The Rickshaw Man

I don't know, but you may recall a song from the 70's called, "The Guitar Man". Mary and I took our first ride in a rickshaw last night and wanted to redo that song and replace every instance of "guitar" with "rickshaw". Some of the lines go like this, "He can make you laugh, he can make you cry...". (or scream...) We had a blast. Wait 'til you get the videos we took today, we will have to burn CDs for everyone!

It all started like this...I got home from work a little after 6:00PM on Friday night and was feeling rather hungry. I had seen a Pizza Hut several times, but wasn't quite sure where I was when I saw it so therefore, I didn't know how to get there (still can't tell where we are given the meandering of the roads here in Bangalore). We were getting ready to get a driver when Mary asked a girl at the front desk if she had been to Pizza Hut and did she know how to get there. She said she had never been but her friends loved it and it was well within walking distance, about 1 km away. "Just take a right out of the front gate and walk along the road, you can't miss it!"

We headed out the gate and began walking along the sidewalk. As we got a couple of blocks away from the hotel, the sidewalk began to narrow into a single-person passage and the road began to decend into a lower part of the city. It didn't seem right. I kept hearing honking and yelling but thought that was the usual Friday night traffic and people, so I didn't pay attention. As we continued along the sidewalk, I noticed two ladies in sarees up ahead and began anticipating stepping off the curb into the street in order to get by. As I walked I looked back to tell Mary our predicament when I saw the man attached to the voice I had been hearing for what seemed like a minute. A man had parked his rickshaw a ways back and was walking rapidly after us saying, "Do you want a ride somewhere?", or something like that.

We decided to take the offer of a ride, especially after we asked if Pizza Hut was in the direction we were going and he said, "No, it is back the way you came and down Cunningham street". Well, if you don't know what a rickshaw is, let me explain. It is a small 3-wheeled vehicle with a small 2-stroke motor in the back. The driver sits in a front seat with handlebars that look much like a motorcycle. He uses a handle on the floor to start the engine by rapidly pulling up on the lever. The passengers (many times 4 or 5) sit in the back seat covered by a metal roof. The air (and exhaust of other vehicles) rushes over the hairs in you nostrils. The safety one feels while enjoying a near-miss in a taxi becomes a hair-raising experience in the confines of a rickshaw.

This driver was fast and good! He could stop the thing on a dime (or 5 Rupees) and could maneuver the vehicle into the narrowest of openings. He even was able to drive down a sidewalk and into an alley to park and wait for us. He would point out buildings and explain what they were, even turning to talk with us while he drove (not all the way around, mind you). To tell you the truth, Mary and I just held hands and enjoyed the ride -- it was rather quite fun. I think we are getting used to it here (I know we are).

The driver took us to Pizza Hut and told us he would wait outside for us (1 to 1.5 hours). We went in and had dinner. The Pizza was much like the US. Some Indian versions of toppings were available and I got my half with a spicy chicken topping.

We left with the driver for the Barton Centre and a little outdoor coffee shop called Barista. I got my usual, Esparano Americano, an espresso (double) with water and sugar on the side (which stays there). Mary got an Iced Latte with icecream on top. Both were very good.

We found our driver again and off we went back to the hotel, or so we thought. The driver decided to show us where the better gift shops were and tell us that they were cheaper than the ones you find on the touristy MG Road. We went into one that had every type of gift from copper, wood carvings, jewellry, rugs, etc. You name it, they had it. But we didn't buy it. We left and he took us back to the hotel.

Overall, we really enjoyed the ride. It was a more authentic feel and wasn't as sterile as the taxi with A/C we had been using thus far. In fact, we even took a rickshaw today instead of a taxi. That is where I got some awsome vidoe clips in traffic. Can't post them, have to burn them. Can't mail them, some are 160 MB.