Along the Road in India
by Kay
We did a fair amount of travel while in India. Delhi to Agra to Jaipur to Rishikesh and back to Delhi. Mile after mile along the roadways we saw carts with fruits and vegetables and potatoes, little tobacco carts, boys playing cricket, and open air cafes.
We saw men lying on cots in the heat of the day, crouched under trucks during a brief rain, splashing themselves with water from a pump, peeing beside trees, and talking in groups at cafes.
We saw women carrying packages the size of coffee tables on top of their heads.
We saw cows, dogs, mules, bison, monkeys, sheep, goats, and camels. We saw cars, vans, trucks, buses, motorcycles, rickshaws, bicycles, and tuk tuks. Lots and lots of people walking.
People honk their horns all of the time in India. Honking means something different in India than in the States. In the US, a horn might mean “Don’t pull out in front of me, you Nimrod!” or “Hurry up! The light turned green already!” or “We’re about to crash, you idiot!”
In India, honking isn’t so aggressive. A honk seems to mean, “There’s a sliver of road between you and that bus and since I’m obligated to squeeze past I thought I’d let you know by honking my horn.”
I will never understand how all the traffic and animals and people coexist as successfully as they do on the roads of India.
Very interesting photos of everyday life on the road in India. At any stage, did you think that you might be able to drive a car yourself on those roads?
Oh, Roddy. Not only will I never be qualified to drive in India, I was barely qualified to WALK in India. At one point I stood and said nothing as a cow knocked down my daughter right outside a shop. I saw the cow coming, mind you, and gave her no warning. Cows don’t move all that fast so I should have had ample time to give her some small heads-up. At that point we realized I was not processing some rather important information about simple navigation through India.
Have you felt overwhelmed in India because of the vast cultural reality difference? I’ve always felt overwhelmed just looking at pictures of life in India. You’re courageous