Most days on the Rickshaw Run, we said we would wake up at 5 and start driving straightaways. Most nights, Rogier and I would split 3 entrees (usually two types of biriyani and butter chicken), several starters, and four 650-ml Kingfishers, which would put to rest (quite literally) any questions about getting up early.
But 6:30 was early enough, because the Indian workday doesn't start until about 9:30 at the earliest, the roads were clear, the air crisp, and we would do what any normal Indian does in the early hours of the day: drink chai, smoke cigarettes, and read newspapers. Well, not the newspapers part, because Rogier's illiterate and the newspaper doesn't come out before 8 am, but Sunrise Chai was definitely the high point of the morning.
Everyone is wrapped in blankets...
Sally waits for us, like a loyal fillie...
The chai-making gear...
The tea shop...
The nice chai-walli...
The back room of the tea shop...
Sunrise chai on the road to Sikkim...
Complete with greasy Tibetan snacks...
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