heureusement

On this day we jammed six people in one tiny autorickshaw. I had to physically hold myself into the open sided, three wheeled vehicle. Traffic is absolutely insane. What Americans think of as near misses happen multiple time in the course of one trip. I asked one driver how many accidents he had had. His answer: throusands.

Of course before you get to the life risking  you must haggle! Drivers want to charge foreigners at least triple. Even so, an average ride costs around a dollar. Haggleing is a communal effort on both ends - in the picture above about ten people were involved in securing an acceptable fare. The drivers do not compete with one another - there seems to be a close sense of community. Drivers often shout out to other drivers on the road - they’re all buddies!

I think driving around has been one of my favorite parts of my experience here so far. During every drive I see countless amazing things! Impromptu barber shops which consist of three rocks on the sidewalk, men sleeping in the middle of moving traffic, a clinic housed in a corrugated metal shack, casual public urinaters (my friend saw a public pooper!), camels, goats, buffaloes, temples, mosques, vibrantly colored flower garlands, poverty, opulence, construction - and on and on and on!