Here’s some of what our eyes take in along the road or roadside each day:Women and children carrying heavy bundles of wood or water
A boy and/or older man driving a herd of goats or cattle
Uniformed school girls and boys walking or waiting for the bus
Lone cows or water buffalo meandering aimlessly
Cow pies and goat droppings (watch…and swerve!)
A few pigs and piglets rooting around
Varieties of birds pecking at road kill or grain
Massive banyan, locust and other shade treesBicycles transporting water, wood, quilts, rugs, jugs, eggs, etc.
Motor scooters and motorcycles carrying an entire family
Auto rickshaws bulging with goods and/or people
Overloaded buses, SUVs and Willy’s Jeeps traveling at fast speeds
Trucks with ear-piercing horns traveling just a bit less fast
An overturned truck and a broken-down bus
Ox-pulled carts loaded with sugarcane or grain
Tractor-pulled trailers loaded with sugarcane or grain
Fruit and vegetable vendors squatting on the roadsideTea stalls (keep riding, keep riding…)
People walking together--men holding men’s hands; women holding women’s hands
Shrines large and small, well-kept and deteriorating
A few disheveled vagabonds or holy men sauntering alone
HIGHWAYS OF HUMAN INTEREST. For human interest, Indian roadways beat the endless monotony of a U.S. Interstate or state highway—hands down. Forget cruise control. Don’t you dare try to talk on a cell phone. Both
hands will be necessary—one for the steering wheel and one for honking the horn. In the rural areas driving’s a challenge; in the cities it’s gauntlet not for the weak of heart.
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