Driving in India

This is a very typical scene in New Delhi, the capital of India, except the traffic is very light. Notice the little three wheel golf carts with yellow tops. Those are taxis. The newest part of New Delhi is very modern. There are four lanes of traffic going in one direction on this particular highway unlike the one lane roads in the more remote parts of India. They drive on the left side of the road which takes some getting used to. The gentleman with the turban is Mr. Singh, our bus driver. We all felt completely at ease when he was under the wheel. The reason he wears a turban is because he is a Seik. They have to cover their heads and can not cut their hair nor beards. He showed me how long his beard was, then wrapped it around his fingers and poked it up inside his beard. The young man's name is KuKu. He is Mr. Singh's assistant. His job is to take care of the passengers' needs such as selling us water, helping us on and off the bus, etc. He took very good care of me when I was sick the last day. When I threw up, there was KuKu to help me out. He is also an apprentice of sorts. He will work with Mr. Singh for approximately four years and then he will begin driving some himself. Oh by the way, there are no driving exams before getting ones license in India. Once you reach the age of 16 you go pay for your license and that's it. Must be nice! They last a lifetime.

Larry