First impressions

So I made it to India. I’m currently on a bumpy bus with a group of very nice people heading to Agra, and tomorrow we visit the Taj Mahal. The main inspiration for visiting India. But that’s for tomorrow.

So far the overwhelming impression of Delhi is the crowds and the traffic and driving. To say the traffic is crazy is an understatement. Bikes, rickshaws, tuk-tuks, buses, cars and pedestrians all share the road, and everyone just navigates their way to where they went to go. On larger roads lane discipline is non-existent, they drive up the middle of two lanes, just to give themselves options to overtake the various vehicles they meet. Everyone just beeps their horn, pretty much to announce themselves, and the noise can be overwhelming. There’s no real rules as far as I can see. As a pedestrian you just have to hold your line, and your nerve, and just keep going, and put out your hand if you need to cross the street and people stop. It’s a complex web of people going about their business and arriving in one piece. It’s absolutely incredible, and you just have to laugh at it. Here’s a quick video to give a flavour of the place.