Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Markers and distances on the Grand Trunk Road

NH 91 road marker
Over the course of the journey, I find a number of markers that reappear day after day.  Small buildings and towns seem to line to road with good consistency- and farmland stretches out on either side.  Based upon the route's history, I expected to find towns and cities clustered along it with some regularity.  The concept of the "journey" or "journee" (one day's travel by foot) would lead me to think that the towns might appear every 20 kilometers, or with open areas between built up sections. 

The "English" liquor shop was a common site.
In reality, houses and small towns are more evenly dispersed.  With the development of the highway in the past several years, even more people have moved closer to the road.  There are occasional distance markers, which usually reference the next major city.  Overhead metal signs are more rare and distances seem approximate.  I spoke with several people who mentioned distances in kos, an ancient measurement of about 2 kilometers. The road's measurement has changed again and again, as has the speed at which it has been traveled.  What equated for one day's journey in the past has grown exponentially.  Actually, this isn't entirely true since I have seen plenty of ox or camel carts on the road moving at one a few kilometers per hour.  The drivers were often asleep in the cart, with the animal leading the way.
Toyota Innova and camel.

As I saw in France, large trees also mark the roadway.  These provide shade- and also have been allowed to grow uninterrupted because of their proximity to the road and not in the middle of viable farmland.  When I stopped to take walks, I could see these tall broad trees from a distance.



 
Every few hours of driving, I would see the remains of an accident.  More often than not, these involved "Leyland" or transport trucks .  The trucks travel day and night and several people mentioned the threat these trucks pose to other drivers or people along the road. I have been curious to talk with these drivers because of their frequent experience with the roads- they are the most frequent travelers, but also spend the least amount of time in a single place.
Accident on NH 91 involving Leyland.