Sunday...I think, May 22. Rode elephant Indian style in a basket on elephants back, and it seems loose on elephant S back, and we are climbing a mountain road, so my feet are hanging over edge of road. Mahout didn't understand English except to ask for five hundred rupees tip, so he wouldn't move to middle of road. Basket slid around on elephants back with each step. I really enjoyed elephant ride in Africa, where I sat straddling elephant on blanket on elephants back, felt I had some control with my legs. But in basket sliding around on his back I felt like I could fall.... oh well another experience. Visited another Mongul fort in Jaipur this time, beautiful but fourth or fifth Mongul fort, is getting repiticious. Jaipur is dramatically cleaner than Agra or Dehli, guide said Morti , president or prime minister is pushing public for a cleaner India, boy does he ever have a job on his hands . Guide said difference in Jaipur is dramatically improved in last two years. That's a job changing a society's habits. Traffic is markedly better in Jaipur than in Dehli or Agra.
I've enjoyed experiencing India, the first radically different country I've experienced. And this a country I studied at Univ of Illinois where I got my bachelor's degree, 12 or 16 hours credit, and I'm still surprised feeling it all. Beggers, persistent sales people.. very persistent folks trying to make a living, to get tourists cash as they pass by whether the tourists are walking or in vehicles, on elephant rides, whatevet, tourists are open targets to sales people, cows in street really effecting traffic flow , push carts heavily loaded with freight being pushed by one or two slim short men in middle of street, bicyles, and bicycles with huge loads on them sometimes four to six feet high, rickshaws of converted motor bikes or motor cycles for two passengers but often with six or more people or instead of seats the rickshaw was equipped with a freight bed, and they really had huge loads, trucks grossly overloaded with stuff hanging over the top by three feet at top of truck ten feet above the ground, cars, rickshaws, trucks going the wrong way on divided highways because it's shorter going against the traffic than going the half mile with the traffic before being able to do a U turn to go in the proper direction on the road, and cows donkeys goats walking or laying in the road and not always on the roads edge, but in the middle of a lane, routinely vehicles four abreast on a space we would use as a two lane road they are litterly a few inches apart, and at intersections vehicles, people pushed or some variety of motorized vehicles turning left from right lane or vice versa, roundabouts the same, sometimes traffic just comes to a standstill, and every type of thing on the road cutting in front of oncoming vehicles, and people crossing the streets anywhere holding up their hand in front of an oncoming vehicle and walking confidently across the road trusting that that vehicle wouldn't kill them. Traffic is horrendous. And I did not see an accident. And I saw almost zero vehicles with damaged bodies. Fender benders or what have you, the vehicles are usually in good condition. the worst shape vehicles are the hand carts, and horse, donkey, camel pulled vehicles. And there would be three to five people on a motor bike, with most of the women sitting side saddle with their hands on their husbands shoulder, the women's thin fabrics flowing garments blowing in the wind. These drivers are super skilled in handling their vehicles, I am not capable of driving in India.
I've enjoyed experiencing India, the first radically different country I've experienced. And this a country I studied at Univ of Illinois where I got my bachelor's degree, 12 or 16 hours credit, and I'm still surprised feeling it all. Beggers, persistent sales people.. very persistent folks trying to make a living, to get tourists cash as they pass by whether the tourists are walking or in vehicles, on elephant rides, whatevet, tourists are open targets to sales people, cows in street really effecting traffic flow , push carts heavily loaded with freight being pushed by one or two slim short men in middle of street, bicyles, and bicycles with huge loads on them sometimes four to six feet high, rickshaws of converted motor bikes or motor cycles for two passengers but often with six or more people or instead of seats the rickshaw was equipped with a freight bed, and they really had huge loads, trucks grossly overloaded with stuff hanging over the top by three feet at top of truck ten feet above the ground, cars, rickshaws, trucks going the wrong way on divided highways because it's shorter going against the traffic than going the half mile with the traffic before being able to do a U turn to go in the proper direction on the road, and cows donkeys goats walking or laying in the road and not always on the roads edge, but in the middle of a lane, routinely vehicles four abreast on a space we would use as a two lane road they are litterly a few inches apart, and at intersections vehicles, people pushed or some variety of motorized vehicles turning left from right lane or vice versa, roundabouts the same, sometimes traffic just comes to a standstill, and every type of thing on the road cutting in front of oncoming vehicles, and people crossing the streets anywhere holding up their hand in front of an oncoming vehicle and walking confidently across the road trusting that that vehicle wouldn't kill them. Traffic is horrendous. And I did not see an accident. And I saw almost zero vehicles with damaged bodies. Fender benders or what have you, the vehicles are usually in good condition. the worst shape vehicles are the hand carts, and horse, donkey, camel pulled vehicles. And there would be three to five people on a motor bike, with most of the women sitting side saddle with their hands on their husbands shoulder, the women's thin fabrics flowing garments blowing in the wind. These drivers are super skilled in handling their vehicles, I am not capable of driving in India.
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