It took me 2 hours and 40 minutes to reach home tonight. It was raining like mad, the roads were floated and completely jammed. About four kilometers away from the guesthouse I was at my wit's end: I left the minibus and walked home trying to avoid puddles or mud and trying not get overrun. At least I arrived home about half an hour earlier than my housemate who stayed in the car...
Was this traffic jam the revenge for having made fun of Indian traffic in yesterday's post? I don't really care and will just go on. I would like to present you two excerpts from the book "Culture Shock! India" by Gitanjali Kolanad. Most probably these words will sound funny and over-exaggerated to you. Having witnessed the condition of vehicles and the Indian driving behaviour, I can assure you that there is a lot of truth in there!
"Driving at night is to be avoided if at all possible. Few roads are lit and few vehicles have working headlights. You can play a game:
■ one headlight coming towards you - a motorcycle, or a truck with one broken headlight
■ two headlights - two motorcycles, or a car passing a truck, each one with one headlight broken
■ three headlights - one truck, passing a car, or two trucks and one motorcycle
■ no headlights - any of the above
Get the picture?"
"Here are some quick tips for driving in India:
■ Be ready for anything: all road rules are considered to be guidelines only.
■ Use the horn.
■ The cow always has the right of way.
■ Don't expect warnings of roadwork, potholes, changes from four lanes to two lanes.
■ Beware of buses - might is right.
■ Traffic can include, but is not limited to, cars, buses, bicycles, autorickshaws, cycle rickshaws, bullock carts, hand carts, pedestrians, cows, goats, elephants, camels.
■ Roads are considered useful for getting from one place to another, drying wheat, millet and rice, taking a nap, enjoying a long conversation with someone travelling in the opposite direction, changing a flat tire."
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