There’s so much, and I know so little.
Even if I knew somewhat more, I’d venture little, because there’s so much to know.
The main impression is the impossible city streets, whose cows motorbikes kiosks trucks pedestrians ruts and speedbumps our driver honks/slices through at an impossible speed. There are no traffic lights, no stop or speed signs. Small children on bikes carry in one hand whirls of cotton candy for sale. The other hand steers through the chaos. Piles of old tires, and piles of old garbage, line the road; half-built houses and mounds of stone lie with them. Everyone seems to be trying to mend the world one burdensome inch at a time – transferring this stone to that place, herding three goats some steps along the road, flicking a shop’s scarves to make them a little more noticeable. The view is at once frenzied and sisyphean.
January 12th, 2024 at 10:46AM
Your road experience is the same that we had a few years ago in Kolkata but you phrase it much more elegantly than I could have. I’m grateful we had local drivers for our ventures out of the hotel. No American or European driver could safely navigate the crowded roads where lanes don’t exist and traffic signs are just unseen suggestions.
January 17th, 2024 at 5:18AM
Dennis: Even with an excellent driver, we had several near misses over three weeks. I’m not sure how he avoided killing various dogs and cows.