable and touching tale about his courtship with his wife. His recommendation that lemon mirinda was a good mixer for gin was a revelation when it became evident that tonic water was hard to come by. And while his dealmaking wore us down, his driving was excellent.

Eight days from Delhi-Agra-Ranthambore-Jaipur-Pushkar-Delhi: 11000 rupees + tip (October 2007).