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Sunday, March 22, 2015

What I love about life in India...12 rickshaws

Next on my list of "What I love about life in India" is

Rickshaws

Here in our town we have three varieties to choose from:

My personal favorite is the cycle rickshaw, any season these are available and a very inexpensive way to get from point A to point B. Because our town is quite small you can get just about anywhere fairly quickly for about fifty rupees which is approximately one dollar in North America.

I have a few I always choose to go with, they are the guys that are strong and have never tried to rip me off, When they see me coming there is a race to get to me first, it's an ongoing joke among them.


















What I love most about cycle rickshaws is that you can get around easily and still check out the sights along the way!


The next type of rickshaw is a tuk tuk or in this area it is knows as an "auto"




Although much faster they do tend to be double the price and I find the drivers often rude, they have always attempted to charge me more than double the going rate despite my Indian garb and Hindi capabilities and on top of that they often take on more passengers stuffing as many people into the ride as possible, which in India is about ten more than there are actual seats for. I rarely utilize there services to be honest.

The last form of rickshaw just became available in our area this year; the electric rickshaws are much better for the environment than the traditional tuk tuk and the price tends to rival the cycle rickshaw, the only downside is the lack of shocks to help absorb our bumpy road conditions.


Maneuvering our streets can be difficult by car but all three of these can get down our narrow ally ways and vehicles are technically restricted from our marketplace but cycle and electric rickshaws are are allowed and even the autos find their way in, which makes them all super convenient.

Living here I often find it easier to hail a rickshaw then worry about traffic or parking, all forms are always around which takes the stress out of getting anywhere, plus it adds to the Indian experience!

Still more to come in this series be sure to check back next weekend!




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