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| View from back of a pedicab in Old Delhi. |
Part of my gaining ground in a new place is spending that opening day in the streets, and discovering some of the sights that have made it historically rich and memorable. My opening day in Delhi was no different, and I hired a guide to plug me into a list of sights to visit, including the awesome Red Fort.
Following a few quick visits on the list, my driver dropped me in tremendous traffic to let me wander to the Red Fort while he brave the parking situation. I enjoyed the pathway around the fort and needed the walk after a morning of backseat witnessing of the Delhi roads. I couldn’t stomach the line for the Fort’s entrance, so I made the mental pivot from the box-checking of my day and jumped on a pedicab to wander the bazaars of Old Delhi instead.
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| Views from the pedicab. All colors, ages, lives. |
Pedicabs have become popular in the U.S. and they are a favorite for ground transit in many places, but the difference in this experience was the enmeshment of pedicabs with auto rickshaws, cars and buses on the same roads all together. The danger factor, in other words, seemed crazy (!). But I couldn’t help myself. Delhi’s traffic becomes a gridlocked nightmare by 2 PM, so pedicabs become an attractive option for movement at that time of day. I negotiated with one pedicabbie, a young guy 31 years old (I learned on the ride), while surrounded by about eight other cabbies bartering for the ride. Once we settled on a price and a general rule through the old town, I got settled in the back and the other pedicabbies helped me with instructions on how to sit and where to place my feet. I appreciated the camaraderie of these guys, who have in common their poverty and their human drive for survival.
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| Sparkling sandals. |
Alas, the backseat of a pedicab in Old Delhi’s traffic might be the best landing for people watching. EVER. Wow. All walks of life, age, affluence, poverty, culture can be found on the visual continuum of the bazaar’s streets when they are FILLED with pedicabs, auto rickshaws, pedestrians and the occasional delinquent car. Offering equal parts mayhem, reality, color and sound, my cab ride was fabulous and heartbreaking at the same time.
There were women shrouded in black robes with sparkling sandals. There was a handicapped man who lost the use of his legs (if he ever had their use), and was making his way through the legs and wheels on his personal four-wheeled cart. There were young men with greasy hair and t-shirts weaving through the pedicabs, auto rickshaws, cars and motorcycles. There were families crammed in tiny cars, five people in the backseat. There were old men with white hair on their chests selling sandals. There was everyone, everything.
There was the world wrapped around me living and yelling and laughing and rushing and pushing and buying and selling, and just happening. It was breathtaking.
