Life on the road (EM)


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Asia » India » Karnataka » Kundapura
January 30th 2013
Published: February 1st 2013
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I couldn't be in India for a month and not write a big about the Indian road network!!! The best way to summarise is “expect the unexpected” and we've certainly seen our share of that during the past 4 weeks. From overloaded lorries to scooters with family of four on board we really have seen everything India has to offer. We've seen buses so overloaded with people standing in the aisle it's leaning heavily to one side, rickshaws with fridges hanging out of the back, scooters with water barrels on and many many more crazy sights!

2 wheelers are much more prevalent here in India and provide many people with affordable transport between towns and villages. Scooters are very popular for women to drive and motorbikes are parked outside most houses. Rickshaws are very common sight across the whole of India, operating as taxis, light goods vehicles and school transport.

Motorways under construction can take years to finish due to disputes over land ownership, which results in many "diversions" from the main highway on most routes between towns. A lot of people ignore these signs and stick to the unfinished part of the road anyway and then some people just drive down the wrong side of the main highway because the route is shorter! Our bus driver Nagaraj has looked after us tremendously well and doesn't take any chances when trying to overtake. He is always paying attention to the road ahead and despite the constant tooting from other drivers, refuses to overtake until the road is completely clear.

Millet thrashing on the main road is another strange practice we have observed on rural roads, where farmers put out in large piles and as the cars drive over the seeds are removed from their shells and the farmers collect these after a few hours. This practice is not recommended by the Government as it can cause damage to vehicles and pollute the crops with diesel.

Lorries here in India are very interesting and painted with very bright colours and interesting warning signs on the bumper! They carry everything from rocks to coffee and lots more! A lot of them are Ashok Leyland brand which have a UK subsidiary company called Optare which has recently shut down it's factory in Blackburn, Lancashire.

Here you will find a few photos collected on our travels and hope you enjoy!!! Emily X


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1st February 2013

Highway Code!!
Thanks for sharing these photos - they have brightened up my day :) With wonderful colour and crazyness. Not long now and you'll be on your return journey to the UK. We look forward to hearing all about your experiences in the coming months. Have a safe journey takes on a different meaning after seeing these photos.

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