1) By foot. Everything is soooo spread out, especially in the big cities, that we do very little traveling by foot. Unlike those beautiful European cities, where it is fun to just leave your hotel and walk around and gaze at the many treasures....here, you have to plan your attack when you leave your room. If you wander out into the streets with out a look of pure determination or if you hesitate for a moment....they will decend on you to sell you things or tout you. Or they will just stare. Alot. Oh and remember to look the correct both ways before crossing the street....
2) By bike-rikshaw. This is a really fun away to travel short distances, especially when you don't know where you are going. I kind of feel like a bit of an imperialist when I am on one....like the darky pulling the whitey....and let me tell you that Bryan's imperial still mutton chops don't help! But really it is alot of fun, accept when you attempt to cross a large intersection (see driving entry below) and you realize that you are the smallest thing on the road.....
3) By auto-rikshaw or tuk-tuk. Almost as fun as the bike rikshaw, only you go a little faster, and you are no longer the smallest thing on the road. Though TWICE now, our rikshaw has run out of gas in the middle of the road and our driver has had to pull rikshaw to the nearest petrol station...I guess that is normal.4) By car. This is probably the most terrifying way to travel. Because these people seemily have no rules (accept maybe that the biggest one wins)...and in a car you are not the biggest one on the road! But unlike the much much smaller rikshaw, you can go on a highway in a car (yes they pass each other at breakneck speeds on the high way too) and you can get going really fast. And oh did I meantion that NONE of the cars have seatbelts. By far the scaries way to travel.
5) By bus. Phew, finally the biggest thing on the road. But also the stinkiest! These nice crowded buses, with no AC...well when you get going on the high way the windows are open and you are sticking your head out like a dog, they are a pretty good way to go. And definitly the cheapest. Our 4 hour trip to Pondicherry only cost 2 dollars. But alot of the roads are unpaved and pretty bad, so it can take a while.
6) By train. Only taken the over night ones, and we have put down the money to get the nicer sleeper bunks instead of just the crowded seats in the back of the train. Wanted to feel like Dargeeling Limited...though there train was way nicer than these ones....and I kind of get that imperialistic feeling again....seriously bryan, you gotta cut the chops!
7) By boat. A nice hand rown morning cruise to see some burning bodies....the only thing that terrifies me about the boats is being that close to that water (which which they throw there garbage in, scatters peoples ashes in, bath in, wash their cloths in, empty their sewage in, oh wait....and drink. Pass the purell please!
8) By Plane. The service on the planes themselves are SPECTACULAR. They still feed you a full meal with EVERY flight! Even if it is only an hour and a half! But the airport is something else. It involves having your bags tied shut to ensure that it isn't broken into AFTER you check it...there was a sign that said, "Airline not responsible for items lost AFTER check in"...um...okay. And there are two different lines as securit for men and woman, because the woman have to go behind a screan to go threw the metal detector, because they can't be seen being touched. And then...you have the ever present inablity for Indians for form lines. They just sort of mob...so you can imagine what queing up to get on the plane is like. Think of a cattel stampead....
So just like everything else here, every form of transportation we have been able to take has been an adventure and something unexpected. The only forms we really have missed are motocycle (of which there are MANY!) horse, horse drawn cart, camel....and of course elephant. If we get the pleasure of any other those, I will keep you updated!
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