As I was saying in my last post … many of my worst travel experiences have been on the way to places and being caught in traffic.
I remember the first time I visited India years ago. I’d arrived at Bangalore’s old airport at 1 AM in the morning. That late at night I had expected chilly or at least, cool night air. Not here. I stepped from the filtered interior of the plane into a steamy hot blanket of night. Instant funk.
I remember walking across the tarmac and praying that my transportation would be primed and air cooled. It was and the drive to the hotel was relatively quick. The road from the airport looked brand new. It was very empty; it was 2AM after all. On the way I saw some curious signs. Huge billboards spelled out “STAY BETWEEN THE LINES.” What does that mean? I thought.
I found out the next day. STAY BETWEEN THE LINES was an admonishment for orderly traffic lanes.
Bangalore and much of India, was (and still is) infamous for its traffic. Gridlock was a frequent occurrence with buses blocking cars, cars overtaking motorbikes and bikes snaking through. Roads were packed with vehicles check to jowl, going in more or less the same direction.
The occasional cow would be in the fray, sometimes sitting by the side while motorbikes and cars streamed around them. As the car inched through, beggars would tap on the car window. I remember looking out the car while they were peering back in.
The first time I saw this photo by Steve McCurry, it spoke to me of my time in India. In this video, Steve tells how he snapped the picture while on the way to his hotel in Bombay.
I visited Bangalore when it was a growing city, with infrastructure being built at an unprecedented rate. I remember speeding along a spanking new high-way listening to the driver and my colleague argue about how far the road went. I thought it was a joke until the asphalted road suddenly stopped and a field of rocks loomed ahead.
“Huh,” said my colleague. “This is the municipal boundary and the budget must have run out.”
With resigned patience the driver calmly turned the car around and looked for the next turn-off. At one point we had to make a right turn across a busy road. As he inched the car forward, turning but not quite into on-coming traffic, my colleague levered himself out the passenger side window, waving at the cars to stop and let us through. This seemed to work. Better than relying on just a turning signal and horn.
I haven’t visited Bangalore since 2008. Curiosity had me checking if the traffic’s improved since then. This article says not. Bangalore or Bengaluru is now #1 in the world’s worst cities for traffic congestion. I guess those billboard signs didn’t take.
This post comes to you compliments of Amanda’s Friendly Friday Challenge: ON THE WAY.
The Sandy Chronicles 
I have heard of epic traffic jams, but this has to take the cake!
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Hi, Sandy – Here’s one more similarity. I was also last in India in 2008 (February). I also flew into Bangalore (from Beijing). I am greatly enjoying these coincidences that we are discovering! 😀
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Oh my! Next you’ll tell me that you were considering working there but decided on (staying in) China instead? That would be so funny!
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It’s manic but for some reason I love the chaos of Indian traffic, although I wouldn’t want to live with it. Lane markings seem to be a total waste of paint over there 😆 And the horn is a form of expression, a statement that announce your presence! Our driver in Rajasthan said that it wasn’t really dangerous driving there because there was a hidden set of rules that everyone stuck to (not the official ones like staying within the lanes) and as long as you drove with the expectation that anyone else could do anything at any time, you’d be fine – but I wouldn’t want to have to test that theory 😀
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Knowing the rules, especially the unsaid ones, makes a huge difference 🙂
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It must be chaos of the top level. And I thought Vietnam would be the worst for traffic.
Amazing photo you snapped of the young girl and her Mum.
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I wish I could take credit for the photo but it was taken by Steve McCurry 😉
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I’d go out of my mind if I lived there. It’s chaos!
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… and yet people do!
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I am having a good laugh. We are so used to traffic snarls, Delhi, Gurgaon, Pune…the cities I have lived in and living, that empty roads appear spooky. My last visit to Bangalore was in 2002 and after that I refused to go. Mumbai is worse and smaller cities are fast catching up …Jaipur.
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I left Bangalore and went to New Dehli where I noticed more orderly traffic. Still heavy but at least the cars stayed between the lanes!
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Vehicles are increasing daily
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Aaaah traffic in India!!! I’ve had some of my biggest road frights there 😱. Thank God they’re honking!!!
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I have learnt that in this part of the world, honking is just another signalling device. Unlike in here where its a sign of aggression
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In the same way, buses in Malta can be quite an experience. And I guess many other places too. But India has god to be the King of driving madness!
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