Postcard from India - part two
Tuesday, October 12, 2010 On Saturday morning, led by a local guide and chaperoned by event organiser Elise Rasmussen, we set off on a guided walk. It was the first time I had set foot outside the hotel grounds and three things were immediately apparent - the noise, the traffic and the poor state of the pavements.
Often paving slabs were loose or set at a strange angle. Sometimes it was like walking through a building site with rubble underfoot. We frequently had to step across holes and sometimes had to step into the traffic to avoid an obstruction.
The noise came from the buses, cars, motorcycles and motorised rickshaws that weaved from lane to lane (often to avoid potholes) while tooting their horns. Bangalore, I was told later, is quiet by Indian standards but this was more than enough.
The most exhilarating part of the walk, which took us first to the Botanical Gardens, was crossing the road. Pedestrian crossings were few and far between and a break in the often fast-moving traffic was so rare that you literally took your life in your hands when you stepped over the kerb.
It was difficult to judge when to cross the road because out of nowhere a motorbike might appear from behind a bus travelling very much faster than the bigger vehicle. The trick, or so it seemed, was to shut your eyes, walk across the road at an even pace (with fingers and everything else tightly crossed) and hope against hope that nothing hit you.
Mick Hume and I had one very scary moment when we got caught in the middle of one road, unable to go forward or turn back, with traffic thundering past inches from where we stood. There were no central reservations for pedestrians. We just had to hope that nothing hit us. When finally we made it to the other side we laughed about it but it was no laughing matter. The following day the Times of India reported that two people had died on Saturday in separate incidents in Bangalore. They had both been hit by buses.
The reason we were in a hurry to cross the road at that particular moment was because after three hours we had had enough of walking. We wanted to hire a motorised rickshaw (or velotaxi) to take us back to the hotel.
We were all, I think, a little nervous of getting in one but once we were off it was great. The only moment I wobbled was when our driver turned 90 degrees into fast-moving traffic and for two seconds (ie before I shut my eyes) my life flashed before me.
Top tip, though. Only use a velotaxi when your Indian guide has fully briefed the driver where you want to go. Later in the day, deprived of our guide and some way from the hotel, Mick and I attempted to hire a velotaxi to take us back to the Royal Gardenia. Most of the drivers couldn't speak English and only one had heard of "Bangalore's first green super luxury business hotel" and "the world's largest & Asia's first LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) platinum rated hotel".
Worse, several drivers were determined to take us on detours that involved a quick visit to their uncle or cousin who just happened to sell t-shirts. Would we like to see them? No, we jolly well wouldn't. We just want to go back to our hotel with its delicious food and its welcome drinks bar!!
The drivers were insistent. No, we said. Twice we demanded that they stop and let us out. (One had even turned his velotaxi around, with the pair of us on board, and set off in the opposite direction to the hotel. Eventually we gave up hailing a velotaxi and walked back. Believe me, had we not done so we could have ended up anywhere.
Below: view from a velotaxi
Simon Clark
How about this for coincidence? I have just received, via email, a message from Transport for London. It reads: "Dear Mr Clark, I am writing to remind you to take extra care to look out for motorcycles when turning across bus lanes. This is because motorcycles can use most bus lanes on London's Red Routes for a new trial period ending 23 January 2012."
I have replied as follows: "Thank you for the warning but I have just returned from Bangalore. If I can survive Indian roads I can survive anything."
Reader Comments (1)
Regarding your message from Transport for London, and your answer to it Simon. I personally think that London roads, with their endless pot-holes, riddiculous road signs, restrictions, crazy cyclists, and just about the worst drivers I have ever ecountered anywhere in the world, take some beating.
I haven't driven in India, but I have driven in many other countries where driving is a pleasure. Here in London, and most of south-east England, driving is a nighmare.