We were greeted sloppily by two guys, Ow and Mow for short. We paid USD850 total for a ridiculous 5 seater and a driver (Ow) who lethargically said ‘it’s a long drive’ while he helped himself to a coke from the cooler in the trunk. Duh, that’s the whole point.

All three of us were cramped in the back seat. Ow and Mow babbled non stop. They didn’t engage in much conversation with us, and when they did, their cliche attempt was awful; ‘do you like the Falls?’ Ow drove recklessly with one arm while drinking his coke with the other. He fidgeted the entire time, touching his face, arms and head, (my biggest pet peeve) and unceasingly swerved to the right on a two lane road. We were kept on our toes, excessive palm sweat.

Two hours later, Ow pulled over and Mow was in charge of driving. He drove acceptably, with two hands, so our heart rates went back to normal. Whenever we asked, ‘are we there yet?’ or ‘where are we?’ they were ambivalent and responded with ‘it’s the way’. Despite all this, we were captivated by the lushness of nature and clear blue skies. When we occasionally drove into villages, we observed daily life; women dressed in patterned clothes setting up their daily fresh produce on the side of the road and a ton of used clothes (perhaps donations from 1st world countries) for sale. All around, people were busy doing things, the crowds were buzzing.