Rock & Jen In India

Riding in a rickshaw down the street reminds me a lot of playing the old Nintendo game “Mario Kart” en vivo. What struck me the first time was the smallness of the cars. The auto rickshaws, obviously, are small. But the cars and vans and trucks (most of them) are tiny as well. There are swarms of motorcycles that people use to commute, which is a much cheaper and more effective way of transporting so many people down public streets. As it stands, there are a lot of vehicles, but the traffic moves. If each of the people in a Rickshaw or motorcycle was using a US-sized car, there would be constant gridlock. Men usually drive the motorcycles, often with a woman in a sari sitting behind them with both of her legs on one side of the motorcycle. Sometimes she will be holding a child. On rare occasions you will see a woman with a pants outfit (name?) driving a motorcycle herself.
There are no real lanes. You just fit where you can. Huge buses, tiny cars, auto rickshaws, swarms of motorcycles, bicycles, and people all make their way down the road, turning and twisting and skillfully narrowly missing each other. Mario Kart.