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Published: February 17th 2010
So as I took what seems to be my 32490209657th tuk tuk ride, I had the inspiration for a video game that should (if it hasn't already been) created to capture the essence of Indian travels. This would be an interactive, dynamic game, viceral and experiential...complete with aromas, textures, sounds and physical movements.
The story board could look something like this:
The player gets an option of rides: tuk tuk (where you can deck it out with depictions of Krishna, baby Jesus or gold lamme), ox driven cart (where you can color the ox's horns and choose the bobbles that go on top), bus (with various horn options ranging from the usual to deafening sonic boom), bike rickshaw (complete with it's own doti wearing driver (kind of a skirt thing that all men wear here) who looks like his small legs couldn't possibly move much, let alone the likes of two curvy blonde women 😊
Once you've chosen your ride, you're off into the labryinthine streets of India.
As you cruise along, you are lured by the scent of cardamom and delectible fried thingyies, then whammo! You get punched in the face with the stench of raw sewage.
As you recover from the shock, you marvel at the panoply of silk sarees, bobbles and shimmer of the brown skinned women...watch out! You almost hit a guy crossing the street with a freshly skinned cow's head. And you thought all cows were sacred here... Forgot about the loads of Christians and Muslims here, didn't you?
As you shake your head in wonder, you decide to pull over to get yourself a nice cup of chai...you find that the chai guy takes his pouring very seriously- it's a pasttime here. As you bring the spicy sweetness to your lips, you're flocked by peddlers of every useless thing you can imagine- weren't you just thinking you needed a new plastic pot?
Since this whet your appetite, you journey onto an eatery, where a bobble headed local tries to get you to park your ride in a sketchy spot, so you assert yourself and he concedes with a smile and directs you to the right place. You sit down and order a thali (an array of tastes and textures all placed upon a banana leaf with a massive scoop of rice in the middle) and dive in with your fingers
(right hand only, not the left- poo hand 😊 You gaze around and hear others busily slurping and putting their whole hands in their mouths...oddly childlike and a bit gross. The foreign tastes delight your mouth and warm it up about 5 notches too.
With your belly satisfied, you return to your ride and back to the streets with a post meal haze, but look out! A heard of goats is trying to cross the road....you go down about 3 more blocks and bam! You swerve to the left to avoid the line of 134 uniformed children crossing the street....close one. Just when you recover, Blammo! You screetch to a stop to prevent ramming up the rear end of the sacred cow...
Now you're getting the hang of it. With your adrenals fully charged, you start to relax into the chaotic rhythm of this place- myriad of sights, disturbing and wonderous, mystical and exotic. You find yourself beginning to relax into the peaceful madness and surrender into the sea of the moment.
Cheers everyone, I love you so much,
Jessica
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AnJa
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Jessica, I have read all of your blogs and am enjoying reading about your adventures! I feel as if I am sitting in that tuk tuk next to you! Your writing is exquisite. I plan to visit India in December with my brother. Sending you lots of love~ you are in my thoughts! :)