Day 9
July 22, 2016
Potholes in the Roads
Here in Jodhpur, roller coaster rides are mostly free except for the gas prices. You have to pay for the fuel, as well as maintenance and all the other costs, except for the ride cost. And, nearly everyone has a cart for the roller coaster, and the track is available to everyone. Have you guessed it yet?
Your own vehicle, be it a scooter, motorcycle, bike, car, auto, etc. is the roller coaster, and the road is the roller coaster itself. With bumps and humps, potholes and sewers, riding on these streets is a unique experience itself.
What I enjoy the most traveling in is both the scooter and the auto. Zooming on a scooter brings the wind’s music to my ears, along with the feel of it on my skin. The thin streets allow one to tap the walls of the buildings, or the backs of cows as we go by. If you’ve rode on the roads of Jodhpur, then you know what it is like to fly.
A three-wheeled auto-rickshaw has a completely different feel. On my commute to school nearly everyday, the auto is the most enjoyable part. With the driver in front, and in the middle of the rickshaw, and five of us squeezed tight in the back (one being quite healthy) we rumble to the bus station. Getting both, protection from the dust and the fresh air, the rickshaw makes the commute so much better.