Traffic in Delhi

Okt
2009
04

posted by on English, India Project, Livin' my Life

KartoffelsalatHey folks,

last time I told you about my new apartment as well as about the Bengali Festival I went to. I just uploaded the pics to SmugMug so if you like, check them out 🙂 Aside from that I still really like India and thought I share some more experiences. Yesterday I had my housewarming party which was really nice. I cooked the whole day through and prepared besides other stuff a typical german dish: Kartoffelsalat 🙂 Actually no big deal but my Indians friends went like crazy for it 😉 We had lots of discussions going on about India, differences, similarities and our own impressions and enjoyed a really great evening.

One topic that we discussed was traffic down here. It was very interesting to learn about the different perceptions of people over the very same topic. From what I learned so far, traffic is a huge chaos down here. It’s really crazy and challenges everything you’ve learned in driving school in europe 😉 Still, somehow it works – or it doesn’t depending on whom you ask 😉 I think, traffic is mad, BUT everybody somehow looks out for the others. My indian flatmate (Bala) wouldn’t agree to that, but that’s how I see it right now. This is different to my experience from Paris, where you find lots of traffic jams as well but less people that care for others or to be more precise are willing to let others through than down here. Still – and here I totally agree with Bala – the one consistency when talking about traffic is its unpredictability! You never know, how long you actually going to need to get from a to b. For example, if I’ve no real big traffic jam between home and Teri, I need 15 minutes with the Rickshaw. If I’ve really bad luck, it can take 30-45 minutes! Moreover honking here and in Paris is different: Here, you honk in order to inform the others „hey, be careful here I come!“, whereas in Paris honking is more like „You Idiot can’t drive!“. I guess you find both ways in both cities but down here there’s a real necessity for honking I don’t see for Parisians…

Besides traffic, taking a Rickshaw is always an interesting experience. First it’s not as much a challenge to find one but rather to find one, that takes you where you want to go! Yesterday I learned that the drivers are requested by law to bring you where you want – as they are actually part of the official transport system. But thus far the driver who would not want to go where I wanted to just drove off… Moreover, I haven’t paid the drivers due to the meter until now – even though they are required to go by meter per law as well. Anyway, normally you have to bargain with the driver. Some of the girls told me yesterday, that they actually called the traffic police once when they had a problem with the driver, which solved the problem quite quickly as they are afraid of loosing their license. Still, I don’t mind paying 10 rupee more than I would have to, cause in got the money and it’s not worth the hassle – maybe that’ll change over time.

RentAlright, last take on India for now: It’s still weird for me to pay with rupee. I recently had to pay my rent had went to the cash machine to get it – it wouldn’t fit into my wallet! Moreover, if I get money from the cash machine, I have a hard time getting rid of it. Not because I wouldn’t be able to spend it, but rather because the people (Rickshaw driver, Restaurant Employee etc.) don’t want to take my „big“ notes…

Alright, next time I’ll tell you about the constant offers I get for a „Sauna Slim Belt“ and why I’ve now the „boring tring tring“ as my ringtone… 😀

Have a great week,

Strothi

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