Motorpsycho nightmare

---

Walking in the labyrinth of narrow streets in the quaint old town of Pushkar could in theory be a fascinating experience, given the nice old buildings, temples, shops, the friendly and colorfully dressed local people. However there are a few things in the streets that make walking there a bit frustrating and even hazardous. For a start there are the persistent touts, really annoying shopkeepers, con-artists, scammers, fake gurus, pilgrims, armless beggars, legless beggars, beggar women with scruffy kids and skeletal babies, beggars with every kind of exotic skin disease, little kids who want to shake your hand and practice their English, stray cows, cows with five legs, big dogs incredibly sleeping in the middle of the road, piles of excrement of all kinds, open urinals, potholes, dust, rubbish, countless plastic bags, cycle rickshaws, carts, camels, brass bands, people dressed up as Hindu gods, fat Americans with huge Nikkon SLRs, skinny Japanese with even huger Nikkon SLRs, more annoying tourists of every ilk, and then what seems like about half a million Indians of every description. But all of these hazards fade into insignificance, they are as nothing, compared to the real menace: BLOODY MOTORBIKES!!!!!

It seems that every male in Pushkar between the ages of 15 and 30 has a motorbike. And I am not talking mere mopeds here, oh no, these are seriously big bikes, 250cc, 500cc, you name it. And what would any self-respecting red-blooded youth do with such a bike when confronted with such crowded streets as described above? Naturally, he would navigate the streets as though he were taking part in some speedway competition, attempting to ensure a clear path by placing his hand permanently on the horn and cursing furiously at anyone who might have the temerity to obstruct his path even for a microsecond.

After walking around Pushkar for several days I was ready to drink the blood of any biker and was of the firm opinion that all motorbikes should be permanently banned not only from Pushkar but indeed from the entire observable universe. Then our new-found friend Vinod offered us a lift on his bike and we hopped on the back. A new world of experience opened up before us. As we glided effortessly through the streets it was remarkable how the stinking crowd of humanity parted before us like the Red Sea before Moses. We felt like gods as all the scum of the streets scattered like frightened chickens. So now I have changed my mind and am thinking of hiring a bike, preferably a big Harley.

---

Comments

[Sarah]

bikes
sounds like a good way of clearing the streets of London as well!