We've arrived at our next location!
We started the day by leaving our hotel at 7AM, where we met up with the other group travelling to our next location with us. We ate breakfast then waited a while until our bus arrived. Around 9:15 we boarded the bus and thus began our 8 hour journey on a large coach bus (the same as you'd see in the US but without the toilet onboard.
Leaving the city in a large bus was quite entertaining because of the maneuvering needed in the small streets filled with cars, motorcycles, and people. There was one point in which we made a u-turn by successfully traversing around 4 lanes of traffic coming from 4 different directions.
Even though we were in a bus for 8 hours, it was a really great opportunity to see some of the countryside here. In India, the countryside is quite clearly visible from the freeway. We were able to see the men and women tending to their crops, working in the rice fields, and children playing cricket next to the road, to name a few things.
We also saw lots and lots of cows, which as you saw in the previous post are everywhere. In the streets, in the towns, and in the fields. Some are more well fed than others too. Many that I've seen so far are very skinny and are clearly eating whatever they can, whether it's the minimal grass in the fields or the garbage spread throughout the street or piled up next to the dumpster.
The countryside was also a good perspective of the stark difference between the social classes. Poverty in the country was very clear to see (as it was in the city), but the countryside had a much greater proportion of people living in poverty.
Side note on traffic:
If you've ever seen a bollywood movie (or movie that takes place in India) you have probably seen streets filled with countless vehicles (of all sizes) bustling around while constantly honking their horns while miraculously not crashing into each other (or crashing into people or side street vendors). After being in India for 2 days now, I can assure you that those movies are 100% accurate. Road rules are nonexistent; and, only in major intersections do stop lights mean anything.
There's a lot of honking on the freeway too...which I wasn't expecting. From what I can tell, they honk to warn other cars they will be passing them. They all have side mirrors, so I'm not yet sure why the honking is necessary.
-Kristi Rasmussen
We started the day by leaving our hotel at 7AM, where we met up with the other group travelling to our next location with us. We ate breakfast then waited a while until our bus arrived. Around 9:15 we boarded the bus and thus began our 8 hour journey on a large coach bus (the same as you'd see in the US but without the toilet onboard.
Leaving the city in a large bus was quite entertaining because of the maneuvering needed in the small streets filled with cars, motorcycles, and people. There was one point in which we made a u-turn by successfully traversing around 4 lanes of traffic coming from 4 different directions.
Even though we were in a bus for 8 hours, it was a really great opportunity to see some of the countryside here. In India, the countryside is quite clearly visible from the freeway. We were able to see the men and women tending to their crops, working in the rice fields, and children playing cricket next to the road, to name a few things.
It was also a good opportunity for everyone to take a nap, including our professors!
We also saw lots and lots of cows, which as you saw in the previous post are everywhere. In the streets, in the towns, and in the fields. Some are more well fed than others too. Many that I've seen so far are very skinny and are clearly eating whatever they can, whether it's the minimal grass in the fields or the garbage spread throughout the street or piled up next to the dumpster.
The countryside was also a good perspective of the stark difference between the social classes. Poverty in the country was very clear to see (as it was in the city), but the countryside had a much greater proportion of people living in poverty.
Side note on traffic:
If you've ever seen a bollywood movie (or movie that takes place in India) you have probably seen streets filled with countless vehicles (of all sizes) bustling around while constantly honking their horns while miraculously not crashing into each other (or crashing into people or side street vendors). After being in India for 2 days now, I can assure you that those movies are 100% accurate. Road rules are nonexistent; and, only in major intersections do stop lights mean anything.
There's a lot of honking on the freeway too...which I wasn't expecting. From what I can tell, they honk to warn other cars they will be passing them. They all have side mirrors, so I'm not yet sure why the honking is necessary.
-Kristi Rasmussen
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