riding in rickshaws

As i have time...and fun thoughts, i'm going to share about the different means of transportation here in K-town...this is the first of a series :)

Rickshaws come in 3 different forms here, the pulled ones (where a man runs, and pulls you in a little cart) - i haven't been in one of those...and probably won't ever. There are also bike rickshaws (bike in front, carriage in back) - haven't been in one of those yet...but probably will sometime. the third type of rickshaw is the auto rickshaw (think motorcycles meets car). i use these multiple times a day.

now, there are some things that you need to know about rickshaws. they're more like a little bus than a little taxi....meaning you don't get in and tell them where you want to go...they're going somewhere, and you need to make sure its going where you want to go. Rickshaw drivers LOVE to use their horns (every car/truck/bus/motorcycle/bicycle here does). There are lots of different horns on rickshaws, different tunes, sounds, pitches. Once i rode in a rickshaw where the guy just kept his horn on the whole time, and periodically he'd change the sound it was making. they also have speakers and play the radio, which can be either a wonderful or horrible experience, depending on how loud it is. And, they like to swerve and fit into place that are so small i'd never guess they'd fit. Its always a good idea to keep your hands, fingers, toes, elbows, feet ect INSIDE the rickshaw at all times.

rickshaws also don't go with just 2 people in them...they like to be full before you move anywhere, and stop lots of times along the way to pick up more people (which is a pain if you're in a hurry!).

rickshaw prices are somewhat fixed...although, the driver can charge you, or try to charge you, whatever he wants. Karli and i ride a 2 rickshaws everyday to get to and from the bus or metro. each of the rides is 6 Rs each (or that's what its supposed to be). the other day a driver tried to charge us 30 Rs! fear not though...in my best bengali ever i said, "i know its six" (ami jani chota) and we started to get out of the rickshaw. that drew quite a crowd of his friends laughing at him cause the bideshis (foreigners) knew the amount, could say it in bangla, and couldn't be taken advantage of! oh...one sweet moment of "victory!"

I love looking at the rickshaws, they have lots of funny decorations and writing so, for the past few days i've been making a list for your entertainment. many of them have pictures of hindu gods, or Bengali writing...but here's what i could understand...

• "Titantic"
• "Rocket"
• "I wait for you"
• a picture of an airplane
• a picture of a scorpion
• "Relax"
• "Disco World"
• "Nice Girl"
• "My Style"
• "Bekham"
• "Welcome"
• "Bobby"
• cd's tied to the mudflaps
• a computer keyboard dangling from the back
• a spider web picture
  

and my favorite one is.... "No Risk No Gane" somehow i think "no pain no gain" got lost in translation! and it cracks me up every time i see it!