Transportation
Walking - The side walks are full of rubble and debris. They change in height, width and building material every block or two. No one uses them for walking. Rather they are a place for sleeping, pissing, chatting and business enterprise. Indians walk on the roads, weaving around carts, debris, people, moving rickshaw, double or triple parked vehicles. This means walking in short strides, as you are constantly changing course to adjust for what suddenly appeared in front of you.
Bicycle Rickshaw - A cheap but slow way of getting around. Climb into the high cart seat and take a good look around. These rides can be somewhat alarming as the drivers are more aggressive with traffic and you are completely exposed if there's an accident. The drivers are a less sophisticated bunch and their clientele is primarily locals. So while I like to share the wealth, there is a higher chance I'll end up in the wrong spot.
Auto Rickshaw - This is a three wheeled vehicle with a roof but open on the sides. These drivers are also quite daring but here there is something to hold on to. Locals call them Tuk-Tuk. They have meters like a taxi, but it is difficult to convince any of the drivers to use the meter. The drivers don't like the meter rates because they don't reflect time lost in heavy traffic and they can always get more from a desperate tourist. They generally know where you want to go and are relatively cheap regardless.
Taxi - Much like taxis anywhere except they also don't like to use the meters for the same reason. There are basic beat up taxis and then a rental car quality which is used for day trips.
Metro - Tokens can be bought at the ticket centre where there is a good system map. Go through the turnstile and attempt to find your platform. Signage here may or may not include English. The first train is reserved for women but these are very long trains and its hard to get to the front car without missing the train. Just follow another woman and press into the crowd. The trains are no more crowded than Calgary in rush hour. It cost me 10 Rs to go 3 stops including 1 line change in Delhi. There is also a separate airport express from the train station to the airport for 80 Rs.
Railway - The stations work like an airport. Buy water and munchies and wait for your platform announcement. The platforms include signs that mark the location of each car on the train and these are long, 25 car, trains. My train information says the boarding time is 2 minutes, but the trains are in the stations for 15-30 minutes. That's the theory. In reality the train stations are mob scene. People lie and sleep all over the station. When I got off my train last night at 1 am, there was a row of sleeping people at my feet so that I couldn't move. Once on a train there are constant food hawkers yelling their wares. It's better than room service - instant gratification. And of course, first class tickets leave you traveling with a substantially different class of person than not.
There are a variety of train classes which are inconsistent from one train to the next. The lowest class is no cabin, wooden benches, general seating, pack in as many people sitting on the floor as possible. The best class is 4 person, lockable, AC cabin with sleeper bunks, sheets, blanket and pillow provided. Even first class somewhat grubby.
Airplane - Extremely civilized. New Delhi claims to be the 2nd best airport in the world and is full of designer shops including a Body Shop. The passengers are wealthy well mannered and the flight announcements are entirely in English. I guess if you can't speak English you can't afford to fly.
Bicycle Rickshaw - A cheap but slow way of getting around. Climb into the high cart seat and take a good look around. These rides can be somewhat alarming as the drivers are more aggressive with traffic and you are completely exposed if there's an accident. The drivers are a less sophisticated bunch and their clientele is primarily locals. So while I like to share the wealth, there is a higher chance I'll end up in the wrong spot.
Auto Rickshaw - This is a three wheeled vehicle with a roof but open on the sides. These drivers are also quite daring but here there is something to hold on to. Locals call them Tuk-Tuk. They have meters like a taxi, but it is difficult to convince any of the drivers to use the meter. The drivers don't like the meter rates because they don't reflect time lost in heavy traffic and they can always get more from a desperate tourist. They generally know where you want to go and are relatively cheap regardless.
Taxi - Much like taxis anywhere except they also don't like to use the meters for the same reason. There are basic beat up taxis and then a rental car quality which is used for day trips.
Metro - Tokens can be bought at the ticket centre where there is a good system map. Go through the turnstile and attempt to find your platform. Signage here may or may not include English. The first train is reserved for women but these are very long trains and its hard to get to the front car without missing the train. Just follow another woman and press into the crowd. The trains are no more crowded than Calgary in rush hour. It cost me 10 Rs to go 3 stops including 1 line change in Delhi. There is also a separate airport express from the train station to the airport for 80 Rs.
Railway - The stations work like an airport. Buy water and munchies and wait for your platform announcement. The platforms include signs that mark the location of each car on the train and these are long, 25 car, trains. My train information says the boarding time is 2 minutes, but the trains are in the stations for 15-30 minutes. That's the theory. In reality the train stations are mob scene. People lie and sleep all over the station. When I got off my train last night at 1 am, there was a row of sleeping people at my feet so that I couldn't move. Once on a train there are constant food hawkers yelling their wares. It's better than room service - instant gratification. And of course, first class tickets leave you traveling with a substantially different class of person than not.
There are a variety of train classes which are inconsistent from one train to the next. The lowest class is no cabin, wooden benches, general seating, pack in as many people sitting on the floor as possible. The best class is 4 person, lockable, AC cabin with sleeper bunks, sheets, blanket and pillow provided. Even first class somewhat grubby.
Airplane - Extremely civilized. New Delhi claims to be the 2nd best airport in the world and is full of designer shops including a Body Shop. The passengers are wealthy well mannered and the flight announcements are entirely in English. I guess if you can't speak English you can't afford to fly.
posted by yarentisngl at
4:24 AM
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