Kudos to my mother-in-law and everyone else who feels comfortable driving in India. It’s a truly scary proposition that I don’t think I’ll ever get used to.
Great toon! The funny thing is your “roughs” look better than most people’s finished work. With teh various colors it actually looks cool and would make an interesting full time style.
HA! I can relate to that traffic. Very close to what its like driving in my hometown.
One question. Are mustaches that prevalent? (they are fairly prevalent here too).
Oh yeah. Mustaches are HUGE over in India. I think many men wear them because it makes them seem more grown up. Although there’s a fair amount of goatees too.
I spent a week in Bangalore a couple of years ago. Had a group from our Monterrey, Mexico plant with me. I always thought Monterrey’s traffic was impossible, but it’s nothing compared to Bangalore. I didn’t think I was going to survive the first day. It took about an hour to go less than 10 miles. Traffic signals and lane markings were mere suggestions. And the constant honking. “Honk if ok” – what the heck does that mean?
What amazes me is how few serious injuries there are, but it’s impossible to go very fast. Our trip was in June and they had just experienced the 2nd traffic death of the year, somebody stepped out in front of a bus and was hit. When the engineers from Bangalore come to Milwaukee, they don’t like to drive here. Too fast on the highway, they can’t handle it.
How about the motorbikes? What’s the max count you saw on a scooter? Mine was a family of five.
lol, I’ve seen a family of 5 on a scooter before. And on bicycles, I’ve seen a family of 4. The honking is constant. It doesn’t matter what time of the day it is, either. I never needed an alarm to get up when I was in Mumbai. The din of morning traffic almost always woke me up.
Good one… That’s sure what it’s like here. My commute is like that every day. In my five minute rickshaw ride to the office I get quite an adrenalin rush, especially when the driver, who’s removed all mirrors that see outside the rickshaw, tries to get into traffic on the main road and scoot across it quickly to make a U-turn around the construction…
It’s pretty common for him to swing in, causing all the other vehicles to honk and the squeal of brakes. Sometimes I hear loud brakes squeal from about ear level, and a deafening horn blast behind and above, and then I know he cut off something BIG.
The honking is one of the reasons I’m looking for a job in the U.S. to move back again… I can’t take it any more. Our first floor apartment is near the end of a dead-end street, but overlooks the driveways and parking for five bigger apartment buildings. The honking is nonstop. All day and all night people honk on the street, people honk to get the watchmen to open the gates, people honk when backing out. And other noises, like the watchmen and servants cough up junk and spit under the windows, day in, day out.
My ears haven’t stopped ringing for about a year. Most of the time it’s too noisy to hear the ringing, but when it’s quieter I hear it. If any loud horns are sounded near me, the pain and louder ringing can last for hours. Some days after my rickshaw ride to work, if there’s more or louder horns than usual, I can’t hear my coworkers clearly till close to lunch time.
I love how you went from riding up front to cowering in the back by the time you arrived to her home. That nerve racking huh?
Great toon! The funny thing is your “roughs” look better than most people’s finished work. With teh various colors it actually looks cool and would make an interesting full time style.
Thanks guys! The rough look is fun – but if I’m going to collect all the strips in a book, I’ve gotta finish ‘em out.
HA! I can relate to that traffic. Very close to what its like driving in my hometown.
One question. Are mustaches that prevalent? (they are fairly prevalent here too).
Oh yeah. Mustaches are HUGE over in India. I think many men wear them because it makes them seem more grown up. Although there’s a fair amount of goatees too.
I spent a week in Bangalore a couple of years ago. Had a group from our Monterrey, Mexico plant with me. I always thought Monterrey’s traffic was impossible, but it’s nothing compared to Bangalore. I didn’t think I was going to survive the first day. It took about an hour to go less than 10 miles. Traffic signals and lane markings were mere suggestions. And the constant honking. “Honk if ok” – what the heck does that mean?
What amazes me is how few serious injuries there are, but it’s impossible to go very fast. Our trip was in June and they had just experienced the 2nd traffic death of the year, somebody stepped out in front of a bus and was hit. When the engineers from Bangalore come to Milwaukee, they don’t like to drive here. Too fast on the highway, they can’t handle it.
How about the motorbikes? What’s the max count you saw on a scooter? Mine was a family of five.
lol, I’ve seen a family of 5 on a scooter before. And on bicycles, I’ve seen a family of 4. The honking is constant. It doesn’t matter what time of the day it is, either. I never needed an alarm to get up when I was in Mumbai. The din of morning traffic almost always woke me up.
I don’t think I would, either! Driving in Boston was scary enough for me. India is a whole other game of dodgeball. Emphasis on the dodge.
Good one… That’s sure what it’s like here. My commute is like that every day. In my five minute rickshaw ride to the office I get quite an adrenalin rush, especially when the driver, who’s removed all mirrors that see outside the rickshaw, tries to get into traffic on the main road and scoot across it quickly to make a U-turn around the construction…
It’s pretty common for him to swing in, causing all the other vehicles to honk and the squeal of brakes. Sometimes I hear loud brakes squeal from about ear level, and a deafening horn blast behind and above, and then I know he cut off something BIG.
The honking is one of the reasons I’m looking for a job in the U.S. to move back again… I can’t take it any more. Our first floor apartment is near the end of a dead-end street, but overlooks the driveways and parking for five bigger apartment buildings. The honking is nonstop. All day and all night people honk on the street, people honk to get the watchmen to open the gates, people honk when backing out. And other noises, like the watchmen and servants cough up junk and spit under the windows, day in, day out.
My ears haven’t stopped ringing for about a year. Most of the time it’s too noisy to hear the ringing, but when it’s quieter I hear it. If any loud horns are sounded near me, the pain and louder ringing can last for hours. Some days after my rickshaw ride to work, if there’s more or louder horns than usual, I can’t hear my coworkers clearly till close to lunch time.