Transportation

So far the most interesting parts of the trip have been the mundane aspects of getting to know the city and setting up the apartment. There is very little to say about work.

The first challenge is getting around. Indian roads are notorious for their variety of vehicles and the level of chaos. The rules of the road are relatively simple - there is a total order which specifies the right of way ( Cows > Trucks > Busses > Cars . . . > Bicycles > Pedestrians), and everything that is consistent with that constraint is permitted. The road conditions appear worse than they really are - speeds are relatively slow (although a slow truck would still kill you), and there is a lot of communication between vehicles (which is apparently more helpful than the extended middle finger.)

We did not even consider owning a car - learning to drive here would be difficult, and unlearning Indian driving on our return would be even more difficult. Although getting a car + driver would be within our means, we did not want to do that either. The options for public transportation are busses, rental cars, taxis, and auto rickshaws. Busses are hopelessly overcrowded, with many people hanging out of each door and holding onto the windows from the outside, so they have not been an option. We rented a car one day, they are available at hotels and relatively cheap ($2 per hour with driver). We will probably rent cars to go outside of town, but have not used them. Taxis are not very common - they are only available at the train stations and at a few taxis stands. This leaves autorickshaws.

An autorickshaw is basically a small motercycle with a back seat and a cover on top of it. They have three wheels (and are often refered to as three wheelers.) The characteristics of an auto ride is that it is bumpy, loud, and smelly, and depending on the mood of the driver and the traffic, it can be as scary as hell. The most unpleasant aspect is the exhaust of other vehicles. It is not uncommon to stop right next to the exhaust pipe of a truck or bus which will pump out an enourmous quantity of black smoke. The excitement of the ride comes from playing bumpercars with other autos, and passing other vehicles against on coming traffic. The lane boundaries are relatively flexible.

An auto will hold two adults fairly easily, although I have seen them used as school busses carrying at least a dozen children. Casey generally enjoys auto rides, although he is starting to get used to the danger and wants to climb around during the ride. An amazing aspect about a two yearold is that he can actually fall asleep while riding in one of these. The other day, Casey fell asleep while we were shopping, and we took an auto back home, and a monsoon shower hit. We thought he would be upset when he woke up, but he woke up laughing at being drenched by the shower and bounced by the auto.

Autos are fairly easy to get since they are in large supply and cruise the main roads. They are metered, so the fare is just what the meter says at the end of the journey. With the exception of in front of hotels, the drivers generally use the meter without argument. Autos infront of hotels will sometimes request a fare that will be double the metered fare. The other day I refused to take an auto in these circumstances and flagged another one down, saving myself thirty cents. Auto drivers will generally know where I want to go (with some exceptions - I asked for the Tata institute the otherday, the driver said "airport", I said "tata institute", he said "airport", I got out and found another auto). It is important to know the appropriate name: noone will know where the Indian Institute of Science is, but 80% of drivers know where "Tata Institute" is. Many years ago IISc was called the Tata Institute, but one would never know it now. Local names generally are different from the names on the map.

When riding in an auto, it is quite common for the driver to pull into a petrol station (with the passengers). In Delhi, I have had the experience of the driver wanting part of the fare in advance to pay for the petrol, but that has not happened here. The other day my auto stopped along a busy road, and the driver got out and peed against the wall, and then got back in and continued the ride. Can you imagine a yellow cab stopping along I-5 so the driver could take a leak? I remember a few years ago when I was in Bangalore I read in the paper that they passed an ordinance against peeing on walls, but it does not seem to be rigorously enforced.

The other transportation option that we did not consider was to buy a motorscooter or motorcycle. It is very common to see a family with two children riding a motor scooter. There is currently a big debate on whether or not to have a helmet law, although it will presumably require only the father to wear the helmet, and the wife and children will not have to wear helmets. There is a big difference coming from the US with mandatory seat belts and baby seats to India, where cars don't generally have seat belts. (We debated on bringing a car seat, and eventually compromised on bringing a "safety vest", which is completely useless since we have not seen a seatbelt.)

Traffic produces a lot of interesting sights - an auto used as a school bus, or five people on a motorcycle. Today I saw a bicycle carrying a sofa, two chairs, and a table. (It was wicker furnature, but still quite an accomplishment).

That's enough on cars, trucks, and things that go for the time being.