Transportation Part 2

"Transportation" continues with guest blogger Terry...

Having graduated from foot traffic, it is necessary to investigate the most versatile vehicle in India. It is used as transport for people, goods, long distances and short ones. We have seen families, older folks, and young'uns using them: business people, delivery folks, boys, girls, men and women. You may have guessed, this is the motorcycle.

As a people transporter, the cleverest usage is to transport entire families on the highway or through town. You will see in the photo below, the Indian version of the motorcycle/ minivan. Child one sits on the gas tank, dad at the front of the seat, child two and three behind dad, and mom riding side-saddle holding the baby. Yes, you counted correctly, there are six people riding on the motorcycle. The number of people we saw on a motorcycle maxes out at six. But we are sure somewhere out there is a record seven people on a bike, cruising India.

Bikes range from old, beat-up scooters to units that look like western crotch rockets. On closer examination however, the biggest engine we saw on one of those testosterone chargers was 185cc and most of them are 125cc or smaller. For those of you who are techno weenies when it comes to mechanics, the speedy bikes in Canada have 1000cc up to 1200cc. So, the India bikes are about 1/10th the size of the engine as Canadian chargers. And the Indian ones can carry six folks down the highway. Gives a whole new meaning to easy rider!

OK, so they carry people, what else? You name it, we have seen it. Photo attached shows one carrying a load of plastic bottles. We have seen sheets of glass 3 x 5 feet tall being carried by the passenger on a motorcycle in busy city traffic. Sacks of rice, wood, sheets of plywood, the list goes on. We tried not to be too near the guys carrying the glass but they seemed quite OK with it all.

Now, safety is certainly a concern on motorcycles and so in many, but not all places there are laws that the men must wear helmets. One of our guides told us women are exempt as the helmet would ruin their hair. He was serious about this explanation. Nevertheless the women often wore their saris or a scarf over their head and/or face. They also rode side-saddle. I suppose it is not too easy to straddle a bike in the five meter long wrap of cloth known as the sari. The bikes have a special foot rest and grid to provide comfort and prevent clothes from catching in the wheel spokes.

How do they drive these 125cc multi-purpose machines? Frankly, any way they want to. The adherence to the laws of the road range from being a strong suggestion in Delhi, to vague recommendations in Jaipur, to the ultimate "you mean there are rules?" in Bangalore and Varanasi.

As in Europe, bikes all crowd to the front of traffic as traffic lights or slow downs are experienced. They then take off en masse zigging and zagging. They drive VERY close to cars, trucks and each other, squeezing through gaps they may or may not fit. It appears to be a competitive sport! There is no regard for lanes by the bikes. They often go the wrong way down a road to progress.

We saw them drive on sidewalks. We saw them ride two, three or four abreast. We saw them scoot between cars and trucks. We did not however see them hit anything. Well almost never, one pesky bike scratched the side of Michael's driver's van. A discussion ensued with the biker clearly arguing he did nothing of the sort and the scratch must have occurred at another time. Shoulders shrug and off we all went into traffic.

On the highway in Canada you are likely to be passed by motorcycles racing well above the speed limit. In India they have such small engines that they drive well below the speed limit which is a pleasant and welcome change. And yes, they are carrying minivan sized passenger loads or goods piled high.

Passing is an art here, for any vehicle. Vehicles in the city drive so close together that the rear and side mirrors are aimed at allowing the driver to see only 2-4 inches on either side. No hyperbole here folks. We have seen vehicles so closely packed that they had to fold in their side mirrors to get through the gaps without scraping each other. With mirrors only showing the driver the sides of their vehicle, they can't tell if anyone is behind them, let alone wanting to pass. To address this, a modern language has been developed which is eloquent and highly functional: this language is the beep of the horn.

A short beep says, “I am behind you,” perhaps a couple to say, “I am passing.” At a corner, they beep to let any oncoming traffic know they are there. They beep to say thanks for moving over when they pass.

The one beep we hear so often in Canada was actually rare here: the "you dirty rotten so-and-so why did you cut me off?” yelling at the other driver kind of beep. For the most part drivers of all vehicles just trundled along with little road rage evident.

Back to the motorcycles. To pass a pedestrian they move over a bit and go by with a little beep. They seem to do this regardless of what is coming up beside or behind them. Ditto for passing bicycles, other motorcycles, cars, etc. The effect is a fluid sigmoid path, arcing through the roadways of the worlds’ second most populous nation; a veritable ballet on wheels.

Lanes are generally respected in Delhi until traffic gets busy. Everywhere else the preferred position for driving is directly on top of the dotted line. This allows the driver to shift left or right depending on what is happening around them. Alas, in other places the dotted lines are a serious waste of paint. One lane will have three cars wide - bikes, rickshaws and everyone else vying for their place on the road.

In all of the cacophony of beeps, swerves and maneuvers, we managed to safely traversed the cities and highways of India.

Transportation (Part One)

Guest Blogger, Terry, tells us his experience with transportation in India:

Getting around is a key part of any world and in India this is truly a unique experience. The first mode is walking, as we and the Indians have progressed past the crawling stage. Traffic in India, however, has not yet progressed past this crawling stage in many cases.

Walking would seem to be pretty simple: lift your right leg and place it in front of the left. Transfer weight, and repeat with alternating legs and enjoy the world passing by. Not so fast though. First of all in India, one must make careful navigation of the terra firma. The first priority is to dodge the ubiquitous cow pies. Apparently it is good luck to have stepped in one, but our guide confirms it is better luck to avoid them.

Then there are the remnants of similar “movements” of dogs that roam the streets in India. Garbage is pretty widespread in most locations and that also needs to be avoided.

Looking down, there are cracks, potholes, missing tiles and holes in the sidewalks, roads and pathways. Some of these are from the aging walkways, many of which are centuries old! Some are from construction, which seems to be consuming every inch of Bangalore. And some are just from wear and tear.

Ok, so now you are placing legs in front of each other, navigating the terra firma and you decide to look up a little. There is a clue in the cow pie discovery; low and behold there are cows at every turn. They believe they own the place and sit, walk and do what cows do, with ‘The King of the Road’ as their theme song.

As you try to move past the cows, a crowd of people squeeze past, stand around or push forward. All of this must be anticipated and avoided. There is also a low regard of personal space and people are quite comfortable being glued to your back. They confidently stride forward, sweeping you along.

Just when you have this down, a motorcycle whizzes past, then an auto rickshaw, then a car and there is yet another thing to be aware of and beware of! All these vehicles are constantly beeping their horns. It becomes as much an experience of sound as it is sight. The motorcycles are everywhere. In small laneways that are 3 people wide, you hear the beep of a motorcycle horn and you gain the instinct to quickly move to the side because the bike certainly doesn't move aside as it passes by you.

Ok, so terra firma covered, dodging motorcycles and people covered, and you inevitably need to cross the street. Look to the left, take a step and OOPS they drive on the left here so you were supposed to look right to see oncoming traffic. Once that becomes habit you realize that driving rules are merely suggestions. In reality cars, motorcycles, auto rickshaws and trucks routinely drive on the wrong side of the road, moving in the wrong direction. Add this to the sheer volume of vehicles and one has a veritable maze of hardware to negotiate.

Lastly, there are all of the sights you want to see. Stores and stalls selling all possible goods and food, people in interesting clothing, buildings that are gorgeous and ill kept (often at the same time). There are smells of cooking and of those pesky cows and their by-products.

By this point you are scanning the ground avoiding pitfalls, navigating people, vehicles, crowds, traffic, sights, sounds, smells and voila you are actually walking down the street and enjoying India up close. Your head is also spinning and we were literally left feeling dizzy at times in the early going.

Now we are almost expert and have spent much time using our newly developed Indian style on foot. As you can tell, not all is a bed of roses. An auto rickshaw ran over Lynn's foot and broke her baby toe which is healing slowly. Other than all that, walking here is a breeze.

Charities

Amongst the travelling, daily electrical problems and such, I have managed to get involved with some charity work. I volunteered to be on the charity committee of the Overseas Women's Club. We meet once or twice a month depending on the need and decisions that must be made.

I've attended two meetings and I am impressed with the professionalism of the group of ten women. The OWC currently helps fund 22 charities. Right now we are revising the list, bringing on some new charities and letting go of some that do not need our assistance anymore.

We are looking at six new charities and have gone out in groups of two or three to visit each one. The two I visited were interesting. The first, a home for mentally ill homeless women. There is one room for 35 women to eat and sleep, and a tiny kitchen. I was shocked to learn that the women sleep on the floor but my co-workers explained this is quite common. So many people in India sleep on the floor in their homes. That is what they are used to and that is what they will go home to.

The second charity I visited is a home for children who used to be sex workers or are children of sex workers, ages 5 - 20. Some of them are HIV+. There are 70 children living in three houses. They are given all the basics, medical care, counselling and are sent to school or home schooled - depending on their state-of-being.

Three of us visited each house and met the children. They were so happy to see us and each one stood and said their name and what grade they were in. Given their circumstance, I was surprised at the confidence in their voices. Some of the older children are going to college and proudly showed us their uniforms and blazers. A few of the other older children are learning a skill such as weaving or tailoring so they will be able to support themselves.

Those of us on the charity committee will meet and present our findings. Once we decide which charities meet our requirements we will have their financial statements looked at by professionals. As I said, the committee takes their responsibility seriously. We go to great lengths to make sure the charities use funds appropriately and make a difference in the community.

Time Stands Still

The apparant lack of seasons is an interesting thing. Late October in Vancouver, Canada means the leaves have changed color and are falling from the trees. The weather is turning cool and rainy. Summer clothes are regretfully put away, as long sleeve shirts and winter jackets are brought out. Flower baskets and gardens are cleaned out, not to be seen again until spring.

Here in Bangalore I open the curtains and walk outside to blue skies and sun. The monsoons have gone - what little there was of them - and the skies have cleared. The temperature has not changed. It's a steady 28-30 degrees and not much cooler at night.

It is strange to think it is Halloween in less than a week and Christmas just a couple months away. I didn't realize how little the calendar links me to these events - moreso, the seasons. The calendar says it is October but it doesn't register.

Warm weather indicates summer to me. Here, flowers and trees continue to bloom and I sit outside and have my coffee each morning - bliss. How can Christmas be just around the corner without the potential for snow and scarves and mittens? It doesn't make sense. For me, without seasons, time stands still.

Diwali

Diwali is the most festive day of the year for Hindus. The "festival of lights" is celebrated with families decorating their homes with lanterns, festival lights (Christmas lights), and garlands.

We arrived home from vacation on Diwali and everyone at the airport was greeted with a Diwali gift box. We each received two diya and a toran. The diya is a lamp (candles) used to light the entrance to the home. The toran is a garland used to decorate the doorway.

From the moment we got home we could hear the fireworks going off. We felt like we were in a war zone until midnight when the sounds died down. We walked around the complex admiring the decorated houses and lantern displays. On any festival day rangoli artwork brightens sidewalks and doorsteps.

Our neighbours had lots of fireworks, big and small which we all enjoyed. But I must admit it was the Dad's who had to keep lighting "just one more."