When I first met my flatmate Freya she explained that she'd bought the furniture (chairs, coffee table, bookcase etc) from the "man on the bike". I let this wash over me as yet another phrase that didn't make any sense, so much of what I encountered in the first couple of weeks was out of any existing frame of reference. But then it became obvious - a man on a bike carrying furniture - and why not.
This is a country where almost anything can be transported by bike. The wife and kids, two fat, western tourists, a fridge, a wardrobe or indeed a showroom of wicker furniture.
There are a lot of cyclists here, but no helmets, no Lycra and probably brakes are a bit of a luxury. You may know that I'm a bit of a cyclist back home but that only tends to involve me lugging my own body weight from A to B, and that can be enough of a challenge.
For the first time I have a commuting distance that would be eminently do-able on a bike, that is if it were anywhere else than Delhi. The truth is that I would get to the end of the street and then wait there all day for a safe gap in the traffic, turn round and come home again. I don't think there is such a thing as a safe gap in the traffic. So respect to the cyclists of Delhi who make the rest of us look like push biking wimps.
To my mind it is a great article.
http://rapidqueen.com
Posted by: Thaddeus | 15/06/2010 at 22:26
Hi Ruth:
Hope you are doing ok and that you have a wonderful Christmas. What you write is so interesting.
Take Care
Love
Christine (your mom and dad's friend)
Posted by: Christine Blackburn | 12/12/2007 at 05:41