Driver in the dwang
It’s been a mad day, the start of the run, all the emotion that goes with it. Now it’s out into the mountains for the next 280km as I head down to Jammu. It’s also our last chance to get supplies as we will all be camping along the roads, tracks and wherever we land up at the end of the day.
Nick was desperately trying to get the internet setups on our Nokias sorted, but having massive problems as there was a Military block on all devices in this area.
The morning run was over and we headed for the market, it was pots, pans. Gas cooking rings, food, plus all the cooking utensils etc. We then went looking for a shop to get some fold up chairs and tables for the evening when we would all meat up and the daily crew set up. I left Andy and the driver to tie all the boxes on the roof and headed of on my search. Twenty minutes later I get a frantic call from Andy.
“David they have arrested the driver”
At first I thought he was joking, so we quickly headed out to where we had left him. Dean our water taxi man was with us helping with the market shopping. We got to Andy who was explaining events that had unfolded, when another traffic officer approached. Dean went over to him to find out what had happened. There was a bit of heated discussions and he walked off with the cop towards the police station. Andy didn’t really know what had happened, he said he was throwing the rope over the van for the driver to fasten it, when nothing happened Andy walked around to see why and there he saw was this scuffle and the driver been frog marched off by the police.
Eventually Dean reappeared with the driver, looking a bit shocked and unhappy. What had happened was some of the street hawkers had been having and argument with the police and someone was swearing at them. The cops turned around and the first and only person that the cops saw behind him at that moment was our driver. To his utter amazement out of the blue the cops stormed on him and arrested him, he didn’t even know what was going on; he was just innocently minding his own business.
We decided best we all just get in and leave the market before things got ugly.
