Myslime len na Rajasthan...

Ano ano je to tak, nase myslienky ovlada predstava tridsathodinovej cesty do Rajasthanu, vyletu na tavach po ktorom si nebudeme moct ani sadnut, Taj Mahal a podobne dlha cesta domov...

No ale k udalostiam menej dalekosiahleho vyznamu... alebo ako sa to vezme :)

V pondelok nas opustil Tore, teda nie navzdy ale odstahoval sa od nas do Cyberspace a dostal konecne pracu... cimz sa nam zas zhorsil pomer zeny/musi v STC, ale konstatovali sme ze Daven si to vyslovene uziva. No ked niekto byval mesiac s piatimi holkami sam a vobec sa nestazoval, tak uz niet co dodat. Vcera sme teda (neviem ci rozruseni touto necakanou stratou) vsetci zmeskali bus do STC, poniektori (Monica Katka a ja) sme ho este stihli pri Hyderabad Central, ale Steph a Daven dorazili komplikovanymi prestupmi celkom piatimi riksami az o pol jedenastej v stave naprosteho vycerpania.

Den nam akosi ubehol, dokoncila som skoro svoj vyskum Juznej Korey, zvedela ze plan sa predsa len bude realizovat a skoro umrzla ked nam zasa znizili teplotu... studeny odchov. Poobede sa pustila hrozna burka ze korytnacky skoro odplavilo, ale nez sme sli domov tak nastastie presla.

Doma som potom chcela povodne prat, ale nakoniec som tuto myslienku opustila pretoze sa mi jednak nechcelo a jednak sa mi zdalo ze pradlo co visi na balkone nie je celkom suche, ale Anca taketo skrupule nemala a veselo si vyprala. Takze ma to caka dnes...

Dnes teda v praci vacsina mailovej komunikacie prebieha na temu Rajasthan, najnovsie je nas spolu 21 a myslim ze je to naprosto nerealne mnozstvo ludi na koordinaciu takze sice sme sa dohodli ze budeme fungovat v oddelenych skupinach, ale napriek tomu sa snazime dohodnut na camel safari, pretoze tam sa maju oslavovat Monikine narodeniny...

Inak vcera sa po dlhej dobe ozval aj Vijay smskou, uz som ani nedufala ked tu zrazu... neviem preco ta nahla odmlka (moja pracovna teoria je ze mu dosli "roztomile" smsky a musel cakat kym znovu nejaku ziska) ale ako Monica navrhovala, je treba zistit pricinu a potom situaciu znovu navodit :))

Inak dnes som od neho dostala clanok nejakeho Holandana o doprave v Indii... vynimocne celkom k veci :) A musim povedat ze napriek tomu ze znie dost odvazne, zodpoveda pravde (teda co sa kamionov tyka netusim, ale je to dost dobre mozne...) takze pripajam :)

Driving in India

(An article by a Dutch national who spent two years in India)

For the benefit of every Tom, Dick and Harry visiting India and daring to drive on Indian roads, I am offering a few hints for survival.

They are applicable to every place in India except Bihar, where life outside a vehicle is only marginally safer. Indian road rules broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best, and leave the results to your insurance company.

Do we drive on the left or right of the road?

The answer is "both".

Basically you start on the left of the road, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap, as in chess. Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed. Adherence to road rules leads tomuch misery and occasional fatality. Most drivers don't drive, but just aim their vehicles in the intended direction. Don't get discouraged. Except for a belief in reincarnation, the otherdrivers are not in any better shape.

Don't stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to cross the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being bumped in the back. Pedestrians have been strictly instructed to cross only when traffic is moving slowly or has come to a dead stop because some minister is in town. Still some idiot may try to wade across, but then, let us not talk ill of the dead.

Blowing your horn is not a sign of protest as in some countries. We honk to express joy, resentment, frustration, and romance or just activate a dozing cow in the middle of the bazaar.

Keep informative books in the glove compartment. You may read them during traffic jams, while awaiting the chief minister's motorcade, or waiting for the rainwater to recede when over-ground traffic meets underground drainage.

Occasionally you might see what looks like a UFO with blinking coloured lights and weird sounds emanating from within.This is an illuminated bus, full of happy pilgrims singing bhajans. These pilgrims go at break-neck speed, seeking contact with the Almighty, often meeting with success.

Auto Rickshaw, (Baby Taxi). The result of a collision between a rickshaw and an automobile, this three-wheeled vehicle works on an external combustion engine that runs on a mixture of kerosene oil and creosote or even cooking gas. This triangular vehicle carries iron rods, gas cylinders or passengers three times its weight and dimension, for an unspecified fare. After careful geometric calculations, children are folded and packed into these auto-rickshaws until some children in the periphery are not in contact with the vehicle at all. Then their school bags are pushed into the microscopic gaps all round, so those minor collisions with other vehicles on the road cause no permanent damage. Of course, the peripheral children are charged half the fare and also learn Newton's laws of motion enroute to school. Auto-rickshaw drivers follow the road rules depicted in the film Ben Hur, and are licensed to break all laws of physics.

Mopeds. The moped looks like an oil tin on wheels and makes noise like an electric shaver. It runs 30 miles on a teaspoon of petrol and travels at break-bottom speed. As the sides of the road are too rough for a ride, the moped drivers tend to drive in the middle of the road. They would rather drive under heavier vehicles instead of around them and are often "mopped" off the tarmac.

Leaning Tower of Passes. Most bus passengers are given free passes and during rush hours, there is absolute mayhem. There are passengers hanging off other passengers, who in turn hang off the railings and the overloaded bus leans dangerously, defying laws of gravity butobeying laws of surface tension. As drivers get paid for overload (so many rupees per kg ofpassenger), no questions are ever asked. Steer clear of these buses by a width of three passengers.

One-way Street: These boards are put up by traffic people to add jest in their otherwise drab lives. Don't stick to the literal meaning and proceed in one direction. In metaphysical terms, itmeans that you cannot proceed in two directions at once. So drive, as you like, in reverse throughout, if you are the fussy type.

Lest I sound hypercritical, I must add a positive note. Rash and fast driving in residential areas has been prevented by providing "speed breakers", two per house. This mound, incidentally, covers the water and drainage pipes for that residence and is left un-tarred for easy identification by the corporation authorities, should they want to recover the pipe for year-end accounting.

Night driving on Indian roads can be an exhilarating experience (for those with the mental makeup of Chenghis Khan). In a way, it is like playing Russian roulette, because you do not know who amongst the drivers is loaded. What looks like premature dawn on the horizonusually turns out to be a truck attempting a speed record? On encountering it, just pull partly into the field adjoining the road until the phenomenon passes.

Our roads do not have shoulders, but occasional boulders. Do not blink your lights expecting reciprocation. The only dim thing in the truck is the driver, and with the peg of illicit arrack (alcohol) he has had at the last stop, his total cerebral functions add up to little more than naught.Truck drivers are the James Bonds of India, and are licensed to kill. Often you may encounter a single powerful beam of light about six feet above the ground. This is not asuper motorbike, but a truck approaching you with a single light on, usually the left one. It could be the right one, but never get too close to investigate. You may prove your point posthumously. Of course, all this occurs at night, on the trunk roads. During thedaytime, trucks are more visible, except that the drivers will never signal. (And you must watch for the absent signals; they are the greater threat). You will often observe that the cleaner who sits next to the driver, projecting his hand out and waving hysterically. This is definitely not to be construed as a signal for a left turn. The waving is just a statement of physical relief on a hot day.

If, after all this, you still want to drive in India, have your lessons

Between 11 pm and 4 am - when the police have gone home and - the citizen is then free to enjoy the Freedom of Speed' enshrined in our constitution.

PS. Having said all this, it is also true that the accident rate and related deaths are less in India compared to US and other countries.

(The author's last stop in India was Hyderabad. We are yet to get a confirmation whether he is reunited with his family in Holland.)